A-Trak's Take
/A-Trak posted a lengthy but worthwhile article on the current state of live EDM shows which is being praised by a lot of people on Twitter. While he makes a lot of good points about DJ'ing I really thought his view regarding Dancing Astronaut's article on the dangers of major DJs phoning it in for their live shows to be especially on point:
For the DJs who bounce from venue to venue, playing the same set without the redeeming quality of a personalized stage production, there is no excuse. This laziness is actually giving "live" performances more value! After any big EDM festival, look up the DJ playlists. They're frighteningly similar. This scene is turning into a caricature. Explosions, private jets, standing on tables (I plead guilty to the latter), and now carbon copy playlists... The hair metal soap opera of EDM risks devaluing a culture that has waited for its big break for 30 years.
This is the big threat. I consider EDM fans a bit more savvy than the rest of the hoi polloi so I wonder how much longer are we as consumers of this scene are willing to pay good money to hear the same set and tracks being played over and over? Not me. The technology should be used to surprise fans and not to encourage lazy DJs from cashing in.