After being in Japan for a week, it’s time for a little “what have I been up to”.
Well, the first gig was fun. I went to Koffre with Lune-chan and started out with some electro classics like Hashim and Hip-house tracks from the likes of 2 In A Room. As it’s a hip-hop kinda bar I was expecting them not to like techno much so that’s what I tried to play. The funny thing was, when I noticed I was losing attention I started playing my own style of tracks like Robert Babicz and Daniel Steinberg I got better reactions. The owner of the bar was a very kind guy who welcomed me back to play some more when I had time.
Yesterday I went for a stroll in Sannomiya (三宮), Kobe (神戸) which is always fun. I was enjoying the cool architecture and headed for sea. I noticed the view is brilliant and buildings around there were so cool. Until I actually arrived at the sea itself… Watch what happened..:
Looks pretty cool huh? Well, not so cool if you are stuck there without an umbrella! But I turned out fine, only having to change my socks, which were soaked!
On the 24th of July I’ll be playing at Bar Mel at the ‘Nihon Techno’ party and around the 28th of July I’ll be visiting Hiroshima. Watch this space!
As you can see, I was able to take a good shot of mount Fuji (富士山, fujisan) from my flight from Tokyo to Osaka airport. I had a good flight, though the twelve hour flight from Amsterdam to Tokyo was a bit little bit boring and long. Luckily, there were some very friendly Dutch and Japanese people on board to kill the time. After some off and on sleep (choose a movie, lay back, relax, close your eyes and enjoy the experience) I woke up to find there was only two hours left until Narita airport. Good! Switching from the international airliner to the local one was a breeze and after only one more hour of being airborne I arrived at Itami to be picked up by Maki-chan and her mom. After nine months, I was so happy to see her again! And so was she. Ah yes, good times. After my arrival we went to eat sushi at kuru kuru sushi and went home to unpack my suitcases.
I took my first day (today) to relax and get used to the climate (sticky hot). Tomorrow I’m going to Nipponbashi, (Osaka’s electric town similar to Akihabara in Tokyo) one of my favorite places to go. So I can get ready for my first gig this Sunday.
This winter I found a sweet deal for 2 EKS XP5′s, this summer I scored a sweet deal at Native Instruments for Traktor Pro.
Sure, EKS’ MIDI driven DJ-controllers the XP5 and XP10 have been around for a while, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting them. I’ve been wanting a few of them ever since their release years ago, and recently I was able to buy them for a very nice price! (Thanks, internet.) Last month was Native Instruments’ “kickstart your summer”, which meant I could upgrade my Traktor DJ Studio 3 to Pro for next to nothing. 50% off for LE users, 65% for users of (the full) DJ Studio 1, 2 or 3.
I use my EKS XP5 controllers in two configurations, internal mixing using Traktor Pro and my M-audio X-Session-Pro for mixing and effects, and external mixing using Traktor Pro and a DJ mixer like one of the Pioneer DJM series and a KORG Nanokontrol for effects. Though, I prefer the second set-up; mixing externally, for it’s sound quality (endless debate about this subject, here), the feel of real hardware and the use of the mixer’s own built-in sound-effects. The effects supplied by the mixer itself also make up great for the lack of master effects in Traktor DJ Studio & Traktor Pro. EKS and Traktor Pro supply their one midi-configurations for the EKS XP5 (and XP10) for single or multiple XP controllers, but I prefer using yet another set-up by a Native Instruments forum user called lourma. I then edited the button-layout to match my demands and make it work like it did when I was using it to control Traktor DJ Studio 3.
The wheel to nudge and scratch the track works brilliantly in combination with Traktor’s midi capabilities. Allowing for all kinds of functions to be assigned to it using midi-pages like, effects, setting a high or low sensitivity for slight nudges or a hard backspin, and of course choosing the tracks from your library of music. I set loops using the controller and jump around the tracks using nothing but the XP5′s. Change the pitch, apply effects, it’s all possible combing Traktor Pro and the EKS XP5′s. However, the device does have it’s drawbacks. The buttons are a bit hard. But they don’t take much effort to be pressed, which makes up it. The controller is pretty lightweight, making it a no-go for a DJ who likes to play his or her tunes vigorously. All round it’s a bit on the small and light side of things, making it look less impressive than it really is. And last of all, the supplied USB cables are not the best around, one of them breaking after only a few months of use and only a few gigs where I used them. Not the biggest of issues, but having the cable break in the middle of my performance was very frustrating. (Which taught me the following, A-L-W-A-Y-S bring a spare pair of USB cables type A – B, male – male.)
The last months I’ve been using the XP5 controllers and Traktor many times for practice and gigs and they will be my main weapons of choice the following months during my performances in Japan. For now I can say that the combination of these machines and Traktor DJ Studio (3) or Traktor Pro produces a mixing powerhouse. Traktor has grew a lot in the transition from DJ Studio 3 to Traktor Pro in departments like effects and looks. The layout feels more intuitive and looks more tidy. Though I’d wish for the controllers to be a little bit more big and heavier. Not that I use them heavy-handedly, but because they look so fragile because of it. I’m guessing the Otus made up for this, but I’m not using the Otus, I’m using the way cheaper white XP5, two of em in fact. Which brings me to my final-final thought: Modding it, or building a heavy flight case to make up for the lack of weight. Browsing the web I found out that modding the device isn’t easy, which leaves me with finding or building flight cases for the devices. Anyone know any good ones?
The Netherlands, Utrecht (June 28th, 2010). Starting July the 8th, and all the way through till September, JordyVision (also known as Son of 8-Bits) starts a self-powered and improvised DJ tour in Japan. And with four DJ performances already planned things are looking up for the do-it-yourself DJ, producer and co-owner of electronic-music label Prowess Records.
His adventure starts in Kobe, where he’ll play four sets at three different venues. The names of these clubs are as of yet unknown, but will be announced soon on JordyVision’s website, Twitter, and Facebook pages as well as other social-networking websites. Along with these events he will also try to find his way into the clubs in Osaka, Kyoto, Tokyo and any other places friendly to House and Techno music.
To stay informed on all the latest news follow JordyVision on Twitter or read his blog, where the latest gigs and information will be announced. After the adventure in Japan, a detailed report will be writen about his experiences. Ditto-Music, distributor of digital music, will publish this report on their website as a source of information and inspiration for DJ’s, bands or other music related live-performers who are looking for ways to play in Japan.
Road to Japan | JordyVision | 
17/07/2010 07:44 | 
Comments (0) 
