I've always been a huge fan of the duo Black Strobe, but this latest release of theirs is one of the best in my opinion. It's everything I love: edgy, dark electro and a little bit of funk. I guarantee you'll hear these tracks in my late night dj sets for awhile. Of the three tracks on this EP, the 3rd cut which is titled "Sometimes Funky People Are Dressed in Black" is sure to destroy. These are def meant to be listened to in length instead of a clip, so I highly suggest that you go ahead and buy the EP. After all, I know you've just been scavenging the blogs for free mp3's lately. Remember to support the artists that you like. Support keeps the scene alive.  

So in case you haven't noticed, I am a little partial to Native Instruments and their gear. As I was once a self proclaimed "Vinyl Purist" working at a record shop here in Atlanta it took alot of swaying for me to consider a digital vinyl system, but when Traktor Scratch was released a few years ago I was blown away and I've been a user since the week it came out. Many of the club DJ's I know (here in Atlanta anyway) seem to use SSL, and they are always asking me about my choice to use Traktor. In simplest and shortest words, it's because it's capable of much more than SSL. It allows me to be much more creative with rearranging my songs and composing/performing in ways that are otherwise impossible on the fly. In response I'd like to share a little video that shows the one and only DJ Rafik killin it. This is only one part of several videos that NI posted up last month so be sure to check out the others online.

For this routine, a vocal sample is loaded into the left deck while MGMT's "Kids" (Soulwax Remix) is loaded in the right deck. Cue points allow one-shot drumming action with the buttons of the MASCHINE controller. Rafik then drops in a custom guitar lick using the Beatmasher and Gater effects in Traktor, controlled via the X1 hardware. 

Brett Abramson and I have teamed up to bring Atlanta a brand new
monthly kicking off January 30th @ The East Side Lounge over in East
Atlanta Village. I'm super stoked about it because it's very different
than anything that I know of going on right now. Today the flyers got
wrapped up for the most part, so let me know what you think! By the
way, which of these do you prefer?

We all love technology. Your grandma might say she doesn't like all the changes, but I guarantee she's still alive because of it. Over the past decade, the way we go about doing things has been drastically affected because of the internet and digital technology.

10 years ago, there were hardly any DJ's who didn't use vinyl records and turntables. Now, everything has been replaced by a host of different things, we have DVS systems like Traktor Scratch & Serato Scratch Live, midi controllers, DJ Software, CD 'turntables' and nearly everyone is using a laptop during their music performance.

Now we all know that just as the format of music has changed, so has the industry, but for now, while I'm feeling nostalgic and reflective, I'd like to share just a few observations and thoughts on how promotion has changed.

pro⋅mo⋅tion

1. advancement in rank or position.
2. furtherance or encouragement. 
3. the act of promoting.
4. the state of being promoted.
5. something devised to publicize or advertise a product, cause, institution, etc., as a brochure, free sample, poster, television or radio commercial, or personal appearance.

Back in the day, if you were throwing a club event or party and you didn't have some sort of printed flyer, then it basically didn't exist. Sure there were the speakeasy rave's with the secret codes to get directions to the obscure spot, but for the most part, your flier was the make it or break it element in getting people to your party. I remember carrying loads of flyers around in my UFO pants pockets and when I would spot another 'party kid' it was second nature to strike up conversation or simply pass them a flyer, nod your head and keep going. 

Having a flyer not only let people know the details of the when and where, but it conveyed legitimacy and a seriousness that I feel has been lost in the digital age. The flyers (much like the album art on my 12" records and CD cases) were an art form and a means of expressing something about the party itself. I used to collect flyers of every party I could find. Even when I couldn't make it to the event, I would still hang on to the flyer and keep them all in a large box. Over the past decade I've seen a steady decrease to the point that I'm actually impressed when a venue or promotion crew actually prints flyers. Even though many flyers end up discarded and never read, I think there is still great value in having a flyer.

1. Flyers don't rely on someone sitting behind a computer.
2. Flyers can go places that online event invites can't.
3. Flyers convey legitimacy.
4. Flyers allow you to strike up conversations with strangers.
5. Flyers allow you to promote beyond your 'friend' barrier' on social networks. 
6. Flyers often end up being mementos after a memorable night, just like photos.  

In the broader topic of promotion these day, I also see more and more promoters becoming lazy and simply posting an event on Facebook (often the week of, or even DAY of the party), and calling it quits. I understand that in the recession, printing flyers isn't always in the budget, but uploading a pic of a 'flyer' and clicking post is hardly promotion. 

Most 'promoters' think that they're dong a great job by exposing the party to their thousands of 'friends' on Facebook and/or MySpace. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but I see more commitment from my friend Eric (a non DJ, non "Promoter"), walking around Atlanta late at night on the weekends passing out flyers while frankly "freezing his ass off". When people see that you care about the quality that you put out, spend time connecting with them and truly trying to further the scene (not just your party in particular), that's starting to get close to how promotion was done in the day. People are tired of being bombarded with impersonal flyers via Facebook. Trust me I know. I've been guilty of it, and now I'm reaping my rewards! But the true advancement and promotion of what you are doing comes from getting people excited and staying loyal. Think about what you're doing and make sure it's not just SPAM in the form of something that looks cool. How do you stand out from the rest of the crowd when it comes to your promotion? Consider that and strategize accordingly.

Here is simply one of the illest videos of 2009 featuring so many of my favorite people that it's simply epic. Below is a bit of info. Enjoy!

"Neurosonics Audiomedical Laboratory footage: Kingdom of the unreal but also a higher state of being, ultimately free of the limitations of the material world through the agency of science, technology, and imagination. Featuring: SCRATCH PERVERTS. FOREIGN BEGGARS. STIG. DR. SYNTAX. WILL CLARKE. WILL COHEN."

Check out everyone here:

http://www.creativitezero.com
http://www.luke-palmer.com
http://www.myspace.com/scratchperverts
http://www.shlo.co.uk
http://www.foreignbeggars.com
http://www.myspace.com/stigofthedumpuk
http://www.myspace.com/drsyntax
http://www.will-cohen.com
http://www.ward404.com

Big ups to my homey and fellow graf bro BALES for swinging by my crib just a bit ago and hooking me up with one of the Limited Edition design by CLAW (MONEY), one of my favorite artist! If you haven't heard about the project, be sure to check out www.greenlabelart.com for some very cool designs. Also much love to Mountain Dew for it's support for the underground!

Thanks to my family for an amazing Christmas! It was a day filled with great food, loving family and lots of giving! Even though my wife accidentally busted out my back window of my SUV on Christmas eve, it's been a few great days! (It happened while she was trying to close my back window after loading up the box for DJ Hero: Renegade Edition that she got me).

I've been playing DJ Hero a good bit, and enjoying some new gear I got from Turntable Lab.

One of the recent additions to my kit list is the Audio 2 DJ interface from Native Instruments. I typically use the Audio 8 DJ (in the studio and DJing with Traktor Scratch), but the Audio 2 should be the perfect thing for lots of ultra mobile things I do. Here is a cool video showing just how mobile it is!  

I won't be taking this on any parkour sessions, but the compact size and incredible sound quality is surely enough to make me run around like a mad man. Now that I once again have access to record some video, I'll do a review of it soon and I'll be sure to post it up. Also, I'll be doing a test run of the Audio 2 DJ tonight while playing @ Whiskey Park in The W (Midtown, ATL). If you come by be sure to say hello!