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Do You Want A New Dimension To Music?
Other | Monday 17th June 2013 | jim
For a feast for the eyes as well as the ears check out AV club nights.
While nowhere near on the same level as normal clubbing AV club nights have been growing in popularity. Not really known on a wide scale there are a number of video DJs, that are really pushing the scene to a whole new level, mixing live music and video at the same time on stage.
A few examples of these DJs are DJ Yoda, DJ Cheeba or Hexstatic, who have found a more niche market mixing an audio set that would still remain top class anywhere in the world, while also mixing a live set of videos to go in time with the music to be projected onto a screen behind the DJ. Hexstatic has even started experimenting with 3D visual sets although to mixed reviews. While often just mashing up the music video that was already intended for the song, the DJs will often also delve into a collection of old cartoons, movies, news clips to create a melange of visual delight to entertain the crowd as they dance to the songs. Very often the DJs will be able to cut up the video and add in sound to create what could be described as video dub-plates, adding a level of humour on top as well.
While the video sets can be a mixed bag, personally I feel that they hugely accentuate the experience, and create something, which goes beyond just the regular audio DJ set. Having that extra level means that the song choice does not have to be the most exceptional in the world in order to make it just as entertaining. Being able to play around with video as well as the audio means an extra element of skill is needed and therefore hopefully an extra level of engagement from the audience.
The DJs manipulate sight and sound and produce something that can only be describe as dance floor devastation as some people stare, jaws dropping to the ground, at the visuals, while others dance around to the perfectly mixed bass heavy songs.
Solid Steel, a series of mix albums, now issued on Ninja Tune independent record label, started life on Kiss FM. The show was not just about mixing records, but also about displaying their cut-up technique live, where elements not connected with music would be cut and pasted together into the mix.
They left Kiss in 1999 and moved to the BBC until 2002. They have now expanded online to include guest mixes and regular video mixes as well which often ends as being the number one video podcast on iTunes, which shows the growing excitement around AV DJing.
Cymatic Frequencies by DK from Solid Steel on Vimeo.
Cymatic Frequencies II by DK - Part 2 from Solid Steel on Vimeo.
While there are the purer AV DJs, many DJs also use audio visual projection to enhance their sets. Most notably Fatboy Slim, DJ Shadow, Major Lazer and 2manydjs all use a similar combination of animation and real-life photography to produce a video to move in time with the DJ set they are spinning below.
If you have not ever seen an AV set, download the podcast or watch the sets above, which will surely make you want to get up and dance.
written by Jim Roberts
