Here’s your motivation for the day: All you need are three chords and the truth (or whatever the equivalent of chords are in your field). Then go!
Category: Music
Damn, do I feel old now. On September 15th, 1989, Nine Inch Nails released their first single, Down In It, which serious fans also know as “HALO 1.” Today is its 36th anniversary.
(Trent Reznor assigns HALO numbers, to Nine Inch Nails releases in chronological order. It makes one’s Nine Inch Nails collection simpler to organize. He took the idea from Depeche Mode, who use a similar system called BONG numbers.)
Down In It would become the third track on Nine Inch Nails’ debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, which came out in October 1989. This album is one of my all time favorites, and those of you who were at my DJ sessions at Crazy Go Nuts University’s pub run by the engineering students, Clark Hall Pub, know that I often played tracks from this album, including Down In It.
There are a few versions of Down In It, but my particular favorite wasn’t the heavyily-produced album version, but the more raw-sounding demo version, which was released on the Head Like a Hole maxi-single, also known as HALO 3, featured in the video below:
Here’s the official music video, which features some very oh-so-1990 alt-rock visuals and the album version of the song:
I’ve always loved the synth riff in this song — the “dee doo doo doo dee doo deedley-doo” bit — and here’s how you play it:
Down In It came out at a time when I was, well, “down in it,” and while it may be a cliché to say that it (along with the rest of the Pretty Hate Machine album) got me through some hard times, it actually did. And to this day, this track, along with the rest of the album, still holds a special place in my heart.
Happy 36th anniversary, Down In It!
Categories
A couple of DJX “DAWless jams”
Over the past few weeks, I’ve tripled the number of keyboards in my office (the electronic music kind of keyboards, not the typing kind). As a result, I’ve probably more than tripled the amount of music I’ve played as well.
Before I took up the accordion, I played the synth. I’ll continue to play the squeezebox, but it’s also nice to get back to my roots.
The DJX jam
About five weeks ago, I drove to a Steak n Shake in Valrico to meet someone to buy their Yamaha DJX, a dance music keyboard released in 1998, and a keyboard I regret not buying back then.
A day after I bought it, I did a little “DAWless jam” (that’s the term the kids use these days for “playing a physical instrument without the aid of computer software”) on the DJX. I started recording, picked a beat, and jammed for a couple of minutes.
Afterward, I gave the recording a listen and thought, “this needs to be on a 1990s cyberpunk-style video.” So I took the track, grabbed some cyberpunk clips from Canva and Pixabay, and assembled this video in Camtasia:
All told, I recorded the jam in under ten minutes, and put the video together over a couple of hours on Saturday afternoon.
The DJX II jam
The other keyboard I regret not buying back then was the Yamaha DJX II, the follow-up dance music keyboard to the DJX, released in 2000. In more than a few ways, the DJX is a better keyboard than its successor, but damn, the DJX II is a better rhythm machine than the original.
Rare as the DJX is, the DJX II is even more so. I found the DJX through good ol’ manual Googling. I found the DJX II only because I’d cobbled together a little Python script to comb through Craigslist’s “musical instruments” pages in cities all over the U.S. for a DJX II. As I wrote in an article I wrote earlier, it worked.
On Saturday, I recorded another DAWless jam, this time on the DJX II, and here’s the result. No video this time — just the audio of me pretending to be the backup band for Morcheeba or Lamb or Tricky:
What do I plan to do with all these jams?
Among other things, I make technology videos, which I post on the Global Nerdy YouTube channel. While I think I have a pretty good narrating voice (I’ve been told time and again that I should be on the radio), a video still benefits from having a good soundtrack. I already do the writing, presenting, and graphics — why not also do the music?
My videos already incorporate my music, and there’ll be more — both videos and music — soon!
Categories
The NEW new keyboard
Last month, I bought the Yamaha DJX pictured below from someone in Valrico who’d put it up for sale on Facebook Marketplace…
It’s similar to the electronic “band in a box” keyboards you can buy at Costco or your preferred “big box” store, but with one very important difference: it was made specifically for hip-hop and electronic dance music. Even though it was released in 1998, it still sounds fresh and fun.
I wrote about the DJX in this article, which I ended with:
Aside from making music with the DJX, I’m also keeping an eye out for its even more rare little brother, the DJX 2…
I enjoyed the DJX so much that I decided to try to find its successor, the DJX II, which was released in 2000. Rare and precious as the DJX is, the DJX II is even more so. If you enter the term DJX into a Google Shopping search, you’ll see a couple of DJX keyboards, and a few more DJX IIB devices, which were DJX IIs with the keyboard replaced by a CD scratch wheel…
…but you’re not likely to see any results for the DJX II keyboard with its distinctive alternating dark grey/light grey “white keys.”
After a couple of days’ of typing in search terms on Google, I did what I always end up doing: I wrote a Python script to automate the process for me. In addition to checking Google, it also scoured a number of Craigslist sites, and that’s how I found this listing:
I contacted the seller, who’s a really nice guy, but didn’t want to deal with shipping and electronic payments. He wanted to sell to someone who could pick it up in person and confirm for themselves that it was in perfect working order, and pay in cash. Personally, I can’t blame him.
I thought about hiring someone from Taskrabbit to pick it up and ship it to me, but I decided to go on my social media accounts and ask…
Fortunately, like Cassian Andor…
My friend Meghan, who moved to Phoenix not too long ago, stepped up. I sent money for the keyboard, shipping, and her time, and on Friday, it arrived in a very big, very well-padded box.
I’m now the proud owner of a Yamaha DJX and DJX II:
…and my office is looking increasingly like Fatboy Slim’s supervillain lair:
For the curious
If you’re wondering why I’m so excited to own a 25-year-old keyboard, here’s a couple of looks at its features. This one’s from four years ago…
…while this one was posted just last month:
When the DJX II was released, Yamaha made the then-unusual move of creating a promotional video:
On Monday, I took time out of my day to drive a little out of my way to Valrico during rush hour to meet a stranger at a Steak ’n Shake to purchase a long-discontinued, hard-to-find keyboard: the Yamaha DJX.
I like to peruse the Tampa Bay Facebook Marketplace for deals, and I’ve always wanted a DJX, so when I saw this ad…
…I had to contact the seller right away. They’re rare, and they generally sell for at least $100 more than the seller was asking.
Fortunately, this seller lived within a reasonable driving distance, and was more than happy to let me test the keyboard first. We met at a public location — the Steak ’n Shake in Valrico — which had a convenient outlet at one of its booths.
After “paying the rent” by buying a chocolate shake, we set the DJX on the table:
Aside from a few minor blemishes and scratches and a lot of dust buildup, it looked pretty good. Remember, this is a machine that’s been out of production for a quarter-century.
I fired it up, and I started playing. I pressed every key and fiddled with every button and knob and the pitch-bend and ribbon controllers. The volume control was a little noisy, but that’s something that can be fixed relatively easily. I auditioned a good number of its “patches” (synth slang for “instrument sounds”) and beats, and it sounded great.
Satisfied, I gave the seller $150 in cash and they left. I stayed at the Steak ’n Shake a little longer, to finish my shake and play with the DJX a little longer. There were pop tunes playing on the restaurant’s sound system, and I found myself playing along. There were only a couple of other people there, and they were looking in my direction trying to figure out what was going on.
I’ve since peeled the beginner stickers off the keyboard and given the DJX an initial cleaning — and I’ve also had a blast playing it! I expect to use it to create background music for my videos on the Global Nerdy YouTube channel, and hopefully for some live performances.
Why I’ve been looking for a DJX
The DJX belongs to the “groovebox” category of electronic instruments, and I’ll leave it to Wikipedia to explain what grooveboxes are:
…a self-contained electronic or digital musical instrument for the production of live, loop-based electronic music with a high degree of user control facilitating improvisation.
Grooveboxes are generally used for creating electronic dance music, which rely heavily on a drumbeat. They’re also aimed at DJs, producers, and people who generally arrange music rather than play it. Because of this, most grooveboxes follow the design of drum machines.
Here’s a tutorial video that shows the basics of making a tune on a groovebox:
The device that defined the groovebox category was the Roland MC-303 Groovebox, which was released in 1996, right in the middle of the decade where all forms of dance music exploded:
Modern grooveboxes look like this:
As I mentioned earlier, grooveboxes are designed for people who are more arrangers who make music in the studio rather than actual players who make music live.
The DJX series of keyboards is a rarity in that they come with an actual piano-style keyboard that you can play on top of the beat. I regret not getting the DJX when it first came out, and had recently started keeping an eye out for a reasonably-priced used unit.
I’m going to record some videos showing what mine sounds like, but in the meantime, you can check out these videos, which show the styles that come built into the DJX. It’s an EDM/hip-hop machine!
What’s next?
I’ve given it a preliminary cleaning — including removing the beginner stickers from the keyboard and removing the glue residue with the ever-reliable Goo Gone — and it looks so much better. I need to give it a deeper cleaning (opening it up and vacuuming the dust bunnies from its internals) this weekend.
Aside from making music with the DJX, I’m also keeping an eye out for its even more rare little brother, the DJX 2…
It’s been over a year since I’ve played with Tom Hood’s band, the Tropical Sons. 2024 was an unusually busy year for me, with a month-long trip to Asia, then getting laid off and having to kick my side hustle consultancy into my main gig (which is still ongoing), followed by other things ranging from my mom’s 80th birthday to hurricanes.
A couple of weeks ago, I got a text from Tom, asking how I was, and if I’d like to make the drive down to Bonita Springs to play a gig as part of their first annual World Ukulele Day. I’m not a uke player, but Tom is, and as the bandleader and President of the Tampa Bay Ukulele Society, he’s “ukulele” enough for the rest of the band to count.
Since neither Anitra nor I had been to Bonita Springs before, and my cut of the gig money would easily cover gas and a nice dinner, she joined me last Sunday for the two-and-a-half hour drive to the Shangri-La Springs hotel, where the gig was to take place.
Following the Code of the Good Bandmate, I arrived an hour ahead of the gig with my gear — accordions, microphone, mic stand, amplifier, assorted audio and power cords — at the ready. I got set up quickly, and there was plenty of time to get a nice brunch at their restaurant, Harvest & Wisdom, before the gig…
…but alas, a mix-up in the kitchen left us waiting for breakfast for 45 minutes. By the time they got things straightened out, it was time for me to hit the stage. I quickly had a little bit of my food before our first number.
Anitra explained what happened to the staff at the restaurant, and to their credit, they “comped” us as an apology for making us wait unreasonably long and causing me to miss out before the performance. They put my breakfast in a take-out box (see the pic above), and I managed to tuck into it during the break after our first set.
Delay aside, it was really good. I had the key lime pancakes with a side of sausage patties (see above), and they were buttery with a cake-y texture and downright delicious.
Anitra had a macadamia/coconut waffle (see above) that was also tasty. Both were keto-friendly and gluten-free, which was great, since we like to share food, and one of us has a wheat allergy.
Mild annoyance of our delayed breakfast aside, I’d gladly eat at Harvest & Wisdom again — their menu is interesting, and their food is really good!
As for the gig, it went well. Despite not having played with the band — Tom Hood on vocals, ukulele, and harmonica, Dave Helm on bass and vocals — we easily meshed together, sounded good, and had a lot of fun.
I’ve already been invited to join the Tropical Sons for Tampa Bay Ukulele Days 2025, which happens on the weekend of March 21 – 23.
Here are some photos and video from the gig:
My thanks to Anitra for taking the photos and video!
Categories
The “Home Alone” Yule Log
How did I not know about the Joe Pesci Home Alone yule log stream until now? This version’s got 24/7 music, so you can put it on your TV as “video wallpaper” for your Christmas dinner or holiday vibes.