Thursday, November 20, 2008

Pay Day

Pay day was today! Thanks god. What better than to enjoy a new cash infusion with an old throw-back jam. Click to hear Johnny Kemp - Just Got Paid.
Short posts are fun too. No?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Girl Talk :: the technology has changed not the DJ

Girl Talk is the stage name of remix master Gregg Gillis. Gillis specializes in mashup style remixes. What's unique about his performances is his ability to work almost entirely off his laptop computer as opposed to the traditional turntable setup. There is some debate however whether Girl Talk should be considered a DJ or musician

What is the definition of DJ? An individual that selects and plays music to create a mood or atmosphere during a predetermined period of time. There are many forms of DJ'ing. Jukebox DJ's that play out a full track then switch to the next. Mixing DJ's that intertwine the beat or kick of two songs at the same time. Scratching DJ's that manipulate the song to produce new sounds in sequence with the beat of a track. To some degree DJ's in the past have been able to use these techniques to create remix music. However with the change of equipment the operator now has an insurmountable number of ways to edit/change the music both in the studio and on the fly.

The 12" record has been replaced by the Mp3, the hard console mixing board has evolved into a piece of virtual software. In this new virtual environment, DJ's possess a slew of new and improved tools previously unavailable to re-broadcasters of yesteryear.

It is important to remember however that the tools have changed not the role of the DJ. The DJ still must possess a strong knowledge of music and the emotional quotient necessary to connect with all types of people through sound.

Although I haven't yet had the pleasure of attending a Girl Talk performance I have listened to his mixes. The dood is really talented in his ability to assemble old and new music in a fluent manner that keeps the tempo moving and makes you want to dance.

I recommend you checkout his recently released album, Feed the Animals. Amazingly Girl Talk used whopping 322 samples in this mix.

Everyone have a great weekend! Share your feedback about what you think of Girl Talk -