halfway through i started wondering if it was an interview or just a series of conversational prompts... nice read all the same

hah yeah the first 7/8 q&a's were hilarious

She loves Traktor like......

imagine if someone bought her an S4 for christmas. She'd go fucking nuts

Yeah, it begins with the interviewer asking long'ish questions and getting monosyllabic replies and somewhere down the line they switch places.

She makes a serious point about DJing, especially with records. It's clearly a problem happening around the world with complete ambivalence towards the state of turntables in clubs and even at festivals!

I saw San Soda at Sonar recently and his set was ruined as the turntables kept skipping. A huge festival like Sonar!! It beggars belief

'organic mixing'. i like! also she's hot

Very nice read, good interview Albert!

My only question: Are any serious Traktor DJs actually using the sync feature? I just assumed everyone who used Traktor was controlling it with vinyl or CDs. I can't imagine anyone credible using auto-beatmatch.

a little editing would have helped. or a lot.

not sure on the interview really but interesting all the same... she has some good ideological points on the problems of digital, but i wonder if she's ever given traktor a go though.. like a proper go and spend a month djing with it...?

hawtin actively promotes auto beat syncing via the xone controllers in order to achieve 3/4 deck mixing

yeah but hawtin doesn't actually use decks so its different.. he wouldn't bother to beatmatch with the internal tempo faders lol..a lot of DJs use traktor and beatmatch themselves..like Phil said..

^ yeah fair point

I love her thoughts on the DJ'ing lifestyle... it can definitely be a lonely place at times. Great interview!

Seriously, Phil? I think you'd be surprised just how many are. I share her annoyance with people rewiring as well. The amount of times that this has happened to me where things haven't been plugged in properly... It's just poor DJing etiquette, really. Digital jocks should really know how to quickly convert back to a vinyl set-up if they're playing before someone who's using records.

i agree with psherburne, doubt that many credible digital djs are using autosync... but the crazy-easy looping and accurate bpm counter sorta add up to the same thing

Gotta disagree with you on this. I love these long, rambling interviews. You really get an idea of what the artist is like. I always try to do my interviews like this!

As for Traktor, I still don't understand what any of the crap people who mix with computers are doing. They spend a lot of time looking at the monitor usually, tho.

the new traktor (and perhaps the first version) basically beat matches for you whether you auto sync or not. it takes most of the work out of it, don't be fooled by anyone using 'control' vinyl/cd's. it's pretty amazing software...i bought TSP2 a few months ago for something new and to try mixing on more than 2 decks...but am missing just the flat out simple joy of mixing w/o a screen in front of me...it definitely changes the way you feel and hear music when mixing.

I wrote this and did the interview, and I did quite a bit of editing. I don't want to erase the artist's voice, and cutting out sections or something does just that. As far as Nina's answers, it was 9AM and I had just got up and she practically steamrolled me at first! She's intense to talk to, and that definitely comes across here (as well as me waking up halfway through)...
If she goes on a bit about some things, it took her some beating around to make the really concise analogies she makes finally - the cleaning lady onstage during the play, for example, and that's a great point.

Thanks everyone for reading.
-axfx-

It seems lately there is so much focus on the means of production rather than the product itself, which I find silly. I first became privy to this about a month ago reading a comment someone posted about kicking Chris Liebing and Speedy J off the ticket of a DEMF after party because of their utilization of a digital set up. (the user who posted the comment dubbed them as "drum loop jockeys"). I found that comment comical to say the least, just as I find most of the comments about how "digital djs" are not really djing.
People focus so much on the set up a DJ uses or if they are actually beatmatching or using the sync button. To be abrupt, who gives a shit? For those of you bashing digital djs, do you actually go out to a club and think to yourself, "wow the DJ is beatmatching so good right now, this is amazing!" My guess is probably not. Rather your focus is on the music the DJ is selecting for you to hear. If he is playing quality tunes in a logical and consistent manner, then the club patrons present will be having a good time regardless of how he or she is delivering the music to their ears. For instance, if I was in a club where the DJ was using only 2 turntables and a mixer, playing music I found to be uninteresting then I would care less if he was matching the songs with a shotgun to his head, a blindfold on, and his hands tied behind is back because the music is still going to be boring to me. I would much rather hear a DJ who presses sync every single time who plays real, quality music.
Being a great DJ is much more than being able to match two beats together. If that is all it took to become a DJ, then anybody with enough practice would eventually be able to become a DJ. What separates professional DJs from an amateur is track selection and flow, not beatmatching skills. The last three DJ's I have seen live have all used digital setups (Chris Liebing, Brian Sanhaji, and Peter Van Hoesen for those interested). All played awesome sets of banging, raw techno which is exactly what I want to hear and even though that they did not move the pitch slider one time the entire night, it did not overshadow the fact that they played great sets of music.
There are so many DJ's now who suck and you know why they suck? Yup you guessed it, because they play the same SHITTY music every other generic DJ on the planet plays, not because they cannot beatmatch. At least in my opinion, being able to really DJ stems from being able to project your individual style through the music you play with emotion.
I 100% agree that watching someone stare at their MacBook Pro screen for 5 hours is boring and that they are probably better suited to work in a cubicle writing code. On the other hand, if the DJ is getting into it and it looks like they are having a good time then it should not make a difference if every few minutes they are looking at a screen or a turntable.
I am brand new to DJing (touched equipment for the first time a month ago) and while I am still learning I feel it is more beneficial NOT to use a computer program. I simply just use 2 CDJs and a mixer and beatmatch every single song I play. However, down the road once I really understand how to DJ, I might want to use a program like Traktor or Ableton to add a new element to my setup and I do not see how that would hinder my development as a DJ or why it would all of a sudden make me a "cheater." I can guarantee you any real DJ that has been around for a while who now uses a digital setup could easily play a set using only cds or vinyl if they chose to. Are you really going to argue that DJs like Chris Liebing and Richie Hawtin are not capable of beatmatching? I am sure they could do it with a shotgun to their head, a blindfold on, and their hands tied behind their back.
Instead of this constant criticism of digital djing, why don't you spend your time critiquing all the crap music that is produced and played in clubs by both digital and non-digital djs? Because at the end of the day if the music sucks then it really does not matter whether it is coming from a MP3 file or a vinyl sleeve.

very honest and personal answers. respect.

True words from Nina!

Cute paraphrase in the title, amusing!

" It’s always so easy to show how great you are by putting lots of effects on your computer or having some effects box and just driving everyone crazy with reverbs and echoes… but try to turn on the dancefloor just using two records! This is an art I guess. This is still an art."

Nothing worse than an effects-drenched set. Many hours go into making a track sound as it does, and it's takes one idiot with an 'effects-on' button to undo all that instantly.

Sven, I don't understand - how does the new Traktor "beatmatch for you whether you auto-sync or not"? This is a legitimate question (as was my first one, Richard!). I use Traktor 1 at home, in order to play shit I only have digitally (because I don't want to shell out the $$ for CDJs), but aside from the interface, the ACT of DJing and beatmatching is, for all intents and purposes, the same. If the records are out of sync, they're out of sync. Does Traktor 2 have some magic auto-correct feature? Is there a way to turn it off?

For me the main problem with laptop DJs is what many of you have noted, the dullness of some dude (or dudette) staring into his or her screen.That's one of the main reasons I don't take my own laptop out for gigs (that, and not wanting to spill beer in it). For playing out, it's vinyl & CDs. I don't want to find myself standing there like a dolt, scrolling through playlists.

@pherburne - it will auto-sync every track you load if the sync button is pressed down on each deck. You can remove this feature of course. I think what Sven was saying though is that traktor will show the bpm for each track and the bars on top of each track will show you how out of sync you are anyway - therefore making beatmatching pretty easy even without autosync

What does she make of Serato then......

I cant believe she's got so much support on here, that was one of the most self-indulgent, ignorant interviews i've ever read. She was rude in answering normal questions and perked up when she wanted to promote her own agenda.

The reason she's bashing traktor is because she doesn't have faith in her own ability. all this shit we normally hear "i like to hear mistakes" and "i dont like perfect mixes". bullshit you can have perfect mixes with vinyl, if you are a good enough dj.

the most priceless and delusional part was........"I think I could really be a politician. I would make everything right in this world if I were a politician, I would be the best politician ever. I’m really passionate about morals and other things."

Fun interview, very natural - I felt like I was listening in on a phone convo, which it pretty much was I guess.

Her point about changing wiring mid-set is excellent. I've used Tractor for a couple of years and don't consider it to be that much inferior in itself, but having to set up for 20min in front of previous DJ, then inevitably troubleshoot, can really take out the wind out of your performance (and spoil the ending for the other guy/girl). And what a mess it turns into if the other DJ is using Serato! Can't beat that fat bag of records and a cd folder for playing out - the mofo is heavy but well worth it

Could not agree more with you Cyrus..

I do exactly the same thing. Traktor is great for using at home as i dont have to burn cds just for practicing or mucking about so it's really handy for that. but i dont use it in clubs. its too fidgety to set up and it doesnt travel particularly well. I mostly play vinyl so it def isnt worth the hassle.

I think Nina makes a valid point about the sound issues and clubs not being set up for turntables. I've heard others making similar complaints and at gigs i've put on i've had the the exact problem of the transfer from serato/traktor to vinyl causing technical problems and it IS really annoying.

If you're going to book someone who plays vinyl then u should make sure the set up is correct for them. It's really disrespectful not to.

The Traktor bashing and auto sync is another issue. Some of the biggest names use this feature. Loco Dice and Carl Craig rely on it.

Personally, i prefer vinyl djs. I hate effects and most digital djs i find quite boring. there are exceptions of course. Surgeon and henrik schwarz to name a couple, but on the whole i prefer vinyl djs. I find them much more interesting and the music quality is usually much higher. Possibly because the records have to be good and cant be dressed up with shitty effects etc.

I do. But then maybe I'm not a serious DJ in your eyes. I just don't see any accomplishment in going the manual route anymore. I've played vinyl for 15+ years and see beatmatching as nothing more than a very basic and easy skill.

If I wanted to sound like an old school vinyl dj I would still use vinyl or cd's. I think it's exactly the sync feature that allows you to do stuff that wasn't really possible before and put a much greater emphasis on the hardest skill of them all - selection. Extra time to think, extra time to select good music, extra time to watch the dancefloor, to remix on the fly, to rearrange music.

I also totally disagree with Nina's assessment of making people dance with just two turntables being "true art". To me that really is just a basic job dj's are paid to do. "Art" in my eyes is creation, is about shifting paradigms, is about going new places. What she talks about is maintaining traditions - that to me is craftmansship, not art.

Not to take away from Nina, I like her simple but tasteful productions and cool voice, but after hearing her dj I find it odd to hear her lecturing people about how to dj.

@PatriceBaumel : 100% agreed

@ Psherburne .. i think staring at the back of a DJ going through their record crate is equally as boring as watching someone go through their play list on a laptop .

+ 1 for Patrice ..

agreed with patrice and skeller 100%.
the girl has some nice productions but she is very average as a dj.
some people with a few releases on good believe and think that they can judge and criticise everything!

I've heard one artist refer to it as "the drunk button."

Think what you want all of you, I think the points are valid. I've seen major Djs sets come crashing down because the DJ before/after them used Traktor and it screwed everything. Blame the soundboy/DJ/whoever, it's an easy solution that should work but doesn't. Rewiring during performance fucks up everything! No one knows what is going on, even if they think that they do. Nina's abilities have no influence on true words... if the decks don't work when Dettmann goes on, is that the rewiring or him? I think it's not him usually, he pulls through. If you have to rely on (weak) performance tools to DJ, then why bother? Two decks and records should be good enough. If you're Mills, do what you want. If you've been DJing for 2 years, f* off and learn. 15 virtual turntables won't help anyone who has 0 ideas. Nina has a very good point there too. Whatever her skills are, and I respect them, sometimes technology hurts or obscures more than it helps. After 25 years, many jocks still couldn't master decks, effects, and the mixer. If you give them more, it doesn't really help.

Also, I've seen amazing Traktor performances that Mills couldn't touch. It depends on the artist and his/her vision, but most use it as a crutch. I'd rather decks/fx/mixer than a lazy DJ who is faking the funk and using a computer to help him do what he can't on his own! Play a live set instead...

I loke to hear mistakes in a set, but not cos someone is a bad dj but because they ar pushing themselves and their skills far so inevitably they will get human errors ocassionally. Listening to DJs recover from and use mistakes is exciting. case in point: Jeff Mills being almost super human on 3 decks and a 909, his mistakes show how hard he is working and challenging himself as an artist.

this can happen using software as well, when people push and try new things, shame that most of the DJ controllers are all geared to this really smooth DJing style when the software itself caters for alot of musical experimentation (sample decks allowing people to play beats and pads and synths like a musician should be catered for with an appropriate controller).

Bottom line is, most DJing is pretty easy, and everyone has a preference, but a dj should at least try to do something outside of their comfort zone as the crowd respond to this display of creativity.

she is so fit

that is all.

bang on there mate.

I dont really care whether a DJ uses vinyl, CDJs or Traktor. Visually, it's great when you see someone really working their ass off with vinyl, but at the same time, some people manage to drive things froward with Traktor. The debate is getting old to be honest, and one shouldn't criticise DJs for their personal preference.

I do think that Nina raises a good point on clubs paying less attention to providing working turntables however. CDJs are usually always in good working order, but I've come across many venues that don't look after their vinyl decks at all. This shows in broken wiring, bad isolation, broken needles and tiny DJ booths. It's embarrassing when you cannot provide working equipment for people who choose to play vinyl.

Bingo! We have a winner.

Maybe 15 years ago I would have felt the same way as Nina but now, as an almost middle aged man who's been a part of the industry for a long time I honestly can not care less about the medium that music is delivered by. I do love vinyl but I am excited by new technologies and the expansion of this artform that we all love and care for. DJ'ING!

If you play good music and select well and can read the crowd with pinpoint accuracy then you are a good dj wether you have a reel to reel, technics or 2 ipods.

I feel for Nina and other primarily vinyl based dj's because clubland is changing and the engineers/promoters are not fully catering for a vinyl setup. I've been in clubs where the decks are locked away in some broom cupboard somewhere gathering dust and providing shelter for a family of small rodents

I appreciate those who still play vinyl and would like to see clubs look after them, even if they may be the minority. The audience pay good, hard earned money to see these guys deliver their art so put in the effort to make sure the technical elements are on point. With any decent sound engineer this is not a problem whatsoever.

There is space for everyone, once art is presented with love and meaning it is valid and deserves an audience. I don't need to get angry about change because it achieves nothing positive but let's hope vinyl and digital dj's can live side by side soon enough.

Keep on pushing those boundaries, bro.

You know, it is kind of odd that taking away the most basic of a deejay's necessary tasks (beatmatching) HAS NOT, IMO, changed anything in terms of better track selection or better transitions. In fact, I'd say that overall they have gotten worse: more bland, more predictable, and due to overuse of filters/efx, more obnoxious sounding. Could it be that the laziness it fosters (no need to go to the record store, no need to lug records around, no need to actually beatmatch, no need to stay relatively sober while deejaying, etc) has just made these "deejays" lazy?

if djing is an Art then surley you have to beatmatch yourself, its like saying your passion is cooking yet you using a microwave,

but if you dont claim its an art and you just want to play music and not bothered about the art itself then fel free to press the sync button, but dont claim to be some serious dj, not in my eyes anyway, i dont mind digital, but just dont press the sync button

simples

so where do you draw the line then? can you call yourself an artist if you play other people's music, never actually touching an instrument yourself? here's a great quote that illustrates my point:

“If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.”
- Carl Sagan

It would also be helpful if people were more fixated on output rather than input.