DJ Moldover - Introduction to Controllerism Video
Yesterday Pat sent me some interesting links pertaining to the (emerging?) art form known as Controllerism, blending electronic music, custom software, and custom hardware, resulting in face-melting performance art. In a scene dominated by laptop performers, this idea really appeals to those who enjoy watching musicians perform, and not merely listening to them as they toy with a laptop.
From the wikipedia entry on turntablism techniques with midi:
there is a small but exciting movement within the emerging digital dj world that is being called controllerism. It is the use of Midi controllers and customized dj software to create compelling performances that are similar but more complicated than their turntablism fore bearers. There are 2 notable leaders in this field that should be mentioned and also deserve wikipedia references in their own right. dj Moldover, (creator of the octave masher and popular performer) and Ean Golden (dj columnist for Remix magazine and well known digital dj) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Goldensol (talk • contribs) 18:05, August 20, 2007 (UTC).
I need to get one of those. That system set up looks incredible. Do you think controllerism is going to rise above the turn tabling method among the DJ community?
I don’t believe it’s a matter of ‘getting one’, but rather ‘constructing one’, as the process is quite DIY. I don’t foresee turntablism losing any ground to this new idea, as turntablism is still quite an audio-visual experience, and watching the DJ spin can be just as (or more so) exciting than the music itself. For instance, at a DJ Shadow / Cut Chemist / Kid Koala show I attended earlier this year, the projection screens and video cameras helped bring more aspects of the performance to the audience, which was really enjoyable.
Controllerism also values this visual performance aspect, and I could expect it to be more likely to replace performances in which a musician uses solely a laptop and software such as Ableton Live. Imagine a Girl Talk show done controllerism-style!
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