skratchworx - Number 1 for DJ news and reviews!

IMPORTANT: IDA UK Final changes

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:44:55 PST

Bad news I'm afraid. Due to a huge last minute problem with the venue, the planned IDA UK Final/Roc Raida benefit has been cancelled. I say cancelled as the Roc Raida event will absolutely happen at some point into the new year, but the IDA UK Final must happen now - and will be doing so as an online event only.

REVIEW: Road Ready Smart Stand

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:58:16 PST

I've been a tad off-colour for a few days now, and not really been in a mood to do very much. So casting by tired eyes around my brown box ridden empire, I spied a very easy article to clear up. Duly, I unboxed the Road Ready Smart stand, and after recovering from a near hernia, I set about writing the usual epic review.

Make music on your iPhone and win loads

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:54:36 PST

In these days of interoperability, companies come together to make all their stuff work well together. This time however, some key companies have joined forces to give loads of stuff away. The Groove Video Contest revolves around using iPhone apps to create some cool music.

REVIEW: Pioneer MEP-7000

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:29:16 PST

Having scared the living crap out of Pioneer when they unwittingly let me loose on their new flagship CDJs, we also found time to squeeze another one of their highly desirable pro level top end products through the reviews assault course too. New blood and Pioneer owner Andrew Unsworth stopped by the Pioneer mothership and happily relieved them of an MEP-7000 for a while. I'm very glad that he did.

IDA UK Final and Roc Raida Benefit

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:27:41 PST

While some lament the decline of the battle scene, others are doing something about renewing it. Out of the ashes of the ITF comes the IDA, and December 12th sees the IDA World Final take place in Poland. And to find a worth representative for the UK, skratchworx and Pro X Fade have teamed up to find this year's UK technical division champion, and at the same time celebrate the life of the lost leader of the battle scene. Sharpen your skills people - your country needs you, and Grand Master Roc Raida's family need your support too.

APC40 owners - win even more Akai stuff!

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:55:23 PST

Akai's Ableton rocking APC40 has set the clip launching community on fire. Having such a Live specific box at their fingertips has seen many DJ open their wallets into Akai's corporate coffers. And they'd absolutely love to see what you do with yours, and might even give you a pile of stuff for your efforts.

There it is - the Stanton M.207

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:27:05 PST

This afternoon has been fun. After coming across some sort of leaked photos of a yet undisclosed Stanton product, it would appear that it is actually public knowledge - if you're a UK retailer that is. The all new M.207 harks back to Stanton past - 2 channel scratch mixers - with a generous serving of Stanton future - digital tomfoolery with touchy feely controls.

InnoParty time!

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:38:31 PST

Just a quickie - Audio Innovate is throwing a little soir�e at the Scratch DJ Academy in New York City on November 19th. Pop along after work and have a play with the Innofader while Johnny Juice and DJ Fatfingaz entertain you with some music of the Hip Hop and turntablist genre.

FIRST LOOK: Traktor Kontrol X1

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:04:45 PST

Time was when hunting down nextlevelness needed a passport and a shedload of cash. But now it feels like it's looking for me, as my treks for shiny pretty seems to be little more than getting out of bed. This week, I drove just 11 miles away from my rural fortress to watch northern dealers get bamboozled with the vast and immensely great Native Instruments product range courtesy of 2Twenty2. I was however there just to grope the new Traktor Kontrol X1, but did get a taste of the rest of the range too.

SPY SHOTS: New Stanton mixer

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:09:33 PST

What's this then?In the world of journalism, there are different levels of news leakage - some totally accidental, some carefully staged and some that� well� falls into a murky grey area of we don't care uncontrolled but controlled at the same time. I'm not sure where this one falls to be honest, but having found it, there appears to be no objections to me reproducing it here. It looks like Stanton may well be venturing back into familiar ground with a new mixer, but with more than a liberal scoop of new stuff thrown in.UPDATE: It's the new Stanton M207. More info here.

WIN: Dephect stuff

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:32 PST

Time to give stuff away again, and Dephect always proves to be a popular choice for the discerning freeloader. They're into their Autumn/Winter collection now and want you to have a look, and important give some away to a small handful of lucky readers.

Vestax Spin - djay gets hardware

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:22:48 PST

CLICK FOR HI RESI'd thought about this for a while, but didn't really expect it to happen. Vestax have finally filled the gap that existed in my head but possibly not in anyone elses with Spin. It seems to be designed specifically for algoriddim's wonderful Mac only djay software and will be an Apple Store exclusive from Monday. How much? Well read on...UPDATE: Short juggling and scratching demo added.

NEW: Traktor Kontrol X1

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:59:49 PST

After a short period of sort-of-but-not-really teasing their new and immensely long awaited MIDI controller, Native Instruments are happy to officially announce the Traktor Kontrol X1. Geared very specifically at Traktor users, this also doubles as a regular MIDI controller for other applications too. Indeed, it comes with Scratch Live compatibility out of the box. Imagine that.UPDATE: UK Price �179 and �35 for the bag/stand.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Pioneer CDJ-900 and 2000 first look

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:14:42 PDT

It's fair to say that Pioneer are in a critical pre-launch period right now. Having made the bold move to ditch media and push forward with a new way of working via the shiny new CDJ-900 and CDJ-2000, they also bravely balanced their nuts on the edge of the skratchworx blender and sent me one of each for a quick and super exclusive once-over. Quick turned into reams, and after some judicious (i.e. 50%) snipping, the piece went into and came out of Pioneer relatively unscathed.

REVIEW: DJ Tech uSolo Media Player

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:05:18 PDT

Technology changes at a rate that is hard to keep up with. I was still spinning nothing but vinyl up until a few years ago, but things are different now. Media is dead - even the leaders of the old new school Pioneer have moved on beyond their CD roots. Another company grabbing the entirely digital scene with both hands is DJ Tech. I've got a store room full of their latest digital goodies, so I grabbed the nearest off the top of the pile - the uSolo - and rinsed it in the reviews spin cycle.

Happy Birthday Mixvibes!

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:13:58 PDT

A decade in this industry for a technology led company is like a record or something right? Well that's how long Mixvibes have been on the go. And deservedly puffing out its chest on the back of the Pioneer colab, they're having a big ass celebration this week in Paris.

The case for VJing - presented by OOVJ

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:24:45 PDT

While some companies play safe and strictly adhere to the design bibles laid down by a small handful of key players, some have always done whatever the hell they wanted to do. In a time before being neck deep in lookylikey MIDI controllers, the OODJ was at the cutting edge of computer DJing - the canine's genitals of PCs stuffed inside a nuke proof case running a heavily optimised version of Windows no less. But times change, and so does OODJ, as instead of just audio, it now does HD video. Say hi to OOVJ.

Case wiv dex an mixa in it... innit

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:42:34 PDT

Pimp my Pioneer? Looks like Westwood or Xzibit got a little busy with this limited edition Pioneer CDJ and DJM-400. Doing a full 180 on the colour wheel, orange lights have been kicked to the curb and replaced with electric blue ones. And the case is tailor made to fit perfectly in the back of a Corsa. Well that is probably not true - but should be.

Tableturns Reunion - Roc Raida tribute

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:04:52 PDT

If I had to pick 1 event to go to this year - nay this decade, it would be this one. After the tragic accidental death of Grand Master Roc Raida, a string of benefit gigs have taken place, but the one happening in NYC next Thursday is perhaps the biggest gathering of scratch DJ talent seen in a very long time.

CDJ-900 - How Slip Mode works

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:14:34 PDT

Having got through the BPM coverage, it's now time to get back to the business of news and reviews again. Teasing me badly are the new Pioneer CDJs and the putting together of the preview feature. I was going to do it all in one lump, but I figure it's easier to trickle the material out as you're probably somewhat hungry to hear my thoughts on this new shiny stuff. First up is Slip Mode, something that had me scratching my head as to what exactly it was. Watch the video and then you'll know.

Shure in new DJ Product shocker

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:04:19 PDT

While many DJs kneel at the alter of Shure carts, they've been a tad quiet on the DJ side of things in recent years. Even the carts are hidden somewhere deep in their website (although www.needlz.com still works). But bugger me if they haven't gone and brought out some DJ specific headphones. Say hi to the SRH750DJ headphones.

And finally... BPM 2009: nextbeat

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:03:44 PDT

Last but not least in the protracted BPM coverage is nextbeat. We first saw it at MusikMesse and got a full demo of just what it was about and can actually do. Subsequently, the odd demo video has arrived, but now the crowd at BPM was treated to an actual demo from one of the DJs behind the concept - RLP. And I was there to capture in in all its untethered glory.

Livid's Block - Ableton with style

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:45:13 PDT

Being the unfeasibly busy guy that I am, keeping with all this new fangled technology is like living on a hamster wheel. You think you're making progress in one direction, and then some smartarse thought it would be a really great idea to start using bloody Ableton. Thus the market is becoming flooded with square boxes bursting with shedloads of buttons and a smattering of knobs and faders. Last week saw the Novation Launchpad hit the internetwaves. And this week it's the turn of Livid, with their much more minimalist styled Block. Looks like I have little choice but to dive into Ableton now.

BPM 2009: Reloop

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:39:14 PDT

Occupying pride of place at BPM was the Reloop stand. Although the Pioneer stand was stellar, Reloop was there in front of you as you walked in making it pretty hard to miss. And a stream of top quality scratch DJs were on hand to put Reloop's Spin!2 software and the IQ.2 mixer.

BPM 2009: DJ Tech

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:53:25 PDT

And now time for a quick look at kit that the rest of us can afford rather than hope to aspire to. DJ Tech are carving quite a name for themselves in the budget end of the market - not only for their somewhat unique approach to video marketing, but more importantly for bringing out what I feel is some really nice tackle. And aside from spending a bit of time with a handful of useful gear, my car was loaded with more review units that most shops actually have in stock.

New Species set up home in the skratchlab

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:07:27 PDT

Just in case you didn't believe it could be true, here's proof that I do actually have the new CDJs in my secret underground lair. Should be here for around a week, where I'll be getting to know these very welcome visitors intimately. After groping, fondling and probing in a most unnatural manner, I'll be doing a short writeup (a full review will appear later) - so if you have any questions that have been keeping you awake at night, now is the time to get them in.

BPM 2009: Pioneer

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 03:09:47 PDT

Quite literally dominating BPM were Pioneer. Having more nextlevelness on display per square foot than any other stand was an obvious crowd magnet, to the point where getting any time at all on a CDJ of any sort was a tad difficult. But I did eventually lay my hands on the CDJ-2000 and 900, what I found were some slick and deceptively simple units.

BPM 2009: Denon

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:01:32 PDT

Finally I got to lay my hands on the new shiny stuff from Denon. I didn't have to pull the "do you know who I am dammit" card, and despite the lack of red carpet, I still managed to bring myself to touch the SSL controlling DN-HC1000S, 4 channel �berbeast DN-X1700 mixer and ITCH based rackmount DN-HC5000. And very nice they were too.

BPM 2009: Vestax

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 23:47:58 PDT

Vestax UK old and new came together at the BPM show. Former boss Andy Williams joined forces with new blood Mike Clark aka DJ Trix to put on a united front to show off Vestax's ever growing range of digital goodies. Lucky BPM punters got to play with various shades of VCI-300s (black, white and more retina hurting pink), the new and very soon to be available TR-1, as well as watching DJ Take from Japan punish the VCI-300 and all new VFX-1.

BPM 2009: Numark

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 05:48:06 PDT

By Numark HQ's standards, this was a modest affair, if only because they could leave the less DJ-centric stuff at home for a change. But quite rightly taking pride of place was the NS7 (one rather sacrilegiously bolted to a wall), which was ably demonstrated by DJ Pogo (and in the above clip with Cutmaster Swift). Most of the things on display have been seen before, but tying in with all the other companies in bed with Serato, Numark showed their unique take on an effects unit. The NSFX is designed specifically for the NS7, squished between the NS7 and the laptop, and conveniently doubles as an offensive weapon should your gig get a tad out of hand.

BPM 2009: Allen & Heath xone:DX

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:46:34 PDT

After a short period of teasing (yes - I'd want to brag about something like this as well), the xone:DX launched on its maiden voyage into the big wide public world. And seemingly to much acclaim as well. The A&H stand was pretty rammed as people were desperate to maul what was possibly the hottest thing at the show. And via the somewhat dodgy medium of my iPhone and Kodak Zi6, I was able to shot an incredibly bad video. I'm so sorry.

Wot no skratchworx?

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:15:07 PDT

After an incredibly busy week release wise, and then the gear geek fest that was the oh so wonderful BPM Show, it's time to break down just what was on show before you all explode with anticipation. But before that, let's look at what wasn't there.

Decksavers - sacrificial shiny to keep your shiny shiny

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 09:40:16 PDT

One casualty of the shift from turntables to controllers is the loss of the dust cover. But fear not, for Decksavers can give you that retro flavour, and have the added side effect of protecting your gear from the daily chaff hell bent on penetrating every nook and badly designed cranny of your mega expensive setup. Last year saw CDJ and DJM covers, and Decksavers are now bringing out designs for other equally expensive units.

BPM 2009: Numark NSFX

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 06:09:34 PDT

When Vestax's effects in ITCH enabling VFX-1 first came to light, it was patently obvious that Numark's wonderful NS7 would no doubt be getting a unit all of it's own. And now it's here, but they could be more different. Unlike my teaser image that some took as gospel, the NSFX goes above the unit (c'mon - where else would it go?), but compared to the VFX-1 it's an exercise in minimalist tech.

Serato and Ableton - so close to actually saying something

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:55:04 PDT

Many years ago, in a time before email, intranet and even wordprocessors, business survived on inter-office memos. In my employers case, memo pads were issued, and one particular guy took great delight in utilising these triplicate copy pads to the max. It came to a head one day when he actually sent a memo about a memo he was going to send next week. Needless to say, the scorn I heaped upon him did at the very least stop the ridiculous amount of pointless paper spewing from his tiny office. And I was immediately reminded of this when Serato yesterday posted an announcement� errr about an announcement they are going to make in January.

BPM 2009: Vestax

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:57:57 PDT

After a brief period of time in the distribution-free wasteland, Vestax now has a direct UK presence in the shape Mike Clark aka DJ Trix. And this weekend he'll be running around like a headless chicken keeping everyone happy at BPM on the Vestax stand.

Kontrol One... or 4 it seems

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:39:36 PDT

Budget gear doesn't get too many people excited, but when the Kontrol One turned up at NAMM, it received a heap of good press from those who saw it. Looking like a xone:1D painted with the arcade button brush, the Kontrol One aims to grab Traktor by the neck and control all the most used parameters - on 4 decks at the same time. Wow. Well 9 months later, it's available and ready for some wheel jogging button bashing action.

No longer a DX tease - the xone:DX is here

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:04:45 PDT

Click for hi resLet the rumours cease, for here is the official word on the previously teased Allen & Heath xone:DX. At first glance, it's an ITCH based hotwashed xone:4D, but it's quite a lot more than that, and the implications to the scene are much deeper than the in your face first impressions.

BPM 2009: DMC carry the BPM Battle torch

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:46:34 PDT

For those of you who were tragically disappointed that the skratchworx BPM battle was cancelled, worry not for it seems that the good people of DMC are picking up the battle batton and putting something on over the weekend at the BPM Show.UPDATE: Go to stand A16 and A18 to sign up. The battle takes place on the DMC main stage on Saturday at 2.15pm, and Sunday at 1.45pm.

REVIEW: algoriddim djay v3.0

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:57:02 PDT

Software just keeps coming out at a rate that I find it hard to keep up with. It seems that as soon as I get round to reviewing something, the next version is just about ready for release. Algoriddim's Mac only djay software has now reached a landmark v3 release, and gained some key features. But bugger me if we don't have the fullest and completetest review on the very same day of release.

The mytical Traktor controller spotted?

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:14:50 PDT

There have been many mumblings in quieter corners of the scene about Native Instruments working on some sort of hardware controller. Indeed, when the DJ journalistic collective was carted off en masse to Berlin, we half expected to be pawing a lump of vorsprung durch technik style controller. But now it seems that NI may well be teasing us with glimpses of the new thingumabob in action. Youtube clip follows.Update: Street price seems to be confirmed at $200. Thanks to Engadget.

And in the beginning there was... a really big book about Traktor

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:49:04 PDT

I know it's the digital age and you probably do most of your reading online, but nothing beats a good book, especially in a subject that really deserves it. And that's what Rainer G Haselier thought too, who thus set about breaking down the complexities of Native Instruments' Traktor suite into easily digestible chunks. The latest version of the Traktor Bible has been updated to reflect the recent v1.2 release. Note: it doesn't really look like a bible. That's just my usual Photoshop excess.

NS7 + BPM = ?

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:28:02 PDT

BPM 2009 is just one week away, and as day follows night, thus info pours in just before the show. This just in� Numark are showing "something for the NS7" at this coming weekend's BPM Show.

TouchDVS 2 - coming soon

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 04:20:41 PDT

It happens sometimes - as I'm about to go live with a product review, I get told that the next version is due, thus the current review gets shelved while we wait for the aforementioned next generation to appear. One such product is TouchDVS, which got the skratchworx treatment, albeit a little too slowly at my end. In this time, it seems that not only does the next generation crush the concerns that reviewer Jon1st had, but it will allegedly give Scratch Live and Traktor a run for its money. Blimey.

xone:DX?

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:41:10 PDT

I got a mail a short time ago from Allen & Heath informing me about the usual "we've got this and that on show at BPM", but there was an interesting line added to end - almost as an afterthought: "There will also be an exciting new product unveiled on the first day of the show". Hmmm� so exciting that all it got was a single throwaway line tagged on the end of an email. But then this above tab has appeared on the xone website, but it doesn't seem to lead anywhere right now.

RIP Grand Master Roc Raida

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:32:07 PDT

The DJ world has lost another legend today. Turntablist legend Grand Master Roc Raida has died. You don't need me to tell you who he was or to know how he passed away. All that matters is that the DJ scene has lost a true legend - a leader and inspiration for so many of the names we know today.

The skratchworx stand has left the building

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:30:03 PDT

I tried so hard - pooled resources, called in favours and generally blagged like never before, but sadly I've had to pull out of having a stand at the BPM Show, which also means that the battle is off too.

Pioneer - Darwinian fanboys

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 04:15:05 PDT

48 hours after the dawn of the news species, I've had some time to break through the sexy images, Youtube vids and PR ridden with bold claims, to take a cold realistic look at what the new CDJ-2000 and 900 offer - other than being shiny pretty things that empty wallets. And being treated to a presentation at the Ministry of Sound, I'm now a hell of a lot clearer on what Pioneer are trying to achieve with this release. And it's much less about the hardware and a whole lot more about the whole DJ workflow. Look past the actual PR and see the bigger picture - it's a bold move for sure.

New Species has arrived - Pioneer CDJ-2000 and CDJ-900

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:36:02 PDT

After a month of teasers, anticipation and finally utter frustration, Pioneer have released details of their new CDJ siblings. The CDJ-2000 and CDJ-900 embrace all that is good (and been lacking for all too long) and wrap it all up in a music management package. There's an awful lot to take in so get comfy, push aside sarcasm and take a look at what the new CDs can actually do.

UPDATE: Tonetable v1.1

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:32:11 PDT

Is that a Controller One in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me? No - it's the updated Tonetable from Inklen. It's a DVS control signal in your pocket that's been updated to add more tone compatibility, but importantly add a single octave keyboard.

Pioneer - are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? :(

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 04:35:27 PDT

This time tomorrow - thankfully - the excruciating wait will be over. Pioneer Europe, UK and/or US will have sent me the press materials for the new CDJ, and we'll no doubt see a selection of affection, skepticism and just outright polar opposite fanboying and haterism. One thing is for sure - Pioneer have a lot riding on this so it had better deliver. Now while I'm not the first to speculate about what it might be like, I'm still going to offer my opinion about what the alleged CDJ-2000 may bring.