How to perform EDM live?

There’s an ever-going debate about if electronic dance music should even be performed live.

We all know you can’t create electronic music just by pressing one button. The music is filled with loads of layers and performing it 100% live isn’t easily going to happen.

Laptop live performances are something we’ve used to see. Some years ago they most likely looked like the artist or the band members are checking their emails rather than performing the music for the people.

With the modern software, midi controllers and synths it is possible to create one man live performance. But how to do it so that it looks something that the artist is really doing something at the stage.

Steve Helstrip, better known as The Thrillseekers gives us a model example how one man EDM live performance is done to the max.

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The hidden art of sampling

Remember Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up? (Spotify link) The video of this track from 1997 was so violent it was banned from day time television and even MTV had to play it only at night time.

The times have gone by, the video itself has got a cult status, but the track keeps living a life of it’s own still being remembered in night clubs all around the world.

Prodigy’s lead man (that usually keeps everything low key) Liam Howlett is known for his sampling. Some music enthuastics have been spotting various samples from Prodigy tracks. Now in the era of YouTube the stuff gets some videos.

In the summer 2009 a very creative video of how to recreate Smack My Bitch Up was posted to YouTube. The spotting of samples was spot on and the way how the data was presented, indeed top notch.

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Are you a DJ or a controllerist?

Turntablism is mostly for hiphoppers, right? But the concept of controllerism might fit better into the electronic scene. We have moved into an era where the Mac-lit DJ is more common than the jock playing plastic plates. Since anyone can make flawless beatmixes with cheap gear now, you have to give credit to those digital artists that take more creative use of computers and its controllers.

From Wikipedia: Controllerism is the art and practice of using musical software controllers (e.g. MIDI, OSC, Joystick, etc) to build upon, mix, scratch, remix, effect, modify, or otherwise create music, usually by a Digital DJ or “Controllerist”.

The gear manufacturers are throwing out a lot of controllers for DAWs and digital DJ’ing, but real controllerists create their own equipment. Now you might argue that this extreme use of controllers is relevant only for artists performing live electronic music. But isn’t computer DJ’ing based on pretty much the same?

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Open mic: Electronic music decade sum up

A decade has soon passed. We’ve gone from glowsticks and the commercial breakthrough of electronic dance music, to a digital revolution with producers in every bedroom. The electronic music industry has evolved, but what has made the change?

Which releases or producers/dj’s has had the biggest impact on EDM?

What technology or gadget has had the strongest influence on the scene?

And what has been typical 00ies when we look back at the last ten years of EDM?

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Little hipphoppers: How cute is this?

We don’t cover hiphop, but we had to publish this cutie. After all we do write about incredible talent we stumble upon. Check out hiphoppers Dj Sara and Dj Ryusei, age five and eight. Maybe we’ll see more kids like these in the future, as a part of the Dj Hero generation.

Originality and superstardom

Though being active in this scene for a while now, sometimes I still feel like a newbie. My career as an artist is just beginning. Though being a DJ for years, my network expanded vastly after I started at Finity. Working for Finity, and now for Subtraxx, have given me credibility in international level. Credibility is something people have to work for years in the business at the moment.

Producing is relatively easy these days. Software is cheap (if not free) and easy to use. I’m using 100% software myself and started producing just 3,5 years ago so I should know.

Anyone can these days get the best plugins (legally or illegally, I’m not going there this time) and start producing. Everybody has a computer powerful enough these days. Heck, even I do my music on a laptop.

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5 great iPhone apps for music production and inspiration

A small device like the Apple iPhone may not replace your computer and DAW, but it’s perfect for excercising your musical creativity!

We’ll have a look at three more or less complete music creation tools, one app for melody making and one for inspiration.

Here are five apps you should try if you’re a producer or like to play around with music.

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Tiesto wants your Remix

Previously dubbed as the world’s number one DJ Tiesto is now having a remix competition with Beatport.

Known and criticised of asking for money to download the remix parts Beatport does it again. To get all the remix parts bundled you have to invest 4,35 euros to the remix kit (available until October 5th).

That is actually a small price for the privilegde to legally remix one of the biggest names in the game, and a chance to win Tiësto merchandise, Ultra records music package and $250 gift certificate to Beatport.

I’m too busy, broke and uninterested to these vocals to take part to the competition, but are you taking part in it?

Read the whole story in Beatportal.

The good old days – With LEGEND David Vorhaus

Yesterday I came over this video-interview with Analogue LEGEND David Vorhaus. One word: AMAZING!

While my initial thought is “Wow, we’ve come a long way (baby)” in regards of the evolution of equipment, I would also love to get my hands on that gear!

When you put things into perspective

Now, iv always hated djs who are crying about their jobs, honestly, would you rather work in a storage knowing that the tomates goes into the number 347 in your system and that the spanish sallad always gets in on tuesday night so on wedensday you know you will spend half of the day aranging space for it in the storage ?

Sure, flying can be a hassle and it is very a lonely job (unless you are a top 10 dj so you can force the promoters to pay for your agent to come along…). But does it really matter ? You will be doing what you love and you have to sometimes understand that you are one of the lucky once out of the 28347834374637 other djs that tried to make it.

Im sitting hear in my hotel room in Seoul/Korea and im pretty fucked up by the jetlag and the night before. Iv managed to be in Copenhagen, Vienna, Bratislava, Miami, New York, Frankfurt, Beijing, Tampa & Seoul all within 5 days… Should i complain about my flight shedule ? Erhmm i dont think so, i just got paid for traveling the world and to drink a magnum bottle of champagne for free as “thanks” for coming to a club.

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