DJ CARL Cox tells Nui Te Koha why we need to embrace technology and make it work for us. Welcome to the digital DJ revolution.
Once upon a time, about 25 years ago, there was a three-deck wizard.
DJ Carl Cox rose from the British rave scene playing pounding sets of techno on three turntables.
At the time, Cox's dexterity and skills on the 1s, 2s and 3s was the headline that built his reputation and made him a superstar.
Cox said he worked on three decks to extend the tracks he was playing.
"If I played the same records on two turntables and another record on the third, I was creating my own mixes - live," Cox says.
But times have changed.
And Cox, recently named No.1 DJ of the past 25 years by dance music bible Mixmag, is still at the forefront.
He has embraced technology as a digital DJ.
"We are in a new era of performers now with technology no-one can ignore," he says.
"We have to try and make it work for us, not the other way around.
"Machines will not take over. But, for me, it's about enhancing what I do as a DJ and producer."
Cox still rocks three decks today - but he uses the Pioneer CDJ1000, the industry-standard player for DJs.
Lately, Cox has keenly supported Traktor Scratch Pro, a DJ system that allows users to spin digital track collections on vinyl or CD turntables.
In short, Cox's three to six hour sets comprise digital music files from his computer.
But, more importantly, Traktor Scratch has allowed Cox to keep the performance energy that made him famous.
He also credits Traktor's sound card with giving digital files a warmer, analog feel.
"With Traktor, I can still be the person I am as a DJ," Cox says.
"I can have three CD players set up, my computer and a hard drive with my music.
"I am not playing vinyl any more. It all comes from the computer.
"But Traktor gives me that original feel as a DJ."
Jason Hearn, of CMI Music And Audio, which markets Traktor Scratch in Australia, agrees.
"It gives you the hands-on tactility that a lot of DJs complain about missing when they go to a fully
digital system," Hearn says.
He says digital DJing is about ease and having every track available.
"Now you can take your entire music collection with you," he says.
"You can have months of music on tap for any mood or vibe at the gig."
Cox is always enthusiastic about evolving technology. But he likes to tweak things with his signatures.
"I don't think it's easier to be a DJ in the digital realm because you still have to be creative and pull rabbits out of the bag," he says.
"Yes, we can all loop and sync very easily, but it's still about the tunes.
"It's still about the tracks and what you are creating around that.
"If you are making loads of effects and sounds, with not much music, (a) the people get bored and (b), where's the record gone?
"You still need that content - the music - for these machines to give it the soul and what you're about as an artist.
"You've got the younger DJs wanting to give you the bells and whistles, but where's the tune?
Where's the track? What are you trying to say?
"The idea is to be clever with technology."
Cox toyed, for a while, with Ableton Live, a software music sequencer.
It is a popular DJ tool for composing and arranging. Ableton Live also mixes and layers tracks flawlessly.
"I felt lazy with Ableton," Cox says.
"I couldn't go out as this big international DJ knowing I could open my laptop, push a button and say, 'There you go'."
Cox says the exactness and precision of Ableton is great for production. But he no longer uses it to DJ.
"I'm clinical in what I do, but there is still a roughness to the Carl Cox sound. If it's too clinical, too smooth - that's not me," he says, laughing.
Collee Chappell, of audio visual giant Pioneer, predicts digital DJing is set for another revolution.
"We are about to drop the bomb on the digital realm," Chappell said.
"The future will be simplified. We think portable media is the future - i-Phone, i-Pod, i-Touch - whatever you're carting media on.
"I don't think users want to carry a laptop, dongle and black box for much longer."
Pioneer will launch a new digital DJ product ("a total interface", says Chappell) in September.
He says, rightly, Pioneer is a market leader in digital DJing.
Its CD-J players, DJ mix and effects units are benchmark.
Chappell argues hip-hop and urban DJs have resisted the digital realm.
Some, including Diplo and Questlove, are using a vinyl emulation software application called Scratch Live, also known as Serato.
"That market is still harcore about playing vinyl," says Chappell. "I don't think that is going to change quickly."
But Darren Franklin, of Factory Sound, says digital DJing is a reality.
"My laptop is my record box," Franklin says, while clicking and dragging music on Traktor Scratch.
"I carry this instead of two bags of vinyl and a stack of CDs. No more hunting for tracks. No more broken backs carrying records.
"You have everything you need at an instant."
Carl Cox knows a laptop is not as sexy as three Technics 1200 turntables, the original and classic DJ platter.
"It took a long time to be weaned off vinyl and utilise CDs to play my music," Cox says.
"Then people realised they weren't going to see much any more.
"Many years ago, they'd come to my shows and get in front of the turntables to watch what I do.
"It isn't like that now. Everything is internal. It's quite boring," he laughs.
But to watch DJ Carl Cox in action is anything but dull. He works every possible angle from each track.
Cox handles three CDJs and keeps things rolling, throwing tracks in and out of the mix and layering beats, effects and new ideas on the fly.
Cox loops, cuts and edits on Traktor Scratch.
Importantly, he smiles through the entire, unrelenting process.
"I've embraced all this," Cox says.
"Much as I loved lugging my records around and the needle jumping and the (speaker) feedback - those days are gone.
"I'm very happy to do what I do as a DJ, but with a completely new energy to when I started.
"To be on a computer, playing music in this domain, is exciting."
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