In a classroom on the third floor of Mit Media Lab, it’s calm; The jockey disk is configured. At the end of a conference table surrounded by chairs, there are two decks on each side of a mixer and a worn crossfader. A MacBook is to the right of the configuration.
Today’s class – CMS.303 / 803 / 21M.365 (DJ History, Technique et Technology) – takes students in the 1970s, which means disco, funk, rhythm and blues, and the breaks that form The foundation of early hip-hop are in the mixture. The instructor Philip Tan ’01, SM ’03 begins with a drop in needle. The class is about to start.
Tan is a scientific researcher with the Mit Game Lab – part of the institute Comparative media studies / entries (CMS / W) Program. A Accomplished DJ And founder of a DJ team at the MIT, he teaches students classic platform and mixing techniques of students since 1998. Tan is also an accomplished game designer whose specialties include digital games, live and of table, both in production and management. But the accent is put on two turntables, a mixer and music.
“Dj’ing is to use the set as a musical instrument,” says Tan while students start to settle in class, “and create a program for the public.”
Originally from Singapore, Tan arrived in the United States – first as a secondary school in 1993, then as a student at MIT in 1997 – to study the human sciences. He brought his passion for DJ culture with him.
“A secondary friend in Singapore introduced me to Dj’ing in 1993,” he recalls. “We have a few school dances together and participated in the same DJ competitions. Before that, however, I made mix of mix, in pause with the cassette recorder while placing the next song on the cassette, the compact disc or the vinyl. »»
Later, Tan wondered if his passion could result in a viable course, exploring the idea over several years. “I wanted to find and connect with other people on the campus that could also be interested in the DJ,” he said. During the period of independent MIT activities (IAP) in 2019, he directed a series of four -week “disk” conferences at the Lewis music librarySpeaking of vinyl discs, DJ mixers, speakers and digital audio. He also organized meetings for campus DJs in the MIT Musical production collaborative.
“We couldn’t really meet people and performs in person during the pandemic, but I had the opportunity to offer a spring Experiential learning opportunity For MIT undergraduate students, focused on DJ’ing on live flows, “he said. The CMS / W program finally made it possible to run the IAP course to a full full credit course in the spring of 2023.
Show the basics
In the classroomStudents learn the fundamental practices necessary for mixing DJ live. They also explore a chosen contemporary or historical dance scene from around the world. The course studies the evolution of the DJ’AG and the technology used to make it possible. Students are invited to write and present their results to the class on the basis of research and historical interviews; Create a mix of mixing presenting their research on a historical development in dance music, mixing technique or DJ technology; And finish the semester with a live DJ event for the MIT community. Access to popular prices is granted by lottery.
“From circuits to signal processing, we have been able to see real uses of our course subjects in a fun and exciting manner,” explains Madeline Leano, second -year student, specialized in computer science and engineering and minor in mathematics. “I have also always had a great love for music, and this class has already widened my taste for music and extended my appreciation for the way music is produced.”
Leano praised class ties with his work in engineering and computer science. “(Tan) would always emphasize how all parts of the mixture card work technically, which would be summed up with different subjects of electrical engineering and physics,” she notes. “It was super fun to see the overlap of our technical lessons with this class.”
During today’s class, Tan makes students guide through the evolution of DJ tools, explaining changes in the DJ by occurring in parallel with the technological progress of companies producing equipment. Tan plunges into the differences in equipment for disco and hip-hop DJs, how certain equipment such as the Bozak CMA-10-2DL mixer lacked a crossfader, for example, while the musical mixer Urei 1620 was all buttons. The needs have changed as culture has changed, explains Tan, just like the DJ tools.
It also immerses class in music and cultural history, discussing the foundations of the nightclub and hip-hop in the early 1970s and the reign of the first throughout the decade while the latter grew up next. Club culture for members of the LGBTQ +community, safe spaces for marginalized groups to dance and express themselves, and the unprecedented stories of these people are carefully excavated and examined at length.
“Study the counter, revise the history of music and learn new skills”
Towards the end of the class, each student takes their place behind the decks. They seek by feeling the ease with which the tan passing between two tracks, trying to obtain the right mixture of beats so that they do not lose the crowd. You can see their confidence grow in real time as it patiently guides them through the process: find the groove, move between them, mix the rhythm. They understand that it is more difficult than it seems.
“I’m not looking for students to become expert scrapers,” says Tan. “We are studying the counter, let’s examine the history of music and learn new skills.”
“Philip is one of the coolest teachers I got here!” Exclaims Leano. “You can simply say how he stands in class to what extent he is well informed and passionate about the history and technology of the DJ.”
Looking at Tan demonstrating techniques to students, it is easy to appreciate the skills and dexterity necessary both for good DJ and to show others how it is done. He is imbued with the craftsmanship of Dj’ing, as comfortable with two turntables and a mixer as he is with a digital configuration favored by DJs of other genres, such as electronic dance music. Students, including Leano, note his skills, capacity and commitment.
“Any question that any classmate may have is always answered such depth that he seems to be a walking dictionary,” she said. “Not to mention, it makes the class so interactive with us by coming to the front and using the board, ensuring that everyone gets what is going on.”