dj

Miss Kittin, "FFFfff": Free MP3 of the Day

A goddess of contemporary electro, Miss Kittin embodies all that is cold, foreign, and simultaneously sexxxed up. New album "Batbox" sees her lightening up and adding an indie-rock edge. Make no mistake, though: She's still rocking the beats.

Free DJ Mix by Justice: "Rejected Fabric Mix"

Courtesy of Xavier de Rosnay, Gaspard Auge (aka Justice) and the whole Ed Banger crew, the DJ mix unofficially dubbed the "Rejected Fabric Mix" has found its way to the WWW as a freebie when the popular London dance label (and club) Fabric rejected it for their next FabricLive compilation DJ series.

Before being leaked to the public, Justice's new mix is easily one of the best of the year and has a scope well beyond the duo's own apocalyptic electro madness. Take a listen (or three... or five) and see for yourself.

Free Download: "The mix Fabric didn't want you to hear!"… Read more

Stanton unveils SC digital DJ rig

The 2008 NAMM expo (National Association of Music Merchants) kicks off today in Anaheim, Calif., and with it comes a treasure trove of slick digital DJ gear. The first cool announcement to hit my in-box has to be the SC series, Stanton's latest take on the laptop DJ interface.

At first glance, the SC setup looks like a traditional analog turntable and mixing board, but in reality it's an all-digital system (look, Ma--no tonearm!) that makes DJing from your laptop a much more physical and engaging experience. The Stanton SC rig comes in two parts: the SCS.1d virtual turntable ($1,499); and the SCS.1m virtual mixer ($999). Both parts of the system are each rad in their own right, so here's the breakdown on features (with photos).… Read more

Tonium Pacemaker in the wild

The DJ is getting off easy these days. As more DJs turn in their turntables and record crates for laptops and external hard drives, the entry point for aspiring DJs has become both more attainable and more portable. Swedish start-up Tonium intends to shrink the digital DJ rig even further with a handheld product called Pacemaker.

At its heart, the Pacemaker is an MP3 player with 120GB of storage, USB 2.0 connectivity, and both headphone and line-out connections. What makes the Pacemaker unique is a set of touch pad controls that allow professional DJ techniques such as crossfading, filtering, … Read more

Waiting for Pacemaker

Announced back in May, the Pacemaker sounds like an amazing gadget: a 120GB portable music player that functions like a portable DJ mixing table. Essentially, it plays two tracks at once and lets you crossfade between them, plus play with effects like looping and pitch bending. Check out the Flash demo here.

There's also a software application, the Pacemaker Editor, that functions like a traditional music player and library manager (think iTunes, Windows Media Player, or WinAmp), only with support for creating mixes. It's coming out in December, according to the Web site.

Well, today's the last … Read more

Scratchmaster Mario

It's a fact: DJs get more chicks than gamers. If you're looking to transition your skills at Zelda into something more musical, the Protein DScratch software for the Nintendo DS might just have you rocking a dance floor on a Saturday night.

The software allows you to load your own WAV files, and then tweak them with effects, pitch changes, and scratching. The software even sends out MIDI clock messages that will let you sync up the DScratch tempo with other electronic music gear. Hell, you could start an entire Nintendo DS band at this point. Just get … Read more

Flosstradamus DJ Mix

If you haven't heard of the Chicago DJ duo Flosstradamus, then we suggest you hop on to it. A Flosstradamus DJ set sounds like hipster pirates took over the mainstream rap radio station in a major city--like their own Chicago--where the duo's famed parties center around a whole mess of unapologetically drunken music fanatics and a tracklist that throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Curious? A free music download of one of those sets is available for you to get your freak on.

It's all about makin' paper (iPod speakers and turntables)

Finally. After almost 30 years of waiting, there's a perfect tech solution for breakdancers: a boombox you can break down into a flat cardboard mat and cold bust windmills and headspins on.

The cardboard, AA-battery-powered Mini Boombox for iPod, designed by Suck UK, folds into an iPod speaker system. It can also be used with other MP3 players.

Pricing info is unavailable for the Mini Boombox for iPod. The system is slated for release in September.

We don't expect the speaker system to rival Klipsch's iFi in terms of sound quality or DLO's HomeDock Deluxe in … Read more

Will ad-supported music catch on?

Digital Music News posted a short piece yesterday on a forthcoming venture called RCRD LBL.

First reported by the New York Post, RCRD LBL is a planned venture by Engadget founder Peter Rojas and Downtown Records founder Peter Deutsch. High-quality brands, both. The idea is simple: users will get exclusive music for free, and the company (and artists) will earn money by selling advertisements and sponsorships. Rumored artists include Radiohead singer Thom Yorke; Gnarls Barkely, the creators of 2006's catchiest single Gnarls Barkley; and DJ Mark Ronson, who's perhaps best known for his cover versions of popular songs, … Read more

Pyro stoner DJ starter kit?

I've just finished reviewing this Hercules Mobile DJ product, and I must say that for $99, it's actually pretty fun. Still, the package design is hilariously bad. It's like someone dropped some bad acid right before opening up Photoshop.

The Hercules Mobile DJ MP3 is nowhere near a professional-quality digital DJ solution, but at this price, it's not meant to be. It's meant for the stoned pyromaniac teenagers pictured on the box. The package comes with a wireless iPod-white DJ interface, a USB wireless receiver that connects to your computer, and MP3 DJ software … Read more