> continued on DJ TechTools

17 year old UK RapBattle phenom Blizzard gets blasted by his english teacher, Mark Grist on UK RapBattle show “Don’t Flop”.

Even though Blizzard would ordinarily  make short work of others, it’s apparent why he should still pay homage to his teachers.
(Forward the clip to 1:30 to start the episode)

It’s intended to be very focused: no library management, no track suggestions, no media player. Just a fast, efficient workflow tool.

The standard KeyFinder interface performs batch jobs, detecting the keys of a group of files quickly and simply. There is also a detailed analysis interface, which can be used to visualise chord structures, melodies and key changes in a single recording.

The creator developed this software as part of a project to obtain his MSc in Computer Science.

The software is aimed for OSX, but a windows version can also be obtained from the website of Ibrahim Shaath.



Have you ever dreamed of playing in another state or even country? I’m sure you have. It’s a dream practically every DJ out there has the moment they get on the decks.

They see the headliners and even popular locals flying around the world to play, and want to be there themselves one day. 

Now you might think playing abroad is a privilege only set for those guaranteed to fill a club – but that’s not entirely true. What if I told you it could be easier than you think?  Yes, with a little work and some ingenuity, you could play abroad too. Here’s how…

Read more here…

CITYHOPPER is a video project starring Dutch Rollerblade phenom Sven Boekhorst. All in the name of testing out his new Rollerblade SB Pro skate.

Check out cityhopper.nu for more info.

Many of you will be glad to hear that Alesis has developed a MIDI variant of the keytar, branding it Vortex.

Here’s my man Ean Golden showing of his skills!

Just got my Kontrol S4 back from Daniel, so I got some nice times ahead!

MIDIfighter, designed by workgringo at workgringo.com

I had just the MIDIfighter for a short period, as I was trying to get my new studio in order. But as one might expect I could not just keep it at that.
This is what I am aiming for ultimately ofcourse:

First things first though. I will most probably go and raid the local Ikea to purchase a 4×2 Expedit cabinet, some Capita legs, and some isolating floor panels so that I can finally start building my studio in the attic.

Next to this Daniel(James Dan) and I will be finally setting up a firm basis for RSTRCTDnl. This will become the home stomping ground of our Restricted Sessions, that will also be featured on SimplyRadio’s Simply Electro.

Production-wise 2012 will also be a nice and challenging  year. The liquid d&b(Sparkling Tree) project Daniel and I are working on is working to be a promising track. Mastering and EQing will take place this week.
If this works out to be the fine track we think it to become, we will be talking experimental projects that can work out into a musical expedition not yet encountered!

More on all of this as it will develop of course.

One controller that rules all

What’s the most searched MIDI controller on Google? The answer might surprise you. It’s not a studio mainstay like the MPC or Trigger Finger. It’s not a relatively new controller or a futuristic, buzz-worthy device. Nope. It’s an unassuming collection of encoders that’s been on the market for the better part of a decade.  Is it worthy of a spot in your arsenal of gear? And, if you already own one, how can you make the most of it?

Carrying around the BCR, DJTT stylee!

Read more on DJTT about one of my favorite MIDIcontrollers.

Savile, who was one of the most famous names on British TV and radio in the 1960s, 70s and 80s, died on Saturday.

Police said they were called to his home in Leeds, but that there was nothing suspicious about his death.

His family programme, Jim’ll Fix It, drew in huge audiences and the programme received 20,000 letters a week at the height of its popularity.

One of my fellow DJTechtools moderators, Karl Yates a.k.a. Karlos Santos, did a small write up:

Very sad news indeed.
100% fact, the first nightclub owner that used 2 turntables.
Another little known fact is that my mums friend was one of his many girlfriends in the 60′s. He was a mentalist.

If you can find Louis Therouxs documentary on him you will love it. You will also realise that he was in fact quite mental.
Louis – “Hi Jimmy, its Louis”
Jimmy – “Yes, its me… All the hair, all the teeth”

He never owned a cooker. His house had no cooker because, cookers mean women, and women mean brain damage. No cooker, no brain damage.

He lived with his mum until she died but he had a caravan that overlooked the house that he slept in when he was “entertaining”. When his mum died he preserved her room exactly as she left it and he had all her clothes dry-cleaned and stored back in the wardrobes once a year.
He called her “The Duchess”

Proper Star.

R.I.P

Read the full presser here, and the BBC Obituary here.