Traktor Premiere New Kontrol D2 In Weird Promo Video

Traktor have announced the latest addition to their DJ product range – the Kontrol D2. First premiered at the Miami Winter conference, the D2 now gets the official roll out, with an accompanying promo video that – perhaps rather oddly – sees Traktor product specialist Eric Goldstein road testing the device in an empty Tresor. It comes across a bit like one of the security guards messing around on his weirdass bedroom set up before the real DJ shows up and fires up the CDJs, and as Goldstein gingerly tickles the up fader, it's hard to see why Traktor didn't just collar one of their many well known users to plug the controller in during an actual gig. Perhaps usual Traktor advocate Richie Hawtin has gone into hiding after the infamous speaker push incident…

From what we can tell in the fleeting glimpses the video offers, the big thing D2 seems to have going for it, along with the chunky looking pads, faders and knobs you'd expect, is a digital screen not too disimilar to the Pioneer 2000's. This allows users to browse for tracks directly on a device, theoretically putting paid to the creaky old "I can't tell if he's DJing or checking his email" jokes that get bandied around any time a DJ looks at a laptop. 

There's also some talk of the unit being compatible with the 'stems' file format Native Instruments are pushing – a way of picking apart tracks for live remix. We'll hold judgement on that til it gets properly introduced this summer… 

With no dedicated pitch control on the unit, it appears the D2 is aimed as either an addition to a set of decks, or as a complete replacement for those lead footed nummers who think it's groovy to have an hour+ set run in seamless, souless sync. But we know that's no one who reads Ransom Note right?

Any which way, the unit is going to set you back a fairly hefty £430 – watch it in action below, and read more over here to decide if that's worth it…