Reviews

Pioneer Unveil DDJ-SB Serato DJ Controller For Newbie Jocks

Yehouda Silverman Leave a Comment

Pioneer DDJ-SB

The folks at Pioneer DJ might be known for their wide range of professional DJ gear, but they haven’t forgotten the newbies in the marketplace. Today the company announced a new addition to its line, the entry level DDJ-SB Serato DJ controller. The unit is compact, easily transportable and brandishes all of the bundled Serato DJ Intro’s cues, loops, FX and samples. The DDJ-SB sports what it says is “the industry’s first Filter Fade, which helps aspiring DJs create seamless mixes by adding a high pass filter to the crossfader – enabling smoother transitions with just one control.” The DDJ-SB, bundled with Serato DJ Intro, will go on-sale January 2014 at an SRP of €249/£199, including VAT. A full list of features and promo video can be found below:

KEY FEATURES OF THE DDJ-SB
Plug-and-play control of Serato DJ Intro (free) and Serato DJ (paid upgrade)
Access a host of cues, loops, FX and samples
NEW! Filter Fade
Eight Performance Pads
Manual high/low pass filters on each channel
Dedicated website with interactive tutorial videos
USB powered
Pro-DJ design and build
MIDI compatible
Built-in sound card

Album Review: Deep’a & Biri / ‘Emotions Visions Changes’ (International Deejay Gigolo)

Matt Oliver Leave a Comment

Emotions Visions Changes

★★★☆☆

The Israeli pair’s strict set of deep electronica rules gets house and techno wound around a distinctive scene standard — the scrunched cyclic filter that sounds like a tunnel boring machine with LEDs, or Darth Vader’s heartbeat pumped through an iron lung. Twitching murkily and experiencing a peculiar twinge of the optimistic (though only in a dominant shade of metallic grey), Derrick May and DJ Hell have lauded what is an undoubtedly thoughtful and calculated piece of engineering that has left the Detroit manual dog-eared.

Its dubtronic science burrowing through a concrete jungle that’s part ghost town, part science fiction colony, is kind of beautiful in its own clunky, downbeat way. Protective of your headphones in its occupancy of archways of echo, reverb and accentuated ricochets, it goes without saying that once the record’s stall is set out, the amount of variation invested becomes a thorny stick-or-twist issue. Deep’a and Biri keep on with what they’ve introduced, raising the tempo with “It’s Makes Sense” and “Pressure Loss,” recalibrating on “Tears,” but trundling averagely on “Black With Purple” when stimulation goes missing; arguing that the same pattern through all four sounds slightly worked on.

The foundation of leaving you in suspense wears thin to the point to trapping you. Technically capable as a sensory investment, the two know the game and play to the rules, both of which act as the album’s strength and Achilles heel.

File under: Terry Lee Brown Jr, Steve Sterac, Juan Atkins & Moritz von Oswald

Compilation Review: ‘Balance Presents Guy J’ (Balance)

Kathy Vitkus Leave a Comment

Balance-Presents-Guy-J

★★★★☆

Guy J’s latest endeavor, Balance Presents Guy J, is a collection of appeasing compositions that peacefully ebb and tide their way to a harmonious symphony of contentment. While still maintaining a serene resonance, the lead-in track “No One Gets Left Behind” inflects the undertone eeriness and key plunking of Nine Inch Nails on a calmer day. “Santa Fe” conjures up a vibe of South Beach during Ultra Music Week when day three or four of insomnia is rearing its head: You saunter down to poolside at close to 1pm for breakfast and that first cup of coffee. Your eyes are shaded from the glaring tropical sunlight, your hand over your brow masking the fuming heat of midday. All the while there’s this cool ambiance flowing from the poolside speakers to calm the soul and radiate positive energy and the day is unfolding as it should.

The tracks are minimalistic yet opulent and a few are reminiscent of the pleasing Egbert “Open” from 2010. The jazz and funk infused “Waitin” is hinting at drum n bass similar to that of Brazil’s DJ Marky. “Once Upon A Time” might be a candidate for Above & Beyond’s Anjunadeep meets old school The Shamen “Boss Drum” with a slightly slower tempo. Indecipherable, subtle chanting on tracks like “Migrants” and “Fever” add a distinct, surreal element and the latter track gains a nice pickup funk about two thirds of the way through for a unique flare. Considering its soothing vibe, Guy J’s remix of Way Out West’s “Killa” is a bit of a misnomer.

As a whole what encompasses the essence of this latest effort from Guy J is warming and inspiring. The listener will find after unknowingly letting Balance Presents Guy J flow on repeat, it is both uplifting and therapeutic and leaves the listener with a new sense of rejuvenation like that from a nice hot tub soak or a good massage.

File under: John Digweed, Chaim, Guy Gerber

Album Review: Sons of Kemet / ‘Burn’ (Naim Jazz)

Matt Oliver Leave a Comment

Sons-of-Kemet-Burn

★★★★☆

From the glare of stage spotlights to alone and out in the wild, the Sons are a travelling quartet boarding a Mystery Machine that can brake from 60-0 at the click of a finger. Distinctive UK jazz congregates Bolero-like performance art and the expected aspects of an all hands to the pump ensemble, creating buzz-worthy bursts that clash with deliberations showing respect for classical compositions.

After opener “All Will Surely Burn” builds a wailing wall of squalls and “Inner Babylon” follows with a blitzkrieg of percussion — SoK on some double drummer biz, with a solitary horns-man attempting to play funk pacifist on both — the presence of impish clarinet and reeds take over. Between light-hearted and fending for itself when passages are left threadbare, and part of a tuba-assisted little-and-large combo, you can never imagine its players simply standing still, more likely to be performing ballet steps in a narration needing no vocal adornment.

When the band is sworn to playing quietly, the thin line emerges between going on instinct and pre-rehearsed storyline; either way, it confirms a live presence that will dominate any boards they tread. “Going Home,” “Beware” and “The Itis” see an intersection of frenetic, limb-heavy jazz hustle and the lead character tiptoeing impudently. In sharp contrast, “The Book of Disquiet” leads the record’s pleas for caution, where cymbals and snares vibrate to plant seeds of doubt in darkness, and a pastoral finale creatively reconstructs Boney M.

File under: Quantic, Hidden Orchestra, Ariya Afrobeat Arkestra