Dubspot International EDU Sessions: Santiago, Chile

On Tuesday April 23 Dubspot is proud to join with the University of Santiago and Academia Mac to extend our global global community with the Dubspot International EDU Sessions in Santiago Chile. The two hour event which is sponsored by the US Embassy of Santiago Chile is open to the public and will feature Producer, bassist and Dubspot instructor Dan Freeman (New York) who will demonstrate production and live performance techniques with Ableton Live 9, followed by a presentation on performing with Live 9 and Push. Freeman will be followed by Dr. Felipe Cussen from the University of Santiago and Ricardo Luna from Academia Mac, who will lead a discussion on how the technology of digital sampling has changed the creation of music and poetry in modern times.

Dubspot International EDU Sessions- Santiago, Chile
Tuesday April 23, 2013
7:00PM – 9:00PM

Auditorio de IDEA
Ubicando en Roman Diaz n 89, Providencia
University of Santiago, Chile

If you would like to attend the Dubspot International EDU Sessions in Santiago, Chile, please RSVP at our Facebook event page.

“In the past decade the laptop has revolutionized the way music is performed and produced and Ableton has been at the forefront of making the laptop a powerful production and performance tool. The NYC Ableton User Group is a place to learn about this remarkable software and see how guest artists and other attendees are putting it to use.” - Dan Freeman

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On Wednesday March 6th (3:00-4:30pm EST), Dubspot will host a live streaming workshop with legendary DJ/producer Sasha, who will share techniques for performing and producing with Ableton Live in support of his latest album Involver 3, scheduled for release March 18th on the Ministry Of Sound imprint.

RSVP on our Facebook event page to attend in person. The event will also be streamed live through this blog post, check this link on the day of the workshop.

Welsh superstar DJ and producer Sasha (Alexander Paul Coe) has been influencing global club scene for over two decades through original productions, remixes and DJ sets that consistently display his deep understanding of modern dance music. His residencies at Twilo, NYC and in Ibiza with partner John Digweed set standards for modern clubbing while his mix CDs for the well-known Global Underground series made Sasha a household name. Sasha’s Involver series of mixes see the DJ curating a list of tracks, dissecting them into loops and layers of sound and reassembling them into unique DJ mixes. Involver 3 will be released on March 18 and features unique remixes of James Zabeila, Little Dragon, The Ananda Project, Blondes, and The XX.

From Wikipedia: Sasha (born Alexander Paul Coe on 4 September 1969 in Bangor, Caernarfonshire, Wales) is a Welsh DJ and record producer. Sasha began his career playing acid house dance music in the late 1980s. He partnered with fellow DJ John Digweed in 1993, touring internationally and producing a series of mixes together. Sasha has produced multiple UK-charting singles and has remixed tracks for artists such as Madonna, The Chemical Brothers and Hot Chip. His remix of Felix da Housecat’s “Watching Cars Go By” earned him a 2004 Grammy nomination. Sasha’s remixing and production often combine electronic music genres, making it difficult for critics to pinpoint his musical style, including on his debut album of original work, Airdrawndagger.

After achieving success as a producer and DJ, Sasha has worked with younger DJs and producers such as BT and James Zabiela, influencing their musical styles and techniques. His use of live audio engineering equipment helped popularize technological innovations among DJs who formerly relied on records and turntables. Despite the changing trends in electronic dance music, Sasha continues to perform in large dance venues.

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Course designer and instructor Matt Shadetek will discuss our six-level program in Logic, which covers the complete composition and production process in Apple’s music production software. This workshop will run from 7-9pm EST on February 13, 2013. You can RSVP to the event on our Facebook page if you’d like to attend the event at our NYC location; to watch online just come back to this page on February 13th and you will find a link to the live stream.

Matt Shadetek is a DJ/producer and teacher based in Brooklyn, New York. He runs the Dutty Artz label with DJ /Rupture and will be releasing his second solo album The Empire Never Ended on March 26th, 2013. Hear his music at mattshadetek.com

Master Logic with our complete program of courses culminating in a four-track EP ready for release. In addition to achieving a complete overview of the composition process in Logic you’ll also earn the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Logic Pro. After completing this program, you will leave with a new EP, a remix entered in an active remix contest, and a scored commercial to widen your scope.

What’s Included

• Logic Pro Level 1: Shake Hands with Logic
• Logic Pro Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Logic Pro Level 3: Mixing Essentials
• Logic Pro Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Logic Pro Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Logic Pro Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

Music Production with Logic Pro classes just started, sign up today!

January 30th in NYC – Wednesdays & Fridays, 6:15-9:00pm
The week of April 21st DUBSPOT ONLINE

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Britt goes on to stress the importance of selflessness and letting go of the musical ego while developing royalty-free sounds that will inspire other artists. Displaying the intelligence and thought behind his concept for the Fragments series, he demonstrates how these packs can be used for performance or recording and yield unexpected combinations and beats.

A lifelong musician, Britt kicked off his career with his first DJ residency in 1990, helping to popularize dance music in the Philadelphia area. Early success with electronic music productions like “Tribal Confusion” led to Britt joining Digable Planets on tour for two years, and then founding Ovum Recordings together with Josh Wink in 1994. Since then, Britt has continued to keep it fresh by taking what he likes from new sounds without losing his own musical identity, moving through hip hop and house to neo soul, techno and beyond, while remixing artists as diverse as Tori Amos and Miles Davis.

Music Production w/ Ableton Live

NYC COURSES
Morning Classes: March 11, 2013; Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri, 10:15-1pm
Evening Classes: March 19, 2013; Tuesdays and Thursdays, Fri 6:15pm-9pm
Weekend Classes: March 16, 2013; Saturdays, 12:00-6pm

ONLINE COURSES in session with seats still available. Register today!

From the studio to the stage, learn to use Ableton Live to create, record, produce, and perform your music. Learn about linear and improvisational styles of producing electronic music as we help you master the software’s innovative interface.

After completing this program, you will leave with four completed tracks (an EP), a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Ableton Live.

What’s Included:

• Ableton Live Level 1: Shake Hands with Live
• Ableton Live Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Ableton Live Level 3: Production Essentials
• Ableton Live Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Ableton Live Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Ableton Live Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

“So far the experience through Dubspot is incredible, and I can’t wait to go through the next levels. It’s just getting better each week, and I can not wait to start putting an EP together, not just being able to put a successful track together!” - Dan Carter, United Kingdom

Start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

Or if you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

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A lot of artists struggle with procrastination and getting work finished. This is a common issue and can be pretty damaging in itself, but in today’s post I want to talk about something that comes after the work is finally done: the endless postponement of sharing finished work with the public. This is something which affects many artists including even the most well-known and prolific.

For me personally this is a bigger problem than actually getting the work done. I love making music and being in the studio is easily my favorite part of the process, but for me the problem starts when it’s time to actually take that finished product and share it with the world. There’s a lot of vague anxiety involved but it mainly comes down to fear of being criticized.

For many of us this fear slips us into a self-destructive pattern of pain avoidance: if I never release anything, no one can criticize me. Whether we clearly articulate this thought as an excuse to ourselves or we just drag our feet endlessly without reflecting on why, the results are the same. What has happened to me in the past is that I’ll sit on songs so long that they start to sound old and stale to me. Once that happens, even if no one else has ever heard them, I can’t bring myself to release them, and so they die a silent death on my hard drive. I call this making secret songs.

It’s important to distinguish between quality control and artistic cowardice.

I believe in not releasing every single piece of music you make. I try to make more tracks than I need for every release, and then whittle down the list until I am left with only those that I really feel strongly about and that hang together as a cohesive whole. Once that part of the process is done, though, it’s important to get that work out as quickly as possible.

It’s important to understand that taking the time and effort to actually get your work released on a regular basis is a critical part of being an artist. Creating art is about communication, sharing the feeling we put into the music with an audience. It’s pretty obvious that if you are making secret songs, this kind of artistic communication is completely impossible.

This not only prevents you from communicating with an audience but also keeps you from developing as an artist. By protecting yourself from criticism you are also protecting yourself from the opportunity to grow. You might as well be making music for the palm trees on a desert island.

It’s also important to realize that while criticism can be painful sometimes, it also contains something incredibly valuable: feedback.

Feedback can come in many forms.  Some of these hurt, like when people call you names and say you’re a bad person for making this record. Or worse ignore your record completely. Some of these can be incredibly fulfilling, like when someone lets you know that your record was meaningful to them and played some positive role in their life.

The most important thing about feedback, though, is that it allows you to evolve as an artist. If you release a record that is absolutely ignored or that nobody seems to like at all, you have a choice: you can stick to your guns and keep pursuing your own direction, or you can adjust course and see if by making tweaks to your formula you can make something that connects with more people. Feedback is an opportunity for learning and can help you figure out where you want to go.

Once you engage in this process, the next challenge is to use the feedback you receive in a constructive way. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by both positive and negative feedback and to allow it to control you. The balance we have to strike is to use the feedback we receive as a guide to make decisions which fulfill our own artistic needs.  This largely stems from whether your artistic goal is to be a radical and uncompromising artistic revolutionary, a crowd-pleasing entertainer, or somewhere in between.

Think of it this way: releasing finished work is like a muscle. It’s something you practice and build up your ability to do.  The longer you do it the easier it gets, although it will never be completely anxiety-free if you care at all about the outcome.  Start now and practice finishing and releasing your work regularly.  You will find that although there may be painful moments, it feels wonderful to know that you have reached an audience and connected with them. – Matt Shadetek

Matt Shadetek is a DJ, producer and teacher based in Brooklyn, New York. He runs the Dutty Artz label with DJ /Rupture and will be releasing his second solo album The Empire Never Ended on March 26th 2013. Here his music at mattshadetek.com

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Live Streaming Logic Pro Course Preview with Matt Shadetek

Curriculum designer and instructor Matt Shadetek will discuss our six-level Logic Pro program, which covers the complete composition and production process in Logic. Please RSVP on the Facebook event page to attend.

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Dubspot instructor Dan Freeman (a.k.a. Com1x) will venture to Mexico City this Saturday to take part in a clinic on music production, sound design and live performance at a special event held together with Konfort Records and the Ableton Live Usergroup Mexico City.

Freeman is an Ableton Live Certified Instructor focusing on electronic music production and history at Dubspot. He has given numerous clinics at major universities and music festivals including Harvard, the University of Caldas, The Together Festival and The In/Out Festival.  A bassist and producer, he is originally from Brooklyn, NY, and has performed with renowned artists like Peter Gabriel, Angelique Kidjo, The B-52s and The Harlem Gospel Choir, among others. His project “C0″ was chosen by Ableton Inc. for a demonstration at their North American offices for his innovative use of Live in performance.

This event will bring together producers and educators for a night full of clinics and demonstrations about music production, targeting beginners and advanced users alike.

The event will be livestreamed online starting at 3:00pm EST by our hosts, the Centro Cultural España de México.

The livestream URL is http://www.livestream.com/ccemxtv.

Note that all clinics will be presented in Spanish.

For a taste of what will be covered, check out this video of Dan Freeman explaining some of his Ableton vocal processing tips–this presentation is in English but he will be covering some similar topics in Spanish at Saturday’s workshop:

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Hosting the now infamous event series SYSTEM with DEEP MEDi labelmate Mala, V.I.V.E.K has found a home in the bass-saturated sound of dubstep and its offshoots. Stressing the importance of dedication and the patience required to produce original music and develop your own sound, he suggested intimately learning one synthesizer or software to begin with and then applying that knowledge to other synths and plug-ins.

Today’s electronic music scene revolves continuously on hype, and there are few artists and label camps that can rely almost entirely on their musical content to do their talking. Mala’s DEEP MEDi camp and V.I.V.E.K are noted exceptions to this rule.

Influenced by the golden years of drum and bass and a steady diet of dub and roots music, V.I.V.E.K has been honing his musical construction skills since 2004. Progressing naturally from DJing to production, and originally beginning to build music around the 170 tempo, 140 BPM was the pitch that worked for V.I.V.E.K to shape his unique subterranean groove.

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Prolific bass music producer and Deep Medi Musik artist Goth-Trad stopped by Dubspot last year to host a live workshop on his unique live performance setup, utilizing a live mixing console, effects processors, and drum machines/emulators along with a MIDI controller and siren machine. While he was here we also got a chance to ask about his beginnings in the dubstep scene, how he met Mala, and his impressions of the bass scene worldwide. The above video is a recap of our visit with this master of dark and moody bass music.

“To be honest with you I’m not listening to dubstep that much, the whole reason I got into making dubstep is because it’s free. You can do anything with it. Take it all sorts of directions… I’m always looking for more directions and styles within my work, but I’m not really thinking I’m doing dubstep. I’m just doing my sound. I’ve been doing this style of music for almost ten years and I just say all this music is bass music. I’m putting a lot of variety into the new album. Some tunes are very techy, some tunes are much more experimental, a bit glitchy. There may be some more banging stuff. I have lots of ideas to keep moving with.” - Goth-Trad

GOTH-TRAD – Exclusive Mix Recorded @ Dubspot NYC! Podcast 031

GOTH-TRAD (Deep Medi / Japan) – Exclusive Mix Recorded @ Dubspot NYC! Podcast 031 by Dubspot

Tracklist

01. GOTH-TRAD – Grind (dub)
02. GOTH-TRAD – Dark Path (DEEP MEDi)
03. Karma – Meanings (dub)
04. GOTH-TRAD – Cosmos (DEEP MEDi)
05. GOTH-TRAD – Axis (dub)
06. GOTH-TRAD – Seeker (DEEP MEDi)
07. GOTH-TRAD – Man in the Maze (DEEP MEDi)
08. GOTH-TRAD – Departure (DEEP MEDi)
09. Distance – Traffic [GOTH-TRAD Remix] (Planet Mu)
10. GOTH-TRAD – Air Breaker (DEEP MEDi)
11. GOTH-TRAD – Itinerant Priest (DEEP MEDi)
12. Pampidoo – Synthesizer Voice [GOTH-TRAD Remix VIP] (dub)
13. GOTH-TRAD – Cut End VIP (dub)
14. Johnny Osbourne – Fally Ranking [V.I.V.E.K. Remix] (Greensleeves Dubstep)
15. GOTH-TRAD – Meteor (dub)
16. GOTH-TRAD – Born To Know (dub)
17. GOTH-TRAD – New Epoch (DEEP MEDi)

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From the studio to the stage, learn to use Ableton Live to create, record, produce, and perform your music. Learn about linear and improvisational styles of producing electronic music as we help you master the software’s innovative interface.

After completing this program, you will leave with four completed tracks (an EP), a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Ableton Live.

What’s Included:

Ableton Live Level 1: Shake Hands with Live
Ableton Live Level 2: Completing Your First Track
Ableton Live Level 3: Production Essentials
Ableton Live Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
Ableton Live Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
Ableton Live Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

UPCOMING Music Production w/ Ableton Live Course Dates:

January 7, 2013 in NYC – Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, 3:15-6pm
January 30, 2013 in NYC – Wednesday and Friday, 6:15-9pm
March 19, 2013 in NYC – Tuesday and Thursday, 6:15-9pm

“I summarize my experience at Dubspot as an adventure! I learned the equipment and the mentality. Ableton is now my playground, and I owe it all to Dubspot.” – Peter Ardent

Become fluent in the language of sound design with this comprehensive program. Our six-level Sound Design program uses Native Instruments’ Komplete as a platform for learning synthesis and sampling techniques. Starting with an introduction to the properties of sound, this comprehensive series of courses covers most common synthesis methods available for music production in the DAW of your choice.

Discovering the right sound is like finding a needle in the digital haystack. Learn the fundamentals to make this easier, and gain the depth of knowledge to make a good sound better. Factory content is great, but everyone has it – your mix needs something special.

What’s Included:

Sound Design Level 1: Introduction to Komplete 8
Sound Design Level 2: Synthesis with Massive, FM8 and Absynth
Sound Design Level 3: Sampling with Kontakt and Battery
Sound Design Level 4: Advanced Sound Design
Sound Design Level 5: Reaktor Ensembles and Instruments
Sound Design Level 6: Reaktor Programming

UPCOMING Sound Design Courses:

January 30, 2013 in NYC – Wednesday and Friday, 6:15-9pm
March 19, 2013 in NYC – Tuesday and Thursday, 3:15-6pm
May 1, 2013 in NYC – Wednesday and Friday, 3:15-6pm

More start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

If you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

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‘Sound Design with Common Objects’ w/ Chris Petti

Earlier this year Dubspot partnered with Decibel Festival in Seattle to present a series of music production and DJ workshops at this year’s edition of the annual music, technology, and art event. During our visit, Dubspot curriculum director Chris Petti led a music production and sound design workshop, using Ableton Live and a Blue Snowball USB mic to sample and process sounds produced by various household objects including spoons, a fork, fruit, and other common items, showing the kinds of effects that can be made using these sounds as a starting point. Sampling sounds from your immediate environment like this is a great way to come up with fresh new ideas and directions.

From the studio to the stage, learn to use Ableton Live to create, record, produce, and perform your music. Learn about linear and improvisational styles of producing electronic music as we help you master the software’s innovative interface.

After completing this program, you will leave with four completed tracks (an EP), a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Ableton Live.

What’s Included:

Ableton Live Level 1: Shake Hands with Live
Ableton Live Level 2: Completing Your First Track
Ableton Live Level 3: Production Essentials
Ableton Live Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
Ableton Live Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
Ableton Live Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

UPCOMING Music Production w/ Ableton Live Course Dates:

January 7, 2013 in NYC – Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri, 3:15-6pm
January 30, 2013 in NYC – Wednesday and Friday, 6:15-9pm
March 19, 2013 in NYC – Tuesday and Thursday, 6:15-9pm

“I summarize my experience at Dubspot as an adventure! I learned the equipment and the mentality. Ableton is now my playground, and I owe it all to Dubspot.” – Peter Ardent

Become fluent in the language of sound design with this comprehensive program. Our six-level Sound Design program uses Native Instruments’ Komplete as a platform for learning synthesis and sampling techniques. Starting with an introduction to the properties of sound, this comprehensive series of courses covers most common synthesis methods available for music production in the DAW of your choice.

Discovering the right sound is like finding a needle in the digital haystack. Learn the fundamentals to make this easier, and gain the depth of knowledge to make a good sound better. Factory content is great, but everyone has it – your mix needs something special.

What’s Included:

Sound Design Level 1: Introduction to Komplete 8
Sound Design Level 2: Synthesis with Massive, FM8 and Absynth
Sound Design Level 3: Sampling with Kontakt and Battery
Sound Design Level 4: Advanced Sound Design
Sound Design Level 5: Reaktor Ensembles and Instruments
Sound Design Level 6: Reaktor Programming

UPCOMING Sound Design Courses:

January 30, 2013 in NYC – Wednesday and Friday, 6:15-9pm
March 19, 2013 in NYC – Tuesday and Thursday, 3:15-6pm
May 1, 2013 in NYC – Wednesday and Friday, 3:15-6pm

More start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

If you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

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‘Controllers Are Instruments Too’ w/ Thavius Beck

Earlier this year Dubspot partnered with Decibel Festival to present a series of music production and DJ workshops with our team of instructors (including Thavius Beck, DJ Shiftee, and Chris Petti) at the annual music, technology, and art event in Seattle. During our visit, Dubspot instructor/course designer Thavius Beck led a workshop on using new types of MIDI controllers such as Keith McMillan’s QuNeo and Novation’s Launchpad as creative input devices for music production with Ableton Live.

(And don’t forget that we’ve partnered with Keith McMillen Instruments to offer a QuNeo controller in a free giveaway!)

Thavius Beck released his latest album The Most Beautiful Ugly on pioneering Los Angeles label Plug Research. He has also released music on labels such as Mush and Big Dada and collaborated with the likes of Saul Williams, Nine Inch Nails, Nas, and Busdriver. The Most Beautiful Ugly is Thavius’ first album in three years. You can buy the album here; it’s currently available in limited colored vinyl edition, CD, and digital.

From the studio to the stage, learn to use Ableton Live to create, record, produce, and perform your music. Learn about linear and improvisational styles of producing electronic music as we help you master the software’s innovative interface.

After completing this program, you will leave with four completed tracks (an EP), a remix entered in an active contest, a scored commercial to widen your scope, and the Dubspot Producer’s Certificate in Ableton Live.

What’s Included:

• Ableton Live Level 1: Shake Hands with Live
• Ableton Live Level 2: Completing Your First Track
• Ableton Live Level 3: Production Essentials
• Ableton Live Level 4: Sound Design & Instrumentation
• Ableton Live Level 5: Advanced Composition & Production
• Ableton Live Level 6: Taking Your EP Global

“I summarize my experience at Dubspot as an adventure! I learned the equipment and the mentality. Ableton is now my playground, and I owe it all to Dubspot.” – Peter Ardent

More start dates and information about payment plans can be found here.

If you have questions, please call 877.DUBSPOT or send us a message.

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Dubspot teamed up with Richie Hawtin and Sennheiser this fall to present CNTRL: Beyond EDM – a series of seminars at colleges across North America addressing the current state of technology, production, performance, and creativity in electronic music. In this video, Richie Hawtin and Loco Dice along with Carl Craig and DJ Sneak discuss the tour and the meaning behind it.

“CNTRL is what America needs right now: an effort to reconnect the electronic dance music movement with its history, without forsaking either innovation or imagination.” – Philip Sherburne (Spin.com)

CNTRL College Campus Lecture Tour

Dubspot joined forces with Richie Hawtin and Sennheiser this fall to present a series of seminars at 17 college campuses across North America, aiming to foster dialogue between artists and audience and a deeper understanding of electronic music production, performance, and history. The events particularly focused on the  technological aspects of contemporary electronic dance music, presenting the more futuristic and underground side of the genre. Dubspot’s Barry Cole co-hosted the series of talks as moderators for conversation between audience and performers. Each city also featured various current and cutting-edge producers as guest speakers.

Discovering Electronic & Techno(logy) Based Music

The CNTRL concept emerged from a discussion between Richie Hawtin and Loco Dice, who had each noticed a recent change in electronic music culture in North America. As Hawtin explained in an interview with Philip Sherburne on Spin.com,”Many of us started to see the new interest in a different type of electronic music, we felt that, okay, at least the doors are opening; at least the term ‘electronic music’ is on the lips of more regular people.” For CNTRL, the two DJs put together a cross-country tour that stopped at college campuses across North America, with Dubspot Sessions seminars aiming to inform and inspire people about technology, music production, live performance, and the business of electronic music, followed by club performances the same evening in each city.

Beyond EDM

“To us, EDM is too narrowly defined in North America right now, and we want to come in there and blow that open,” Hawtin continued in his interview with Sherburne. “There are hundreds of genres and subgenres in electronic music which all kind of fuse and work together to create new subgenres, and it’s time to talk a little more about that. This is our pathway. And we’re trying to keep our pathway a little bit open, not only on a historical level, inviting people like Kevin Saunderson and Carl Craig, but also having Ean Golden involved showing the controllerism side. I’m hesitant to use the word ‘underground,’ but let’s say these are the deeper shades of electronic music. I don’t mean that only musically; these are people we’re bringing along to show the wide scope of this music, not only over the last four or five years, but over the last 20. We hope that resonates in a different way from what’s being talked about.”

CNTRL is all about engaging young North American fans of EDM and showing them the roots of the
music, the history of a global movement and demonstrating what the future of music technology and
performance has the power to become.

CNTRL 2012 kicked off on Monday, October 29 in Buffalo, NY and continued through Sunday, November 18, covering 17 cities including Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Montreal, Detroit, Toronto, Chicago and Minneapolis.

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One of the most inspiring elements of Seattle’s annual Decibel Festival is the conversations that transpire between some of the world’s most talented musical thinkers. Decibel acts as a catalyst for these moments, with lectures and demonstrations taking place throughout the festival. We were especially excited to catch a workshop where drum machine creator and pioneer Roger Linn joined Detroit techno innovator Carl Craig for a talk on the evolution of drum machines and the future of electronic rhythm.

In this video, Linn explains that our assumption of drum machines appearing in the early 80s is incorrect, and he takes us on a tour of early electronic rhythm devices such as Leon Thermin’s Rhythmicon (1930), the Chamberlin Rhythmate (1957), Raymond Scott’s Bandito the Bongo Artist (1963), Seeburg’s Select-A-Rhythm (1964), the PAiA Programmable Drum Set (1975) and the CompuRhythm CR-78 (1978). Craig probes with questions regarding interface design for musicians vs. engineers, discusses the development of drum interfaces, and talks about how the Akai MPC changed his production and composition techniques.

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On Tuesday, November 13, Dubspot will host a live streaming workshop with accomplished DJ/producer King Britt, who will demonstrate some of the recording and sound design techniques used to create his new Fragments Vol. 1 sample library. The workshop will start at 1:00 PM EST and run until 2:30 PM EST at our New York location. This event is FREE and open to the public. To attend please RSVP on our Facebook event page. This event will also be broadcast live right here on our blog. Please return to this post on 11/13 and you’ll find a streaming video window at the top of this page where you can watch the entire event in real time.

King Britt previously did a workshop for Dubspot back in July about his Saturn Never Sleeps project, check out the video recap from last time:

Philadelphia’s King Britt is an accomplished DJ and one of the United States’ most prolific producers of electronic music. With five albums, dozens of singles and multiple aliases, Britt tactfully travels between R&B, jazz, funk, hip hop, house, techno, and dubstep to create a unique sound that blends elements of 1970s soul with modern electronic music. Since 1998 he has appeared as a DJ, producer, engineer, and musician on projects such as Digable Planets, Sylk 130, The Philadelphia Experiment,  Saturn Never Sleeps, and Yesterday’s Machine. Most recently he has released two 12-inch records on London’s Hyperdub label under his Fhloston Paradigm alias and he continues to collaborate with musicians worldwide.

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For the second year Dubspot has partnered with Decibel Festival in Seattle to present a series of music production and DJ workshops with our team of instructors including Thavius Beck, DJ Shiftee, and Chris Petti. This year we also brought our camera crew along to capture some of the best parts of the event for our online audience. This video gives an overview of our experience at Decibel Festival 2012. Check out interviews with key figures and luminaries in electronic music such as Carl Craig, Roger Linn, Robert Henke, Orbital, and rising stars like Mimosa and Machinedrum. We will have more in-depth coverage and interviews to share in the coming weeks as well!

Carl Craig and Roger Linn

Thavius Beck

Chris Petti

Shiftee

Orbital

Carl Craig

Monolake

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Apogee’s Nick Trikakis (aka Nütrik) kicked off the workshop with a set of beats and live analog synth tweaking and an overview of basic synthesis techniques, followed by Dubspot course designer Professor Nalepa interviewing Daddy Kev and DJ Nobody about their successes as event producers, label owners, mastering engineers, and music creators at the center of LA’s prolific beat scene. They both had a lot to say about how to develop your own sound and identity as an artist in particular. DJ Nobody then took to the stage for a bass-heavy beat set that demonstrated some of the ideas he talked about.

DJ Nobody (Elvin Estela), has been a fixture in the Los Angeles music scene since the early 1990s, first as a producer for many of the premier emcees at the Good Life Cafe/Project Blowed, and then as a remixer, producer, and important member of the global electronic and indie-rock communities such as Low End Theory. He has worked with, remixed and toured in support of the Postal Service, Prefuse 73, The Mars Volta, Aceyalone, Mia Doi Todd, and many others. His releases for Ubiquity and Plug Research have garnered him not only critical praise, but the clout to define and redefine his sound as he sees fit. His productions effortlessly flow from the hip-hop themes of his early career to the psychedelia and rock motifs of his most recent work, and his vast musical vocabulary allows him to deliver with each and every mix.

Daddy Kev is a seasoned underground hip-hop producer, with studio credits that read like a who’s who of underground music. Kev has produced or engineered for the likes of Flying Lotus, Daedelus, Nosaj Thing, Freestyle Fellowship, Abstract Rude, Mix Master Mike, Sage Francis, Supernatural, AWOL One, The Shape Shifters, Busdriver, D-Styles, Living Legends, 2Mex, Slug and countless others. Daddy Kev’s famed Echo Chamber recording studio (now located in Downtown L.A.) has been responsible for an incredible string of underground albums over the years, and continues to buzz with new musical directions being explored on a daily basis. Daddy Kev’s production or engineering work has been released on labels such as Alpha Pup, Warner Music, Warp, Ninja Tune and many others. Daddy Kev’s newest label venture is Alpha Pup Records. Founded in late 2004 with business manager Danyell Jariel, Alpha Pup was conceived as a licensing entity for Kev’s catalog material, as well as a mechanism for releasing new material by close friend and allies. Kev was also a founding father of Celestial Recordings, the pioneering hip-hop and drum-and-bass label.

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Dubspot is thrilled to announce a partnership with Subatomic Sound System to present an exciting new music festival: Dub Champions! We’re starting this Thursday September 20th and running through Monday September 24th with events happening at multiple venues throughout NYC, featuring live dub performances and education workshops with legendary Jamaican dub pioneers such as Lee “Scratch” Perry, Scientist (together with The Roots Radics), and Clive Chin. Future bass and electronic dance music innovators Kode9, Appleblim, and Dubspot’s very own DJ Kiva will also be on deck to deliver performances connecting the music’s past and present and offering a glimpse of things to come.

A Tribute to Augustus Pablo with Legendary Jamaican Producer Clive Chin featuring Prince Polo

Here at Dubspot, on Saturday September 22nd at 7pm EST, we will be hosting a special afternoon workshop paying tribute to legendary Jamaican reggae and dub producer Augustus Pablo with special live dub performances from Clive Chin will be doing a live dub performance off a traditional analog mixing board setup using his ORIGINAL master tapes of Augustus Pablo’s first song and biggest hit “Java”.

Horace Swaby, a.k.a. Augustus Pablo – “Java” (1971)

Clive Chin produced Augustus Pablo’s first track “Java,” one of the first dub records to come out of Kingston during the early 1970s. Dubspot Instructor DJ Kiva and guests will demonstrate a modern dub session with Ableton Live and Akai APC controller. This workshop is part of a continuation of our series featuring the work of Clive Chin at Jamaica 17 North Parade Studio. Check the Facebook event page and please RSVP@dubchampions.com attend.

Dubspot’s DJ Kiva “Guided Dub” Performance w/ Ableton Live and APC40

Dubspot Instructor, multi-instrumentalist and producer DJ Kiva delivered an exclusive Ableton Live and Akai APC40 performance of a track titled “Guided Dub” in Level 2 of Daniel Wyatt’s Mixing & Mastering class. The song was written in a classic “Steppers” dub style. It showcases mixing techniques developed by dub pioneers such as King Tubby, Mad Professor, and Jah Shaka, and applies these skills in a new context using Ableton Live and the APC40. DJ Kiva developed a new system of mapping the APC for mixing music, using the clip launch buttons as effect sends, providing the ability to have all effect sends in-line for each channel, as well as access multiple effects at the same time per channel.

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Once again we are proud to announced that this year we’ve partnered with Decibel to present a series of music production and DJ workshops and panel discussions with our team of instructors including Thavius Beck, DJ Shiftee, and Chris Petti. We are of course sending a camera crew along and we’ll be documenting the festival with frequent updates on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We kick off our workshops and panels on Wednesday with Dubspot Curriculum Director Chris Petti exploring interesting ways to create new sounds with everyday items in “Sound Design with Common Objects,” while Dubspot Instructor and 2X DMC World Champion DJ Shiftee will demonstrate using Native Instruments’ Maschine in conjunction with Traktor S2 to create engaging DJ sets and performances. On Thursday September 27th, Dubspot Instructor Thavius Beck will discuss aspects of MIDI controller design and the way in which the form of the musical interface is changing the music itself, Chris Petti will examine different ways of using Reason 6.5, and Shiftee will talk about using Native Instruments’ Kontrol F1 with Traktor. On Friday September 28th we’ll close with three workshops including “Studios On A Budget,”  a session with Chris Petti that looks at how to build a home studio, DJ workstation, or recording environment on a limited budget using affordable household materials and a few innovative tools and tricks.

Decibel Festival 2012 Lineup

For its 9th anniversary, Decibel Festival has gathered an exceptional list of  international electronic music artists and performers. This year, headliners include electronic music giants Orbital, Carl Craig, Matthew Dear, Monolake, Bonobo, Star Slinger, Actress, John Talabot, Nina Kravitz, Fennesz and Jon Wozencroft, as well as The Cannabinoids featuring Erykah Badu, DJ Shadow and a wide array of electronic music artists including Machine Drum, Shlohmo, FaltyDL, Maria Minerva, Teengirl Fantasy, Demdike Stare, Andy Stott, and Dam-Funk.

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Dubstep may still be somewhat underground in Japan, but the country’s primary bass export, Goth-Trad, is a monster on the international scene. As a kid he was turned onto the sounds of electronic music from Kraftwerk, Warp Records artists and others thanks to foreign television stations. Now, many years later, he releases most of his music on one of Britain’s most influential dubstep labels, Deep Medi. His most recent album, New Epoch, marks his fourth full-length release and was very well-received in the dubstep and bass music communities.

Goth-Trad was a special guest at our series of workshops and panels on electronic music production and performance at the Together Festival, Boston 2011; check out this recap video.

“To be honest with you I’m not listening to Dubstep that much, the whole reason I got into making Dubstep is because it’s free. You can do anything with it. Take it all sorts of directions… I’m always looking for more directions and styles within my work, but I’m not really thinking I’m doing Dubstep. I’m just doing my sound. I’ve been doing this style of music for almost ten years and I just say all this music is bass music. I’m putting a lot of variety into the new album. Some tunes are very techy, some tunes are much more experimental, a bit glitchy. There may be some more banging stuff. I have lots of ideas to keep moving with.” - Goth-Trad

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