Live tape mix: what Kerri did for love, Latvian DJs did out of necessity
March 9, 2020 8:32 PM   Subscribe

US house music titan, Kerri Chandler, gets creative while mixing. He's been known to rock a laser harp for live production. On at least one occasion he appeared onstage alongside hologram vocalists. But when he mixed live on a reel-to-reel set-up, he was going back to the roots of house DJs, and paying tribute to his father (Resident Advisor) with an hour of soulful house. On the other hand, Latvian DJs got creative with reel-to-reel out of necessity in decades past, to bypass censorship of Western music (Smithsonian Magazine; x-ray records, previously). Behold, Mr. Tape at DMC in 1991.
posted by filthy light thief (7 comments total) 15 users marked this as a favorite
 
That video on the Latvian DJs is remarkable, especially at 2:57 where we learn why Mikhail Gorbachev will never be a DJ.
posted by kmkrebs at 10:19 PM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]


Ok, listen, I am aghast at not knowing laser harps existed until

Laser

HARPS
posted by Kitchen Witch at 11:43 PM on March 9, 2020


Ok, listen, I am aghast at not knowing laser harps existed until

Laser

HARPS


I KNOW RIGHT?

I have simultaneously discovered the existence of the laser harp and my own burning need for a laser harp.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 12:53 AM on March 10, 2020


Laser Harp on Wikipedia, which notes that it was invented circa 1975/6, and has been popularized by Jean-Michel Jarre's use.
posted by filthy light thief at 6:45 AM on March 10, 2020


Is there anything actually good about playing a laser harp, or is it just a kind of cool idea? They seem like they're just more difficult than a keyboard while being less expressive (no velocity sensitivity)
posted by aubilenon at 10:50 AM on March 10, 2020


It's a Jarre stage gimmick. It's a cool gimmick, though.
posted by atoxyl at 11:07 AM on March 10, 2020


They seem like they're just more difficult than a keyboard while being less expressive (no velocity sensitivity)

They are gimmicky but, per the Wikipedia article, you can get additional control data by adding rangefinders, cameras, or other sensors to determine the location of the hand along the "string" or otherwise in space
posted by casconed at 11:51 AM on March 10, 2020 [1 favorite]


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