Reviews

Gear Review: Stanton SCS.4DJ

Praxis Leave a Comment

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Let’s face it: times have changed, and rock stars are no longer the pinnacle musical gods of our culture. Today’s social inspiration and ultimate hierarchy are being defined by DJs and electronic music producers; even your grandmother knows who Deadmau5 is. While the kids may all want to become the next superstar DJ, it isn’t always affordable for them to do that. With turntables costing over a thousand bucks, and vinyl going the way of the dinosaurs, it’s just evolution that we must focus on the digital music frontier. Coming to the rescue is Stanton, a DJ-aimed venture from the Gibson family of brands, a company that has been supporting musicians for decades.

If you have been wanting to get into DJing but are just afraid of the high level of tech that goes along with the title, this unit is just the thing for you.

Launching the SCS.4DJ last year, this unit is built specifically as a DJ controller that has no need to be paired with a laptop when you are performing. Less as a controller and more as a full-on DJ workstation, you upload your tracks to this unit via USB flash drive and onto mixing you go. The dedicated OS is built just for DJing. Everything from track analysis and pitch rescaling have been thought of so all you have to do is literally plug and play. This unit features all the stuff you would expect from costlier devices: two jog wheels, two mixer channels, a series of effects and a robust master channel. The digital display shows you a real time presentation of the tracks playing and in cue, making it easy to see what is in store for the crowd. New to mixing and can’t quite figure out the whole beat match thing yet? No worries, an instant sync button is included and will move you on to quicker mixing and less frustration, leaving you inspired for hours.

If you have been wanting to get into DJing but are just afraid of the high level of tech that goes along with the title, this unit is just the thing for you. Everything you need to pump the party is here, however a novice will also impress as the learning curve for this unit is about two mixes.

Come test the waters with this low cost and simple to operate solution. Who knows, this might be your first step to becoming the next big thing.

Album Review: Kyau & Albert / ‘Nights Awake’ (Euphoric)

Darren Ressler Leave a Comment

kyau-and-albert-nights-awake

★★★★☆

Ralph Kyau and Steven Albert have a penchant for producing synthy trance anthems and mystifying, serenading masterpieces. Their latest effort is no exception to their distinguished reputation. But as with all great masterpieces this process takes time: in this instance it took six years for Nights Awake to finally materialize. Opening track “Encounter” is a peaceful, inviting, therapeutic odyssey providing abundant auricle satisfaction. It segues nicely into “What Lovers Only Know” by getting lost in the soaring, emotional builds and the desirous poetry of breathtaking love. Scattered within are the pre-released and beloved successes of “A Night Like This,” “Another Time” and “This Love.”

“Open My Eyes,” their collaboration with trance veteran Paul van Dyk, is another triumph. While it has the familiarity of their classic “Kiksu” or “Are You Fine,” the rooted contributions of all three talents can be equally detected. (It should be noted that Van Dyk had recognized Kyau & Albert early on, playing their now classic “Outside” on his radio show in 2001.)

Historic, epic trance seeps through Nights Awake on the Ronski Speed collaboration “Euphonia.” Smooth, futuristic synths drive “Do You Still Know” and “What Will Go.” An orchestral background blended at times with a subtle island beat dictate the aerial “Nightingale.” Deviating from the traditional archetype of utilizing the vocals of Steven Albert, the duo recruited Australian singer and TV personality Adaja Black and found her unique creativity and her impassioned vocals of “Could You Fall” a fitting asset to the mix. Some of the more melodic and entrancing tracks on the collection come from “We Own The Night” and the single release “All Your Colours.” The former, with its resonating vocal echoes, was the choice track by Euphonic label mates Stoneface & Terminal when they agreed to do a track together for the album. The four label mates worked it, ran with it, nailed it and the final piece is wondrously enchanting.

The lengthy journey to Nights Awake has been worth the wait. Once traveled and embraced it’s a destination of passion and love, a utopian escape that you’ll desire to revisit again and again.

File under: Armin van Buuren, Above & Beyond Group Therapy, Paul van Dyk

Compilation Review: ‘Dubstep Allstars Volume 10, mixed by Plastician’ (Tempa)

Matt Oliver Leave a Comment

Dubstep Allstars Volume 10, mixed by Plastician

★★★★☆

Plastician causes more head-bangs than a Mortal Kombat death move. Only brainless in so much as it digs a claw into your skull and scoops up grey cells as its trophy, Chris Reed strategizes with deliberated attack – dive bombs, dead-eyed snipers, sub-bass gorging on steroids (with mangling side-effects to match), thickening the air with gunsmoke and targeting clubs by unsheathing wild tectonic activity.

Kumarachi’s “Voyager” has percussion smashing more plates than a Greek get-down. Nomine’s “Waves” runs on old jungle bass to show there’s no frequency too old to void your bowels for you. Vicious Circle’s “Not Afraid” is the seek & destroy, future outlaw incarnate. Jaydrop’s “That’s How It Is” knocks over the 4×4 template, and Dream’s “Desolate” is the classic flipside of understating the firepower to maximise the tension. Emcees gamely crossing the grime divide are Newham Generals’ Footsie and the particularly rampant Merky Ace, and you can well say the mix is going back to dubstep’s roots and sticking to meat & potatoes marauding.

There is a deeper side: Mutated Mindz’ “Valentine Dreams” puts a megawatt charge through Cupid’s bow and arrow, and Plastician’s own “Alone Time” eases the collective migraine, but it’s no grey-shaded rumination, just the big guns told to a break from playing pat-a-cake with the panic button. The Allstars shall not be moved.

File under: MRK1, Slaughter Mob, Magnetic Man

Album Review: Pieter Steijger / ‘Luminosity’ (Frameworx Music)

Matt Oliver Leave a Comment

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★★★☆☆

As a can of worms looks for a tin opener, it’s 50/50 as to whether you’d deem Luminosity as ‘intelligent’ or ‘deeper’ EDM. “Elements of Life” is most indicative of muting the pyrotechnics and aiming to be more meaningful. An additional alignment to tech-house with a laboratory feed has the power and the blinkers to hit the dancefloor pretty hard, stitched together with diligent, driving digital precision. Despite being regularly mounted on rock solid beds of bass – make sure the low ends are well up actually, otherwise the likes of “Perception” will pass by and make you think that Steijger’s studio isn’t fully plugged in — a lack of excitement is spun positively as a surplus of proficiency, picturing gyroscopes rotating economically.

The Dutchman making spindly rhythms happen with full-bottomed sound will serve you well when in the middle of a marathon dancefloor session looking for something to run more club circuits to. Kind of inevitably there’s a momentary drop down in tempo, with “Interlude” providing peril as it pushes bass across a rope bridge, the cue for Steijger to start thrusting more darkly with the steely spirals of “Unconscious” and to finish the album arousing suspicions. If you want something to get you moving without pretension or hoopla and can pass Steijger’s sound as scientific, the glow of Luminosity won’t have you shielding your eyes or ears, even if its brilliance is only by name.

File under: Pig & Dan, Tom Novy, Sander Young