News Round-Up: 9/8/13

Stephen Colbert doesn’t get lucky, Native Instruments launches Traktor Kontrol X1, Trevino in the mix and Deadboy teaches us a thing or two.

Pioneering keyboardist George Duke dies aged 67. Duke had a prolific career spanning countless genres and racking up a raft of credits. His output has had a profound influence on countless dance and hip hop artists. As he told the LA Times in 1999, younger artists who have grown up on machines “need to go back to the people who know how to create… There needs to be a handshake between them and us.” Kirk Degiorgio offers a two-hour tribute via RBMA Radio.

Native Instruments releases Traktor Kontrol X1. The most recent version of NI’s decks and effects controller costs $199 and includes touch-sensitive Browse and Loop encoders, 7-segment displays and LEDs for visual feedback, and a multi-purpose touch strip for added tactile control.

How To Make Hit Records With Deadboy. The South London producer offers golden advice on how to make your beats funky and relevant. Essential viewing for a successful career in production.

Trevino releases house and techno mix for In Their House. Trevino (aka D&B producer Marcus Intalex) highlights the final track – ‘Daniel’ by Iron Curtis – as “an absolute killer, the kind of track I wish I had made myself”. The mix is available now from Defected.

Stephen Colbert stood up by ‘Click and Clack’. The US comedian hit out at Daft Punk for pulling out of their would-be rare TV appearance on The Colbert Report with only two hours’ notice.

Plugin Alliance offers 0% finance schemes on ALL Bundle collection. The bundle of all 33 of the company’s native plugins is available at a discounted price of $2,388, payable in 6 or 12 monthly instalments, interest-free. 30-day lease licenses are issued upon each payment until the balance is paid in full. See the Plugin Alliance website for full details.

“There’s no real aesthetic, I put out what I like and what’s around me.” In a Label Heads video interview for Mine’s Clarence, L.I.E.S. boss Ron Morelli speaks about working the paper round, Rolling Stones 45s and his admiration for labels whose music revolves around local communities.

David Guetta threatens legal action against Wunderground. Not too impressed by being diagnosed with ‘chorophobia’ (fear of dancing) by the Irish music site, Guetta took to Twitter to complain (and plug for votes in the DJ Mag Top 100) while his lawyers got in touch with Wunderground to request a take-down of the article to avoid further action.

iZotope to launch their RX 3 audio repair kit in September. Features include a ‘Dereverb’ module, a ‘Dialogue Denoiser’, and unlimited undos. Read more here.

Mixes this week: