It has been about six months since the Kontrol S8 debuted last October – for many, it came off as a strange new jogwheel free direction. While many DJs may feel left out that Native Instruments wasn’t catering to their genre, turntable/controller aficionado DJ Shiftee thinks otherwise. Watch the NI video below and see how a turntablist incorporates the S8 into his set.
DJ Shiftee + No Jog Wheels = Harmony
As seen in the video, Shiftee utilized the DVS control functionality of the Kontrol S8 rather than depending on just the controller itself. Unlike other product videos we’ve seen where the performer ignores the unique features of the technology being demo’d, Shiftee goes in hard on Freeze Mode and Remix Deck functaionality.
Anyone see a laptop around? It’s well hidden – but he’s kept his turntables as his primary weapons. This video goes to show that a controller’s layout doesn’t necessarily dictate a specific way it should be used.
The video also seems to be specifically focused on bucking the common refrain that Native Instruments is catering only to techno and house DJs. Shiftee does a good job of reminding us that it’s not the controller that chooses the tracks – chopping up Alt J’s “Left Hand Free” (remixed by Lido) and mashing it together with the Low Pros’ “Who Wanna Play (Feat. Que)” along with his own track “Uh Yo And Also Yo”. A set list with three different songs with three unique vibes all mixed and mashed using a “techno/house” controller.
Want to incorporate the Kontrol S8 into your setup? Check it out in the DJTT store!