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ju-e

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Posts posted by ju-e

    The Ruck is back - Scratchgod.com

    in MUSIC/DJ RELATED

    Posted

    He really is a scratch god... and an amazing fashion guru. I am expecting to see him on the Apprentice next year because his business model is brilliant and the margins he has set are amazing...... I have also downloaded everything and ordered everything because of the tweetray..

     

    Thought the tracks were alright thou

    • Like 1

    Please critique this file

    in MEMBER AUDIO & VIDEO FILES

    Posted

    The flares at 1.36ish are a bit sloppy... but it's generally dope.

     

    My take on the things that Eric and Pete and others in the thread have alluded to is that predicability is the key differentiator between good and great scratchers. I notice that you use drags a lot to close phrases and find the downbeat again, as do a lot of people (myself included). If it's not drags, it's some kind of 'comfort combo', I quite often do the same 2 click chirp flare or something. It helps me, and I'm positing that it's the same reason for most people, to 'find' the pocket again. Muscle confusion after losing the 'balance point' if you will of where you'd tend to start a phrase kicks in and it's a way of hitting reset.

     

    The thing is this sounds repetitive in practice, sounding like lots of little phrases stuck together rather than an extended freestyle. It's something that D-Styles, IQ, Toadstyle, Ruck, etc don't seem to get caught up in and it's why to my ear they're the dopest when it comes to freestyle.

     

    When I came to this I started practicing two things. Firstly, starting phrases on different beats of a bar, and consciously changing between starting with forward and backward record movements and open and closed fader cuts. Secondly, trying to impose a non resolving cross rhythm on my phrasing, so that I don't come to an end of a phrase in time with downbeats. Unfortunately my fader bust the other week and I'm completely out of practice anyway, so I'm not really giving any proof to my ramblings.

     

    Thanks Chris, nice reply. This is the sort of thing I was looking for. Good to gauge other peoples understanding, and I am pleased with the feedback from everyone bearing in mind it was just some cutting and nothing particularly great. I wanted to put what I would call an average file up and see what people could suggest to improve it as I am feeling out of touch as to what is next level and need some help.

     

    Absolutely agree with what you are saying (including the weak one click taser variations ha ha), and as for the phrasing finishing on a down beat, I have always found that when I have started to shift phrasing too much causes people to struggle to understand it (and it becomes even more self indulgent and over technical and less funky), hence falling back to finishing on the downbeat and conforming to standard(ish) phrasing.

     

    Enjoying all the nerdy responses on this thread :-)

     

    Cheers again everyone

    Please critique this file

    in MEMBER AUDIO & VIDEO FILES

    Posted

     

    From my observations most people seam to perform either closed or open fader combinations, with very few mixing 'closed/open' within the same phrase. This is especially hard to do when your are scaling the combination also.

    I wonder what you mean with "scaling the combination" - is it related to the pitch?

     

    Letting go of what you've drilled is really a huge problem, partially because it makes you feel more secure and similar combos that you haven't practiced as much sound more sloppy. To develop the autonomous senses you're talking about requires concentration in the first place, though. Ahh, the problems of a scratch nerd. :)

     

    http://www.studioscratches.com/the-scratch-djs-guide-to-deliberate-practice/

     

     

    Nice article, thanks for the link :-) Is that your site?

    Please critique this file

    in MEMBER AUDIO & VIDEO FILES

    Posted

    Thanks everyone for the feedback, to be honest it was a spur of the moment thing, hence using a phone and not recording through the mixer. Will not do that again :-)

     

    So, I suppose what I am still after is some views on flow, what was missing, what to work on as I think I am a bit out of touch with what is new and next ish. As one of the comments above was getting at (I think anyway, message board sarcasm sometimes passes me by....), there were a lot of transforms (which seems to be my stock transition cut, rather than say a chirp) so what/how do you all transition between cuts, and also going from closed to open variations?

     

    Cheers again

    • Like 1

    DV battle feedback thread - constructive criticism and ideas for the future

    in DV Freestyle Scratch Battle 2014

    Posted

    Ha ha!!!!! No, just a wake up call that scratch battles are not really for me!

     

    But I am absolutely gobsmacked at what is believed to be amazing scratching on here. But as I said Steve, this is my very subjective view and not criticism of you at all. I think it is great you are doing this, but it is not for me.

     

    Good luck mate, and mine was an absolutely honest vote, Tags kills it and no one can step to him

     

    peace

    DV battle feedback thread - constructive criticism and ideas for the future

    in DV Freestyle Scratch Battle 2014

    Posted

    Hmmm.... I think the disappointing thing here is that there is nothing here that is raising the level.

     

    I can remember hating on Rucker for saying the same thing back in 2003. I entered this comp to really get a feel for where scratching has moved too, who's new in the game and who's advancing it. And unfortunately I don't see anything. I am acutely aware this is extremely subjective, but I can watch files and see missed clicks, weak record control and attempts to hit "power move" home runs and this is construed as amazing..... No consideration around what it actually sounds like (the scratching, not the beat)... This is supposed to be about sounding dope isn't it?

     

    But the general consensus seems to be about super fast efforts with vocal samples that contain enough gaps that mistakes are hidden....

     

    I love scratching for how it sounds, not going hammer and tongs all the time ,but actually flowing, you know with a bit of up and down..... I know a lot of really dope dis that can hit all the techniques but surely it is about how a dj applies those techniques to make something musical. Pitching and scaling sounds, total control and "making it talk"...

     

    So, I wish everyone all the best in this competition, but personally it is not for me. Good luck nailing techniques......

     

    Peace

     

    J

    • Like 1

    DV battle 2014 website design - I could do with your input

    in MUSIC/DJ RELATED

    Posted

    @ju-e - I did try and do most of that, only, because the section was getting cluttered up with stuff, as threads became outdated I moved them to the archive section. The problem with that is, I assumed that everyone had been following the battle from the beginning, when clearly some people jumped in later and missed the earlier threads, and I could certainly have made it more clear where the older threads had been moved to. Point taken for sure. I will do a better job with that stuff next time.

     

    Thanks Steve, yes with me only picking up the battle midway through I lost some of it. And totally get how all that info will clutter things up no end mate.

    DV battle 2014 website design - I could do with your input

    in MUSIC/DJ RELATED

    Posted

     

     

    and maybe a more considered approach to the way the threads/vids are managed on DV

     

    Thanks mate. Can I ask what you would change/improve in that respect?

     

    Of course Steve, no problem, I will give it further thought and get back to you. I think what I was getting at was, as a noobie I was struggling with finding all the battle related content and when things were moving to archive (probably me just being stupid). But I think as Pete has said, having a single sub folder/section for the 2014 battle would be dope. It is then just how to structure it.

     

     

     

    So just thinking a bit about structure. What about ensuring the 2014 battle thread/section is the first thing people see when they hit the forum (so idiots like me can't miss it!)?

     

    Then, in the battle section there are the following threads:

     

    1) - Rules

    2) - Contestants (profile for each?)

    3) - Beats (each beat added after every round has completed?)

    4) - Battle rounds (each round contains the pairing for each battle and the vids with people able to comment)

    5) - Results (added to as the battle progresses.)

     

    Just an idea :-), will give this more thought

    DV battle 2014 website design - I could do with your input

    in MUSIC/DJ RELATED

    Posted

     

    and maybe a more considered approach to the way the threads/vids are managed on DV

     

    Thanks mate. Can I ask what you would change/improve in that respect?

     

    Of course Steve, no problem, I will give it further thought and get back to you. I think what I was getting at was, as a noobie I was struggling with finding all the battle related content and when things were moving to archive (probably me just being stupid). But I think as Pete has said, having a single sub folder/section for the 2014 battle would be dope. It is then just how to structure it.

     

     

    DV battle 2014 website design - I could do with your input

    in MUSIC/DJ RELATED

    Posted

    Hi Steve,

     

    From my point of view the 2013 Battle was great, with the only thing really needing to be improved was expanding to a wider audience (marketing/advertising etc). Pulling together a plan to hit various forums and social media sites a month before it all kicks off would be good, and maybe a more considered approach to the way the threads/vids are managed on DV. I think keeping the battle here is pretty essential (for control, identity and cost) with signposting elsewhere to bring more people in/ raise awareness etc.

     

    Also, that way it doesn't start to turn into something which is full of 100's of new ideas which end up being unmanageable and stressful with no improved end result.

     

    Happy to help if I can at all mate

     

    Cheers

    A cheeky little Sunday morning cut

    in MEMBER AUDIO & VIDEO FILES

    Posted · Edited by ju-e

    Sounds good man.

     

    Advice? Do less 2 click based combos? I always think that these days though, even with my own cuts.

     

    Thanks mate, totally agree, cats these days do 2 click combos for ever... Just wanted to flick in and out of some power moves rather than pure flow. I may have a go at that next time I record something :d

     

    Cheers again

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