DJ Revolution
Occupation:
DJ
Background:
As one of the most well known and respected DJs across the globe, DJ Revolution has been holding down the two Technics on The Wake Up Show for the last eight years. As the longest running commercial hip hop program, The Wake Up Show has helped launch the careers of some of the biggest and brightest including Eminem, Xzbit, Common and countless others. Aside from his weekly DJ and production duties on Power 106 in Los Angeles, Revolution has lent his now infamous scratch techniques and production skills to many artists, both established and up and coming. His turntable wizardry and pounding beats have delivered for Dilated Peoples, Canibus, Chino XL, Tha Alkaholiks, Mystic, Bootcamp Click and many more. He has traveled the world to spin with the legendary Jazzy Jeff, DJ Premier and Maseo from De La Soul—and also headline clubs himself. Revolution has also been featured in many respected magazines such as The Source, The Source France, XXL, Fader, Vibe, Elemental, XLR8R, URB, Blast, Juice and many others.
DJ Revolution
What initially attracted DJ Revolution to Torq Conectiv? “With vinyl, I could only bring a limited amount of music with me, and I was always restricted in where I could go genre-wise in a set. I actually went on this club tour where British Airways had lost all of my records and I had to do a couple of gigs on other people’s records. When I came back, I swore that I would never bring crates of records overseas or anywhere ever again. So that was pretty much it. Once I started using Torq with Torq Control Vinyl and I realized how I could use it to take my craft to the next level, there was no turning back.
With other systems you can do only so much. With Torq, there’s no limit to what I can do. Now I can customize things to a point where my set is 100 percent unique. There is no one else who will have a set like mine and play music like I play it and do the things that I’m doing. It’s so customizable with the optional vinyl and so much more fun than the other systems. That’s really what it’s about for me.”
Torq Conectiv features that caught his eye: “There were a couple of things that caught my attention. First, the built-in effects and the fact that you can stack VSTs on each deck is great. Right there, you’ve got so many options for changing up your tracks and adding a new dimension to your set. The built-in sampler is amazing. The ability to create snapshots and save all of your level and effect settings and then recall them on the fly is amazing. All of it is pretty mind-blowing. And this is the first software that makes all of that possible.”
How long it took him to get comfortable with the software: “I was ready to go in a week. There is a very substantial search engine built into Torq so you can filter things out if you’re looking for a specific track. It’s really extensive, and it’s pretty simple. Even if you were new to DJing with a computer, you’d only need to spend a couple of days learning the software. Once you get all of your music transferred over, you’re pretty much there.”
Rev’s opinion on Torq Control Vinyl: “It’s night and day compared to other digital vinyl systems. When I really got into it and started messing around with it, I realized just how different it was and how much better it was than the other systems. The response—the tracking and the feel of the vinyl—is spot on. It feels almost exactly like a real record. You can’t ask for much more than that.”
Touring with Torq Conectiv: “When I first jumped into digital vinyl systems, people seemed a little confused by it. But that’s changed quite a bit. Everyone seems to be really excited about it. I think the rest of the world is finally catching on. For me, this is this system I’ve been waiting for because it’s going to allow me to do things that I couldn’t have even dreamed possible a few months ago. What’s so great about this system is the idea that it will work for both the professional, forward-thinking, creative DJ as well as people who just want to come to the club and spin a few records. This is for everybody, and it’s really fun to use.”
