Watch the video above to see a video from when Future Music visited Joachim Garraud's incredible Paris home and studio in 2011. Here he explains how he's managed to merge a live show complete with Keytar control and the flexibility of a regular DJ set. Below FM get the lowdown on the live rig and how it came together.
Were you using Serato before you started developing the tools for the show?
"No, I was DJing with CDs before the new show and Serato were the first company to help me achieve this video project and they are a really cool bunch of guys. Together we are working the product live and I report back to them with bugs, or things I think that could be added or changed."
Do you think there'll be lots of competition for these types of shows now that you have condensed the equipment used?
"Yes, because of you! [laughs] No, but you're right, touring with just a laptop is the dream. Making a flexible, compact and reliable setup that you can just show up at a venue, like a DJ but produce this synchronised AV show, with a performance aspect too - it's great. The keytar is actually the biggest part of setup. All I need at the venue are the screens, two CDJ-2000s and a MIDI-enabled mixer like the DJM-800."
What model is the keytar?
"Ah, this is the cool one, the [Roland] AX-1. They stopped making these in 1992 though so I have to buy them from eBay. I actually have five black ones and one red one! I tried the new one that came out recently, the AX-7, but it was too big and heavy for me. I like the idea that I am making music of the future with these tools of the past. One of the keytars was actually the one they used on the Pink Floyd world tour, which is so cool to have - that one is special and doesn't get used." [laughs]
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