Friday, July 25, 2008

Futuristic Mixing

Technology is getting deeper and deeper into our everyday lives. As djs, it's been tough to deal with the push to digital dj technology. The djs of the Illvibe Collective love the feel and sound of vinyl, but we have also made steps to embrace many of the new tools that are available to us. We were some of the first people in Philly to have a Pioneer CDJ at our gigs. With it, we could blend and scratch music that we would have never been able to get on vinyl. When Serato Scratch came on the scene, we jumped on that too. It changed our whole world! Long gone were the days of bringing 6 heavy ass crates of records to a gig. We didn't use these tools as a crutch... instead it was a way to enhance our performances.

All this new dj technology is great, but are we cheating the new generation of djs? For the djs like us, who have cut our teeth on crappy turntables and dusty vinyl 12 inches, this technology is just magnifying the skills we have gained over the years. For young djs who are just learning on Serato, are all these bells and whistles just going to cheat them out of learning the true craft of djing? Are they truly able to appreciate the work that older djs have done to build this art form?

Well just think about that for a minute...

Here are some brand new gadgets that may push the art of the dj forward or knock it back to the Middle Ages. You decide...


ATTIGO TT



The ATTIGO TT is basically touchscreen turntables, which in theory seems like kind of a cool idea. Just looking at the pictures, I can think of a million issues that I would have with these. Personally, I think these are going to go the way of the 8-track tape.


more info: http://www.attigo.co.uk/


Final Product // ATTIGO TT from Scott Hobbs on Vimeo.



Pacemaker



The Pacemaker is basically an entire dj setup that can fit in your pocket. I call it the DJ's iPOD. I don't ever see it becoming an industry standard, but it is a fun toy. In my mind, I imagine using it to throw together a deep house mix will chilling on an overseas flight.

more info: http://www.pacemaker.net/

Here is some footage of me playing with the Pacemaker at the Remix Hotel in Miami (Pardon my man-purse).






- lil'dave

2 comments:

Mr Sonny James said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mr Sonny James said...

People are going way over the top with the digital age. I know, I probably said the same thing about Final Scratch in the beginning but come on! Touch screen turntables??? These shits is way wack. The Pacemaker turns me on though. Especially on some radio show, wedding, art gallery shit.