iPod DJ'ing

I often DJ at AIT events and other small do's. A strict amateur, I am drawn to the idea of no-mixing, or at least minimal-mix DJ'ing. Part of the inspiration for this way of thinking about DJ'ing comes from early pioneering DJ's such as David Mancuso (New York). My good friend Jeremy in London now organises regular 'Loft' night parties in London, inviting David over to DJ. Although seamless beat-mix DJ'ing can be superb on a packed dancefloor, for more laid back lounge nights or drinking events less emphasis can be placed on matching beats perfectly. With the recent rise in forms of digital music storage and replay, the landscape of DJ'ing is also broadening. Vinyl purists may be dismissive, but this opening up of technologies also points to new possibilities and experiments in the way we can think about DJ'ing. In terms of technologies and structures digital music means that a DJ can carry huge databases of music in his or her pocket - potent sound banks from which intelligent selections can be made (or not)...an interesting article about this emerging MP3j'ing trend.....The iPod DJ Revolution

Comments

[LIMINAL]

I want to hear more creative things done to compliment ipod-esque djing before i buy into it.

peace,
liminal

[Jonny Rocket]

Hi there. We do it too, in London. Playlist Club is a free event in a cool bar in North London. We invite DJs to entertain the audience with a set that's killer, with prizes for the best. We provide lights and atmosphere, charge no money, and work hard to give people a good time. It's not the future of music, it's a future only, and we encourage the unique, the weird and the strange. Please visit our site - www.ipod-dj.com, or, if I can chance my arm at HTML, Here. Let's live a little...

[matt best]

I don't want to come across as a luditte but MP3's through a good soundsytem always lack the warmth (especially on the high frequencies) that vinyl will always provide.

Your friend wouldn't be Jeremy Newell would it?

[ken]

I think that part of the skill in DJing is being able to beatmatch and do all that technical stuff, which, to be fair, is becoming possible on an iPod, this being said, i think iPod DJing does emphasis on the art of Programming, but with out beatmatching and the ability to blend, its very stop -start.
http://www.ipoddjing.co.uk

[Antonin]

I've been "DJing" almost exclusively with ipods for the past three years...we should talk about this sometimes

It becomes more about your encyclopedic memory of beat/tempo of each song on your ipod and then choosing good segues: that's the art of PJing. I assume...

And for non-dancefloor events this seems a-o-k. To every season.

Not just beat/tempo, but also tone palette, textures, interlacing references, lyrical content, and on and on. More like forecasting than the actual weather. More like collage work than comic books.