after seeing this, I don’t want to hear shit about people not being better , due to crappy equipment. skills only develop with practice and dedication. get on it!
Set cutting
This past weekend, I was fortunate to have listened to a free download of DJ Vice’s 3 hour set in NYC (listen for yourself, it’s below).
Beautifully blended stuff, with song choices masterfully chosen to properly navigate the crowd through a sonic adventure (no sega pun intended. great game though). As I was listening to the mix, it dawned on me that he was jumping through multiple genres of music.
Was his set structured that way, or was he going with the flow?
Often, a DJ like Vice would be a headliner, starting sometime around “power hour,” which is at the point in the night where capacity has been met, drinks are kicking in, and the crowd is ready to rock. Until that time comes, there are DJs that warm the crowd up (aka “fluffers”, though i’m not sure if DJs take offense to that. i’m just the other guy). Normally they’ll play the old school stuff or some indie hits, avoiding the big stuff that’s reserved for the power hour. But what happens if he doesn’t? What happens if the fluffer decides to be a d*ck and gun through all of the club bangers in an hour and a half, thus leaving Vice with “Scenario” and Michael Bublé’s greatest hits (no offense to Bublé. I happen to like his sh*t. Go on, judge me)? Dj’s, has that ever happened? How is that handled/perceived?
Challenge Number One: SHIFT
“Music cleanses the understanding; inspires it, and lifts it into a realm which it would not reach if it were left to itself.”
~ Henry Ward Beecher (1813 – 1887)
The power of music is one that cannot be clearly defined, yet is universally known. Poignant lyrics, paired up with infectious beats, strings and melodies make for a language that speaks to nations, creeds, colors, ages and affiliations and more. The most wonderful aspect of music is how it can evolve, change and SHIFT. So the question begs to be asked: what happens when Nas lyrics blend with a Kenny Chesney beat? Would the Terrible Towel be swinging any harder to “Black & Yellow” if it was set to the Jump Smokers Remix of “Firework”? We’d never know…until now. It’s time to rewrite history, DJs. Here’s the first challenge: SHIFT
Here are the rules:
- Pick any 10 songs
- Take those 10 songs, and split them up into their acapella and instrumental versions
- Now move all 10 acapellas up one slot, so that acapella 2 matches up with instrumental 1
- NOW blend it
In essence, DJs, you’re remixing 10 songs, in a way that’s not quite been done before. I want to see some originality. Wow me with how you stitch these songs together. I hold a ton of faith in you, so don’t recite a bunch of paragraphs to me. Tell me a story, in the ways only you know how.
How you put the mix together is completely up to you. All I ask is that you keep it under 15 minutes, and show us your best.
MIXES ARE DUE AT SOME POINT (lol). Send your links or MP3s to tbl5trn3d@gmail.com, with your name (or DJ name) and “SHIFT” in the subject line.
good luck DJs!
- the DJ and that other guy
yo DJ, drop that errrr….drum that beat?
two turntables and a ....pad?
A DJ performing a simple parradiddle ( drum pattern) on his or her laptop keyboard while slowly turning the filter knob to drop the bass can mix feelings of confusion, anticipation and excitement within the crowd, with the end result being total bliss. Current technology allows a DJ with or without percussion experience, to drum a beat using any element within a song to make it his own. Software such as Serato and Traktor provide the necessary cuepoints to be triggered by keyboard, drum pad, or groove box. When executed correctly, this new element brings a physicality to the art that most people aren’t familiar with yet and therefore draws their attention; freezing them on the spot in their space of the dance floor, and shining a spotlight on the performer without an actual spotlight. However, at the moment when listeners finally get it, they fill with more excitement than before within a sudden burst. The energy of the room is instantly taken to another level. This is a certainly a powerful tool in controlling the hotline to peoples souls, a necessity for any DJ looking to make a strong connection with their audience.
— the dj
Take a look at this*!
This clip starts with a preview of the fun that is to come, but the real highlight goes down when Christian Martinez of TMB decides to unleash a beat on the crowd using the CDJs as his brother Steve Martinez Jr., plays the classic house joint Gypsy Woman by Crystal Waters. (madness starts @ 3:32)
The crew over at NOISE 212 show us how to get it crackin with serato’s cuepoints. Check the skills as JP SOLIS turns his laptop keyboard into a groove box at 3:55.
Click here for NOISE 212
Finally, Jeremy Ellis 86′d all the other equipment with the exception of Native Instrument’s Maschine.
* sorry, but until we pay a shitload of cash to embed video into our blog, the links will have to suffice. deal with it —that other guy
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