In a recent conversation with WIRED, legendary DJ and producer David Guetta shared his insights on some of the most frequently asked questions about the DJ world. Known for his honesty and transparency, Guetta provided straightforward answers that offered a glimpse into the life of a world-renowned DJ.
1. How to Drop a Beat:
Guetta explained the art of dropping a beat, emphasizing the importance of contrast in music. He described the beat as a surge of energy that follows a period of quieter, more monotonous sound. To create an effective drop, Guetta stressed that everything leading up to it must be more subdued, allowing the beat to explode with kick and bass energy.
2. Do DJs Prepare for a Set or they just know their library really well:
David Guetta: in the Past it was harder to mix but now everything is with a computer, you can never play the same set every-time and beat matching is so easy now, Nowadays the DJs can never do any mistakes it has to be perfect, SO YES we prepare for our sets before however I never played a pre-recorded set, all these stories I hear I think is Absolutely Ridiculous, I can Teach a 10 Year old how to beat match it’s so easy, for example I prepare for my ultra set one month before and I have to prepare my playlist, but I also Have to read the crowd and see what moves them more.
For example If I play an underground track and the crowd likes it, I add more from my undergound playlist and if the track is a disaster, I have to switch to other ones while live, If I play techno and the crowd isn’t reacting and then I Switch to Tech -house maybe and the crowd likes it, you would want to play more of that
That’s why pre-recorded sets doesn’t make sense cause you need to be able to try different things until you make the crowd happy, if you did that you can control the vibe and take them wherever you want
3. Why Do DJs Act like the Knobs are On Fire:
David Guetta: Sometimes the Knob Just needs a tick to adjust so you do it real quick, But honestly sometimes it’s just a part of the show, Most of the Clubs has Great sound and you don’t need to adjust the EQ, It stays straight so sometimes there is no point actually to hold the knobs too much unless it’s just a part of the show
4. Difference between Festivals and Clubs:
David Guetta: In Clubs you play more undergound music as I Believe Underground music originally came from clubs, I could be a resident and play 8 hours each set, at festivals you play like 90 minutes and people wants to hear your music more not your favorite tracks from other artists, in the festival you need to give the people more energy as the numbers are way higher, you could possibly add an underground track but at that moment it’s not underground anymore
5. Mistakes you did when you started:
David Guetta: First There is a Fine line between creating your own Identity and Playing what people like, It’s important to have a musical Identity either with one genera you get famous for or a mix of different ones, Some DJs play for themselves and don’t interact with the crowd which I think is madness because you’re here to entertain the crowd and make them have a good time, so you need to read the crowd and interact with them that’s really important, You can be cool and unique but don’t forget why you’re getting paid, it’s to give people a good time and entertain them, If you don’t look at the crowd, How can you read them?
David Guetta Also Talked bout basic principles of how to create a Set, Difference between (Mix, Remix, Original) Track and some other topics.
Check out his Full interview below
