Jeff Mills on Europeans

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SPW
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Jeff Mills on Europeans

Post by SPW »

http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1056

When we first started going to Europe to play music, a lot of us really did not know what to expect. We knew that techno music was happening; we knew that raves and other things were going on; we knew that music was really popular but most of us did not know the history—when I say most of us, I mean DJs from America.

We did not know the history of the people who were at those parties so we didn't know how far their knowledge of dance music went back. I remember asking people "Where are your older DJs that played in the discotheques, or those who have moved into production?", and most of the people told me that there weren't any. For most of them, it started with rave music, or it started with Detroit and things like that. With DJs in America it goes back really far through our older brothers and sisters and fathers.

And so a lot of us had to readjust the type of music that we were playing over in Europe and a lot of us today still do because their knowledge just doesn't go back as far. Playing music with vocals is perceived in a much different way. House music has always had some difficulties in certain places in Europe—mainly Germany. I can remember very clearly taking things out of my record box, because even if it was Chicago house they didn't want to hear the voice of Xavier Gold or Jamie Principle and things like that. So being yourself and playing what you want to play is fine—and you're lucky if you're actually able to do that—but I don't know many DJ that have the ability to be able to do that to be honest.

You would think that you would be able to do it. And I know some DJs that have done just that: they play the music they grew up on and play the music that they were influenced by and got quick indications that the crowd did not want to understand, so you had to change it—that's the reality.
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