Buzz Word Alert: What the hell is Controllerism?

[condra]

Controllerism on the other hand could literally be mastered by anyone as it's your computer or hardware that's doing all the REAL work - all the timings, calculations, effects etc.
All you need is the right hardware, right controllers and the right effects/glitch patches etc.
Oh, and of course some hipster clothing and stupid gestures in time to the music and emphasise your tweaking to the max!

rubbish

[23kon]

The art of Turntablism is an analogue and hands-on skill.
You've got to know your records, know your tools and be quick, fast and skilled with your hands.
i.e It takes practice or it can come naturally and not everyone could 'make it' as a turntablist.

Controllerism on the other hand could literally be mastered by anyone as it's your computer or hardware that's doing all the REAL work - all the timings, calculations, effects etc.
All you need is the right hardware, right controllers and the right effects/glitch patches etc.
Oh, and of course some hipster clothing and stupid gestures in time to the music and emphasise your tweaking to the max!

In my opinion, Controllerists that DO deserve kudos are the guys who make their own controllers or create/program their OWN patches.
This does take some skill - technical skill.

you've never seen a good controllerist at work.

technical skill to build a controller? bullshit, that's just following schematics and wiring shit up until it works. (I design/tweak electronics for a living.) it mostly takes time and patience.

OK, time and patience or whatever.
The same time and patience and creativity too that it takes to make your own effects/patches for performance.
Folk who do this deserve kudos.

Folk that go out, buy a controller, download some patches that someone else has created and grab the latest top ten dance tracks and then start to tweak knobs do NOT deserve kudos.

Thats what I was saying!

It reminds me of back in my teens when I was a skateboarder.
There was skaters and there was skaters!
One bunch was kids who had all the latest expensive latest gear and talked the talk and who's focus was on being in the 'in gang'.
The other bunch was kids who made do with what they had and actually skated! who's time and effort went into boarding and learning new tricks and skills.
The first bunch were known as "grems", the second bunch (the skilled ones) were skateboarders!

[matthews]

Controllerism:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-CtxzSMAYc

[Tone Deft]

23kon - gotcha.

if the guy is pulling off smooth tricks with style the gear doesn't matter.

[estevan carlos benson]

Some people perform very skillfully executed pieces using ...controllers.
...controllerism...

I'm not a huge fan of buzzwords, but this one doesn't bother me, especially considering how badass some of that shit is. People are doing some really interesting stuff.

I guess I don't understand why a term exists. It should be assumed that a competent performer knows how to use their control devices. Also, I think we should foresee that the future of controllers is also still very open-ended. How one uses an MPC is intrinsically different from using a keyboard. We have the term instrumentation and instrumentalist. Why do we need "controllerism"?

Additionally, it seems to separate the idea of control away from the sound source. These controls in combination to our sound sources are full instruments. It's like calling guitarists and drummers "controllerists" when we should call them guitarists and drummers.

[estevan carlos benson]

As a traditional dj this controllerism is just BS.


All those tricks doesnt work on the dancefloor, people get bored of it.

Dj's are just trying to be more cooler.

yeah, that's what 'real' musicians said about turntablists 20 years ago.

i think there is a lot to be said about putting on an engaging performance. there is a big difference (to me at least) between a guy behind a laptop occasionally making micro adjustments vs. a dynamic performance where the artist is constantly moving and adjusting, even if that constant moving and adjusting is only making micro adjustments. it gives a performance a level of interaction between artist and music (and, therefor, artist and audience) that being hunched over a computer doesn't provide.

I don't know what turntablism is either.

[eddiex]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAlhj-FXXyU

[regretfullySaid]

An accurate term, despite it sounding nerdy and a little pretentious.

Moldover gave a great general overview and a great collection of sounds:)

[estevan carlos benson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAlhj-FXXyU

Uhh...

I'm sorry but are you saying "Controllerism" is the act or process of using a control device? An elaborate term for that? So I've used control devices in my lifetime. Those moments are called controllerism?

Yeah, rubbish.

[eddiex]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAlhj-FXXyU

Uhh...

I'm sorry but are you saying "Controllerism" is the act or process of using a control device? An elaborate term for that? So I've used control devices in my lifetime. Those moments are called controllerism?

Yeah, rubbish.

i actually don't really care about "controllerism" i saw a couple guys on the youtube and a couple dudes do it live.....my opinion is, there is a difference between just using a controller, and the video i posted....or this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31AFfyPXUKQ

[matthews]

Uhh...

I'm sorry but are you saying "Controllerism" is the act or process of using a control device? An elaborate term for that? So I've used control devices in my lifetime. Those moments are called controllerism?

Yeah, rubbish.

Of course its rubbish. It's just a term made up by people who feel the need to label things. If your playing music live and make it a point to do so by using a controller of some sort, you're therefore involved in controllerism. Same thing as someone who goes out and buys Tech 1200's and plays out, they're a turntableist. Doesn't really mean anything. But just like everything, you can have people who excel at it and take it seriously and produce an awesome finished product, and people who just do it because they think its cool and have too much money and free time on their hands.

[estevan carlos benson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAlhj-FXXyU

Uhh...

I'm sorry but are you saying "Controllerism" is the act or process of using a control device? An elaborate term for that? So I've used control devices in my lifetime. Those moments are called controllerism?

Yeah, rubbish.

i actually don't really care about "controllerism" i saw a couple guys on the youtube and a couple dudes do it live.....my opinion is, there is a difference between just using a controller, and the video i posted....or this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31AFfyPXUKQ

What's the difference in your opinion? Is controllerism more about describing a quality?

[eddiex]

i don't know.....i think there is big difference between JUST launching clips, and setting up your controller/etc. to play ableton like an instrument.

[One Reason]

Almost as annoying as Comptrollerism






Or.. Trollerism

[eddiex]

you may think its rubbish, or a buzz word, im not even that cised about it, but it seems like a pretty difficult thing to set up and do well and in an entertaining way....ill tell you this, i saw nosaj thing a little while back, that guy is a bad ass live....he is definitely doing a lot more than just launching clips, and all on just one mpd32....that is controllerism...i mean yeah it is kind of a lame term, but whatever. *shrug* sometimes its cool?