Archive for the 'DJ/Club Culture' Category
Live DJ Remixing #3: How To Get Ideas
The video that you can watch at the end of this piece is what led me to write this three-part series on live DJ remixing (missed the other parts? They’re at Live DJ Remixing #1 – Get The Software & Sounds and Live DJ Remixing #2 – The Gear).
I’ll happily admit: as a traditional “A-to-B” DJ, I was awed and inspired. It’s what drove me to push this idea of “taking it to the next level” – because let’s be honest, growing in this industry isn’t going to come from just playing music, but performing as a live act.
Live DJ Remixing #2 -The Gear
We kicked off this series talking about the software end of the deal in live remixing. But banging on your laptop keyboard and mouse can only take you so far. If we’ve noticed anything from those who perform well in live remixing, it’s that you need the right gear for the occasion.
Thankfully with technology the way it is, you have a plethora of options at your fingertips. You can spend a little or a lot and still get great results. Let’s have a look at the hardware options available to you.
Live DJ Remixing #1 – Get The Software & Sounds
Back in January, we made the New Year’s resolution to learn something new. To make an attempt to go beyond our normal realms of DJing and just try to “take it to the next level”. Some of you are already taking on this idea in our new Scratching For Controller DJs course – but this is just one way of making your DJing stand out. Another is the newer methodology of fired samples, loops, and chopped up pieces of music – a major element of what is often called “controllerism”.
Today’s article is the first of a three-part series where we’ll get you started and explore the world of basic controllerism, and give you some ideas on how to bring these techniques back into the basic DJ set. We’re going to start things off with software and finding sounds to use.
5 DJ Resolutions For 2013: Tell Us Yours
Even though resolutions are always a challenge to keep, and it’s often bemusing to watch others quit them months to minutes after making them, it’s good to attempt to improve yourself in some way, shape, or form each time January 1 rolls around.
Based on common topics here on Digital DJ Tips (both in the articles and the forum) and many other DJ sources out on the internet, here’s a handful of resolutions I’d say everyone calling themselves a DJ should think about. Once you’ve looked at them, please use the comments to tell us yours.
Is Music Worse Than It Used To Be?
Dance music's recent mainstream acceptance as "EDM" has brought about a fury from certain elements in the artistic/underground scenes, which is nothing new in itself – it happens whenever anything "underground" finds love from the mainstream.
From articles like a recent one in SPIN Magazine to those carried by a plethora of blogs, many DJs, critics, and producers have been claiming that the music has hit a creative zero. That we’ve lost that innovative spark that can do things like make one sound explode into a plethora of ideas and genres, as has happened in the past. That it’s lost its soul.
DJ Contests: Which To Enter & How To Win
Whether you've been a DJ for a month or many years, you'll probably have encountered a "DJ competition" at some point—if only the "DJ X-Factor" hype from earlier this year. It's not surprising: DJ contests have for a long time been used to generate healthy competition among DJs, to get bodies in nightclubs, to build hits on websites and so on.
Some of you might have entered DJ contests, and had both positive and negative experiences with them. Others might have never tried, but be curious. The goal today is to giver you a potted guide to DJ competitions, whether to enter them, and the best way to approach them.
