OT: FatBoySlim at Virgin V Festival

[RePeter]

His AV shows are awsome.
At glasto' last year he gave out these psychadelic specs and had his decks set up right in the middle of a HUGE monitor.

If it wasn't so muddy i would have had the time of my life.

Sounds cool Ive only ever seen a camera pointed on him, again giving more focus to him and him doing his writing on record and holding them up to the camera whilst drinking a vodka and orange

then check this out.......
http://www.residentadvisor.net/viewphot ... C02301.jpg

the giant boom box was just one, i swear the speakers were moving in time with the music as well.

[brightonalex]

I remember there being about 15 people dancing to his glasto set in the middle of a giant lake. I'm sure it was great if you could get anywhere close without drowning.

[RePeter]

Unfortunatly thast happens all to often at glasto, I remember trying to dance to prodigy in '97 in think, and everytime i moved my shoe came off and i had to dig it out of the mud!

[wilxon]

It was a good weekend though, i thought it was hilarious whatching people slip over. Late on saturday evening when just about everybody was covered in mud i saw this bloke who was pristinely clean, carfully planning his evey step and

whoop, slip, on his back and covered. It still makes me laugh now just thinking about it, that guy looked well pissed off.

[brightonalex]

I saw someone walking around in a wetsuit and diving socks. It seemed like quite a sensible idea, you'd be almost indestructable if a little hot.

This thread made me think; a lot discussions about electronic music techniques are more for the fun or interest of the musician than for the listener aren't they? I can't imagine most punters would complain that the 303 bassline is overused, or that they were impressed by a gating effect. People just like a good tune, don't they? The most popular ones, when you listen to them, you could recreate them with about 4 tracks. it's a bit geeky is't it, all of this? Fatboy slim is popular because his sets are fun, and that's the reason people go out.

[hambone1]

This thread made me think; a lot discussions about electronic music techniques are more for the fun or interest of the musician than for the listener aren't they? I can't imagine most punters would complain that the 303 bassline is overused, or that they were impressed by a gating effect. People just like a good tune, don't they? The most popular ones, when you listen to them, you could recreate them with about 4 tracks. it's a bit geeky is't it, all of this? Fatboy slim is popular because his sets are fun, and that's the reason people go out.

That's why I'm glad to see the Live PA/electronic musician scene gathering momentum, especially when the performer is using controllers and is detached from a secretary keyboard and computer monitor, and incorporating stage presence and visuals, too. Build a song on the fly that gets folks moving. Make it fun. If you want, include recognizable samples to keep the audience interested. Launch video and lighting clips as well as audio.

Make it interactive. Let the crowd launch stuff, too. (Currently doing this with a wireless Playstation dance mat.)

All the DJ turntable/CD trickery and wizardry can be admittedly skillful, but it's still just playing somebody else's records (turntable as an melodic/percussive instrument excepted). I'm sure there will always be a nostalgic and specialized call for record and CD players, but IMO they've had their day.

Times they are a-changin'...

[Angstrom]

This thread made me think; a lot discussions about electronic music techniques are more for the fun or interest of the musician than for the listener aren't they? I can't imagine most punters would complain that the 303 bassline is overused, or that they were impressed by a gating effect. .

I realised a long time ago when my girlfriend said "it all looks very complex up there - I have no idea what you are doing but it looks very hard" , I realised no-one has any clue what we are doing. apart from geeks.

she had no idea that I was playing the bassline, then looping it, 'sweeping the filter' , etc. Most punters don't - yet most electronic types assume that a relationship is implicit. turn dial clockwise - pitch increases, surely from that common knowledge everyone knows I am raising the filter on the tb303!
no.

I have had people come on stage and point at my Korg MonoPoly and say "look, thats the 303". Because of the way 303s are venerated most people assume they are big and covered in dials. IMO You could go up there with an unplugged bass and a stylophone and it would go down just the same!

[2kilo]

I'm speechless...

Build a song on fly... [er that would be a muscian then]
yep build a song on the fly... [er a jam, with no preparation, a musican then]
Let the crowd launch material... [er right safe]
DJ's that play other peoples music... [oh]
DJ's that play their own music [er musicans then]...
DJ's that only use turntables or CD players... [not allowed anything else]
Clubbers that have zero clue about Djing... [no cheering please]
DJ's that really want to be musicans...

I'm sorry but I have not read such utter tosh in a long time...

FatBoy is popular because of his name, people dance because he is popular, people see him as a superstar Dj, an insult to most DJ's...

[djadonis206]

Hey guys - everything looks difficult until you get in there and do it

You're some of the lucky ones who learned how to beat match, make music etc

I know a few people who have tried and couldn't do it

it's not easy, you're just lucky you picked it up

when you get it, it's like - wait, this is easy

Same goes for anything - I used to think MATH was really hard, now I get it and I'm going to continue on into the Pre Cal / Cal series and hopefully get some kind of computer science / technical degree

it's all about how your brain works

[wilxon]

I'm speechless...

Build a song on fly... [er that would be a muscian then]
yep build a song on the fly... [er a jam, with no preparation, a musican then]
Let the crowd launch material... [er right safe]
DJ's that play other peoples music... [oh]
DJ's that play their own music [er musicans then]...
DJ's that only use turntables or CD players... [not allowed anything else]
Clubbers that have zero clue about Djing... [no cheering please]
DJ's that really want to be musicans...

I'm sorry but I have not read such utter tosh in a long time...

FatBoy is popular because of his name, people dance because he is popular, people see him as a superstar Dj, an insult to most DJ's...

Doesnt FBS remix old songs that failed to get anywhere - so he is a remix artist isnt he?

I agree that he isnt a skillfull DJ, just a remix artist that has popular tunes, and instead of performing these tunes like moby would he just round people up to dance on the stage, make a big radio, or tv and stand in the middle of it, and just play the records by means of overlaping them.

I hate this idea, but he makes a living and has fun, and the dumb public love it.

My bird was saying that she would have rather seen him than hybrid at glasto.

Ait no way i would agree to that, but he did headline the second biggest stage, on at the same time as the white stripes.

[wilxon]

Hey guys - everything looks difficult until you get in there and do it

You're some of the lucky ones who learned how to beat match, make music etc

I know a few people who have tried and couldn't do it

it's not easy, you're just lucky you picked it up

when you get it, it's like - wait, this is easy

Same goes for anything - I used to think MATH was really hard, now I get it and I'm going to continue on into the Pre Cal / Cal series and hopefully get some kind of computer science / technical degree

it's all about how your brain works

Yea, who can hear the very instance that a record starts to loose sync?
or who knows the difference between a tight band, and an unrehearsed band?
Bass too bassy, distorting when it shouldnt etc etc etc

Its only easy when you know how.

Who answered yes to all of these, who has been doing it for years?

Ive been doing this for fun for 13 years, and professionally for 7.

[dannyk]

Rule no.1 when DJing: Know your crowd. D'you think fatboy slim could have played the same type of set as hybrid and still kept all those people there? Maybe, but i doubt it. These are main-stage festival (NOT a dance festival either) watchers.

Before i could beatmatch i couldn't care less about it. Now i tend to get all precious about it, though i try not to.

[hambone1]

Rule no.1 when DJing: Know your crowd. D'you think fatboy slim could have played the same type of set as hybrid and still kept all those people there? Maybe, but i doubt it. These are main-stage festival (NOT a dance festival either) watchers.

Before i could beatmatch i couldn't care less about it. Now i tend to get all precious about it, though i try not to.

Knowing the crowd is an absolute necessity. I'm still sometimes surprised at what works for one seemingly identical crowd but not another.

And now that any swinging-dick that can push the 'Warp From Here' button can automatically beatmatch, DJs can move into production and/or visuals. What else is there to do?

IMO, multimedia entertainment is the future. Mix audio, video, and lighting into one immersive experience a la FBS.

[wilxon]

Rule no.1 when DJing: Know your crowd. D'you think fatboy slim could have played the same type of set as hybrid and still kept all those people there? Maybe, but i doubt it. These are main-stage festival (NOT a dance festival either) watchers.

Before i could beatmatch i couldn't care less about it. Now i tend to get all precious about it, though i try not to.

This brings us back to the point doesnt it, fatboy cant play similar sets to hybrid.

If hybrid took the other stage on the other hand my guess is that they would keep the crowd there, its what they are about and what people would expect,

but i dont think the people would stay because of their techniques in mixing, but because they like the music, which is only as likeable as it is because of the way its mixed.

And i dnt think it would be the same crowd, but a different one.

Chemical brothers have the record for largest capacity crowd at glasto and that was mixed, live, without djing on the pyramid in 2000 (i have a very vague memory of it)

[wilxon]

And now that any swinging-dick that can push the 'Warp From Here' button can automatically beatmatch, DJs can move into production and/or visuals. What else is there to do?

IMO, multimedia entertainment is the future. Mix audio, video, and lighting into one immersive experience a la FBS.

What if the DJ is too busy manipulating sounds and changing the workings of audio?

Im a techno dj, and i am pretty busy during a set
1.getting the next couple of tracks prepared with placement, loops, EQ, effects etc
2.controlling the tracks with changing effects, levels, and eq
3.trying to read the crowd and keeping my head clear for any really juicy bits that need that massive burst of ingenius improvisation.

there is know way i could do lights and visuals at the same time, unless i plan the set before hand.