Video Lecture from the house music luminary

The Red Bull Music Academy takes place once a year, but the amount of content produced and knowledge shared is pretty epic, and they do a good job of documenting and recording as much of the two-week long event as possible, and regularly posting online the produce of the recording sessions, lectures, and late night jams.

At the most recent gathering in Madrid last fall, ‘godfather of house’ Frankie Knuckles was asked to give one of the main lectures. Born in the New York in 1955, Frankie was at the perfect age to be inspired by, and become a pivotal part of, the disco scene alongside Larry Levan. In 1977 when The Warehouse opened in Chicago, Frankie became a regular DJ, and his style of evolving disco rhythms with new electronic technologies, became known as house music. In the 1980s, Frankie helped popularize the house music sound, and by the 1990s, he had chart hits as a producer, high profile remixes for the likes of Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, and a Grammy to his name.

In this video, he takes us through his 40-year career, and shares his views on the music industry, and advice for those looking to push their music career forward.

Food for thought: “If you have an audience these days, then you’re lucky!”

by Lee Jarvis.

In the modern era of job search, there are many ways to improve your chances of finding that dream career. Whether you are a singer or a DJ looking for a big break, an engineer wanting to broadcast your expertise, or even a teacher looking for more students or a full-time position, here are several ideas using video that you can implement to aid your job search.

Uploading videos of yourself may seem pointless or egotistical at first, but for performing and recording artists, online video has become a huge tool in promotion. Whether you use Youtube, Vimeo, Google Video or any other number of websites, you can gain important exposure and raise awareness of your talents. It is also great to have so much interactive content built into your resume – think of it as your greatest hits in showreel.

Recording a video resume for other music careers can also add depth and character, and increase your appeal next to simply a printed list.

If looking to prove your knowledge or share your service in a certain field of music, it is important to not record one long commercial for yourself – adding interesting and topical content will help reach out to new people looking for genuine advice and expertise. For example, if you are looking to move into music equipment sales, share your reviews on any products or software that you or your friends may have.

If you’re not keen on your face on camera, but still want to chase that dream music job researching and developing new software, you can use screen capturing tools and record your knowledge and experience.

You don’t have to be an editing genius or have expensive equipment to dive into video either; if you can’t record the piece in one take, the iMovie software bundle into every Macbook is a great free tool, and you’ll probably find that an inexpensive, out of the box digital camera that you already own can capture video good enough to share online.

Even right here at Music Jobs, we offer a place to upload video content of yourself on your profile, be that a resume, performance, or any kind of variation of the above. For example, I have uploaded video to my DJ resume of a recent gig in Chicago…

I also recently started recording interviews with artists and independent music professionals, to help share advice on various blogs….

There are many ways to use online video to help in your job search. Get creative, and get sharing!

by Lee Jarvis.

Dubspot and Ableton present the LA stop of their “Live 8 U.S. Sessions Tour”
Workshops & Panel Discussions Featuring World-Class Artists
@ King King in Hollywood – Saturday, Nov. 7 and Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 (daytime)

Dubspot, New York’s premier DJ and electronic music production institute, announces the Los Angeles stop of their Ableton Live 8 U.S. Sessions Tour. This unique series of interactive workshops, Q&As and panel discussions features a diverse pool of world-class artists as well as Dubspot’s top-notch instructors sharing methods for the studio and the stage, centered around the powerful music software Ableton Live 8. Special guest workshop presenters for the Los Angeles weekend include Scientist, Daedelus, Kid Beyond, Justin Boreta, Christopher Willits, Thavius Beck, and Peter Kirn, along with the Dubspot crew. The LA session will be held at King King in Hollywood (6553 Hollywood Blvd / map) on Saturday November 7 (11:00am – 7:00pm) and Sunday November 8 (noon – 8:00pm), 2009. For details and registration please visit www.live8tour.com.

Check out their previous tour stop in NYC, and hear one heck of an endorsement from legendary DJ and producer Richie Hawtin.

This truly unique educational experience is intended to help both aspiring as well as established artists. Each day is organized into five “sessions” designed to develop a diverse range of production and performance skills, while enhancing creative abilities. Saturday sessions focus on production. Sunday sessions focus on performance. Tour workshops showcase how far-reaching the capabilities of Ableton Live 8 are by covering a wide variety of compositional, programming, mixing, and mastering issues. Topics include drum-programming, instrument and effect rack management, sequencing, automation, creating melody, harmonic awareness, mixing and mastering principles, sound stage management, synth programming, PA/DJ hybrid setups, controllers, live instruments in Ableton, efficient set management, looping, routing, licensing, and much more.

The tour involves pioneers of electronic music, along with new blood, to provide a more complete experience and perspective of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. In addition to the special guests lined up in each city, expert Dubspot instructors will present personally developed production and performance strategies in a dynamic interactive workshop environment.

The Los Angeles event is the third stop in a series of Ableton workshops that Dubspot is presenting in 8 U.S. cities. Next up on the tour is Austin, with the event to be held at The Parish Room on November 14th and 15th. Presenters and performers at the Austin event include Francis Preve (Different Pieces, Fap 7), Christopher Willits (Ghostly International, Overlap.org), Daniel Wyatt (Sonica Media Group, Atlantic), Jon Margulies (Heatercore, Hobotech), Barry Cole (Spot Music & Blue Mountain Music Publishing), and Michael Hatsis (Track Team Audio).

Again, the LA session will be held at King King in Hollywood (6553 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028; 323-960-5765 (map)) on Saturday November 7 (11:00am – 7:00pm) and Sunday November 8 (noon – 8:00pm), 2009. A weekend pass costs $195; a Saturday or Sunday day-pass costs $110. For details and registration please visit www.live8tour.com.

For more information on Dubspot, please check out www.dubspot.com

Lee Jarvis.