This is the kind of argument I hear from friends who don't like music made with computers/programmable synths/drum machines at all, much less replayed by computers. For them, there's no feeling or 'mistakes' unless it's played on manually-operated instruments like guitars, drums and Peruvian panflutes. I would ask these people whether listening to prerecorded music on a CD sounds boring .. after all, they went through lots of takes to find their ideal recording, discarding the mistakes, right?
It's a fool's argument, distracting from the question of whether or not a given DJ/producer is an artist or just a hack. There can be amazing depth of feeling, spontaneity and improvisation with a laptop-enhanced set; there can be boring, lifeless, properly beatmatched vinyl sets. Also -- and in my opinion, most importantly -- taking tools like MP3s out of your toolbox (or brushes off your palette, choose whichever metaphor you like more) just means you have less options, specifically less access to the unreleased/netlabel sort of stuff we are lucky to hear on Andrew Duke's show. -drzachary > Funny to read that one of the dj's being on the forefront of technology > speaks about the fact that all these technological developments > (traktor, ableton and so on) will lead to the fact that dj's might not > be needed in clubs anymore in the future because all music sounds the > same, mixed without any mistakes, no feeling anymore and so why not play > some pre-programmed music?