Another way of looking at it is the difference between an artist and a performer: a rare handful can be both, but for most it boils down to one or the other - and there's no shame in either per se, except when you try and pass yourself off as something you're not like a performer pretending to be an artist.Is that a criticism of the artist within the scene, or the media machinations of the scene?
Jeff Mills: DJs want to please. Our original mentality (genre dependant) wasn’t to pander to the people and give them what they want. It was about extracting how you feel, and using your device(s) to translate that. We don’t know much more other than that now either because of what we got into this to do (make money, become famous), or because we doubt that our feelings are now even worth translating. Instead, we focus on trying to please because with these ambitions, we need to be their hero. If were lucky enough to do that, and make people happy, we might be able to make a career out of it. We’ll be famous. A master. It's just elitism.
Is that how you saw the original Underground Resistance mentality; extracting feeling, and touching on subjects beyond the music itself?
Jeff Mills: Our scheme was to present science and space. It wasn't so much about the music. The music we made in the early 90s was based on what we were reading. If there's anything to be noted from those days, maybe the genre becomes more interesting when it doesn't focus on itself. I wish I had a bullhorn to speak to the world all at once.
Anyway, seems that DJing for most used to fall more under the artistic motive category, but now has shifted well towards the performing motive category for most people taking it up...
