At Gebäude9, one of Cologne's leading clubs, a crowd of 600 revellers is ready for action. Every four weeks, the venue plays host to the PC-powered sound of the Computerjockeys. The Ruhr-based DJs Wolfgang Hagedorn and Michael L., alias Digital Jockey, are now using Toshiba notebooks to redefine the concept of live dance music. Instead of dragging boxes of records from club to club, all the Computerjockeys need to set the party in motion is a pair of Tecra notebooks and the in-house PA.

But don't expect to hear any premixed WAV or MP3 tracks. Each mix is actually created live in the booth using Samplitude digital recording and editing software. Developed by Dresden-based vendor SEK´D, this is the same software the Computerjockeys use to record their CDs. Because each sample first has to be loaded and initialised before it can be played, Wolfgang and Michael take turns at mixing the current track, leaving the other to cue up the next set of files.

This to-ing and fro-ing in the DJ booth also provided the inspiration for their first hit record: Pingpong. Something of a fixture on playlists at German music stations such as VIVA, Pingpong is built around the sound of a ping-pong ball hitting table and bat. The sample is used to create an absorbing dance rhythm and typifies the Computerjockeys style of operating.

In fact, Wolfgang and Michael never use conventional instruments in their music. Instead, every sound is "borrowed" from other recordings or everyday life. The result is a collage of sounds that are cut, distorted, layered and looped until the finished track emerges in the mix. Some tracks are made up of layers and sequences featuring more than five hundred individual sounds. Not surprisingly, the pair's most prized possession is the archive of samples they use as the basis for each new track. Now comprising literally thousands of samples accumulated over the years, the archive is stored on both notebooks ready for use.

Another interesting aspect of the Computerjockeys approach is their refusal to use premixed tracks in live sets. Instead, both Wolfgang and Michael prefer to respond directly to the crowd, improvising new breaks and beats, or adding loops and filters.

Nor are they worried that their computers might crash during a set: "Both the machines and the software are totally rock solid," says Michael. "There's actually much more chance of a power cut taking out the whole club - well, everything except for our Tecras," he grins. The biggest threat, it seems, comes from a rather unlikely source: "At some venues, there are pipes on the ceiling above the booth that tend to attract condensation. When things are really cooking, you have to be careful where you put your notebook down or you're liable to get a keyboard full of water." At that point, the pair usually ease back the tempo to give the crowd a chance to cool down.

For the Computerjockeys, digital mixing and recording offers enormous benefits: "There's no need to rely on other musicians any more, and no more arguments with drummers who're either too loud or too fast. With the computer, we're now able to play everything we need ourselves." The record company is equally enthusiastic about the new approach. When the Computerjockeys record an album, all tracks are composed on the notebook and then transferred directly to CD, which means there's no need to pay for studio time, producers or sound engineers. Once an album has been approved for release, the files go straight to the pressing plant for manufacture. The whole process couldn't be easier.

INFO:

For more information on the Computerjockeys and to hear audio clips from their latest CD, visit www.harvest.de