Introducing The Sandbox

I’m struggling to write at the moment. I feel like I need to put the right foot forward on my new path, which sees me overthinking to the point of not even taking the first step. So what follows is a brain dump about part of my plan.

I see this place as pretty much a dumping ground for my words and thoughts. And a great many of those still originate in the DJ world that I was part of for so long.

It’s not that I have any plans to be who I once was. On the contrary.

My need is to look at the future. I used to talk about the now — I responded to what was happening in the current moment, to pass sage opinion on the news, and to dig deeper than anyone else (remember the worxdriver I wielded for reviews?).

But in a time where innovation is rare*, I feel like my voice is to challenge convention, and be the voice that pushes against “we’ve always done it that way” and “if it ain’t broke”.

* Not the fault of the industry — DJs say they want it, but when it’s offered, but it’s turned down if it strays too far from the two turntables and a mixer format)

To be quite clear — I’m not coming for your turntables. I have always advocated for all kinds of DJing and will continue to do so. Use what suits you and your crowd. What I’m talking about is adding to the glorious melting pot that DJing has become.

But to do that requires someone who will happily look beyond what was and is, and kick around ideas of what could be.

I’m uniquely place to do this. The industry cannot tip its hand — that would be commercial suicide. And the media has to focus entirely on what’s out now, and in the space between day ones, lean into the past. Everyone loves a walk down memory lane.

But I’m unencumbered by almost anything these days, I’m free to articulate anything I want.

I am free. I don’t exist anymore. I am a relic with zero pull or do you know who am I am cards to play. I haven’t touched new piece of DJ gear in six years.

And not much has changed, hence me speaking up now.

So I’ll be filling this place with rambling thoughts of the future. I’m not trying to change minds, but simply open them to possibilities.

And this void I’ll be shouting into has a name – the Sandbox.

No, it’s not a place to build sandcastles, but comes from the computing definition of having a place to test things without connection to anything else. It’s safe — we can break or build things as we see fit.

It’s nothing more than a category on this site, simply an easily findable place where those still interested in my DJ related ramblings can find them without having to wade through my other scribbles about stuff I find interesting now.

Feel free to join in when I do. Back in the day, I didn’t have the traffic of the other sites, but I had by far the most engaged community. You guys genuinely impacted on the course of DJing with your shared thoughts.

I hope that continues. But if not, I’ll still be here regardless. I am after all only doing this for me.

I am vs I do, and letting go of things

I do a thing, but I am not a thing.

My identity is not defined by what I do, but by who I am.

I am not a DJ. But I do DJ. Well, I did.

But now I don’t. So almost every remnant of my former DJ existence is leaving the building. I have little time or space for just in case.

To be honest, I would regret keeping it more than I will miss it.

And as of this morning, it feels the same with my photography gear.

I picked up a digital camera over twenty years ago to take pictures of details that glossy press shots would never show.

It turns out I was pretty good at it.

Over the years, my work has been on magazine covers, websites, and keynotes. Yes, those keynotes.

But now I don’t need to make lush imagery. My skills in this field are something that I will not pitch in the future.

So as I continue to empty my studio of DJ stuff, the photography gear gets moved around without any future plans.

So I think it has to go too. I can always hire if someone wants my skills.

Honestly, I find that I thrive when limited. I’m more excited by what can be done with an iPhone than what I could do with a Hasselblad.

It’s just another part of my understanding of identity. Many put so much into being a thing — they buy the gear, wear the clothes, speak the language.

But I feel like I am myself more than I am a thing. I’m Mark who writes, not Mark the writer.

Perhaps it’s because I’m a very adept jack of all trades — if I want or need to do something, I learn how to do it, and usually get very good at it too. But I don’t become it.

Whatever I choose to do, I am still me underneath it all. And I have no need to own turntables or lenses I’ll never use again to feel like me.

I’ll sleep on it for a while, but I suspect that my time behind the lens will go the same way as my desire to mix music.

And I’ll still be me. Just doing other things. But think of it as clearing space for new things rather than locking the door on old ones.

Mark my words — a shift is coming

It’s fair to say that my fingers aren’t firmly on the pulse of the minutiae of what’s happening in DJ land anymore. I know what has been launched but I no longer know ahead of time. And it seems that my name has been almost entirely expunged from press lists, something I am very happy about.

I did however read about the new Rane System One. I love this unit — it’s the distillation of all the tried and tested best bits of everything since the launch of the Numark NS7, a unit I absolutely adored.

But something is different. And Mojaxx posted something that gave me pause for thought. And I suspect that this new lump of shiny foreshadows something much bigger than might be first apparent.

Here’s the post:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DUfhjhqgD4G

To bulletpoint:

There’s no computer needed
Engine standalone works great
Pre-rendering stems is a pain
DMX lighting is plug and play with Engine DJ standalone

Wait… there’s no computer needed for performance? Standalones are obviously not new — indeed stablemate Denon DJ is more or less Engine DJ first. But Rane?

I was there in 2004 for the very first version of Rane and Serato’s game changing Scratch Live. Together they blazed a trail for more than two decades. But the Rane System One has severed the need for Serato, and Engine DJ seemingly works well enough to not go back.

And that’s something that won’t have gone unnoticed at Serato HQ.

It shouldn’t. It’s huge.

And when the world’s most credible and listened-to media voice (not me, Mojaxx silly) says standalone is ready at the expense of a laptop, then that’s a cultural shift waiting to happen.

The time I connected the BBC to Run DMC

Mark Settle, skratchworx, RunDMC, BBC, Raising Hell

As I get deeper into the Worxorcism, I’m often stumbling across interesting and forgotten stuff. And I just hit something that is worthy of more than a Instagram post, namely the time I helped the BBC celebrate Run DMC.

Back in early 2006, just a few years into my reign of terror upon the DJ industry, I woke up to an email from the mighty BBC. They wanted to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the release of Run DMC’s “Rising Hell” album on Radio 6 Music.

But to quote Liam Neeson, there was one obvious tiny little baby little hiccup. Seemingly they had no contacts within the Run DMC inner circle and wondered if I could help.

Why me?

At best I knew someone who could possibly maybe link me to someone Jam Master Jay adjacent. But the palpable sense of urgency meant that this was something I had to do quickly.

Now it’s fair to say that I am resourceful. Apparently I have a reputation of being the DJ industry’s rolodex (some might need to look up that reference). If I don’t know, I can find out someone who does.

So pulling on my make-shit-happen trousers, I looked up Run DMC’s management company online and fired off an email.

Within an hour (don’t they sleep?). “Sure, we’d love to do that with the BBC”. Details exchanged — heaps of thanks all round — mission accomplished.

This whole thing has always puzzled me. You’d think that the BBC would have the world’s music stars on speed dial. I never did get to the bottom of why my name was put forward. I always assumed it was Numark, because they offered up a complete DJ setup as a prize. But it was never confirmed.

At least I got a set of slipmats for my efforts, ironically something I helped organise with Beej Curtis at Slikmats. But from a puff out my chest perspective, skratchworx got a link on the BBC site that remains to this day.

A Closing Thought

I’m telling this story 20 years after it happened, which in turn was an event commemorating 20 years. Did I really buy Raising Hell 40 years ago? Did you? THAT’S how quickly time passes.

A blank page

I’m staring at this new WordPress installation.
But something is different.

The previous temptation to add plugins has gone.
I’ve barely looked at themes.
I don’t give a shit about SEO.

I’m not building a brand.
Or building a community.
Or gaming big tech’s algorithms.

I’m free to do what I want here.

That’s it — free.

I’ll make it prettier, faster, and secure.

But beyond legal and privacy concerns, only needing to please myself is utterly liberating.

But there is no “what now?” feeling. I have focus.

I need to write.

And writing doesn’t need anything except a blank page.

An Unplanned unbrand

I’m diving straight in.

I could allow myself to chronically overthink the launch of the next part of my career, but that kind of thing has stopped me from achieving so much.

For a while, it’s going to be messy and possibly illegible. To make the ideal optimised space takes time, and that time is better spent on earning a living and not obsessing over line spacing.

So here I am, on my 60th birthday, knowing when it would start, but knowing little else about it. My unbrand is quite unplanned, and deliberately so.

Oh… the only other thing I know for sure is that it’s for me. And only me.

What appears here is not for clicks, engagement, or traffic. I don’t care if it appears on Google. What I care about is that it’s me, unashamedly and uniquely.

I think of this as a sketchpad for my rambling consciousness, where I can post words about anything I please. I won’t care if they sink or float, just that I wrote from my head, without needing to please anyone but myself.

So while this move is all about me shedding my assorted Worx skins at the end of the year of the snake, I’ll still write about DJ stuff alongside anything I please. I’ve 60 years of life experience to impart.

You see, I’ve worked out that I’m at my best when I’m me — not some version that appeals to an algorithm or demographic, or a personality that isn’t genuine or authentic. And some of that includes letting go of my crippling perfectionism and going with my gut.

This post for example is head to hands — little editing, and just getting it out there. Because I don’t need to please anyone but me. And that’s how I’ll be happiest.

I have a growing list of things to write about, and some big projects to get moving on.

But first, I’ll be celebrating my 60th birthday. People I love are coming to eat my food. It’ll be the best day.

See you soon.