Real talk with Afrojack about pre-recorded sets

Gained a ton of (more) respect for afrojack after watching this

That was dope guys! It's great to hear the perspective of a DJ like Afrojack. I'm with you a 100% on this Luke: we have to preserve the art form. Afrojack's point about reinventing the art form could be true though. I think projects like Redbull Thr3estyle are a great example of that. We should do one of these vids one day Luke 👍🏽

I'm a guitarist turned lighting guy and I rarely understand the DJ platform as an instrumentalist, but from a lighting perspective it makes total sense to have the set list planned.

Have to agree with Afrojack. The club and the festival situations should determine if a set is prepared. There's a lot of responsibility to your fans and the promoters at a festival as opposed to a club situation where it's way more intimate and spontaneous. Very insightful vlog! Thanks Luke!

Shoutout to Laidback Luke, one of the most realest and talented DJs! Honoured to be able to see him!

Two legends

I agree 100% with the difference between club and festival events. I worked at Omnia Las Vegas for the 1st two years it opened & as someone who gets to see each artist every time they perform at the venue, you start to realize the difference between who is a DJ & who is just a producer. For instance, Calvin Harris nights are always the busiest at the nightclub but for someone who sees him every Friday night they get bored of seeing him because his sets are exactly the same to the point where I could tell you what songs he was going to play & when he was going to play them. Then you have artists like Krewella, Chuckie, Martin Garrix, & Afrojack who either plays completely different sets (actually djing) or what I've noticed with Afrojack, to where he plays a portion of the same set then (Usually once he starts drinking out the bottle) starts to freestyle. You can hear him trying new things, not always having a flawless set. Me personally I like it when I can hear a dj messing up from time to time because that shows you they are actually Djing, trying new things, living in the moment & their thoughts in real time & not just acting & pretending to turn knobs. Another reason why DJ Mag Top 100 isn't an accurate source for the best DJ's but that's a whole different discussion for another time.

A lot of what afrojack said is true, also it all depends on what type of DJ you are, a producing DJ can get away with having a pre planed playlist cause 99% of their playlist are gonna contain their own productions as well as their own hit productions that are guaranteed to move the crowd. That's what afrojack meant by he rarely miss-plans a set. Cause he has had many hits in the past. BUT for DJs that do not produce and do not have there own hit songs to depend on, most of those type of djs must DJ on the fly. They don't want to play what previous djs that night may have played. So it also does depend on who you are and what type of DJ are you.

I've seen singers lip syncing live, I've seen guitarist playing on a guitar that's not even plugged in, I've seen DJs playing mashups all night. They're entertainers, if you're entertained then they've done a great job.

I feel like in the Techno and underground scene DJs are still a lot more respected for their DJ skills, not for the crazy scratching stuff but for their clean mixes, track selection and the way they structure their sets.

My respect to all those Dj's the still actually mix live

Now I am the type of guy that would feel guilty if I didn’t actually mix Because it just doesn’t feel right. I love the satisfaction of making a perfect mix.

Afrojack's comment about looking at 1001tracklists and seeing "Afrojack Mashup" killed me. too funny!

The important thing is you make "music" you're an artist, so it's ok to make pre planned sets

Laidback Luke & Afrojack - No AC (Original Mix)

With the recent deadmau5 video coming out him explaining this exact same thing... makes this video even more relevant. You guys told it first 🎉 thanks for your honesty. Must say even as a dj I did expect the big names to perform live even at major stages so this was quite something to grasp ❤

Totally understandable for dj's in your tier to pre prep a set as long as you still have that real dj skill set at your disposal that's what counts imo

A good show is one that blows a viewer's mind. I think the key thing today is to realize that not all electronic music performers are DJs and a performance isn't only music-based anymore. Live acts vary from old-schoolers like Luke, who focus on a fresh auditive experience, to Zedd, who delivers the most stunning visuals I've ever seen. Then you have people in between like Flume or Madeon who deliver live music coupled with synced visuals. I guess what I'm saying is that it's important to not put a performer into the "DJ" category just because they make electronic music. That worked 10 years ago, not anymore.

Love this vid thanks guys!

the one thing i appreciate is seeing all the producers slowly come out on camera and reveal themselves.