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Coffee House => Coffee House Boards => CH / Entertainment => Topic started by: Matt_H on April 17, 2005, 06:08:40 AM
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Perhaps some visitors from the UK could give me some insight for a little project here :-)
What are some good UK-based bands these days? Looking for opinions, recommendations, etc.
Thanks!
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Off the top of my head:
Threshold - Prog Metal
Anathema - Prog Rock in the depressing vein
My Dying Bride - Doom/Death Metal
Wont hear any of that in the charts :P It's also possibly not what you were looking for, did you have any particular style in mind?
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I'll check these out, thanks. Looking for stuff in a rock/dance sort of genre, preferably not rap.
Electric Six is all that comes to mind for me, but then, I know very little music. ;-)
I tend to despise American pop music, but maybe things are different in Europe. What British artists are in the charts over there?
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/totp/top40/index.shtml <--- UK top 40, has sound samples by the looks of it too. I think you'll probably find some familiar names in there.
Theres a band called Bloc Party that seem to be getting quite popular too, they sound kinda like a more up beat version of The Cure (also a good british band but i expect you've heard of them) from what ive heard.
-edit-
Dunno how i forgot to plug this guy but you should check out my favourite singer Damian Wilson, samples available here (http://www.damianwilson.com) and here. (http://www.damianwilson.org)
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Matt_H wrote:
Perhaps some visitors from the UK could give me some insight for a little project here :-)
What are some good UK-based bands these days? Looking for opinions, recommendations, etc.
Thanks!
The Streets are by far one of the best British bands at the moment. Well, I say band, it's one bloke. :-D
Blinded by the Lights Video (http://mfile.akamai.com/9139/asf/stream.wmg.com/wmi/uk/the_streets/grand_free/blinded/blindedByThelights_w_hi.asx)
The first album is called "Original Pirate Material", and the second album is called "A Grand don't come for free".
amazon links to both albums (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/202-4151580-5236616)
Keane (http://www.keanemusic.com/) are another good band.
I'm getting old now methinks, music doesn't excite me like it used to.
Back2theOldsk00l (http://b2vos.co.uk/rave_history_index.htm) :-D
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I tend to despise American pop music, but maybe things are different in Europe.
Nope, we get your drivel imported over here too! ;-)
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ALL "pop" music sucks: it doesn't matter where it comes from.
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cecilia wrote:
ALL "pop" music sucks: it doesn't matter where it comes from.
The Beatles made "pop" music and they don't suck. :-D
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Rammstein is pop and they don't suck either :-). Well, the music doesn't.
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@ cecilia
ALL "pop" music sucks: it doesn't matter where it comes from.
Yeah, but I think American pop music has an extra special layer of awfulness to it that other countries can't match. :-)
@ others
I'll look out for this stuff, thanks.
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Hi Matt,
Can you be a bit more specific?
Regards
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Cyberus wrote:
Hi Matt,
Can you be a bit more specific?
Regards
I think a menu is in order! ;-)
Drum'n'Bass
Garage (UK variety, sounds nothing like US garage)
Indie
House
HipHop (Not the "RAP" music you have in america, but the beats'n'breaks type we have over here"
Thrash
Hardcore (Of the dancing variety)
Trance
Make a selection please! :-D
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/me takes this oppurtunity to plug his mates band
www.nativesofthenewdawn.com
Proper hip-hop from Detroit.
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mdma wrote:
cecilia wrote:
ALL "pop" music sucks: it doesn't matter where it comes from.
The Beatles made "pop" music and they don't suck. :-D
no no no, that was a different time. that was before the horror of corporate "pop" music.
sure, The Beatles made popular music as opposed to classical or blues or Gilbert and Sullivan light opera. AND SO ON.
and, yes, they were brilliantly talented - the difference between them and this crap that is sold as "pop" music is that john, paul, george and ringo got together when they were kids, wrote their own music, played thier own instuments, sang with their own voices, etc.
and when being interviewed showed their own personalities - their true selves. not some calulated, corporate construct.
what made them a phenomenon is that they were having SUCH a good time, everyone wanted to join in. their joy, talent and passion was infectious.
Unfortunately, when untalented business sharks see something like this, all they see is an opportunity to make money. So they put together "acts" looking for one or more that will generate $$$$$$$$$.
the music is souless and crap.
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cecilia wrote:
mdma wrote:
cecilia wrote:
ALL "pop" music sucks: it doesn't matter where it comes from.
The Beatles made "pop" music and they don't suck. :-D
no no no, that was a different time. that was before the horror of corporate "pop" music.
sure, The Beatles made popular music as opposed to classical or blues or Gilbert and Sullivan light opera. AND SO ON.
and, yes, they were brilliantly talented - the difference between them and this crap that is sold as "pop" music is that john, paul, george and ringo got together when they were kids, wrote their own music, played thier own instuments, sang with their own voices, etc.
and when being interviewed showed their own personalities - their true selves. not some calulated, corporate construct.
what made them a phenomenon is that they were having SUCH a good time, everyone wanted to join in. their joy, talent and passion was infectious.
Unfortunately, when untalented business sharks see something like this, all they see is an opportunity to make money. So they put together "acts" looking for one or more that will generate $$$$$$$$$.
the music is souless and crap.
That's capitalism for you! ;-)
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@cecilia
no no no, that was a different time. that was before the horror of corporate "pop" music.
I was a little young at that time, but let's see...
Pat Boone
The Four Freshmen
Frankie Vallee (sp?) and the Four Seasons
Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello
Corporate "pop" music has been around since there has been corporations selling music. The Beatles changed everything by forming their own record company. All of a sudden, the suits had to play catch-up to the artists.
From about 1966 to around 1975, the record companies had to try lots of different genres all at the same time, just to keep up. You could hear George Bensen, Foghat, The Beach Boys, Queen, Todd Rundgren, and even (for some of us) Slade, all on the same radio station within a couple hours.
FM radio came into it's own as "album-rock" with the likes of Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa, King Crimson, and Led Zeppelin. All thanks to the ecclectic tastes of DJs on college radio stations.
Somehow, though, by the late '70s, the suits started catching up. FM went commercial. Disco got foisted on us. Record companies started getting better control of distribution. "They" started winning. New Wave started pushing back, but, in the end, even that didn't help. The suits won.
It would be very tough for a talented band like the Beatles to appear nowadays (yes, there _are_ many talented acts nowadays) with the kind of freedom that was available in the '60s. Internet radio started to help, but the suits managed to get that avenue closed down. That's the whole point of the RIAA lawsuits. It isn't about money, it's about control.
Sorry, I got carried away. I'll just go sit in a corner now and be quiet. I promise. :-)
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The Beatles changed everything by forming their own record company.
sure, AFTER they started APPLE. before that the suits were still in a state of shock that four "mop tops" could make this kind of furor. People JUST don't understand the power of the female sex drive :lol: :lol:
It would be very tough for a talented band like the Beatles to appear nowadays (yes, there _are_ many talented acts nowadays)
I know. I've seen many of them myself. That's what the Hardcore movement in NY was all about. They gave themselves names that could NEVER possibly be used by suits to make money. They had lyrics that were so bold and in some cases nasty so that they could not be exploited. it was great. the Anti-success bands! I love them!
SIRIUS Satellite Radio may be the big wave of the future. who knows?
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cecilia wrote:
The Beatles changed everything by forming their own record company.
sure, AFTER they started APPLE. before that the suits were still in a state of shock that four "mop tops" could make this kind of furor. People JUST don't understand the power of the female sex drive :lol: :lol:
It would be very tough for a talented band like the Beatles to appear nowadays (yes, there _are_ many talented acts nowadays)
I know. I've seen many of them myself. That's what the Hardcore movement in NY was all about. They gave themselves names that could NEVER possibly be used by suits to make money. They had lyrics that were so bold and in some cases nasty so that they could not be exploited. it was great. the Anti-success bands! I love them!
SIRIUS Satellite Radio may be the big wave of the future. who knows?
And in the UK we had Acid House and all the many forms of (some not so)underground music it spawned.
Only for the Hardcore!!
Where's Wilse when I need him? :-)
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Without trying to cause offence to any "Patriots" reading this (although I'm sure I will), it seems to me that the US invents a form/style of music, and then many if not most times, the UK picks it up and does it better.
For instance:-
Rock'n'Roll - We produce the Beatles, The Rolling Stones etc..
House - We turn it into Acid House/Hardcore/D&B and do it 100times better.
HipHop - While the american hiphop has turned into commercial pap, the UK is producing some of the best hiphop around.
I know not everything we produce is better, but it seems like quite a lot.
Anyone want to hazzard a guess why this is so? I can't think of any special reason why.
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Without trying to cause offence to any "Patriots" reading this (although I'm sure I will), it seems to me that the US invents a form/style of music, and then many if not most times, the UK picks it up and does it better.
:lol: oh, stop! this has nothing to do with "Patriots"!
the one great music style that americans invented was Blues. Sure, people like Clapton do it really well. but there is something quite unique about the original guys (Blind Lemon Jefferson, etc).
I do think that one of the reasons why europeans can be very creative with styles invented by others is the fact that europeans get a classical education. and being educated is respected.
When I listened to The Beatles it seemed obvious that there was some classical musical knowledge somewhere in there. (yes, I've heard the stories about how some of these musicans can't "write" in musical notation). that's not what I mean.
They grew up hearing good music - just like I did with my family. mom played the cello in college, performing Gilbert and Sullivan. My grandfather would sing french opera while he made dinner. It gets in your head.
if you have talent, it comes out. somehow.
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if you have talent, it comes out. somehow.
Mine's stuck....
Theres still a lot of creative stuff being made in america, check out some of the bands on www.ipecac.com (ok some of the bands arent american but most are i believe).
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Franz Ferdinand, Radiohead, Garbage, Fat Boy Slim, Gorrillaz
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Lemonty wrote:
Franz Ferdinand, Radiohead, Garbage, Fat Boy Slim, Gorrillaz
Well, if we're talking older bands and acts.
The Smiths, Joy Division, New Order, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, Northside, Black Grape, Morrisey, Ian Brown, Oasis, The La's, Cast, Massive Attack, Prodigy.
I'm sure if you search your favourite P2P client, there will be loads of the above artists songs to sample.
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Do I count as a British musician?
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bloodline wrote:
Do I count as a British musician?
Only if I count as a genius! ;-)
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I continue to be a terribly big fan of Julian Cope (http://www.headheritage.co.uk/). "The Breakfast Show" on the radio sessions (http://www.headheritage.co.uk/wsym/sessions.php) page is practically a Greatest Hits album; try to hang in there until 'Safesurfer,' at least. (Edit: Just coming back to this thread, and I've discovered that is a compilation album -- 'Leper Skin' in its entirety -- plus some extra bits thrown on. Not a bad deal for the price of free.)
I also have this strange habit of liking Savoy Brown (http://www.savoybrown.com/), I'm not sure how absurd that makes me.
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Boards of Canada (www.warprecords.com)
Pulp
Radiohead
smiths
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The Verve
Also, Atomic Kitten and Westlife are particularly good! :lol:
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Hey mdma, you forgot your all time favourite (http://www.cliffrichard.org/) :-D
BTW, why has no one mentioned these guys http://www.ironmaiden.com (http://www.ironmaiden.com) :-?
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Wasn't it Vincent who 'ordered' a Cliff CD last year? :-P
Edit: or was it Punkie? Can't find the original post
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Doobrey wrote:
Hey mdma, you forgot your all time favourite (http://www.cliffrichard.org/) :-D
:lol:
BTW, why has no one mentioned these guys http://www.ironmaiden.com (http://www.ironmaiden.com) :-?
Coz they are crap? ;-)
/me runs like fek!
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mdma wrote:
/me runs like fek!
Smithers, release the hounds... :evilgrin:
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Idlewild
Some cracking songs on their new CD.
Warnings/promises (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00076SJ5U/qid=1115896888/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_0/026-6878655-9182048)
Come to think of it I don't listen to that much music from the UK at the moment. Not much new anyway. I still listen to the golden oldies though; The Smiths, Suede (the Butler era), Buzzcocks, Stiff Little Fingers and (off course) Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine. :-D
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Doobrey wrote:
mdma wrote:
/me runs like fek!
Smithers, release the hounds... :evilgrin:
:lol:
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X-ray wrote:
Wasn't it Vincent who 'ordered' a Cliff CD last year? :-P
Edit: or was it Punkie? Can't find the original post
'Twas me. I had it on my LiveJournal.
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Annalise, Sedaced, Idlewild, Broccoli (defunct) are all super great.
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@ NoFastMem
No, the person in question ordered something completely unrelated online and was rewarded with a Cliff Richard CD instead. I remember him complaining bitterly about the Cliff CD. I'm almost certain it was That Punk Guy (Punkie).
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I guess ladytron (http://www.ladytron.com/) is a pretty succesful new band from UK (if you like the 80's).
Displaying influences as diverse as Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Roxy Music, and the Velvet Underground, Ladytron rocks like the 90's never happened. The group has been branded "80's Revival," a term they loathe, though the facets of 80's music they evoke are, to my mind, the very best ones: sparse, stylish vamps, ear-pleasing synths, and almost invasively catchy tunes. I called up songwriter Daniel Hunt in an American Holiday Inn and interviewed him about the darkness of pop, the dangers of kitsch, and the pleasures of "Logan's Run," the series.
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Ohhh newbie. ;-)
I am that_punk_guy. :-D
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Ah, now it dawns on me...it is he with whom I now communicate. Doh!!
X-ray don't know nothing, X-ray don't know nothing, X-ray don't know nothing...
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@mdma:
Where's Wilse when I need him?
Here, at last. :-D
I'm listening to Sly & The Family Stone right now.
Haven't heard them in ages, although I'm about to go and DJ soul, funk and disco so I thought I'd refresh my memory.
Re. the topic, where to begin?
Slam are not a bad British house duo that spring to mind.
There's also loads of good, lesser known British house stuff.
For decent pop, you could do worse than Franz Ferdinand or Kasabian. Both are excellent live.
I also love that Cesars track, Jerk it Out. Not certain if their British, though.
There's loads more but I'm afraid I'm in funk mode just now.
Actually, The Brand New Heavies were a decent British Soul/Funk band. As were Average White Band.
-EDIT-
I should do this soul malarky more often. I've just been listening to Curtis Mayfield and Sir Joe Quarterman. Absolutely fantastic.
It's amazing how I can go years on end without listening to huge chunks of my record collection.
Having said that, there are rather a lot of them.
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X-ray wrote:
Wasn't it Vincent who 'ordered' a Cliff CD last year? :-P
Edit: or was it Punkie? Can't find the original post
OMFG!
No way was it me. I wouldn't stoop to get any form of Cliff Richard CD.
That doesn't include my The Young Ones and Cliff Richard .avi that's on here somewhere :-P
That's the *only* thing that Cliff has done right. And only because The Young Ones are in it and knock him out at the end :-D
In all honesty I prefer Neil's Hole In My Shoe :-D
I do like The Shadows and Hank Marvin however, but I can't listen to any form of vocal work on top of the music. I'd rather listen to the Spice Girls, Take That and Westlife doing a non-stop medley of all their songs one after the other until I die.
And that's not an offer for X-Ray to come round my gaff with his CD collection :-P
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@ Vincent
:lol:
Ja, it was Punkie (AKA NoFastmem) who ordered something else and got sent the Cliff CD by mistake.
As for my CD collection, there is no Westlife etc but I have to admit that my collection probably wouldn't get much play time with the people in this thread.
I'm an 80s fan, you see.
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X-ray wrote:
@ Vincent
:lol:
Ja, it was Punkie (AKA NoFastmem) who ordered something else and got sent the Cliff CD by mistake.
As for my CD collection, there is no Westlife etc but I have to admit that my collection probably wouldn't get much play time with the people in this thread.
I'm an 80s fan, you see.
Now that's a double edge sword is that statement.
99% of the time when somebody says they are a fan of a particular decades music they mean they like pop music that was played on the radio in their youth during this decade.
I'm not an "80's fan", but I like hiphop,house,punk,electro,acid and loads of other music from the 80's.
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No doubt about it, the 80s had some excellent stuff.
New Order, Stone Roses, Simple Minds, Talking Heads, U2, etc, etc, all produced some excellent stuff in the 80s.
Having said that, it's probably my least favourite decade for "the charts" but I never pay much attention to them anyway.
I'm listening to "The Clash - London Calling," just now. 1979. One the best albums ever.
One of my mates bought me it on vinyl (not an easy task) and a Kasabian concert ticket, as a thank you for DJing at his wedding.
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Wilse wrote:
No doubt about it, the 80s had some excellent stuff.
New Order, Stone Roses, Simple Minds, Talking Heads, U2, etc, etc, all produced some excellent stuff in the 80s.
Having said that, it's probably my least favourite decade for "the charts" but I never pay much attention to them anyway.
I'm listening to "The Clash - London Calling," just now. 1979. One the best albums ever.
One of my mates bought me it on vinyl (not an easy task) and a Kasabian concert ticket, as a thank you for DJing at his wedding.
Cool gift!
Promise me that you weren't like the wedding DJ that Peter Kay talks about in his standup routine! ;-)
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@X-Ray
Yeah, I know. I was utterly shocked that I was the suspect and immediately defended myself without reading the rest of the thread :-P
I have some 80s stuff but it's mainly metal (Maiden, Ozzy, Bathory, Metallica) although I do have one "poppy" 80s CD that gets played a lot: Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime :-D
--edit--
@mdma
You mean the one in the John Smith's adverts (http://www.johnsmiths.co.uk/)? (The Adverts - Annie) There's actually 2 of the ads with the DJ, but the second part isn't up yet.
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@ mdma
Ja, it usually reflects on a time when the dude liked what was playing on the radio. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing because I only listened to SA radio ever (don't listen to UK radio). Don't listen to any radio really. I've got one packed away and I just haven't had any great urge to take it out.
Ja the 80s is what I like mainly. But every now-and-then something else comes along that I like.
And I have my weirdness...I bet I'm the only sumbish here who has a Nancy Sinatra CD :-)
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@mdma:
Cool gift!
Certainly was.
Promise me that you weren't like the wedding DJ that Peter Kay talks about in his standup routine!
It was a one off. I've never DJed at a wedding before and am not likely to again.
The only reason I did this one was because the guy getting married is the guy I record with and even then there were conditions attached.
I insisted that he chose a playlist, with a list of songs for me to choose from and that if anyone complained about the tunes, I'd refer them to him.
As for being like Peter Kaye's guy, would he have finished with "What the World is Waiting For" by the Stone Roses? ;-)
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Wilse wrote:
@mdma:
Cool gift!
Certainly was.
Promise me that you weren't like the wedding DJ that Peter Kay talks about in his standup routine!
It was a one off. I've never DJed at a wedding before and am not likely to again.
The only reason I did this one was because the guy getting married is the guy I record with and even then there were conditions attached.
I insisted that he chose a playlist, with a list of songs for me to choose from and that if anyone complained about the tunes, I'd refer them to him.
As for being like Peter Kaye's guy, would he have finished with "What the World is Waiting For" by the Stone Roses? ;-)
:lol:
Did you mix the tunes or just drop 'em in?
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@mdma:
Did you mix the tunes or just drop 'em in?
I was using hired CD decks so mixing wasn't really an option.*
Receptionist at the hotel still said it was best wedding music she'd ever heard.
Which was nice. :-)
*I normally use vinyl.
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Wilse wrote:
*I normally use vinyl.
:lol:
Weird how noone ever admits to using only CD's, well apart from people who are sh!t at mixing that is! :-D
I had to laugh at some bloke mixing with a laptop and mp3's in a bar a few months ago. He was dire.
There should be a law for employment of dj's, even if you do use CD's and mp3's on the night, if you can't use vinyl correctly, you shouldn't be playing at all! :pissed: ;-)
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@mdma:
I tried to reply to this last night but the piece of kiech PC i was
using keeled over.
Finally got my Peg reconfigured to my new ADSL provider. :-)
That wedding was the first time I've ever used CDs to DJ with.
Last month at Chakra I used CDs again but only two and with good
reason.
1. I was planning playing "Guns of Brixton" but my vinyl copy of "The
Story of the Clash" is a bit crackly, so I took my London Calling CD.
(Won't have to do that again. :-))
2. I played one of our tracks to see how the crowd would react.
Naturally, I don't have this on vinyl, so hadto use a CD.
Other than that, I always use records.
As for mixing mp3s, have you seen Final Scratch?
I have to confess to wanting that. You get two slabs of time-coded
vinyl, each of which can be assigned to an mp3 on your laptop. You can
then control the mp3s by hand, via the vinyl - genius.
The best bit is it works almost like real vinyl.
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Oooh yes, Fianl Scratch.
Looks very nice indeed.I saw a video of someone using it once and it was excellent.
Just a tad pricey though. :-(
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Just a tad pricey though
The only reason I don't have it already.