The Michigan Daily ( michigandaily.com I Thursday, October 4, 2007
The Daily Arts
guide to the best
upcoming events
- it's everywhere
you should be this
weekend and why.
AT PIERPONT
Danny Hoch's one-man
play "Jails, Hospitals and
Hip-Hop" - now trans-
lated to film - draws on
his own experiences to
comment on the perva-
sive influences of urban
culture in mainstream
America. The film will be
shown in the East Room
of Pierpont Commons
tonight from 6 to 8 p.m.
a fresh-faced Posdnous casu-
DeLa Soul had it right in 1989. As
ally sang on the group's debut
album, "Everybody wants to be
a DJ / Everybody wants to be an
emcee." While the queue of aspiring super-
producers may outnumber prospective DJs,
the allure of becoming the next Jazzy Jeff is
still as strong as ever.
As legacy starlets like Paris Hilton and
Kelly Osbourne now get booked to spin high-
profile gigs, it's become necessary to separate
the real DJs from a growing crowd of impos-
tors. So before you make the leap from music
connoisseur to professional disc jockey, take
these steps into consideration.
Looking for the beat
Being a music lover is a prerequisite for
becoming a DJ, but you need something more
than just an affinity for your favorite art-
ists. DJs aren't just enthusiastic fans, they're
esteemed selectors. Don'tlet the current state
of radio fool you - a DJ is inherently respon-
sible for seeking out the most compelling
records and "breaking" them to the public.
Tastemakers such as the BBC's Gilles
Peterson and KCRW's Garth Trinidad are
internationally revered for their commitment
to compiling soulful tunes. As you begin the
process of becoming a DJ, think about what
you want to communicate to your audience
and what songs or artists will help you realize
this vision.
The breaks
When legendary hip-hop producer DJ Pre-
mier rants about the ranks of the "microwave
popcorn-ass DJs," he's referring to DJs who
(among other transgressions) lack an appre-
ciation for vinyl. With the advent of MP3-
to-vinyl technology and CD turntables, the
need for building a record collection is often
considered a thing of the past. But the impor-
tance of having a rich and varied collection
cannot be overstated.
Becoming familiar with the nuances of
your records is integral to your development
as a DJ. Knowing that Earth Wind and Fire's
That's the Way of the World contains a funk
classic ("Shining Star"), a timeless ballad
("Reasons") and a frenetic b-boy jam ("Afri-
cano") is something best learned by spinning
a copy of the LP. Regular visits to used record
stores and flea markets provide an affordable
way to build your collection.
In addition to your own purchases, keep
your eye out for the big scores that could
potentially double or triple the size of your
collection. Whether it's your uncle's pristine
jazz collection that sits untouched in his base-
ment or a neighbor's Prince collection on its
way to the dumpster, there are always dor-
mant stacks of vinyl bound for obscurity.
Equipment
As an aspiring DJ, it's imperative you rec-
ognize the importance of Technics 1200s.
The SL-1200's patented motor technology
has made it the industry standard among DJs
in need of a durable turntable. Compared to
scratching and mixing on a cheap belt-driv-
PHOTO BY BEN SIMON/Daiy
GRAPHIC BY MICHAEL THEODORE/Daily
en table, using a 1200 is akin to dribbling a
Spaulding after practicing with a tennis ball.
Mixing
Once you have a stash of vinyl and a func-
tional setup (two turntables, a pair of reliable
needles, a mixer and a pair of headphones),
the first step is to learn how to mix. To ready
your ears, start listening to songs in terms of
bars. Most songs you'll mix are based on loops
of two or four bars in 4/4 time. This means
the kick drum generally falls on the first and ON SC REEN
third beats, and the snares on the second and Approriate to open the
fourth. month of October, Sam
To get started, pick two songs with similar . . ,,
tempos. DJs often determine a song's BPM Raimi's "Evil Dead II" -
(beats per minute) ahead of time to stream- sequel to the first, which
line this process. For example, you don'twant was already controversial
to mix "Scenario" by A Tribe Called Quest f .
(102 BPM) with Wu-Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M." for its graphic violence
(90 BPM.) But flip over the 12-inch single for - will play at The State
"C.R.E.A.M." and you'll find the radio, street, Theater on Saturday at
midnight. Be prepared for
See DJ, Page 4B a glorious, bloody debacle
and Bruce Campbell doing
E E -A ... Bruce Campbell. Tickets
are $6.75 for students.
A rush of blood
to the head
By ELIE ZWIEBEL
DailyArts Writer
The lines outside the
auditoriums are always
surprisingly long, even for
movies like "Apocalypto."
The passes often come on
colored Xerox paper, as if
someone couldn't reproduce
them en masse and make the
one you securedtotally irrel-
evant. And there's always
the awkward threats from
the apparent higher powers
that if you let your friends
cut in front of you, you'll go
to the end of the line, too!
Even so, though it may
not seem so beforehand, the
effort to get into an M-Flicks
movie - the most popular of
which are advanced screen-
ings of major movies not yet
in theaters - is fairly mini-
mal. Pick up tickets at the
Michigan Union and get
to the screening a rea-
sonable time before it's
set to start, and you get
to see a new movie for
free on Central Campus.
But that's to say nothing
of the experience once you
get inside.
Consider last winter's M-
Flicksscreeningof"Children
of Men." Alfonso Cuarn's
film is touted as a pop mas-
terpiece in many circles, but
I dare not watch it again for
fear it will evoke the original
experience ofseeingit.
Scattered tactlessness in a
crowded theater is unavoid-
able, and it's noticeable at
even the best theaters. It's
not like that with M-Flicks.
In "Children," for example,
when Michael Caine's hip-
pie jester was tortured and
killed, my roommate and I
appeared to among the only
ones in the Natural Science
Auditorium who thought
the protracted violence
wasn't funny. Later, we
were again the only ones not
actively vocal in our reac-
tion to the graphic penulti-
mate sequence by clapping
or cheering as people were
mowed down amid a gory
urban battle.
This is not a diatribe
against M-Flicks. The
group is good-natured and
student-driven, designed to
bring movies students care
about to campus as well
as projecting classics into
the big-screen format they
deserve. When you're open
to the public, it's hard to
judge you by the company
you keep.
This is aboutthatpublic -
that audience composed pri-
marilyofUniversitystudents
- that transforms most of
the group's screenings into
chaos withloud and disturb-
ing reactions to violence on
screen. (Incidentally, many
of the new movies screened
by M-Flicks - be it "300" or
"Apocalypto" or "The Reap-
ing" - are among the most
violent releases ofthe year.)
This is no more evident
than in the screening of
"The Kingdom" I attended
a couple weeks ago. The
movie follows the inves-
tigation of the murders of
Americans on Saudi Arabian
soil by local terrorists. But
again, the movie itself aside,
the audience is what left the
lasting impression. Loud
laughter at tense situations
between Saudi officials and
See M-FLICKS, Page 4B
AT THE UNION
UMix regularly gives you
Friday night entertain-
ment, fast-food style
- wander in between
10 p.m. and 2 a.m. at
the Michigan Union to
get your fix of late night
movie ("The Bourne Ulti-
matum" this week) and
dance-hall boogie (swing
dancing isn't just poodle
skirts, kids).
ON STAGE
Yes, the East Quad Audi-
torium will be renovated
in the summer, but you
have two more semesters
to experience its, um,
earthy charm. "Evening of
Scenes," EQ's semesterly
sendup of sketch comedy,
opens Friday at 8 p.m. It's
free, as always.