An avowed devotee of vinyl, Shortee's signature skills of cutting and mixing have been honed over a long career. But in the new millennium he has had to face the reality of the market. "The fact is that less and less music is being pressed on vinyl these days and I needed something that would make the transition (to CD) easily. I have tried various vinyl emulation devices but they just don't have that feel."
He was urged to try Denon's flagship CD/MP3 player, the DN-S3500 by Simon Francis of Musicola, who knew that the company had been looking for an urban DJ to help move the brand forward. "The Denon units are very popular with hip hop and R&B DJs in the USA but hadn't really been pushed to them in the UK," he reasoned. "I could see that the DN-S3500 was a much better unit for the scratch DJs than previous models had been."
Shortee already had experience of the DN-S3000 and DN-S5000 so was aware of the essential Denon topology. "When I tested out the DN-S3500 it really stood out because of the platter - it's so responsive it's scary! I can use it just as if I'm playing records - and if it does what I need then as far as I'm concerned, that's it."
He adds, "The DN-S3500 is definitely good for the hip-hop DJ, especially with the increasing amount of MP3's. I use it for the loop facility, and can cut up two records as I do with vinyl. It's really comfortable to work with and scratches good."
With the help of Denon he will be giving a new generation of DJs all the encouragement necessary. As part of his Saturday night Power Mix he is running a weekly competition throughout the year, the prize for which will be a pair of the coveted DN-S3500's.
"I'm trying to give a helping hand to would-be DJ's and want to give a pair of these to some kid who can really put tracks together. It has to be a 30 minute hip hop/R&B mix - a good clean mix and the winner will receive an excellent Christmas present." The response to date has been phenomenal. "People are really hitting me up for this," he says.
In the meantime, Simon Francis is planning to set up a Denon-endorsed tour with Shortee Blitz - designed to show off both the skills of the DJ himself and the versatility of the DN-S3500. "Also, the current mixer package offered by Denon to complement the CD turntables allows the DJ to be ultra creative - the DN-X1500 provides so many options by itself and in combination with the DN-S3500, Shortee Blitz will really be able to have some fun!"
(Chris Henry)
