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This was a highly informative disc covering
different aspects of the DJ and his interaction with turntables and how
different DJ's approach the art.
The DVD is
comprehensive and features the amazing Jam Master Jay of Run DMC fame. This is
his school and the disc is a forum on DJ'ing by his good self and other
professionals in the field. Sadly JMJ is not with us anymore but this is a
pretty neat insight into how he views his role as a musician. I can say from
personal experience that I was lucky enough to see Run DMC live at Festival
Hall, Melbourne years ago (about 17 or 18 years ago - in fact it was my first
live show I went to, so even after all this time the gig stands out pretty
much in my mind). JMJ was pretty much the party mover and you could say
without doubt that in my mind a good DJ is just a much a musician as someone
who picks up a guitar.
There a number of key
areas in which the disc gets in depth and covers criteria in which anyone
remotely interested in the topic will listen to carefully. Each segment is
hosted by a different DJ and the panel members are experts in the area that is
being discussed. The way that it's set up is for aspiring DJs to get helpful
tips on how to work your turntable to best effect and the best ways to make
sure that you are being entertaining for the crowd and not just self serving.
Areas covered are:
Slipmat Studies
Battle Class
Club Class
Mix Tape Class
Beatmaking Class
Overall, as far as
being educational and interesting, I can give this disc full props as it's the
first of it's kind that I've ever seen that goes into this level of detail and
covers so many minute details comprehensively. Fans of Eminem might be happy
as during the mixtape session, DJ Green Lantern is one of the panel members
and is also Em's tour DJ and has collaborated with him on many a mix tape.
I can recommend this
disc as it's meaty enough that anyone who listens to it is going to get
something out of it. I found it highly entertaining and educational. It held
my attention from start to finish and even though I have no aspirations to be
a DJ, I do love hip hop and as such this was a great disc for me.
Unfortunately the DVD itself has huge problems with audio which detracted from
the overall enjoyment of the disc and I will cover that slightly more in the
audio section. Be sure to read it as even though I recommend the disc, for
audiophiles, it might be simply unbearable to get through it all.
All things said and
done, this is a good solid piece of informative entertainment.
Full screen, this disc
really isn't anything special in terms of technical achievement and there are
quite a few faults to boot. The disc suffers heavily from low level noise and
artefacts that show themselves on occasion. The low level noise presents
itself throughout affect most deep colours but never enough to make you think
that it truly sucks.
Artefacts show up on occasion but once again never enough to really annoy.
Aaaargh! Now this is the part that really annoys. You've got a DVD that so
intrinsically deals with sound and they've given us a substandard audio mix
that you'll have to turn your soundsystem up so high to hear clear that it's
not funny. For the first segment on Slipmat Studios, crappy little mics were
used that you could not even clearly hear the commentary and the panel has had
to almost put the mic into their mouth to be heard.
There's hiss all the way through the disc and if it wasn't for the fact that
the subject matter is so well presented and easy to understand, I would have
slammed this disc as being substandard. I guess that is where we do differ a
bit from other review sources, I think there is more good to be had owning the
disc than not, however I really hope that if there is a second disc in this
series they do something about the sound. Disappointing.
Sound levels are inconsistent and you'll go from low levels that suddenly
switch to way too loud and you will be scrambling for your remote to turn it
the heck down.
Extras are a pretty nice
set of things to round out this package but as with the rest of the DVD they
do suffer from errors in the sound quality. Personally the thing that got my
pulse racing the most was A-Trak (Canadian DJ) showcasing slipmat techniques.
His level of professionalism was amazing and was of good enough quality that
I'll most likely be looking to see if he has any CDs after I've finished up
this review.
Roli Rho goes to the trouble of showing us
how he breaks down beats from two records in order to create a routine.
The rest of the extras are interesting,
however these pieces are the standout ones. This is a good package that you
will enjoy and compliments the rest of the DVD.
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A-Trak's Mindblowing Slipmat Studies Set
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Roli Rho breaks down his SUCKA routine
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Business tips with Justo and Madsol
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Interview with turntable pioneer DJ Logic
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