DaScratch-A class on its own!!

Being a gadget freak and a techie, I love to incorporate technology into my DJ setup and studio rig. I recently got myself a Korg Padkontrol. Didn't have a good start with it as the installation package had problems and the soft synth packages were bit iffy. The local music store couldn't help much except for getting me the right drivers as the installation CD couldn't work. So that's been a good 2 months and I hadn't played much with it since.

2 weeks ago I had the privilege of being the selected few globally to receive DaScratch aka Scs.3d. Now this is what I call a controller that is super easy to use-almost plug and play. All I had to do was install the middleware called the DaRouter in my Macbook, plug in the USB device, hit the sensor pad and choose "SERATO Single Deck". I fired up my Serato Scratch Live software and in less then 15 seconds, I was triggering away samples, cutting up beats, looping tracks and even loading my tracks without having to touch my laptop. The StanTouch technology that is incorporated in the touch panel is truly highly responsive. For others using it with Tracktor and Ableton, you will be able to use the presets or remap midi actions for effects, eq and even scratch emulation.

DaScratch works with both Mac n PC environment. It uses USB for easy plug n play. Its class compliant, which means that drivers are never needed and is bus powered by design to ensure that no external power is needed. The creative ways to use DaScratch are endless. You can use it to control video, lighting effects etc as long as MIDI mapping allows it and DaScratch can come into play taking it into another level of manipulation for your shows. It also allow users to manipulate scripts that can do various kind of programming or controllerism to create special pre-sets, even actions via Borne's MIDI Translator. So if you are a programming freak, then here's a product that can show your programming skills to the world.

DaScratch is well built, with nice material used to make it look like a spaceship panel. It's one that will stand out in your set-up and create a wow effect. So if you have been thinking about tactile buttons, virtual faders, mappable functions on a touch sensitive environment, i think your fantasy just came thru.....at a very affordable MSRP of USD299. Coming to a store near you at the end of the month. By the way anyone interested in a Korg PadKontrol?

F1 Parties

The much awaited F1 will be happening this weekend and there will be lots of parties. I will be playing at Empress Place on both the 26th & 27th at Indochine Empress Place. On the 28th, I will be rocking the closing party at Forbidden City(Clarke Quay) after Ibiza's DJ Jose Padilla. Have a great weekend and hope to see you at one of the parties!

Party This weekend!

Its been a hectic week for me.....and its gonna get more so for Friday and Saturday. Friday night, I will open for a good friend of mine from Miami,USA-DJ B-Side. We will be playing at the newly renovated CAMP at HOUSE@Dempsey Hill. Its gonna be house groove driven and some surprises with the latest technology from STANTON, featuring the world debut of DaScratch Midi Controller. This piece of gear is gonna change the way we DJ forever-by adding more flair and finesse in the way we manipulate our DJ sets. The guy who is the product designer Jim Mazur will be at CAMP as well. So drop by and lets kick off the weekend with some quality music served by DJ B-Side & me. Oh! by the way, CAMP B-Side Shooters will be served all night for just $10 nett. I think its gonna be a rockin' nite!
P/S I rock the decks from 10pm-1:30am at CAMP on Saturday as well(20th Sept)

Yours truly will represent the little red dot at the Asian DJ Showcase on Saturday, 20th September at The Forbidden City, Clarke Quay. I will be playing from 7:30pm-9:00pm and from 2:00am to 4:00am. The cool deal is the first 500 MasterCard holders will enjoy free flow of Tiger Beer from 7.00pm to 8.00pm. It doesn't stop there-MasterCard holders get one for one housepour all night. So all 4 Djs from the region is set to rock the house with RnB,House & Retro tunes. Be there or be square!

Sarawak Kon Lo Mee

I've tried quite a few of these Sarawak and Kuching Kon Lo Mee but this one is totally authentic. The Sarawakian owner actually makes his own noodles and they really looked like maggi mee-super curly kind. When i was served, it didnt look like any ordinary. First the noodles looked like maggi mee, then it looked very plain, next i see mayonnaise on the fried wantons. Hmmmm...nothing beats the taste test. As i digged in......the noodles tasted really good. It had a very unique flavor. The chili oil was very well balanced and texture of the noodle was very springy but not tough. It wasn't like some of those that I had tried with black sauce in it.

Apparently the couple make their own noodles at a secret hideout. The char siew was not made by themselves. However, the full flavor of the noodles is something that you will really enjoy as a whole. You wont have time to nick pick on the char siew cause the taste of the shallot oil n chili makes a deadly combination in flavor. The normal servings is priced at $3 and bigger bowl that comes with minced pork is priced at $3.50. They also serve their special Sarawak Laksa on Mondays only. The shop is tucked away right at the back of a coffee shop at Macpherson. They are sold out usually by around 2pm. So if you are near the area do check it out. Highly recommended!!

Sarawak Kon Lo Mee
Sing Li Coffeeshop
177 Macpherson Road
Mon-Sat 8am-2pm

Old Skool In A Can

When i first saw this in a coffee shop i had to look twice to be sure. If you are Chinese and had been given cough syrups by your folks to ease it, you will be familiar with Pi Pa Gao. I didn't have the courage to try it the couple of times i saw it at local coffee shops. It wasn't till recent when the bartenders at CAMP where I play a regular gig at, offered me a mocktail called "Pi Pa Gao". I was taken aback and laughed it off as I thought they were pulling a fast one on me. When i had a sip of their concoction, it brought a smile to my face.

The guys at the bar told me they use Pi Pa Mi with vanilla extract. I asked to be shown the can and wala!-It was the can I've been eyeing. So this mocktail has been my fixation ever since. If you like something with menthol and not too sweet, then this is the drink for you. Apparently its good for coughs and the throat. I just bought a dozen today to stock up in my fridge just in case i get an urge for one.

Have you Chromed Your Browser? Fo Shizzle!

Have you surfed the web, visited some sites, found the loading speed was really slow so much so that you can actually take your dog out for a dump and its still loading? Well it happens to me and on my sneaker site which initially i thought was graphics heavy so I took a whole damn afternoon resizing them. However, it didn't do much as it was still loading slowly. The Apple servers were my next blame. So it seems there's not much I can do here. Well do not be fooled by bandwidth problems and slow loading websites anymore. Google comes to the rescue!

The folks at Google have done it again-showing the world how a browser should be. I present to you Google Chrome. They developed their browser and juiced it up with a turbo charged javascript engine aptly called V8 to power the next generation web apps that aren't possible in today's browsers. I had the chance to witness it last night with some pals using a PC laptop(Beta version for Windows available now and Mac version coming soon). The browser looked so simple and streamlined. No separate window for search -URL n search all reside on one window. When you type in the address bar it gives you suggestions for both search and web pages-Brilliant!! You also get to access your fave pages at lightning speed from any new tab. My first user experience hit at me fast and furious, Chrome had etched this on my mind-Clean, fast and gets me where I wanna go and it doesn't get into my way!

The best part of all this is Google will make Chrome an open source browser-meaning all the geniuses around the world can make this browser better, a global collaboration which a lot of companies fail to see the power of and even make people pay for their SDK. Forget that crap this one's going only one way sky rocket high up and at lightning speed! In one sentence Google says"We hope to collaborate with the entire community to help drive the web forward". This is history in the making. Try it and you will know what i mean when i say "Fo Shizzle"

Old Skool for the New Skool

Now does the picture look familiar? Its a familiar vintage looking turntable. Dont let that fool you. This is Sony's unexpected offering- one that has simple technology built in for today's digital generation. This is their USB turntable that lets u transfer your favourite vinyl collection onto your computer system. So I got a call from Sony to evaluate this product and I gladly said yes as I was planning to transfer some of my vinyl collection for my DJ sets. So here's the lowdown: It features fully automatic operation of vinyl playback at 33-1/3 and 45 rpm speeds. Belt driven system for reduced motor noise and rotational stability, static balance tone arm with a bonded diamond stylus for precise tracking and low record wear. The package comes with a PC based Sound Forge Audio Studio software for simple professional-quality audio editing and vinyl restoration to remove clicks, pops and noise. You can save files as MP3 for playback for your portable music players. A supplied moving-magnet phonograph cartridge and built-in phonograph pre-amp allows for compatibility with A/V receivers without phonograph input. So that means even you can playback thru your TV AV input!

All of you who have vinyl collection like me and looking to digitize them for your MP3 consumption then this is a must get. Its easy to use and you can now play out loud your vinyl collection. Its real easy to use-just plug it onto your USB port, open the software for recording, hit start and you are recording your very first vinyl transfer. Its a clever approach for converting vinyl records to digital files, The Sony PS-LX300USB USB turntable will be a toy worth adding to your collection for personalizing your music in the digital realm for both archiving and use on digital players.  Check with your Sony store for availability of this baby!