This week's review of DJ drama

The week started off with Mark Farina landing in Vegas to do a set at Marquee, but which left him to not even being afforded the chance to step on the decks as the bottle service crowd were calling the shots. http://jackhadagroove.blogspot.ca/2012/06/mark-farina-drama-and-battle-continues.html

Then mid-week, a tweet from Zawdi, a friend of Afrojack's to the SIZE boys sparked this back-and-forth.

Don't you think its hypocritical to say "I don't say anything malicious" and then go and call people coke heads? Cocaine and pot are not comparable but Sneak doesn't hide the fact that he smokes weed as he even tweets about it. But then he has the audacity to say others do cocaine? Awful.

I never thought I would ever be saying anything negative about such a House legend. But for him to go down like this, having such a preoccupation with slandering other artists? I never imagined that either. And how come so many people come to Sneak's defence? Its alarming how many people turn a blind eye to defamation. He is essentially becoming an adult bully, and a lot of people are condoning it.

Ok so kind of funny...
Steve Angello posted this:

And then the next day DJ Sneak retweeted Mark Farina's post about Richie Hawtin's interview:

Why can't they see they both belong to the same electronic global family? So much love for Hawtin because they all like electronic music! Hawtin doesn't even spin House! Anyway, the article Farina linked is this one. Its a great take from Richie Hawtin, who keeps it real. http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/news/2012/jun/07/weekly-interview-richie-hawtin/


So then EDC descended upon Vegas. I saw that Dave Rene, A&R for Interscope, said he was going to be speaking at the EDM Biz conference on Twitter, so I asked him if this was Vegas' attempt to match WMC, or Holland's ADE, or Ibiza's IMS. He said he didn't know but to me it was pretty obvious at Vegas' desperate attempt to be relevant to the dance realm. I was not the only one to think so: http://www.spin.com/blogs/edm-las-vegas-desert-mirage

Also appearing at the EDM Biz conference was Steve Angello. Of course he would be interrogated about the "fake DJ" allegations. http://www.inthemix.com.au/news/intl/53092/Steve_Angello_delivers_the_final_word_on_fake_DJ_accusations

Then during his set, apparently he took subliminal shots at DJ Sneak. At least according to this article. http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2012/06/edc_house_music_angello_sneak.php Speaking of Subliminal, how come no one acknowledges how Morillo, a legend in his own right, has always endorsed Swedish House Mafia from the get-go?
Obviously this has added fuel to DJ Sneak's fire. I wish I could implore Steve Angello to stop making any type of reference to Sneak and to the accusations of being fake. If he ignores it, it will make him look more credible, guaranteed. Moreover, it will make it seem Sneak doesn't get to him. I tried mentioning that on Twitter to him, but (I am saying this purely out of paranoia) I think he purposefully ignores my tweets now. I guess I would too since I kind of opened Pandora's box for him :(

Changing gears...
Early this morning, Calvin Harris tweeted that he too was kicked off the decks in Las Vegas. He has since removed the tweet.

I mean, is this a complete joke? I can understand (not justify) it being because of the music not being "commercial" House, but now kicking off a House DJ for not playing other genres? Ridiculous. And exactly why Vegas can never truly be a mecca for dance music like Miami or Ibiza. Calvin Harris produces for Rihanna, Cheryl Cole, Ne-Yo, Kylie Minogue...and yet he's not pleasing the crowd? Give me a break!
Some other people weighed in:

I cannot see how this would be a promotional tool. More like an embarrassing feeling when it happens and a backlash for multiple parties involved (venue, promoter, managers, DJs themselves). And even if EDM is the label for commercial House, the EDM DJs still do not play pop songs unless they are 'house' remixes. People need to do more research and perhaps learn to say no to venues that set a precedent for this kind of behaviour.

Why does there have to be a new Ibiza? Why can't it just be Vegas? It smells like desperation, trying to be the new dance mecca. You cannot replace something that has been around for more than 15 years as an institution. If I were Vegas, I would sell myself as an alternative not as a replacement! The NY Times seems to think that Vegas is the new Ibiza.  Read it with caution. Just like the piece in the Wall St Journal that was written by a rock critic, this piece was written by a general music critic, not someone I would call a specialist in dance. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/arts/music/djs-and-dance-music-are-the-new-stars-in-las-vegas.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&smid=tw-share
Here is a piece written about the rise of EDM from the Chicago Tribune. His most underground mention is Green Velvet, so read this too with caution. http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/turnitup/ct-ae-0610-kot-electronic-music-20120608,0,2104851.column
Be careful in general what you read if you are new to the electronic music scene. Most things you will read will be by people fairly new to the rising phenomenon, and a lot of times give their opinion over facts (my blog included!). Hopefully all this hysteria dies down soon. Above all, just try to enjoy the music!