Comments on: Music technology & DJing http://theslayersclub.com/2009/08/27/quick-musings-on-music-technology-djing/ San Francisco electro funk glitch-hop dubstep breaks cumbia dancehall fidget:house bmore Fri, 28 Jan 2011 19:21:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.3 By: The Skinny http://theslayersclub.com/2009/08/27/quick-musings-on-music-technology-djing/comment-page-1/#comment-14 The Skinny Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:05:05 +0000 http://theslayersclub.com/?p=196#comment-14 The differences may depend on music background as well. For hip-hop influenced DJ's, would they would not give up the sonic qualities created by scratching and beat juggling by using strictly laptop machinery? That's a serious question considering that I do not know much about Abelton or other computer software out there. Of course one could build use hardware / software as well as turntables. Anyway, I've seen pretty intellectually stimulating and artistically innovative music made by musicians just using turntables. Add an MPC onto that and you could layer samples / make beats on the fly on top of prerecorded sounds. What I want to know is what can let's say Ableton do that maybe a Cut Chemist or DJ Shadow couldn't do? The differences may depend on music background as well. For hip-hop influenced DJ’s, would they would not give up the sonic qualities created by scratching and beat juggling by using strictly laptop machinery? That’s a serious question considering that I do not know much about Abelton or other computer software out there. Of course one could build use hardware / software as well as turntables.

Anyway, I’ve seen pretty intellectually stimulating and artistically innovative music made by musicians just using turntables. Add an MPC onto that and you could layer samples / make beats on the fly on top of prerecorded sounds.

What I want to know is what can let’s say Ableton do that maybe a Cut Chemist or DJ Shadow couldn’t do?

]]> By: Matt Haze http://theslayersclub.com/2009/08/27/quick-musings-on-music-technology-djing/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Matt Haze Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:40:14 +0000 http://theslayersclub.com/?p=196#comment-13 As Lokae said, I believe that there is a question of orientation when examining this issue: are you trying to rock the party or impress the spotters smirking by the booth? If your approach is action-oriented, then yes, it is definitely possible to make the floor go bonkers with all-analog gear - IF you know how to use it, know your building blocks and feel the energy flow. Yes, I am in California, how'd you know? Alternately, if your approach is on the academic/artsy side and you want to push the boundaries of sound manipulation in the live arena, then yes, the most advanced tech can help you do that. The bottom line is, in a club, our bodies first react to sonic frequencies in a primal way, in a cognitive way secondarily. Dancers are feeling the beat and are most likely not looking at the DJ's hands or gear for motivation to move, though a good peformance is a bonus and can help initialize the energy in a room by example. Bass is maternal. Turn that ish up! As Lokae said, I believe that there is a question of orientation when examining this issue: are you trying to rock the party or impress the spotters smirking by the booth?

If your approach is action-oriented, then yes, it is definitely possible to make the floor go bonkers with all-analog gear – IF you know how to use it, know your building blocks and feel the energy flow. Yes, I am in California, how’d you know?

Alternately, if your approach is on the academic/artsy side and you want to push the boundaries of sound manipulation in the live arena, then yes, the most advanced tech can help you do that.

The bottom line is, in a club, our bodies first react to sonic frequencies in a primal way, in a cognitive way secondarily. Dancers are feeling the beat and are most likely not looking at the DJ’s hands or gear for motivation to move, though a good peformance is a bonus and can help initialize the energy in a room by example.

Bass is maternal. Turn that ish up!

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