Earlier this week, club owner and DJ Kenny Summit declared that the DJ booth at his club, Cure And The Cause, would no longer allow laptops – a huge move that has created quite a stir in the music industry.
Numerous influential musicians wanted to contribute to the conversation, including Richie Hawtin and Seth Troxler.
Richie Hawtin disagreed with the rule, posting on Twitter:
Most ridiculous rule ever!Stifling creativity by limiting an artists own personal approach is a step backwards. https://t.co/ppqSWDzK5O
— Richie Hawtin (@richiehawtin) June 2, 2016
Seth Troxler, however, disagreed with Richie – he replied to Richie’s tweet with multiple tweets:
@richiehawtin @Mixmag I have to say I like it rich too many kids out there who actually don’t know how to beat match. The hard I call it.
— seth troxler (@sethtroxler) June 2, 2016
@richiehawtin @Mixmag the hard part is beat matching. Even a lot of guys in our class.If the sync is on your an entertainer, not a dj.
— seth troxler (@sethtroxler) June 2, 2016
Magnetic Magazine decided to reach out to Kenny Summit for more details on the origins of the rule. Summit explained that:
“The problem lies with the opening DJs (mostly)… many of them show up with a laptop and controller, and that’s all they’ve ever used. That’s a problem. They don’t know what to connect with our Pioneer system; they have no clue what they’re plugging in or what plugs they’re taking out… It’s gotten to the point where it’s like an epidemic with these DJs who haven’t bothered to go the full distance and LEARN how to set their shit up without interrupting the flow of the night. Midnight is not the ideal time to turn the mixer off, pull it out and start guessing which port to plug your Traktor into.”
The industry has spoken and the verdict as to whether or not this rule is fair is still up in the air – what do you think?