Lazer Swords new self-titled album is due out November 4th and Facts has given us the pleasure of hosting and streaming the new album for free via Soundcloud for a week. We’ve all heard the hit single Batman off the album and now it’s time to get a taste of the whole thing. I’ve given it a full listen and you can expect the fattest beats throughout the entire experience. Above is a picture of them rocking it when they came to Miami. I had the pleasure of opening up for them and catching tons of the new material on the FunktionOne at Vagabond. It was a real honor to open for them. Ran into Low Limit again in Seattle for Decibel and real cool dude, true OG.

Much respect to both of them on this. It’s one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year. Be sure to give it a good listen. It’s had my head bobbing all morning at work.

Stream Lazer Sword Album

Buy Lazer Sword – Batman Vinyl

yeah that’s me… lol

Trent Reznor is at it again with a new project, How to Destroy Angels, featuring his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. The group released their first album on June 1st, 2010 and has put it up for free download via 320 Mp3s. $2 buys you high quality file formats and HD version of the video. The album consist of 6 tracks including the single, A Drowning. There will be a physical release on July 6th with a vinyl pressing to follow. If you’re not the type to support the artist by buying the music but by buying their merch check out the bands store, it seems like the T-Shirts are going fast.

To preview or download view below:

Here is the video they have released with the album for the song The Space in Between directed by Rupert Sanders.

Ultimately what has happened is that big producers make a tune but don’t release it right away and give to a small group of DJs they chose to play the record. This builds hype for the track and good indicator of how much of the vinyl release should be pressed.

It is never a bad idea to test a product or service out on a select audience before releasing it to the general public. That way you know what works, what doesn’t, what to improve or change. Most companies do this, whether they deal in beats, betting party bets, beauty or basketball. Once you feel what you’re offering is as good as it can be, then you can almost guarantee success when you put it out there.

A lot of people have different views on this dubplate culture. On one side you have the people who love this because it makes the song more memorable when you hear a certain DJ drop one of your favorite track and then there’s the argument that music should be freely available. No matter what stance your take on this is it does give a certain aura about tracks and DJs. I can’t tell you countless nights where I’ll be out raving and an exclusive dubplate gets dropped and the place goes WILD because everyone knows it’s an unreleased tune.

This gives DJs power yet almost creates an elitism some say when it comes to music. At the same time some DJs make a living out of playing out and certain dubplates they have are the reason they get booked all over. This is predominate with DJs who play Drum & Bass and Dubstep today.

Now all the hype for this dubplate has gotten has faded once everyone gets their hands on it. This results in certain tracks being played out. It becomes a bit discouraging also as a follower of music and knowing you can’t purchase one of your favorite tunes at the moment especially when you know it won’t be out for months since you first heard it. The flipside is you will search and search for a specific song and have no luck but when you do get a hold of it; it’s this unexplainable feeling to finally have in your possession.

Today in a digital world you don’t see much of acetate records being made because of cost but you will see white label and promo copies floating around on very limited pressings before an official release. CDJs and Serato are so popular now that it has become about who you know and if you’re on that secret mailing list for certain producers.

All things considered now chose wisely on what parties and DJs you go check out this year at WMC. There are some tracks that I’ll never forget hearing last year at WMC events solely because it was something so rare to hear at the time on a big system. One that stands out to me right away was hearing Joker & Ginz’s Purple City dropped by Plastician at London Bass at Black Sheep months before that tune got an official release.

Hate it or love dubplates create a special moment for us all when we hear music played live. It’s what can make a lasting memory of the night hearing a certain song with hundreds of people around us loosing control to what is to be one of the hottest songs of the year.

It has finally been unvieled to the world! The partnership of Ableton and Serato has produced something that looks to change the face of DJing all over again.

The Bridge is an updated version of Serato that integrates the session view that we’ve all come to know in Ableton into the Scratch Live interface. Launch clips and controlling them via decks or CJS. Also they’ve out done themselves with having it all work together and using many tricks that Ableton has for mixing. Sampling couldn’t have become easier either.

One great feature that I know I’m going to take advantage of is Play Hard(ware) where it allows you to hook additional hardware controllers like the new APC20, launch pad, or APC40. It will automatically change the Ableton layout to match your controller and have your clips run like regular tracks using Scratch or Itch. Truly the possibilities are endless.

Those of you who are into recording mixes and tweaking them up to sound perfect can also export recorded sets in Serato into an Ableton file. This lets you go back and edit or add anything into the mix.

The future is now and we are going to start to see DJs and Producers starting to share a common bridge. This to me is big because now a DJ who is use to conventional Scratch setup has oppertunity to finally pick up on Ableton and enter into production a lot smoother. This also gives a chance for producers to get a feel for using decks or CDJs in mixing with an environment they are familar with. Everyone wins here and only helps to push things further along.

The thrill of finding new tracks and ordering the latest dub on record took on a whole new purpose. The music was all that could fill the void. All this energy transformed me into a whole new person. I would go out almost every night to catch every DJ set I could from locals and international DJs who spun dubstep.

It had been years since I had begun to party like this. Eventually I began to see familiar faces every night I went out. Facebook and MySpace are quite powerful tools and eventually started networking quite a bit. Kept my distance but would have a conversation here and there.

It really dawned upon me that all these years of following the music I was one of the few. It became apparent to me that the scene was now at its prime and getting ready to explode. The time was right and I had already invested so much time into the music that it only made sense to begin DJing.

As a huge geek I looked up all the options of gear. Starting up from scratch is quite expensive and you don’t want to spend lots of money on something you won’t use in the future even if it doesn’t go well. After tons of research I decided to pick up the new controller from Numark, The NS7. It worked on a platform called Itch made by Serato. It was an all-in-one type controller and used Mp3s from your laptop. I already had been collecting vinyl but knew that it was more for the purity of the sound and wasn’t sure if I was ready to move to be a turntable DJ.

After picking up the NS7 and playing around with it and learning the basics I had a good amount of fun. It wasn’t till one day I got a call from a close friend of mine to come DJ his party last minute. That night I knew that this is something I REALLY wanted to do. Not for the fame or name but more so for the feeling you get when you see people dancing and you’re in control. There something about having the ability to drop a tune and know everyone will go wild.

Months past and I had amassed such a huge vinyl collection and decided it would be a great idea to finally pick up turntables. After searching craigslist for a couple weeks I stumbled upon a pair of mint condition Vestax Pro 2300s. Playing records and hearing that warm open sound made me fall in love all over with music. I told myself that if I ever had to play a dubstep set I’d only spin on vinyl.

After getting comfortable with vinyl and dropping some serious cash I finally realized I had to slow down. You have no idea how expensive records can get. There are no real solid record stores in the States so everything you buy is shipped over from the UK.

During all this I fell in love with a new sound of music, glitch. I had always heard tracks here and there that were IDM or Glitch but never really looked into it. My ex girlfriend tried to get me into it but no luck. It wasn’t till I heard some of the older Glitch Mob sets did it hit me. My love for dubstep is still with me but I have wanted something new and fresh again. Glitch Hop introduces a better bridge for most people to get into electronic music. Everyone knows the samples and hip hop tracks that are put into glitch hop.

I found a great community at glitch.fm and now am a regular in there. The networking and friends that I’ve made because of glitch.fm are priceless. After spending a good amount of time in there I’ve learned quite a lot about new hardware. I recently picked up an Akai APC40 and learning Albeton.

The life of a DJ from my stand point is very difficult. If you want to stand out and take pride in everything you touch, you’ll have TONS of work to do. It’s not easy keeping up to date on all the freshest tracks, tracking them down once you know them, tons of money spent, equipment, skill, etc… It’s honestly a way of life. This is my hobby. I have a day job from 8am to 7pm. It consumes you and you’ll never listen to music the same. I can’t tell you how much time you need to listen to music if you want to stand out. Yet I can also say that it is so easy to just be that guy who plays what everyone else is.

Let’s get this straight. While it might look real cool being a DJ who spins on CDJs or Decks are just playing one song after another and mixing and matching beats when moving onto the next track. That’s as technical as it really gets. There is a skill of playing them in a correct order for a real journey but you’ll rarely get that. The only thing a DJ is really doing is matching beats and crossing over to the next beat in a technical stand point. Although it sounds easy it’s not but isn’t the most difficult thing once you get it. Now since I have acquired all these toys it’s what I’ve been working on. The only problem is sometimes I feel like I don’t really have control. Yeah some mixers have FX and fun stuff to play with but when it comes down to it you’re only limited to the tracks you have when using CDs or Vinyl. This is where the APC40 comes in. It’s a controller that lets you have complete control and ability to add endless amounts of things to a set.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stared at folders of music that I’ve aquired. There are time where I have 2-3 Gbs of new material that I have to figure out how to tackle and organize. Let alone label and remember what each track sounded like. It becomes daunting sometimes. Never did I know what it was like to have to take a break from music. It gets to the point where it’s like you can’t just listen to a song in the background. You have to listen for certain things and feel like this track will make ppl move or spark something in them.

Just when you think you have a complete setup now it takes time mastering it. Taking countless hours listening to tracks and picking out what you feel will take the dancefloor by storm. It’s especially hard with experimental tracks and glitch. You figure 99% of the people who you playing out too haven’t heard this before and hope you picked the right tunes for everyone.

When using Albeton you also have to consider you have to prep every single track you have to really take advantage of what Albeton can do. Warping, slicing, and modifying your templates takes work as well. With all these things being considered and understanding a bit of the work that it takes. Think about trying to do all this with a day time job most DJs have and juggling the time for going out and hearing new stuff at clubs and making time for practice or recording. Lots of nights I have to chose if I want to go out or stay in and work on some stuff.

I mention all these things because sometimes you forget how much time and effort a DJ really puts into it. I know every time I hear a solid set I make sure I go up to the DJ and tell him thank you and appreciate him playing certain tracks in a set. From going to knowing nothing about the latest in technology like CDJs, Serato, Mixers, Interfaces, etc… I have to say it’s not easiest thing know how to use all the hardware. Mad respect to all you DJs out there who spend the time looking for your original tracks.

Keep in mind this is all I’ve learned from just picking up stuff and starting off. It gets a lot crazier and stressful when you introduce promoters, clubs, parties, flying to other cities, etc…

As of now I haven’t found a legit source but it if were true, I wouldn’t be surprised. One thing I can’t help but wonder… how will this affect the price of MK5s once they are sold out at major retailers. How much longer will we see DJs using vinyl?

The details explain that Panasonic will completely stop production in 2010. This might be the best time to get a pair of 1200s. Now I almost regret getting a pair instead of the Vestax’s. Who knows MK5s could become a serious collectors item in a few years.

You can check out some more of Audiowood’s creative work at their website.
They also got some matching iPod docks. Audiowood Site

This may be the first of the last but from the looks of it I wouldn’t count on that. The first CD they are sticking to the 140bpm bangers! Tons of unreleased stuff that too be honest I haven’t even heard most of these. From glancing over who the producers are though I don’t expect I’ll be disappointed.

One thing that has really excited me about this releases is that we’ll most likely see it come out on wax!

Elevator Music Vol. 1 Tracklist:
1) Hot City – If That’s How I Feel
2) xxxy – Sing With Us
3) Doc Daneeka – Drums In The Deep
4) Hackman – Pistol. In Your Pocket
5) Julio Bashmore – The Moth
6) Untold – Bad Girls
7) Octa Push – Doctor Bayard
Shortstuff – Behave
9) Skinnz – Behave
10) Mosca – Gold Bricks, I See You
11) Martyn – Friedrichstrasse
12) Vista – Elixir
13) Caspa & Rusko – One Of The Same
14) Om Unit – Encoded
15) Starkey – Black Monolith
16) Shortstuff & Brackles – Melvin Blue (Digital Bonus Track)

I’m a big fan of vinyl toys. Ever since I saw the customizable Munny’s, I totally dug the whole customize culture.

There are many toy designers out there but one stands out of the crowd, Julie West.

Julie West has a definite unique style and theme with all her work. She is not limited in toy design but also creates beautiful illustrations and prints. Although her style is very feminine I can appreciate her work and see how many women around the world collect her work.

We are lucky enough to have Julie West in town this week-end for a solo show at Pink Ghost! The event is October 24th at 7pm. She will be signing her art book at the store. Be sure to check it out!

For more information and directions check out the Pink Ghost site.
Also if you want to check out some of Julie West‘s work online visit her site as well.

Designer Charlie Pyott has come up with a portable record player, the Lino. As a recent adopter of vinyl this seem extremely appealing. Not very practical for audio quality but something I’d possibly look into if had reasonable price tag.

The way it works is visually shown above. Two cables come out of the device, USB and Audio. The USB could power the unit via computer/laptop or power outlet. The audio cables I assume would be set of RCA’s on the opposite side.

This thing would turn any coffee table or flat service into a turntable. I’m going to say that this device is probably a terrible idea for scratching and DJing. Could be useful for a DJ though if get some freshly cut vinyl from a producer and want to check it out on the fly.

Hope to see this for sale one day…

Check out more of his designs:  Charlie Pyott