The art of the DJ is now almost 70 years old. No typo – that’s right, 70 years! And that even includes the use of two turntables for a continuous mix. Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile played records in dance halls in the early 1940s, but in 1947 he began using two phonographs and a microphone at the Grand Records Ball at the Guardbridge Hotel essentially ushering in the methods of the modern disc jockey. That same year, the Whiskey à Go-Go nightclub opened in Paris and is regarded as the world’s first discothèque. A year later, the French composer Pierre Schaeffer and his colleagues at the Studio d’Essai (translated: Experimental Studio) invented the technique of musical composition called, “Musique Concrète” which utilized recorded sounds assembled into a montage of sound. And just like modern electronic musicians of today, those sound “clips” were modified in many ways such as played backward, cut short or effected by echo-chambers or tape delays.

Now known as “sampling” the fundamental principals behind musique concrète were later deployed by record producers during the glory days of rap long before the term hip-hop made it’s way into the general media. These days it’s not at all uncommon for songs to be entirely created from samples. Consequently, legal issues of intellectual property abound and record companies employ entire departments dedicated to licensing these “borrowed” pieces of music.

It’s interesting to realize that the history of sampling and DJing are so closely tied to each other and it’s no suprise that those two worlds have been merging together over the course of the last 70 years. In fact, they have converged to actualize a compositional playing field which continues to attract new artists to it’s possibilities.

One of those modern artists and “technicians” is De Novo Creation. His interest in recording and playing back sounds began in his youth with a 4-track tape recorder. Now with unlimited potential, DNC administers his sound with a MacBook and a new inventive music program called Ableton Live. Armed with a DJ mixer and dedicated device called a “midi controller” he has tactile domination over the mixture of sound he outputs. And with the sheer power of today’s computing power, he can push the boundaries of either sampling or deejaying. One of the boundaries that DNC is continually pushing is in the lower frequency range. Most modern entertainment systems have a bass enhancement switch, but with De Novo’s music you might be hard pressed to use it. In fact, you might blow your speakers! Naturally he favors the sub genre of electronic music known as dubstep which is heavily rooted in sub sonic bass tones.

The texbook definition of the modern DJ seems more elusive than ever before. We tried to get a clearer picture by asking De Novo Creation himself…

You’ve established yourself as a “DJ”. Is the term “DJ” an accurate description of what you do? Perhaps tell us what differentiates you from other DJ’s.

DJ is a term open to each person’s own interpretation, but it simply means that you play pre-recorded music to a crowd.  I play selected pieces of tracks using Ableton Live on my laptop.  This differs from what is called Live PA in that Live PA involves the generation of sounds (often incorporating live looping), and the artist typically has the song separated into drums, bass, synth, and vocals giving them more flexibility to deconstruct their track in front of the crowd.  But even this distinction is subject to critique. I certainly attempt to make my sets as engaging as possible.  My attention to 3-dimensional space is likely what separates my style from others.  The understanding of how people perceive the music I play physically and emotionally enables me to provide the crowd with both a mind and body experience.

Within the DJ community, there are some “purists” who decry the use of laptops. What are your feelings on their use?

Laptops are indispensable tools.  I won’t even get started on the vinyl versus laptop debate.  I started on vinyl, and the flexibility of laptop-based performance does not compare.  DJ’ing from Ableton allows me to use a midi device to control my software.  I use numerous fx racks and plug-ins that provide me the ability to add beat repeats, loops, delays, flangers, etc on-the-fly. The other area of debate on this subject would be the use of virtual software instruments as opposed to analog equipment.  Even if you use analog equipment for synthesis, you are still likely to use software at some point in your mixdown and mastering process.  I have certainly used analog synthesis in the past, and the sounds are often superior to software.  But the cost and convenience of laptop studios, to me, far exceed the advantages of analog sound design.  Embrace technology!

Bloomingtonelectronic.com is working to bring local electronic music “above ground”. For many years you we’re involved in Bloomington’s “underground” electronic music scene. Can you describe for us what it was like performing your music at house parties and raves? What challenges did you face?

House parties are a great place for any dj to begin, especially when it’s a room full of your friends.  The atmosphere of a shoulder-to-shoulder party is like no other, much like playing a rave, the energy of the room is very unified and there is a feeling of collectiveness. One of the challenges I’ve faced in dj’ing parties like this is that the people are definitely not coming to see you play; they’re there to party.  People expect top 40 hip-hop or some crazy retro tune, which certainly won’t be found in my crate!  And in both scenarios you often find yourself watching your gear to avoid belligerent spills and grabby hands, which gets old fast!

How does Bloomington’s electronic music scene differ from others you’ve been involved with?

The scene here in Bloomington is starting to reach a good place, but it will take more dedicated people to see it through. Indianapolis has given me some crazy times though, like having a few thousand people (literally) dancing all night in a closed down grocery store.  I am really in love with the scene in San Francisco though.  There, music is an essence of existence which is so refreshing.  Los Angeles, Boulder, and Vancouver are also great locations for electronic music.  There are numerous talented producers in these cities, and they have a larger population that results in a more diverse community.  The Left Coast is a world unto its own, and I think Bloomington is subject to the Midwest effect.  But I am proud that we are starting to step up to the plate.

Recently it seems electronic music performances are increasing in number here in Bloomington. Do you have any opinions on why there’s been a sudden peak of interest?

The answer here is pretty obvious to me, I think (the) Rothbury (festival) had A LOT to do with it.  Rothbury exposed many people for the first time to artists such as Bassnectar and The Glitch Mob.  Electronic music has found its way into most festivals making it much more accessible, and technology has also allowed this transformation to take place. I believe these factors have sparked a fire underneath several of us.

The style of electronic music known as “dubstep” has become very popular within the electronic music world. For the sake of uninitiated readers, describe what dubstep is.

Dubstep has roots in reggae music but re-emerged in the UK about a decade ago as a darker, bass heavy 130-145 BPM version.  The percussion typically has a certain broken beat “swagga” that makes you nod your head and uses very wide, aggressive sounding synthesizers for leads.  Recently, dubstep has started to incorporate more IDM (Intelligent Dance Music), hip-hop, and “crunk” elements creating more bass heavy party music full of amazing melodies.  There is a lot of tension and release, builds and drops that make the music anticipatory and exciting.

But I can’t explain it any better than Marty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL1yislVzcQ

Do you produce any of your own music? Where can our readers find it?

Yes, I have been producing for about two years on a pretty full-time basis.  Search me on Facebook, my fans and friends on there get loads of steez.  Also, you can find me here:

http://soundcloud.com/de-novo-creation
http://denovocreation.bandcamp.com
http://www.myspace.com/denovocreation

De Novo Creation at work - a picture of today's modern DJ

As an accomplished performer, what advice can you give new DJs or producers for performing live?

Patience is a virtue.  You definitely have to put in your time before good things happen. So go hard or go home!

~Written by Mark Kunoff

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