Just a bit of Friday fun folks, we’re not being serious! However, the video we’ve got for you today is well timed, arriving as it does right after our “serious” article yesterday about how computers are increasingly automating DJing.
“Man and machine,” said DJ CNTRL in yesterday’s piece, quoting futurist Ray Kurzweil, “will merge by 2045.” But by today’s this evidence, it’s happening right now… 
The robot in this video answers to the name of DJ XSteel, and is the nocturnal alter ego of Digital DJ Tips reader and DJ, G Ford from Romania.
“The costume is from Costumize, and I have an iPad on my chest,” he tells us.
I can also MC in real time using a robot voice generator…
“I’m still perfecting the project, but seeing as deadmau5 and Daft Punk perform with helmets, I thought, why not bring this to the next level? I can also MC in real time using a robot voice generator…”
DJ XSteel is looking for bookings further afield than his home country, admitting: “It’s hard especially being here in Romania, where people still live in the past…”
But what we really want to know is: How the hell does he manage to DJ with those gloves on?
Do you think costumed DJs like deadmau5, Daft Punk, XSteel and the like have a place in the world of DJ shows? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments… (we’re only interested in human responses, bots can go post elsewhere…)
Now go to:
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Tags: future djing, robot djs
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Clever, but the day that machines become DJs will be the end of humanity.
It has been said many times before that the DJ is a metaphor for the Shaman. You pop the pills, drink the beer, or not and the shaman leads you on a trip, an out-of-mind experience.
In ‘primitive’ societies the shaman wields magic. In our society I think that the pairing of technology and djing is natural, because technology is 21st century magic.
However the day the shaman becomes a machine will pretty much mean it’s the end of humanity. Hello Terminator.
Having said that I can appreciate the humour and the creativity that went into creating this ‘thing’ but, geez, why so dark?
[ link ]I think we’ll be worried about far more than them DJing if they ever get that clever!
[ link ]Haha that’s for sure Phil! Anyway about this question is DJs threatened by computers… well it’s not a new concern. I remember having the same debate more than 10 years ago when AtomixMP3 was around.
[ link ]I can only imagine C3PO and R2D2 holing it down on the decks! That would be a site to see… LOL!!
Besides that, personally I think costumes like deadmau5, DaftPunk and the likes do have a special place in the industry. That is if one can pull of somthing like that, then why not make brand out of it?
[ link ]i like it. saw this on art mann, haha.
[ link ]I think concepts like TEED are far more compelling and interesting, though. the real super-computer is between our ears, and the best OS in existence is in our genes. I’m more interested in the super-heroes and super-powers in the natural world, and trying to bring those to the dance floor.
I think the masks/helmets thing is a gimmick. Daft Punk started it up and Deadmau5 fell into it from his own evolution of the big cartoonish mouse head.
However, I think too many of this and it’ll get very lame very fast. I would work more to build something new/different, and have a sound that captures attention just as much as the suit.
[ link ]Not DJs but Kraftwerk have had robots replace them on stage for the last 30 years!
[ link ]When Dj’s get replaced by robots, everyone else is replaced by robots too, so it really dosen’t matter…….
If U can sing, dj, play an instrument or perform in some kind, U be the last to be replaced by a robot….
[ link ]robot’s are good,they only want to party,join ,made for entertainment and make the dance flour rock like never before
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[ link ]Great follow-up!
I think Daft Punk had something larger going for them
1) they raised the bar for multimedia electronic music shows. I do not think it was a marketing gimmick (Deadmau5 has openly made the statement that his was-especially the head).
2) (according to articles and critical reviews) Ever since Discovery they were exploring the relationship between being human and expressing creativity through machines.
[ link ]I love djing and am going to do computer science studies next year and will most likely work on creating programs that do all the djing for you.. for in bars and night cafes that dont really need a dj basicalyl you just buy playlists online and all songs in the list will be mixed harmonically, beat gridded with in and out markers and following the 32 beat structure of electronic music the pc can easily mix the songs together. the song choice might not always be appropriate but the playlists will be by musical genre and when your in a night cafe the music is pretty much in the back ground so it cant really ruin the ‘vibe’ unless its a completly different genre.. just saying in the future pc programs can easily do our jobs and my bet is that only the top producers will still give concerts and that club systems will just use the programs
[ link ]You can do a lot of automation already with Traktor by assigning MIDI values to actions and then using a MIDI program like Max/MSP to send sequences of commands.
[ link ]hahaha cool video!
[ link ]Actually robots can replace humans in everything, but I dont think that would happen soon
I’m sure a Nexus 6 could do pretty well at DJ’ing….
But seriously- the talent of the DJ is just as much in reading the mood, emotion, and feel of the dancefloor – something that computers/robots cannot do, yet.
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