One of the major complaints that people have about Ableton DJs is that they have lost the interaction with the music because that are not beat matching. The rebuttal to that argument is that by using Ableton we as DJs have so much more power available to us through effects and multiple channels that our DJing sets have a potential to be much more exciting. Unfortunately, many Ableton users don't back that up, but instead do a traditional a-b approach that looses the organic nature of having to manually beat match but has no gain from using computers.
Danny Stamp, a DJ based out of London falls into hat category. And this posting is not intended to bash on him by any means, far from that. In reviewing one of Danny's recent mix I told him that although the mix was decent, it did not take me to the next level and suggested that he break out of the two channel paradigm. Being the big man that he is, Danny listened to the criticism and gave four channel mixing a try.
Below is Danny's mix along with my review from the ALDJ forum:
Danny Stamp - Mood Music (tech/deep house)
http://www.myspace.com/dannystamp
Decided to do something different and try running a mix with 2 or 3 channels pretty much constantly on the go, with 4 active at some points. It's allowed me to squeeze in some tracks I otherwise wouldn't have been able to include. Tracklisting may be confusing as some tracks are only used for a small portion of the mix.
Download it here (right click save as)
Total time: 61:09
[01] Tarekith - Coil - [artist MP3 - www.tarekith.com]
[02] Andy Stott - Massacre - [Modern Love]
[03] Tarekith - Tidal - [artist MP3 - www.tarekith.com]
[04] Ricardo Villalobos - Primer Encuentro Latino-Americano - [Sei Es Drum]
[05] Rufus Wainwright - Tiergarten (Supermayer remix) - [Polydor]
[06] Gel Abril - Very Wrong (Chaim remix) - [Be As One Imprint]
[07] Cirez D - Teaser (Deadmau5 remix version 2) - [Mouseville]
[08] Marascia & Dusty Kid - Plumbi - [Boxer Recordings]
[09] Daniel Portman - White Russian - [Unreleased Digital]
[10] The Rice Twins - Goatee - [K2]
[11] Anja Schneider - Belize - [Mobilee]
[12] Danton Eeprom - These Eyes - [Fondation Records]
[13] Henry & Denis - Catabolism (Efdemin remix) - [Dessous Records]
[14] Efdemin - Just a Track - [Dial]
[15] Samuel L Session feat Elbee Bad - Off the Chain (main mix) - [Klap Klap]
[16] Andreas Heiszenberger - Perfect Moment (Efdemin's Cremant De Cramant mix) - [Brut!]
[17] Gabriel Ananda - Trommelstunde - [Karmarouge]
[18] The Rice Twins - Can I Say - [K2]
[19] Oliver Moldan Pres. Prawler - Club 69 (Jim Rivers Club 96 mix) - [Audio Therapy]
[20] Danton Eeprom - All I Can Say (Shonky's remix) - [Freak 'n' Chic]
[21] DJ Koze - All the Time - [Philpot]
[22] Paul Kalkbrenner - Press On (Joris Voorn remix) - [BPitch Control]
[23] Jamie Lloyd - May I (Quarion remix) - [Future Classic]
My review:
"So I gave the mix a solid listen this morning. First off I am impressed that you are making an effort to push the boundaries. It takes a lot to put yourself out there like that, and if you don't mind I want to post a blog about this.
I enjoyed your mix. I think that this mix had a much looser feeling to it than the last one, and the way the tracks came in and out it felt more traditional just because the rising energy. However, after 45 minutes of listening sonically my brain needed a rest from all the activity that was going on. I think it was Richie Hawtin that said that the silence is just as important as the music.
What I think you should work on developing is a balance of straight a-b mixing and layering of sounds (either as loops or just multiple songs). What I would suggest is start mixing a-b with a couple of extra channels left open. As you are playing and cueing songs you will hear things, maybe a riff, some drums, or a voice that stands out and makes you think, this would really work good withe the song that is playing. When you hear that, bring that element in. You can either loop that element throughout a song, or grab several elements and play with the transition. The key is to be free and experiment. by fine tuning your approach a little, i.e. I have 4 channels open to me, but I don't have to use them all of the time, you will let your mix breath. Overlay 4 elements and bring the energy way up and then drop that bass line for that key track and let it play.
You are definitely on to something here so keep up the good work."
- Charles Cushman
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Dimension Zero - God Part II
Here is another fun track that could be fun to play out. Check out God Part II
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| Webpage: http://www.dimensionzero.com | ||||
| Location: Salt Lake City, UT, USA | ||||
| Description: Civil wars with chainsaws and robots. An Electronic Industrial Rock band plays a Nintendo synth with vocals performed by Jim Morrison's psychotic step-cousin. Big Band brass accompanies the 1940s noise massacre of women and children, this is Scythe. | ||||
| Biography: Dimension Zero, a concept born from the inspiration of the European computer underground "demo" scene in 1992. Unlike traditional musical projects, Dimension Zero originated as an online distributor for graphical/musical computer demos created by groups like Future Crew, ACiD, and The Humble Guys. Monty Singleton, the SysOp (System Operator) of Dimension Zero was fascinated by the possibilities of what could be created on a personal computer and began experimenting with electronically generated music. Raised with a strong background in classical piano and an addiction to computers, creating electronic music was a natural progression and Dimension Zero was born. "My lyrics are reflective of my views and philosophies about my cultural surroundings more than anything else." Monty explains. Raised under strong religious and cultural influences from the small town of Layton, UT, Monty says his lyrics "Let me explore and analyze my thoughts under a microscope. It’s more of a discovery process about the society I live in and how that society shapes who I am. Hopefully this will help me learn more about myself and society as a whole." Inspired from bands such as Depeche Mode, U2, Nine Inch Nails, Faith No More, Elvis, and Michael Jackson, Dimension Zero’s music blends so many styles that Artist Interviews’ writer Mauricio Saravia says "deserves to be in a category of it’s own." With worldwide radio airplay with hits such as "Static Space", having a remix hand picked by Chuck D’s founder Public Enemy from hundreds of other remixers, "Public Enemy No. 1 (Dimension Zero redu)" was included on the Japanese release of their album "Revolverlution", Dimension Zero has received critical acclaim from around the world. Fans include Germany's Snuff Pop Inc. founder Ant who called Static Space a "Masterpiece", and Gods Of Music reviewer Josh Richmond who said "Radio friendly, extremely good, and very impressive." | ||||
| Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monty Singleton 801.241.4444 info@dimensionzero.com www.dimensionzero.com DIMENSION ZERO RELEASES DEBUT LP "SCYTHE" WITH FIRST #1 CNET HIT REPLICA AND ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIAL COVER OF U2's "GOD PART II" FROM MULTI-PLATINUM ALBUM "RATTLE & HUM" Dimension Zero has just released their electronic industrial debut LP, Scythe. "RePLiCa", a fan favorite on the new album, was CNET’s first #1 hit on their music service with over 10,000 downloads in one week. Garageband calls Dimension Zero "Epic Greatness." Dimension Zero will be touring the West United States starting fall. Scythe spawns a world of sound where civil wars use chainsaws and robots as weapons. Radioactive oceans surround a Big Band during the 1940 noise massacre of women and children. In a destroyed multiplex, an Industrial Electronic Rock band is playing a Nintendo synth with vocals performed by Jim Morrison's psychotic step-cousin. Scythe can be purchased from CD Baby, iTunes, and digital resellers worldwide. For more information, please contact Monty Singleton at info@dimensionzero.com ### | ||||
Raymond Simmons
Somehow I got on the mailing list for Music Submit. Most of the songs are great, but not many fit into the metronome project's area of expertise. Below is an afro funk track begging for a remix. Check it out.
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| Webpage: http://www.lulu.com/raymond | ||||
| Location: San Francisco, CA, USA | ||||
| Description: Raymond Simmons is a drummer with a unique style. He was either born with rhythm in his hands or had an excellent teacher..GREAT!!-BjD Wishing Away Records | ||||
| Biography: From the Black Light Explosion era in the early 1970's around the San Francisco Bay Area emerged Raymond Simmons, afro-styled conga drummer extraordinaire. For the past thirty years Raymond has played with dance classes, drum choirs, dance troupes, acting groups and reggae, blues and rock bands. He has had the pleasure of playing with Jimmy McCracklin, Carla Thomas, Marvin Holmes, Albert King and other greats. Raymond founded Select Records in 1981 with artists Masterpiece, Starlite, the Fabulous Playmates and The Original Ladies' Choice where he has been the featured percussionist. Raymond has released some of his famous techniques in Hot Percussion Licks. Raymond also endorses Select Maracas and Select Records T-Shirts. | ||||
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Xlr8r TV
Xlr8r has a pretty cool video podcast that I have been watching for a while and this week's episode they started a new segment called "What's Up Willits?" with Christopher Willits in which he shows his set-up for recording and performing with his guitar. What's great about it is that he goes pretty in-depth to how he sets up Ableton Live to capture loops including how he runs the audio from the guitar into the program and how he sets up multiple channels to capture the loops.
What really caught my interest was the capturing of the loops on the fly. I am going to give it a try this weekend with my DJ set-up. This might be a great middle ground between the added interaction with the music that I feel with beat matching and the looping capabilities of Ableton. On a side note the pocket fader he is using in the video seems like a nice way to add multiple faders to my studio.
Get the video here.
What really caught my interest was the capturing of the loops on the fly. I am going to give it a try this weekend with my DJ set-up. This might be a great middle ground between the added interaction with the music that I feel with beat matching and the looping capabilities of Ableton. On a side note the pocket fader he is using in the video seems like a nice way to add multiple faders to my studio.
Get the video here.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Rolling Stone
Herve
"Cheap Thrills"
Jacko didn't get his twenty-fifth-anniversery version of Thriller out, so our man Herve (what? You don't know London's hottest DJ?) stepped in with this Justice-ified track,which peak with a big 'ol Thriller sample. All that's missing is Vincent Price and a pair of crazy contact lenses.
- Rolling Stone 1040 (Nov. 29, 2007)
After 10 years I am ending my subscription of Rolling Stone. There was a time when they covered electronic music. Sure the coverage was not as deep as the dedicated magazines, but it was there. I first heard of Mathew Dear through them. Over time the coverage has slowly eroded from a passing nod to nothing and along with so has my interest in pop music.
I have found that I am reading less and less about the new bands that they cover and completely skipping the coverage of hip-hop. So when I read the above quote it was the straw that broke the camel's back. How can anyone know about the electronic scene if there is actually no coverage? Even when a DJ / producer like Switch is involved with a main stream act such as M.I.A. the only reference to him is that the beats he produced will probably hinder her ability to be mainstream. This is despite the fact that Switch had a banner year and tore up the charts.
One problem I had was that for the longest time I didn't know what I could replace Rolling Stone with. I was not aware of any magazines on the electronic side that covered art, culture, politics, and music, although mainstream, like Rolling Stone does. In the end I think I have a replacement, Xlr8r. I bought an issue of the news stand and loved it. They cover everything from electronic to punk and even include a CD with the mag if you subscribe (why can't Rolling Stone do that?) Let's see what happens.
- Charles Cushman
"Cheap Thrills"
Jacko didn't get his twenty-fifth-anniversery version of Thriller out, so our man Herve (what? You don't know London's hottest DJ?) stepped in with this Justice-ified track,which peak with a big 'ol Thriller sample. All that's missing is Vincent Price and a pair of crazy contact lenses.
- Rolling Stone 1040 (Nov. 29, 2007)
After 10 years I am ending my subscription of Rolling Stone. There was a time when they covered electronic music. Sure the coverage was not as deep as the dedicated magazines, but it was there. I first heard of Mathew Dear through them. Over time the coverage has slowly eroded from a passing nod to nothing and along with so has my interest in pop music.
I have found that I am reading less and less about the new bands that they cover and completely skipping the coverage of hip-hop. So when I read the above quote it was the straw that broke the camel's back. How can anyone know about the electronic scene if there is actually no coverage? Even when a DJ / producer like Switch is involved with a main stream act such as M.I.A. the only reference to him is that the beats he produced will probably hinder her ability to be mainstream. This is despite the fact that Switch had a banner year and tore up the charts.
One problem I had was that for the longest time I didn't know what I could replace Rolling Stone with. I was not aware of any magazines on the electronic side that covered art, culture, politics, and music, although mainstream, like Rolling Stone does. In the end I think I have a replacement, Xlr8r. I bought an issue of the news stand and loved it. They cover everything from electronic to punk and even include a CD with the mag if you subscribe (why can't Rolling Stone do that?) Let's see what happens.
- Charles Cushman
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Some Random Mixes
My friend is about to do some travelling so I uploaded some mixes for him. If you guys have some free ears check them out:
http://idisk.mac.com/blueskies8650-Public
The mixes are:
-The End Parts 1 and 2: This is a mix that I made last spring for my drive from SF to SD. While not strictly progressive, it has that feel and slowly ebbs and flows over the course of the mix.
- The Tajamhal Sessions: This is a mix from a couple of years ago that showcases how I see downbeat music, it flips from funk to trip-hop and hits some D'nB on the way.
- Bottle of Wine 1 and 2: Big room house mixed 2x2 style with Scottie Kaotik
- Final Version: This was for a contest, that was later canceled, and is my take on soulful house.
- Groove Tickets 1 and 2: More contest entries, this time I was a finalist.
- Live at Assembly: My first taste of fuzzy bass lines, at the halfway point I head towards the main room progressive sound.
- Mix Club: This will be the next official podcast once the redesigned web page is completed.
- Progressive 090505: Another multi hour prog mix made in '05. I just found this the other day and realized how many old records that I have that I still love.
BTW, all of these mixes were recorded live with no preplanning except the "final version" file.
- Charles Cushman
http://idisk.mac.com/blueskies8650-Public
The mixes are:
-The End Parts 1 and 2: This is a mix that I made last spring for my drive from SF to SD. While not strictly progressive, it has that feel and slowly ebbs and flows over the course of the mix.
- The Tajamhal Sessions: This is a mix from a couple of years ago that showcases how I see downbeat music, it flips from funk to trip-hop and hits some D'nB on the way.
- Bottle of Wine 1 and 2: Big room house mixed 2x2 style with Scottie Kaotik
- Final Version: This was for a contest, that was later canceled, and is my take on soulful house.
- Groove Tickets 1 and 2: More contest entries, this time I was a finalist.
- Live at Assembly: My first taste of fuzzy bass lines, at the halfway point I head towards the main room progressive sound.
- Mix Club: This will be the next official podcast once the redesigned web page is completed.
- Progressive 090505: Another multi hour prog mix made in '05. I just found this the other day and realized how many old records that I have that I still love.
BTW, all of these mixes were recorded live with no preplanning except the "final version" file.
- Charles Cushman
How much should an artist make?
Here is an idea that has been percolating in the back of my mind for a while, "How much should an artist make?" In pretty much every music rag now days there is an article on either the industry being in a downturn or how disappointing the first day sales were.
Where did we lose focus? To be successful in the music industry is it all or bust? It seems as if a musician is deemed a failure unless he or she is making millions, but why can't we be successful for just making an honest wage? If a musician, producer, or DJ can make enough to live successfully off their music, let's say $50,000 a year, is that not successful?
It may appears that the music industry is failing, and it is sad when a small record label closes, but I am looking forward to the future where a group of people can start a label on the internet for a minimal investment. If the label takes off then they can make their money back through selling the tracks, merchandise, and touring. Sure they won't be making millions and buying airplanes, but if you are doing what you love...
Of course the argument against this is that without the major labels screening out the crap how will the average know what to listen to? But isn't that what Radio and club DJs are supposed to due? Find those great tracks and share them with the world?
- Charles Cushman
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