Android users, come in from the cold! You now have a DJ app to rival anything on iOS, in the shape of Algoriddim’s djay for Android. With external hardware support, Spotify on board (for a millions-strong choice of music), and a feature set that includes all the main functions of djay 2 on iOS, this is the most complete Android DJ app yet.
Android has traditionally lagged way behind iOS as a platform for music and DJing, but Algoriddim seems to have solved several of the problems that have led to this being the case. Algoriddim claims the software “runs on all popular Android smartphones and tablets regardless of screen size and resolution”, and the hardware support in djay 2 comes from Reloop in the shape of the Beatpad (also one of the leading DJ controllers for djay on iOS).
Spotify makes it easy to get started
The inclusion of Spotify is clever because it bypasses another of the issues mainstream users are likely to encounter DJing on Android, namely getting local music onto the device in the first place. Even on iOS it’s not always obvious to some users how to achieve this (using iTunes to physically transfer a library or part of one onto the devices, rather than using iTunes Match), but with Android, populating the Android Music library would likely thwart the average user on first downloading the app for some casual play. Spotify onboard bypasses that hassle instantly, and what’s more the implementation has an Echo Nest-powered recommendation engine, just like on iOS, to help DJs choose well-matched “next tracks”.
When used with external hardware (Reloop’s Beatpad controller), there is Midi control over the software, but the Android control doesn’t currently reach as far as using the Beatpad’s built-in audio interface. I am going to guess that as soon as Android L drops, so will multi-channel audio on this app. However, right from the off, that Midi control does look mightily impressive, as this DMC champ DJ Rasp video shows:
First thoughts
Overall, this is potentially a big move for Algoriddim and a game-changer for Android users. Remember there are many more Android devices out there than iOS, so this could potentially open up tablet/smartphone DJing to a whole new group of users bigger than anything seen before.
It’s not the only DJ app of note for Android; Mixvibes’ Cross DJ for Android is a competent offering, also boasting hardware support (again, a single controller, in this case the company’s own U-Mix Control Pro 2), as well as the ability to export mixes to Mixcloud and SoundCloud. However, we think Spotify is the big differentiator here; that and the fact that djay on iOS has had more than 15 million downloads, and is a mature and impressive app in its own right, with – at first glance – the Android version looking remarkably similar, albewit lacking some features (keylock is the most obvious one at first look).
Looking forward, perhaps the most significant thing here is the chance that someone will build a DJ controller with djay embedded right in there; Android hardware could far more feasibly power a DJ controller than Apple (proprietary), Windows (overkill / price) or Linux (no commercial DJ software on that platform). With Android tablets available from upwards of $50, it would be relatively cheap to embed Android hardware right into a DJ controller
We’ll bring you a proper od djay 2 for Android as soon as we can, but for now: Why not try it? It’s only $2.99…
• djay 2 for Android is available now at an introductory price of $2.99 from the Google Play App Store and from the Amazon Appstore. Spotify required a Spotify Premium subscription; a free trial is available. For more info on this, visit this page.
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Got an Android device? Looking forward to downloading this and “coming in from the cold”? Let us know your thoughts on this in the comments.
Phil Morse
