02-20-2002, 09:36 PM
hello. perhaps some of you may have read my mixed CD/mixtape reviews on kc-nightlife. from time to time i will post reviews on this website as well.
well for the DJs who question about my reviewing style or how i go about writing a review. i will list out my code of ethics and genres of music i will review. this will be long but informative. readers on kc-nightlife liked reading my reviews and there are a few who don't. that's fine. bear with me on this...
first, when i receive a mixed CD from a DJ, i give it about 3-4 listens of his/her mixed CD. i listen from the beginning to the end. however, if the mixed CD catches my ear on the first listen, i write the review right away. if the first impression is dull or somewhat negative, then i'll listen to it several times before writing the review. however, i do not listen to it consecutively when i need to listen to it several times. i prefer to space it out. for one thing, each 'spaced out' listen will be different impressions. one day i won't like it but maybe the next day i will. there have been a few cases where i DID give it several listens and i was left in disappointment.
i have given negative reviews in the past. however, i do NOT write the reviews in a slanderous manner. i will, however, state why i think the mixed CD/mixtape is not up to par of my standards. In my reviews, i do not state the DJs personal affairs with the party scene or his/her personal grudges with other people. It is unethical to write that material in a review. for one thing, you will never read that in anybody else's review in such magazines as: Muzik, Jockey Slut, Mixmag, Mixer, etc. those writers cannot afford to write the DJs personal affairs. furthermore, it skews the composition of the review. So let's i'm reviewing a DJ's mixed CD but I know that he/she is egotistical or have caused terrible drama with the scene or other DJs or other people, i TOTALLY exclude that stuff from the review. When i'm writing a review, i'm reviewing the mix and NOT the DJs personal affairs.
I must note that i write BIASED reviews. it is very tough to write a Non-biased review. Most of all, i do encourage other people to write reviews. my reviews are not *correct* all the time. after all, someone else may like it. i also encourage other people read other writer's reviews. most of all, i highly encourage readers to purchase the CDs and listen it for themselves and write out their feelings about it.
One of the key ethical elements in writing a review is to keep it HONEST. honest reviews are absolutely critical in a review. an HONEST review also means, NO SUGAR-COATING the review. if the mix doesn't it cut it for me, then i state my reasons and feelings as to why the mix wasn't very good. Sugar coating makes reviews look bad and it taints the writer too.
honesty and no sugar-coating.
another code that i have is that i selectively write reviews. for instance, I DO NOT WRITE reviews for DJs who PLAY: Happy Hardcore, UK hard house (exception of Sydeburnz who requested me to review his mixed CDs on the basis of technicality of the mix), Nu-Nrg, *tears in the eye* epic trance, progressive trance, hip-hop, Gabber or other forms of Hardcore Techno, downbeat or downtempo breaks, Ghetto house, Ghetto-Tech, Ultra-Deep House, Florida progressive breaks, retro-electro techno, retro-electro, IDM or experimental techno,garage, two-step garage, vocal house, big beat breaks, and most psy-trance material. I seldomly review material under the "progressive" spectrum. but there are exceptions.
i also do not write reviews for albums. i review DJ mixes NOT albums.
Why do I choose NOT to write reviews under those circumstances? it is either i do NOT understand the programming OR i simply do NOT like those genres or sub-genres of that particular music.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. there is nothing wrong with a writer who SELECTIVELY choosing a genre or sub-genre to review.
I will review or have considerance to review are: hard minimal techno, drum-trax techno, minimal techno, tech-house, deep tech-house, deep techno, funky house (disco or tech-house), breakbeats that similar to the John Kelly's-funkydesertbreaks, drum'n bass-most sub-genres of this, deep progressive house, deep house-funky or smooth, as long it contains very little or not vocals and it's not ultra-deep house. i don't write very many reviews for the disco-house spectrum but it depends on my mood.
when i write reviews, i may ask from time to time a playlist of some sort. this is up to the DJ who wishes to release a playlist to me. i have no qualms if he/she refuses to give me a playlist.
as you can see, i have a very narrow spectrum of music that i choose to write reviews. there is absolutely NOTHING WRONG with that. there's nothing wrong with being closed-minded. i'm NOT closed-minded to the extreme. if i don't want to review because this DJ plays this type of style, then i won't review it because of that. i will ask the DJ to have someone else write the review for him/her. there's nothing wrong for CHOOSING to write reviews under a narrow spectrum. if anybody else thinks that is wrong, then that is their problem. i do have the RIGHT TO CHOOSE.
if i like the mix, i'll praise it and state why it's good and why i like it. in many cases, i use metaphors from time to time. if i don't like the content very much, then i'll lean towards reviewing the technical side of the mix. as i have said before, i have given thumbs down on a few mixed CDs.
i have written *loosely* on mixed CDs of big name DJs. it is important to note that those DJs have to have those records cleared for copyright reasons and royalty reasons. so a big name DJ so and so will have like 80 records and down the line, he has to get those records cleared. once those records are cleared, probably half or less than half of that stack will get approved for the mix. they're under much strict circumstances. whereas up and coming DJs or bedroom DJs have freedom in what to put in the mix.
now i must make it clear that i am by NO means a professional writer. this is just something for me to do on the side. i think it's fun to write reviews. if i'm not playing anywhere, writing reviews allows me to contribute to the scene. i DO NOT write for a magazine NOR will i ever write for a magazine. magazines have deadlines and they edit the composition to fit their needs. there's nothing wrong with that cuz they have a legitimate business to run. i prefer to write under freelance terms. i'd like to be able to write as much as i want or as little as i want.
there must be a mutual agreement between me as a writer and the DJ that i may give his/her mix a thumbs down and it is no way to slander his/her reputation. i do believe in courtesy and politeness. i generally try to keep inflammatory comments to a minimum.
when a DJ hands me his/her mixed CD/mixtape, do Not expect me or other writers to praise and sugar coat the reviews just for a inch of hope for more DJ bookings.
i do however wonder about the good reviews that i had written and if they had an increase number of bookings because of good reviews? interesting. but always as a DJ to expect a skeptical side.
one must remember, it is a vice versa issue. one may not like it but the other will.
because i have other things to do, i rarely have time to proofread my reviews. i am prone to grammar/structural errors. i ask for forgiveness just as i forgive other writers of those type of mistakes. i have a tendency to leave out words accidentally. shit happens. and remember we're all human. nobody's perfect.
happy reading
well for the DJs who question about my reviewing style or how i go about writing a review. i will list out my code of ethics and genres of music i will review. this will be long but informative. readers on kc-nightlife liked reading my reviews and there are a few who don't. that's fine. bear with me on this...
first, when i receive a mixed CD from a DJ, i give it about 3-4 listens of his/her mixed CD. i listen from the beginning to the end. however, if the mixed CD catches my ear on the first listen, i write the review right away. if the first impression is dull or somewhat negative, then i'll listen to it several times before writing the review. however, i do not listen to it consecutively when i need to listen to it several times. i prefer to space it out. for one thing, each 'spaced out' listen will be different impressions. one day i won't like it but maybe the next day i will. there have been a few cases where i DID give it several listens and i was left in disappointment.
i have given negative reviews in the past. however, i do NOT write the reviews in a slanderous manner. i will, however, state why i think the mixed CD/mixtape is not up to par of my standards. In my reviews, i do not state the DJs personal affairs with the party scene or his/her personal grudges with other people. It is unethical to write that material in a review. for one thing, you will never read that in anybody else's review in such magazines as: Muzik, Jockey Slut, Mixmag, Mixer, etc. those writers cannot afford to write the DJs personal affairs. furthermore, it skews the composition of the review. So let's i'm reviewing a DJ's mixed CD but I know that he/she is egotistical or have caused terrible drama with the scene or other DJs or other people, i TOTALLY exclude that stuff from the review. When i'm writing a review, i'm reviewing the mix and NOT the DJs personal affairs.
I must note that i write BIASED reviews. it is very tough to write a Non-biased review. Most of all, i do encourage other people to write reviews. my reviews are not *correct* all the time. after all, someone else may like it. i also encourage other people read other writer's reviews. most of all, i highly encourage readers to purchase the CDs and listen it for themselves and write out their feelings about it.
One of the key ethical elements in writing a review is to keep it HONEST. honest reviews are absolutely critical in a review. an HONEST review also means, NO SUGAR-COATING the review. if the mix doesn't it cut it for me, then i state my reasons and feelings as to why the mix wasn't very good. Sugar coating makes reviews look bad and it taints the writer too.
honesty and no sugar-coating.
another code that i have is that i selectively write reviews. for instance, I DO NOT WRITE reviews for DJs who PLAY: Happy Hardcore, UK hard house (exception of Sydeburnz who requested me to review his mixed CDs on the basis of technicality of the mix), Nu-Nrg, *tears in the eye* epic trance, progressive trance, hip-hop, Gabber or other forms of Hardcore Techno, downbeat or downtempo breaks, Ghetto house, Ghetto-Tech, Ultra-Deep House, Florida progressive breaks, retro-electro techno, retro-electro, IDM or experimental techno,garage, two-step garage, vocal house, big beat breaks, and most psy-trance material. I seldomly review material under the "progressive" spectrum. but there are exceptions.
i also do not write reviews for albums. i review DJ mixes NOT albums.
Why do I choose NOT to write reviews under those circumstances? it is either i do NOT understand the programming OR i simply do NOT like those genres or sub-genres of that particular music.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. there is nothing wrong with a writer who SELECTIVELY choosing a genre or sub-genre to review.
I will review or have considerance to review are: hard minimal techno, drum-trax techno, minimal techno, tech-house, deep tech-house, deep techno, funky house (disco or tech-house), breakbeats that similar to the John Kelly's-funkydesertbreaks, drum'n bass-most sub-genres of this, deep progressive house, deep house-funky or smooth, as long it contains very little or not vocals and it's not ultra-deep house. i don't write very many reviews for the disco-house spectrum but it depends on my mood.
when i write reviews, i may ask from time to time a playlist of some sort. this is up to the DJ who wishes to release a playlist to me. i have no qualms if he/she refuses to give me a playlist.
as you can see, i have a very narrow spectrum of music that i choose to write reviews. there is absolutely NOTHING WRONG with that. there's nothing wrong with being closed-minded. i'm NOT closed-minded to the extreme. if i don't want to review because this DJ plays this type of style, then i won't review it because of that. i will ask the DJ to have someone else write the review for him/her. there's nothing wrong for CHOOSING to write reviews under a narrow spectrum. if anybody else thinks that is wrong, then that is their problem. i do have the RIGHT TO CHOOSE.
if i like the mix, i'll praise it and state why it's good and why i like it. in many cases, i use metaphors from time to time. if i don't like the content very much, then i'll lean towards reviewing the technical side of the mix. as i have said before, i have given thumbs down on a few mixed CDs.
i have written *loosely* on mixed CDs of big name DJs. it is important to note that those DJs have to have those records cleared for copyright reasons and royalty reasons. so a big name DJ so and so will have like 80 records and down the line, he has to get those records cleared. once those records are cleared, probably half or less than half of that stack will get approved for the mix. they're under much strict circumstances. whereas up and coming DJs or bedroom DJs have freedom in what to put in the mix.
now i must make it clear that i am by NO means a professional writer. this is just something for me to do on the side. i think it's fun to write reviews. if i'm not playing anywhere, writing reviews allows me to contribute to the scene. i DO NOT write for a magazine NOR will i ever write for a magazine. magazines have deadlines and they edit the composition to fit their needs. there's nothing wrong with that cuz they have a legitimate business to run. i prefer to write under freelance terms. i'd like to be able to write as much as i want or as little as i want.
there must be a mutual agreement between me as a writer and the DJ that i may give his/her mix a thumbs down and it is no way to slander his/her reputation. i do believe in courtesy and politeness. i generally try to keep inflammatory comments to a minimum.
when a DJ hands me his/her mixed CD/mixtape, do Not expect me or other writers to praise and sugar coat the reviews just for a inch of hope for more DJ bookings.
i do however wonder about the good reviews that i had written and if they had an increase number of bookings because of good reviews? interesting. but always as a DJ to expect a skeptical side.
one must remember, it is a vice versa issue. one may not like it but the other will.
because i have other things to do, i rarely have time to proofread my reviews. i am prone to grammar/structural errors. i ask for forgiveness just as i forgive other writers of those type of mistakes. i have a tendency to leave out words accidentally. shit happens. and remember we're all human. nobody's perfect.
happy reading