I am an ex-techno DJ and have had quite a number of bookings in the UK as well as produced a few tracks of my own too. I made the switch to Ableton years ago when I found turntables actually hampered my creativity (and I don't say this likely since I was a competent in 3 decks and beat-mixing tracks of different time signatures - which is a hard skill to learn)
Beat mixing is only a very small part of DJing and is not a creative part of the process. It's a technical skill - nothing more.
Telling people they must learn how to beat mix on turntables before learning Ableton is like saying someone must learn how to paint with oil paints before they're allowed to use Photoshop. What actually matters is what enables performers to create the best live performance.
One thing I will agree with you on is that I have more of an emotional connection with vinyl because I'm physically connecting with the playback media. I've never gotten the same emotional connection with CDs nor Ableton. However this is a tactile response and nothing to do with the music itself so the audience wouldn't experience that.
Beat mixing is only a very small part of DJing and is not a creative part of the process. It's a technical skill - nothing more.
Telling people they must learn how to beat mix on turntables before learning Ableton is like saying someone must learn how to paint with oil paints before they're allowed to use Photoshop. What actually matters is what enables performers to create the best live performance.
One thing I will agree with you on is that I have more of an emotional connection with vinyl because I'm physically connecting with the playback media. I've never gotten the same emotional connection with CDs nor Ableton. However this is a tactile response and nothing to do with the music itself so the audience wouldn't experience that.