“In marketing terminology, a killer application (commonly shortened to killer app) is any computer program that is so necessary or desirable that it proves the core value of some larger technology, such as computer hardware, gaming console, software, a programming language, software platform, or an operating system.—Wikipedia, killer app.
Let Us Play—Coldcut
“Ninja Jamm is a free music app that lets anyone instantly remix Ninja tunes using touch control, state of the art effects and killer music from Ninja artists.”—Ninjatune.
Summer 2012 sees a new ear-ra in sound mixing, DJ performance and mashability’. IMHO the art and crafts of the disc jockey started with the hand-to-eye-to-ear skill set when the first vinyl manipulators started their experiments in the mid 1970’s, through to the new touch sensitive ‘tablets’ that respond to touching, tickles and scratch motions in a notable return to physical hand movements that trigger audio and visual media.
Yet for a moment there I thought that the CD-DJ phenomena flourished, and reduced the touch of a vinyl record platter to buttons and sliders with awkward looking LCD displays. I had a personal love of vinyl, and traditional vinyl turntablism and up until (May 18th 2012) i held firm to my beliefs by only spinning vinyl records for nearly 20 years.
The new interactive touch surfaces combined with real time, latency free, control bring some excitement in hands on DJ’ing back into a new sense of what DJ artistry consists of, technically. I feel its important to remember that the equipment remains only a part of the art. The content, the music, the samples and the tasteful synthesis (mixing) help define comprehensive and information rich DJ’s from predictable ones.
Enter Ninjatune as a case in point. The rare example of sampling and software innovation running simultaneously, and keeping a consistently underground and forward thinking philosophy, today probably best summed up as an Open Source and Mash-up sensibility. Personally, when I discovered Ninjatune and their music back in 1993, I gushed at the mixture of sample based instrumental Hip Hop and experimental electronica.
The new Ninja Jamm APP makes sense in the age of mash up culture, remix-mania and digital culture gone feral. Ninja have a 22 year history that stands testament to their visionary and somewhat prophetic outlook on music culture, DJ’s, VJ’s and electronic music. Now in the summer of 2012 I believe their shareable, mashable philosophy fits perfectly with the new global APP village orgy.
“Instant remixing functions in push-button form let any music lover dive right in, yet Ninja Jamm is deep enough to engage DJs, musicians and producers. This one is fun.”—Ninjatune.
Ninja Jamm by Fly Agaric 23.(Amsterdam, September 2012.)
"Killer Apps"--Juice Aleem. (New Flesh For Old)
Ninja Jamm Ninja Jamm
It’ll unhinge you man, unhinge you man
Sneakin out the window and down the drain pipe
on a Saturday night, tonight’s light is ripe, rip reeeep, rip, write ripe.
Like a cat or a panther I creep near the curb
My mind is kept calm as it swims in the herb
Ahead I spy the Ninja Shop right next to the dock
So I pull out my microphone from my hemp sock
I said, “Yo, what’s up, I’m here to get me some APPS
Shinobi at the counter looked at me and said “perhaps’
Perhaps you have some killer apps to help set riddim traps
Turn LP’s into maps, escape the beat through cat flaps?
Take a look around, tap-tap, listen understand,
Bring what you found and leave it here in a mound,
I’ll mix it up in an APP and Zap Zap, a tech-cloud sound.
I stand dumbfound.
I walked around the store and picked up some stuff,
Weapons, clothing, instruments and a gold Ninja tooth.
Throwing stars and pentagons, knives and darts
All made with the greatest skill and crafts of the arts
Hemp rope and ladders and invisible dust
Swords, chords and passwords to a remix by Krust
Flags bags and stealth drone kite banners
And Ninja shop staff with big heart and kind manners
Telescopes microscopes and spectrocilloscopes
Hidden microphones, speakers and unstable isotopes
A Shapeshifting manual of style on blue tile
Bungee ropes unravelling for mile after mile
I walked to the counter and gave Shinobi a smile
“Put all this into an APP from the top of the pile.
So I booted up my Ninja APP and went for a walk
Soon I started to talk, then I wrote in chalk:
Ninja fingers and 2 gold Buddha thumbs
Touch the Scruff of the head nod
Multi-channel suite with
Two Fingers sounds hyper-Tobin
Snug as The Bug inna’ Slugabed,
Poison dart in heart of the beats
exquisite 23 course serving of DJ Food/
Cold-cutting the cheese
Brain thaw and brain feeder for the Coldcuts
Atomic Moog, RE:volution and sound mirrors
NJ Beats back in a Bogus Order
Dextrous like the Bonobo
Lush audio visual synthesis:
The Cinemeatic Orchestra
Cutting hard candy and acid squelch
DJ Kentaro rotation
A labyrinth of rhythms unlocked
from Daedelus feather soft
Innovative trans-genre tempo flux
of the Funki Porcini
Phat chunky Herbaliser grooves
for the mother board.
Slicing knife blade voices of Skalpal
Jazzy chops, picked and Chris Bowden
Flight path and charter for Airborn audio.
Lingua dicing dancefloors
A polished solid audio spark Plug
To power the Wagon Christ
Vibe medicine and beat pharmacopeia
for Qemists and Juice Aleem
Parts and pieces for the ferocious
cutting teeth of King Cannibal
Fender Bending gloves for scratching claws
of the pause of Kid Koala
Blending harmony and beauty with gravity
and touch: the Irresistible force
XY ‘floating points’ FX
Hand cushion for Antibalas
percussion
Steve 'fly agaric 23' Pratt
www.raw360.net
