Grand Master Roc Raida—turntablist, producer, and one of the founding members of the almighty DJ crew The X-Ecutioners, passed away this weekend at the age of 37. (2009—officially the worst year ever?) Hailing from NYC, Raida came into the DJ battle scene in the early ’80s, and along with fellow X-Men Rob Swift, Mister Sinister, and Total Eclipse, he did much to elevate the art of turntablism to a brand new level.
Roc Raida’s 20-plus years in the game also included production duties for such artists as Big L, Smif N’ Wessun, Fat Joe, Ghostface, Black Thought, and Linkin Park. As the hip-hop community mourns his tragic death, Complex pays tribute to the master with highlights from his career behind the decks…
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DJs get no respect. Next time you look at the celebrity Serato DJs who hog the spotlight, remember those who put their lives on the line for the sake of spinning vinyl. Graphic designer Stefan Glerum hasn’t forgotten'his recent series of pencil sketches called Crate Digging: Don’t Do It! shows newbies just how tough digging in the crates can be.
See, back in the day, DJs were only as good as the dedication they put forth in searching for vinyl. In Glerum’s work, he gives 13 reasons'physical, mental, financial and social'why the old school hunt can be detrimental to a weekend-warrior DJ’s well-being. Check out images from Glerum’s illustrated manual below.
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These days, when you go to clubs, deejays (or the poor excuses for them) are normally carrying less weight. With all respect to vinyl culture, lugging records has become a form of self-torture now that Serato and Traktor pioneered the revolution of mp3 DJs. But in case you’re the type to use samples when putting the stamp on your mix, KueIt a new program that launched yesterday replaces the need to use hardware like an MPC.
What 9th Wonder’s Achilles heel Fruity Loops, and Reason did for digital producers, KueIt does for laptop deejays. Once installed, the user uploads the samples to a desired set of keys which are displayed on the screen in conjunction with any of the previously mentioned dj programs you use. The toggling between programs has no effect on your mixes, or the quality of the music. Check out a demo of the software featuring a testimonial by Fat Man Scoop.
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The digital divide between musicians and fans seems to get smaller every time Radiohead does anything. First they let you determine the worth for In Rainbows, now they are giving away the tools (what they call “stems”) to remix the song “Nude” from their latest release In Rainbows.
No cease and desist orders or charges of copywrite infringement here'all the instruments that the band themselves have cleared are there for you to sample in the remix contest. Download the “stems,” crank out a quick remix in GarageBand, then upload the remix to Radioheadremix.com. Listen to the top 3 remixes (so far) after the jump.
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