Author: Big Shot Magazine

Machinedrum to Teach Master Class for Underground Producers Alliance Program

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On November 17, the Underground Producers Alliance will be launching Art of the Soundclash, a new music education program, in New York City. This master class will feature mentoring from Ninja Tune beatmaster Travis Stewart, better known as Machinedrum (pictured above), among many others.

The UPA is a diverse collective of musicians, producers, and broadcasters teaming up to give music students a leg up in the production world. Stewart has previously worked as a mentor for the UPA for their intense, boot camp-style mentorship, known as the Ghost Program, which ran last September.

Through the Ghost Program, the UPA teaches music production in a hands-on fashion, which each teacher explaining the way they first got into it themselves. There, students learned numerous aspects of contemporary music production such as composition, instrumentation, arranging, sound-design, and sampling. The next Ghost Session is set to run in January 2015.

The Art of Soundclash will run from November 17-30 and will also feature instruction by Raz Mesinai, Mike Slott, Moldover, Val Jeanty and others. The course will be delving into live performance methods not typically covered in most music schools from performance-based instruments and effects, to creating and organizing sound libraries and custom MIDI controllers. For fledging DJs looking to expand their horizons, this is definitely a course worth crashing.

“My role in the UPA is to prepare the students for battle,” Travis Stewart (a.k.a. Machinedrum) exclusively told Big Shot. “I plan on showing students ways they can set up Ableton Live for live performance as well as DJing/Live hybrids. I’ll be using my own MIDI controllers as well as custom MIDI controllers built during Moldover’s course.”

Added Raz Mesinai, “This class delves into crucial aspects of live performance typically not covered in most schools, from building advanced Ableton Live Instrument and effects racks, effect processing, PA system mechanics, mapping, performance strategies and building your own customized MIDI controllers, in an effort to build new ideas, artistic freedom and awareness around sound systems themselves being the instrument.”

Pioneer DJ Launches First Touch-Screen, USB-Only Player

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Live DJing just got a whole lot more futuristic with Pioneer’s new XDJ-1000. The first Pioneer DJ player without a CD drive, the XDJ-1000 meets the frequent demands for a USB-only drive that matches the performance of previous CD-based models. The large, full-color LCD touch-screen now makes DJing more intuitive then ever with all of the necessary elements right at your fingertips, with a 7-inch touch screen which allows for optimal browsing and execution. Inheriting many of the essential elements from the CDJ-2000 NXS, such as the 206 jog wheel, slip mode, quantize, and beat sync, this new model is the first ever touch-screen DJ platform — basically, this thing is the kind of device you would have seen in The Fifth Element.

In addition to all those nuances and top gear features, the DJ also comes with a free download of rekordbox, is fully MIDI compatible, and is Serato DJ HID support planned for late 2014.

Watch the XDJ-1000 in action below.

Moby Re-Issues ‘Hotel: Ambient,’ Will Play First-Ever Ambient Shows

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One of Moby’s long out-of-print ambient albums is returning and will be complemented by a pair of unprecedented live performances. On December 16, Moby will reissue Hotel: Ambient, which was originally included as a second disc on Moby’s 2005 alt-rock album Hotel. The re-release will feature a fleshed-out track listing complete with previously unreleased recordings from the session.

While Moby’s live shows often feature a cross-section of songs from his entire career, his ambient work has always remained unrepresented. On the day of Hotel: Ambient‘s re-issue, Moby will host his first-ever ambient performance at the Masonic Lodge in Los Angeles (you can buy tickets for that show here).  He will also be performing at a fundraiser for the Integration in Joshua Tree On December 21.

Speaking about his interest in ambient music recently, Moby said, “I first heard, and heard about, ambient music on the B-side of David Bowie’s ‘Heroes.’  As much as I’ve loved writing songs and dance tracks I’ve always been obsessed with the ways in which ambient and instrumental music can transform the space in which [they’re] being listened. I also really appreciate the subtle and at times un-demanding qualities of ambient music, and the ways in which it can unconventionally reach people emotionally.”

A disciple of the work of Brian Eno, Philip Glass and Steve Reich and purveyor of constant musical innovation over the years, it will be great to hear Moby’s ethereal craft heard in a live setting for the first time. Hotel: Ambient will be available for free and for purchase December 16 through mobygratis.

Read our interview feature with Moby where we got him to answer questions from producers — everyone from Timo Maas to Kris Menace — who’ve remixed his tracks in the past.

Premiere: Stream Faded Ranger’s Debut LP ‘Mechanical Tonight’

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Having emerged earlier this year with a trio of excellent singles, Faded Ranger — listen to their exclusive Big Shot Guest Mixes here — is ready to release their debut album – the dark and body-moving Mechanical Tonight. The record is a collection of twilight groovers that are equal parts low key and high spirited. While emphasized on sensual, bedroom vibes, the tracks have enough snap to them that make them just as suitable for dance floors. During many of its sharp corners, the record calls back to the halcyon house days of old as well as the hoppy darkwave of Depeche Mode, which one could consider a reflection of the hometowns of the duo’s two members, London-based Neville Attree and Chicago transplant Nick Maurer.

Featuring singles “Be On the Lookout,” “Get Together (Right Now)” and “Blindfolds,” Mechanical Tonight  also clearly reflects the duo combined home of Heidelberg, Germany, which is an equally evident print in the record’s mold. Among its dubby moments like the psychedelic “Pretty Colors,” or the head-bobbing title track, there are a slew of unexpected surprises, like their transformed cover of Roxy Music classic, “In Every Dream House A Heartache.”

Faded Ranger formed in Heidelberg when Maurer and Attree were DJing at the outdoor party, “Girl’s Camp.” The two found an immediate musical chemistry, both honing skills that greatly complement the other – Maurer’s witty storytelling lyricism against Attree’s dynamic beats and melodic arrangements. The synergy they produced is an infectious blend of playful synth music, with a stoic overtone
Stream Mechanical Tonight below, and pick it up for yourself over at HFN Music.