- Video Turntablism and the Future of Clubbing
- by Rob Wegner
Summer 2005
The DJ controls the mood of a club.
During my discussion of the history of the DJ, I stress that our profession has experienced three waves of growth. This growth corresponds with trends in music and clubbing, as well as technological innovation.
It is my belief that the next wave of clubbing will be characterized by video turntablism. To be more specific, advances in visual technology will revolutionize the entire clubbing experience.
Background
In the early-70's, David Mancuso set the standard for clubbing at New York's Loft nightclub by creating the first sophisticated sound-system for a discotheque. Along with his partner, Alex Rosner, Mancuso applied audiophile techniques to commercial sound. As the authors of Last Night A DJ Saved My Life point out, "the precision of the sound system which Rosner and Mancuso created between them subsequently became the accepted standard for every nightclub in the world" (Brewster and Broughton, 1999:143).
It's time to set a new standard.
In general, nightclubs enjoy a commercial advantage over domestic sound and light systems. However, the club advantage begins to diminish when consumer technology enables a car's sound system or a home theater to provide a superior experience. As clubbing consultant Jeff Rons told me, "people are cocooning, they are staying at home." He's right, potential patrons have cable and satellite television, plasma TV's, Internet dating, downloadable DJ mixes, and more. Compare this to DUI risks, the cost of valet, cover charges, and drinks, as well as dealing with belligerent patrons and drivers. In short, if a new wave of clubbing will emerge, the masses will need a reason to get out of the house.
In an ideal world, it should be about the music -- and watching a DJ perform. That may be true in a few cases, however, our industry is heavily dependent on numbers.
Innovation
While music video's are not new to clubbing, the technology has evolved substantially on both the player-performing end and the display-presentation end.
On the player-performing end, Pioneer's DVJ-X1 is essentially a turntable for DVD's. With features such as quick start, auto beat
loop, a jog dial, reverse, pitch adjust, anti-vibration, scratch capabilities, and more, the DVJ-X1 will likely become the DVD equivalent of the Technics SL-1200MK2 DJ turntable (the workhorse of the DJ industry). However, its current high-cost ($3,300 each) will limit "DVD turntablism" to the few DJ's who are either wealthy or are fortunate enough to work for a club with deep pockets. This means that those DJ's that can adapt their turntablism skills to DVD's will likely become positioned to be the next superstars (in fact, while he's not a turntablist, VJ's such as Robert Drummond are starting to attain notoriety). It also means that their respective clubs will benefit from the innovative audio and visual presentations that will emerge.
On the display-presentation end, advances in LED technology and pressure sensing technologies has led to "an interactive dance floor that not only engages but responds to club goers movements on the floor" (see Lightspace Dancefloors).
In my opinion, this technology will evolve to include LED-television quality images. In other words, the DJ (VJ) will have the entire surface area of the club as his or her canvas. This would include table-tops, floors, walls, dance platforms, bar-tops, and more. In addition, the evolutionary trend towards HDTV technology will enhance the experience to unparalleled heights.
The Globalization of Clubbing
I believe that it will be possible to place cameras at various clubs throughout the world -- and recreate a particular environment at a local club. For example, clubbers in Miami could observe and hear (delayed or in real time via high-speed Internet and cameras) the activities/music of a club in London. The north, south, east, and west walls/scenes of the Ministry of Sound could be viewed on the respective LED walls at your local club on Wednesday's; while the scene's and sound's of Pacha could be experienced on Thursday's; and so fourth.
In this sense, global DJ's could -- theoretically -- perform "live" at several clubs throughout the world simultaneously.
We could even take it up a step and envision TransScreen or advanced holographic-3D views of dancers, DJ's, and even customers (some of whom may be able to assume a life-size 3D character [aka "avatar"] and interact with real clubbers via the Internet -- or a hyper-advanced version of virtualibiza.com).
It's also conceivable that customers will be able to communicate and interact (on a mass scale) with the DJ and management via cell-phones. Images, announcements, and drink specials may be broadcast to customer cell phones, while customers may text message requests or use their cell phones to lease a room theme (i.e., colors and images).
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DJ Tiesto's video crew performing at Myst (Scottsdale, Arizona). Photo by Disc Jockey 101. C o p y r i g h t © 2 0 0 5, All Rights Reserved. |
Conclusion
In the Technics US Final 2001 DVD, DJ Swamp demonstrates how a DJ can apply turntablist skills to a Pioneer CDJ-1000 CD deck, which is very similar to the features on the Pioneer DVJ-X1 -- proving that turntablist audio skills can be performed on similar decks, such as the DVJ-X1. If video editing "on the fly" is added, the performance takes on an added dimension. In other words, the era of the DVD turntablist has arrived. It is those DJ's and clubs that adapt to these innovations that will set the new standard for clubbing in the not too distant future.
Resources
Brewster, Bill and Frank Broughton (1999) Last Night A DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey. Grove Press.Notes
Lightspace Dancefloors photo provided courtesy of Lightspace Dancefloors
Related Links
* The Lava Flow Los Angeles VJ Blog
* Color Kinetics Intelligent LED Systems
* VJ Torrents Hi-Res VJ Clips
* Element Labs Versa Tile and Tubes, NeoFlex, and Zip Tubes and Panels
* Pioneer Electronics Press Release on Video Switcher for DJ's/VJ's.
* Mayfair Cafe in Montreuz, Switzerland Live Bar Webcam
* Next-Generation DVD's and Beyond Still in Flux Linux News
* B-Sure USA LED Floor Lighting
Industry News
- * The International DJ Expo will take place at the Atlantic City Convention Center on August 15-18, 2005. DJ education seminars will cover issues affecting bedroom, mobile, club, and remixer/producer DJ's. Sponsored by DJ Times, DJ performances will include: The X-Ecutioners, Kurtis Blow, Bad Boy Bill, DJ Swamp, Georgie Porgie, and more. To register, contact 1-800-YES-7678 or visit http://www.djtimes.com/djexpo
* Disc Jockey 101 proudly sponsored the Phoenix regional DMC competition on May 6-8, 2005. The event coincided with the Phoenix Street Dreams Hip Hop and Music festival, which included local graffiti artists, breakdancers, and emcees.
- Photo at Right: Third Place competitor DJ Lodus during the finals. Photo courtesy of DMC World, © 2005.
- * Numark has plans to release a dueling iPod DJ Mixer that is expected to retail between $250 and $350 (iPod's not included). A prototype was apparently featured at the Frankfurt, Germany Musikmesse 2005 show.
- * DJ and Turntablism classes at Scottsdale Community College are scheduled for the Fall 2005. MUC 135 (Live-Performance Disc Jockey Techniques) is a two-credit introductory course taught by Disc Jockey 101's Rob Wegner. Turntablism I, which is offered through the college's Continuing Education department is taught by DJ Radar. Please note that at the time of this writing, the dates and times for Turntablism I are pending notice due to DJ Radar's scheduled historic performance at Carnegie Hall on October 2, 2005.
- * Vestax is offering the QFO, a circular turntable with an integrated 2-channel mixer that was designed in collaboration with DJ Q-Bert and Thudrumble's Yoga Frog. Vestax created the QFO at the suggestion of Q-Bert, who wanted to create a new instrument for turntablists of the next generation "to let them mix and scratch like playing a guitar." See Thudrumble
- * Berlin's Love Parade will attempt to make a return during the 2006 World Cup soccer championship in Germany. See Deutsche Welle (English Edition).
- * Sony is working with First4Internet to test a new CD protection technology that intends on reducing piracy. First4Internet is consulting record labels to determine a fixed number of burns/rips allowed per CD. See CoolTechZone.com
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