This time I wanna show you where Live Acts and DJ’s meet on stage, because there seems to be no real difference between them anymore today. DJ’s and producers are all using the same gear and software and are making equal music in order to create a non-stop mix. Live acts used to be stripped down live bands, using studio gear as instruments, but nowadays much instruments (and band members) are replaced by virtual software instruments within a laptop. A performer can now control many instruments at the same time and bring them down to a whole new mix. Many modern DJ’s are using the same software and methods too to get their mix right. They manipulate their tracks after loading them in a software program, and by controlling them with a mixer and using all kinds of effects, they get a well done remix. Because a DJ and a live act all look and sound the same, it’s time to do some research.

First, let’s get some terms straight:

• A Record (short for recording) is any kind of recorded music on any kind of medium.
• A DJ(also known as disk jockey or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience.
• A Mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically mixed together to appear as one continuous track.
• A Band is a musical ensemble of musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music.

While a DJ basically used to make uplifting mixes by combining records, DJing without turntables or CD-players is a revolution that is more and more seen on stage today. DJ’s are playing with various techniques and software, making more music than ever. The smart DJ has embraced the technology as it has changed. Laptops, midi controllers and feature packed mixers are what is called the new wave. Many people think that this way of performing is only suitable for loop based music like club and techno and has too much similarities with a live performance and some say this isn’t really mixing at all… This is not true, it’s just another way to DJ but with much more advantages and possibilities. Using two decks you can only play two records, but by using software you can mix and control basslines, drumbeats, effects, vocals AND your records at the same time. More control, More Power, More music! Boring?? Well, It’s all up to the DJ..

The big difference between the traditional DJ and a digital DJ is the way they build up a mix. A traditional DJ builds his set using records as bricks, bridging from one record to another, building up to wherever they wanna go. They build up a mix by the end of the song by bringing a new one in. Now the digital way differs from it because a DJ now uses parts of records, samples and loops to mix it up with other sounds on the fly. They bring in the drums, vocals or loops when and how they like it. Every sound and sample can be manipulated in many kinds of ways. A sound, a mix and even entire songs are made by the DJ himself, not by the records. A traditional DJ tries to build up a huge record collection, while the digital one is building up a big sound selection. It takes some preparation before a gig, but every DJ has to sort or categorize there records in some kind of way.

An old record case limits a DJ’s creativity to the records he carries, but a good digital DJ that knows his sound base and gear well, can come up with new ideas any time during a show, having endless ways to be creative.

The first video shows DJ James Zabiela doing mad tricks using a laptop with DAW software, and using his mixer’s and CD-player’s built in effects. He mashes up the beats, makes loops, adds tons of effects to them and then creates new ideas outta this. The outcome is a unique creative remix full of variety and lots of tricks. The way James uses features and effects makes it all look and sound very original. This is the point where DJ’s don’t play songs anymore, but make (remix) them. Is this still DJing? Yes it sure is.. James is still mixing recorded music on CD-players!

The fact that James is still using CD-players and a mixer makes it look very “DJ“. He controls his music like a traditional one and he really does some mixing, so he sounds like a DJ too! So no doubt, this really is a DJ.

Now watch the video below and tell me if this still is DJing or not. DJ/Producer Richie Hawtin ditched his turntables and trade them for DJ software (Traktor Pro) with 4 virtual decks, so he can manipulate 4 tracks at a time during mixing. Like a traditional DJ, he still mixes recorded sounds to make non-stop music.

Is Richie still a DJ to you? To me definitely! It don’t matter if he uses turntables or not, he’s still mixing tracks to make a mix! Losing his turntables did not make him worse, it made him better. He controls parts of songs and other samples which he can edit endlessly during a performance. This way a mix is much more versatile and by remixing parts of songs he can really make his music stand out from others.

The next video shows producer/musician Junkie XL with his Ableton Live setup. Here is where the thin line between a DJ and a live act becomes more (or less) visible. He’s got the same mixer as Richie Hawtin in the last video, but uses other software with it. The software program Ableton Live replaces many studio gear that Junkie XL would have brought to the stage a few years ago. The software uses VST plugins, those are virtual instruments like synthesizers, guitars, drums and samplers that can be controlled by his mixer and keyboard. So besides mixing sounds, he manipulates other instruments along with them.

While the outcome is the same music, there’s a tiny difference between this way of performing and Richie Hawtin’s way:
Junkie XL brought instruments to the stage….

I don’t mean the USB keyboard you see on the table, but those virtual instruments in his computer. That makes him a band!

So the small difference is: Junkie XL is a one man band, playing instruments, while Richie with his four deck setup is “just” mixing 4 tracks!

There’s also a difference in software: Richie uses DJ software (Traktor) while Junkie XL uses DAW (digital audio workstation) software that is also used for studio recording.

BUT: Although Junkie XL is a live act, there’s NO WAY you can say that he isn’t a DJ!

Essentially he still does the same mixing of recorded songs the way a DJ does, making a continuous (re-)mix, but the added instruments made him a band!

Now let’s get back to the terms DJ and Live Act again:

• Virtual DJ’s are real DJs!

• Live acts are virtual bands with a lot of DJ comparison!

• The art of a DJ is to get non-stop music in a mind blowing mix!

Peace, Beau

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Filed under: DJ Talk
by Beau