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Just thought I would drop in and say hello.
I recently just sold one pair of my extra set of 1200s which I haven't used since I bought them. Nice kid came by and bought the two of them from me and just wanted to start playing. he could have bought some kind of computer software mixing thing or saved for a pair of really crappy CD players. But no. He bought SL-1200MKIIs
Now why in this day and age when he could just simply rip off tracks from anywhere and everywhere for nothing and march along with the crowded collection of noise and static known as "digital DJs" out there, would be buy a pair of 27 year old designed turn tables and an antiquated DJ mixer I had laying around?
Because Digital DJing Sucks. He said it. Not me.
Lessons of reality.
No one cares about what is dispossible and easily accessable. People only care about things that are exclusive, unique and thus have a value placed upon it.
DJ's have you ever watched the trainspotters and dancers right up front by your booth watching you play?
Of course you have, there are always a few trainspotters in a crowd. They stand there fixated on your every
move eyes never leaving the decks and mixer as your hands dance across the controls from track to track.
Why the fascination? What do they see, is it magic? Now think for a minute...remove the turntables from the
booth and leave only CD decks, laptop or any DJ tool of the digital age. Ok wait a minute, where did the
trainspotters go? Why aren’t any of the dancers watching me? Simple. The magic is gone, and the show is
diminished. How interesting is it to watch some technician, more computer geek than DJ, with his face in his
laptop and his hand on a mouse? The trainspotters are gone because they can’t read a bit of messy sharpie
scribbled on top of a CDR. The dancers aren’t interested in watching someone just push buttons. Is there really
anything playing inside that CDJ, how does the crowd know it’s not just a pre-recorded studio mix? (yes I have
seen "DJ's" do this, sad indeed) Vinyl is real and hands on and unique and magical. Vinyl puts on a real show
and captivates and fascinated the audience. Vinyl is warm and friendly, people want to watch it go round, read
the labels and see the magic unfold live in front of them. Why do I find myself having to remind DJ's that they
are performers and they need to put on a show... vinyl makes it easy. Play vinyl and keep the magic alive, put
on a better show and reap the rewards. Not only that, I guarantee you will also have more fun, and ultimately,
isn’t that why we are DJ's?
Earl Von Bye
How do you organize your music?
My record bag is always organized by exact speed, slowest at the front to fastest at the back. How do I do this? I time my records, not by BPM, but in Real Time. What is the difference you ask? Well, BPM is not fully accurate because a record timed at say 140 bpm, isnt necessarily going to have that 140th beat land at presicely 60.0 seconds. Therefore two records that are both 140 BPM can be off enough to still require time, attention and effort to match the beats. Realtime measures the exact time it takes for the beats of 16 bars to land. It can measure the temp of a song to one tenth or even one hundredth or more of a second, and is deadly accurate. How is this Done? Using a stopwatch start on the first beat of your record and then count the bars, so 1-2-3-4, 2-2-3-4, 3-2-3-4, etc....up to 16-2-3-4 then stop the clock on the 4th beat of that 16th bar. The result will be your timing in seconds for that track. It will be something like 27.1 or 27.0 (which is around 140 bpm) write it or stick it on your record and you are done.
Why do I do this? One reason is for organization as I said, my record bag goes slowest in the front to fastest in the back. This helps me to know quicker where to look for tracks depending on what tempo I feel like playing (I wont be looking through the prog to find the techno) The other reason is so that if I need to, I can mix in a record much faster than otherwise. For example, you are playing out in a busy crowded club, people are all around you, talking and buying you drinks, you are getting attention (hopefully from the ladies), you are having a blast and time is forgotten...suddenly you realize that your track is just about to end! You are facing sudden dead air (a mixing DJ's nightmare) or a total trainwreck, oh boy! In this situation most average DJ's are done for. In my case all I need is about 3 seconds to mix in the next record because I can pull up a track that is precisely the exact speed as the one playing. Really its just about being smart and prepared which will always make you a better DJ, and have more fun which is really why we all do it.
As always I welcome your comments.
Earl Von Bye
Of course I would never tell any DJ what tracks they should play. All I want to say is to trust in yourself and believe in your own taste in music. By doing so you will develop your own unique style and you will stand apart from the run of the mill DJ's who are picking their tracks only by what is popular or track listed by the "superstar" DJ's. Take the time to preview your tracks one by one and avoid buying into record pools where someone else has picked the music for you, or buying tracks because of the label or artist. Listen to your tracks, realy listen and hear the music... can you picture yourself playing it out, or dancing to it? This vision is a good indicator that the track is worth your money and belongs in your box. Dont buy tracks just for the sake of buying something; if there is nothing that really grabs you, then dont buy. It's far better to have less records in your box that all kick ass, than a stuffed full box of generic ok tracks. When you listen to your tracks do not pre-judge them, relax and listen, stretch out with your feelings, and you will pick the very best!
The wisest of DJ's once said:
"Judge me by my size do you? And well you should not!
For my ally is the force...and a powerful ally it is..."
Earl Von Bye
It's almost that time again where I can get behind the decks and hit record. Another new mixed set is on its way from myself ((you know me... DJ Lithium) so keep checking back for more stuff here on Black Tiger Recordings. Word is we also have another pair of 12" records in the works but that's top secret for now :)
DJ Lithium
Well it's super late but as they say better late than never.
I have finally released "Pegasus" which was originally recorded in July but didn't make it out until October of 2005. It was certainly worth the wait however I must say because its a really solid mix all the way through considering some of the transitions in there are totally out of this world if you know the records.
For those who have not heard this mixed set yet, hit http://www.djlithium.com or www.blacktigerrecordings.com in the merchandise sections and pick up copy today or tune into the streaming radio station at http://www.blacktigerrecordings.com/trance.pls
I hope to have the next set up very shortly here with any luck once I return from playing in Calgary (go to our main page for more info on that) and get through another episode on that TV show that I work on ---- Battlestar Galactica.
Ok so people know me when it comes to "essays" on various subjects related to DJing and Dance Music so this is going to get really interesting.
Helmets might be required.