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I don't understand half of what DJ Megafun wrote in the message below.
However, I find it very interesting, and it's pointing to some interesting
possibilities I hadn't thought of before, mostly because I don't have or
know the equipment he mentions. In all this conversation about DJ's
versus straighter loopers (is that correct, to call us that?) (who like to
approach it from Riley's, Fripp's, Eno's, etc., viewpoint) I find that
it's really the technology and how it is used that determines what sounds
one comes up with, and how this contrasts with what has been done before.
As an interesting illustration, I heard of Eno showing up at a recording
studio on 39th Street in Manhattan (NY), and spending a good hour
recording a microphone in a water tank, all while blowing bubbles and
playing a speaker (!) underwater with some wild sounds. This was recorded
and taken with him for some mysterious purpose.
Electronics companies like to redesign their wares in the hope that
whatever in-vogue fad will make everybody want to have one too. Their
modus operandi is purely high sales and profit.
Artists, by contrast, look to experiment with ever more outlandish
elements in the hope of creating something truly original -- hopefully
more and more their own expression, through which their own voice can be
clearly ascertained. Electronical devices, so abundant in our age, and as
pointed out so subtly by DJ Megafun, ought to be looked at -- at least to
us loopers -- as objects that either combine to make up elements, or are
elements themselves, beyond what we assume them to be. Mr. DJ Megafun is
telling me to give up my long-held notions of looping devices (Echoplex,
16-sec. Digital Delay) as virtual tape recorders -- the composition is the
loop and what I play over it and along with it.
I can see in my mind's eye, from reading his article, how each loop
becomes an element of an ever greater composition, and how these
compositions themselves become elements of another. Not unlike what Fripp
said in "Let the Power Fall" about structures.
I for one would like the DJ-oriented members of this list to remain and
share their views with me.
And so with gods and men,
the sheep remain inside their pen
until the shepherd leads his flock away.
The sands of time were eroded by
the river of constant change...
Javier
-----Original Message-----
From: Patrick Robinson [mailto:djmegafun@colla.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 1998 1:47 AM
To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com
Subject: Re: DJ loopage
-----Original Message-----
From: matthew hahn <esker@mail.utexas.edu>
To: Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com <Loopers-Delight@annihilist.com>
Date: Monday, June 01, 1998 1:00 PM
Subject: DJ loopage
>OK so I finally have some time and soon some disposable income, consumer
>boy, and will be submitting some demo tapes to local dance clubs in
>Austin.
>
>I'm interested in bringing in some effects. Essentially I play cds, and
>lps as my DJ mixer standardly has two cd channels and two lp channels.
>If anyone has used a delay or other pedal/mechanism for this purpose, I
>would like to know some results you acquired.
>I'm also considering bringing in sounds from the television, or live radio
>broadcast, maybe I'll just run static, but I wonder if anyone has done
>this? And I don't mean U2.
>Thanks for the help!!
>
>Mjh, I'm a dj ,and I have a studio that I spend almost every hour of
my time in. I use an Mpc 2000 for live work aswell as in the studio.. I
also have an efx box tied in
to every line input, 4 total. I use aDenon 2000F for cd mixing and
technics 1200 MK2's for turntables.
]I use Cubase for arranging then I load every thing in the Mpc for
it's excellent timming. I'll take the Mpc to the club, so I can mix in
loops and fire off one shot samples. I use loops that I programed
myself or loops that I choped using ReCycle or Wave Sergeon. This gives me
total flexability over my loops when mixing since most of the time I'll
use
something off the wall like a 160 Bpm Jungle loop at 125 or a 125 bpm break
beat at 160; I do the same
with hip hop wich can go as low as 80 Bpm. I like using a Chopping
programe
because it gives you a midi file for perfect play
back. The Mpc is perfect for doing this because its' start time is
instant,
as fast or faster than my Denon. This way I can mix in a loop that fatens
up the record that's playing and go scratch for a few bars,it's perfect for
tricks. You can have a loop of some killer
bongos or gongos or some snare rolls from a break beat and mix
in on top of a house track that otherwise is pretty dull on the percussion
end, but has a killer bass line or lead. My point is you can pump up a
track with a loop when other wise you may not play
the record at all. Say you want to add some bass booms to a couple of bars
in the middle of a track boom boom the crowd goes mad because you have
introduced a new ellement. You have
to let go of long mixes when using loops because of set up time.
A good 20 second mix on a break or punch is all you need from one song to
the next. The efx boxes are for adding efx to a track ,like
short delay to get a double beat effect or a flange even a massive
reverb when a track is building up, this adds major heat to the floor. I
use middi verbs, so I can change parameters with my controller. The thing
about using loops, one shot sounds, and efx
is it gives you the creater a unique sound all of your own that no
one can duplicate. It only takes a little, less is more, but it can make
the difference between ok or great. A straite beat mixer can get a little
boring. You need a good fade and cue for drastic tempo and style change, a
good break mix hear and there to add punch when comming from a less
energetic track to a higher one,
loops, one shot dub samples, some efx, a little creativity, and a killer
light man, even if you have to train him.
Dj MegaFun.
>