What is it?

I wanted to define a new category of live performance between a band and a DJ. This category would be constituted like so:

• usually a single performer
• live construction of music using loops and drum machines in combination with real instruments and singing
• performances would be dance-floor-friendly, minimising interruptions and pauses to keep people dancing
• music would generally be original based on the performer’s repertoire of sounds, lyrics and techniques

I started this video with the idea of establishing this category as a new meme. The music is supposed to show the interesting genre mixing that happens when tempo-locked loops from different sources are layered up together, something I considered would be a recurring theme in my imagined Live DJ scene.

Here is some footage of my own Live DJ skills…

What happened?

I needed a lot of artwork and didn’t really like the style I was creating myself. I got quite impatient with After Effects and started wishing I had a more powerful computer.

Ultimately though, I just felt the concept was a bit cheesy, or maybe wasn’t for me.

Has anything changed since then?

My real motivation for this project was to get some gigs. I ended up starting my own night Squares and booking other acts to play alongside instead of pursuing the unrewarding process of emailing promoters asking for gigs (and never getting a response).

I’ve been to Ibiza since doing this, which I found quite instructive in understanding people’s dancefloor expectations where DJs are involved.

Can it be revived?

If anybody finds this blog post inspiring, sure. I’m happy to share assets or get involved in any other way if anybody else thinks this concept, or something similar, has legs.