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I guess this is the DJ equivalent of arguing about presets / samples / whatever? I'm not a DJ, so my interest is kind of academic, to me a good set is a good set. However:

Do you consider it acceptable to play tunes, esp oldskool tunes, off compilations or reissues?

I'm not talking about someone who's picked up half a dozen moving shadow reissues and Now That's What I Call Jungle volumes 1, 2 and 3 and set themselves up as an oldskool jungle DJ by bashing out the same obvious tunes every time - that's fairly obviously going to be bait. I guess I'm thinking more of someone who's got plenty of dusty rarities or fresh tunes or whatever that they got hold of by dilligent crate digging or spending lots on ebay or picking them up the first time around, but finds a tune on a compilation or a reissue that they didn't know or hadn't been able to get hold of or couldn't afford, but which would fit well into their set - if you were in that situation, would you rinse it out happily, or would some sort of code of honour hold you back?

I think anything goes as long as you pay for your music or are given permission to use it by the artist. (in the case of unreleased)

Just being on a compilation wouldn't stop me.

Are you genuinely worried about this?

Personally I wouldn't care what a DJ is playing off, aslong as the tunes are good.

I mena its not like you are playing dodgy generic cover versions is it?

I would gladly play a tune I liked off a vinyl of Smash Hits '92 if thats the only copy I could get of it.

It might not be as "cool" as having an original copy, but in the end what does it matter? Thats what leads to 12"s selling on eBay for 90 quid. Which is just daft.

gravious wrote:Are you genuinely worried about this?

Nah, like I said, as a listener all I really care about is the tunes. Just like as a listener, I don't care if a sound is a preset or a sample or whether the producer spent fifteen years crafting on a synthesizer he built himself out of old microwave ovens. And I don't DJ myself.

I was just wondering whether some DJs feel like they're cheating if they use reissues and compilations in the same way that some producers feel like they're cheating if they use samples or presets... it seems like a kind of equivalent thing.

The question kinda makes sense to me. The magic of a good DJ is to play tunes only a few know about or could get because of 500 limited-editions.
If I heard a song in a set 2 years ago while it was still hot and if I hear it now in a club after reissue, the pleasure certainly won't be the same - although I agree a good tune is a good tune.
Imo that's the difference between an average DJ and a professional one. But that's not just about compils or repress but about being up-to-date with the newest and deepest materials.

Some DJs might feel like this is cheating, but who cares really? If you can work a comp/reissue track into a set and it sounds good, I say do it. The only problem I've encountered is that comps often sound bad compared to the original single. I prefer singles with one track to a side, the longer playing the record the lower the volume generally. Some classic jungle comps don't even contain the whole song, they fade out early so they can fit more tracks on the LP, which makes it harder to mix out of.