Artificial Intelligence and DJ’s Mixing Beats? How Technology and Science Transformed Deejaying
Artificial intelligence and DJ’s mixing and creating custom beats? Really?
Back in the early 1980’s I was a club DJ at several small nightclubs in NYC, NJ and Dallas, TX. I knew about mixing beats and counting beats but I knew absolutely nothing about AI, Artificial Intelligence, and even less about computers.
I was self-taught about spinning and mixing 12” vinyl records to keep the crowd moving, dancing and excited keeping the dance floor full until the wee hours of the morning. I had to read the crowd and remember where I had records in my stash, what beats per minute they were to insure a good mix, understand the key and how to keep the beats from the incoming song on beat with the outgoing song using two turntables and a mixer. I actually even wrote a paper in my Technical Writing class at Rutgers University about the benefits of a beat machine that would not only count the beats of records digitally, but also provide video signals for the beats of songs making it easier to match them up to create a flawless mix. Here is a link to a couple of the DJ mixes I created back in the day.
But now, from what I understand the DJ game has changed. Not only has everything moved from analog to digital formats where DJ’s can use a computer to provide endless hours of mixed music, but the computer also does the mixes for you!
What’s really exciting though is that DJ’s are now capturing sounds and transforming them into musical compositions. A couple of DJ’s recorded sounds of computer servers and storage devices, then used an artificial intelligence system to create a baseline beat, percussion, rhythms and a music track.
Check out the results here.
DJ’s creating beats, mixing beats, and developing their own music isn’t new; but, the technology and process behind it has changed, and is actually enhanced by advanced tools like artificial intelligence.
Sound interesting? Go try it out for free. I’m going to rather than dust off my old vinyl LP’s, mixer and turntables.
