DJs in the dance music world operate in a very curious environment. Despite the word “dance” literally appearing in the type of music they’re meant to play, for a DJ to actually dance whilst playing in the booth is seen in some quarters as an act of heresy – yet hardly anyone ever questions this.

For some reason, DJs – whose job it is to actually make people want to get up and dance – must look serious at all times and not appear to enjoy themselves. Ears To The House has never agreed with this bizarre philosophy, and has absolutely no problem with DJs having a bit of a dance in the booth – but let’s be honest, there’s sense in everything.

Quite whether Derrick Carter had this in mind when he posted this on Facebook yesterday, however, is another question…

Different people in the comments are interpreting Carter’s remarks in a few ways. For example, one said that you probably wouldn’t find Masters At Work “throwing cakes at people” – a reference to Steve Aoki, an EDM DJ known more for his cake-chucking antics than his music.

Another recounts a story involving Laurent Garnier, who “had a residency at H2O in Sheffield in the early 90s, he’d sometimes leave a track playing, come for a little dance with the crowd, then dash back to drop another”. Other names mentioned who allegedly like to dance during their sets include Carl Cox, Sven Väth, and Patrick Mason.

From what we’ve noticed at the Ears To The House office, most DJs who aren’t dancing tend to be twitching with their knobs, usually pointlessly. Ironically enough, one of the biggest offenders we’ve come across on this front is Louie Vega – one half of the aforementioned Masters At Work.

Or does Carter give him a pass because they’re friends, and they’re both older? It wouldn’t be the first time….