Top 100 DJs 2011

[Briggsy]

but surely any votes for non-DJs should have been discarded?

That's a nice theory - but unfortunately, it doesn't happen - plus it would get complicated with DJs like Ferry Corsten who are renowned for their productions equally as much as their DJ'ing.

There are obvious ones such as Afrojack that you know have got votes based on productions - then there are DJs such as Carl Cox that you know have got legitimate votes based on his DJ'ing - but when it comes to people like Ferry, Sander van Doorn and Richard Durand, who produce as much as they DJ, how do you know whether they've got a "production vote" or a "DJ vote" without DJ Mag emailing the person that voted saying "Excuse me, but we noticed you voted for Sander van Doorn this year - was your vote based on his productions or DJ'ing?".

Which then leads to your other comment.....

Something has to be done to restore credibility.

So the only way of getting around the above problem is, in my opinion, to scrap the Top 100 DJs poll, and have two seperate polls - a Top 50 DJs poll, and a Top 50 producers poll. That should then result in "proper" DJs like Carl Cox and James Zabiela in the top 10 (where they belong), instead of number 89. It should then get crap like Gash Berlin out of the "Top 20 DJs" (where they don't belong) - and into the producers poll instead.

Better still, just scrap the whole lot completely and let the whole scene focus back on the music again so that DJs get booked on merit - not because they've had a number 1 chart hit.

Producers and DJ's are two entirely different jobs - so its about DJ Mag took notice of that and changed their poll accordingly.

[milkybarkid]

It's such a joke. Arctic Moon came in at 147... and Artic Moon came in at 177! Someone said Guisseppe Ottaviani got two places because of spelling too. Pretty basic stuff for 'the definitive dj list'

[bigsteve]

It's such a joke. Arctic Moon came in at 147... and Artic Moon came in at 177! Someone said Guisseppe Ottaviani got two places because of spelling too. Pretty basic stuff for 'the definitive dj list'

My idea of a drop-down box would solve that issue too.

As for whether people vote for producing or DJing abilities is going to be harder to solve.

In honour of Sir Jimmy Saville, he gets my vote next year, well actually he won't because I'm not on Facebook.

[Number2Fan]

I met Jimmy Saville and I've never liked him since. He was just a bloody weirdo if you ask me!

[Briggsy]

My idea of a drop-down box would solve that issue too.

That drop down list would have to be mahoosive though because the poll is open to, literally, everyone - not just established DJs and producers, but even people like us - for example, the unknown (well, was unknown until she got herself publicity for all the wrong reasons) that is Rebecca Saforia came in at something like 233rd this year just because she's spammed Facebook and DJ forums non-stop for 2 months.

"for a laugh", a DJ called Mikey Mike from the Matt Hardwick & Trance Addict forums finished inside the top 100 a few years ago because the forums members voted for him to "make a mockery of the poll" - so to include every single DJ and producer of all levels in a drop-down menu would be impossible.

[Briggsy]

I met Jimmy Saville and I've never liked him since. He was just a bloody weirdo if you ask me!

He was a weirdo - but a legendary weirdo.

You wouldn't get many 80 year olds running the London Marathon to raise money for charity like he did. He alone raised £40m for charity - and that's some going for one person.

[Max Kane]

"for a laugh", a DJ called Mikey Mike from the Matt Hardwick & Trance Addict forums finished inside the top 100 a few years ago because the forums members voted for him to "make a mockery of the poll" - so to include every single DJ and producer of all levels in a drop-down menu would be impossible.

He came 150th (iirc) and it was co-ordinated on TA, DJ Mag even gave him a little write up as a result.

Opening the votes to facebook meant that any little 13 year old who liked Kelly Rowland and heard her track with Guetta and thinks it is great could vote for Guetta, et al.

It all comes back to my previous points about people voting for DJs they haven't even seen play live (this includes those who aren't actually DJs) - what's the point?

[bigsteve]

My idea of a drop-down box would solve that issue too.

That drop down list would have to be mahoosive though because the poll is open to, literally, everyone

.

Yep, massive indeed, but not impossible. It would also give them the opportunity to exclude producers that don't DJ. The big names could get their management company to submit their entry. The smaller local names should only be included with a short biog of where they play and this should weed out the fake entries. Whether these get checked up on should depend upon the level of voting and how much credibility they want to give the poll.

[milkybarkid]

Controversy reigns this year again, with Push (I think) saying that he'd been offered votes to buy from e-bay, and linked the page.

DjMag, for their part, have said they are aware of voting irregularities and 'buying of votes' and will name and shame offenders in the coming days. I wonder if there are any big names in it? I suspect it will just have the same outcome as the last time; the dj's blaming the agents saying they knew nothing about it.

On a related note, I find Jules has barely mentioned it at all (on twitter anyway) compared to other years. Noticeably so. I dunno whether it's a sign of his slowing down his dj'ing a bit, his recognition of the sheer annoyance fans find in the campaigns for votes, or he just doesn't care about it anymore.

[Max Kane]

Jon O'Bir posted screen shots of an email he was sent offering votes for cash - absolutely laughable that people try to a) sell this kind of service and people pay for it!

The whole thing is a joke and needs to be completely re-evaluated, I understand DJ Mag rake it in (it bascially is the only reason the mag exists) so it won't dissappear but they need to change the way you vote,

The facebook idea last year (it may be going this year but I have zero interest in voting) was a farce

[Briggsy]

I said on another forum the other day that the only way all of this will stop is by making it postal vote only - by using a form printed inside a copy of DJ Mag.

Each form could have its own unique number, allowing DJ Mag to retain some control over votes. Each number would be linked in to deliveries - so they'd know exactly where each magazine has been bought from.

If they recieve two votes from a magazine purchased from a small newsagents in Lincolnshire, chances are, the votes are going to be legit. If they get 200 votes, all out of magazines purchased in Amsterdam, from a shop around the corner from the headquarters of a DJ Agency, then it won't need much working out whats gone on there.

For as long as voting is done online, there will always be methods of cheating the system.

[Number2Fan]

They don't need to cheat, clubs are full of mis informed wankers nowadays anyway, and the line between the Ritzy and a muso's club is blurred now.

Guetta will get loads of votes, cheating or not cheating.

C'est la vie

(Jules did mention that the poll still means a lot to him)

I voted for Meowington Phd - Deadmau5's cat!!

I hope it wins, something like that will end this farce. X

[Max Kane]

It's been done before though - Dj MIkey Mike launched a campaign on TA years ago - we all voted for him and he got into the top 150, based solely on one forum (admittedly a huge one) and their efforts.

DJ Mag noted it in their poll edition but said his placing proved that trolls couldn't get very far - which was odd seeing as he nearly cracked the top 100!

[Number2Fan]

Except Deadmau5 urged his fans and voters to vote for his cat, as he himself got a high placing despite not calling himself a DJ. He doesn't play other people's music.

I think Meowington has a good chance.

Of course I will prob be proved very wrong, but I hope not!

[Briggsy]

They don't need to cheat

They don't need to, but they do.

Sadly, a few extra places to these guys means a few extra hundred/thousand pounds added to their already way over the top DJ fees - so paying temporary staff for a few weeks to vote for them numerous times is worthwhile for them.

Christopher Lawrence and DJ Dan were both ranked outside the top 100 for years - and then all of a sudden, one year, they both went up to something like number 8 in the world and DJ Mag investigated - and found out they were both involved with cheating and were disqualified from the poll.

DJ Mag have also anmounced again that they are also set to "name and shame" again soon (I think its today actually) - so it will be interesting to see what names appear.

Sadly, this poll has an impact on DJ fees these days - and while thats the case, DJs or their agencies will be looking at ways to abuse the system so that they can get their earnings increased. Each year, there are DJs way down the poll that should be much higher, and a couple of names inside the top 20 that make you think "how on earth did they get there". It doesn't need much working out as to who's doing things legit, and who's doing things a bit dodgy - particularly when you see three DJs at, for example, number 20, 21 and 22 all from the same agency with the same manager.

I can't name names because I don't want to be sued, but when I used to run an old website and did a few DJ interviews, I was sent a press pack from one agency in the form of a ZIP file. Inside it, were numerous photos and biog/discogs of each of their artists. They'd also (by mistake I would imagine) added a file which shouldn't have been there - and that was a file that was supposed to be an internal memo stating that this particular agency were about to employ a number of temporary staff for a couple of months simply to spend time online voting for their two biggest artists.

I was half expecting those two DJs to be "named and shamed" in DJ Mag for suspect voting - but they never were. From what I can remember, I think one entered the poll at number 26, and the other at 33 - so this kind of thing does happen - and I would imagine it wasn't just that particular agency that were at it either.

[Max Kane]

To be honest with the current system if you go about it reasonably intelligently it'd be so, so simple to get yourself loads of extra votes.

It'd take time and you'd have to be careful about the ways in which you did it but it would be pretty damn easy

[Number2Fan]

Load of wank!! It's all a load of wank and old and tired and ferked up!!

Out with the old and in with the new I say!!

[drtim]

Did Tong not make the list last year?!!?

[Chrissie Brown]

Did Tong not make the list last year?!!?

No he didn't make it!

[Max Kane]

To be fair he only ever seems to play out in Ibiza or for R1 sanctioned events now anyway.

He's happy with his lot!

[Number2Fan]

He's a cool dude!

[Max Kane]

He's a cool dude!

He's a legend, and he doesn't need a chart placing to tell anyone how much of a legend he is either!

I seriously do wonder about some of these phantom "promoters" that DJs allude to when justifying why this piece of shit popularity nonsense matters these days.

I mean honestly, can you imagine a promoter (no matter how scrupulous or indignant) phoning up a DJ who has dropped 4 places and telling them "sorry son you just don't cut it anymore, despite selling out my club 19 times in a row"

The only guys who should care are the very top guys, top ten or better, I can see the sense in that. It's all pop marketting fodder. These guys spend money on promo and target their audience, which I can deal with.

The ones who f*** me off are DJ "had a bootleg played once on Radio 1" who create 18 facebook profiles and spam the f*** out of everyone in the vein hope of finishing 192nd when nobody gives a shit.

[lyndon]

I saw Pete Tong at Creamfields in 2009, not that long ago. And he packed out the main tent at the time, i've never voted in this DJ poll thing. Nor do I intend to.

[Number2Fan]

I usually have, and by that I mean a good 14 yrs, I wasn't going to this year as it's so pish now and also I no longer go clubbing. But then I saw Deadmau5's cat plugging for votes and as a cat lover myself I couldn't resist.

His cat had an actual photoshoot!

[drtim]

I take your point TomBailey, he doesn't play out as much as most. Though he is at all the major dance festivals, Creamfields, Gods, SW4 and is involved with the Warehouse Project. He goes to the US quite a bit too. With his Ibiza residencies, cd releases & legendary Radio 1 show I was just a bit surprised he's not there, that's all.