VISUAL JOCKEY AS GUEST AT DRIVE

Just what are visual jockeys?

2ctrl Televisionär: Visual jockeys mix and create the right video for music in live performances. A new, unique video emerges from the combination of thousands of short video sequences. The VJs add a bit of special effects and image generators to create elements that have never been seen before. The result is a coherent video stream that suits the music. My goal as a VJ is to provide viewers with a continuous flow of images and to harmonise with the music in a way that viewers will want to get up and dance. For the DRIVE location, I decided to use very clear, flashy neon colours and form language. Through the combination of music and video,  

How did you get interested in being a VJ?

2ctrl Televisionär: When I was a media design student, I created the CD cover for a band that I was buddies with. In 2001, they asked me whether I could do something with a projector for their show in the Sage Club in Berlin. You didn’t have any good hardware or software back then. I programmed video graphics with the Winamp media player in the Advanced Visualization Studio (AVS) and recorded them on VHS cassettes. I put together my first VJ gig on a PC and then made an analog recording on video cassettes. I then set off for my first VJ gig with four video recorders and an analog video mixer.

How do you make sure that the visuals harmonise with the music?

2ctrl Televisionär: It depends: I usually try to flash a great video onto the screen straight from the gut. My computer is directly connected to the audio signal. I can generate geometric forms and wild lines directly on the audio level of the music. At DRIVE, there was a song with the refrain of “clap your hands”, and I played a video from a different concert where the audience clapped their hands in the air with the right timing. Of course, things are not always this figurative. This is why I deliberately chose to use forms, neon colours and polygons at the DRIVE event to meld music and spatial structures into one. I always love to react to a DJ or a random playlist. I never know what will come next. This is why my only option is to listen to the music and to know my VJ clips and effects really well. I can then react really fast to the music. The sequence for concerts is usually clearly defined. It’s all about good preparation because the VJ show is synchronised with the band, the lighting and the fire show at concerts. At big shows, everyone involved in the event is synchronised down to the very second via a timecode server. You have all sorts of technical ways to harmonise the visuals with the music: SMPTE timecode, Ableton Link and BPM sync. But my personal favourite is the MIDI controller and keyboards. All it takes is the press of a button and a slide control to adjust the video and effects in a flash.

What role does AI play in your work?

2ctrl Televisionär: AI is already playing a huge role for me personally. I am simply a computer nerd and am crazy about technology. At the DRIVE event, I used 40 videos that were generated by AI ahead of time. AI also helps me with very elaborate logo animations and even with the proofreading of this text. AI plays no role at all for most VJs because the job of producing images and videos with AI is a very time-consuming and expensive proposition. As a test, I used an upscaling AI. But I abandoned it even though the results were incredibly good. The processes took months of computing to perform. But it holds tremendous future potential for many VJs! I really believe that AI will also become an established member of the art world. I am also looking forward to working with AI and doing more and more jobs, like the 40 cool DRIVE logo animations, in years to come. AI for art? Definitely! As a technology-focused AI user, I would also like to point out that we, the members of the human race, do not have the slightest idea about the consequences and dangers that could arise in connection with Big Data and AI.

How did you prepare for your performances at DRIVE?

2ctrl Televisionär: We were able to come up with specific requirements for the event thanks to my good working relationship and frequent communications with the Volkswagen partner agency RessourcenReich. Because I am a stickler for details, I created the text-based DRIVE Logo in 40 different animations with the help of an AI service. Small details like a logo animation create a great show effect. The can’t-miss DRIVE exhibition uses a 14.4-metre-long LED wall in the centre. To show images on the huge LED wall live and in real time, I had to render and prepare all videos and the entire composition in the right resolution ahead of time. I usually use the latest MacBook during my VJ gigs. But the requirements of the LED wall needed something else, and I decided at the start that I would use a powerful workstation setup.