Controlling Traktor DJ software with the Emulator by Token. Part of the new underground?
I recently re-read an enjoyable rant entitled David Guetta & Laptops Don’t Kill Techno. You Do!, from a music blog called Argh, It’s In My Head.
Covering the moodiness of “hipsters” in dance clubs, and how the in-crowd tends to turn on any producers who have a sniff of commercial success with their music, the article then moves on to state that maybe laptop DJs are actually the new underground.
That got me thinking about what makes a scene underground. When I first got into the house scene back in the late 80s:
- You couldn’t go and hear anyone doing it in mainstream clubs
- You couldn’t get anyone to take you seriously when you said you were into it – they were all listening to indie or hip hop (or worse – step forward, goths)
- You couldn’t hear anyone playing it on the radio
- Some of the productions and performances were very rough around the edges
It was undeniably an underground scene.
OK, let’s look at those 4 points and compare them to controllerism today:
1. You couldn’t go and hear anyone doing it in the clubs
We used to set up our own parties, and attend similar parties, outside of the club circuit. We couldn’t make money from it yet; this was for love.
On the odd occasion when we did convince someone to let us throw a party in a small club, jaws dropped left, right and centre. (The bar staff were usually the first to “get it”, and the first to insist on a rebooking…). You had to search hard to find clubs playing house back then.
Today, walk into 99% of DJ-fronted clubs and the DJs will be using turntables or CDJs
Today, walk into 99% of DJ-fronted clubs and the DJs will be using turntables or CDJs and mixing their music this way. Not so many use real vinyl (although plenty still do), but nonetheless, CDJs remain highly popular, or of course vinyl via Serato (or increasingly Traktor) Scratch.
Why? Because both CDJs and Serato allow DJs to perform how they’ve done it for years – two turntables and a mixer. No need to change or grow.
But if you turn up to play a club gig with a controller or simply a laptop, you still get raised eyebrows of the “does he know what he’s doing?”, “he’s not plugging that in here!”-type.
In the late 80s in the UK, hearing dance music involved mobile phone instructions, scribbled maps, car convoys and police dodging. All good signs of an underground scene...
You still get interested punters coming and looking at your gear when you’re playing, and you still have to perform better to convince other DJs you’re not a fake. You’re still on trial, basically.
In most cities, if you want to go out on a weekend and hear controllerist routines or DJs doing interesting things with Midi equipment, you need to put on your own event or know the right people, because you still won’t find sich things in most “proper” clubs. It’s still “underground”.
2. You couldn’t get anyone to take you seriously when you said you were into it
Back then, we couldn’t convince many of our peers to come party to house music with us, try as we may. Once we finally managed to get some of them to come along and do it for themselves? Then they got it. But for a few years, we were definitely in the “everyone hates us, we don’t care” category.
For a few years, we were definitely in the ‘everyone hates us, we don’t care’ category.
Fast forward to controllerism. “It’s not real DJing”, “He’s not doing anything!”, “If you don’t beatmatch manually, you’re cheating!”, “Anyone could do that,”, “The computer’s doing it all for you.” Ring any bells?
People ridicule what they don’t understand. One of the single biggest challenges facing DJs who use Midi controllers and laptops is getting people to take them seriously. Believe me, it comes with the territory when you’re doing something new and different.
Just because people ridicule something, it doesn’t automatically make it “underground”. But sure as hell, if everyone understands it, it ain’t underground any more.
3. You couldn’t hear anyone playing it on the radio
OK, back then we didn’t have web radio so the fact that (here in the UK) there were a few pirate stations dodging the law who actually were playing our music was our saviour. But hearing DJs mixing music on mainstream radio? That took years to catch on.
“Underground” kind of implies word of mouth. Something that can’t easily be commercialised. The thing with controllerism is, it puts more control into the DJ’s hands, it puts immediacy into his or her hands, more than ever. Put simply, you can really perform for your crowd on digital DJ kit. Try doing a 4-deck mash-up on two 1210s. And that doesn’t travel well.
Back then, if your scene's music was only available through an illegal radio station broadcasting from a briefcase, you could be pretty sure it was underground. Pic: Amoeblog
The performance comes from feedback from dancers. It comes from catching the eye of some mentalist who’s conducting your dancefloor and showing him you’ve just doubled the length of a break, just for him! It comes from pauses, from volume changes, from big genre changes, from DJ interactions, from live music mixed over the top – from all the things Midi gives you that 2 decks and a mixer can’t.
None of this stuff translates to record or to the radio, or even to YouTube particularly well. More than ever, you simply have to be there. Now that’s pretty underground.
4. It was rough around the edges
I had a musician friend who hated my house mixtapes because he thought Frankie Knuckles and Todd Terry’s tracks were sloppily produced. And yes, you could choose to look at things that way – but these tunes were the building blocks of a culture, not over-produced, bloated statements of a year’s work or whatever. They were banged out to get the ideas down and move on to the next 100 tracks in the producer’s head.
Fast forward to today and some of the controllerist routines you can see on YouTube or hear out and about are frankly a bit rough – fair cop. And just a word of warning: be careful if you get into a conversation about controllerism sound or production quality with an old school musician or DJ!
Some of the controllerist routines you can see on YouTube or hear out and about are frankly a bit rough…
In an age when we’re streaming audio (= bad quality), people illegally rip from YouTube (= very bad quality), we’re extracting vocals as best we can to mash them up (= yeah, you guessed it), an age when we use laptop sound cards to add to our botched-together set-ups, when we suffer latency as we push our kit to the limits, when we record, produce and master from our bedrooms – yes, quality suffers. Yes, we’re not producing music where sound quality is our first concern. So what?
Now add instant sampling and looping, a plethora of effects, and people behind the controls who are learning as they go along. You know what? Some of this stuff is completely rough around the edges. And your point is?
What the old school don’t seem to realise is that yes, we would love everything to be 24bit/96kHz, uncompressed, perfectly mixed and mastered perfection – but it can’t always be that way. What do you want us to do, give up and go home? When we’re having so much fun?
Hacking together your own home studio is a standard way of re-editing, mashing up and creating new music to DJ on your controller with. No, it won't sound like it was done in a $$$-a-day studio. Is that really so important? Pic: Gorski
Yes, those who’ve spent 25 years perfecting something that they’ve invested too much in to change are going to get angry with the people they feel are destroying it.
But equally, new DJ / producer / mash-up controllerist artists can’t help but feel that these folk should go and clean their vinyl, slip into their armchairs and slide their expensive Pioneer headphones on and, well, doze off to sleep.
Meanwhile, there’s a party going on, and I take no real joy in pointing it out, but sometimes you have to destroy to build. That’s how things change.
Remember though, nothing is underground forever
Back in the early days of house, we always thought the scene would die in the next 6 weeks, perpetually. But it carried on for months, then years. For some of us, it became our careers – probably the best thing we’d ever do with out lives.
But it inevitably changed as it did so, in some ways for the better, in some for the worse. The truth was, though, that the early, underground days put the fuel in the tanks for when it launched into the mainstream.
As a digital DJ, you already know that Midi and digital music aren’t a cop-out, that they aren’t cheating.
You know (or at least are looking forward to!) the joys of hacking together a keyboard mapping, a couple of bits of software and some new hardware to make a personal DJ set-up that lets you express yourself just how you want.
It’s only a matter of time before button pushing is the new vinyl spinning.
And you know what it feels like to pull something off on that same equipment that, in their hearts, at least some of those now deeply conservative old school DJs would just love to.
The truth is, the best of the old school DJs have progressed with the technology too and are just as excited about today’s developments and gear as you are. Not everyone is going to criticise and attack you.
So keep your head high, enjoy the ride – but most importantly of all, relish your underground years. Because this bit won’t last.
Why not? Because controllerism is here to stay, and it’s only a matter of time before button pushing is the new vinyl spinning – and sooner or later, someone will tell you that you’re old fashioned!
What do you think defines an underground scene? Do mash-ups, live sampling, and custom equipment means that controllerism is emerging as a new force in performing dance music? Or do you think it’s all a dead end? Please let us know in the comments.
Now go to:
5 Reasons Why Digital DJing Beats Vinyl
7 Tell-Tale Signs You’d Make A Great DJ
DJ Midi Controllers: The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide 2011
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Tags: controllerism, underground
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Controllerism is definitely emerging as a new force in performing dance music. We can do things with our laptops and controllers that vinyl DJs never dreamed of just a few years ago. I recently played a gig with 5 DJs and I was the only one not using Serato or Traktor Scratch. I was getting some weird looks from the other DJs until I played my set and then they were all trying to figure out how I was doing all that with just a laptop and a controller.
By nature, people ridicule and reject things they don’t understand but as more and more people try it out and learn how it works, Controllerism will become more accepted by its critics.
[ link ]Great post… although here in Canada Dj’s are more open to the new controller based Dj’s… it still gets looks of wonder when I set up. On New Years Eve… I played at a Irish style pub and the crowd varied in age from my age to people in their 40′s… but I can’t say I got any weird looks… What I did get was props from a man who seemed past the mid life crisis age when I was mixing Motown with Rock… It comes down to what you can accomplish in my opinion… I don’t care what the Dj rocks when I go see them I just expect some good music…
[ link ]Oh my God, someone seriously reads my blog and even linked to it. And wrote a whole article about something that I said there!
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[ link ]Damn, now I have to polish all my old entries and get rid of formatting mistakes and typos. Not to mention all the grammatical oopsies. (It’s not a music blog, btw. I just wrote mostly about music recently and of course use it to promote my sets. But a new blog post, about why XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS is criminally underrated is coming soon.
This article essentially said exactly what I’ve been trying to explain to my non-controllerist DJ peers. The ones who are so stuck on vinyl and CDJ’s to even try out a MIDI controller for fear that they might like it. As far as I’m concerned it’s not about showcasing the ability to beatmatch or scratch, nor does it matter what kind of kit you use. If you, as a DJ; someone who comes into a club or party or what-have-you to entertain can produce the sounds through the speakers that give people the good time they’re looking for, it truly should not matter if they’re using CDJ2000′s and a mixer or just their laptop. Being in the underground is really unimportant to me. As a relative beginner DJ, I’ve only had serious experience with MIDI controllers and I’m never going back, however I completely respect those that can rock a house with old school 1200′s and an ancient battle mixer.
[ link ]I think controllerism is going to become like turntablism. It’ll be a performance-based thing. Meaning these guys more or less put on a performance rather than just play tunes and mix them together all night.
Any time I’ve seen a controllerist, it was generally a short performance. Like 30-90 minutes, and it felt like a concert in many ways. Not with gaps in the music, but it didn’t feel like the usual mixing of one track to the next like you see in the clubs.
In my book, there’s room in the world for both sides. I think controllerism can become a new ideology for many who go into production first, and want to bring that to the stage…as opposed to making hit singles and then DJing badly at clubs.
The regular club style of DJing I don’t think will vanish, simply because of the time needed in those sets. If you’re having to play 4-6 hours, then I am not sure how much you can do the controllerist performance compared to the usual style of mixing.
I also think many DJs will combine. They’ll be straight mixing, but using controller tricks to add stuff in here and there. I know I’m already exploring that Midi-Fighter with Torq’s sampler.
[ link ]D-Jam is right on about this, IMO. Controllerism is great, and while I think the post is right in general about there being an argument to be made as far as it being underground is concerned – at it’s heart, it is performance. That’s something different from what a club or party DJ is doing (or should be doing), which is putting the focus on the dancefloor. How much actual dancing is going on when a beat juggler cuts in a new track every 20 seconds? It’s not a bad thing, don’t get me wrong, it’s just apples and oranges.
[ link ]Great post… I remember back in the day the only place I could get to hear “House” was either in a gay club or on the local pirate station. (which I later went on to DJ at) I still remember the first time I heard House played in a mainstream club, people didn’t know what to do. Fast forward a few years to Vibe-a-lite and many fun nights at Bowlers and many other venues and viola, totally mainstream.
The fact that Radio1 during the 90′s had so many House DJ’s playing throughout the week just shows you how mainstream it became in the UK.
Now here I am in California and it’s like I’m in 1987 again. It’s hardly on the radar at all here, for the most part, Underground.
Yes, there are a few clubs in LA playing the big names but the concept is very different here, to a lot of clubs it’s all about the “VIP Area” and big $$$$ that the big names bring in.
I’m back amongst a majority that don’t “get it”
I think the fast cut and loop style of controllerism lends itself very well to the Mild Hip/Hop/RnB/Top40 DJ’ing and music style that is so popular here. (and which I find nauseating) although 99% of the clubs here run Serato with the ubiquitous Rane mixer.
I still get that look of “he’s playing iTunes” when I setup, which is odd seeing as they are actually digital too.
So yes, I think midi controllers are the new underground.
Cheers
[ link ]JLB
In LA it’s very common with controllerism. I’d say it’s 50/50. Also, last year at WMC more then 50% of the performances I saw was by controllerism DJ’s.
My view might be skewed since I’m listening to Tech House and Techno mostly… These genres have definitely made larger a switch to controllerism.
Could be an US thing too… Although in Ibiza I noticed the same trend this year… again in the Tech genres.
During a quick stop in London and an all House night was all CDJ’s… except for me and my bro’s… No one seemed to care though. So maybe UK is more “Old school”…?
The new CDJ’s have slowed it down though. I know a couple of House DJ’s that was switching, but ended up playing mostly on the new CDJ’s and now stopped using their laptop.
I’m actually amazed at how fast most established clubs here have upgraded to the new CDJ’s. Anyone else noticed it too?
I’ve yet to try them, but the loop control is really tight and track management is now on par with Traktor etc. The big problem is the up front cost for any new DJ to get the right gear… and I think that will be a huge factor down the line with all the new your DJ’s.
Sounds like another discussion for another post here on DDT!
[ link ]Feels like it was just 2007 yesterday and I was drooling over a VCI-100. I dont consider myself a Controllerist, well maybe. I would call myself a minimal-controllerist. I try not to lose my crowd with cue point juggles or 8 fx’s going on 1 super knob. Ill rather play with a song and layer it with a drum loops, and add some fx’s here and their with a filter to make is sounds nice and tight.
I remember at 1st I got really ugly looks for playing on a all digital system. Being called a “Button Mash” was very common. So I started throwing my own events, I now have my Sunday night residency, and headline around clubs here in L.A. thru the 80′s New Wave Scene.
Who ever knew that something that was coin by Moldover and brought into the spotlight by Ean would take off. Its been slow, but its getting speed.
Heck look at old school Serato DJs using the Dicer!
[ link ]well written,,and i agree with most of the comments.
i beleive the whole idea behind the club,dance,electronic culture was to eliminate idolizing humans for his/her talent and focus on enabling a dance floor with very basic hardware,,,one powerful amp 2 powerful speakers , mixer , 2 cdj’s was all one needed to get a huge crowd dancing anywhere…(and drugs of course,,,)
may i add that the underground scene started in goa (late 60′s) where the hippies found a new heaven to live their freedom away from the watching eyes of the big borther. from psychedlic rock the scene moved to Techno,house over to goa trance wich evolved into the modern full on psy trance.
if your interested in more stuff and facts ,check this cool video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV8-6d7pfeQ
what defined this scene was the sense of freedom you had to explore whatever you wanted to explore but the idea was to freely explore your inner self through observation dancing,dancing,dancing (yes with lots of drugs..) rather then look at the performer and idealize him,her with your hands up squeezed like a chicken…that was supposed to be a culture break but it failed…
i don’t believe in all this controlisim stuff,,,i go out to DANCE to good music. i don’t care what the dj is doing and what he is using to do it. it must sound good. The speakers are the most important bit of hardware IMO , and good music is made in studios not live…
the owner of Dj tech tools is a great writer but what he does live looks good but sounds really bad plus you cant dance to it,IMO.i don’t believe in this new self centered ‘hero’ culture he is promoting.
the underground was and should be defined by sound not by a show off the dj is putting,,,aren’t we talking here about dance culture ???
the american dance culture is like the ‘american idol’ tv shows and controllism is its baby.
if controlisim is the new underground then very shortly a new underground to that will appear …
i say ,
learn to idolize yourself (with ought ego though) – and control you drug habits…
then you wont need the reassurance from the crowd.
happy new year.
[ link ]@Lovebump
Unfortunately, the US is always behind. Even here in Chicago where house music was born. We used to see the radio stations put house music in their normal rotation, and mixshows on the weekends.
When rap music became more poppy and got more support from the radio, things changed. There are still mixshows on the weekends, but they are divided between mainstream house and rap music. Some of the stations even require those mixers to play a certain playlist. The normal day-to-day is just Top 40, and I believe it’s because the stations are now part of bigger companies who pump the same playlist to many cities at one time.
I know there’s dancefactory.fm here in Chicago, but the guy who runs it literally buys the overnight slot of time from the radio station (during the day it’s a left-wing talk radio station) and thus sells commercial time from it as well as plays mixes.
It’s sad, but nothing new in America. Europe will always be ahead of the US, and it’s why I tell many DJs/Producers who really want to “make it” to seriously contemplate relocation.
[ link ]I myself make electronic music and Dj’s besides that. I don’t make dance music, but i play it when i Dj. When i play electronic music live i play as an artist. I’m not playing in clubs but at a concert place or something similar because there it’s about the artist. In my electronic music setup i use controllers and ableton live to play and to make it playable live.
When i’m a Dj i use traktor and controllers to play and i believe that it’s about the music your playing and the dance floor. There’s no need to take it all apart because Dance music is made for this purpose.
I think that Traktor and controllerism will get to the clubs but i think there is a line between a dj and an artist.
[ link ]@mark theis
I would like to know more about why you think there is a line between DJ and artist.
If I play 4 tracks mashed up while triggering loops and hooks from Ableton while DJ’ing, haven’t I created something new?
It certainly is not the original tune anymore. I think the line if there at all is VERY blurred.
[ link ]GREAT POST!!!!
welcome to the underground! i have been teaching DJing & Production for a few years from the skills ive honed over the years, and i must say that when my students progressed from CDs and Vinyl, they are always a bit hesitant of the possibilites of using a controller and software, to whihc i put their minds at ease and incorporate a hybrid of both digital and analogue setups, soon after that my students naturally land up using the digital platform for the performances.
Its only a matter of time and experience before the migration turn into an exodus!
[ link ]Long story short I’m booked New Year’s Eve to go on right after a DJ I completely admire. Let’s face it. This guy’s a legend & is the reason I started DJing years ago so I’m a bit nervous. Especially when I sart setting up my homemade midi controller hacked together with bits of tape & circuit board sticking out everywhere. But guess what? He was coming in the booth watching & asking questions about what I was doing! Shook my hand after the set & said it was amazing & he had no idea you could even do all that stuff w software & a giant eyesore of a keyboard. Aaaah! It felt good, mate. It showed me that any Dj with a true love of the music will always be interested when we do something interesting with it. No matter how we accomplish that.
[ link ]I don’t really know if you can call something that is becoming a major marketing focus by Pro-Audio Companies underground.
Also, Midi Control isn’t all that new. Really.
MPC’s triggering samples live on stage, DJ’s mashing up HotCues and Loops.. what has changed is that equipment is now a lot more readily available, and therefore more people are into it.
A huge amount of the DIY aspect has disappeared, replaced with a bit of customisation of established equipment.
Also, Controlerism, to me at least, sits over genres and scenes, as a performance method, in the same way that a Techno, House, Hip-Hop, Drum & Bass DJ could include aspects of Turntabilism into his set.
There will be performers within that could be considered ‘Underground’ – just like there are within any scene/music genre.
Also -
“CDJs and Serato allow DJs to perform how they’ve done it for years – two turntables and a mixer. No need to change or grow.”
I will say it again – do most people really reach the limits of ‘growth’ on a pair of decks before the more onto new technologies? Not normally.
[ link ]i got weird looks all the time when i went to the clubs with a VCI-100. but of these looks were coming out of the DJs. They were like what? they would have two turntables, a bad-ass expensive pioneer mixer and a computer with serato on it. i have actually noticed a few times that some of these DJs with all these mixers and Vinyls and computers.. were actually playing songs off of Media player and itunes.. the CDJs and the mixers were just for show.. they would play like jukeboxes,, song after song… and when i played with just a VCI,.. they would aaawwwww!… its like going to a wedding videography with a DSLR about 2 yrs ago.
[ link ]I don’t think controllerism HAS to be a “performance”, it can be used to program music for a full night, with some added bells and whistles – that’s how I use it. I agree with JesC on that one.
It’s the blurring of the lines between performance and composition that interest me personally the most.
And, without getting too deep, the cultural implications of music being online like never before and how they’ll play out in DJ booths.
It will be interesting to see how to Pioneer super-CDJ route and the controllerism route develop – I suspect they’ll merge, with CDJs able to control one version of DJ software rather than the scratch/ITCH and Traktor Scratch/Traktor divide, which is arbitrary anyway (for instance, one version of Virtual DJ works with controllers and control vinyl).
To Celtic DJ – it’s up to the DJ to worry about how he or she performs, but I agree – it is generally no concern of the crowd, who want a good time. You can’t liken the kit with the ethics of the scene though, in my view – you will get people using DJ controllers for all types of reasons, some you’ll agree with, some you won’t.
Mark, you make an interesting point, but the job of a DJ is to reinterpret music according to the circumstances he or she finds on the floor at that one point – taking apart pre-written dance music is therefore extremely valid as the producer didn’t know where, how and to whom his track would be played.
To Kerry, yeah you’re right of course, but you don’t have to reach the limit of what you can do on decks to get a lot of fun out of the new things you can do on controllers. I still can’t pull a 18′ on a BMX but it doesn’t mean I don’t love driving my car fast!
[ link ]@Lovebump
I see your point.
Let me give you an example. http://youtu.be/140frKEfQ1Q
The thing Beardyman does i think is something that will work on a dance floor and is still artistic. I don’t think it will work in a regular club because that is not what people want. He is kinda making a new scene i think.
But it will probably depend on where in the world.
And you’re right. If i am right the line is blurred.
Nice site btw
[ link ]What a great read on a great website ive only just discoverd.
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[ link ]Im a digital dj for only a year now, and i have completely fallen in love with it. Im finaly able to do what ive been dreaming about for years, but not able to afford. This article is the final push i needed to give me enough motivation and confidence to take what im doing serious enough to try and make some sort of carreer of. For that I cant thank you enough.
Again, what a great read and keep up the good work in this so far awesome website
Yours truely, Inzolectric (what you think of that name? Inzo or Inzolectric, I still havent quite decided
Definitely Inzo…
[ link ]I think “underground” really refers to a scene more than a style. A gang of music loving friends getting together to play music to each other and the people they invited, in the back room of a pub, would be more underground than someone playing in a regular club regardless of which tools they use.
[ link ]…
Turntablism: Turntable as an instrument.
Controllerism: Controllers as a turntable (Moldover definition).
Tooltablism: Any tool is an instrument. Like Jun Fan Jeet Kune Do to Martial Arts for Audiovisual Arts personal interpretation (well for any Art).
Good post Sir.
…
[ link ]Agreed on most accounts. But let’s be honest. Many digital DJs using “sync” and other mixing conveniences are not using them to push artistic boundaries. I also think a few things are lost on DJs who religiously commit to the gospel of “sync.”
First, there is a LOT of music pre-1985 that is not quantized and that is most awesome. Disco, boogie, funk, synth funk, some latin freestyle, jazz, jazz fusion are not quantized. These are all still relevant forms of music and people are discovering forgotten gems every day. There are whole subgenres of house and future funk that attempt – ATTEMPT – to emulate the musicality and flavor of this music. So to even consider playing this music in a non-destructive non-Ableton-butchering-your-transients-and-dynamic-range-warping kind of way, you need to manually beat-match. Period.
Second, beat-matching is fun, and when it’s actually a challenge, as with the aforementioned unquantized genres of music, it’s very gratifying. Further, it develops one’s musicality by forcing interaction with the music with a degree of intimacy like that of a musician and his/her instrument. It develops musicality and rhythm for the non-musician. And it’s a trivially easy skill to develop. It took me about 2 months to really get beat-matching down, using just pitch faders, matching beats in under 4-5 seconds. Most good DJs of eras past could do the same.
So to round up that point – I get tired of hearing “sync” DJs smugly talk about how beat-matching is dead and old school DJs are these old dinosaurs who need to hurry up and die. Deadmau5 comes to mind. It’s arrogant, ignorant, and wholly vexing to see such smug ignorance on display.
Now, in reality, I think midi is the future. Pioneer CD-J 2000′s are stupidly expensive (as expensive as a macbook pro), and building and maintaining a collection of vinyl and vinyl equipment – or vinyl timecode – is also expensive and time-consuming. I hear too many DJs complaining about broken needles, needle burn, skipping, warped records, and every DJ I know seems to have a broken Technics lying around, not to mention clubs with their janky-a$$ record players. It’s absurd in this era that we worry about these things. Midi is the future. As is controllerism. To what degree controllerism becomes like turntablism or splinters into performance and DJing sects, who knows. I don’t care for controller performers or turntablists unless it translates into booty-shaking music. That’s what it’s about at the end of the day. Not a solitary amusement from cerebral mental evaluation and calculation from interacting with a controller and a screen. But can you play good music and make people dance? Maybe they inform each other as DJs explore and research the possibilities. But really: is the music good, is the sound quality good, and are people dancing?
[ link ]As someone who began “digital dj’ing” or “controllerism” at a time when there was absolutely NO dedicated software for the task, I’m overjoyed by what is available for me to use now and about the direction of the artform.
In 1996, when I first saw a DJ operating in a booth with no personal knowledge of what was going on, I thought he was using computers and hardware together to achieve what was actually going on with just 2 records and a mixer.
It is a great time to be a part of this movement and I, for one, will be here for a long LONG time!
Viva La Controllerist!
Loki
[ link ]