The fight for diverse and conscious voices

David Guetta does it again

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 13:02:14 GMT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGW_jkfA6wc&ab_channel=DavidGuetta

When I mentioned his Global Top-100 DJs performance I noted that Guetta is ahead of the pack in figuring out this new artform of broadcast performance. Here he does it again. The setting is less impressive than the Louvre and you don't get the artwork visuals, but whoever is putting this piece together is clearly playing with the form. You get camera angles you wouldn't ever see in a traditional stadium show, and there are interesting video overlays.

Guetta also has it down - he's playing to the (main?) camera the way he'd play to an audience. Most of the dialog this time is in French and I can't keep up but you'll get the gist. He's talking to you, the viewer, making a kind of eye contact that, again, you wouldn't see in a live show where the performer is usually looking down from the stage at the tops of the audience's heads.

I like this form and I hope it continues when live shows come back.

And if you're just here for the music pick most any track off this set and it's good. Probably my favorite is either his mash-ups or the "Future Rave Remix" of Titanium (the last track of the set).

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How shows have evolved

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 04:35:40 GMT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X6hH-Z1Tyw&ab_channel=DavidGuetta

This is David Guetta's New Year's Eve stream, broadcast last night. I didn't watch it live because I was Zooming with friends or sitting in front of our own fire. Having a chance to see it tonight is very nice. Guetta is good at what he does and he's got a budget here.

Usually I put on these sets and let them stream while I'm working on something else but this one I recommend watching. It's a great example of how the broadcast DJ-without-live-audience form has evolved over the past year. The setting - the Louvre courtyard - becomes a massive lit stage. There are lights laid out to make patterns as well as casting on the sides of the building.

Camera work includes front-on visuals of Guetta, close-ups of his handiwork on the boards, and lots of drone aerial shots to give you a perspective on the lighting show itself. Plus there are video overlays you couldn't do live. It's really a new art form and it makes my old lighting geek tech heart go pit-a-pat to see.

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Global Top 100 DJs - David Guetta

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 15:46:13 GMT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vud6MtI4o4&ab_channel=DavidGuetta

I've been enjoying the sets that have come out of this competition. This is Guetta's set, which is apparently a first for him - a live production of all his own music. There's a lot of good camera work so you can see his hands and what he's doing in the live mix. I really enjoy that part.

I also like how they're setting up these performances. AVB's was done in the stands of a racetrack; this is in some kind of glass-domed building in Amsterdam. Full lights and effects - makes me a little nostalgic for clubs.

Notable in this set I think are his mixes of "Titanium" and the latest (Eilish) Bond theme near the end.

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Titanium

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 00:25:28 GMT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvxAP6uDkr8&ab_channel=DJMag

A nice 10-minute piece from DJ Magazine with David Guetta (and now I know how it's pronounced!) talking about how Titanium came to be. It's always a challenge to figure these things out when you're on the outside - what part did Sia play, what did Guetta add? Of course this is his version and maybe someone else would tell it differently but he's fun and I enjoyed learning about the history, because I'm a music nerd. You're all surprised.

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