ipod/laptop djs in the LA Times

oxnardcore · August 2005

from tomorrow's calendar section in the LA Times:

DJ Haul and Mason use the turntable-based digital DJ system Scratch Live at Zanzibar in Santa Monica. Haul says that two years ago he never would have believed it, but they???ve replaced 150 pounds of vinyl with laptops at shows.(Robert Gauthier / LAT)Enter the digital rageBy Susan Carpenter, Times Staff WriterThe entryway of Eddie Mendoza's North Hills home is stacked with unopened packages stuffed with records ??? advance copies a lot of fans would kill for. But DJ Eddie One, as he is known on his KIIS-FM (102.7) and Sirius Satellite Radio shows, doesn't care about those anymore."As of two months ago, I'm not collecting vinyl," said Mendoza, 26, a hip-hop/reggaeton DJ who switched to a digital DJ program this summer. "There's no point really. The new stuff I get, as long as I have the MP3s, I'm good."the rest of the article here.[/b]

BeardedD · August 2005

Just wanted to say fuck all ipod djs, and wanted to see the two Yodas together. Digital Yoda is better than digital music.

Fatback · August 2005

Mendoza, 26, a ...reggaeton DJ...

flavor of the month.

i hate those ipods too.

i've come to terms though. you know? i been on the long haul...so i ain't too worried. records have supposedly been over for the last 10 years or more. whatever.

DOR · August 2005

"Jazzy Jeff, an old-school DJ who works with actor-singer Will Smith"

For some strange reason, this makes me feel ill reading this line.

Fatback · August 2005

For some strange reason, this makes me feel ill reading this line.

"a grass-roots marketing company affiliated with the dance music magazine Urb."

"the Rebel Organization"

bobbydee · August 2005

"Jazzy Jeff, an old-school DJ who works with actor-singer Will Smith"

For some strange reason, this makes me feel ill reading this line.

yeah i thought about quoting it, but couldn't bring myself to do it.

quoting a quote is fine though.

oh and yes, i got a little gaggy also.

wonka · August 2005

Seems like everyone is doing this labtop DJing thing. Recently saw Diplo and Rob Swift doing it. (Rob Swift was juggling and shit with it which was real impressive)

I don't really know how I feel about it...seems weird

trenbolone · August 2005

I saw Jazzy Jeff tear it up live with Serato.
Not to mention a few other DJ's I've seen incorporating it who are doing pretty dope shit.
Better than CD-J DJ'ing in my opinon.

I mean if you've been a long time collector/heavyweight/DJ or whatever & have all the OG vinyl anyways, does it really matter to anyone (besides strutter types & dinosaurs) that you're playing the real thing or a digital version of it?
Yes, the whole vinyl/analog sound thing argumentcan be made, trust me - I love real vinyl... But lets talk DJ'in in a club setting for sec.

Couple years back I would scoff at the idea myself (dj'in w/ laptop).
"Keep it real" - play OG real deal records only, no bootlegs, comps, no MP3 bullshit, no CD's, etc... If you aint got it, don't play it. yadda yadda.
I found all the times I played, %99 of the time, no one gave a flying fuck if I was rocking the original 12" promo white label to such & such song or a comp/bootleg version.

Add to that, I would much rather download the latest jiggy club shit & have it on MP3 than buy them bullshit ass 12"s or haul them around, when in a month or 2's time they're dead & over with + takin' up space.
I mean is it really still worthwhile to bring them raers out & cue-burn 'em versus playing same exact thing in Serato?

There will always be that `herb turned digital DJ overnite` who doesn't pay dues or whatever, but to the dudes who been there & done that... I would think Serato is worth checkin.
I'd rather let my $10 Serato record take a hit than a real-deal OG copy of something I cherish.

Not to mention, you can remix your own tracks & play 'em without having to shell out for dubplates.
Plus bottom line, having tried it out, that shit actually works well.

Mike_Bell · August 2005

I mean if you've been a long time collector/heavyweight/DJ or whatever & have all the OG vinyl anyways, does it really matter to anyone that you're playing the real thing or a digital version of it?[/b]
I found all the times I played, %99 of the time, no one gave a flying fuck if I was rocking the original 12" promo white label to such & such song or a comp/bootleg version.[/b]
Add to that, I would much rather download the latest jiggy club shit & have it on MP3 than buy them bullshit ass 12"s or haul them around, when in a month or 2's time they're dead & over with + takin' up space.
I mean is it really still worthwhile to bring them raers out & cue-burn 'em versus playing same exact thing in Serato?

To the dudes who been there & done that... I would think Serato is worth checkin.
I'd rather let my $10 Serato record take a hit than a real-deal OG copy of something I cherish.

Not to mention, you can remix your own tracks & play 'em without having to shell out for dubplates.
Plus bottom line, having tried it out, that shit actually works well.

ayres · August 2005

Serato is for Toys. I'll see all you suckers in the parking lot. [/pasue]

Massive · August 2005

Purist will be Purist: self-referential, biased, and stuck in the mud like a fossilized stick. . In the meantime, while in the comfortable clutches of their own stasis, everything will keep mutating and changing around them. In this particular case, I don't know why people feel the need to make value judgements about how people choose to play good music. With all due respect, it's a perspective that seems to miss the big picture. If you love music, I don't care how you communicate that message. Fuckin, bring two tape decks to a club for all I care. As long as your doing something creative, respectable and intersesting, you can find me in da club. Peace.

mannybolone · August 2005

Serato is for Toys. I'll see all you suckers in the parking lot. [/pasue]

B-please - I saw the TTL invoice of you ordering that new Numark iPod Mixer.

Shingaling · August 2005

Massive · August 2005

Are you kidding? He just copped mine off ebay. Thanks Urrrs.

ayres · August 2005

I got two of em so I can play four Ipods at once, DJ Spooky style.

mannybolone · August 2005

I got two of em so I can play four Ipods at once, DJ Spooky style.

Where's the next level graemlin when you need it?

Actually, that's mad

catchdubs · August 2005

I got two of em for live 72 minute mashups

ayres · August 2005

I got two of em for grime vs glitch vs baile funk vs reggaeton sound clashes

Massive · August 2005

can someone please take the reigns and turn this into a thread of indiscriminate jpeg postings?

I always find it very amusing. Thanks.

catchdubs · August 2005

oxnardcore · August 2005

i have to say though, that a different vibe comes with DJing with vinyl vs. with the laptop/ipod. i went to zen sushi in silverlake a couple weeks ago, and in one room dude was DJing with what appeared to be just a laptop and a mixer. while he was playing some good shit, it just made the room feel that much more emptier without the whole set-up and crates of records. maybe its only because i DJ too. but if anything, at least as far as hip-hop is concerned, having records brings a backyard/garage/block party vibe to a spot that a laptop doesn't seem to have.

Brian · August 2005

i have to say though, that a different vibe comes with DJing with vinyl vs. with the laptop/ipod. i went to zen sushi in silverlake a couple weeks ago, and in one room dude was DJing with what appeared to be just a laptop and a mixer. while he was playing some good shit, it just made the room feel that much more emptier without the whole set-up and crates of records. maybe its only because i DJ too. but if anything, at least as far as hip-hop is concerned, having records brings a backyard/garage/block party vibe to a spot that a laptop doesn't seem to have.

you checking out the dj or the girls there? i mean really

mannybolone · August 2005

i have to say though, that a different vibe comes with DJing with vinyl vs. with the laptop/ipod. i went to zen sushi in silverlake a couple weeks ago, and in one room dude was DJing with what appeared to be just a laptop and a mixer. while he was playing some good shit, it just made the room feel that much more emptier without the whole set-up and crates of records. maybe its only because i DJ too. but if anything, at least as far as hip-hop is concerned, having records brings a backyard/garage/block party vibe to a spot that a laptop doesn't seem to have.
you checking out the dj or the girls there? i mean really

C'mon - what DJ doesn't, at some point or another, spy on what other DJs are doing at a club?

Brian · August 2005

i have to say though, that a different vibe comes with DJing with vinyl vs. with the laptop/ipod. i went to zen sushi in silverlake a couple weeks ago, and in one room dude was DJing with what appeared to be just a laptop and a mixer. while he was playing some good shit, it just made the room feel that much more emptier without the whole set-up and crates of records. maybe its only because i DJ too. but if anything, at least as far as hip-hop is concerned, having records brings a backyard/garage/block party vibe to a spot that a laptop doesn't seem to have.
you checking out the dj or the girls there? i mean really

C'mon - what DJ doesn't, at some point or another, spy on what other DJs are doing at a club?

i do but it ain't like shit throws off my night. if the music is good and people are dancing, what else can you ask for?

mannybolone · August 2005

i have to say though, that a different vibe comes with DJing with vinyl vs. with the laptop/ipod. i went to zen sushi in silverlake a couple weeks ago, and in one room dude was DJing with what appeared to be just a laptop and a mixer. while he was playing some good shit, it just made the room feel that much more emptier without the whole set-up and crates of records. maybe its only because i DJ too. but if anything, at least as far as hip-hop is concerned, having records brings a backyard/garage/block party vibe to a spot that a laptop doesn't seem to have.
you checking out the dj or the girls there? i mean really

C'mon - what DJ doesn't, at some point or another, spy on what other DJs are doing at a club?
i do but it ain't like shit throws off my night. if the music is good and people are dancing, what else can you ask for?

We need a graemlin for TRUE.

Massive · August 2005

Word, we do.

mesh · August 2005

Not to mention, you can remix your own tracks & play 'em without having to shell out for dubplates.

p_gunn · August 2005

I got two of em for grime vs glitch vs baile funk vs reggaeton sound clashes

no no, we do those off wax...

DJCire · August 2005

This is one of those things where I see both points. I LOVE vinyl, but I'm at the point where convenience is a big thing for me. Overall, I say use whatever (tapes, records, cds, mp3's or all the above) just as long as you can flip it and do your thang)). I recently saw DJ AM in Vegas (granted it was AM) - but dude was killin it with Serato - and by killin it I mean that in a good way. He tore it up, really knew his equipment/software and tore it up. He was able to cue up songs quicker and did a couple other tricks with the software that you can't do with two turntables, a mixer and vinyl. It does make it easier to do things (tricks, cuing, etc.) but at the same time you gotta know your shit. I've seen other DJ's using Serato or Final Scratch and it sounded like shit (the mix, the blends, the scratches). In my case, I'm considering it cuz I'm running out of room and been selling off some vinyl lately just so I can purchase better records or to clear room for more equipment. I'd still keep my vinyl (at least the bulk of it) but I just don't have the room.

ayres · August 2005

in all seriousness, good djs are good djs

trenbolone · August 2005

C'mon - what DJ doesn't, at some point or another, spy on what other DJs are doing at a club?

Heterosexual DJ's who like spying on shorties instead... haha !

Ok on the real...
Not to be a dick, but unless it's like a cool partna you already know, all that "yo can I look thru your crate" shit is sorta booty.
But yeah of course, if something seriously nice is playing, I'll ask the DJ at bat 'Yo, what the hell is that!', nothin' wrong with that.
However, I wouldn't be all in his shit sticking my face in front of the mixer to read the label.

All the more reason to rock Serato type setup.
Wanna look thru my crates? Sure! Type in the password!
No longer will you have to blank out labels.

But when them spy's do come around, a good beer fart clears the DJ booth real quick.

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ipod/laptop djs in the LA Times

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