drop the needle...
For years, there were the people who made music, and the people who played it to the masses. The artist recorded tracks. The disc jockey put those tracks on the radio and played them at the club. As the years passed, the lines of creativity began to blur. DJs began to die together different songs, matching up the beats and extending the in-song breaks. They added scratches and mixed different music together to create distinct tracks. The separation between artist and presenter disappeared. The DJ in the 21st century is a new kind of musician, with unique tools at his or her command. What if game players could tap into those tools and blur those same musical lines?
Far from the dance and hip-hop music scene, Guitar Hero and Rock Band have been a phenomenon for four years now. An everbroadening audience of young and old fans have reconnected to music through colored buttons and a plastic strum bar, generating billions of dollars in sales. The question has recently emerged: Is there anywhere to go from here? Waiting to see DJ Hero in action, it seemed hard to imagine a title that could so more than emulate the existing formula - perhaps with a plastic turntable instead of a guitar to offer the illusion of difference. Then we spent hours locked away with DJ Hero. We discovered that there is indeed somewhere to go in the genre, and the folks at Freestyle Games have found it.
DJ Hero has a familiar setup that belies the new mechanics that make it so fascinating. A flowing highway of icons still drops towards the player, filled with colored notes and score-enhancing multiplier opportunities. Vibrant, exaggerated characters fill the backgrounds, even if they now wield vinyl records instead of guitars and drum sticks. The layout makes the game instantly accessible to music game players.
However, that familiarity won't allow expert Guitar Hero players to leap onto the turntable at the highest difficulty. DJ Hero embraces the unique mechanics of turntablism in the same way the original Guitar Hero emulated rock guitar with its hammer-ons and pull-offs. The first fundamental difference is that most songs in the game are a mix of two existing tracks. Whether it's Marvin Gaye and the Gorillaz, or Rock Hames and Nirvana, the music of DJ Hero is entirely new, but based on the master tracks of dozens of famous songs. "Not every song has to be a two song mix," producer Will Townsend explains. "We sometimes play the same record on both tracks, and it's more the cutting and scratching that goes back and forth." In many cases, these tracks are crafted by the world's foremost DJs, and chosen particularly for DJ Hero. The game offers a chance to hear an entirely new collection of music, but one based in recognizable riffs and tunes. "With any music game, our goal is to make sure that everybody has something in there that they want. We went for a lot of variety of the music styles, with hip-hop and electronic, rap and pop," Townsend says. "But we're also not painting ourselves into a corner by focusing on only one of those." Activision licensed over 100 individual songs, allowing participating DJs to create over 70 mixes on the disc.
With each song mix, the DJs worked with Activision and Freestyle from the beginning to make the music both great to listen to and exciting to play in the game. This is a luxury rarely afforded to other music games, since they're working with static tracks from the get-go.
The two-track mix is the lynchpin feature that makes mechanics of DJ Hero so different. Rather than strumming a bar in time with guitar notes, the new turntable peripheral has a crossfader, which controls the volume of both songs. Slide the crossfader to the middle, and you've got an even mix. Left pulls up the volume of the left-most song track on the screen, and right does the same for its side. Onscreen prompts demand a constant adjustment between left, right, and center in order to keep pace with the unique mix being played.
As you juggle the crossfader, you're also playing one or more of the stream buttons - the same recognizable beat-matching we all expect in a music title. However, in this case, each button corresponds to a particular track. The green buttons goes with the first song, the blue with the second song, and the red button in the middle represents a sample, which adds flavor to the mix.
The final major game mechanic shouldn't come as a surprise; a game called DJ Hero wouldn't be complete without scratching. "When you ask anyone, what does a DJ do? They immediately pantomime the headphone on the ear and the scratching motion. It’s our air guitar. Scratching had to be key," Townsend tells us. The stream buttons lay atop a record-like platter, which spins all the way around. As the falling highway sends colored notes your way, it will sometimes extend those notes and add in lines of Xs, indicating a scratch passage. Hold down the appropriate stream button and flip the platter forward and back to scratch. Just as Guitar Hero adds the fifth fret to higher difficulties, DJ Hero adopts a similar approach to scratching; the X phrases begin to evolve into arrow-like triangles, indicating up for down scratches. "Some of these triple-A DJs in the game have specific scratch techniques that they do, and we’re giving the user the chance to mimic and perform just like they do," Townsend says.
Pull all these features together, and the result is a unique challenge for music game enthusiasts. The visual vocabulary is the same, but a whole new system of motions must be learned to keep up with the action on screen.
If those fundamental gameplay mechanics aren’t enough, several other features flesh out the experience. Sitting above the crossfader is an effects dial. In any song, it can be used to flip between various samples mapped to the red button. During onscreen phrases highlighted in orange, the effects dial lets players choose between a number of effects, from echo to flange. Orange phrases can overlay the left track, the right, or the entire mix, delivering a compelling way to customize the track each time you play.
Finally, two meters allow players to further alter the experience. The Euphoria meter and its corresponding button act exactly like Star Power. Build up Euphoria along special phrases in the song, and then trigger it with a button press to double your score and send the mix surging into overdrive.
Meanwhile, the Rewind meter delivers a new option – charge it up through strong playing and you can spin the record back. "It’ll add this cool performance piece," Townsend says. "You actually rewind the track to somewhere earlier, to a favorite part, or the beginning of the chorus, or some big buildup, and you can play it all over again, just like a real DJ would do in a club."
It’s a lot to keep track of. Freestyle Games has recognized the potential barrier to entry, and his implemented several features to help pull you into the DJ booth without frustration. An integrated tutorial system walks you through all the features as soon as you start playing. A beginner difficulty mode involves only straight-forward beat-matching, using little more than three buttons on the turntable platter. This makes first-time play accessible even to kids. Jukebox mode allows you to listen and grow familiar with any track before you play it, and doubles as a great party mix of music when friends are over. "With the Jukebox mode, you can have your setlist and your favorite songs on in the background on your living room TV set. If you want to, you can jump in and start playing right there, with drop-in play," explains Townsend. Finally, in another nod to making the game accessible, the majority of songs are unlocked from the beginning. While there is a career mode to play through and unlock additional characters, venues, and a final few songs, most of the game’s music can be played at any time. If one track confounds you, there’s nothing stopping you from jumping over to something else.
Guitar Hero has always been about the fantasy of the rock star – playing on a stage to the adoring masses. DJ Hero adopts a different goal. "It’s about being the life of the party," Townsend says. "You are the center of attention, in control of the music, and in control of what that music is going to be." In a dance club, the DJ is part of the scene, listening to his crowd and allowing it to shape the flow of music. As much as possible, Freestyle Games wants to emulate that sensation. Beyond the customization elements of choosing your samples and effects, the game aims to integrate DJ Hero as a party-worthy experience through its multiplayer features. Every mix in the game can be played online or locally, both cooperatively and through competitive DJ vs. DJ throw-downs. Microphone support allows enthusiastic vocalists and rappers to add their own flavor to the tracks being played, though there is no dedicated voice track on screen. Finally, 10 songs in the game support duet play with a guitar peripheral – mixing the established gameplay of Guitar Hero with the new style of DJ Hero.
The last piece of the puzzle involves remaining authentic to the DJ scene and drawing in the musical flavor that goes with it. To do so, Activision and Freestyle have partnered with a number of internationally known DJs, both to create mixes for the game and advise the tone of the gameplay. Among these music heavyweights is DJ Shadow, whose 1996 album
Endtroducing is considered a landmark of turntablism. Beyond serving as an overall advisor to the project, he’s also put together at least three full mixes for inclusion in the game – new tracks that have never been heard before. His contributions are representative of the broad talent participating in the project. Just as real DJ culture has often pulled wildly divergent sources to craft new music, DJ Hero includes music from any number of genres. Grunge rock, soul, R&B, techno, early ‘80s rap, house – the genres are many, and the chance to integrate them together is unprecedented.
Perhaps the most exciting feature of DJ Hero is its potential appeal. The challenging field of true turntable DJ work is a mystery to many, even those who count themselves as fans of the scene. "What Guitar Hero has done for rock and roll, we hope DJ Hero is going to do for hip-hop, rap, and dance music culture," Townsend tells us. DJ Hero represents a chance to break open that growing branch of music, offering a window into the artistry of music shaping a creation that DJs do every day. The game offers an exciting mix of established music game conventions beside a whole new gameplay mechanic. If the game crystallizes into what it promises to be, it has the power to reinvigorate a genre that in only a few short years has fallen into a bit of a rut. From one group skeptical but enthusiastic music game fans to another, DJ Hero certainly surprises us; it’s the newcomer to watch as we ramp up into another music-filled holiday gaming season.
Know Your History:
DJ culture has evolved dramatically over the years from its birth in the early 20th century, always moving in the direction from simple purveyors of music to musicians in their own right.
- In December 1906, Reginald Fessenden broadcasts music on record over the radio for the first time. Within years, radio music is commonplace.
- By the 1940s, England's Jimmy Savile is playing jazz records at a dance hall, switching back and forth between two turntables for a continuous mis of music, and the crowds begin to flood in.
- 1969 finds American DJ Francis Grasso unveiling the technique of beat matching, as he creates unbroken transitions between songs with similar rhythmic structures.
- The early '70s see the rise of German band Kraftwerk. They lay the foundations for numerous branches of electronically created music.
- DJ Kool Herc founds the earliest recognized beginnings of hip hop in the '70s, even as he develops the break, which uses identical records to extend the rhythmic intrumental section of a song.
- Teddy Livingstone develops the technique of scratching in the mid '70s. Supposedly, he happens upon the idea when he is startled and bumps his turntable after his mother shouted for him to turn his music down.
- Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five show up on the scene in the late '70s, and begin the practice of freestyle battles.
- In 1986, "Walk This Way," a collaboration between Run DMC and Aerosmith, becomes the first hip-hop song to break the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- The late '80s and early '90s see the rise of the rave scene. Artists like Doc Martin, Daft Punk, Fat Boy Slim, Chemical Brothers, and Crystal Method rise to prominence.
Time for the Remix:
The following are all confirmed mixes created exclusively for DJ Hero:
- Gorillaz "Feel Good Inc." vs. Marvin Gaye "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"
- Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers "Bustin' Loose" vs. The Zombies "Time of the Season" (DJ Shadow Mix)
- David Bowie "Let's Dance" vs. KRS-One "Jack of Spades" (DJ Shadow Mix)
- Nivrana "All Apologies" vs. Rick James "Give It To Me Baby" (DJ Shadow Mix)
- Jurassic 5 "Jayou" vs. Herbie Han**** "Rockit"
- Tears for Fears "Shout" vs. Eric Prydz "Pjanoo"
Other Confirmed Artists:
- Beastie Boys
- Beck
- Blondie
- Billy Squire
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Originally Posted by Game Informer
drop the needle...For years, there were the people who made music, and the people who played it to the masses. The artist recorded tracks. The disc jockey put those tracks on the radio and played them at the club. As the years passed, the lines of creativity began to blur. DJs began to die together different songs, matching up the beats and extending the in-song breaks. They added scratches and mixed different music together to create distinct tracks. The separation between artist and presenter disappeared. The DJ in the 21st century is a new kind of musician, with unique tools at his or her command. What if game players could tap into those tools and blur those same musical lines?
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