I’m particularly interested in the column. Like I know it’s a taboo and no one talks about it. But I was always curious what he would press down there to launch the next track. You know how he leans down there presses something and within 3 seconds the track would start? That. I’ve seen pics of the Akai samplers, but is there some natural start delay or was it programmed that way? In late 97 he’d press something down on the first row of keyboards in front of him.
After all these years I’d be interesting to find out what mechanism that was.

And I’m not talking about tracks he played with loops off his W-30 eg. poison, Narayan beats.

Did anyone figure this out?

I was always curious what he would press down there to launch the next track. You know how he leans down there presses something and within 3 seconds the track would start? That.

IIRC he would be cueing up DAT tapes of backing tracks. Most of his live performances consisted of him ad-libbing synth riffs and samples over the top of the tracks.