I only wish that more people could have been witness to the amazing talent of Zabiela. Ive seen him before, for some reason Friday night here in Mexico City this guy put on a freaking show!!! No doubt that he can entertain. Props Z for the show!

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

get any pics from the show?

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

sounds like a kick ass time

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

I will track some down....

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

What amazes me over and above his undeniable talent is that despite the fact that people (fans, DJs, etc) constantly praise him, he remains so humble and grounded. Thank god he hasn't gone the way of so many others that put on a decent show, get props for it, and then act like they're god's gift.

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

he has got to be the most overated dj around....

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

[quote=chuckc]he has got to be the most overated dj around....[/quote]

I keep hearing people say that about him, what makes him overrated?

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

JFC Charlie! You just [i]had[/i] to post that? Haha, why can't people let others revel in their happiness?

:lol:

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

saw him weds. such a badass. i was completely blown away by his control over all his equipment (a little crowded for dancing, sadly, so i got next to the decks and watched). he was smiling, grinning, and almost seemed embarrassed of all the cheering and attention lavished on him. that and he clearly enjoyed his work.

freakin' breath of fresh air when it comes to international stars imo

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

Basically everbody in the industry makes him out to be this phenominal dj with unbelievale skills and talent. Personally, I just never really liked his taste in music...His dj skills (mixing/effects/ ect ect) are undeniably great but his taste in music I can do without...he is just overhyped by industry people....there are hundreds of unknown djs that deserve respect/praise that dont get it....zabilia gets way to much.

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

[QUOTE=stencil_cp]freakin' breath of fresh air when it comes to international stars imo[/QUOTE] Exactly my point. I happen to enjoy the sounds he throws out there. I stood right in front while he ripped it up at the Marlin last year for the Hallucination Party. That was my first night in town down there and what a way to start it off but with Maya, Mazi, Three, Lazarus, and James. If you don't like the sounds he puts out, that's one thing. But NO ONE can deny the fact that he possesses superior control and gives off an amazing vibe. He could spin a set full of Spice Girls tracks and I'd still have a good time because he's so fun to watch and he almost forces you to enjoy yourself.

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

[quote=skahound] If you don't like the sounds he puts out, that's one thing. But NO ONE can deny the fact that he possesses superior control and gives off an amazing vibe. He could spin a set full of Spice Girls tracks and I'd still have a good time because he's so fun to watch and he almost forces you to enjoy yourself.[/quote]

Will not argue that point.....I really enjoyed his set he played at proton party in 2004. That was the best sounds i have heard from him. Although, Most of his sets that i have dl recently have not really appealed to me

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

i think that his sound has gotten better lately. the skills have always been there no doubt, but i dig his tracks more now then several years ago... anyone else agree?

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

I preferred his sound like 3 years ago, then went off him.. but i dig his new four.2 mixes muchly

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

I'll have to start off by saying that I really haven't been into this type of music for very long, it was about a year ago when I first got stuck in this miserable little town when a fellow stuckee and coworker turned my fixation from acidy, what I now view as crap, and onto a new, wide world of EDM. I'm still learning and still exploring all the new sounds I can, I still lean on JZ's talents. and yeah, I keep hearing everyone agree that the man has superb talent but the taste of music isn't there, his taste in music and the way he spins it is his character and is what makes him what he is... it's like writing a story with sound. not all authors write the same way, if they did all books would be boring

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

I have always had a bit of difficulty in getting into breaks. Some of his breaky stuff isn't bad. But I can't listen to 2 hours of it.

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

thing is, when he plays, he actually plays to have fun. he always has this huge smile on his face. he plays for the love of music and I cant think of anything that is more worthy of a DJ

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

Zabiela was the first DJ I ever went to see, and the always smiling and having a good time was the first thing I noticed about him cause I always see vids and pics of other guys that are always either too wasted or crashed out...

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

HE rocked Mexico City and then the next day he completley devastated us in Monterrey. He is by FAR the best DJ i've ever seen live. His talents are second to none and in my opinion his track selection was extremeley impressive. I only wish i can see him again live soon cause i was left wanting more.

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

Hi guys,

thanks for the props..!! :) At least there have been some critisms too to stop my ego exploding!!!

Thanks for all the comments though. Always learning...

James :)

p.s... I felt my set in Monterrey was not my best so I'm glad you say that you enjoyed it. I was just so tired for that gig (5 gigs in 5 days)! Next time I'll be better I promise...

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

definitely needs to come through San Antonio, Austin or Dallas again on a weekend... I think I'd go awol to make it

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

[QUOTE=chuckc]Basically everbody in the industry makes him out to be this phenominal dj with unbelievale skills and talent. Personally, I just never really liked his taste in music...His dj skills (mixing/effects/ ect ect) are undeniably great but his taste in music I can do without...he is just overhyped by industry people....there are hundreds of unknown djs that deserve respect/praise that dont get it....zabilia gets way to much.[/QUOTE]

Totally agree with you there. Technically he's brilliant, but when it comes to track selection or programming ... it's kinda like ... :shock: :roll: He lets the technical aspects overshadow the tunes--sometimes I almsot get the impression he's playing a track for the sole purpose of scratching or doing some efx on it. I preferred his earlier promos when they were more understated before he got so carried away. That said, the recent Four.2 is cool :twisted: There was also a recent promo cd with meat katie and him, that was sweet too.

The other DJ that springs to mind when talking about Zabiela is Phil K :twisted: And he definitely doesn't get enough props. Phil K also has a tendency to get carried away on the efx ... hearing him loop a beat and layer efx ontop--nothing else--at 7am in the morning is a bit too much for the head :shock:

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

I personaly LOVE his taste in music, I must say he´s one of top 5 djs at the moment, he´s 4.2 promo was just out of this world, by far the best set I have heard this year. I must agree on Phill K, saw him back in agust in Mexico City (same club zabiela played at) and he played a outstanding set!

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

[URL="http://www.residentadvisor.net/showphotos.asp?ID=8923"]Here are pictures from the event.[/URL]

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

No matter if you like his style of not, JZ likes music of various styles that gets thrown into his musical blender, but not only that he's lifting samples from films and other forms of media, with a sense of artistry in his sound that goes beyond mixing. Plus his attitude is just like the rest of us trainspotting dance music addicted fools, who froth at the mouth and go delierious whenever they hear a soundsystem pumping out funky ass jams. Rock on JZ:RockOn:

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

For JZ,

I ll be seeing you Saturday in Lausanne for the first time , so i ll come up and say Hi , after all you are one of our members here in MS, best of luck man and see you Saturday .

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

question: how has jz been playing out live? like what kind of tracks?

my idea of him totally changed after hearing the brilliant 4.2. ive seen him 4-5 times and they've all been fun, but the scartching the fx sometimes became overwhelming. it was so refreshing to hear 4.2 minus the scratching and cutting.

i would of agreed with who ever said he was overrated, but after 4.2, i don't think that is a fair statement anymore.

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

Cheers for posting the pics. That seriously was a dope night...

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

[quote=feather]He lets the technical aspects overshadow the tunes--sometimes I almsot get the impression he's playing a track for the sole purpose of scratching or doing some efx on it. [/quote]

^^^^^^^ I agree he can play some good breakbeat though8)

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

I enjoy JZ as one of my fav's to listen to because he can play such a diverse selection of tracks and make it all sound incredible. He also has an uncanny ability to get the crowd groovin to the beats. Just seein him up on the turntables havin a great time...that really gets people goin!

Prolly my fav set is the Essential mix...not sure which one, but it has the Vanilla Sky sound bytes...and some incredible tracks.

Mad Props JZ!!!

Re: James Zabiela this Past Friday...

The guy can just plane out entertain....and then make the place go crazy