- Ableton Live Software that many DJs use to produce their music, also can be used to for live situations.
- A Cappella: a track with only the vocal part of a song. Possible backup vocal parts as well.
- Bass: general term for a low range of frequencies, normally between 0 - 250Hz.
- Dance: 1) a genre of popular music that is normally played at clubs. Upbeat normally between 115 and 140 bpm 2) to get groovy
- Deadmau5 A electro/rave/house DJ who has become popular in the US and Europe recently
- Denon Company that produces audio and DJ equipment
- DJ Tiesto Probably the most famous DJ in the world. Extremely popular in Europe.
- Frequency: the pitch of a sound, how high or low it is.
- Girl Talk An artist who creates mash-ups of many different types of music and is known for
- his crazy live shows. Most popular mash-up artist.
- Hip-Hop Genre of music that is slower (60-100bpm). Often contains samples from other songs and is characterized by a common beat with rapping overtop
- House Subgenre of the dance genre. Contains a lot of sampled percussion, melody and force of the song is normally contained in the bassline.
- Mash-up A mix containing the A Cappella track from one song and an instrumental from another. Many variations of this arise and the mash-up is not always just two parts.
- Pioneer Company that produces audio and DJ equipment
- Serrato Software used by DJs that helps to sync songs to a tempo. It can work in tandem with decks and will also hold your music collection
- Track: 1) a song 2) one part of a song such as the drum track or bass track.
- Traktor Software used by DJs that helps to sync songs to a tempo. It can work in tandem with decks and will also hold your music collection
Monday, February 28, 2011
Glossary of DJ Terms
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Interview (revised)
an Interview with Mackenzie Williams.
I was interested in learning about what type of music Mackenzie enjoyed Mackenzie's experience with music and how what his opinions on the local music scene in Nashville were. Mackenzie plays guitar in a five-piece band, the Whitewall Gentlemen. They started out in 2009, and since then have had the chance to They perform at different locations around the Nashville area including a local gig at a brewery in Franklin TN. Mackenzie has been playing guitar in the band for the last two years. In addition Last year the band was able to record some of their music at the Belmont studios last year.
When asked about the local music scene Mackenzie said that their main local influence was the Delta Saints. He felt the Whitewall Gentlemen fit into the music scene but their rock sound was definitely not as prevalent as the many singer-songwriters around Nashville. However one local band that largely influences their style is the Delta Saints.
Nonetheless Mackenzie loves being able to perform live in Nashville and the band has received a great amount of positive feedback. Where the band goes from here is yet to be seen, but Mackenzie hopes to continue playing as long as all of the members remain at Belmont. And who knows, perhaps after school is over the Whitewall Gentlemen will still be out performing in Nashville.
When asked about the local music scene Mackenzie said that their main local influence was the Delta Saints. He felt the Whitewall Gentlemen fit into the music scene but their rock sound was definitely not as prevalent as the many singer-songwriters around Nashville. However one local band that largely influences their style is the Delta Saints.
Nonetheless Mackenzie loves being able to perform live in Nashville and the band has received a great amount of positive feedback. Where the band goes from here is yet to be seen, but Mackenzie hopes to continue playing as long as all of the members remain at Belmont. And who knows, perhaps after school is over the Whitewall Gentlemen will still be out performing in Nashville.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Map of the Club Play
After drawing out the map of the main dance room of the club it was very apparent how much focus is given to the DJ. The whole room centers around the stage and the DJ, from every position in the room the stage can be seen and is displayed prominently. Because of the emphasis on the DJ was one of the reasons why I chose this site to study. Many other clubs have their DJs tucked away in corner, or others have massive bars and a tiny stage, which is often just a table.
Also the room is mostly consumed by the large dance floor. The dance floor is the center of the room and dominates over the bars and other tables. The dance floor shows that the club expects a lot of people. It also shows that these people want to dance.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Electronic Communities
Just a few possible sites that I liked for information. Blacklabelled has some really professional DJs, all of which are experienced in many different genres.
http://www.djforums.com/content/about/
http://thedjlist.com/djs/
Categories and Lists
Two lists effect DJ culture and often determine a DJ's style. The first is each DJ's personal list of music, his master list of every song he could play. The second is a list of music that is popular, which is commonly referred to as "the charts".
A DJ's master list of music is a key aspect in his style. The collection of songs may be listed in many ways, and is often subdivided into smaller categories such as genre, artist, or album. Normally this list is displayed in some sort of music software, or often DJs simply use iTunes. However, DJs do not always rely on a computer, and sometimes their list of music is contained in their collection of CDs or vinyl records. A DJ's list of music is extremely important in doing the job. A good DJ is able to read their audience and play music that their audience would enjoy, but it would be impossible to do this if a DJ could not find music quickly.
Another list that defines DJ culture, are "the charts". Popular music is grouped into the list "Top40", which gives the 40 most popular songs according to the week. However a broad range of charts for different genres exist as well. DJs will often use charts for the genre of music that they play to find new music or see how the music they play compares to what is considered popular. The listing of music into "charts" is a great insight into the relationship between a DJ and an audience. It is like a conversation, with the DJ listening to his audience and responding based on their opinions. Any given chart of music allows DJs to listen to a large amount of people and get a glimpse at the types of music people enjoy.
- top DJ lists
-
A DJ's master list of music is a key aspect in his style. The collection of songs may be listed in many ways, and is often subdivided into smaller categories such as genre, artist, or album. Normally this list is displayed in some sort of music software, or often DJs simply use iTunes. However, DJs do not always rely on a computer, and sometimes their list of music is contained in their collection of CDs or vinyl records. A DJ's list of music is extremely important in doing the job. A good DJ is able to read their audience and play music that their audience would enjoy, but it would be impossible to do this if a DJ could not find music quickly.
Another list that defines DJ culture, are "the charts". Popular music is grouped into the list "Top40", which gives the 40 most popular songs according to the week. However a broad range of charts for different genres exist as well. DJs will often use charts for the genre of music that they play to find new music or see how the music they play compares to what is considered popular. The listing of music into "charts" is a great insight into the relationship between a DJ and an audience. It is like a conversation, with the DJ listening to his audience and responding based on their opinions. Any given chart of music allows DJs to listen to a large amount of people and get a glimpse at the types of music people enjoy.
- top DJ lists
-
Monday, February 7, 2011
Freewrite: Material Artifact
Does a computer influence how I write? Would I write differently if I was using just a pen? Would it be more representative of what I really feel?
There are many DJs that play, perform, or make mixes across the world. It is interesting to think just how many there are and how different their style of music can be. Looking at the equipment they use can allow someone to see what kind of style they are as well. Investigation things like does this DJ use vinyl turntables or scratch pads is a large factor as to what style of music they will play. The material artifact of what I will call a "DJ mixstation", is something that is crucial to ever DJ. I would define this as the materials that a DJ deems absolutely necessary to have in order to play music how they would like to play it. Different types of mixstations will be used by different styles of DJs. Those that use a real vinyl often are hip-hop or Motown DJs that play older music. Those that use computers and software to get most of their work done, are becoming more prevalent, and are often used by DJs who play more mdoern types of music. Top40 and Dance genres are often played by those with computers or laptops. Others with decks and scratchpads that use a computer only for music storage can span a wide range of music, it is probably the most popular form of equipment today.
Because there is not simply one standard type of mixstation, it makes sense that there is an extremely broad range of DJ styles. There is no one method that is any better than another, there are only methods that make more sense to use for certain types of music and style.
There are many DJs that play, perform, or make mixes across the world. It is interesting to think just how many there are and how different their style of music can be. Looking at the equipment they use can allow someone to see what kind of style they are as well. Investigation things like does this DJ use vinyl turntables or scratch pads is a large factor as to what style of music they will play. The material artifact of what I will call a "DJ mixstation", is something that is crucial to ever DJ. I would define this as the materials that a DJ deems absolutely necessary to have in order to play music how they would like to play it. Different types of mixstations will be used by different styles of DJs. Those that use a real vinyl often are hip-hop or Motown DJs that play older music. Those that use computers and software to get most of their work done, are becoming more prevalent, and are often used by DJs who play more mdoern types of music. Top40 and Dance genres are often played by those with computers or laptops. Others with decks and scratchpads that use a computer only for music storage can span a wide range of music, it is probably the most popular form of equipment today.
Because there is not simply one standard type of mixstation, it makes sense that there is an extremely broad range of DJ styles. There is no one method that is any better than another, there are only methods that make more sense to use for certain types of music and style.
REVISION:
Do computers influence how I write? Would I write differently if I used a pen? Would it be a better representation of what I really feel?
There are many DJs who play, perform, and mix music across the world. It is interesting to think about the large number of DJs and how different their style of music can be. Looking at a DJ’s equipment can be an indication of what kind of music they play and how they play it. Investigating things like, “does this DJ use vinyl turntables or scratch pads” might be something to look for as something that contributes to their style. The material artifact, which I will call a "DJ mixstation", is something that is crucial to every DJ. I would define the DJ mixstation as the equipment a DJ deems absolutely necessary in order to play their style of music. Different types of mixstations will be used by different styles of DJs. For example, those that use vinyl turntables are often hip-hop or Motown DJs. However, those that use computers and software to get most of their work done will normally play mor modern types of music. DJs who use computers and software often specialize in playing Top40 and Dance. Other types of mixstations include decks and scratchpads, which are probably the most popular to use. However DJs today often use computers to store music and other information in addittion to decks and scratchpads.
Because there is no standard type of mixstation and equipment, it makes sense that DJs have a large variety in their style. One method is no better than anothers, yet there are certain methods that work better for different styles.
There are many DJs who play, perform, and mix music across the world. It is interesting to think about the large number of DJs and how different their style of music can be. Looking at a DJ’s equipment can be an indication of what kind of music they play and how they play it. Investigating things like, “does this DJ use vinyl turntables or scratch pads” might be something to look for as something that contributes to their style. The material artifact, which I will call a "DJ mixstation", is something that is crucial to every DJ. I would define the DJ mixstation as the equipment a DJ deems absolutely necessary in order to play their style of music. Different types of mixstations will be used by different styles of DJs. For example, those that use vinyl turntables are often hip-hop or Motown DJs. However, those that use computers and software to get most of their work done will normally play mor modern types of music. DJs who use computers and software often specialize in playing Top40 and Dance. Other types of mixstations include decks and scratchpads, which are probably the most popular to use. However DJs today often use computers to store music and other information in addittion to decks and scratchpads.
Because there is no standard type of mixstation and equipment, it makes sense that DJs have a large variety in their style. One method is no better than anothers, yet there are certain methods that work better for different styles.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Field Note Questions
Surprised Me:
I was surprised that although a lot of people were watching the super bowl, there were many who did not care about the outcome of the game. There were some people that were upset or excited when the Packers won, but there were a large amount that did not seem invested. I was surprised to observe that a lot of people were there to socialize, when the game ended it was like people were relieved to get on with their night. At other Superbowl parties I have been to in my life my friends that were there were extremely invested and emotional about the game, but those in the Patton lobby did not exhibit the levels of excitement that I am used to.
Intrigued Me:
The setting of the Superbowl party in the lobby intrigued me. I thought that it was interesting to see how the room revolved around the stationary projector. There were those who just passed through the lobby and then there were people who sat around the large screen. However, everyone there seemed to be busy: they were having a conversation, texting, or getting up to leave, sitting down to study. The only thing that remained constant in all the commotion was the projector.
Another thing I found intriguing was how the lobby could change environments so quickly. After the game ended other events quickly occurred. A game of monopoly began, the tv switched from showing the super bowl to showing the television show glee, many people began doing homework. I thought that this changing atmosphere depicted college life very accurately, everything is likely to change and places and sites often have multiple uses. A dorm room can function as practice room, recording studio, living room, bedroom, small kitchen, entertainment center. A classroom can be used by multiple teachers and sometimes even different subjects. One can go from study mode, to hangout time, to snack time, to nap time back to study time in the course of a couple hours. It was intriguing to see the changing atmosphere of college as displayed by the super bowl gathering in the Patton Hall lobby.
Intrigued Me:
The setting of the Superbowl party in the lobby intrigued me. I thought that it was interesting to see how the room revolved around the stationary projector. There were those who just passed through the lobby and then there were people who sat around the large screen. However, everyone there seemed to be busy: they were having a conversation, texting, or getting up to leave, sitting down to study. The only thing that remained constant in all the commotion was the projector.
Another thing I found intriguing was how the lobby could change environments so quickly. After the game ended other events quickly occurred. A game of monopoly began, the tv switched from showing the super bowl to showing the television show glee, many people began doing homework. I thought that this changing atmosphere depicted college life very accurately, everything is likely to change and places and sites often have multiple uses. A dorm room can function as practice room, recording studio, living room, bedroom, small kitchen, entertainment center. A classroom can be used by multiple teachers and sometimes even different subjects. One can go from study mode, to hangout time, to snack time, to nap time back to study time in the course of a couple hours. It was intriguing to see the changing atmosphere of college as displayed by the super bowl gathering in the Patton Hall lobby.
What Disturbed Me:
I was slightly disturbed about the American culture of football. There is such a flood of junk food and snacks that are consumed. It is strange to observe the emphasis put upon extremely unhealthy food. Other than that there was little that disturbed me. It was an average and normal experience for a college campus and nothing was very new or disturbing.
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