Posts from — October 2008

Despite the seemingly endless supply of these custom sequencers recently, I’m still not quite bored of them.  This one is called the Monome, and features a grid of backlit keypads that light up when pressed.  It connects to your computer via USB, and comes in 3 models: 256-button ($1400), 128-button ($800), and 64-button ($450).

Monome via LikeCool

Red Bull has always shown an active interest in popular youth culture, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise to learn they recently teamed up with Canadian design company Cocoon to make a DJ table that represents “Red Bull’s sponsorship of an actual nightlife experience”, presumably to complement their upcoming contest to crown NYC’s top nightlife promoter.

The table features a backlit logo panel, ventilation for laptops, slots for LP’s and CD booklets, and a rather peculiar cutout on the bottom of the table to feed your cords…find out what I mean after the jump.

[Read more →]

Ok so being as how I’m sure most of you have quite the addiction to file sharing websites like zshare, I felt it was proper to share this new site called SoundCloud.com, which I think might change the game when it comes to sharing music.  Just watch the video and see for yourself.

Some of you may remember the famous “Sound Clash” beat battles that took place at a club called Root Down in Los Angeles some years back.  They were based on the old reggae sound system competitions, and featured some top notch producers.

The battles had been organized by DJ Dusk, who tragically passed away in 2006.  To commemorate his legacy a DVD of the battles was recently made available from the Stones Throw online store.

It’s definately worth watching!

Soundclash DVD

According to Billboard.com, Naughty By Nature, one of the most successful crossover hip-hop acts of the 90’s, and one of my personal favorites, has reportedly decided to reunite to record a new album, set to release sometime early 2009.  The group plans to release the album independently, which is tentatively titled “Anthem Inc”.

“We’re going to make universal party tracks with great hooks; street anthems, social and political anthems, anthems for the ladies.”

Click here for the full story.

The Brionvega Radiofonografio RR126, a record player considered to be groundbreaking at the time of its inception in 1965, designed by Pier Giacomo and Achille Castiglioni, has recently been reintroduced as the RR226.

The piece, known as the “musical component robot”, was considered a design classic, known for its versatility and its folding speakers, which could be positioned both at the side and on the top of the player.  In addition to the all of the original functionalities (radio, built-in amp, and dial controls), the player also includes CD and DVD players, effectively bringing it up to date with modern technology.

No word yet on when the player will become available for purchase, but hopefully soon.

[Brionvega via Coolhunter]

I had never seen this video I just came across that shows some of the hidden features within Serato.  Most of you guys had probably seen the feature that hides your track names, but I never knew you could play Pong!

As most mobile DJ’s know, the JBL EON portable loudspeaker series have been the dj speakers of choice for those looking for the perfect combination of good sound and affordability for the last decade. Well today JBL unveiled the next generation of the lightweight speakers, the EON500 series.

There are three models in the new EON product range. Each of the full-range EON500 series compact, lightweight models features an on-board mini-mixer with loop-thru or mix-out capability, allowing for greater control of the loudspeaker’s output. The EON500 series loudspeakers also offer selectable EQ, multiple suspension points, soft-grip handle and a full screened backed grille for extra component protection.

To check out the full spec sheets head on over to the JBL website.

As usual Q-Tip delivers with his new single “Move” from his upcoming album “The Renaissane” coming out on November 4th.

There’s nothing more annoying than slipping a record out of its sleeve, placing it on your turntable, and realizing it’s warped. Yeah there’s some home remedies for fixing a warped record, but for those of you too lazy for any of those shinanigans there’s the DFV-1 from Furutech.

The DFV-1 is a LP flattener that uses precision heating and cooling to basically iron your vinyl back into shape. Only downside…it’ll cost ya $1480.

[via Crave]