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While the name is new, the product isn't. Concrete DJ is actually third generation
multimedia technology benefiting from many years in the mobile DJ
industry, and from many years in the computer software industry.
What sets it apart is that it was actually designed, built,
tested, and is still used in the field by it's DJ creator, Scott
Pristel, aka
Scott Edwards.
Just how
enthusiastic? Like a whole bunch.
The 60's
Even back to the 60's in
Northeast Wisconsin, music was always
the priority. My parents saw to that with seven years of accordion
lessons. Yes, an accordion. I still can't believe it
either. My friend Roger, highly successful audiophile and hi-fi
store owner, described the beautiful music an accordion makes
like this, "The best sound it makes is when you toss it in the
dumpster".
DJ'ing began with an
old mono RCA cassette recorder, taping Top 40 songs on the radio, and
crankin' tunes and getting encouragement from my parents, "SCOTT! TURN THAT
THING DOWN! N O W W W !!!".
At home, a Y-cable made with a soldering gun and some
masking tape, connected the devil's music to the new RCA color
console TV ... and the entertainment system inside ... using the built-in
speakers.
The first DJ events used that old cassette recorder connected to the
accordion's tube amp and two, 10" speakers. "They
call her ...". The first 45 bought was Valerie by the Monkees. The first
album came from Santa. It was "The Ballad of the Green Beret" from Sgt. Barry Sadler.
With another home-made cable, the recorder worked with records too!
It was a sad day, but after warbling itself to death, the old recorder
finally wore out. After a whole summer of cutting grass, selling
veggies door-to-door, and shooting chipmunks in GrandPa's garden for a
dime each (sorry about that animal activists -- I've since reformed)
for the down payment, and a loan from Dad (plus interest), it was time to move on.
For $220, the cassette was replaced with a 4-track
Webcor reel-to-reel recorder with built-in amp and two speakers.
"SCOTT!
TURN THAT DOWN!
N O W W W !!!".
The 70's
The 70's are kinda hazy
but here goes. In high school, it started with a student job working for the Audio-Visual department.
It wasn't all glory and came to a halt for getting caught spinning the reel, reeeeeeeely, reeeeeeeely,
fast on an old projector.
After a terrible failure as a farmer trying to grow corn, but success growing other things
unmentionable, it was time for a real job on the wash rack at father's
car dealership. It wasn't all that
much fun washing but it sure was fun squealing tires and driving cars around
at age 14.
It paid to have a real job and that first car, a 1965 Plymouth
Belvedere was really hot. The chicks digged it. Told the
guys it was a hemi, but is was really just a slant six under the hood
and they didn't know any better. The AM radio really cranked though with that extra
6 x 9 speaker
way in the back.
And then it happened. At a hot lunch table, this guy a year ahead in school asked me if I wanted to take over for him
as a radio DJ at the local station. "You talking to
me?". It was hard to respond ...
eating the celery sticks filled with peanut butter they fed us.
It was 1972 and now it was off to the big time. That '65 had a really
big dent in the door from turning too sharp in the church parking lot
and crunching into the basket ball hoop post after a really, really
rough Saturday night. Boy, was that embarrassing.
So the radio star quit
his job washing cars and relied solely on spinning discs at WMAM. Organizing
radio contests like the great smelt races, horns beeped when asked on
the air, as kids screeched across the Interstate bridge near the radio
station.
Oh, and the
parties!! Grandma was really mad when Scott wasn't on the radio
that Sunday morning at 5 A.M. Scott was really surprised when
Grandma woke him up and found those kids all over. Mom and Dad still don't know.
Either does my boss at
the radio station, rest his soul.
One day, radio friend
Shmorten (how about that for a nickname), much to the dismay of his
parents, spent his life savings on 4 really big Bic Venturi speakers, a
pair of belt-drive turntables and a couple Kenwood amplifiers.
Tally Ho!
With not all that much
persuasion, we hauled the speakers, amps, turntables, etc., from his 8
x 8 room downstairs. The first mobile DJ work was spinning discs at high school
dances with Shmorten's $2000 stereo. Can you say party?
Got $225 for that
Belvedere, even with the dent. It was way cooler driving to
gigs in a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda convertible and listening to Queen with two speakers on the
back seat. They could easily be removed for important back seat functions.
After a little
entrepreneurship, like securing McDonalds, Angeli's and a few other
major advertisers and convincing the owner of WMAM to go ahead with my new
underground radio show, life was really, really good.
With inspiration from
KAAY in Little Rock, AK, Captain Rowdy, Botts, Charlie, and lots of
other guests helped Scott Edwards DJ from 11PM until 1AM every
Saturday night. There is a ton more we simply can't talk about.
As a fringe benefit,
Dave, Bott's boss at the Underground
Sunshine record store, let me record anything I wanted. I had
graduated to an 8-track recorder because I was into hi-fi.
You've never seen so many 8-track tapes!
It was fun while it
lasted. At least I think so. After escaping Vietnam when
they turned off the war, it was off to college in the big city of
Madison, Wisconsin, with a home soldered, kit-built Hafler amp and preamp
from Roger at the Sound Seller and two used KLH speakers.
In Madison, WI, beer
money was always a priority. To that end, Scott landed a part-time job as an
audio-visual technician at the UW-Madison. Life was good.
The parties were amazing. School, well... The head of the
Medical Technology department said I was the first intern that flunked
out ever from the
UW-Madison medical school. Well, at least I was first at
something. It was
time for a change.
The 80's
After half a decade
selling door-to-door insurance and then cars it was back to school, this time in computer science.
Scott's friend and computer mentor, Mike, now a consultant for the NSA
in Baltimore, MD, helped land his first programming
job while still in school. It was fun programming. It was
even more fun listening to tunes on Mike's 8 foot tall Acoustat
speakers.
After a lot of BS, and
one in
computer science with a Chemistry minor, it was 1982 and off to the East Coast for fame and
fortune. Unfortunately, tragedy cut short a dream career in
technology for a Fortune 500 biotech company near Boston. It was
back to Northeastern Wisconsin in late 1990.
The 90's
After much more
horrible tragedies in 1993, 1994, and then
again in 1997, while
self-employed as a Mr. Mom with 3 kids in the computer industry, it looked like the music was
over. But then, healed from the
comfort only music can provide, it was back again. It was time to crank up the volume,
once again as a mobile DJ.
The New
Millennium
The world
didn't end in 2000 as was predicted, and times were good, DJ'ing, doing sound at small concerts, renting out Self-DJ systems, and
computer consulting. But times,
they were a changin'. After getting "Jennied", and losing a 10
year consulting gig in February 2007, and then losing other work with
a tanking economy soon afterward, it was time for something else. But what?
Tequila. And lots
of it. The faithful Tequila JUKEBOX DJ software, used for years,
was completely
rewritten and the name changed to Concrete DJ to avoid issues with
alcohol.
After 10,000 hours to develop and street test the latest technology,
it is time to rock with the Concrete DJ family of media players.
While
there is a lot more to this story, thanks for reading, but thank you
even more for considering Concrete DJ
products for your entertainment needs.
By the way, anybody got some tequila?
Let's Rock!
Sincerely,
Scott Pristel
Creator of Concrete DJ
AKA DJ Scott Edwards
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Generation
1
In late 1998, work began on one of the very first media
players
in the world with sound engine technology from Germany. The GEN 1 product, DJ
Jukebox beat lugging CD's, never skipped, and could cross-fade.
DJ Jukebox sidelined this DJ's CD-players forever.
DJ Jukebox Main Menu
In late
2000, the name DJ Jukebox was changed to Tequila JUKEBOX after
inspiration from way too much tequila at a
local bar gig and the idea from a creative brother in-law, Paul.
Tequila JUKEBOX Software
Box, February 2001
A few
copies of Tequila
JUKEBOX were sold, but not too many. However, years later, Tequila JUKEBOX is still
used because of its unique features, dependable operation and
ease-of-use. A
retro version using the new Concrete DJ technology is planned down the
road.
Scott Edwards DJ'ing with
Tequila JUKEBOX,
January 2001
In 2001, a
break-thru add-on called Tequila REQUESTS made it easy for guests send requests to the
DJ using a touch screen kiosk. This technology evolved into the
current Self-DJ JUKEBOX software and is available in Concrete DJ,
Ultimate Edition.
Tequila REQUESTS first
outing, January 2001
Being able
to send the DJ requests remotely had never been done before. It
was a big hit with the crowd plus it made it much easier for the
DJ. It also made the Tequila JUKEBOX service unique.
Touch REQUESTS at Peshtigo Historical Day,
September 2001
Generation
2
In 2002,
with much better sound engine technology, this time from
Italy, the GEN 2 product was created. Tequila JUKEBOX
became extremely stable and a limited number of copies were
sold. In 2005, a stand-alone version created a whole new way to DJ.
This new way to DJ was called "Self-DJ". Guests could
now run the whole show! Someone designated as the "Self-DJ"
was given a
special password to be able to change volume, reject songs and perform
other basic functions as
needed.
Generation
3
GEN 3
development began in 2007. In 2008, the new
technology product was ready for testing. On July 4th, 2009,
Independence Day, the first product in the family of Concrete DJ media players,
Self-DJ JUKEBOX, went on-sale at
http:/www.concreteDJ.com.
DJ Scott Edwards & the Music Experience, January 2001 using the
original Tequila JUKEBOX software
Self-DJ, a
completely new way to DJ
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