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Don't think its much of a prob unless people are getting placed in danger of injury.....but remember, nothing plugged into the walls.

Yay battery powered DJ equipt...

Oh? Must be due to the power request for that room.
Guess b-boys gotta go the TRU OLD SKOOL WAY. BOOMBOX!!  LOL

DJ Scratch from EPMD!?

I noticed lat year a huge amount of empty space in the corners of the gaming room.
Any chance of having a SMALL DJ and sound system their strictly for the b-boys?

Hip-hop definite but not too much hyphy. Sorry. This might be the bay but as the we like to say: "Old school > Hyphy"  LOL

HIP-HOP!

HIP-HOP!

HIP-HOP!

Golden Age Hip Hop? New Jack Swing? Hyphy? Crunk? Booty Bass? Gangsta Rap? UK Grime? J-Hip Hop? K-Hip Hop? Dirty South Rap? Snap Music? Horrorcore Rap? RapRock? Pop Rap? Disco Rap? Skratch/Turntablism Music? Electro Breaks? Trip-Hop? Underground Rap?

I think that's all the styles I know of...8-Ball knows em all. ^^

You forgot that one obscure genre in between Golden Age and New Jack Swing where Black Sheep, Paper and Cypress Hill fall under.  :D

For hip-hop to work at Fanime would probably require a seperate dance room as proposed before but I heard about the problems trying to pull that off. Hopefully they can make another attempt and I'll be happy to play some Hip-Hop...uhh except for the Hyphy and...yeah...Hyphy.

Unfortunately my dojo can't do a demo this year. It was just a simple matter of not being able to get mats for the area we would need to demo on. MAYBE a weapons (bokken, jyo, tanto) and Iaido demo that seems unlikely also at this time since there are only 4 of us that practice Iaido at the dojo and only the dans (whom 1/2 can't make it) would be allowed to do the weapons demo.  :'(

Well, at least I get to wear my hakama around (SOUJIRO!) as usual.   :)

You know, I was kind of hoping you would see this.  I would like your expertise on this.  I really want this to happen, so please send me an email on which is the best way to go about a DJ battle. 

Did you get my e-mail response?
Jsut wondering.  ;D

I like the DJ battle idea!
What format (DMC or NMS?) were you going to use and how would you be judging (do NOT use crowd reaction, DJ's either stack the crowd in their favor or the crowd just cheers for something that looks good).

How about just a freestyle DJ showcasing for any who are turntablists? (NO LAPTOPS!)

This is good. I'd like to help out with some of this and I'm sure the promotion company I work for would cover it for DVD, articles etc. Maybe even push it to get more people to attend.

I DJ'd for years (over 20) lugging record crates (not to mention speakers, remember Cerwin Vega Quakes anyone?). I couldn't get into CD's cuz I found it too hard trying to find particular songs regardless of "cataloging" and the feeling of vinyl control.  I just finally got my laptop last August and I gotta say what a damn relief! But that's not to say I haven't paid my dues or if you were to take it away from me I can't DJ anymore. Hand me some vinyl and I'd have no problem. Of course a lot of the new kids now are just gonna "die" on the tables if you make them use vinyl (let alone carry a crate) cuz they "can't handle the version" or "it skips." hah

Speaking of "kids" we've got a "youngling" in our crew right now that's using our CD's/laptop but we force him to carry record crates anywayz! bwahaha

As for the bay/hyphy stuff. I will say that I do like the beats. It's just the rapping gets too "ebonic" (that would be the bast way to describe it). You take old skool (style) hip-hop and the rapping isn't nearly as ghetto or gangsta. Just my .02 on that subject.

"Cuz you can only go dumb for so long..." :lol:

I've pointed this out in another thread but to say again and backup some of the other things other DJ's here mentioned is also the BPM of the song you're requesting. Requesting a song that's 132 BPM's while the DJ is in the 104 - 105 range isn't gonna get that song played right away. A lot of times I'd have the song but I would have to tell the person that they're gonna have to wait until I've worked my way up (or down) to that BPM range. Sometimes by the time I get to that range they might not even be around anymore (this why patience and understanding is important). So if I'm playing "Walk This Way" by RUN DMC and you ask for oh...D Tecno Life that's gonna be a no. However, if you asked for "Hero's Come Back" (1st Naruto Shippuden opening) then that works very well and I've done it...a lot...even in places where they don't know what anime is and I just wanted to see what random reaction I get. :lol:

so anyone into goa-psy trance? or infected mushroom? Just curious

Infected Mushroom is great.  Not exactly the best music to dance to ever though.

I wish I had the money for a faster computer so I could use Traktor.  All of the freeware and shareware DJing programs I can run on my iBook aren't very good.

Traktor isn't too good. If you're gunna digital dj use scratch live or something.

Tru dat. Scratch live/Serato is pretty much the industry standard now. Funny thing is the actual program is free (you can DL it), it's just the hardware/interface that's gonna cost you!
However, the latest version of Serato does allow you to listen to the song w/out the interface so in times of desperate need you can use the 1/8" output to play the song. You just don't have the control of mixing anymore. Basically it turns your laptop into a giant iPod.

I just don't like how DJ's are becoming to reliant on either the program doing all the work for them or the remixed mp3 version. It's like if you take certain features away (like skipless mode) or you force a DJ to use the original version they can't handle it. You still gotta learn the fundamentals.

So I've seen different martial arts demos in the pass at Fanime cons from Juijitsu to Wu-shu. Nothing against them (cuz Wu-shu is cool) but since Aikido is a Japanese martial art and the con is well...Japanese culture based I think it would be cool to see an Aikido demo. After all, half the con goers are wearing hakama anyway so the Aikido practioners would fit right in!  ;D

Thoughts?

What people need to understand about requesting a song from the DJ is the #1 rule:
Does it mix?

Actually I had a hard time trying to explain that to a woman the other night so I just told her to sing the song she wanted to hear but at the tempo/speed of the song I was playing. She figured it out after that and started requesting stuff that worked.

Of course the DJ has to have the song to. Sometimes people request some far out stuff or that "extra track" on the album that he either didn't pack or deleted. heh

Wow I didn't know there was some support for 80's/90's. That's usually what I play anywayz (hip-hop & freestyle). If I get to DJ Fanime again that's definitely what I'd be playing.

2 rooms is an EXCELLENT idea. This way you can break up the music formats.

i dunno if anyone wants this or not, but me, being from the Bay AREA and this being the BIGGEST con in northern california, where the "bay" is techinically... would anyone mind the DJ playing some bay slaps/hyphee music at the con? i mean, if not those kind of music... then what about those "timeless" songs that well... anyone can dance to like "YMCA" or like "jump on it" by sir mix a lot?

Gah! I just have a hard time stomaching the bay/hyphy stuff. Then again this is from a DJ's perspective. When I would go to a club with my (then) wife we would have to show up for at the opening if she was Dj'ing. And the 1st hour the DJ was all hyphy, then the next hour the next DJ was all hyphy, then the third and the fourth. Hyphy hyphy hyphy! And the most irritating part? Didn't matter which DJ it was, it was just the same songs in a different order. That was so wack I swear! So now when I'm DJ'ing at a lounge and someone wants hyphy all night long I tell them to either turn the radio on or go to any of those asian/ricer  sponsored parties in SF.  :P

The timeless stuff, yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about.  ;D

OK. All arguements and beeyaching at each other aside looking and hearing from people there are two main issues (that actually matter) to be addressed for next year.

1) Variety

Seems there was nothing but high BPM techo/house type music. Not much in the terms of alternative, disco, freestyle, modern rock or golden age hip-hop (yes, that is a term now). (old man rant) Back in the day when my crew used to DJ for Lowell HS in the city there was the problem of half the student body wanting mod and the other wanting hip-hop. This problem was solved by giving the students two different DJ groups in two different areas. The courtyard was for the modern rock DJ's and the gym was for the hip-hop DJ's (we only got to do the gym once :cry: ) Again, if they find a way to provide enough equipment for a seperate room that would solve this problem. (Mixsterious Media?)

2) Quality of mixing

While no one is asking for a Mixtress (not to be biased), a Rich Loxomana or a Rick Lee there  is a certain standard everyone wants to enjoy whether they be an average person or a DJ. A lot of people don't know what a good quality mix sounds like until they hear the difference between the two (tested that theory at a DJ workshop I held with Tek Threat). But once they did notice, they noticed for the rest of their...lives I guess. Of course theres gonna be DJ's that can't for one reason or another whether it be music selection, skill, experience or just a bad night. If we get MOST of the night(s) to have both variety and clean mixing that should stop at leat 90% of these "battles."

And speaking of battles if DJ's didn't see eye to eye they should just settle it in the traditional way...DJ BATTLE!  :D

Well about "Stop and Play" DJing...

If thats the road they want to take, let them... I'll consider them DJs still.

NO (That would make EVERYONE a DJ then)

You wanna "Stop and Play?" Do it on the radio, or be part of a live band (actually come to think of it, A LOT of live bands now mix from song to song as well) where it's expected. Don't do it at a club/dance and peoples flow (whether it be hip-hop or thechno) is broken.

Stormy: yeah. hopefully Al will take a big role again next year if not, Mixsterious has always shown interest in providing some type of Dj'sentertainment/sound system for Fanime or even have artists come through to perform.

F'realz? Weak

To quote Rhetmattic of the Beat Junkies at Scratchcon 2000:
"The very basics and base of DJ'ing is to know how to mix and blend songs together. If you can't do even the most basic mix on beat don't bother trying to learn how to skratch let alone call yourself a DJ."

I tried to swing by Saturday night but that was when they temporarily stopped people from entering (ANOTHER incident?)

Why do I keep hearing there was no mixing and it was mostly stop & play or fade in/out?
Was there (golden age) hip-hop as well?

Maybe I can just scratch while on eof the DJ's mix?   :D

Whats the business dude? You spinning this year? Im unaware of the DJ Lineup and a little assurance that it wont be entirely rave-oriented this year would be nice.

Sorry no. Not DJ'ing this year either. At least not at Fanime this weekend. Got a busy schedule with other DJ stuff.

I'll be around but dunno if I'll be at the dances or not. If I am, I'll have my skratch records on standby (someone requested my Don't Stop the Rock routine hah) but it doesn't sound like the equipment won't be setup properly for any "side DJ'ing."

Caelque: are you runnin' CDJ's and/or Seratto? With Seratto it's totally possible to DJ a whole night (it's just tiring as hell). But w/out a "battle setup" neither me or Reign could skratch.