After his performance Saturday night, Wolfgang Gartner took to his Twitter to vent his frustration with some of his colleagues who DJ, particularly Martin Solveig who performed after Wolfgang. What seems to be a growing trend in superstar DJ’s, Wolfgang Gartner addressed how some DJ’s are playing only the top hits:
In response, Martin Solveig also took to his Twitter to voice his opinion:
An interesting debate between the two, but Wolfgang Gartner makes a valid point. As EDM continues to grow at an astronomical pace, and DJ’s salaries sky rocket, it is pretty ludicrous that DJ’s are only playing the top hits. With the amount of good music, and with some DJ’s getting paid up to $450,000 per show, sometimes more, playing the top 10 trending songs without doing any sort of edit for a crowd is not fair to the fans. For that amount of money, DJ’s should be putting more time into selecting a track list and creating an experience that energizes and entertain the crowd, not just playing the most popular songs of the moment. I can do that from my itunes library at home for free.
UPDATE: Martin Solveig responds in a video interview with MTV:
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-Nick Ward @NickWard20
Hahaha I was totally there!
is he talking about EDC Chi?
Neon Desert Music Festival, in El Paso.
I totally fucking agree.
Work for that cash you assholes.
there is a fine middle ground that can be met…yes people like hearing certain tracks….so you should try and please them…but mixing in from un known tracks and maybe sampling pieces of the popular tracks will still provide that fix the crowd is wanting…
From all the Dj battles about mainstream, and commercial tracks and how EDM Is growing up! This fight is the most stupid I’ve ever seeen wolfgang produce something and shut up.
Produce something? You must be joking.
Yes, I’ts been a long time since I heard something good about him… but he prefer to collab with Shit.i.am also wtf with this guy! it’s not his set! I don’t like solveig.. but he can play whatever that he wants on his set. I mean its so stupid!!!!
I agree with both of them to an extent. when I go to a concert for a band, I expect them to play the song by them that I love. why?, because its obviously important to me otherwise I wouldn’t be there. I agree with Wolfgang that it is important not just to play top 40 bullshit and to innovate on your own creations but playing the songs that you made that your fans love is not a cop out.
He’s right!
They both need to mind their own business. Why worry about what another person is doing. They got the gig for a reason. Negative people are un-happy people! Positive people can’t be brought down lol. Love to everyone hope everyone is having a awesome day.
The mentality now days about work make that money blah blah, is so boring. Look at miles davis, daft punk, hendrix, suna ra. they were innovators , it wasnt about the money. It was about ART, how can u be artist without being creative? Having to please people has never been the motto of true arists, it was about changing the boundaries create different thoughts and emotions, and surprises. What’s the surprise if you play shit people already know? When I’m at a Edm event, I love to hear shit ive never heard of. Why? kus its an excitement, like the first time I heard a Edm song, that feeling of Whoa, what is this? This shit is fucking insane? The passion from the start was always about creating new and expressing new. At the end of the day its the same. Money comes after everything else, so no point for pleasing people. Be a politician and please people. I hate this trend of money = musical success.
Well said.
thanks, for supporting the hawaii music scene!
You’re clueless
I really feel that as much as the DJs are responsible, the crowds and the promoters are just as guilty for not demanding better music from their DJs. Crowds should be getting on the djs case for DJs for not digging, pushing musical boundaries, or for using auto-mix on tractor/serato/ableton. We should educate, as much as we entertain. If not we are doing a disservice to the crowd. And it breaks my heart every time I get a request for a song that one can hear over and over again on the radio.
Why would you go to the theatres to see the same movie over and over again.
Thanks Mr Nick!
Agreed, Wolfgang, has been talking crap for a minute. He needs to mind his own biz and focus on himself.
DJ’s are retarded. Nuff said.
http://www.youtube.com/alienx23
except he didnt make any of those songs
… and this is why Bassnectar is the best live dj on the planet. Every single show is completely different, amazing, innovative, new. If you’ve never experienced his show before I suggest you do cause you will never view a live set the same way again.
… and this is why Bassnectar is the best live dj on the planet. Every single show is completely different, amazing, innovative, new. If you’ve never experienced his show before I suggest you do cause you will never view a live set the same way again.
This is like the dillon francis, levels joke. I totally agree though I thinks it’s less laziness and more to do with the fear of “not getting booked again so ill play what I know is popular already”. I don’t think it’s right but I can see where it’s coming from.
It’s pretty easy debate, we need both! I like to hear new sound or crazy remix/mash-up, but it’s so good to hear the top ten in a festival, because you’re in the atmosphere, in a crowd with a sick sound system and it’s like heaven… But bad point 4 Wolfgang for spitting like that on the face of other great DJs.
ohhhh the irony of Wolfgang Gartner I mean Joey Youngman calling out another dj for playing hits to “get the money and please the crowd”………….
ohhhh the irony of Wolfgang Gartner I mean Joey Youngman calling out another dj for playing hits to “get the money and please the crowd”………….
two words for ya……OVER PAID
Mr Scruff…All his gigs sell out, and he hasnt sold out!
It should be called Electronic Pop Music. Its not real music. Its just commercial pop.. Look at daft punk, that new track contains elements (same guitar riff, same notes in the guitar riff, lyrics pitched at the same note) as every other EPM track
IDK what you are talking about but Daft Punk music doesn’t sound at all like what they call EDM. If anything It’s Futuristic Disco (House Music) FYI they make tracks from scratch with real instruments …
Live and let live is a good motto to go by with djing as its such a person thing. Wolfgang just looks like a miserable ass bitching like that. Martin Solveig is more commercial in style as a producer so he obviously likes more commercial tracks. And tracks don’t get commercial for nothing, it’s because ppl like them. Yes headliners should innovate and they should also crowd please. I’m sure both Wolfgang and Martin smashed it in their own different ways. What really should be highlighted here is bad attitude and negativity in a scene which doesn’t need it espesh from its artists
Live and let live is a good motto to go by with djing as its such a person thing. Wolfgang just looks like a miserable ass bitching like that. Martin Solveig is more commercial in style as a producer so he obviously likes more commercial tracks. And tracks don’t get commercial for nothing, it’s because ppl like them. Yes headliners should innovate and they should also crowd please. I’m sure both Wolfgang and Martin smashed it in their own different ways. What really should be highlighted here is bad attitude and negativity in a scene which doesn’t need it espesh from its artists
why does everyone think daft punk is so great.
Couldn’t disagree more with Wolfgang Gartner. I recently went to a Dillon Francis show and he didn’t play any of his tracks that I know and love, at least not in any kind of recognizable form. It ended up being a trap set, and I don;t like trap, and I showed up to hear the music that I know and love. Solveig is totally right, underground sets are a great place to express your creativity, big shows are about playing what people came to hear. Gartner’s dedication and commitment are commendable, and throoughly enjoyable in the correct venue, but that is not always the approach that is appropriate, sometimes you have to play down to the crowd, especially at larger events.
So… why is Martin Solveig reading from a teleprompter? If what he is saying is honest and true. I have a hard time believing anything after ‘meet and kick his ass’, everything else was read from a teleprompter…
Okay, I totally agree with Wolfgang Gartner. He just needs to settle down and not freak out about it though. It’s easier to listen and understand when someone is calm 😛
Hold on.
What The Fuck. What happened to the *drive* of a gig or the *feel* of a festival set I don’t give a flying thunder fuck if its in the UK Top 40 or in my mothers ‘top 40’ it’s the fucking sound and feel of the tracks I care about.
Aren’t those tracks in the top 40 for a fucking reason?
And correct me if I’m wrong but this is purely opinionated,