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Getting started as a DJ: Mixing, mashups and digital turntables - Cole Plante

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DJ and producer Cole Plante is only 17 years old, but he's already worked alongside industry superstars Skrillex, Avicii and Major Lazer (to name just a few). In this combination talk and DJ set, Plante shows off his mixing magic and gives tips to aspiring DJs.

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Cole Plante is a DJ/Producer from Los Angeles, California. He is currently signed to Hollywood Records and has contributed music to Disney movies and TV shows. Plante has played at Rain Nightclub in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Avalon Nightclub in Hollywood. Cole has shared the stage with DJsPaul Oakenfold and Avicii. He also performed at Lollapalooza 2013 alongside Skrillex and Steve Angello.The idea of becoming a DJ can be an appealing one for many different reasons, and the idea is especially popular these days. In this guide, [the author and DJ enthusiast] breaks down the general process of going down this path into 10 steps, as well as providing some other general tips and suggestions for starting your DJing career or hobby.When heiress and reality star Paris Hilton made her DJing debut at a music festival in São Paulo in June, many observers wondered – just how difficult is it to DJ, really? Not at all, according to outspoken dance music producer Deadmau5, real name Joel Zimmerman: “It takes two days to learn, as long as you can count to four,” Zimmerman told Rolling Stone. I took on the challenge to see if I could learn to DJ – in one hour. Read more here.Do you want to know how to be a DJ? Check out this guide from a how to do anything wiki.Hip Hop has four elements: rapping/emceeing, breakdancing, graffiti art, and turntablism. Scratching records is a form of turntablism, which is the manipulation of a turntable, pre-recorded music, and mixer in a "free-form" manner (i.e., like jazz musicians that improvise). A turntablist not only scratches, but may also use the crossfader or upfader to add or subtract beats (i.e., beat juggling) and to transform (see below). Battle DJ's are the best example of turntablists. Often playing hip hop (it makes little sense for a trance DJ to be a turntablist), these DJ's have turned a consumer playback device (i.e., the turntable) into a percussion instrument. Read more (including tips on mixing) here.Here's an example of a YouTube tutorial that's useful for a beginning DJ.Want to dig deeper into DJing equipment? Check this out. Or, check out these resources that Cole mentions:http://www.beatport.com/https://soundcloud.com/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/codehttp://www.edmtunes.com/http://www.edmsauce.com/http://www.dancingastronaut.com/https://www.ableton.com/http://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/trak...http://serato.com/djhttps://smithsonmartin.com/products/emulator-pro/http://www.akaipro.com/product/apc40http://us.novationmusic.com/midi-controllers-digit...

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