Tag Archives: remix

Rest in peace DJ Rashad

 

dj-rashad

At the young age of 34 years old, DJ Rashad has passed away. What was originally assumed as a drug overdose was later revealed to be caused by complications from a blood clot. He did not receive the treatment needed  due to his young age and  small likelihood that he would have a blood clot.

DJ Rashad will be remembered as being the founder of the Chicago footwork craze that looks like a frantic cross between tab and riverdance. His album “Double Cup” was ranked eighth in Rolling Stones best dance albums of 2013.

Anytime someone loses  a life it is sad story. When somebody loses their life when it could have been be saved its tragic.

 

Can’t outrun the trap

 

Will trap music last longer than dubstep did? It would depend on who is asked. Dubstep was the misunderstood offspring of electric dance music. It came onto the scene with gusto, Dj’s were making dubstep remixes of mainstream songs and seeing success, companies like Microsoft and Ovalitine were running commercials with a dubstep theme.  Then it just died. Trap music seems to be gaining a familiar steam and potentially setting itself up for a fall like its misunderstood predecessor. The roots of Trap music would lead to believe otherwise.

The trap genre was propelled into recent fame in 2012 with a culmination of Flosstradamus,Major Lazor and Baauer giving this new sound a bright and exciting future. Baauer’s Harlem shake went viral, Flosstradamus made Orignal Don slow down and everyone paid attention.  Major Lazor walks hand in hand in harmony with dance, trap and hip hop music. These are all very good signs in regards to the music’s longevity but its greatest strength is the fact that it has been prevalent in some form for a long time.

 

The sounds produced by the 808 drum machine are the tie that binds two generations together.  In the early 90’s and late 2000’s trap music was defined by artists like Three 6 Mafia, Jeezy and the always unpredictable Gucci Man. The term trap referred to the block or part of the neighborhood where drugs were sold. The lyrics in the song reflected that lifestyle T.I. even named one of his albums “Trap Muzic”. Little did we know that base lines were going to keep beating into the next generation?

t.i. TRAP MUZIK 2003

t.i. TRAP MUZIK 2003

Anything that can inspire a dance style that makes women shake their ass will always last. While Miley is off somewhere twerking, trap music is having the same effect on the dance floors. While dubstep gained notoriety from remixes of mainstream song it didn’t necessarily make them better.  It’s a dance floor killer, the majority of the people don’t or should I say can’t dance to dub step. Despite the fact it was spawned from electronic dance music it truly only appealed to the eclectic ear.  Sadly the advertising and movie industries also had its hand in dub steps demise, flooding television commercials and block buster movie fight scenes saturating the public with exposure.

Deep roots in both hip hop and now electronic dance, trap music has made the generational leap possible. With its propensity of making women dance provocatively and flexibility between hip hop and dance mainstream success is inevitable. Trap music looks like it’s here to stay and if you need more evidence of how far it’s come, just watch the video below.

 

Feature Friday: DVDJ Dread

Feature Friday: DVDJ Dread

We were able to catch up with one of our resident VJ’s and ask him a few questions. He makes some of our most downloaded mixes. He has been VJ’ing from the start. He is a self professed videoholic, he is DVDj Dread!

Where are you from and where do you work?
New York. I have worked in New York City and all other parts of New York, South Carolina and Florida.

How long have you been DJing?
Funny you ask, I just recently celebrated 10 years in the business.

Congrats! When did you decide to become a VJ?
In 2007 I saw DJ 2ndnature doing it at a convention and I knew I wanted to do it.

So you started at the beginning?
Yes,  in fact I just found this picture of my first set up, and yes I used all four.

Dread set up

What piece of equipment can you not live without?
My Rane ttm557, I know there are bigger and better things out there that I can get, but If it works why fix it? I had an opportunity to meet DJ Jazzy Jeff who is one of my favourites and he used an older set up saying that this worked for him, why mess with it. If it makes sense to Jazzy Jeff it makes sense to me, besides having an ear for the music goes a long way.
dj.rane.com/products/ttm-57sl-performance-mixer

Do you have advice for aspiring VJs?
The eyes don’t lie, you have to make sure that your video is as good as your mix. Think of it like putting a new stereo in your car. When you are driving down the block people will hear your music playing and then see the car, if the car isn’t on point than nobody will care about the system.

So what do you do in your free time?
I am a movie buff, I have time off I’m watching movies with my wife. I’ll watch just about anything I love the experience.

LeBron or Durant?
Ohhh man, I want to say Durant but I gotta go with LeBron that’s my homie. LeBron came into the league as kid like Kobe and KG and just owned it.

DVDj dread

dvdjdread.com
DVDJ Dread on Facebook
DVDj Dread on vimeo
I listened to his trap mix while I wrote this: The remixx kidd