two turnt... er... ipods and a microphone...

November 10, 2003 12:00 PM

The New DJ Revolution? "You are a DJ but you don't have any bulky gear. You don't need to drive to a gig, the subway/underground will do just fine. You don't need an assistant to carry milk crates of heavy vinyl. Everything you need is in your pockets and the size of a cigarette pack. You only have 2 iPods, but they together hold enough music to play for several months straight, 24-7, without a single repeat. You are a mp3j." [thank you, iPodLounge.]
posted by grabbingsand (27 comments total)

until i see pitch control and tactile manipulation features, i'm gonna stick with Ms. Pinky and my TiBook, thanks.
posted by irix at 12:07 PM on November 10, 2003

Do iPods scratch?
posted by jfuller at 12:11 PM on November 10, 2003

Of course you still need the talent to pick exactly which of those several thousand MP3s are appropriate at any given moment in time.
posted by kerplunk at 12:13 PM on November 10, 2003

...because what the club scene needs is more crossfader DJs...
posted by Jairus at 12:16 PM on November 10, 2003

"Without a pitch adjuster on the iPod, you can't match two songs up exactly. All your transitions are gonna be chunky DJ Shadow style. That's not exactly bad, but your mix just won't always have a nice easy flow.

Scratching - tap the center button of the iPod and gently jog back a second or two to make the music pause. It actually sounds more like a CD is skipping, but what are going to do?"

So, no beat matching and no scratching.
posted by eyeballkid at 12:35 PM on November 10, 2003

Great. All we need is more Subway employees who claim to be DJ.
posted by bondcliff at 12:37 PM on November 10, 2003

Which would differentiate it from most other dj's.... how?
posted by PenDevil at 12:37 PM on November 10, 2003

We had a long discussion about this in January, although in that case the product in question actually allows for some semblance of actual DJing which the iPod setup does not in the least.
posted by badstone at 12:48 PM on November 10, 2003

Great. All we need is more Subway employees who claim to be DJ.

That's Sandwich Artist to you slut!
posted by Stan Chin at 12:49 PM on November 10, 2003

Well, bah. A stolidly unhip old friend of mine, who still lives in my microdot hometown and makes extra beer money by dj'ing curling bonspiel dances and the like, has been using mp3s rather than CDs for years, without finding the need for a metrosexual little ipod. He also loves the cool refreshing taste of Pepsi.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:55 PM on November 10, 2003

He drives a pickup truck.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:56 PM on November 10, 2003

Subway employees.

I thought they were all Starbucks barristas.
posted by grabbingsand at 12:57 PM on November 10, 2003

Great, all we need are more DJs who claim to be musicians.
Oops, did I say that?
posted by keswick at 1:03 PM on November 10, 2003

I hope they're storing their tracks in .aiff format and not mp3.
posted by Space Coyote at 1:16 PM on November 10, 2003

Great, all we need are more DJs who claim to be musicians.

I hate DJ culture so much.

As a DJ, the rockstar-musician attitude that a lot of people (most, I would say) who work in clubs and raves have frustrates me to no end. With that said, the last thing I want is hordes of people coming into clubs with iPods expecting to play DJ for a night.

I hope they're storing their tracks in .aiff format and not mp3.

You dreamin.
posted by Jairus at 1:18 PM on November 10, 2003

Richie Hawtin's been playing iPod sets for a few months now. I haven't seen any concrete info on how he does the beatmatching, but there's talk of him using "new and improved iPods". Mayhap they've been hacked to allow that jogwheel to act as a pitchfader?

In any event, I don't really see the iPod supplanting the 1200 anytime soon- there's so much to be said for the tactile control that comes from using vinyl. The new generation of CD players has a far better chance than the iPod does in that regard, IMO.
posted by Uncle Ira at 1:39 PM on November 10, 2003

Disclaimer: I'm a final scratch monkey

That having been said, I think its a pity the new opportunities of these toys is being a little misrepresented/misused . There may be cool night possibilities with people bringing tunes along. The random bloke with iPod replacing a DJ doesn't seem likely. Especially as you need two.

The DJ'ing from a laptop thing always looks really crap. Especally when people just sit there. You can't help but think they're IM'ing people. I'm sure its possible but it needs showmanship, not an area DJ's traditionally excel in.

Someone's going to do something interesting in this area soon. I'm sure. I hope.
posted by Flat Feet Pete at 1:48 PM on November 10, 2003

a metrosexual little ipod

:::chuckle:::
posted by rushmc at 2:12 PM on November 10, 2003

Why not just put on a mix tape.
posted by Outlawyr at 2:26 PM on November 10, 2003

showmanship, not an area DJ's traditionally excel in.

not techno DJs at least. for hip hop DJs, on the other hand, this is critical. likewise, hip hop DJs are always going to need the tactile manipulation of music that iPods and laptops don't allow (although Final Scratch does allow it, since you still use real decks as "inputs"), both for showmanship and for music production.
posted by badstone at 2:27 PM on November 10, 2003

Can someone please design a car docking station for an Ipod? That way I can load up my Ipod with music, then just slide it into my dashboard radio, and take it with me when I leave?
posted by CrazyJub at 2:36 PM on November 10, 2003

Richie Hawtin's been playing iPod sets for a few months now.

I think you'll find he did it once, as a promo stunt for, err, the iPod. He actually uses Final Scratch.
posted by inpHilltr8r at 3:02 PM on November 10, 2003

Related: NYC's iParty.
posted by arielmeadow at 4:11 PM on November 10, 2003

dj : iPods :: violinist : ?
posted by eddydamascene at 7:17 PM on November 10, 2003

Can someone ecplain to me why beat matching is so important? Is it merely so that the dancers in a club don't have an interruption?
posted by crunchburger at 7:26 PM on November 10, 2003

Can someone ecplain to me why beat matching is so important?

A skilled dj can introduce a new track long before the final transition between the two records, so that the addition or removal of layers has the effect of changes within the same, slowly evolving song. Often you won't notice that first record is gone until the dj is already crouched down selecting another track.

Basically, you do it so the dancers don't have an interruption.
posted by eddydamascene at 8:50 PM on November 10, 2003

Basically, you do it so the dancers don't have an interruption.

Ha ha. Of course, when done well it can be beautiful, especially when you think the original track has disappeared but it comes back in again and, well, everything.
posted by Summer at 5:41 AM on November 11, 2003