Last Week, BBC’s Newsbeat ran a featured story about the ‘press play’ controversy going around electronic dance music circles lately. Everyone from Deadmau5 to Swedish House Mafia has weighed in on the opinion of pre-recorded DJ sets and the artists who use them in live performances. Often, it is used as an insult, berating a DJ for not being familiar with the craft. This time, however, Calvin Harris gave Newsbeat author Greg Cochrane some quotes about his feelings on the subject. Here are the quotes in question:
“I think it’s not a problem,” shrugs Harris. “In the club you want to hear a produced piece of music, you want to hear the bass, you want to hear it as good as it can sound.
“I used to perform with a band putting all sorts of work into a live show and I can tell you that the reaction was worse than it is when I’m DJ’ing.”
Harris was referring to his live band that he toured with several years ago, which featured Harris on vocals in front of a guitarist, keyboardist, drummer, and percussionist. Cochrane in the article, however, made it seem like he was talking about pre-recorded sets, which enraged Harris, who took to Twitter with his thoughts.
Find the audio where i say “it’s ok to prerecord a DJ set” it doesn’t fucking exist, and i don’t know ANY DJ that actually does that
— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) November 20, 2012
Fucking raging with this Newsbeat guy. I remember the interview and his stupid fucking question is it ok for DJs to play records
— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) November 20, 2012
Then he’ll change his question in the edit to is it ok to PRERECORD a DJ set and use my answer to a DIFFERENT QUESTION?!
— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) November 20, 2012
I remember this guy from @bbcnewsbeat who did the interview, he actually apologised beforehand for not being prepared + knew nothing
— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) November 20, 2012
Then he’ll make ME look bad because HE’S shite, and play it on the biggest national radio station in the UK?! Right ok @bbcnewsbeat
— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) November 20, 2012
OK that’s me done. Needed to respond because i had so many messages calling me out on some things that they had made up.
— Calvin Harris (@CalvinHarris) November 20, 2012
Those were among the highlights of Harris’ extensive Twitter rant against BBC and Cochrane. So far, BBC has sided with Cochrane, refusing to apologize and standing by the story.