News Letter 03.indd - Ortofon - Choose from Ortofon websites
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News Letter 03.indd - Ortofon - Choose from Ortofon websites
MISSILL - BIRDY NAM NAM - PAUL VAN DYK - DMC - DJ TOP 100 NETIK - COMA - LE JAD - VINYL GRABBER - PAUL EPWORTH / PHONES - GEORGES ACOSTA - KENTARO - STUDIO COAST - VINYL STORY Vinyl-to-digital transcription car tridge Artwork : [email protected] Growing demand for the ability to transcribe vinyl to digital formats has prompted the creation of the Arkiv, a cartridge specially designed to provide optimized sound quality specifically for recording purposes. The Arkiv boasts clear and accurate sound reproduction and remarkable stereo imaging, making it perfectly suited for sampling, transcription, and numerous other professional applications. The Arkiv ships with an elliptical stylus, for extended high frequency response. In the world of turntablism - a vocation to which many are called but few are chosen - Birdy Nam Nam need no introduction. Since the release of their first album in October 2005, the four members of the collective – DJ Pone, DJ Need, Little Mike, and Crazy D – have earned themselves a hoard of fans that are far from all being hip-hop amateurs. Indeed, after several French and international shows, Birdy Nam Nam have proved that their way with the decks appeals to a large audience, from connoisseurs of electronica to the most demanding hip hop heads. Their unique style, which takes its inspiration from everything from the most acid-drenched electro to the smoothest hip hop, has helped the four musicians prove that, whatever people might say, the art of the turntables can and does work live. They all boast technical prowess – each of them has been successful in international competitions with other collectives – but the Birdy boys’ stage presence means they can do something that few DJs before them have managed to do: transcend the DJ’s traditionally ornamental role. When Birdy Nam Nam hit La Cigale for the two historic nights of July 27th and 28th 2006, they didn’t just scratch over a few LPs. Indeed, just one third of the group’s live tracks comes from their eponymous October 2005 album. Editorial Director : Wilfrid de Baise Art Director : Noe Two ([email protected]) Design Cover and Missill files : Missill Agency : World Star Dj Ltd ([email protected]) Photography : Wilfrid de Baise Contributing Photographers : Dmc and DR The quartet’s inventiveness pushes them to surpass themselves, and to avoid the tired gimmicks of other, more orthodox, scratchers. In the space of ninety mind-blowing minutes, this François Bergeron (NTM, Mano Negra, Manu Chao, Béruier Noir) produced recording features not one second of gratuitous, sterile virtuosity. From the show’s opener, “Abbesses,” one of the tracks that best represents the group’s first album, the turntablists cover every base: everyone has his role to play in a BNN live show. “That’s Michael on bass, Denis on accordion, Nicolas and Thomas on guitar,” say the boys, by way of introduction. Throughout their jubilant set, Pone, Need, Mike and Crazy B show that the incessant touring has done them good. Simultaneously relaxed and deep in concentration, they are deeply charismatic – which the response from the capacity crowd only proves. Since a taste for risk and innovation characterizes the collective, there’s a live group (consisting of Sylvain Moser on keyboards, Yann Gourhand on acoustic bass, Julien Sérié on drums and Gaëlle Salomon on percussion) at hand, adding a pinch of funky groove to the mix at different moments throughout the show. It’s now official: French turntablism has its heroes, and they’re convincing and seductive both on CD and on stage as this exceptional live performance proves. Dim lighting and expert direction help reconstitute the magical atmosphere of these two nights. BNN live could well become as cult as the Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers film to which their name refers! More infos on www.uncivilizedworld.com, www.birdynamnam.com www.myspace.com/birdynamnam ��������������� Paul Van Dyk For the first time this year, the famous Top 100 of UK publication DJ was sponsored and powered by Ortofon. History DJ The first Top 100 DJs Poll open to public voting was held in 1997. Before this, DJmag’s poll was intermittent, and only people in the dance music industry contributed towards a candidate shortlist. Back in 1997, DJmag.com didn’t exist, so all votes were sent in the post. Altogether, about 700 people voted in Top 100 DJs poll in 1997. In 1998 we started accepting votes by email, opening up the poll to many more international voters. The amount of votes received more than trebbled, and Paul Oakenfold was crowned people’s champion for the first time. In 1999, there were 31 new entries. Only four women made it into the whole poll. The 2000 poll was the first time that Dutch superstar DJ Tiësto featured (at number 24). In 2001, votes came in from 50 countries. Over 500 DJs were nominated, and the top 25 garnered almost 60% of the vote. In 2002, the vote was up by 20% on 2001, with 38,481 dance music fans taking part around the world. Votes came in from 65 countries. In 2003, there were 61,529 votes, up 50% on 2002’s total. Votes were received from 120 countries around the world. There really was no disputing Tiësto’s position in the 2004 poll. Previously, Paul Oakenfold and Carl Cox had both won the award twice, but last year Tiësto took things to a whole new level. His 25,000 capacity stadium gigs, and his DJ set at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games to a TV audience in excess of 4.5 billion, meant no other DJ could compete. In 2004 Tiësto was crowned No.1 for the third year in a row. In 2005 after years of being in the top 10, Paul van Dyk finally reached the top spot, and claimed the crown as the No.1 DJ in the world. This year (2006), Paul van Dyk has been crowned No.1 DJ in the world for the second year running. The results of the most important poll in dance music A staggering 217,102 dance music fans voted in DJmag’s 2006 Top 100 DJs poll. That’s 90,000 more than last year and a true indication that dance music is still a massive global phenomenon. The truly global reach of DJ culture was once again highlighted with votes coming in from 229 different countries (there are only 243 recognised countries in the world). The USA provided the most votes in 2006, closely followed by the UK, and then Germany. But there was also a sharp increase in voters from Brazil, Israel and Canada. German trance superstar wins two times in a row He accepted his award at a star studded night at London Fabric and said “There couldn’t be a No.1 without a No.100,” “If I was the only one doing this then no-one would give a flying fuck for me. Everyone playing electronic music is breaking the ground for the scene as a whole - we all play what we love, we all help build this together.” Great Honour Paul dedicated his Top 100 award to everybody involved in dance music. “To be voted No.1 last year was a great honour, and to win it for a second time is very special.“I’d like to dedicate the award to all those involved in electronic music who make and play the records we love. “The amount of votes in this year’s Poll is testament to the continuing strength of our scene, and that in difficult global times, our culture stands as a positive force in uniting people from different cultural backgrounds through music.” 1 Paul van Dyk PVD has retained his crown as the world’s number one DJ in 2006. The 2006. The German German trancer trancer remains remains top top dog dog for for the the second second year year running. running. 2 Armin van Buuren - After spending three years at No.3, Dutch trance trance star star Armin Armin has has beaten beaten the the mighty mighty Tiësto Tiësto to to second second place. place. His His hard hard work work continues continues to to pay pay off. off. 3 Tiësto - Three times No.1 DJ Tiësto remains one of the world’s biggest spinners, capable spinners, capable of of filling filling stadiums stadiums with with his his epic epic Dutch Dutch trance trance sounds. sounds. 4 Christopher Lawrence - North American trance don Lawrence is leading the the scene scene Stateside Stateside and and is is increasingly increasingly present present on on the the global global stage. stage. He’s He’s climbed climbed up up 10 10 places places since since last last year. year. 5 DJ Dan - US jock Dan wins the ‘Highest House DJ’ accolade this year. Although something Although something of of aa dark dark horse horse in in Europe, Europe, in in the the States States he’s he’s huge. huge. 6 Ferry Corsten - Ferry has had a number of big hits over the years, and 2006 2006 was was aa great great year year for for him him -- his his album album received received critical critical acclaim acclaim the the world world over. over. 7 Sasha - Sasha is the highest placed British DJ in this year’s poll, and still one one of of the the world’s world’s biggest. biggest. He He played played at at Sonar Sonar in in Barcelona Barcelona for the first time in 2006. for the first time in 2006. 8 Digweed - Diggers has been in thein - Diggers has been Top 10 for the Top 10 years, for years, and has constantly strived strived to to inject inject new new sounds sounds into into his his sets. sets. He’s He’s aa true true renaisrenaissance sance man. man. 9 Above & Beyond - The DJ/production trio are one of the main acts acts breathing breathing new new life life into into the the trance trance scene. scene. It’s It’s no no surprise surprise they they have have finally finally broken broken into into the the Top Top 10. 10. 10 Deep Dish - The Washingtonbased duo fill clubs the world over, and have won many have won many awards awards over over the the years years whilst whilst remixing remixing the the likes likes of of Madonna. Madonna. 11 11 Carl Carl Cox Cox 12 12 Infected Infected Mushroom Mushroom 13 13 ATB ATB 14 14 Paul Paul Oakenfold Oakenfold 15 15 Hernan Hernan Cattaneo Cattaneo 16 16 Judge Judge Jules Jules 17 Eddie Halliwell 17 Eddie Halliwell 18 18 Marco Marco V V 19 19 Markus Markus Schulz Schulz 20 20 Gabriel Gabriel & & Dresden Dresden 21 21 James James Zabiela Zabiela 22 22 John John Acquaviva Acquaviva 23 23 Flash Flash Brothers Brothers 24 24 Amadeus Amadeus 25 25 Erick Erick Morillo Morillo 26 26 Benny Benny Benassi Benassi 27 27 Sander Sander Kleinenberg Kleinenberg 28 DJ Yahel 28 DJ Yahel 29 29 Offer Offer Nissim Nissim 30 30 Andy Andy Moor Moor 31 31 David David Guetta Guetta 32 32 Sander Sander van van Doorn Doorn 33 Richie 33 Richie Hawtin Hawtin 34 34 Gareth Gareth Emery Emery 35 35 Phil Phil Kieran Kieran 36 36 Nick Nick Warren Warren 37 37 DJ DJ Skazi Skazi 38 Steve 38 Steve Lawler Lawler 39 39 D-Formation D-Formation 40 40 Ricky Ricky Stone Stone 41 41 Astrix Astrix 42 42 Roger Roger Sanchez Sanchez 43 Bad 43 Bad Boy Boy Bill Bill 44 44 Sven Sven Väth Väth 45 45 Thrillseekers Thrillseekers 46 46 Donald Donald Glaude Glaude 47 47 DJ DJ Vibe Vibe 48 Kyau Vs. 48 Kyau Vs. Albert Albert 49 49 Chris Chris Liebing Liebing 50 50 Tiga Tiga 51 51 Matt Matt Darey Darey 52 52 Bob Bob Sinclar Sinclar 53 James 53 James Holden Holden 54 54 Lange Lange 55 55 Wrecked Wrecked Machines Machines 56 56 Dion Dion Mavath Mavath 57 57 Pete Pete Tong Tong 58 58 Danny Danny Tenaglia Tenaglia 59 59 George George Acosta Acosta 60 60 Blank Blank & & Jones Jones 61 61 DJ DJ Sammy Sammy 62 62 Joachim Joachim Garraud Garraud 63 63 Timo Timo Maas Maas 64 Matt Hardwick 64 Matt Hardwick 65 65 Frank Frank Trax Trax 66 66 Steve Steve Angello Angello 67 67 Danny Danny Howells Howells 68 68 Simon Simon Posford Posford 69 John Graham 69 John Graham 70 70 Desyn Desyn Masiello Masiello 71 71 Mauro Mauro Picotto Picotto 72 72 Menno Menno De De Jong Jong 73 73 BT BT 74 Scott K 74 Scott K 75 75 Tall Tall Paul Paul 76 76 M.I.K.E. M.I.K.E. Push Push 77 77 Filo Filo & & Peri Peri 78 78 DJ DJ Tarkan Tarkan 79 79 Anderson Anderson Noise Noise 80 80 Fatboy Fatboy Slim Slim 81 81 Serge Serge Devant Devant 82 82 Umek Umek 83 83 Victor Victor Calderone Calderone 84 Darude 84 Darude 85 85 Fergie Fergie 86 86 Talla Talla 22 XLC XLC 87 87 Ronski Ronski Speed Speed 88 88 Lee Lee Burridge Burridge 89 Mario Piu 89 Mario Piu 90 90 Axel Axel Karakasis Karakasis 91 91 Steve Steve Porter Porter 92 92 Yoji Yoji Biomehanika Biomehanika 93 93 Axwell Axwell 94 94 Stanton Stanton Warriors Warriors 95 95 Dave Dave Seaman Seaman 96 96 Robbie Robbie Rivera Rivera 97 97 Andy Andy C C 98 98 Agnelli Agnelli & & Nelson Nelson 99 Lisa Lashes 99 Lisa Lashes 100 100 Dave Dave Clarke Clarke PAUL VAN DYK Meeting Paul van Dyk is always an honour and a great experience. Here at Ortofon we love him, not because he is the Number 1 DJ in the world , but because he is also a number 1 human being, down to earth, respectful, no bullshit and full of talent. What does it mean for you to be voted the same year Number One DJ in the World by DJ Mag (powered by Ortofon) and win the Ortofon Best Global DJ at the Winter Music Conference International Dance Music Award? It’s an amazing honour, it’s fantastic that people can reward all the effort and passion that I have put into my work, but it’s not just about those awards or being at the top of the list, it’s about the music. We can be happy that we can play our favourite music in front of all those people, and as I said before, there would not be a number 1 without number 100. I am proud and honoured to be on top of that list. You now won more awards in the DJ World than anyone else and each time we had the pleasure to see you in person coming and collecting those awards, we also see you at most major DJ convention panels, is it something you enjoy doing or are you just well educated and respectful of the scene? Well, it’s both, I think it is very important to stand with the music, it’s important to go to those conventions, to see what is new, to see what are the problems that can encounter new talents, as maybe as a record company I can help or change. On the other hand, in the electronic or the dance world, lots of people complain that it is not recognise in the ‘big music world’, so at least what we should do is respect our own artists, if there is an award ceremony dedicated towards dance music and celebrating the artist and the talent that made that music, we should at least go there. type of music in front of people and it’s always great to see all the smiles and positive energy, it’s very inspiring, basically there always a connection back and forth between the audience and the studio. keyboard have them scratching the stuff. That could be really cool. What do you listen at home? Most of the time, it is electronic music, that’s my favourite music. At the same time, it is very important when I listen to music that I have the feeling than there is an artist that means something, someone who likes to bring something across and this music can range from Linkin Park to Placebo Do you consider yourself as a DJ or a Musician? I am musician/DJ/producer /arranger, I am making my music completely by myself, I don’t go into a studio directing a team, so first of all I am a musician. What are your favourite LPs of all time? The Massive Attack album where there is Protection, Strange Ways here we come by the Smiths and in term of electronic music a groundbreaking album Ima by BT What have been the major changes in the music since you started? It became much bigger, out of a little scene, there is now nothing bigger than electronic music, and it became a culture uniting people everywhere in the world. Also the focus is now on the DJ, when I started, the DJ was the freak in the corner while other people had fun, now the DJ is on the big centre stage with a lot of lights. Looking at the technology, there was a big step let’s say in the last five years , studio technology was incorporated in the technology that DJ can use, like all the effects on the mixers. The show became more like a live performance in the sense of things being ‘live created’. These are the three major changes. What do you like in this business? It’s a question of how you define business, the part of the music scene that we live in is not just about money or the bullshit that the pop world is all about, and there is still a lot of people (and I include myself) who do everything for the music. Of course I earn my money with it, but at the same time it’s not my priority. I am basically choosing my gig for what’s the best possibility to present my kind of electronic music to the people, and not to who is paying the most money. Several other DJs think the same and that is what I enjoy. It’s first of all about the music and not the money or sales figure. Where do you go from number 1? Number 2, ahahahaha. For me the next gig is always the most important gig, the next record is the next big thing for me, and right now my main priority is finishing and releasing my new album (June 2007) Last year in Miami, when you picked up your award, you praised the crew C2C (4 times DMC World Team Champions) what do you know of the turntablist/scratch scene? It’s absolutely amazing, it’s a different thing from what I do, I saw them two or three time now and it’s fantastic. What they do and how they do it, it’s like live sampling without a sampler, fantastic. I have always been amazed by the skills of the Djs in the world championship. It’s just more difficult to put what they do live on a CD for general release. What’s you favourite part of the job, DJing or producing? Both, because first I feel like an artist, I play my music, I produce my music and my way of presenting it in front of people is my way of DJing, so therefore it belongs together, it’s very important for me to make my music and it’s very important for me to play this Have you ever thought of doing any collaboration with scratcher on your work? Well I did on a previous album, a track with a German scratcher, but it could be interesting and definitely worth a thought to have someone play live alongside, instead of playing the elements with What do you hate in the business? That journalists always think that they have to divide things and put labels on everything. I am known in the press as a Trance DJ and at the same time when people hear me play, they wonder why I am not actually playing the Trance music they expect. It is just because someone has put labels on music rather than just listen to it. This is why I just call it electronic music, I can play something like Aphex Twin or Dave Clark or some trancy beats, it all happened. The whole idea of dividing it into different style and saying this style is better than this one is all bullshit because at the end of the day, the DJ combines the best elements of the whole wild world of electronic music and play these best elements together and create a unique sound. So it’s not about Trance, Techno or whatever, it’s a combination of it all. What are your favourite DJs? Shasha is always an inspiration, he does a strange atmospherical and at the same time very kicking energetic sound, no one else does it the way he does. He definitely does a great job. Here are so many, I heard Adam Freeland , he’s doing some amazing stuff, Marco Lee, Dave Clarke, Chris Liebing. There are so many, it’s really down to what you like and what you enjoy, what the DJ feels has to come across, what is his idea about the music. If this is coming across then it’s a good DJ, if he is just playing the Top 10 of the club charts, then he sucks. Do you still have time to go dancing? Well I’m dancing when I play, you know I’m always jumping around. Also if there are some special occasions like after the Awards last year, we had a little party or if a good friend is coming to Berlin , we go to the club and check it out, and of course if it kicks then we dance. Do you deserve your success ? I am sorry ? Do you deserve your success ? That’s a weird question in a way. The thing is that as I said before, I am very passionate about what I do, I never take it easy on myself and at the same time I have a really really good team that works with me. It’s not just about me deserving the success, it’s also thanks to their efforts that we are actually successful. Also , how do you define success ? It’s not just about selling many records, for me a successful track is that if a few people that are very close to me say that this is a good track, than that’s already a success for me, it doesn’t really mean that it will sell. Then again , it’s always a team effort and the team definitely deserves the success, because it’s one of the best. Brilliant answer, anything to add ? Thank you very much to Ortofon to support the scene and sponsoring the Awards. You know it‘s not just about receiving and or giving an Award, I think all important, like self celebration in Rock music or Hip Hop. The Dance world always asks “why isn’t anybody interested in us?’, well maybe it’s because they might not be interested themselves and I think putting together shows or Awards where people can present what they think is the best part of Electronic music, is always a help and this is a good thing, and that’s why I say thank you to Ortofon to be a very good sponsor WORLD DJ CHAMPIONSHIP 1st: Netik - France 3rd: Rafik – Germany 2nd: Yasa - Japan This year, the French contingent dominated the competitions across the board... but Japan along with 60 other National DJ Champions weren¹t going to let them take everything home! The exciting 2006 program began on Sunday 10th September with $20,000 up for grabs in two of the three DMC championships, the Battle for World Supremacy and the World DJ Team Championships sponsored by LG Mobile. 16 DJs faced each other in a knock out one minute face-to-face confrontation, whittling them down to an 8 DJ quarter finals, 4 DJ semi finals, and finally until the last two men stranding had 3 minutes each to claim the $10k first prize courtesy of Ortofon/DMC. The DJs selected vinyl cut-ups, breaks, and insults as they beat each other up in a battle worthy of a classic DMC final. In the end, there could only be one winner, the supremely talented DJ Coma from Japan who had delivered an unbeatable set to become DMC’s World Battle Champion. French DJ Troubl’ was runner-up, narrowly missing out on making DMC France’s Wilfrid De Baise’s prophecy of a THREE TITLE FRENCH WIN, come true! But then the French connection took effect, the current World DJ Team Champions had the delicious prospect of a world record, until this evening C2C of France shared the record of three consecutive world championship wins with the legendary American DJ Craze. The UK’s Disabalists were brilliant but this was a night beyond brilliance. There really is no DJ team in the world who can hold a candle to C2C, once C2C hit the decks, the audience and judges unanimously agreed that the $10,000 wedge was going to Paris. Monday would see the next stage of the French revolution! The DMC event has grown and grown in status over its 21 years with a fan base that cues well before doors open to make sure they don¹t miss a beat. From 20 DJs in the afternoon eliminations 12 national champions from across the globe had won a place in the evening final. The evening grew with p.a.s of the highest order, dance-outs, rappers and the amazing MC Killa Kela and MC Trip holding proceedings together as DMC’s stage crew set up one deck after another in an event which featured a total of 22 Technics turntables! Amongst the highlights was Singapore¹s diminutive female DJ Noodles who copied the styles of old with body tricks and cutting capers that amused one and all especially when she dropped her oriental headband to play blindfolded. During the course Sweden’s Kid Sid sent the Hammersmith Palais management running for the fire extinguishers as he sprayed fuel on his vinyl setting them alight. The UK contender, Asian Hawk took the jazz high road with music that had never featured in previous DMC’s. In the end it was a close call and although support for Rafik from Germany and Yasa from Japan was incredibly strong and quite justified, it was French DJ Netik, who clinched those oh-so-coveted Technics golden decks, LG mobile, Ortofon golden stylus, trophies and the handsome cheque for $10,000 with an incredible show worth it of his famous predecessors such as Craze or Q.Bert! World Final 2006 Judges Results Craze – DMC World Champion 1998/1999/2000 1st: Netik 2nd: Yasa 3rd: Rafik Tony Vegas – Scratch Perverts DMC 1999 World Team Champion 1st: Netik 2nd: Yasa 3rd: Rafik I-Dee – DMC USA Battle Champion 2005 1st: Netik 2nd: Rafik 3rd: Fred Funk Dopey – DMC World Champion 2003 1st: Netik 2nd: Yasa 3rd: Rafik Prime Cuts – Scratch Pervert – DMC World Team Champion 1999 1st: Netik 2nd: Yasa 3rd: Wunderkut Pfel – C2C – DMC World Team Champion 2003/2004/2005/2006 1st: Netik 2nd: Rafik 3rd: Yasa Plus One – Scratch Pervert – DMC World Champion 2001 1st: Netik 2nd: Yasa 3rd: Rafik Kentaro – DMC World Champion 2002 1st: Yasa 2nd: Netik 3rd: Fred Funk Atom – C2C – DMC World Team Champion 2003/2004/2005/2006 1st: Netik 2nd: Rafik 3rd: Fred Funk Pro Zeiko – DMC World Battle Champion 2005 1st: Netik 2nd: Rafik 3rd: Fred Funk Beni G – Mixologists – DMC UK Team Champion 2002/2003 1st: Netik 2nd: Yasa 3rd: Rafik DJ Coma – DMC World Battle Champion 2006 1st: Yasa 2nd: Netik 3rd: Rafik Unkut – DMC Germany Battle Champion 2006 1st: Netik 2nd: Rafik 3rd: Fred Funk D’Jill - DMC France Champion 1999 1st: Netik 2nd: Fred Funk 3rd: Yasa Sparky T - DMC Greece Battle Champion 2001 1st: Netik 2nd: Fred Funk 3rd: Rafik/Kid Sid ResultsWinneR: 1st: Netik (France) – 43 points 2nd: Yasa (Japan) – 20 points 3rd: Rafik (Germany) – 17 points 4th: Fred Funk (USA) – 9 points 5th: Wunderkut (Canada) – 1 point 5th: Kid Sid (Sweden) – 1 point BATTLE FOR WORLD SUPREMACY 1st: DJ Coma - Japan Round 1: 2 x 60 seconds Handy Andy (Norway) vs Perplex (Australia) Round 2: 2 x 60 seconds Ego (Sweden) vs Wundrkut (Canada) Tedu (Spain) vs Rachi (Holland) Mikey (Hong Kong) vs Inquisitive (Singapore) The Boy (Greece) vs Switch (United Kingdom) Needlesplit (Denmark) vs Etronik (USA) Perplex (Australia) vs Coma (Japan) DJ LJ (China) vs Troubl’ (France) E Turn (Taiwan) vs Unkut (Germany) Quarter Final: 2 x 90 seconds Switch (United Kingdom) vs Inquisitive (Singapore) Troubl’ (France) vs Unkut (Germany) Needlesplit (Denmark) vs Ego (Sweden) Coma (Japan) vs Tedu (Spain) Semi Final: 2 x 90 seconds Ego (Sweden) vs Troubl’ (France) Coma (Japan) vs Switch (United Kingdom) Final: 2 x 90 seconds Troubl’ (France) vs Coma (Japan) TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP 2nd: Disablists - UK 1st: C2C - France 2nd: Troubl’ – France 4th: Scratch Science - France 5th: Funky Bastardi - Italy Team Championship 2006 Judges Results Netik - DMC World Champion 2006 1st: C2C 2nd: Disablists 3rd: Dangerous Combinasions Yasa - DMC World Champion runner up 2006 1st: C2C 2nd: Disablists 3rd: Scratch Science I-Dee - DMC USA Battle Champion 2005 1. C2C 2. Disablists 3. Dangerous Combiasions Wundrkut - DMC Canada Champion 2006 1st: C2C / 2nd: Disablists / 3rd: Stylusts Troubl’ - World Battle Champion runner up 2006 1st: C2C 2nd: Disablists 3rd: Dangerous Combinasions Cutmaster Swift - DMC World Champion 1989 1st: C2C 2nd: Disablists 3rd: Scratch Science DJ Ego - Sweden Battle Champion 2006 1st: C2C 2nd: Dangerous Combinasions 3rd: Disablists Pro Zeiko - DMC World Battle Champion 2005 1st: C2C 2nd: Dangerous Combinasions 3rd: Disablists/Scratch Science DJ L-T - DMC China Battle Champion 2006 1st: C2C 2nd: Disablists 3rd: Scratch Science DJ Perplex - DMC Australia Champion 2006 1st: C2C 2nd: Funky Bastardi 3rd: Scratch Science Unkut - DMC Germany Battle Champion 2006 1st: C2C 2nd: Dangerous Combinasions/ Disablists 3rd: Scratch Science Sparky T - DMC Greece Battle Champion 2001 1st: C2C 2nd: Dangerous Combinasions 3rd: Disablists D’Jill - DMC France Champion 1999 1st: C2C 2nd: Dangerous Combinasions 3rd: Scratch Science Results World Champions 2006 (Defending Champions) C2C – 42 points 2nd: Disablists (UK) – 21 points 3rd: Dangerous Combinasions 14 points 4th: Scratch Science (France) – 8 points 5th: Funky Bastardi (Italy) – 2 points DMC 2006 30 000 CASH PRIZES COURTESY OF ORTOFON Artwork : [email protected] Congratulations to the DMC Winners of DMC World DJ Championship, Battle for World Supremacy and DMC World DJ Team Championship THE SUMMIT This years final saw the most awesome audience responses that London has ever witnessed, 4000 arms punched the Hammersmith air as 6 DMC World Champions, legends in their time, arrived on stage for CK One¹s SUMMIT 2. Craze (USA), Kentaro (JAPAN), Dopey (CANADA) Cutmaster Swift (UK), Netik (FRANCE) and Noise (DENMARK), to take them all to a place even they had never been before, topped by KILLA KELA¹s incredible beat-boxing. «Unbelievable» was a word heard to be uttered 2000 times at least! Go to www.dmcworld.com for all the results and picture gallery Photos and text courtesy of DMC World, Style and Wilfrid de Baise ��������������� ORTOFON INC. 500 Executive Blvd Suite 102 Ossining, N.Y. 10562 - Phone : 914-762-8648 - Fax : 914-762-8649 NETIK DMC WORLD CHAMPION 2006 Congratulations first for this incredible display and this well deserved title. How do you feel ? Thanks, I feel great and happy to have won, but the most satisfying thing is to have gone ‘til the end of the dream. I had lots of doubt periods during my training period. I was even sure I was going to turn up to the French championship a couple of weeks before. I wanted my show to be perfect and have no regrets whatsoever. It’s one of the greatest moments in my life and what I wanted to avoid at all cost was losing because of one mistake. It was a real challenge for me and to have won makes life sweeter. Those comments really made me feel great as it came from the world leading turntablist, but it’s still too early to know if I will defend the title. You were the Champion of the Battle for World Supremacy in 2000 and 2001. Why did you wait so long to come back in the Battle scene ? I entered most Battles between 2001 and 2002 and so the hunger was not there anymore. The fact that I won brought me a lot of satisfaction but it also made me less eager to battle. That was the first reason. Then I had a lot of other desires. I wanted to tour, produce, and make music. I needed to take a break from battling. But it is also true that the missing title was the greatest of all: The DMC Individual which is the one that all the greatest had won. So every year I told myself, “well maybe next year...” . However, I did not have any new routines and I did not find any inspiring sound? This is where ‘LE JAD’ was the real trigger. He knew I wanted to come back and he motivated me with some great sounds. Also with the prize money I knew the level would even be better and that was also a source of motivation to win the most prestigious battle. Now you’ve won the Battle for World Supremacy twice - the World title this year. Aren’t you tempted to go for the Team Championship which will put you in the History of DMC as the only DJ to have won all three categories ? I’m always thinking of the Team competition. It would make a great “hat trick”, though I’m not sure if I will enter. But if I do, it would certainly be with ‘Troubl’. Was the prize money an important factor in you decision to compete again ? Yes, in a way, as it is an added bonus that you cannot neglect, but the real reason to battle is first and foremost to win the title. The money is just a good retribution for all the hard work we put in. How did you prepare your show and how do you describe it ? Well the show was prepared with ‘LE JAD’ who is a breakbeat producer. He would prepare customized sounds and beats that I tested. I then reworked them and so on. Lots of thinking went into the preparation. As we were creating the routine from ’scratch’ (ground zero) the thinking was totally different as there were no references to classics or already done routines. We were able to go deeper into our souls and imagine the craziest idea as we would be able to produce them directly. At first, I thought this would be much easier than the traditional way, but I soon found out that it wasn’t. It was very difficult for me to adapt. We wanted to do a show, which would grow in intensity continuously, with no time to breathe - a routine that would literally take your breath away. I am very proud of the results. I think my 6 minutes was fat, between hip hop and electro, with a dirty heavy beat that grooves like I enjoy and with a little violence added to kill it off (laughing). How did you feel straight after your show ? I was really on another planet, one of the greatest days in my life, which I will never forget. Apparently some of the jury said that you were three years ahead of the rest. Does that mean you will come back next year to defend ? You’ve always won all the DMC Battles you’ve entered (nationally and internationally). What’s your secret ? (Laughing)... there is no secret, no magic formula. It’s all down to work, but one day you win and one day you lose. I’m just lucky to get up only on the winning days. The important thing is to give it your all, no matter what. The mental process is also a major factor. Who are the DJs you admire in the previous competitions ? And who are your favourite DJs outside the Battle scene ? It’s difficult as there are so many who influenced me, so in chronological order I would say: Q.Bert, Master Mike, Shortkut, Roc Raider, Noise, Craze, P-Trix, A-Trak, Kodh, Troubl, Kentaro. And outside the Battle scene : Markie, and D-Styles. What are you going to do now ? I started working on my breakbeat and I also have a lot of tour dates already booked. As soon as I get some free time, I will work on some production. Is producing, the natural way to go for a DJ ? For me, it’s obvious when you spend years listening, manipulating and analyzing records. You want to start producing your own music one day or another. It doesn’t mean that all DJs are gifted for it, but at least it’s worth a try. Which artists would you love to work with ? Too many, in the Drum ‘n Bass or the Electro scene... While you were away from the battle scene, you were apparently in a jazz band ? Yes, I worked a couple of years with a Dutch Jazz band which was a great experience. We had a drummer, a bass player , a trumpet player and sometimes a singer or a guitarist as guests. I was on the turntables and played as a musician with the band. That concept was totally free improvisation, which meant that each concert we did was a new experience. It was all down to feelings. If I felt like doing a scratch solo, I just had to look at the other guys and they understood that it was the right moment. It’s real magic when you can play with such gifted musicians. You forget your flares, your crabs, and your 4 beats and you go with the flow of experimental sound which goes into total artistic freedom. Your top 10 songs of all time ? Too difficult. There so many. It is also different from the DJ or the personal view - a lot of the music that I listen to at home. I could never play it in the clubs, so if I had to choose one, it would be «Little Wing» by Jimmy Hendrix. lejad NERVOUS SHOCK LE JAD «NERVOUS SHOCK» After the highly acclaimed «Doll’s Break» and his collaboration on Netik’s 2006 DMC World Championships winning set, Le Jad is releasing a new scratch record called «Nervous Shock». This record took two years to be completed. All the beats and scratch sound banks were tested with scratching software and scratch CD players, then burnt onto vinyl for several trials with experts such as Netik, Or d’Oeuvre, and other famous battle DJs. This record contains 4 heavy double-timing scratching beats, ranging from 72 to 90 bpm, inspired by crunk, rave, metal, and electro sounds. This record is also a useful scratching sound library, as there are 7 skipless sound banks: 2 with scratching sounds and 5 especially conceived for scratch drumming. Those skipless sound banks were designed to be scratched over other loops than 133bpm, without the help of an ultrapitch. This concept will be very easily understood, as soon as you have the record in your own hands. Five others sound banks are compiled on this record. The first one is full of rave synth and neverheard-before sounds. Even the classical «Ahhh» and «Fresh» are reworked. The other is especially devoted to scratch drumming, with only original drum kits. The result is really fat and sounds very «electro». It is useful for battling, training, or even for composing purposes. The last three sound banks are huge and massive, mixing scratching, drumming and beat juggling sentences. With few classical sounds, it includes a lot of rave synth, electro drum kit, hardcore kicks and snare, metal, drum ‘n bass sounds and many more. Hardcore scratch DJs looking for heavy scratch practice beats, battle DJs, scratch composers, or whoever you are in the «scratching game» - you will be happy to have this record in your collection. How did collaboration with Netik, Or d’oeuvre and Troubl for the DMC happened? For Netik, we spoke on msn and I told him that I would spend one day with him. I came with one beat and one sound bank for him. He tested it and I told him that it would be nice if he won the DMC Championship .We worked very hard, and he is a great professional, perfectionist and hard on himself. It took several months with very intense doubts; intense moments of stress and creation. How to produce a winning set for DMC? The hardest thing was to find a balance between my patterns edition on the computer and what he makes in a live set... he also recomposed a lot of things on his side and he succeeded to adapt my work fully. He is a great champion. For Troubl, I created a routine for him and reworked some part of his plans, boosted the sound, made musical arrangements, republished things, intros, etc... he works very quickly, and he’s able to find a routine in one hour. We did that in one week, between the French Championship and the World Championships!!! For Or d’oeuvre, I created (or remixed) all the beats. I knew what he wanted, in scratch and beat juggling and he picked my breakbeat too. I made him sounds off synthesizers adapted to each plan, and created the banks of sounds. After, he rearranged it in his way, found other sounds and voice. It went very quickly. He has much style and looks for the effectiveness. On stage, it’s splendid!!! addition to the rolling in the rhythm. We never should forget that all we do will influence the hand movement of the users. To make “a scratch friendly” beat is good, but I think we (producers) must pay attention to the quality of our beat ...there is a quality to respect. What is your opinion on the Battle scene as a spectator? I am often afflicted. Most DJs don’t make routines - they “try” to, and moreover they forget singularity and power... only some of them bring new things and energy. Or d’oeuvre has an interesting style, and I like to work with him. He always goes further in the extreme. I am also a fan of ieMerg, for his energy...of Kentaro, Kodh (ah... The good old days!), Jr Flo in beat juggling... I like Klever for his class, and some routines of Tigerstyle are interesting. Rafik - killer style of course!!!. Only few people make the battle evolving. I think that the idea to put money in the battle game is good. Money makes the world go round. If the prize money was more enormous, the level would climb even more... DJs would be able to work with producers and people to coach them. Which are the scratch guys who impress you more? ieMerg, Ricci, Dstyle, Toadstyle, Excess, Qbert, Rafik, Or d’oeuvre, Cavern, and also Red Jacket, because he is able to listen to beats. Which are your favorite producers, your breaks of reference, and the breakbeat that you would have liked to produce? In my opinion, there are 2 producers of reference: Toadstyle and Lorn. And I think that Lorn is really the Master of the World. His melodies and his rhythmics smash. He makes tons of beats that we will never forget. All his rhythmic writing is fluid. His breakbeat is going to kill everybody’s ears. For the bank of sounds, I think that Kodh has really brought something. TGOS made excellent breaks also; Lemerge has produced a good break for the bank of sounds. Special shootout to Paesano who makes the most beautiful loopers. What do you think of the «100% scratch music”? Extreme autistic form or new tool? The scratch brings a particular groove. Here is all its interest in the production. Visually, it is interesting too. And the drumming opens rhythmic possibilities. On the other hand, to only makes scratch just to say “hey look at me, I’m scratching” is ridiculous. For me, what is important is it’s emotion and/or the effectiveness... how it is done, I don’t care. Your new breakbeat “nervous shock” just came out. Can you describe it? It is a record for practice and competition: four beats electro/ crunk/metal... , skip proof for scratch and drumming, massive banks of sounds for training and DJ battle ... much of electro, drum’ N bass, metal with original sounds, fat kicks - the whole arranged perfectly for an optimal use When you create a beat, how do you make it good for scratching? I really don’t know. There is a balance to find. The beat shouldn’t be too charged. I always put a repetition and a brain dimension in my beat. It has the particularity to make the beat groove in The breakbeat of JAD, “NERVOUS SHOCK”, is available. More information: http://www.myspace.com/zejad/ So, who are you really? My name is Steven, and I’m 29 years old. I’ve been making music since I was 5 basically - I’m a violinist (I studied it for 8 years). I played all kind of instruments, then one day it was a revolution: turntables, vinyls and scratching. Could you explain your activity in a few words? We cut real records, like artists’ or DJs’ productions... The artists come and see me to test their records before they release them, or just for a party or a battle. When did you open your cutting studio? It‘s my third year now and I’m hoping it will carry on like this for a long time. How did you come to have this idea? It wasn’t really an idea, but more an obligation. I discovered turntables, I didn’t work and I bought a lot of records (about 10 a day). I had financial troubles and because of that, I had to find out a solution so I chose to do this. By the way, in 3 years, I made just about ten records for myself (quite a paradox!). Who are your main clients? I don’t have any main customers as such. All kind of people come and see me to cut their own records... obviously, most of these people are DJs. My youngest client is 15 and the oldest is 83. People come from all around the world: France, the United Kingdom, The United States, Canada, Spain, Norway, Singapore... from everywhere. From the beginning I was very close to the scratch scene because I scratch and I’m interested in it. I work with C2C, DJ Netik, DJ Troubl, Freshdope, Tigerstyle, Le Jad... and lots of others. By the way, big up to them! It’s thanks to them that I’m still here! The musical styles are Electro, Hip Hop, Jungle, Techno, Reggae, Ragga, Dub, Trip Hop Downtempo and a lot of things around turntablism. What do you think of new technologies like Mixvibes for instance ? Hum, it‘s difficult to stay objective about it... I tried it. It’s very useful, cheaper than a record, lighter than a bag full of records. But, it doesn’t sound like a real record... the touch, feeling is not the same... The sound quality is better on vinyl... and there are risks of computer crashes and other bugs with things like that! But to go further with the reflection, I think people who use Mixvibes and Serato for example are killing vinyl. It’s too bad... What hardware do you work with ? I use the software protools and some outboard mastering equip- ment/rack (Presonus, TC Electronic, Klark Teknik, etc...) I’ve always tried to avoid the type of home studio software that damages the quality of sound. The goal is to have a sound quality as good as, or even superior to the original CD. How can someone get a record cut? It’s very easy - you just have to contact me by phone, on the internet or on Messenger. After talking with my client, I decide the type of record that will offer the best solution for their needs. It depends on the style of music really - we choose the right format, the right speed, the length for each side, etc... Each record is different, so it requires specific attention. You can find on our web site (which is going to be updated in a few days) some advice to optimize your tracks before sending them to me. Do you add some mastering ? Yes of course, it’s essential. You can’t burn a vinyl without having prepared your music. We do a premastering and we equalize the sounds, manage stereo, high frequency, etc... If my customer wants to, we can manage a mastering that is more developed for people who have the hardware at home. Do you offer different types of records? We do all kind of records : 7-inch, 12-inch, blacks and transparents. We make picture discs, too. The future of the vinyl? Very uncertain. But, I work with people who want to realize just one or very few copies, so I don’t worry for myself. Your contacts? You can contact me here: Our web site : http://www.vinylgrabber.com Msn Messenger and e-mail : [email protected] Why did you sign your album to Ninja Tune ? I have always loved the music from Ninja Tune. I even put their stuff on my mix tapes. To have my first album released from NINJATUNE is just a dream come true. I have spent about a year on this project. I am really happy with the complete album. It became lot better than what I was expecting it to be. Was there any artistic pressure from the guys at Ninja ? People say «any suggestions from COLDCUT?», and to answer that, there were no real comments or prior talk on my album. People from NINJA were more like, «do whatever you like man! Let us hear it once it’s nearly complete.» I was glad that they were really cool about it, and they were believing in my possibilities. KENTARO Kentaro is a mad dexterous surgeon who slices and dices beats into a breathtaking sonic concoction in his Sendai laboratory and at events all over the world. When Kentaro is behind a set of 1200s and a mixer, he’s on stage: sometimes he’s shy, sometimes he’s sassy. But I’ve never heard him be anything short of absolutely splendid. Outside of his homeland, DJ Kentaro is thought of mainly as a former DMC World Champion, but back in Japan they know there’s much more to him than some fancy scratches. Which is why his new record has not a crab or fl in sight and instead, focuses on showing us the man’s considerable production chops and fl are for a tune. Kentaro’s unmissable album contains collaborations with The Pharcyde, Fat Jon (Five Deez), Gagle and New Flesh. Already a star in Japan, this album will ensure his fame grows from Baltimore to Brixton to Bombay. Tell us about the featuring and the various tracks ? The only Japanese rap song from album called «Hatsuyume feat. MC Hunger» was first digitally released exclusively in Japan. Hunger is also from a town called Sendai which I am originally from (about 2hrs north of Tokyo). When we both were young, we used to chill at the club. It was really really cool. We also both were born in January, so we named this song «Hatsuyume» (First Dream). Also on my album,I’ve got one song feat. The Pharcyde from the US. I am their biggest fan, and I toured with them when they were touring in Japan back in 2002. After that, we started contacting each other and I really wanted them to do a song for my album. I sent few tracks to them and they were like «Let’s do it!!». This is really my favorite piece in the album. «Free» and «Space Jungle» both are feat. SPANK ROCK from USA. It was recorded in Tokyo last summer, and we stayed in the studio for a day or two, then ended up with 2 complete songs. It was really exciting to work with all Spank Rock members including Naeem, Darko, Chris and XXXCHANGE. It was awesome. There are also few instrumental songs in this album. Overall, recording in London with New Flesh was really off the chain as well. Check the album «ENTER» (Ninjatune) and the single called «FREE feat. SPANK ROCK» with exclusive remixes. Interview by Sam (www.hand-control.com) You probably don’t know who Paul Epworth is, but you know for sure a lot of music he has worked on. As a producer, the band list he worked with is impressive: Bloc Party, The Streets, Babyshambles, Kano and many more. And when he succeeds to find free time between those projects, he has fun remixing a lot of those bands with his laptop. So don’t forget this name: Paul Epworth. You produced the last big success in that «new rock» game (Bloc Party, Maximo park..) and remixed a lot of artists (Annie, U2, The Rakes, Muse…) under your Phone alias. What are the next things you are going to produce and remix ? I’m presently working on the Black Strobe album and remixes for Roxy Music, P-Diddy, Black Strobe (again) and Bloc Party (again!!!!). I’ve just finished a single as Phones that will be out on Kitsune Records shortly and the theme music for a television show. A lot of people are comparing those new rock bands with the past, like « everything was already made, see Gang of four for example », what do you think about this? Is rock n roll too soft those days? I think rock and roll is still too revisionistic... guitars have rapidly become the bland norm again and all I listen to is electronic music unless it’s Sufjan Stevens, the Butthole Surfers or Mark Stewart and mafia. The TV on the Radio album is superb too. Favourite shoes? I sadly wear Converse a lot of the time but favour Jones Brogues and a pair of Pied a terre lace ups when I’m not wearing duffer vans or the former ubiquitous indie standard. With your Phone alias, you are part of that « electro/rock » movement. What are you listening to in electronic music? What do you like in making electronic music? I’m listening to J-Dilla’s «the shining» which is amongst the best production I’ve heard in ages. Really soulful. I love Sebastian on Edbangers along with much of the music coming from Paris at the moment like Para One are forward thinking and fun. I think Switch is ahead of the game by a long long way. The last rapture album is perfect, how was the collaboration? That’s very kind. It was great to work with Ewan. He’s such an easygoing, personable man that to share the responsibility and ideas was very easy. He brought a whole different approach and process but was keen to see what I brought to it too. I was very happy with the results and the process. What do you think about Danger Mouse’s touch on this album? He is a really interesting producer with varied tastes and I think his approach came out very well in context with our work. What are your top ten albums of all times? Difficult!!! In no particular order: The Pop Group-Y Can-Ege Bam Yasi Neu-75 Nas-Illmatic The Minutemen-Double Nickels on a Dime Tom Waits- Bone Machine Kraftwerk-The Man Machine Brian Eno-Here Come the Warm Jets Manuel Gottsching-E2E4 Miles Davis-In a Silent Way Your top ten tracks to play in a club? It changes time to time... I don’t think I can answer that. At the moment I’m playing: Joakim-I Wish You Were Gone (vocal dub) Spankrock-Bump (switch mix) Simian Mobile Disco-Hustler Among lots of my own shit... Stupid teenage like question, but what is the band that has the best dressing style? I couldn’t tell you. I like bands that dress like they don’t look like anything or anyone else. I think Blackstrobe are pretty stylish Thank you very much for the interview. Related links: www.paulepworth.com www.myspace.com/phones F T OR HE U IM T L Artwork : World Starr Dj & noe-artwork.com BA E L TT E T A t er B Q. J D Q.Bert Characteristics This cartridge is a result of a competent design alliance between technical experts and the world famous DJ QBert who knows exactly what to expect and demand of the ideal gear. The QBert has a supreme ability to trace the grooves of your records and it is tailored specifically for scratch. Due to its enormous output, it is perfect for scratch ofall music genres with deep bass frequencies. Spherical Stylus Scratch Frequency Response 20-18.000 Hz – 2 dB Tracking Force 3,0 g Replacment Stylus Q.Bert Output 11 mV Available Versions OM + Concorde www.ortofon.com Find your local distributor on www.Ortofon.com ORTOFON INC. 1363-42 Veterans Highway Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788 - Phone No:+1 631 979 5828 - Fax No: +1 631 979 5920 ORTOFON COM THE DJ WORLD IS YOURS Artwork: [email protected] i www.ortofon.com GEORGE ACOSTA Interview by Emily Tan As you started getting professional DJ gigs, what was the best part of being a DJ? Acosta: I guess, being popular among the regular kids in school, and actually making noise on my own equipment. I used to bring my equipment to house parties and warehouse parties. They were big warehouse parties where people paid to get in. I had a couple of friends who were a crew of guys and everyone knew a lot of people, so word spread pretty quickly. What percentage of vinyl are you playing, these days? Acosta: About 25% vinyl, not much. Everything’s on CD now. I have a shitload of vinyl, but everything nowadays I can buy on MP3 and it’s better for traveling. Have you used Serato Scratch LIVE? Acosta: I am using it, yeah! I’m a slave to that! That’s what I’ve kind of switched to. Have you used the time-coded needles Ortofon makes for use with Serato Scratch LIVE? Acosta: I haven’t yet, but I’d love to! I’m a maniac for Serato. I used to use Final Scratch, but I moved over to Serato because Final Scratch was very unstable and I didn’t like the feel of it. Right now, I have the old-school black Ortofons, and I still use those for vinyl, the Pro-S. I like the blue ones better, but I have the change the cartridge on them because I’ve worn them down so much. What percentage of your live sets are you playing with Serato? Acosta: I’m playing 50% of my sets with Serato. I bring so much music with me on my computer. Ranked in the “Top 100” of DJ Magazine’s 2006 poll and in the “Top 20” of DJ Times Magazine’s “America’s Best DJs” poll , internationally acclaimed DJ, George Acosta, still remembers what made him fall in love with DJing in the first place. It’s his love for the music – playing other people’s records, as well as creating his own top-selling productions – that has propelled him and has fueled the fire that drives him to create. What do you use the Ortofon black Concorde needle for? Acosta: For everything! They’re on the turntables for records and they’re on the turntables for Serato. I use the Ortofon DJ-S also, because they have a lot of high-power. The Ortofon Concordes are on my turntables in my studio. Asked by music academies in his home state of Florida to guest-lecture, Acosta is surprisingly humble. Even with TV cameras and microphones aimed at him, all he wants to do is get back to his console and work on his latest track. Among the many projects that fight for Acosta’s time is his new digital distribution company, Mint Musik Digital. Two of the hot new artists to have their work signed with the company are Rob Hazen, and the singer-songwriter with the incandescent voice, Truth. Do you use different needles for outdoor festival environments versus nightclub settings? Acosta: Nah, I usually just play what the booth has already. I do a check, and if the needles are working fine, I don’t move it. But I do bring my own needles always with me, just in case the club has shitty stuff. Sometimes they have the Stanton 500, which suck. They’re cheap. I come with my own Ortofon needles. I once had my blue Ortofons stolen right out of my bag! In 1996 as part of Planet Soul, Acosta had a Platinum-selling record with “Set U Free,” a single that went on to sell over 1.2 million copies, a number virtually unheard of in today’s climate. Acosta’s latest successes include the tracks, “Mellodrama” and “The Other Side,” both featuring Truth. (They are included on Acosta’s current mix compilation, All Rights Reserved, available on Moist Music.) Each week, fans can hear Acosta’s exciting, fully-produced “Lost World” radio shows on Sirius Satellite Radio in the U.S. (and coming-soon to HFM-Ibiza Radio in Ibiza). George Acosta’s next CD will be released in the spring of 2007. At a club? Acosta: No, at the airport! I checked my bag to get on the flight, and when I picked them up at baggage claim, my Sony headphones and Ortofon needles were gone! I had them wrapped carefully and whoever stole them didn’t take anything else. I was so mad, those headphones were expensive. You’ve been a professional DJ since when? George Acosta: I’ve been a professional DJ since 1988. I’ve been a producer since 1992, as well. You’ve been quoted as saying you love the Ortofon “disco blues” a lot. What did you mean by that? Acosta: I use the Ortofon DJ-S blue needles at clubs when I play. I have to have them when I play records. Do you remember the rig you had the very first time you DJd professionally? Acosta: Wow, that was a very long time ago! [laughs] The rig that I owned, or the rig that was in the first club I played? The first rig I owned had the Technics SP-1210s; at clubs, just the regular stuff. I was using Ortofon needles since the very beginning. Those were the first needles I ever played on. They were black. It was at a club that I discovered those black Ortofons, so I used them, and they were cool. Then, all these other nice needles started coming-out from Ortofon, like the blue, the yellow, the red, it was crazy. That’s when I discovered the blues. What do you like about the blues so much? Acosta: I think those are the best needles for nightclubs. You can use them to play really loud, and that makes a big difference in a nightclub. Some needles are low-voltage, and they don’t deliver a good-quality sound when you turn the volume up loud. These DJS needles can play really loud and they don’t distort or skip. You’re ranked in the Top 100 of DJ Mag’s poll this year and you gig every weekend at exotic clubs in far-flung cities around the world. Do you remember what made you fall in love with DJing in the first place? Acosta: The idea of mixing records well and making sounds always intrigued me. When you mix records together, it’s like you’re making your own sound. I was listening to the DJ Red Alert shows back in the ‘90’s, and the Latin Rascals, on KISS-FM in New York and I was in shock at how they could mix music and put it together. I’m really old-school. A friend of mine used to go to New York City and he’d bring home mix-tapes he’d bought off-the-street. You get asked to speak at music academies in Florida as an expert in DJing and production. If you had an important piece of wisdom to impart unto your pupils, what would it be? Acosta: Well, in a club, you’ve got to have the Technics, the Ortofon needles, and I advise people to always take extra needles with them, because you never know. I always do, and unfortunately, that one time I got robbed. Basically, the mixer has to be great. I have a rider to specify all my gear. You’ve also got to make sure you always do a soundcheck. I hate doing soundchecks, but you have to do them and just make sure the needles are playing the record clearly without any fuzzy or dirty sounds, just cool power. Make sure there’s no feedback. When the needle has feedback, it’s because it’s wasted, so you have to get new needles. That’s why most guys are moving to CDs because you just pop the CD in and it goes. With turntables, you’ve got to check everything and the needles have a lot to do with it. Do you think people can tell when a record is being played with a bad needles? Acosta: Yes, if you have a cheap needle, it won’t sound loud or good and you can’t hear the bass or highs and you’re killing the equipment and the needles stat to feedback because they’re up too loud. If you’re a DJ, you know when you’re spinning records. Like, “Why is this so low?” Have you ever walked into a club without doing a soundcheck and playing on bad needles? Acosta: Yeah, sometimes the record’s just like, scrrrratch! And it’s gone because the needles are broken. I’ve had records ruined because the needles were bad, and those vinyls weren’t replaceable. I had another situation which happened to me on Serato, when I was playing at a club and I didn’t bring needles and they had cheap needles at the club which had collected dust. The Serato record went, scrrrratch! My whole computer went, raaaam! And then silence! I was dying. But you’re a professional, so I made it seem like I did that on purpose. People in the crowd were going wild because they thought I did that as an effect. [laughs] What are some clubs where people can go to hear you spin? Acosta: I have residencies in Miami, which is my hometown, and also residencies at Eleven50 in Atlanta and Glow in Washington DC in the States. I play at Space, Privilege, Café Del Mar and El Divino in Ibiza. I also play Techno Club in Frankfurt, and I’ve played at Helikanos in Bodrum, Greece. That’s considered the largest outdoor nightclub in Europe. I’ve also played huge parks like Parkorman in Istanbul, Turkey. I play all over South America: in Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Peru and Brazil. I’ve played in London. I’ve played in Lebanon…and Israel. I forget, sometimes, what country I’m in when I wake-up in a hotel room. I’m going to Russia, and then I’m going back to Turkey in December. Are you going anywhere in the Far East? Acosta: Yes, we’re going to South Korea and Japan, we’re working on that right now. The last time I played in Japan was in my Planet Soul days. Do you see advantages of DJing with vinyl over playing with CDs? Acosta: Needles never crash or need a reboot! Yeah, I mean, you’re more in control with a needle, definitely. You’re more in control. I feel, when you’re spinning with CDs, you really have no control. With needles, if the record skips, you can move it and you’re in control. If I had to choose between analog versus digital, I’d pick analog any day. It was hard for me to make the change to digital, but I found a little comfort in Serato. However, I prefer playing records over CDs any day. I have over 40,000 vinyls in my garage. STUDIO COAST 2 1 1 2 3 4 TOKYO TOP SPOT STUDIO COAST was opened in December 2002, at Tokyo Bay Side. On every weekend or on public holidays, one of the largest club events “ageHa” takes place with the craziest music sound system ever experienced. The world top class DJ makes the audience of 2,400 clubbers plunged into a music melting pot. 38 Octagon loud speakers shower the audience on the wooden deck from Reggae to Electro. There is no other place like that in Tokyo Bayside Arena. All turntables are of course fitted with Ortofon’s latest cartridges. 3 - Digibag - Cartridge case - Record Trolley 90 - Recordbag 40 4 www.ortofon.com DJ COMA, 2006 DMC World Battle for World Supremacy has become Japan’s third World Champion after Kentaro and Akakabe. Congratulations on your victory in London last September. For your first participation at the DMC, did you think you would do so well ? Of course I wanted to win but nobody knows what would happen in the battle. Unforeseen trouble/accidents are always waiting for us. Despite a couple of mistakes I think it was my best performance and I’m glad I won. How would you describe your style and why do you think you won the title? So far I could not make my own style of music. This year was different. My theme was to make my own style (routine) «Make Music.» I tried and tried many times by combining music of two records into one. We needed 8 routines until we came up to the final, therefore, I spent a lot of time brushing up each routine. What did you think about Troubl’s performance? Troubl’s was fabulous, “dope”. I used to watch him on video when I started scratching and to be able to battle such a Champion in the Final was fantastic. How long did it take you to prepare the Battle For World Supremacy ? Well you could say four years as it is when I really started battling. My first battle was at the Japanese ITF where I really sucked. Then I was in the 2004 DMC Japanese Final and the Vestax Extravaganza. I learned a lot from that and I won the 2005 DMC Championship battle and finished in the top 8 in the World. Then 2006 came, and as they say, the rest is history. around with him at his home. He was one of the great battlers and if I did not meet him, I would probably not be in this DJ business. What are your projects now ? First, I want to make a Mix CD, then a Battle break and then produce my own music through my philosophy of turntablism. The records I used at the Championships were my own originals and they’ll be out shortly. Which type of music do you listen at home ? Many different types but my favorite is “electronica”. When I make a routine, I would rather listen to up-tempo music. FAT BOYSLIM, and HIFANA (Japanese) are also good. Basically HIP HOP is my favorite. What will you do with your $10,000 check from Ortofon ? I would like to take a short trip somewhere nice with my crew. I‘d also like to take my parents to a hot-springs spa in the mountains. Of course another major objective is to buy various instruments. What do you think of the level of the Battles nowadays ? Judging from the last World Final, the level of battlers has been considerably up-graded. It is great to see more and more Asians taking part. The best countries are France, Germany and Japan. Japanese DJ level is quite high - it is quite difficult to compete with them at the Japanese Final. I think that originality and skill (technique) will play major roles in the future. When are we going to see a Japanese team in the Championship ? It should not be too long - we have so many turtablists in Japan. DJ Hi-C and DJ YASA ,who was No.2 at world championships will probably enter their team called KIREEK. It would be great. Will you defend the title next year or are you thinking of doing the 6 mns ? I’d love to defend the title if I can find some good routines. Then in two or three years I’d like to do the 6 minutes with a mind blowing show. How do you think the turntablist scene is evolving in Japan The level being so high, it might intimidate newcomers. However, with better exposure, I hope that our art and our music will be even more widely accepted and that the market will grow. Who are your main influences ? My main influence for the Battles was DJ HI-C at the 205 Vetstax Extravaganza. Before I started battling, I had the chance to play For you ,what makes a great DJ Basically a lot of practice and research. It’s really down to hard work and originality. In 1857 the French inventor Leon Scott de Martinville developed a machine he called the Phonautograph. This invention anticipated the cylinders used in the Phonograph, but again was incapable of reproducing the sounds recorded. In 1877, another Frenchman, Charles Cros, drew up plans for a machine capable of reproducing recorded sound. Unfortunately he was unable to raise the finance to get his invention off the drawing board. It was thus that Edison, in 1877 was able to lay claim to the first machine capable of both recording and storing sound. 1880-1889 Cylinders vs. Discs If we look back less than 200 years from the present, we find ourselves in a world devoid of today’s mass-communications, digital media and entertainment industries. ‘Media’ consisted of books and newspapers, if you could afford them and knew how to read. ‘Entertainment’ was for the rich or was homemade and the production of images that were not drawn or painted was in its infancy. The mid-nineteenth century however, was a hotbed of invention and many of today’s technologies have their roots in this period. By the mid 1800s the photographic reproduction of images was becoming more commonplace, yet no one had really explored the idea of recording and reproducing sounds or music for home entertainment. It was Thomas Edison who first came up with a simple machine capable of recording the human voice, when he invented the world’s first answer phone in 1877. This consisted of a telephone speaker, which was linked to a diaphragm and stylus. When Edison shouted into the speaker, the vibrations created caused the stylus to produce a series of marks on paraffin-coated paper. When this paper was pulled back under the stylus, his voice could be faintly heard. This invention quickly led to the development of the phonograph, which was essentially a hand-rotated cylinder covered in tin foil, onto which sound was recorded. It was at this point that Edison left behind his research into sound, to concentrate on the development of another useful item: the light bulb. 1800-1879 Good Vibrations Before Edison’s groundbreaking invention, attempts had already been made to record sound. Did they work? No one knows, as none of the inventors were able to play back the ‘recordings’ made. As early as 1806 the English physician Thomas Young claimed to have recorded a tuning fork onto a rotating drum but was unable to play back the sound. At this time most recorded sound was for commercial purposes not entertainment, and a major problem with the use of cylinders came to light: the brevity of recording time. A German immigrant to the USA, Emile Berliner, found the solution to this in 1888, with the invention of a flat disc with a spiral groove. The sound was ‘etched’ into the wax coating of a zinc ‘master’ disc. This disc was then briefly immersed in acid; the parts no longer covered in wax were attacked by the acid producing grooves capable of reproducing sound. This process created a kind of negative pressing, which in turn gave rise to the possibility of mass production by using this metal master to reproduce records made from vulcanized rubber. 1900-1910 The Birth of the Music Recording Industry The beginning of the twentieth century saw the battle for control of the music recording industry between 3 major companies. The Columbia Gramophone Company and Edison’s National Phonograph Company both manufactured cylinders, while Berliner’s Victor Talking Machine Company produced discs. Due to their size and commercial clout, these three companies dominated the market. Interest was still limited however due to the poor recording quality and the limited recording time. In Europe, Fred Gaisberg, one of Berliner’s employees, found the solution. He decided to record the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso onto both sides of a 10 rather than 7-inch disc to almost triple the playing time. During the recording he discovered that the frequencies of Caruso’s voice perfectly complimented the dynamic range of the Gramophone. The record was released in 1903 and was hugely successful. It also marked the first appearance of ‘Nipper’ the ‘His Master’s Voice’ dog, pictured listening to the horn of a gramophone. Further recordings by Caruso as well as other stars of opera consolidated Victor’s position as market leader in the public eye. The use of classical music gave the general public the impression that Victor’s disc format was a ‘quality product’. The longer playing time and the greater volume of sound produced by discs as well as having famous names playing and singing in your living room, virtually guaranteed the company’s success in this fledgling industry. The cylinder format rapidly gave way to the disc: it was more bulky and consequently more difficult to store, it could contain only a fraction of the work contained on a disc and as there was no standardiza- tion, you might need several different ‘players’ in order to take advantage your collection. The final nail in the cylinder’s coffin was the arrival of the Victrola. Eldridge Johnson, one of Berliner’s partners, declared he would produce ‘the Steinway of the recording business’ and his machines matched his declaration. The Victrola was the first gramophone to resemble a piece of furniture, which wouldn’t look out of place in your drawing room. As such the Victrola, first produced by Victor in 1906, became a huge seller and the generic term for all gramophones for the next twenty years. 1910-1920 WWI and the Diamond Disc Discs by now, were the accepted format for recorded sound. They were available in 7, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 21inch sizes playing at 78 rpm and holding up to 10 minutes of music. Edison finally decided to jump on the bandwagon and forsaking cylinders, went to work developing his own version. The ‘Diamond Disc’, as it was known, was made of a high quality early plastic called Amberol. The sound quality was exceptional for the time, with very little surface noise but the old problem of compatibility again reared its head and Edison’s disc rapidly disappeared from the market. World War One could have been disastrous for the record industry but in fact records were still the only way to transmit recorded sound. The popularity of such patriotic songs as ‘It’s a Long Way to Tipperary’ ensured the continuing success of the disc and the development of a ‘portable’ player by Decca enabled moral boosting music to be heard even in the trenches. 1920-1930 Radio Radio 1930-1939 The Jukebox Jive As with every other industry, the Great Wall St Crash of 1929 had a profound effect on the record business. Many smaller companies closed their doors or were bought out by the larger corporations and leisure items such as the gramophone became luxury goods. Two major companies resulted from these mergers: in the USA The American Record company (ARC) and in Europe Electrical and Musical Industries (EMI). Mass production techniques introduced by these corporations went some way to reducing the price of records and making them affordable to the general public once again. By 1920 the gramophone was an essential feature of any modern household but again disaster was lurking on the horizon, with the arrival radio broadcasting and commercially available radios for the home. Developed by RCA (The Radio Corporation of America), the first mass produced radios came onto the market in the early twenties and had two huge advantages over the gramophone. Once the license was acquired the shows could be heard for free and the variety of entertainment available, with music, shows, news and drama, was much greater. At first the record companies fought back by introducing contracts for their major stars, forbidding them to appear on the radio. This tactic, as with many other types of prohibition, had a limited success and the only realistic weapon to fight this new menace, was quality of sound. Western Electric had produced the first high quality condenser microphones in 1916. The merger with AT & T to form Bell Laboratories in 1925 led to the development of new high fidelity recording techniques, which greatly increased the frequency range of the recordings of the time. Victor rapidly came up with a player capable of reproducing these improvements and record sales took off again. This player included for the first time, volume control and a separate speaker. It was also at this time that the record companies came up with a new marketing ploy: using the radio to promote the sales of their discs. This stroke of genius heralded a new boom for the industry. The record companies were not the only ones to take advantage of the latest innovations in sound recording. The Motion picture industry soon developed a way of adding sound to their movies: while the film was being shot, the sound was recorded onto 16 inch discs, which when played at 33 1/3 rpm, lasted the same time as a reel of film. The era of the talkies arrived with Al Jolson appearing in ‘The Jazz Singer’ in 1927. The early thirties saw the arrival of a new phenomenon- the Jukebox. The invention of a mechanism to change records by Homer Capehart, enabled companies such as Wurlitzer, Seeburg and Rock-ola to develop the machines whose descendants can still occasionally be found today. By 1939 the number of Jukeboxes installed in Diners and Taverns across the USA had risen to almost half a million. The number one star at the time was Bing Crosby; later date and the sound quality rivaled that of the gramophone. A new material called Vitrolac was developed by RCA for recording purposes and although it was little used for the general public, 10 and 12 inch pressings were used for radio shows and by the Library of Congress. The fact that this material was an early form of plastic, takes us a step closer to the advent of 12” vinyl records. 1940-1949 WW II – Into The Groove The rivalry between radio and records continued. RCA merged with Victor and many record plants were converted to radio production. Radio stations used the now redundant 16” format from the cinema to pre-record shows for broadcast at a World War II, for various reasons, saw another fall off in the production of recorded music. The beginning of the forties saw a strike by the AFM (American Federation of Musicians), who demanded royalties for musicians, who had lost earnings from live performances due to the increase in recorded music. Many musicians were conscripted into the army and in general people had less money to spend. The troops however, far from home, needed moral boosting music to fend off homesickness and remind them of the good times. The Army produced special pre-recorded 12 and 16” discs of radio shows containing music recorded by development of magnetic tape recording, enabled record companies to produce real high fidelity recordings for the first time. CBS quickly released their back catalogue in this new format and their main rivals in the USA, RCA needed to win back their market share. They came up with a seven-inch format, pressed in vinyl using the microgroove technology and containing one song per side – the single. This format rapidly became standard for jukeboxes and was accompanied by a cheap player for the general public. stars from the home front such as Glenn Miller as well as important information for the troops. Army radio stations in the war zones themselves broadcast these shows. The ‘V discs’ were of capital importance but encountered several problems due to the material they were made from. Shellac was extremely brittle and the records often arrived cracked or broken. Secondly, the habitat of the South-Asian Lac beetle, the source of shellac, had just been invaded by the enemy. Most importantly, once again, the major problem was the recording time available. As Shellac was so brittle, the maximum number of grooves possible per inch was limited to around 80, otherwise the groove ‘walls’ would collapse, and this limited the playing time to around 10 minutes per side. The only solution was to find a new material. The material chosen, was in fact not so new… Polyvinyl Chloride, PVC or Vinyl was originally invented by Fritz Klatte in 1913 but due to lack of funds, he failed to fully exploit the potential of his invention and his patent lapsed in 1925. The material was ‘re-discovered’ one year later and a patent was taken out by the BF Goodrich Company. At the time of the war, this relatively expensive material was being used as insulation and waterproofing as well as for manufacturing joints and gaskets. Its flexibility and durability quickly led to its being adopted by the record industry. The use of vinyl enabled the pressing of records with up to 260 grooves per inch, which meant a playing time of up to 30 minutes per side. This innovation was known as the ‘Microgroove’ and in 1948 CBS announced the first LP or long player, which was 12” in diameter and rotated at 33 1/3 rpm. This new technology combined with 3M’s recent 1950-1960 Post-war America was a completely different place from what had been known before. People in general were becoming more affluent and even the minorities had more money to spend. The colored population, which before the war had been restricted mainly to the poorer southern states, had spread all over the country to take up jobs in the burgeoning industrial sector. The arrival of television and the improvements in the motion picture industry had ‘stolen’ the monopoly in drama from the radio stations. The dramatic output was replaced by pre-recorded music, which now needed to cater for new demographic niche markets. Six major companies – Colombia, Decca, MGM, Mercury, Victor and Capitol – had long monopolized the recording industry, but his was soon to change. The demand for new styles of music for the radio stations and the possibility to record relatively cheaply onto magnetic tape, quickly led to the setting up of smaller independent studios and record companies such as Chess and Sun records Until this time, the Blues and its bastard son Rhythm and Blues had been generally considered as music created by and for the colored population. The independent radio stations playing this music quickly spread the news and the music mutated into the social phenomenon known as Rock ‘n’ Roll. The first Rock ‘n’ Roll record is acknowledged as being ‘Good Rockin’ Tonight’ by Roy Brown, released on the Deluxe label in 1947. It took just seven years for the revolution to spread worldwide with Bill Haley’s ‘Rock Around the Clock’ in 1954. This new music was loud and raw and perfectly suited the rebellious stance of the new teenagers, who also had the ready cash to pay for it. The majors, meanwhile, had finally agreed to standardize the format of records – 7 and 12-inches rotating at 45 and 33 1/3 rpm. This done they set out to truly exploit this new music, rapidly signing new stars such as Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis and releasing somewhat sanitized versions of ‘the real thing’. The next step was to be the development of stereo. Stereo or Binaural sound had been patented in 1931 by Alan Blumlein, an engineer at Bell laboratories. It was only possible to fully exploit this technology with the introduction of quarter-inch tape, which could store far more information, into recording studios. The stereo information could be stored on the opposite sides of a record’s grooves. The type of stereo to be used as standard – Westrax – was agreed upon in 1957 and stereo records became available to the public in 1958. 1960- 1975 Like a Rolling Stone By the beginning of the sixties the market for records had completely changed. The older classical audiophiles were rapidly being replaced by a much younger audience who had money burning a hole in their pockets. Rock ‘n’ Roll was on its last legs and the industry needed something new. Many of the major companies failed to recognize this new world but EMI signed up a new group from Liverpool, England, who together with producer George Martin would change the face of popular music. In America producers such as Phil Spector and his ‘wall of sound’ were taking on more and more importance in shaping the ‘sound’ of records. George Martin pushed this idea one step beyond.. The Beatles rapidly conquered the singles market and then set out to revolutionize the LP. For the first time an LP was not just a convenient collection of songs but was considered as a whole and each separate track had equal importance. This concept led up to 1967’s ‘ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ with its gatefold sleeve, lyric sheet and psychedelic artwork. Design and packaging took on more and more importance in the race to capture the youth market, record stores’ wares became more and more elaborate and colorful and marketing was picking up speed just like a rolling stone. At the same time huge steps forward were being made in recording technology: Multi-track recording, special effects such as phasing, echo and delay and the emergence of solid state equipment to replace the expensive valve driven technology. The early synthesizers came onto the market in the seventies and the ‘ Golden Age of Vinyl’ possibly culminated with the release of The Who’s ‘rock opera’ “ Tommy” and the release of ‘concept’ albums by such groups as Yes. By this time the vinyl 12” and affordable stereo equipment had truly become a worldwide phenomenon and music had entered most people’s homes to stay. To be continued ... Ortofon | Pro S Ortofon | Pro Single Entry-level cartridge for all-purpose use Single General purpose model for scratch and back-cueing OM or Concorde cartridge OM or Concorde cartridge Twin Case Twin Case Two Concorde cartridges Two Concorde cartridges Set Case Set Case OM or Concorde cartridge + extra stylus OM or Concorde cartridge + extra stylus Pro S Characteristics PRO S Pro Characteristics New DJ? This entry-level cartridge is perfect Spherical Stylus Frequency Response for newcomers on the DJ scene who want Scratch 20-18.000 Hz + 3 / – 2 dB PRO to start off with decent, but not to expensive equipment. The Pro S has a spherical diamond stylus which minimizes scratching and Great performance and durability as to basic Spherical Stylus Frequency Response scratch and back-cueing is what the Pro is Scratch 20-18.000 Hz + 3 / – 2 dB Tracking Force Replacement Stylus 4,0 g Pro known for. It has a good quality spherical Tracking Force Replacement Stylus 4,0 g Pro S a solid cantilever which can survive hectic activity at the turntable. The stylus, a rock-solid cantilever, and serves general purposes well. The Pro is the logical alternative to the more expensive expert cartridges. It offers both reason- sound quality is absolutely not to worry about. The Pro S is a consistent Output Available Versions able output and high sound quality which is, in fact, all there is needed to Output Available Versions performer and a fine all-rounder! 5 mV OM + Concorde entertain an audience. Ideal choice for talented, but less experienced DJs! 5 mV OM + Concorde DJ Cartridges Reliability and robustness is vital, when night after night the cartridges will ruggedness that is a must for professional use. More than twenty years demands of their professional equipment, among which the cartridges DJs all over the world make very high have to meet these demands in environments with extreme sound of experience in designing and manufacturing disco cartridges, and close play their decisive part by realising the scratching, back-cueing and live pressure and vibration. The Ortofon Pro silver coloured cartridges were contact with DJs, have resulted in several lines suitable for all tone-arms artistic performance that is a big part of the show. the first to combine the unrivalled Ortofon sound quality with the and all amplifiers. Ortofon | DJ S Ortofon | Elektro Single Basic model for scratch and back-cueing Single Techno cartridge co-designed by DJs OM or Concorde cartridge Outstanding rigidity by extra-strengthened cantilever OM or Concorde cartridge Rubber tube especially developed for scratch and back-cueing Very high output. Twin Case Twin Case Two Concorde cartridges Two Concorde cartridges Set Case Set Case OM or Concorde cartridge + extra stylus OM or Concorde cartridge + extra stylus DJ S Characteristics Elektro Characteristics DJ S is a solid-built cartridge in a new blue Spherical Stylus Frequency Response Every professional ought to try the Elektro, a Spherical Stylus Frequency Response nylon material. It has a fine spherical stylus Scratch 20-18.000 Hz + 3 / – 2 dB techno cartridge made by a team of highly Scratch 20-15.000 Hz + 3 / – 2 dB Tracking Force Replacement Stylus 4,0 g Elektro qualified technicians and experienced and and a special developed and extremely balanced cantilever. Not only does the cartridge have a most sufficient tracking ability, Tracking Force Replacement Stylus 3,0 g DJ S capable DJs. Unaffected by extreme sound pressure and repeated vibrations, it has a high output. The musical performance is always first-rate and the tracking it is also nearly unbreakable and provides the DJ with the most-needed stringency. Furthermore, it equals very low record wear, an advantage for Output Available Versions ability of the spherical diamond stylus is quite good. The Elektro is a Output Available Versions the busy DJ. The DJ S is definitely worth checking out! 6 mV OM + Concorde must-have for all scratch and back-cueing DJs! 7,5 mV OM + Concorde Sturdiness and Stability and its rubber bearing. Therefore Ortofon disco cartridges are equipped where the diameter of the tube has also been increased from 0.7 mm To make the cartridge even more resistant to violent handling, such professional disco cartridge has to be rugged - and the Ortofon disco with cantilevers made from aluminium tube with increased wall thickness. to 0.8 mm. In so doing, extraordinary rigidity of the cantilever has been as being dropped on the platter-mat, touched with fingers, etc., cartridges are very rugged indeed. Scratching, back-cueing and live The DJ blue coloured cartridges have even been provided with a special achieved without distorting the frequency response and thereby the well- Ortofon has made the suspension of the cantilever more rigid against artistic performance impose heavy mechanical stress on the cantilever telescopic cantilever construction consisting of a double tube design, known Ortofon accuracy in sound. axial pull. Apart from sounding good, a Ortofon | Scratch Ortofon | QBert Single Co-designed by various DJs Single Co-designed by DJ QBert for scratch and back-cueing OM or Concorde cartridge Especially developed for scratch and back-cueing OM or Concorde cartridge High tracking ability Very high output Ultra high output Twin Case Twin Case Two Concorde cartridges Two Concorde cartridges Set Case Set Case OM or Concorde cartridge + extra stylus OM or Concorde cartridge + extra stylus Scratch Characteristics QBert Characteristics As implied by the name, the Scratch is Spherical Stylus Frequency Response This cartridge is a result of a competent Spherical Stylus Frequency Response intended especially for the disciplines of Scratch 20-15.000 Hz + 3 / – 2 dB design alliance between technical experts Scratch 20-18.000 Hz – 2 dB Tracking Force Replacement Stylus 3,0 g QBert scratch and back-cueing. Like the QBert, DJs had a say in designing this cartridge so it would match the needs of dance floor and the world famous DJ QBert who knows Tracking Force Replacement Stylus 4,0 g Scratch kings. It is made of a fluorescent neon-red material with the intention it exactly what to expect and demand of the ideal gear. The QBert has a supreme ability to trace the grooves of your records and it is tailored specifically for scratch. becoming highly apparent in spotlight and luminous in ultraviolet light. Output Available Versions Due to its enormous output, it is perfect for scratch of all music genres Output Available Versions Maximum scratch performance guaranteed! 7 mV OM + Concorde with deep bass frequencies. 11 mV OM + Concorde Styli for better sound high frequencies and very low distortion. Ortofon disco cartridges can be surfaces ensure even lower surface noise and it possible to realize high sound quality and low record wear at the high Several Ortofon technologies make supplied with elliptical styli for even better high-frequency performance, an absolute minimum of record wear. tracking forces that are necessary in disco environments. First of all, the as well as traditional spherical styli. Both these families of diamond styli low stylus tip mass - an Ortofon speciality - ensures improved tracking at are accurately cut to professional specifications and their highly polished Ortofon | Digitrack Ortofon | Arkiv Single Designed for playback on coded vinyl Single Vinyl-to-digital transcription cartridge OM or Concorde cartridge OM or Concorde cartridge Very good sound quality Low record wear High output Twin Case Twin Case Two Concorde cartridges Two Concorde cartridges Set Case Set Case OM or Concorde cartridge + extra stylus OM or Concorde cartridge + extra stylus Digitrack Characteristics Arkiv Characteristics Finally, technology has become an art. The Spherical Stylus Frequency Response Growing demand for the ability to transcribe Elliptical Stylus Frequency Response Digitrack is the perfect marriage of ease and Scratch 20-18.000 Hz + 3 / – 2 dB vinyl to digital formats has prompted the Club 20-20.000 Hz ± 2 dB Tracking Force Replacement Stylus 3,0 g Arkiv OM + Concorde function. With the advent of new computer technology, a DJ can now manipulate MP3’s with the style and feel of a turntablist and creation of the Arkiv – a cartridge specially Tracking Force Replacement Stylus 3,0 g (30 mN) Digitrack the tradition of a turntable. Introducing the world’s first needle designed designed to provide optimized sound quality specifically for recording purposes. The Arkiv boasts clear and accurate sound reproduction and remarkable stereo Available Versions specifically for coded vinyl with low wear, high output and the best mix Output Available Versions imaging, making it perfectly suited for sampling and transcription. The Output and scratch ability. 8 mV OM + Concorde Arkiv ships with an elliptical stylus, for extended high frequency response. 6 mV Anti-skating Tracking ability is decisive for DJs, being that anti-skating adjustment, if not at a very moderate level, will disco/techno environments. So as a rule, never use more than one half The stylus unit for the Night Club black/yellow coloured cartridges especially when doing scratching, back-cueing and live artistic double the skating effect when back-cueing and cause mis-tracking of normal anti-skating relative to the tracking force. is made from a fluorescent yellow material which makes it totally performance. In this situation, an increase in tracking force could be an and even jumping. Lowering the anti-skating force is very often more To facilitate cueing, the nose on all Ortofon disco cartridges has an extra luminous in ultraviolet light. immediate, but in many cases not very effective, solution - the reason useful than increasing the tracking force when working the cartridge in large cut-out which makes the stylus freely visible from above. Ortofon | Gold Ortofon | Nightclub E MKII Single The ultimate club cartridge Single Top model with gold plating and Pro E Diamond OM or Concorde cartridge Concorde cartridge Amazing sound quality Superb sound quality Perfect for usage in discotheques and clubs Twin Case Twin Case Two Concorde cartridges Two Concorde cartridges Set Case Set Case Concorde cartridge + extra stylus OM or Concorde cartridge + extra stylus Gold Characteristics Nightclub E MKII Characteristics Club DJs and studio workers believe the Elliptical Stylus Frequency Response Nightclub E to be an absolute high-end car- Club 20-20.000 Hz ± 1,5 dB GOLD with fascinating musical resources. Its output Elliptical Stylus Frequency Response like striking gold. It is indeed a flagship Club 20-20.000 Hz ± 2 dB Tracking Force Replacement Stylus 3,0 g Gold product with its gold plating and special Pro tridge. It is indeed a no-nonsense performer is superb with a frequency response rating Using this cartridge for the first time feels Tracking Force Replacement Stylus 3,0 g Nightclub E MKII E Diamond. The Gold enjoys an excellent reputation for its amazing sound quality. The special elliptical stylus provides the optimal balance between skip high enough to compare the Nightclub E to any audiophile cartridge. And the special elliptical stylus guarantees sound with insignificant scratching. Output Available Versions resistance and accuracy of sound reproduction. Compatible to a very Output Available Versions Recommended for frequent use in discotheques and clubs! 8 mV OM + Concorde wide range of turntables and perfect for all entertainment purposes! 6 mV Concorde Mounting Standards With the exception of Concorde Gold, in tone-arms with standard sockets. Cold-plated terminal pins ensure Ortofon professional cartridges are available in OM versions designed perfect signal transmission and the linearity of the low-inductance to match tone-arms with standard headshells or in the elegant, well- Ortofon coil system is not influenced by capacitive loads ranging known, integrated Ortofon Concorde design for direct and easy mounting between 200 pF and 600 pF. OM Concorde ge Artwork : [email protected] e h T e Club car t a m i trid u lt N ight club MK2 Night Club MKII offers increased output voltage for powerful, energetic sound and enhanced performance from integrated phono preamps (such as the ones found in DJ mixers). The redesigned elliptical stylus provides well-balanced high frequency response and ample low end reproduction. The Night Club MKII marks a new generation of club cartridges, designed to surpass the gold standard set by the original Night Club cartridge. www.ortofon.com