Books & DJs

What's up y'all? Lots to update you on, starting with the Reading Challenge 2.0. Just to remind you, Reading Challenge 2.0 challenges me to read 8 books by December 31, 2010 (the challenge began on September 5th) and 50% of them have to be fiction. So far I've read 5 (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Franny and Zooey, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and By Nightfall). My progress was severely impeded by the purchase of an iPhone, but I seem to be on track again and just need to push through the next month and see how close I can get to my goal. On the bright side, I've achieved 1/2 of my goal already. All 5 books that I've read have been fiction, so it looks like I really have gotten back into fiction, which I'm thrilled about.

The most recent read, By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham, was quite simply put: stunning. I've never read Cunningham before, but I'm eager to read more of him. He also wrote The Hours, so I think I'll read that in the new year. By Nightfall was a twisted story about love, art, and finding the strength to survive a life that is really good, but not great, or not what you imagined for yourself. It was published this year, which was really interesting because it's been so long since I read a book taking place in the present day. There was a BlackBerry reference and an Obama administration reference, and both were interesting to see because somehow it made the experience the protagonist was having feel even more close to home. Anyway, I'm rambling... it was an amazing book and I'd highly recommend it!

Regarding MSTRKRFT in Sudbury... Well I should start off by saying it was a fantastic night! I had a blast with my sister and we danced and partied = good times. However, it wasn't MSTRKRFT performing; it was Jesse Keeler of MSTRKRFT. That would've been good because JFK is an awesome guy, but he didn't actually play any MSTRKRFT. He was just DJing. I'm not saying it wasn't good, but it just wasn't great. Plus, it wasn't what I expected.

It made me think though - here is a good example of a DJ who spins vs. a DJ who mixes/creates/produces. I may have not used the perfect wording, but I hope you get my gist. There's the standard, run-of-the-mill club DJ (no offense meant by word choice). She/he plays songs by artists (that remain unchanged for the most part) that the patrons of the club dance to. There are definitely good club DJs and bad club DJs, but their mission is the same. Then there is the... what shall we call it... More-than-just-playing-songs-DJ? Not exactly poetic, but sure, why not?

So the MTJPSD makes music out of DJing. Some strictly remix songs, some create their own stuff, and some do both... but the idea is, when you see them in a concert, they are DJing, but it's their own stuff that they're playing.

Anyway, my point is that these involve different skill sets. Knowing exactly when to crossover to a new track is a skill for a club DJ, as is knowing what songs will really get people on the dance floor. For a MTJPSD, it might be matching up two songs perfectly... or creating that perfect climb of sound that builds up to the climax that a good electro song inevitably has (i.e. the siren sound in "Cornelius" by The Bloody Beetroots... one of my fave music moments of all time). The point is, the skill sets for these two types of DJs are so different. Some DJs may possess both sets, but I felt on Friday night that JFK of MSTRKRFT did not.

Well, this update took about 24 hours to write -- broken up by work and sleep -- so I think it is time to move on.