We were discussing some great songs the other day down at my local (like you do!!!) and there seemed to be a difference in opinion over which songs were generally classic tracks and which were cheesy. I know in my profession as a mobile DJ we are renowned for playing the usual party songs as this is a one off wedding or birthday so you've got to rely on your popular choice to get people dancing, but it's a bit scary when the likes of "Billy Jean" is becoming cheesy!! I've tried varying my 70's set by not playing Dancing Queen and play another ABBA song instead, yet what happened?? someone comes up and asks" Have you got Dancing Queen? So, in other peoples opinions can anyone tell me when a song becomes cheese??

In my opinion with 95% of songs a track becomes cheesy by how much it gets played i.e overkill but there are a few exceptions to this with big time classic tracks. but in a world of many opinions 1 mans cheese is another mans fav song.

hmmmmm... I reckon a tune become cheesey when absolutely everybody - any age or sex - knows all the words and sings along! Mind you - one mans cheese is another mans yoghurt!!

Had the same conversation with a TVDJA member at Plasa - but slightly different...
in regards to 'Old Skool' music - what's your impression of 'Old Skool'.

Some might say classic soul, techno, commercial tunes from the 80's - early 90's, but, as I understand it, everything from Abba, Cheezy Pop of yester-year and 70's and 80's are 'Old Skool'?!

Swing, which is RnB but not blues. Underground which is dance or garage or 2-step, but not stopping at Waterloo.

Cheeze, which is pants but might be 'old skool' (bio) yoghurt!!!!!!

YAK!

I had the same argument with a friend a little while ago about 'old skool'. He was basically saying that any classic dance track is 'old skool'. And there are so many people that say the same, but 'old skool' is actually a style of music in itself. Just like garage or trance, it is a genre of music. The name was picked up by a few big companies to use as a name for compilation cd's with classic dance track on, and now everybody assumes thats what old skool is.

Old skool is still being made by some people (the Ratpack spring to mind). It is not as popular as it used to be in the 90's, but there are still people making, selling, playing and buying it. I used to be a great fan of it, but was too young at the time to go to clubs to hear any of it (im 22 now).

To give an example, tracks by people like SL2, 2 Bad Mice, Ratpack, Mickey Finn and alot of the stuff from Slammin' Vinyl. It was part of the hardcore era, but instead of the 4/4 beats it used a more breakbeat drum pattern (listen to N-Trance 'Set You Free', SL2 'On A Ragga Tip' or Prodigy 'Out Of Space') to define itself as old skool.

I know that the majority of people will never accept this (annoying as they are!), but it is just one of those great misconceptions, like the whole 'garage' thing (but dont get me started on that one!!!).

Hope this helps!

I think it's difficult to avoid playing cheesy tunes especially with the charts like they are. Okay, there is some great R&B around at the moment but I find it difficult to create some sort of party with the likes of Sean Paul, Lumidee, R Kelly and the current no 1 etc........... I don't know maybe it's me getting old!!! If you play in our local town you've got to stick with the cheesy tunes,they don't seem to be interested in anything else.

im with johnny b on this one. None of these "old skool" compilations (eg ministry etc) are full of old skool tracks.....sure they have tracks on which you would have listened to when you were at your old school - but this doesnt make them old skool. old skool is all teh stuff from the late 80's early 90's rave scene - DJ SY, Ratpack, Slipmat, Liquid - (Sweet harmony) etc. Never made it commercially but still around in a big way at free parties / underground events etc.
Things like abba etc arnt old skool - they're just old - its like referring to any music you'd listen to in your house as house music!

I personally and have stated before that I hate the word cheese to describe a musical style.

Remembering one man's chedddar is another man's stilton it is very difficult to classify 'cheese' tracks.

Most of the stuff falls into a category and if you substitute cheese, a phrase I believe used by some pompous radio dj's to describe popular charty type tracks, for popular then that probably covers what most people would class as cheese.

Spinko

[QUOTE]I personally and have stated before that I hate the word cheese to describe a musical style

I agree entirely, to me they are purely great classic tunes, what I'm trying to do is shake off the image people have about the mobile DJ and his "cheesy" tunes. Quite often when you mention you are a mobile jock, you get a smirk and the usual jibes about the music. I know you've got to play to the crowd and if they insist on the usual party stuff then theres not much you can do about it.