Over the last weeks, we have received numerous comments on the persistent down voting of Qualifiers in Stage 1. We are trying to take several of these points into account going forward. We’ve already addressed the issue of fair conduct – all mixes that have reached 200 votes will be screened before NGDJ Stage 1 closes and the top 100 mixes enter the final NGDJ stage.
Just a quick thought on “down voting”: It affects nearly everyone at this stage of the competition. Also, consider there’s little objection to the origins of ★★★★★ votes. It could be that all these votes aren’t objective gradings of your mix but rather friends looking to support you. Your opponents casting ★☆☆☆☆ however, is typically considered as unfair. For the sake of argument we would just like to settle for calling these votes equally fair.
We’ll keep working to improve and we appreciate all the constructive insights we’ve received on the blog, in the Let’s mix Get Satisfaction forum and around the web in general. Please share your thoughts in the comments below, or in this thread on Get Satisfaction.
A quick note regarding the NGDJ Qualifiers: Leading up to the end of NGDJ Stage 1, we will be investigating all Qualifier mixes. Voting patterns related to accounts or mixes which are in breach of the NGDJ Terms and Conditions may lead to any of the following:
- Votes being retracted
- Mixes being denoted from Qualifier status
- The banning of Letsmix.com accounts
In addition to this we would like to inform you that this procedure might also affect mix rating averages and vote totals. All decisions and results following this investigation are final.
As the end of NGDJ’s first round draws nearer, one trend is obvious among the mixes that are currently in the qualifiers: An overwhelming majority feature house, tech house, techno or trance.
You could almost talk of a “house barrier” in NGDJ, but it should come as little surprise. House, tech house, techno and trance are dance music’s biggest genres. If club world were a temple, it would be built on solid bricks of four-to-the-floor.
But there are also mixes in the competition focusing on other genres. Two dj:s that have made it past the 200 vote limit with mixes featuring breakbeat centered music are Brussels’s BeNoize and Manchester born, London based ScallyDanDan. Was their digging into breaks, bassline, dubstep, grime and generally ”sick” music a deliberate step to stand out in the competition? We spoke to ScallyDanDan and BeNoize to find out more.
Most of the mixes in NGDJ are house, tech house, techno or trance mixes. How come you did a breaks and, in ScallyDanDan’s case, a dubstep/fidget mix? BeNoize: I didn’t set out with the intention of playing breaks. I just do and think it’s fantastic. I love to play something that is a little less well known amongst the masses, but still is attainable for almost everyone and it can attract a larger public. ScallyDanDan: The mix I made is simply the music I love and what I’m into. My sets are mostly heavy bass, unusual rhythms, urban feel, upbeat but not fluffy – as my mate says: ”sick”. Ha ha! I’m really excited about Balinese music at the moment, and I’m about to start making my own productions, which will have this sort of flavour to it. In an ideal world I’d love to create a whole new genre. Maybe call it ScallyStep!
Do you think that choosing an “odd” genre makes the mix stand out among the competitors? ScallyDanDan: I guess for me, whilst I know it’s a competition, I think people should be making and uploading the mixes they are passionate about rather than what they think will be popular and win a competition. If it comes from the heart it speaks to the heart. If people love what you do, and rate it, see it as a bonus, but ultimately turn yourself on first with your mixtapes. BeNoize: I just try to get people on the dance floor and let them enjoy themselves. It may have been my intention to introduce something different but that’s because it’s a style that you can play at parties and everyone can go wild to! I don’t really think that it matters which genre you play. The essence is how you bring the music and how you choose your songs and put your whole energy into your mix.
BeNoize.
How have you promoted your mix? BeNoize: I used different channels to promote mu mix. The obvious Facebook, Twitter and MySpace, but I also emailed all my friends and relatives and handed out demo CD mixes with a NGDJ link at gigs or parties that I was playing or where I was with friends. ScallyDanDan: It was a lot more difficult than I thought actually getting 200 votes. I basically posted it on my personal Facebook, on my Facebook fan page and my Twitter. I messaged all my friends and asked if they would vote for me, and post it on their walls too. People who were leaving comments for me on my Let’s mix page I interacted with and made some cool friends from the site. But yeah, just persistence.
There’s a lot of talk about voting in the NGDJ threads on Facebook and in forums. What’s your take, do you vote for competing mixes? ScallyDanDan: Yeah, I vote on other peoples mixes, but only if I like them to give them a positive rating. There seems to be a general mood on Let’s mix that once you’ve qualified your overall rating start to drastically drop. Mine went from 4.8 down to 3.0 just after qualifying, and this seems to be happening to all the qualifiers. I suspect it’s people engaging themselves in ‘tactical voting’. I really don’t understand that. Just do your best mix, get people to vote for you, and be a nice person.
– I believe in the idea of karma. If you do good things and try and to help fellow people they will in turn help you. I really think it works the other way around too: If you’re constantly voting people 1’s to help yourself win, you’re just creating a void within yourself. If you won by such means, would you feel like a real DJ, or just a real good scammer? Ultimately negative voting is fuelled by peoples’ insecurity, and the act of being negative just creates further insecurity for them. Sorry if that was a bit deep! On a positive note, listen to my mix, if you like it please vote and leave some comments so I can listen to yours too!
As the cut-off date for the first round of Next Generation DJ is drawing nearer, the competition is heating up. Who will be the Top 100 Qualifiers that make it to NGDJ’s final round, with a chance to win all the DJ gear, the agency contract and that much coveted trip to Miami with gigs at WMC 2010? We’ll find out on January 31st.
One thing is certain: it will be a close competition. Which mixes that actually qualify will be a question of decimals. To see how an NGDJ mix is doing in that department, go to its mix page and mouseover the average score below the mix image. When hovering, the average score will be displayed down to three decimal points.
Dance music’s biggest authority and Next Generation DJ partner DJ Mag sent a little reminder to all aspiring super DJ:s yesterday: “If you haven’t submitted a mix yet, it’s about time to break out that magic!”
The cut-off date for NGDJ’s first round is January 31st, so be sure to promote your mix to get the 200 votes required to qualify before then.
The DJ Mag staff also picked five favourites from the mixes that have reached the qualifiers. Listen below, then have your say by rating the mixes!
On the Let's mix blog you'll find updates on our service, interviews with people who use it and, occasionally, rants from our beloved staff. It's an open forum, so feel free to comment and share your thoughts with us.
