As the DJ culture evolves over time, the marriage between turntable and technology will become stronger and more involved. From vinyl simulation software like Serato and Traktor to dicers that attach to your turntable, it won't just be about what kind of shiny new toy you have during your set but how you use it. For DJ DownLow, the only issue might be technology keeping up with him. The British DJ and producer is a DMC World finalist who is also part of a six piece band, Dizraeli & The Small Gods, which plays their "own breed of psychedelic hiphop music." When he's not producing a new Hip-Hop track or performing live, he's in the lab cooking up a new routine like the one below.
We're big fans of live instrumentation sessions under the appearance of DJ sets. So DJ DownLow's work on the Commodores' "Brick House" is right up our alley. He starts with an intricate reinterpretation of the fast paced drum intro, scratching and juggling between the two turntables. His experience in a band shows with the variations he comes up with, using the same drum line. Take note of the clean, quick hand movements between the two faders and turntables. There's an intermission of sorts with his MPC, as he spices up the original beat to his own liking. That rhythm leads into a scratch portion that makes use of several recognizable vocal samples including James Brown's count off and his own DJ drop. This set has a lot of the key elements you want to incorporate into your own live set.
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