The Art of Analog – Online DJ Workshops

Saffron is proud to present a new series of online vinyl DJ workshops in collaboration with Audio-Technica

THE ART OF ANALOG

Saffron, in collaboration with Audio-Technica, are pleased to present a three-month series of online vinyl DJ workshops for women, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming people worldwide.

Mix Nights Online is a regular workshop series that sits as part of Saffron’s digital Members Club, with different guest hosts taking up hosting duties each month to share their technical approach, creative process and professional pathways.

For the Audio-Technica residency taking place this May, June and July, sessions will focus on the beauty, practicalities and creative possibilities of DJing with the physical artefact. They will be hosted by international DJ and broadcaster, Tina Edwards, multi-disciplinary music creative, NikNak, and Audio Technica’s Senior Technical Product Specialist, Darcy Archer.

Workshops are designed to support individuals of all experience levels to build confidence, community and technical understanding of analog DJing. They can be accessed worldwide via Zoom and will last 90 minutes. No previous experience is necessary.

BOOK TICKETS

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

23 May – A Beginner’s Guide to Vinyl w/ Darcy Archer – 7.30pm BST

In a world where digital DJing has never been more accessible, playing records can seem like an almost illogical choice. Is it easy? No. Does it require time? Yes. Yet, despite the practical limitations of the medium, vinyl opens up a whole new way of relating to the music you love. In this relaxed 90-minute session, Darcy will discuss what it means to adopt an analog mindset as a DJ and introduce you to some of the equipment and technical considerations involved. Together with Darcy we will cover:

How does vinyl work?
Analog vs digital DJing
How to set up a turntable
Using weights and cartridges
How to take care of your records: cleaning, transporting, storing
Preparing for gigs and writing a tech rider

24 June – Scratch Mixing & Creative Turntablism w/ NikNak 7.30pm BST

In this online session, NikNak will provide an overview of turntablism and its history before demonstrating how she uses the technique in her productions and performances. In doing so, she hopes to dispel ideas of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and inspire you to experiment with the creative potential of the turntable in your own way.

Whether you’re a DJ looking to bring something extra to your sets or a producer hoping to expand your repertoire of music-making techniques, come along to connect with our community and discover something new.

30 July – Creating Community through DJing & Radio w/ Tina Edwards 7.30pm BST

Do you want to reach people with underground music that you think will resonate with them? In this workshop, DJ, broadcaster and music journalist Tina Edwards will be sharing honest and intimate advice on how to make a positive impact on the music community around you. As a DJ who plays broadly but is also recognised heavily for playing jazz, she’ll share how to play to both niche and broad audiences. Together with Tina we will cover:

Establishing your values and what you want to contribute to your scene
Benefits of building a vinyl collection
Bringing unexpected sounds/genres to the forefront
How to play music in your sets that doesn’t lend itself to mixing
How to build a positive community of DJs around you
Building your online presence

ACCESS

Access to these sessions is free for sustainer & soulmate tier members of Saffron’s online community, Saffron Members Club. Membership provides access to regular online workshops, an online community space, video masterclasses, free music tech tools, discounts and much more.

Join Saffron Members Club

We never want money to be a barrier to people accessing music tech, so if you are unable to afford a ticket but believe you would benefit from attending these workshops, please email us on members@saffronmusic.co.uk. We also have some funded memberships available for those in positions of financial hardship

Apply for a funded membership

Workshops are open to people worldwide, but will be running at 7.30 pm BST so please bear differences in time zone in mind. If you purchase a ticket but are unable to attend live, you will automatically be emailed a recording of the workshop(s) after the event.

We are committed to making our online events as accessible as possible. We have created a guidance document about this – Click here to view the accessibility document. Alternatively, please email us with any access requirements you may have: members@saffronmusic.co.uk

GENDER POLICY

The gender imbalance in the music technology industry is well-recognised. While we are absolutely not ‘anti-men’, we see that a shorter-term solution is to provide fellowship and learning environments that are not dominated by the cisgender male perspective. Therefore, these workshops are intended for women, non-binary, trans and gender non-conforming people to attend. While we do not ban cisgender men from attending, we hope that they will respect that this event is not intended for them.

We are very grateful for financial support from Audio-Technica, which has helped make this workshop series possible.

ABOUT AUDIO TECHNICA

Celebrating over 60 years of audio excellence, Audio-Technica is a recognised leader in the development and manufacture of high-quality personal and professional audio equipment. Founded in Japan in 1962 by Hideo Matsushita with the philosophy that high-quality audio should be accessible to all, the company made its name manufacturing state-of-the-art phonograph cartridges and tonearms. Today, Audio-Technica is a worldwide group of companies devoted to creating high- performance microphones, headphones, wireless systems, mixers, turntables, phono cartridges and other electronic products.

www.audio-technica.com

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