DJ LIFE MAG, Vol.4 No.3 Gryffin by DJ LIFE MAG

DJX ’24: NEW SESSIONS, HOT TOPICS & AFTER DARK EVENTS

Atlantic City, N.J. – Get ready, DJs, because DJX’24 is right around the corner.

Scheduled for August 5-8 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., DJX will gather all sectors of the DJ industry – mobile, club and studio – with its winning combo of new technologies, education, and sponsored After Dark events.

Produced by DJ LIFE magazine and Hazan Media Group, DJX will present an exhibit hall full of the latest DJ-related products (audio, lighting, studio, content-creation, accessories, etc.), a slate of 30-plus seminars, panels, and keynotes tackling the most-pressing topics, and nightly parties featuring top DJ talent. Operating since 1990, DJX is the longestrunning and most-impactful trade show/event in the North American DJ industry. Whether you’re a mobile jock, club DJ, bedroom spinner or home-studio music maker, DJX ’24 will have something for you.

New Sunset Sessions: New at the show this year, DJX’s Sunset Sessions will offer attendees sponsored, early-evening gatherings with the industry’s top brands featuring music, food/drink, and giveaways. At presstime, QSC (Aug. 5) and Electro-Voice (Aug. 6) are scheduled with sessions in the Hard Rock that will run 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Sponsored Seminars: As always, DJX will offer several sponsored seminars from brands exhibiting on the showfoor. At presstime, they include sessions from: AlphaTheta/Pioneer DJ; Chauvet DJ; DJ.Studio; Mixed In Key; Mixware; SMPL; Vibo; and WeddingPro. At these special sessions, attendees will get opportunities to take a deeper dive into these brands’ latest technologies and ask questions directly to company representatives.

After Dark: On Aug. 5, DJX’s opening-night event at HQ2 Nightclub in the Ocean Casino Resort will be an evening with Gimme Gimme Disco, the dance-party brand spinning classic disco, funk and R&B. Featuring New York-based DJs Holly T and CBJtheDream , this party will defnitely set it off.

On Aug. 7, “Millennium Mixtape,” Wednesday night’s mobile-centric party co-hosted at The Balcony (formerly the Hard Rock’s DAER Nightclub) by Jake Jacobsen and Mike Alevras, will feature jams from 1990 to 2010. With DJ Kid Kasper on the decks, the event will also feature performances from H.B. Monte from “America’s Got Talent,” Chicago’s

DJ LG, and Pittsburgh’s “Digital Dave” Lander. (More After Dark events to be announced.)

Keynoters: On Aug. 6, the popular DJ/producer duo Disco Fries will participate in DJX’s “Keynote Q&A” series. After meeting at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music in 2004, Nick Ditri and Danny Boselovic have found success in a variety of ways – remixes, productions, collaborations, club tours, online endeavors. In an exclusive Q&A session with DJ LIFE Editor Jim Tremayne, the duo will recount its inspirational tale and answer questions on production, DJing, new tech and business matters.

Educational Seminars: North Carolina-based mobile jock/ entrepreneur Joe Bunn will present “Check Your Head.” In this tutorial Bunn will reveal his secrets of success, reveal ways to minimize distractions, and detail what it takes for a successful DJ company to stay organized, focused, and mentally healthy. Topics will include delegating tasks, how to fnd help, apps for organizing, and personal tips.

Longtime DJX contributor Mike Walter of New Jersey’s Elite Entertainment will co-present “DJs, Clients & Contracts: Advice from an Attorney.” For a mobile DJ, what happens when things get ugly with a client? Walter, along with DJ-turnedattorney Orlando Rodriguez, will explain how to avoid those moments in the frst place and reveal the best methods to combat them, if necessary.

For the latest on DJX ’24, please visit www.djxshow.com.

EDC Vegas Blasts Off

Las Vegas – This past May 17-19, more than half a million fans descended on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Electric Daisy Carnival, North America’s largest EDM festival. Produced by Insomniac Events, EDC’24 presented 200 performers including many of world’s top DJs. For more on EDC Vegas, please visit Page 22.

Alex Perez

After Dark DJ: “Digital Dave” Lander. Joe Bunn: Tips-for-success session. Kid Kasper: Millennium-Mixtape DJ.

IN THIS ISSUE

Climbing the Ladder

At Miami’s EDMAwards, Industry Notables Reveal Their Inspirations, Offer Seasoned Advice

By Jim Tremayne

In the Studio With… Whethan

12 Sound Bites

Gettoblaster

EDC ’24

Highlights

Electric Daisy Carnival Brings Top DJs to Vegas

By EDC Photographers

Mark Mancino

Houck

MULTI-TALENT LEVELS UP

We frst came across Gryffn when he burst onto the scene in 2016-17 on the strength of earworm collabs like “Heading Home,” “Whole Heart,” and “Feel Good.” If you were on the EDM-festival circuit at all, you defnitely saw him on a mainstage, spinning and playing a variety of instruments. Fast-forward a few years and we caught his act again during his residency at Vegas’ XS Nightclub – it was a hit-after-hit evening that had the Sin City audience singing along. Now our Mark Mancino catches up with the Cali-based, multi-talent (aka Dan Griffth) just before the release of his latest full-length, PULSE , and he reveals his inspirations, motivations and artistic processes.

In our Sound Bites section, Mr. Mancino goes into the studio with Whethan (aka Ethan Snoreck), the Chicago native who discusses his latest full-length, Life of a Wallfower, Vol. 2 . Additionally, Ashley Teffer (our Motor City correspondent who has since relocated to Atlanta) connects with another ChiTown native, the prolifc Gettoblaster (aka Paul Anthony), who’s released a furry of spring releases.

As festival season has launched, we bring you the sights (if not the sounds) from three of America’s major spring music gatherings – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, and Movement in Detroit. While the musical lineups are certainly different, each event draws more than 100,000 fans for its respective weekend, giving DJs massive audiences for their performances.

In our tech review sections, our Denver-based taste-tester Wesley King evaluates the KRK’s ROKIT Generation Five monitors in Studio Session. And in the Playback section, Twin Cities-based DJ Deets checks out a pair of AlphaTheta products paired for wireless DJing – the OMNIS-DUO controller and the WAVE-EIGHT loudspeaker.

For our Mobile DJ Profle section, new contributor Danielle Johnson connects with longtime DJX participant Jake Jacobsen, who tells us of his successful transition from the Jersey Shore to suburban Atlanta. Also, in DJ Business, Rochester, N.Y.-based jock Joshua Volpe explains the power of customer-centric marketing.

Of course, DJX is just around the corner. Set for Aug. 5-8 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., the show will feature more than 30 educational seminars, an exhibit hall full of the latest technologies, and sponsored After Dark events. Check the News and Feedback pages for the latest developments and, if you want a realtime connection to the show, be sure to visit www.djxshow.com. We hope to see you there.

Cheers,

Jim Tremayne Editor, DJ LIFE

editor-in-chief

Jim Tremayne jtremayne@hazanmediagroup.com

editor-at-large Brian O’Connor boconnor@@hazanmediagroup.com

web editor and social media manager Mark Mancino mmancino@@hazanmediagroup.com

contributors

Wesley King, Chris Caruso, Amanda Chavez, Shawn Christopher, Paul Dailey, Reed Dailey, Chris Davis, DJ Deets, Tony Fernandez, Tommy D Funk, Lexi Ferguson. Greg Hollmann, Danielle Johnson, Erik Miller, Lily Moayeri, Jordan St Jacques, Jeff Stiles, Ashley Teffer, Danny Turner, Phil Turnipseed, Joshua Volpe, Travis Wackerly, Curtis Zack

chart coordinator Dan Miller dmiller@hazanmediagroup.com

director of sales Josh Kerman jkerman@hazanmediagroup.com

creative director Janice Pupelis jpupelis@hazanmediagroup.com

director of technologies and project management Steve Thorakos sthorakos@hazanmediagroup.com

Chairperson & COO/Co-Publisher Robin Hazan rhazan@hazanmediagroup.com

President & CEO/Co-Publisher Shawn Hazan shazan@hazanmediagroup.com

visit our website: www.djlifemag.com 516.767.2505

Editorial and Sales Offce: DJ Life, Oyster Bay, NY 11771. (516) 767-2505 • (Sales/all other business): (516) 767-2505 • djlife@hazanmediagroup.com.

Editorial contributions should be addressed to The Editor, DJ Life Mag, Oyster Bay, NY 11771 or sent to JTremayne@hazanmediagroup.com.

DJ Life Mag is published bi-monthly starting with the second month annually.

Web: DJLifeMag.com DJXShow.com and HazanMediaGroup.com

Subscriptions: Complimentary Digital Edition. Email: djlifemag@hazanmediagroup.com Phone: 516-767-2505 ext. 502 Web: djlifemag.com/subscribe

| VOL.4 NO.3

JUST ANNOUNCED: NEW DJX ’24 SEMINARS

Atlantic City, N.J. – DJX ’24 is set for Aug. 5-8 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Produced by DJ LIFE magazine and Hazan Media Group, DJX will present: the DJ industry’s largest exhibit hall featuring the latest industry technologies and accessories; 30-plus seminar, panel and keynote sessions tackling the hottest industry topics and presenting inspirational ideas; and sponsored evening events featuring top DJ talent.

On the seminar/panel/keynote front, DJX will present sessions appropriate to the mobile, club and studio portions of the market and will discuss tech, business and general inspiration. At press time, new sessions include:

“Your Post-DJing Plan: Where Do We Go From Here?” In this informative and inspirational seminar, Jersey jock Chris

D’Amico will share some insights from his career journey and explain to DJX attendees what they can do to avoid burnout – so they can keep doing what they love for as long as possible – and get ready for their futures. Everybody prepares for failure, but few prepare for success. After this presentation, attendees will be ready for both.

“DJ 101: The Beginner’s Guide to DJing.” Are you just getting started DJing? Do you want to work for – or eventually run – a mobileentertainment company? We all must start somewhere and it’s always important to have a mentor to show you the ropes and to warn you of the industry’s pitfalls. Enter Philadelphia’s DJ Greggie C (aka Greg Curran) of The DJ Entertain-

ment School. At DJX’24, he’ll break out the starter kit that’ll fuel your fre and help launch your entry into the DJ world. Curran will offer guidance and tips on a variety of topics for newbies, including performance, business-building, and marketing.

“Success Through Failure: How to Conquer Trying Times.” As mobile DJs, we’ve all been through it… moments that made us wonder if it’s all worth it, moments that tested the will, moments that seemed like the last straw. Mobile vet Joshua Lask of Hudson Valley Event Group in Monroe, N.Y., has been through it all, as well; but he’s turned those tribulations into lessons that helped him not just persevere, but ultimately thrive. He’ll show you how to turn life’s lemons into lemonade.

JOIN THESE INDUSTRY LEADERS SUPPORT INDUSTRY FUTURE SPONSOR FUTURE TALENT

GETTOBLASTER: JACKIN’ HOUSE BEATS

As an artist, mixtape master, and party promoter, Gettoblaster has been a pillar in the Chicago house-music scene for decades.

A force in the studio and a master on the decks onstage, Gettoblaster (aka Paul Anthony) continues to fll venues and release tracks with regularity. In fact, in 2024 alone, he’s already offered a dozen releases – original tracks, collaborations and remixes – of his trademark jackin’ Windy City sound.

Originally working since 2014 as a duo with Detroitbased Zach Bletz, Gettoblaster broke out with We Jack , a 20-track full-length effort loaded with percolating rhythms and whopping grooves. Since then, they collaborated with the legendary likes of Bad Boy Bill, Steve “Silk” Hurley, DJ Funk, Roland Clark, DJ Deeon, and Chip E. Anthony has since split from his former studio-and-stage partner and assumed the Gettoblaster handle alone. But he hasn’t slowed down at all. In fact, before the summer ends, he expects to drop another album, Acid Ice Cream , on his own Aliens on Mushrooms imprint.

We caught up with Gettoblaster in the midst of his furry of spring releases – a bumpin’ remix for Tyler Hill (“I Can’t Wait”), plus his tasty collabs with Fuzzy Cuffinxxx and Franklyn Watts (“Ya Me Voy”) and Nathan Barato (“The Move” EP). So, we discussed his tech, his process, and his own house-music history. It went like this:

as Paul Anthony, I put out 25 mixtapes that sold over 100,000 units in fve years. I used to listen to these tapes on my ghettoblaster. So I thought it would be a cool name. I couldn’t believe nobody had the name. And then I was like, “You know what? Let me change the spelling because if I have an ‘h’ in it, every boombox in the world is going to come up on an image search.” If I take take the “h” out, I have I have a unique search.

DJ LIFE: How did you get into house music?

Anthony: Growing up, I was in northwest Indiana. I was born in Chicago, but I lived 20 minutes away. So, in the whole Chicagoland area, when you turn the radio on, you’d hear house music. In Cincinnati, you did not hear that – you heard Whitesnake or Guns N’ Roses. In Chicago, the same station that would be playing ZZ Top or Poison would be dropping [Cajmere’s] “The Percolator” in the 1990s. The Top-40 stations would be slipping in house music.

DJ LIFE: So, the radio was a big infuence…

Guerilla Marketing: Gettoblaster uses all avenues & platforms.

DJ LIFE: How did you come up with the name Gettoblaster?

Anthony: As a kid, I used to have a boombox, a portable stereo – we called them ghettoblasters. For me, I was really big with mixtapes. When I had my frst career

Anthony: Right. So, as a child growing up in the Chicagoland area, it’s very common to want to be a basketball player or football player, a doctor, and a DJ –these are things that people do. Growing up, my sister was into house music and my dad would let me control the radio when we were driving to Illinois and I’d put on that weird “ utz utz utz” station. Also, I found out that my neighbor was Mickey “Mixin’” Oliver from the [WBMX] Hot Mix 5.

DJ LIFE: How did the DJ bug hit you?

Anthony: By the time I was 12-years old, I wanted turntables, so I got turntables. Then,

when I turned 18, I moved to Chicago to be closer to all of this. And right when I got out of high school, I started getting club residencies and started hanging out at Gramaphone Records –and Derrick Carter, DJ Sneak and Mark Farina worked there at the time. My buddy John was working there, too, and I’d go with him to work there daily. I then started realizing that just being a club DJ wasn’t only what I wanted to do.

DJ LIFE: What else were you into?

Anthony: I was throwing parties at a VFW Hall. I would bring in radio DJs and I would DJ all night long with them. I would pull, like, a thousand kids at $10 a head at these shows – I was making killer money at the time. So, your goals grow – from there I wanted to be on the radio. Bad Boy Bill and these other guys had residencies, but they would give me guest spots. So, I started getting popular on the mixtape circuit and then I started getting booked.

DJ LIFE: What are your biggest musical infuences?

Anthony: That’s a tough one because Gettoblaster has been modeled after ’90s Chicago house music. Everything you’re hearing with Gettoblaster has an edge of the ’90s. My biggest infuences are DJ Deeon, DJ Slugo, Bad Boy Bill, Paul Johnson, Green Velvet, Felix da Housecat, Terry Mullan, and Daft Punk. Bad Boy Bill had the quick style with a certain kind of scratch and Terry Mullan had an underground acid style with a different kind of scratch. And if you listen to any of the scratching that I do, and you listen to those two, I’m basically like if they had a child – they’re both heroes to me.

DJ LIFE: How do you keep yourself booked and busy? How do you market yourself? Anthony: So, it’s a magnet. It’s a lot of things – social media, being active. It’s putting out records, doing a podcast, doing interviews, doing everything, everything you possibly can. Then, when you are playing shows, hiring a photographer/videographer, doing little after-videos. Let people see that you’re playing —use one party to sell the next.

DJ LIFE: Anything else?

Anthony: I also like to use punk-rock marketing. I have Gettoblaster stickers. I’ve printed 100 books over the last few years. And pretty much every venue that has a bathroom has a sticker on it. In Miami, there’s one pole that has 500 Gettoblaster stickers on it. I already have one pole, but then I hit every pole in Wynwood. But you gotta ask: Where’s the best place to market? All my friends are in the red-light district. So let me put stickers all over the red lights. And all of a sudden, I’m getting private messages: “Hey, I saw your sticker.” I’m like, I know where you’re at. I put stacks of them on the counter. I put them on the door like guerilla marketing. Punk-rock marketing to me is the best because I love street art. Stickers, for me, is a form of street art.

DJ LIFE: What is your current studio tech?

Anthony: As for studio tech, I use FL Studio, Roland TB-303 and Juno-106 for hardware. I borrow [Roland] TR-808 and TR-909 units for samples. I use Native Instruments Massive soft synth.

DJ LIFE: What’s your process in the studio?

Anthony: I use a real 909 and a real 808. These are companions, drum machines from friends. And I’ve made

extensive samples from them. They’re all legit 808s and 909s. I used to own a JoMoX, which was a German drum machine. I try to use 909 for my kick drums. I tend to use an 808 for my basslines, and I put them on a keyboard and I actually play them like notes… I sample my synthesizers even with plug-ins. Like, I’ll write lines, then I’ll export them and then I’ll chop them

“WHEN PLAYING SHOWS, HIRE A VIDEOGRAPHER AND DO LITTLE AFTER-VIDEOS. LET PEOPLE SEE THAT YOU’RE PLAYING. USE ONE PARTY TO SELL THE NEXT.”

up on the piano. I’ll make it more of like a triggered thing off the sampler. So, it seems like it’s done with gear, but what I like to do is literally make it feel like you’re using a sampler like you used to in the ’90s, which is why my stuff has a natural Chicago jackin’ sound.

DJ LIFE: Your label is Aliens on Mushrooms, how did that name come about?

Anthony: The name is meant to be exactly what it is. We are all aliens on mushrooms walking around in this crazy-ass planet. Aliens represents the rave culture that we grew up in. There was always someone dressed like an alien with an alien picture or alien shirt and currently mushrooms have gone legal in most cities. Aliens On Mushrooms essentially ties house and techno into the hippie world.

– Ashley Teffer

WHETHAN: LIFE OF A WALLFLOWER

Still riding high from the viral success of his 2023 single, “Money on the Dash” (with Elley Duhé), DJ/producer Whethan is working on an even bigger 2024.

In fact, the 25-year-old Chicago native ushered in the new year with a pair of strong, upbeat, housey singles – “Room Is on Fire” with Snakehips (feat. AG Club) and “Do You Remember?” – both of which will appear on his upcoming album, Life of a Wallfower, Vol. 2. Indeed, ever since 2018, when Whethan released Life of a Wallfower, Vol. 1, fans have been eagerly anticipating the follow-up volume –and by summer’s end they’ll have it.

It’s been a steady ride so far for Whethan (aka Ethan Snoreck), who broke onto the music scene in 2016. In less than a decade, Whethan has managed to build an impressive discography, complete with original tracks, notable remixes (for Lorde, Post Malone, and Travis Scott), and top-tier collaborations with the likes of Dua Lipa, Oliver Tree, and The Knocks.

And when he isn’t working on his own artist project, Whethan’s production-and-songwriting prowess extends even further, with credits for the likes of Kygo, Joji, The Chainsmokers, Megan Thee Stallion, and BoyWithUke, among others. Accordingly, it might come as no surprise to some that he’s already amassed over 1 billion streams.

DJ LIFE recently had a chance to speak with the Los Angeles-based Whethan as he prepared for the offcial release of Life of a Wallfower, Vol. 2 – and it went a little something like this…

DJ LIFE: How and when did you begin to explore dance music?

Whethan: Watching skateboard and snowboard videos, I found videos with dance music and samples from popular music I heard on the radio and wanted to know how they came about.

DJ LIFE: Which DJs were your initial favorites? Who do you fnd inspiration from now?

Whethan: Daft Punk and Skrillex were my frst favorites and are still my favorites.

DJ LIFE: Do you have any classical training or did your upbringing impact your decision to pursue this full?

Whethan: I dabbled with drums, violin, and guitar, but never stuck to any one thing and was pretty bad at all of them. Once I found dance music and got a computer, I loved composing and arranging all the music together and felt like I could program every instrument.

DJ LIFE: Did DJing or producing come frst for you? What was your initial DJ setup like? Your frst-ever production studio?

Whethan: Both came hand-in-hand, but seeing DJs play their music in front of crowds made me want to do both. First setup was the app [Algoriddim’s] djay Pro on an iPad with a little Bluetooth speaker, and my frst [music-making] program was GarageBand on iPad.

DJ LIFE: How about your current DJ setup? What’s your current DAW for studio work?

Whethan: Current DJ set-up is usually Pioneer CDJ2000NX2 players because I’m so used to them, but any CDJs will do. My current DAW is Ableton Live and have been using it since 2012 – I love it.

DJ LIFE: Life of a Wallfower, Vol.2, your anticipated new album, drops this summer. What was the albummaking process like for you this time around?

Whethan: I got the chance to go to Brazil and London and was really inspired by a lot of new sights and sounds. I brought that back to L.A., and was able to see a lot of the music I had made and was making differently. Life of a Wallfower was always about collaborations and bringing all types of artists together. For all these collaborations, we never really went in with a specifc idea of what we wanted to make; we just built off each other’s vibe, the energy of the room, the city we were in, and whatever aspect of life was on our minds.

DJ LIFE: In what ways was the creative process different from your previous LPs or EPs?

Whethan: Sonically, Life of a Wallfower, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are different from one another, but how each volume took its form is where they really share their similarities. The spirit of Life of a Wallfower has always been about traveling, having new experiences, and encapsulating that moment in time.

DJ LIFE: Your new single – and third from your LP – “Do You Remember?” is out now. How did this track come together and how do you go about choosing your album singles?

Whethan: While making “Do You Remember?,” I really wanted to capture the best bits of the past, but with the addition of all the infuences that have grown on me over the years. It’s like I get fashbacks to the future when listening to it, it’s hard to describe, but give it a listen and, hopefully, you’ll see what I mean. Most of my singles have a big feature at-

tached to it, but this one felt like a nice personal message from me.

DJ LIFE: How many songs did you create for Life of Wallfower, Vol. 2? How many ended up making the fnal cut?

Whethan: I’m constantly making songs every week, a lot for other artists and a lot for myself. It’s hard to say how many were made for it, but some of the songs were made years ago. Sometimes it’s just the right time for certain songs.

DJ LIFE: From start-to-fnish, how long did it take for you to create this body of work?

Whethan: Most of it was made in 2023 and 2024, but one of the songs, “Energy,” I had was before 2020.

DJ LIFE: The new album is full of top-tier collaborations. How did these sessions come together and what can you share with us about them?

Whethan: A lot of them were made/fnished at my house/studio in L.A., but “Stealth Bomber” with Flowdan was made in London and fnished back and forth online, sending new versions and parts back and forth.

DJ LIFE: Do you prefer collaborating with other artists in-person or virtually?

Whethan: I love collaborating in-person. I haven’t done many live virtual sessions, but I understand the process of sitting with a song or production alone and fnishing it. I enjoy getting to know an artist, spending the day vibing, listening to music, and coming up with new creative ideas.

DJ LIFE: Who are your topthree dream collaborators, meaning producers, vocalists, or artists? Also, who would be your top-three dream backto-back DJ sets?

Whethan: For collaborators, they would be Tame Impala, Travis Scott, and PinkPantheress. For a B2B set, it would be Skrillex, Calvin Harris, and

IsoKnock2.

DJ LIFE: What are some of your most memorable career moments or highlights thus far? What else remains on your bucket list?

Whethan: Playing my hometown festival, Lollapalooza, and getting to bring out so many special guest artists and the Chicago Bulls drumline was incredible. Also, playing the Sahara Stage at Coachella was a bucket-list experience.

DJ LIFE: How is the rest of 2024 looking for you? What about early next year?

Whethan: I’ll be back playing insane shows that’s inspiring even more new music and getting ready to drop Life of a Wallfower, Vol. 2. I’ll continue making new songs for the next project and hit the U.S. for a summer tour.

– Mark Mancino

Whethan: The DJ/producer has over 1 billion streams.

With a Strong Third Album & a Worldwide Tour to Support it, Gryffin Looks to Make 2024 His Biggest Year Yet

By Mark Mancino

Photos by Asher Edwards

Gryffn, DJ/producer/musician, has been an acclaimed name within the electronic-music scene since his college days when he began releasing remixes on SoundCloud. Though his re-works began to get online attention rather quickly, his 2014 remix of Ellie Goulding’s “Burn,” he says, is what really ignited his musical-career path, one which has seen him top charts and play the world’s top clubs and festivals.

A classically trained musician, the 36-year-old talent (aka Dan Griffth) frst played the piano growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and then eventually learned to master the guitar. After he graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in electrical engineering, he continued to gain notice for a variety of remixes and decided to pursue music professionally.

In 2016, Gryffn exploded fully onto the circuit with his frst offcial original releases: “Heading Home” (feat. Josef Salvat) and “Whole Heart” with Bipolar Sunshine. In 2017, he collaborated with Illenium and Daya on the certifed RIAA Platinum smash “Feel Good.” From there, Gryffn released a pair of well-received, full-lengths – 2019’s Gravity and 2022’s Alive – both loaded with hit singles that exemplify

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his “hybrid of electric and organic” musical style.

As a true king of major collaborations, Gryffn’s discography reads like a who’s who of top talents, as it includes Kygo, Quinn XCII, Elley Duhé, Zohara, Slander, Carly Rae Jepsen, OneRepublic, Gorgon City, AlunaGeorge, Aloe Blacc, Calum Scott, Tinashe, MØ, Seven Lions, Noah Kahan, and many more. He’s remixed the likes of Maroon 5, Tove Lo, Tate McRae, Years & Years, Portugal. The Man, CHVRCHES, and Troye Sivan, among others. And most recently, he collaborated with Armin van Buuren on the recent hit “What Took You So Long.”

This July, Gryffn will drop his highly anticipated third album, PULSE . As he enters his newest musical era, Gryffn’s latest singles (which also will appear on PULSE ) include “Last of Us” (feat. Rita Ora), “Magic” (feat. babyidontlikeyou), and “Magnet” (with MAX & Disco Lines). And, in promoting his latest musical efforts, he’ll be welcomed by fans the world over. After tour stops in Central America and Asia, Gryffn will play residency gigs at Las Vegas’ XS Nightclub/Encore Beach Club throughout the summer, three gigs in Canada, and a prestigious outdoor show at New York City’s Forest Hills Stadium on Oct. 26 before heading off for a quick four-

city jaunt through northern Europe.

As he was putting the very fnishing touches on PULSE , DJ LIFE sat down with Griffth to chat about his new album, his artistic approach, and his future. Here’s how it all went down…

DJ LIFE: As a classically trained musician, did your upbringing infuence your decision to pursue a career in dance music?

Gryffn: I’ve always been kind of a music kid. I didn’t really think about pursuing it as a career when I was growing up. But kind of in hindsight, I think I realized it was always kind of there for me. I listened to dance music when I was younger, but I wasn’t always listening to that genre when I was growing up. I liked listening to all kinds of music.

DJ LIFE: What types of music were you trained in early on?

Gryffn: In terms of the classical training, I was performing a lot of well-known [classical] musicians like Mozart. It was pretty intensely classical. I started doing that when I was 7-years old and all through high school. I frst picked up the guitar when I was in middle school. I never really got training on my guitar; that was more me just messing around, learning as I go, and playing in friends’ garages… just kind of jamming around. A lot of my music theory and knowledge comes from the piano, for sure.

DJ LIFE: So, how did it all really begin for Gryffn the DJ/artist?

next level

Gryffn: When I got to college, that was when I started going to raves for the frst time and becoming familiar with a lot of the dance acts that I really look up to – and that heavily inspired me during that time and the early days –like Avicii, deadmau5, Swedish House Mafa, and Skrillex. All of that stuff started hitting my ears when I was a freshman and sophomore in college and I started to become obsessed with it, honestly. I started going to shows all the time and getting immersed in [the dance music and rave] culture and scene.

DJ LIFE: What were you studying in college? How did you begin actually making electronic music?

Gryffn: I was studying electrical engineering, actually, of all the degrees. As an escape from studying that kind of stuff and not really wanting to do that, I started teaching myself how to make music on Ableton Live. I downloaded it and put it on my laptop, and just started to really experiment with music. Once I felt like the music was in a decent enough place, I started uploading it to SoundCloud, but at that point the ceiling of what I thought was going to

happen was just maybe some of my buddies would play [my music] at apartment parties in college. Hopefully, some of my friends would think it was cool [laughs].

DJ LIFE: But it became more than that, right?

Gryffn: Yeah, and then, a lot of my remixes started getting uploaded to YouTube. Back in the day, there was this website called Hype Machine [a music aggregator with popular charts], and a bunch of my stuff then started charting on there. From there, it all just sort of snowballed. I then started getting messages from record labels, saying: “Hey, we really like your stuff,” or “Hey, would you remix a song by so-and-so artist?” That’s when I started actually getting fnancially compensated for doing these remixes and edits.

DJ LIFE: Were you also DJing and playing gigs during this time?

Gryffn: All of these fraternities would ask me to play at shows, but at that time I still had minimal DJ experience. I was still trying to fgure it out because I never really thought [any of this] was gonna happen, but it just kind of

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evolved from there. It got to the point where I was graduating from college and was debating moving to the Bay Area to get a job in engineering. Do I want that life, or do I want to try to make it in music? I then had a few scary conversations with my parents… I had an employer that was supposed to hire me, but I ultimately decided to go for music, and I never looked back!

DJ LIFE: When you frst started producing dance music, was it similar to the style that you’re making now?

Gryffn: I would say that I released some music on SoundCloud, which was house-music kind of stuff. But I was just making a lot of random instrumental beats for a while, I guess I would say. I think the frst one that got attention was a remix I did of Ellie Goulding’s “Burn,” which was the frst real remix that I put up on SoundCloud. That was the frst one that really just popped within the frst few days that I put it out. I remember, I had just been putting random beats on SoundCloud for a while.

DJ LIFE: What can you tell us about your DAW now?

Gryffn: I’m still working in Ableton Live. I’ll cut vocals a decent amount in Avid’s Pro Tools, and I work with a lot of producers that use Logic as well. So, I primarily use Ableton Live, but I’d say it’s my favorite and most comfortable DAW that I use. But yeah, I still rock Ableton, mostly!

DJ LIFE: Any favorite or go-to plug-ins? Studio essentials?

Gryffn: Honestly, my setup is pretty “in the box.” I’ll sure use some hardware gear and analog compressions if I’m doing vocals in the studio, but at home it’s pretty DIY. In terms of synths, [Xfer Records] Serum is probably the most comfortable and versatile one that I use a lot of. I also really like the U-he products – I use Diva and Hive a lot now. I use a lot of FabFilter stuff, KiloHearts stuff, and Native Instruments stuff. A lot of the time – maybe not so much on this upcoming album – I’ve always had guitar kind of be a big feature in my tracks. If I’m trying to get a sound or a vibe out quickly, I’ll just grab my guitar. If I’m trying to

get a more realistic signal, I use the Kemper Profler a lot for guitar emulations.

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DJ LIFE: Let’s go back to your earlier days of DJing. Any early memories from that time? What did you learn on?

Gryffn: I frst learned on some old-school Technics with Serato. That was actually how I frst learned, and then moved up to Pioneer CDJs a little bit later. I honestly don’t have too many memories outside of feeling like I messed up a shit-ton of times in the beginning… [laughs]. But I don’t think anybody is really great in the beginning. I just think that’s just the growing pains of learning how to DJ. I think more than anything, DJing is more about set fow and how to read a room. You can see what kind of stuff is hitting that night and sort of be able to pivot off that and run with that, especially if it’s going a different way than you planned. Back then, I was super-structured – I would make the playlist and not divert from that playlist [laughs]. Now, I can easily maneuver through music depending on how a set goes. I guess that would be one of the biggest differences between [DJing] then and now. It’s different for me because I would say I’m defnitely a producer frst. I do enjoy DJing, for sure, but the production stuff always came frst.

DJ LIFE: That said, what’s your current DJ set-up like for shows?

Gryffn: It’s pretty simple. I just have the Pioneer DJ DJM3000s and usually have the Pioneer DJM-A9 [4-channel] mixer, but lately I’ve been seeing the DJM-V10 [6-channel mixer] a lot, which is pretty cool. It’s really cool for back-toback sets. It’s crazy how much more conducive those are for back-to-backs.

DJ LIFE: Who have you done a recent back-to-back set with on the DJM-V10?

Gryffn: I did one with Armin van Buuren during Miami Music Week, actually. That was my last one, but it was super-fun! Armin’s such a good DJ that it made me feel like, “Whoa, I’ve got a lot to learn still…” [laughs]. Seeing how good and versatile he is, that was really cool… just being able to go back-to-back with a legend like that. That was also my frst experience with the V10, where I was like: “Wow, this is actually game-changing for back-to-backs.”

DJ LIFE: You said it… Armin van Buuren is a true legend. What was it like working with him on the “What Took You So Long” single?

Gryffn: Yeah, he’s super-cool, and I actually should have mentioned him earlier when we were talking about inspirations, because he’s defnitely one of my inspirations, too. He’s defnitely somebody that I’ve always looked up and always loved his music. We sort of connected in Chicago at a festival. I think it was post-COVID, so maybe ’21 or ’22. We got to hang out and just talk music for a little bit. We were talking about which of each other’s tracks we really liked, and stuff like that. Honestly, we’ve been trying to do a studio session for the longest time, and he happened to be there for this perfect window.

DJ LIFE: Did you get to work on that one together in the studio or was it a virtual collab?

Gryffn: It’s actually crazy because that entire song was actually created in one double session – that’s what I would call it. I showed up around 11 a.m. to this house in Hollywood, Calif., that [Armin] had rented. We essentially wrote the actual song – two of us and three other writers –

on the guitar. It was almost like an uptempo, folkish track. I don’t even really know how to describe it… I would have to play you the original demo. It’s actually not electronic at all. It was a simple kick drum, four-tothe-foor beat, with this cool guitar riff. We wrote the entire song in the frst three or four hours. After that, the writers left, and Armin was in his headphones for a bit, while I was bouncing out the fles. When he unplugged his headphones, he said, “What do you think of this kind of beat over it?” That’s when he played me the beginning drum-loop vibe for what ended up becoming the song.

DJ LIFE: What did you think right away?

Gryffn: I was like: “Oh shit, that’s actually superfre!” He asked me: “Do you want to work on this right now?” And I was like, “I’ll cancel my dinner plans!” He had an Exchange show later that night, and he was down to stay if I was, so we just worked another fve or six hours and built the track together, which was super-cool! If you listen to the track now and listen to what was bounced at 8 p.m. that night, before he left for his show, it’s pretty similar. Obviously, the mix is better, but it’s essentially the song. That’s honestly super-rare that things happen that fast. Usually, if I’m doing a collab, there’s so much back and forth, and it can take months, and even then, sometimes the song never comes out. It was really cool! I defnitely had no real expectations heading into that morning, other than just being excited to work with him, But it’s cool that it came together the way that it did.

DJ LIFE: Do you tend to prefer doing your collabs inperson rather than virtually?

Gryffn: Yeah, I like it when the vibes are good and everybody is excited about a song, in-person, it’s a pretty electric feeling... just feeling that energy with everybody in the room vibing and on the same wavelength. So, I guess it would be in-person for me because of those moments that can be a pretty magical feeling when it happens. I will say, though, that a lot of the songs that I’ve done have been remote, just because we’re always so busy all the time, or in a different country, or whatever the case may be. Most of the work I do is remote, but that was a special one. It’s my favorite situation when you’re in a session and there’s ideas fowing, things are happening at the same time – it’s a very magnetic experience.

DJ LIFE: When did you frst start working on your new album, PULSE ?

Gryffn: I started working on it late last summer. I was working on “Magic,” which was recently released. That was sort of one of the ones that kind of gave me a direction and a creative boost or jolt. That was when I decided that I wanted the album to feel more like this and to go dancier and clubbier than I had gone previously. It was sort of the catalyst for what inspired a lot of PULSE . It was around August or September of [2023], that I really started getting into high gear. That was when I made so many tracks that aren’t going on the album, too, but it was fun to just make a ton of music. That hadn’t happened for me in a while, where I was just cranking out records left and right. Sometimes when you’re in a creative rut; it’s hard to fnish records, honestly. You might be able to put a bunch of ideas together, but once you fnish it, you

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aren’t feeling inspired enough by it.

DJ LIFE: How many songs did you create during the album-making process this time around?

Gryffn: I was really making a ton of music, so it felt really good to just have fun making music again and not overthink shit. I would say I made about 50 solid ideas and fnished tracks; I would say in the thirties. The fnal album will end up being, like, half of that.

DJ LIFE: Included on the album is your recent hit “Last of Us” with Rita Ora. How did the song come together and was Rita always going to be on the record?

Gryffn: [“Last of Us”] was really fun to make, as well! These guys, Billen Ted, producers out of the U.K. that I’ve been friends with for a really long time, actually, hit me up early in the morning my time and late in London. They sent me a cool idea they were working on, which was them and Ruth-Anne [Cunningham] was on the vocals at the time. She’s made a lot of cool songs; I think she actually wrote “In The Name Of Love” by Martin Garrix and Bebe Rexha. She was the original vocalist on it. The guys sent me this pluck melody with her voice on it. I remember I hit them back up immediately asking for the vocal ASAP. From there, I basically just started producing it. This one was remote, so, I basically built out the track, sent it back and forth to Billen Ted for a while, and once we got it to a place that felt really strong and good, we messaged Rita.

DJ LIFE: You were a fan…

Gryffn: Yes, Rita is somebody who my team and her team have been trying to work on a song for a long time. There were a few songs that were almost ready to go, to be honest, but scheduling-wise or creatively, we couldn’t get on the same page with some other ones. But this one, she was super-pumped and excited to be a part of. She actually ended up cutting it in London a week later, added a second verse, and took to the song to another level. I love Ruth’s voice so much, but Rita brought a special sauce to it that really elevated the track to another level. It was really fun to work with Rita on it… her voice is super fucking good! I haven’t seen her since the record came out, but we have something special planned coming up shortly. It’s been fun to be part of a record with somebody as talented as her, for sure.

DJ LIFE: How has the album-making process changed for you from your frst two LPs, Gravity [2019] and Alive [2022]?

Gryffn: That is a great question! I would say with PULSE , things were more intentional – I think that’s the best word I would use to describe this one. I think when I was making Gravity , I kind of had no idea what I was doing, to be honest. I’m actually very proud of that album and how it was able to come together. I had never made an album before, so I had just kind of announced that I was going to make an album back then. I was also touring so heavily and grinding non-stop that when I had one or two days off, I would go into the studio to work on music. We kind of released that album single to single, all the way up to the album drop date, and just put the last three or four tracks on and called it a day. It was very much, I don’t know, “throw and go.” We put it together over the course of a year and a half. Alive was kind of similar in that regard too because I was still trying to fgure out what I wanted to do post- Gravity , post-COVID, and all that kind of stuff. I was still touring a lot and trying to fnish records up, whereas

PULSE , once I made “Magic” last year, I had a vision for what I wanted PULSE to be and what I wanted it to sound like. In a lot of ways, it’s the most cohesive and conceptual album that I’ve ever done, which has been cool. It’s not been like it was during the frst two albums, which is a lot of fun as a creative… especially when you have a vision at that time and then you’re able to execute it.

DJ LIFE: What’s this year been like for you on the gigs and live-show front and what’s to come?

Gryffn: Shows have been great! It’s chill this week, which is really nice [laughs]. It’s going to get really busy through the summer, with a big U.S. tour coming in the fall. There’s going to be a lot more international touring this year. I’ll actually be going to Australia for the frst time, which I’m really excited about. I’m going to Europe in three or four different trips, and the same thing with Asia. It’s been fun to think more globally about the music and touring because it’s fun; it’s fun to be in different countries with different cultures. It’s not only very exciting, but it’s also creatively inspiring. Doing more global stuff has been a focus of mine, not for just this year, but moving forward. It’s a little daunting looking at my schedule, but I’m really looking forward to it!

DJ LIFE: What has been one of your most memorable or proudest career moments?

Gryffn: Putting out Gravity , I would say, was a really proud moment for me. Putting out my frst album was a big deal for me because I came from the “remix world,” which then evolved into making my own original music. My frst original song was also a big

milestone for me because it was my frst – I felt like it was a big step for me creatively, to start putting out my own music. The frst time I played Coachella was also a big milestone moment for me. Some international festivals have also been milestones for me. I actually played Fuji Rock Festival [in Japan] last summer, which was unbelievable.

DJ LIFE: Which artists make it onto your top-three dream collaborator list?

Gryffn: I think Calvin Harris is the greatest hitmaker of our generation. I think producing with Jamie xx would be really cool because he’s so talented as a producer –insanely talented. I’ve also always been a big Disclosure fan, so I think it would be really cool to produce with them.

DJ LIFE: You’ve already accomplished so much in your career, do you have any other bucket-list items –goals, milestones, etc.?

Gryffn: I think in terms of accolades or awards, I’d say that a Grammy Award is on my radar. That’s defnitely an achievement I’d be excited about. In terms of artists, I always feel that I’m very fortunate to work with very talented artists, so it would be cool to be able to continue that. There are also a few talented dance-music producers who I’d like to work with that I haven’t yet, as well as a few songwriters who really inspire me. As far as touring and venues, I’ve been doing Red Rocks Amphitheatre for a few years now, which was a huge bucket-list thing for me. I’m going to be announcing some arena shows in the U.S. for the frst time soon, which has also always been a checklist for me in my career. Those would be the immediate goals at the top of my mind.

HIGHER OUTPUT, DEEPER BASS, LONGER RUN TIME *

*Compared to EVERSE 8 at 95 dB SPL

EDC ’24 Highlights

Electric Daisy Carnival Brings Top DJs to Vegas

Las Vegas – This past May 17-19, more than 525,000 fans visited the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Electric Daisy Carnival, North America’s largest EDM event. Produced by Insomniac Events, EDC’24 presented 200 performers including many of world’s top DJs acts like David Guetta, John Summit, Carl Cox, Tiësto, Purple Disco Machine, Kaskade, Gryffn, and many more. It all looked like this:

Launched: The kineticFIELD gets crazy. Jake West

Headliner: David Guetta on opening night. Koen Ten Holter

Chaos Magicka: Sara Landry. Taylor Regulski

Actual Life: Fred Again… gets lit. Skyler Greene

Where You Are: John Summit needs a light. Insomniac

At Play: deadmau5 onstage. Skyler Greene

Saturday Show: Zedd on the mic. Insomniac

Illenium: Top of the world. Insomniac

Going Off: An EDC overview.

Jamal Eid

Diplo: Welcome to the party.

Skyler Greene

C&W: Konstantina Gianni at YEEDC!

Jake West

Afame: Saturday spinner Tiësto. Insomniac

With Friends: Dom Dolla gets busy. Orhun Uygur

Dim Mackin’: Steve Aoki onstage. Koen Ten Holter

Pardon My French: DJ Snake stands alone. Insomniac

Closing Night: Alesso in the mix. Insomniac

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CLiMBiNG the Ladder a

By Jim Tremayne

At Miami’s EDM Awards, industry Notables Reveal Their Inspirations, Offer Seasoned Advice

Miami Beach, Fla. – This past March 21-22, DJ LIFE served as media sponsor for the EDMAwards. Held at the Eden Roc Miami Beach Resort and presented by IHeartRadio, the EDMAs bestowed dozens of awards to the dance-music industry’s top talents, releases, events and venues. For a complete list of winners, please visit here

At the Eden Roc, there were performances from the nominees, trophy presentations to the winners, and much networking for all concerned. While winners and nominees cluttered around the event’s media row, doing quick interview hits for radio stations and online platforms, DJ LIFE snagged a quick minute or two with as many industry notables as we could, asking them to look back at what got them to their esteemed places in the music business – their inspirations and advice.

In the space of about 90 seconds, we asked four quick questions: 1) Who was the frst DJ who blew your mind? 2) What’s your all-time favorite dance track? 3) What’s your advice to upcoming DJs/artists? 4) What’s been the most fulflling moment in your career so far? And here are their answers:

Armin van Buuren, Armada Music, Leiden, NL

DJ: Ben Liebrand. “He was a Dutch master mixer from the 1980s.”

Tracks: L.S.G.’s “Netherworld” or Li Kwan’s “Point Zero.”

Advice: “Try to fnd your own sound, don’t copy, stay genuine & have fun.

Moment: “Playing the Amsterdam Arena with a show called ‘The Best of Armin Only’ because everybody that I ever worked with, including my whole family, and all my fans came to The Netherlands to celebrate with me. That was very special.”

Cash Cash, Ultra Records, New Jersey

DJ: Daft Punk.

Track: Justice’s “Genesis” & Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You.”

Advice: “Don’t give up, stay original & be true to yourself.”

Moment: “Any time we close our set with ‘Take Me Home’ & everybody sings back the song, it’s always amazing.”

3 Markus Schulz, Coldharbour Recordings, Miami

DJ: Danny Tenaglia. “At Space Miami during Winter Music Conference week in 2001, I was on the dancefoor & I couldn’t believe what he was doing. On my left was Carl Cox, on the right was John Digweed, and so on. Danny was telling his story & we were all in awe.”

Track: Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls ”

Advice: “Follow your heart because if you blow up from something that your heart is not in, you’re going to burn out & have a very short career.”

Moment: “Can’t say yet. There’s so much more that I want to do & so much that want to give that I can’t say I’m fulflled – if I were I wouldn’t have the same drive.”

Mark Knight, Toolroom Records, London

DJ: DJ Gary. “When I was about 13 in mid-’80s, there was a school disco & this guy was the DJ. He could’ve played all the commercial records of the time, but he didn’t. He played brand-new records, early electro, house & hip hop. He really put good music in front of kids. He took risks & I took a lot of passion for music from this guy.”

Track: Cloud 9’s “Do You Want Me.”

Advice: “Fundamentally, you need to know what you stand for & be very comfortable with it. Just do things from the heart, with transparency, with love & you have a good chance to make things happen.”

Moment: “People get comfortable with what they’ve achieved, but I think it’s good to be uncomfortable & driven & aspirational instead of retrospective.”

Victor Leicher, DubVision/STMPD RCRDS, Gouda, NL

DJs: Tiësto. “He was an inspiration while I was growing up, listening to him. Also, Daft Punk. They were so innovative for that time.”

Track: “One More Time” by Daft Punk. “Just so much euphoric energy – it’s such a classic.”

Advice: “It sounds really corny, but… be unique. It’s really hard

to fnd your own style which appeals to other people, but it’s the thing that’ll make you stand out because everybody is a DJ nowadays.”

Moments: “Getting nominated for a Grammy & playing both Tomorrowland & EDC mainstages.”

6 Malóne, Club Space, Miami

DJ: Luciano. “About 10 years ago, I saw him play in Ibiza at DC10 for Circo Loco, a fve-hour set in the garden. I’ll never forget it.”

Track: Amine Edge & DANCE vs. Blaze’s “Lovelee Dae.”

Advice: “Really understand who you are as an artist, know what you want to do, the sounds you want to make, be consistent, believe in your brand.”

Moments: “Being from Miami, getting the Club Space residency was pretty cool – also, getting a couple No. 1 tracks on Beatport.”

Cedric Gervais, Delecta Records, Miami

DJ: Danny Tenaglia. “I saw him at the old Space about 20 years ago – I danced for probably 10 hours.”

Track: Danny Tenaglia’s “Elements.”

Advice: “Learn the background of DJing, learn where we come from musically.”

Moment: “Winning a Grammy [in 2014 for remixing Lana Del Rey’s ‘Summertime Sadness.’]”

8 Jade Starling, Pretty Poison/Tazmania Records, New Jersey

DJ: Tiesto & John Summit.

Track: Robin S’ “Show Me Love.”

Advice: “If you have the talent, believe in yourself.”

Moment: “Hearing ‘Catch Me, I’m Falling’ on the radio the frst time. I almost crashed my car.”

Laidback Luke, Reloop/algoriddim, NYC

DJ: Carl Cox. “At Dance Valley Festival in The Netherlands, he was DJing three vinyl decks & at one point he grabbed a vocal sample from one deck & started scratching with it on the upbeat. I knew that I had to learn that.”

Track: Technotronic’s “Pump Up the Jam.”

Advice: “Never, ever give up on your dream & while you’re pursuing the dream, always enjoy the ride.”

Moment: “I’ve had people send me messages from the hospital & they told me my music helped me through a bad situation. It’s important to realize that music can touch people.”

Athenz, Warehouse Live, Houston

DJ: Kaskade. “He was the one who got me into all of this music.”

Track: “Move For Me” by Kaskade.

Advice: “Stay true to who you are & just keep going.”

Moment: “Every time that I have the opportunity to perform.”

Mark Brown, CR2 Records, London

DJ: Robbie Vincent. “He played soul, funk & jazz music on BBC Radio. I frst heard records like Steve Arrington’s ‘Feel So Real,’ Colonel Abrams’s ‘Trapped,’ Chaka Khan records & the Street-

Moment: “Buying a dream home in LA.” 12 11 10 9 16 15 14 13

sounds’ legendary compilation series.”

Track: Chaka Khan’s “I Feel For You.”

Advice: “Have originality, passion for what you want to do & authenticity – stick to your guns!”

Moment: “Winning a Grammy with Dirty Vegas for Dance Recording of the Year in 2003.”

LODATO, Spinnin Records, NYC

DJ: Tiësto. “His crowd control is like none other.”

Track: Tiësto’s “Lethal Industry.”

Advice: “Don’t quit & just keep going.”

Moment: “Rocking crowds from 10 people to 10,000 people –connecting with the crowd is what it’s about.”

Disco Fries, Akatone Music Group, Red Bank, N.J./Bristow, Va.

DJ: Bennie Benassi. “Saw him in Boston when ‘Satisfaction’ was huge & that was it.”

Tracks: Zedd’s “Clarity” & Tiësto’s “Adagio for Strings ”

Advice: Danny Boselovic: “Spin lots of plates, do lots of things, don’t get hung up if something doesn’t work out & move onto the next thing.” Nick Ditri: “Be as good as you can at your craft. Be a decent human. Network your ass off. If you do production, do it well & do it in key.”

Moment: “Signing records to our label, seeing those artists succeed and move onto bigger things… that’s super-fulflling knowing we’ve helped them on that journey.”

Dark Intensity, Tazmania Records, Anaheim, Calif.

DJ: Armin van Buuren. “I love the creativity behind his melodic take on every single track that he does.”

Track: Armin van Buuren’s “In and Out of Love.”

Advice: “Don’t hold back on creativity. Don’t make music in cookie-cutter mode.”

Moment: “When people want to work with me, I fnd that really humbling.”

Fourth Co., MidMap Records, Chicago

DJ: Frankie Knuckles. “As a kid, my parents used to play ‘The Whistle Song’ – those infectious basslines & that little whistle got me hooked.”

Track: Cajmere’s “Percolator.”

Advice: “Try to be original, but don’t try to reinvent the wheel.”

Moment: “Being able to play music & have people sing the song – whether it’s lyrics or melody – back to me.”

Wolfgang Gartner, Dim Mak Records, LA

DJ: Mark Farina. “That dude can get way off technically, mix stuff that just clashes in key & somehow he is the best DJ I ever heard because there is something innate inside him that cannot be taught. He paints a picture with his set.”

Track: Inner City’s “Good Life.”

Advice: “If you’re doing music for love, you better love it more than anything you ever loved before & be willing to sacrifce everything for it – because you might have to.”

Kelli-Leigh, Music Core Ltd., London

DJ: James Hype. “Watching him mixing live four decks was phenomenal.”

Track: “Finally” by CeCe Peniston.

Advice: “Believe in yourself & really be true to the music you love.”

Moment: “Having my own label, Unconditional, being Shazamed over 3,000 times in the past two weeks.”

Hayla, Believe UK, London

DJ: Tiesto. “I was into happy hardcore, but I heard ‘Adagio for Strings’ & that was it. Obviously, it’s a piece that stands the test of time.”

Track: ATB’s “9 P.M. (Till I Come).”

Advice: “Trust in yourself & make connections anywhere you can.”

Moment: “Doing the Kx5 gig at EDC & singing ‘Escape’ to that crowd. It was something I never experienced before.”

DJ Chino, IHeartRadio, Orlando

DJ: Tiësto. “Watching him spinning vinyl was something.”

Track: Freejak’s remix of Darude’s “Sandstorm.”

Advice: “Stay true to your craft”

Moments: “Opening up for the some of the biggest DJs like Morten, Cash Cash & Steve Aoki.”

JetZen, Sonic Aeonic, LA

DJ: Above & Beyond. “Seeing them at ABGT 350 in Prague was amazing.”

Track: Destructo’s remix of “Jolene.”

Moment: “Meeting Prince.” 20 19 18 17 24 23 22 21 26 25

Advice: “Keep your passion & don’t give up, no matter you’re resources.”

Moment: “Producing a full album, Book of Formation, last year.”

Daxson, Coldharbour Recordings, Manchester, U.K.

DJ: Tiësto. “It was my frst-ever trance event & it was at the Sheffeld Arena in England. The whole experience of seeing a DJ in venue that size was a great entry to the genre.”

Track: Veracocha’s “Carte Blanche.”

Advice: “Learn your craft, walk before you run, never give up.”

Moment: “Playing Transmission festivals in Poland & Netherlands – playing those shows has changed my life.”

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Tracy Young, Ferosh Records, Miami

DJ: David Morales. “It was the Fifth Column in D.C. and he was just… David Morales.”

Track: Madonna’s “Holiday.”

Advice: “Make sure that you’re doing it for the right reasons. You have to be passionate about music frst. Never give up because you’ll have to learn how to deal with rejection.”

Moment: “Winning the Grammy [in 2020 for remixing Madonna’s ‘I Rise.’]”

Zoeh G, Championship Music, NYC

DJ: DJ Nurotic.

Track: “Happy Place” by Captain Cure/Iz the Realest.

Advice: “Stay yourself, stay authentic & stay true to the music.”

Moment: “Just getting to share my musical message.”

Brandon Alex, Exist Agency, Old Bridge, N.J.

DJ: Avicii. “At Deko Lounge in Sayreville in 2012 for the ‘Wildlife Wednesday’ party they had.”

Track: “Show Me Love” by Robin S. “The original – the Jersey version!”

Advice: “Stay relevant, stick to it, don’t be discouraged. Sometimes you gotta take fve steps back to take 10 steps forward.”

Moment: “Being able to help younger DJs & seeing them actually progress.”

Tim Clark, Coldharbour Recordings, Las Vegas

DJ: Tiësto. “He was at the Giant Village festival in downtown Los Angeles in 2005.”

Track: Tiësto’s “Traffc.”

Advice: “Have persistence & just do you.”

Moment: “My frst show at E11EVEN for the Rabbit Hole Circus with Markus Schulz.”

Whey Cooler, Pretty Poison/Tazmania Records, Cherry Hill, N.J.

DJs: Robbie Tronco & Danny Tenaglia.

Track: Sonique’s “It Feels So Good.”

Advice: “Network your ass off.”

Mike Marquez, Mix93fm, NYC

DJ: Louie Vega “on the radio” & Tony Humphries “in-person.”

Track: Royal House’s “Can You Party.”

Advice: “Know your music inside and out.”

Moment: “Playing a rooftop during Miami Music Week.”

The Beat Drops, Spinnin Records, NYC

DJ: Fedde Le Grand. “Saw him at Abyss in Sayreville in 2001 – he was great.”

Track: Robert Miles’ “Children.”

Advice: “Learn the trade, learn your software. Learn how to put what’s in your head into a DAW, but don’t try to rush it.”

Moment: “Covering 5,000-plus people in an audience & everyone enjoying what I’m putting out.”

Joe Zangie, Tazmania Records, New Jersey

DJ: David Guetta.

Track: Lasgo’s “Something.”

Advice: “Always show up.”

Moment: “The frst time I heard one of my songs on the radio.”

30 Mesa & Boss, Dim Mak/LiftOff, Dallas

DJs: DJ Radar & Cary Ragman. “Radar’s from Dallas & we were going into the afterhours clubs, hearing him mix hip-hop & house. Ragman’s a Dallas icon and super-talented.”

Track: “Adagio for Strings” by Tiësto. “It’s a classic & a staple. Also, Armin van Buuren’s album, Imagine – every track on the album is insane.

Advice: “Keep moving in the direction you want – manifesting is a real thing. Lean in & never stop, but don’t take everything so seriously.”

Moment: “Getting a track signed to Hardwell’s Revealed Recordings.”

John Hohman, MetroMix, Pittsburgh

DJ: Larry Levan. “The control he had over a crowd was pretty amazing.”

Track: Depeche Mode’s “Behind the Wheel.”

Advice: “Be persistent, develop relationships, stay strong & do it because you love it, not for the money.”

Moment: “Spinning live onstage at Madison Square Garden with Nile Rodgers, Diana Ross, Mariah Carey, Donna Summer on the ‘VH1 Divas 2000’ show.”

DJ Kue, KYLD/94.9 FM, San Francisco

DJs: Bad Boy Bill & Richard Vission. “The House Connection mix CD was it.”

Tracks: Mojoe’s “Lady” & Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better with You.”

Advice: “Keep hustlin’, keep on pushing.”

Moments: “Just meeting so many individuals who are like-minded about dance music.”

DJ Nurotic, KISS-FM, Chicago

DJ: Bobby D. “He was on B96 Radio & he made me say, ‘I want to learn how to do that.’”

Track: “Better Off Alone” by Alice DeeJay. “Whenever you hear the instrumental come in, it gets your attention. It’s so infectious.”

Advice: “Stay humble & be consistent.”

Moment: “Performing in front of thousands of people at Allstate Arena in Chicago, while having my daughter onstage with me. It was amazing.”

ENRI, Indie DJ/producer, Miami

DJ: Martin Garrix.

Track: Martin Garrix’s “Animals.”

Advice: “Keep working, keep networking, stay humble, keep grinding on the music.”

Moment: “Being able to do sessions at Martin Garrix’s studio in Amsterdam.”

Kat De Luna, Cape Republic, NYC

DJ: Funk Flex from Hot 97.

Track: Lil Suzy’s “Take Me in Your Arms.”

Advice: “Know who you are, what’s your musical style, your message & stick to it to the end.”

Moment: “In 2010, playing the France 2 festival in front of 150,000 people.”

Alfya Glow, Enormous Tunes, LA

DJ: Nervo.

Track: Above & Beyond’s “Sun & Moon.”

Advice: “It’s important to get real with your intentions, like, ‘Why do you want success? Or why do want people to hear your music?’ What is behind that? Is it to spread the message? Or is it to satisfy your ego?”

Moment: “Every time when I complete a new piece of music… the simplicity of that and the satisfaction of completing it.”

37 Kiesza, Zebra Spirit Tribe, Toronto

DJ: Skrillex.

Track: Corona’s “Rhythm of the Night.”

Advice: “Be authentic in this world & fnd what makes you stand out.”

Moment: “I sustained a brutal brain injury in a car accident & it took me six years to recover, so… I’d have to say my return to dance music. It’s a bit of a miracle that I thought would never happen, so I’m grateful.”

Justin Mylo, STMPD RCRDS, Amsterdam

DJ: Swedish House Mafa. “It was just the melodies and emotion –just amazing.”

Track: “Don’t You Worry Child” by Swedish House Mafa.

Advice: “Just have fun DJing, making music & creating your own sound.”

Moment: “Playing shows for fans shouting the melodies of my songs – most fulflling feeling ever.”

Esther Anaya, LA Chargers DJ, LA

DJ: Carl Cox.

Track: David Guetta’s “Titanium.”

Advice: “Stay true to yourself & true to your sound.”

Moment: “Doing a song with Snoop Dogg and performing at So-Fi Stadium for the Chargers.”

Mike Saint-Jules, Coldharbour Recordings, NYC

DJ: Paul van Dyk. “He was at Roxy back in 2004. I stayed on the dancefoor all night & it made me realize what kind of music I wanted to write.”

Track: Calvin Harris’ “Thinking About You.”

Advice: “Stay humble, be open, be accessible, be friendly.”

Moment: “Landing a remix with Big Loud Records for ‘All My Friends’ by Jagwar Twin.”

Casmalia, Insomniac/Mau5trap, San Diego

DJ: deadmau5.

Track: “Strobe” by deadmau5.

Advice: “Do it for the right reasons. The feeling of creating a song & sharing it is one of the most intimate things you can do.”

Moment: “Singing live at Coachella & watching the crowd go from a couple hundred to thousands.”

Ricardo Geldres, Arietis Records, Boston

DJ: KSHMR. “Saw him in New York City – he’s a really good performer & his show was amazing.”

Track: Martin Garrix’s “Proxy.”

Advice: “Don’t give up. Even when it seems like you’re out of gas, keep pushing until you reach your goals.”

Moment: “My release, ‘L.A. Nights,’ with Niel Degas & Drew Tyler has done so well on Spotify. I’m so grateful.”

Melissa Bonilla, Tazmania Records, NYC

DJ: Kaskade.

Track: C+C Music Factory & El General’s “The Boriqua Anthem.”

Advice: “Don’t give up. Never do it just for the money. You have to be in it for the passion of it.”

Moment: “Performing at Radio City & performing the national anthem at Madison Square Garden – as a New Yorker, it was epic.”

DJ Croix Boi, Ferg’s, Tampa

DJ: Jazzy Jeff.

Track: “Famalay” by Skinny Fabulous, Machel Montano & Bunji Garlin

Advice: “Support the scene, shake hands, level up.”

Moment: “Playing an original track for friends and family for the frst time.

Wurme, Airwave Music, LA

DJ: Avicii. “Saw him in Toronto, he rocked my world & I’ve been into electronic music ever since.”

Track: John Summit’s “Where You Are.”

Advice: “No matter how hard this business is, you can’t stop.”

Moment: “Getting my frst track signed.”

Track: DJ Sonique’s “It Feels So Good.”

Advice: “Create an identity for yourself.”

Moments: “Getting to meet & connect with the all the artists I admire.”

Niel Degas, Arietis Records, Miami

DJ: Calvin Harris.

AND IN THE LOOP.

Talk about scratching the surface. Our speaker stands have been in the mix for years but they’re only a small sample of all the ways we support you in the booth. From utility carts to laptop stands, we have what you need to keep your ﬁnger on the pulse. Drop by On-Stage.com to see how we help you keep all the plates spinning.

MOVEMENT IN MOTOWN

Images by Movement Photographers

By Jim Tremayne

Detroit – Nearly 90,000 fans flled Motown’s Hart Plaza this past May 25-27 for the annual Movement Festival. Although everyone endured heavy downpours the second night, more than 120 DJ/artists performed on six stages over the Memorial Day weekend. They included a range of diverse acts like Fatboy Slim, Goldie, Gorgon City, Masters At Work, Chris Lake, Loco Dice, Richie Hawton and Ludacris.

Detroit-based acts performing at Movement included Terrence Parker, Kevin Saunderson, the Saunderson Brothers, DJ Godfather, Stacey Pullen, Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale, DJ Holographic, Carl Craig, and DJ Minx. It all looked like this:

Greetings: Hart Plaza’s welcome sign.

Manic Scene: Underground Stage dancers.

British Murder Boys rock the Underground.

And Away We Go: Movement’s main stage.

Junglists: D-n-B stars LTJ Bukem & Goldie.

Annual Electronic Festival

Rocks Detroit’s Hart Plaza

Smile! LP Giobbi takes a buddy shot.

Bubbly: A fan spreads goodwill.

Masters At Work: Kenny Dope & Louie Vega.

MOVEMENT IN MOTOWN

Groovin’: Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale.

Changeover: Solomun hugs Dom Dolla.

Ecstatic: Fans get loose at mainstage.

Defected: Dames Brown on Pyramid Stage.

Surreal: Fountain scene in Hart Plaza.

MOVEMENT IN MOTOWN

In the Mix: TYLR at the Detroit Stage.

At the Fountain: Sun sets on Hart Plaza.

P.O.V.: Throngs at the mainstage.

Massive Coachella Parties Drop Desert Beats

By Jim Tremayne

Indio, Calif. – The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival drew nearly 200,000 fans to Indio’s Empire Polo Club for two consecutive weekends this past April 12-14 and April 19-21. While Coachella ’24 presented some of the world’s biggest pop acts – Lana Del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat and more – those looking to get their collective groove on had some supreme DJ/dance options with the annual Do LaB events and the Goldenvoice Surf Club day party running over the same weekends. With talent ranging from pop hitmakers like Billie Eilish to EDM superstars like Kaskade, Diplo and Gryffn, the two weekends saw plenty of groove-flled action. It all looked like this:

Sundown: Fans frolic at Do LaB. Jamie Rosenberg

Cheers: Marc Rebillet rides the wave. Jake West

B2B: Kaskade & Alison Wonderland. Jamal Eid

Throwin’ Down: Billie Eilish & friends. Jamie Rosenberg

Paired: Chris Lorenzo & Cloonee onstage. Jake West

Alive: Gryffn gets it going. Jake West

French Touch: DJ Snake on the decks. Jamie Rosenberg

Do LaB DJ: Alleycvt in the mix. Jamie Rosenberg

Right Spot: HoneyLuv mixes it up. Saylor Nedelman

Night Tunes: Alison Wonderland in action. Jamal Eid

Ed Bangin’: Busy P gets loose. Keiki

Higher Ground: Diplo & Skream. Jake West

Mirror Ball Man: Do LaB madness. Jake West

Moonbeams: Until next year. Saylor Nedelman

Smack Yo: Beltran gets wild. Saylor Nedelman

Chillin’: Gorgon City by its trailer. Coachella ’24

ALPHATHETA DUO

By DJ Deets

In the late-1980s, Toyota wanted to capture a different segment of the automotive market. The Japanese manufacturer had already established a name for itself by introducing affordable, well-built, and reliable cars year after year, but it wanted to move upmarket. Executives felt that the best way to do this was to create an entirely new brand specifcally for the new, luxury cars they created. So, at the 1989 Detroit Motor Show, the world got a chance to meet that new brand: Lexus.

Now, as the company that we’ve

OMNIS-DUO: Features Bluetooth audio output.

all long known as Pioneer DJ rolls out new, forwardthinking products from its AlphaTheta brand, I can’t help but see a little homology between this and the Lexus saga. With that in mind, I had a chance to play with the frst two members of the AlphaTheta brand family: the OMNISDUO (a battery-powered all-in-one DJ system) and the WAVE-EIGHT (a batterypowered portable speaker). We’ll dive into each individually.

OMNIS-DUO

The OMNIS-DUO is a two-channel, portable,

Offers Wireless DJing

My unit came in a deep, blue tone with brightly contrasting white labels for all the buttons and switches. The company calls the color “indigo blue” and say the tone is inspired by denim jeans. It feels very minimalist – different from

all-in-one DJ system with a built-in battery and a large central touchscreen. The biggest change from the industry norms might be its new design language. It’s a dramatic departure from what many of us have come to expect from Pioneer DJ-related products.

Pioneer DJ’s typical maximalist design language. However, this isn’t the frst minimalist and avant-garde design from Pioneer DJ or AlphaTheta. Last year, Pioneer DJ’s OPUS-QUAD all-in-one unit introduced a striking black-and-gold color scheme reminiscent

of some high-end audiophile gear.

The centerpiece of the OMNIS-DUO has to be the large touchscreen at the top center. It is extremely responsive and easy to use. It controls virtually all aspects related to browsing, waveforms, and settings for the device. There are two color profles – one called day mode and the other called a night mode.

Below the touch screen is the mixer section. There are three-band EQ knobs for each channel along with dedicated sound-color and trim knobs. The sound-color knobs default to a combination high/low-pass flter, but other effects can be selected on the screen.

Both the channel faders and the crossfader have a different morphology than what I’m accustomed to – they’re quite narrow compared to faders on other DJ mixers, and I had to adjust when attempting scratch routines. The narrow faders are by no means a

Combo: All-in-one unit & portable party PA.

WAVE-EIGHT: Powered speaker on-the-go.

deal-breaker for me, but I personally would’ve liked wider faders. Similarly, all the knobs feel slightly different from those of other DJ products. I’m sure I will be able to adjust my muscle memory in no time, but this is worth bringing up in a review.

To the right of the channel faders are the physical controls for the effects. The specifc effect is selected by the screen, but there are physical controls for turning on/off the selected effect, adjusting the effect level/ depth, and selecting the beat value for the effects.

On the back, there are the usual inputs/outputs. At the far left, there is a USB-C connector to charge and power the unit. Every OMNIS-DUO unit ships with its own power cable, but you can use any USB-C cable capable of supplying at least 45 watts of power. (Most laptop chargers should be able to handle this with no issue).

The built-in battery is rated for approximately fve hours of run-time after a three-hour charge from empty. There is an “eco” mode that can be activated to conserve battery life; when this mode is active, some functions are temporarily disabled, and the screen becomes dimmer. There are three main ways to connect the OMNIS-DUO to a music library. One, there are ports to connect a USB fash drive or an SD card with individual music fles. You do not have to have any music preanalyzed in the rekordbox software – the system can analyze music on-the-fy, but it is more seamless to pre-analyze tracks beforehand.

Second, the OMNIS-DUO can connect to a WiFi network, allowing a user to send track fles from rekord-

box wirelessly via Export mode or access songs on a cloud-based library. Finally, there’s a second USB-C port that allows users to connect the unit to a laptop running DJ software. At the time of writing this review, rekordbox Performance mode and Serato DJ Lite/Pro are supported.

I did try the rekordbox Performance integration, and the OMNIS-DUO felt just like a controller with a built-in screen. The screen continued showing waveforms and my library, which allowed me to take my eyes away from my laptop.

One killer feature is Bluetooth integration. Now, other DJ all-in-one units have incorporated wireless playback via Bluetooth, but the OMNIS-DUO takes things to the next level. You can directly assign the Bluetooth input to a mixer channel or go one step further with the Bluetooth Playback mode. In this mode, audio signal via Bluetooth sent to the OMNIS-DUO is analyzed in real-time and made available as a playable track, meaning it is possible to scratch and drop cues on-the-fy using any audio sent via Bluetooth. While Bluetooth Playback is an insanely cool feature to play with, it remains to be seen how much use it actually gets in live environments and how DJs are able to integrate it into their workfows.

DJs can connect the OMNIS-DUO to speakers via XLR or RCA cables or wirelessly through a Bluetooth output. There are two mic inputs –one on TRS and one on XLR connectors. Level knobs for the mics are on the top left, and there’s a single talk-over button for both mic inputs. On the front, there are two headphone jacks – one for 1/8-inch and one for ¼-inch headphone

cables.

So the million-dollar (or $1,499) question is: Who might the OMNIS-DUO be aimed at? Party or bedroom DJs who want a portable all-in-one solution with battery power would feel right at home here, and they can build their rekordbox library in such a way that transitioning to CDJs or other club-standard gear will be no issue. I could also see mobile DJs or event DJs loving the battery power, portability, and design of the OMNIS-DUO for their gigs.

If portability or battery power is not a major factor, I would probably recommend the cheaper XDJ-RR, which offers all-in-one functionality and a large screen. Step up to the more-expensive XDJ-RX3 or XDJ-XZ from Pioneer DJ for even more features. Similarly, Numark’s Mixstream Pro Go offers portable, battery-powered all-in-one playback and also includes a built-in speaker – it is around 60-percent the price of the new OMNIS-DUO. And, for DJs who want the most-portable, all-in-one system, Denon DJ’s Prime Go is even smaller. Both the Prime Go and Mixstream Pro Go run on Engine OS, so DJs who want to use the rekordbox ecosystem should stick with the OMNIS-DUO or XDJ-RR.

WAVE-EIGHT

Alongside the OMNISDUO came the WAVE-EIGHT portable loudspeaker. As the name suggests, this comes with an 8-inch subwoofer; higher frequencies are handled by a 1-inch soft-dome tweeter. Battery life is rated at eight hours, and a charge takes between four and six hours. Portability is enhanced by wheels on the back and a telescoping handle that extends from the top

– together, these give the WAVE-EIGHT the form factor of a rolling carry-on suitcase. The speaker feels durable and rugged, and, according to the company, it’s waterresistant to an IPX4 rating.

Underneath a cover, you have an 1/8-inch headphone jack, two XLR/TRS combo jacks, and a single TRS jack for a mic input. There’s also a line out on XLRs for daisy-chaining with additional speakers.

You can’t connect RCA cables directly to the WAVEEIGHT. Instead, the speaker ships with a wireless transmitter that accepts an RCA input and then wirelessly sends the signal to the speaker. The wireless transmitter uses SonicLink – not Bluetooth –to provide ultra-low-latency playback. Of course, you can also connect the speaker via Bluetooth to any Bluetooth-transmitting device, like a phone or laptop. You can even charge devices off the speaker, using the built-in USB-C port.

In my testing, I found the speaker to sound good with a bright, lively sound. There are a number of different sound profles, including some that allow the speaker to be paired with external subwoofers. The WAVE-EIGHT can also function as a pure subwoofer itself. Of course, there is a cutout at the bottom for mounting it on a speaker pole.

The WAVE-EIGHT is a good choice for DJs wanting a portable, battery-powered speaker built to withstand the elements. Even when using them in my studio, I defnitely wanted to call up a few friends and have a little jam session in the woods or on a beach somewhere. I could also envision mobile DJs using these for outdoor events where ample power might not be available. At presstime, the speakers have an MSRP of $899.

Clarity: KRK’S ROKIT

Generation Five

By Wesley King

The music gear business has always been a challenging one, both from the perspective of retailers, as well as manufacturers. Several years ago, the Gibson family of brands – of the renowned Gibson guitar lineup, as well as Epiphone, Kramer, and others – set its sights on aggressively expanding beyond its core guitar business. While well-intentioned, the company fled Chapter 11 in 2018, but emerged from those dark days a little slimmer and more focused. Since then, the company has re-established itself as a market leader in the guitar world — nearly the company’s sole focus. The one exception? KRK, the venerable maker of studio monitors, remains in the Gibson family.

I’ve long been a fan of KRK. My own home studio sports two pairs of KRK monitors — one 7-inch set from the ROKIT line and one 4-inch set from the V-Series line paired with a subwoofer — that I switch between when mixing and mastering. When the opportunity arose to test out the latest iteration of the ROKIT line, now in its ffth generation, I

jumped at the chance.

While improvements in technology and computer-aided design might have made a major impact in speaker design years ago, these days, generational improvements are more incremental than revolutionary. But that hasn’t kept KRK from continuing to steadily up its game.

The Basics

For this review, Gibson provided a pair of ROKIT 5 Generation Five monitors, meaning that the main drivers are 5 inches in diameter. In the past, KRK has offered the ROKIT series in a range of sizes, from 4 inches on the small end to 10 inches on the large end. The Generation Five family comes in just three: 5, 7, and 8 inches. Each step up in the line brings (of course) a larger main driver, but also incremental increases in total wattage, SPL (sound pressure level), and low-frequency response. It goes without saying that each increment also brings an increase in price.

Beyond these incremental differences, each model in the ROKIT line has a lot in common. Each member of the family has just a single, balanced input — a combo ¼-inch and XLR connector — along with a monochrome LCD panel on the back, and a single rotary knob for making confguration adjustments (more on that later). All three sport a 1-inch tweeter with a silk dome diaphragm, and a main driver with KRK’s trademark yellow woven Kevlar aramid fber cone.

KRK quotes both a frequency range and a frequency response in its specifcations; the latter numbers are arguably more useful, while the former includes a broader range that extends past the speakers’ drop-off points. For the 5-inch version, the response is 54 Hz to 30 kHz, while the 7-inch version extends things in both directions: 45 Hz to 36 kHz. The 8-inch version isn’t much different from the 7-inch version apart from overall power, bringing the low end farther down by just 3 Hz to 42 Hz.

Generation Five: KRK’s new monitor series.

Frankly, depending on your needs and the type of music you produce, any of the ROKIT Generation Five models would beneft from the additional low-end provided by a subwoofer. KRK offers several options, notably the S12.4 that’ll bring the low end all the way down to 26 Hz. This is part of why I have two sets of monitors in my own studio, with one pair matched up with a subwoofer: I can get an accurate sense of the very low end, while still being able to hear how things are sitting for arguably more typical listening environments.

What’s New

In addition to newly updated transducer designs, the ROKIT Generation Five series includes separate Class D amplifers on board, meaning there’s one for the main driver and a separate one for the tweeter. KRK says this provides more headroom and better dynamics, while keeping operating temperatures lower.

Also new in the ROKIT Generation Five series is a set of onboard EQ controls that are intended to help you tailor your monitors to your listening environment, as well as tap into three preset response curves for different listening needs.

The overall EQ settings provide several options for matching the monitors to your room environment. Even with sound treatments installed, few rooms set up for production, mixing, and mastering are acoustically perfect, which means that some level of EQ tuning is required to ensure that you’re hearing accurately rendered audio. The challenge, in my view, comes in knowing when you need to boost or cut low and/or high frequencies, and by how much.

While the ROKIT Generation Five series provides set-up fexibility, I still prefer leaving my monitors at the fattest response setting, and using a calibrated, aftermarket tuning solution. I personally use SoundID Reference from Sonarworks, which pairs a calibrated microphone with intuitive, software-based confguration and tuning software to ensure accurate results by EQing the audio before it even hits the monitors. (Note: The free KRK Audio Tools App also provides room-tuning tools. It’s available for iOS and Android devices.)

Mix, Focus, Create: G5’s new voicing modes.

But beyond the base setup, the three new voicing modes — Mix, Focus, and Create — provide additional, easy-toaccess, EQ-curve options. Mix provides fat response; Focus boosts the midrange to better reveal vocals and lead

“New onboard EQ controls help tailor your monitors to your environment, as well as tap into three preset response curves for different listening needs.”

instruments; and Create boosts some lows, cuts some mids, and boosts some highs, lending itself to beat creation and general listening.

All these various EQ settings and modes are dialed in using the rearpanel rotary encoder, which also provides other general set-up options, like whether the KRK logo is illuminated to indicate power status.

Within the ROKIT Generation Five, you’ll fnd two different front faceplates included in the box – one with and one without grilles. KRK says which one you choose doesn’t actually make a difference in the performance; it’s more for aesthetics, and whether you feel you need the physical protection of the grilles.

Lastly, the company now provides foam isolation wedges that can be used to tilt the monitors to direct the sound to your listening position, while providing acoustic isolation from your

desk or monitor stands. It’s a nice added touch.

In Use

Judging studio monitors is as much subjective as objective, unless you have access to a lab full of audiodiagnostic gear. And even when tuned with a solution like the aforementioned SoundID Reference, each monitor brand and line will have its own character. As I’ve found in the past with KRK monitors, I was pleased with the sound and performance of the ROKIT Generation Five monitors.

As I do with any monitor review, I used the ROKIT Generation Five pair to listen to a range of commercial music and my own music projects, all of which I know inside and out. My own fnished mixes and the tracks I chose from my library sounded as I expected them to, while checking some unfnished projects revealed problem areas (frequency collisions and other bad mixing choices) the way I would anticipate. As expected, the 5-inch drivers are more than capable of providing pleasing audio across the usual range, but are not going to deliver the types of super low end, punchy bass sounds that are not uncommon in electronic music. Again, this would be mitigated with a subwoofer, if applicable to your own studio use cases. My only real complaints with the ROKIT 5 Generation Five monitors include an evident noise foor; the hiss you’ll hear when the monitors are powered up, but not being fed an audio signal. Additionally, while the back panel display and confguration options are terrifc, the fact that you must access the back of the monitor to change the settings may limit the value in some cases.

Conclusions

The KRK ROKIT Generation Five studio monitors continue the company’s tradition of providing a solid monitoring solution at an appealing price point. The 5-inch model runs just under $200, while the 7-inch and 8-inch models come in right around $270 and $320, respectively — all pricing is per unit (not per pair). That makes them pretty appealing, price-wise, in my book for a well-designed, wellbuilt monitoring solution for any home studio.

JERSEY JOCK

Finds Southern Charms

By Danielle Johnson

Cumming, Ga. – Darryl “Jake”

Jacobsen has been surrounded by music for his entire life. So, it was no surprise when Jacobsen, 58, decided to turn his love for music into his full-time job. After breaking through in the competitive New Jersey market, Jacobsen, in 2018, re-located to suburban Atlanta, where he performs for a brand-new audience.

Since moving to Cumming in Forsyth County, about 40 miles north of downtown Atlanta, Jacobsen has been able to master running his own company, A2R Entertainment, while adapting to new local-music preferences. In addition to handling A2R, he also likes to teach others his skills. Accordingly, at DJX in Atlantic City, N.J., this August, he’ll present his ultra-popular “Games” seminar for the 17th consecutive year. Additionally, he’ll co-host DJX’s “Millennium Mixtape” party on Aug. 7 at The Balcony venue inside the Hard Rock, where several performers will spin music from 1990 to 2010. Here’s his story:

DJ LIFE: What frst got you interested in music?

Jacobsen: I have been around singing and music since birth. I come from a very musical family. My whole family were/are musicians. My dad was an amazing piano player and organist, among other instruments. He even had his own orchestra.

My mom played piano and my brother, sister, and I all play various instruments. I was literally born into music. When I’m not in DJ mode, I play guitar and sing in several bands. I also do a great deal of solo acoustic singing work at bars and parties.

DJ LIFE: Where did you decide to take your love for music into DJing? What equipment were you using?

Jacobsen: I started DJing in the mid-1980s and I remember playing

through a series of different equipment at times. I worked for a multiop. I think I was playing through a Numark mixer with old Crown amps and Peavey speakers. Oh, and I had Gemini turntables until I got my Technics 1200s.

DJ LIFE: When did you start your own company and why? What was the competition like?

Jacobsen: I went out on my own in 2003. I had lots of ideas on how I would do things if I were running a DJ company, and I wanted to give it a shot. The competition in New Jersey was incredibly heavy. There were, and are, so many talented individuals and highly successful companies. Trying to break through all

the competition was quite daunting, but I made a good name for myself.

DJ LIFE: I know you have moved from the Jersey Shore to the Atlanta area. How has your new market impacted your performance and the way you run your company?

Jacobsen: Well, as you may have guessed, there is quite a bit more country music that needs to be played down here. I’ve always considered myself to be a pretty chill person, who can turn it up a few notches when it’s time to get things cooking. That vibe has worked quite well for me here.

DJ LIFE: How does your new market differ from your previous one?

Jacobsen: There is a little more

Jake Jacobsen: Relocated to Georgia in 2018.

nepotism here. There are DJs whose families have been in the area for a long time, and they can get parties just based on that. But I consider myself in the Atlanta market, which is a lot like the New York City market. It also does take a little longer for songs to hit it big here, compared to up north. I’m always seeing DJs on Facebook talk about new bangers in my old area, and they just don’t hit here as fast.

JAKE’S PICKS: SUMMER HITS ’24

“Houdini” by Eminem (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope).

“Carnival” by ¥$ feat. Rich the Kid & Playboi Carti. (YZY).

“Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter (Island).

“Yes, And?” by Ariana Grande (Republic).

“Texas Hold ’Em” by Beyoncé (Parkwood/Columbia).

DJ LIFE: How does your company market itself these days?

Jacobsen: Most of what I do these days is all website, social media, and a few bridal shows thrown in to keep it interesting. I do advertise on several DJ-related websites. Since I don’t have to keep an entire staff working anymore, I don’t have to bring in as much work.

DJ LIFE: What factors do you think have helped make you and your company successful?

Jacobsen: I’ve always been an above-average MC and I have a gift for thinking along with a crowd when it comes to music selection. I do consider myself to be an outsidethe-box thinker and am always wondering what I can do to give my clients a different, cool experience. I’m always messing around with how I present things on the mic to make whatever I’m saying more pleasing or “get-on-the-foor”’ inspiring. Creating different song combinations to create a desired effect is also something that never gets tiring for me.

DJ LIFE: What’s your usual DJ gear set-up these days?’

Jacobsen: I still love my Denon DJ MC7000. I’m so comfortable with it. I use Virtual DJ for software, Sennheiser and Shure mics, ElectroVoice and QSC speakers, and Pioneer headphones. I have Eternal up lights and I’m still quite fond of Chauvet Gig Bars for basic lighting.

DJ LIFE: What do you think is the most common mistake DJs make, and how can people avoid it?

Jacobsen: Doing everything the same way for your entire career. Even if it works, you should shake it up just for your own sanity. I went to

a wedding and saw a DJ I used to work with many years before and I was lip-syncing to everything he was saying, as I knew exactly what he was going to say next since it hadn’t changed at all in 30-plus years. I would be in a mental ward. There’s no part of anything I do from the beginning of my career that I still do now, except create a great party. There are lots of paths to that. I also think DJs get caught up in copying other DJs instead of coming up with how to be their best selves. I may not be the greatest entertainer in the world, but I know in my heart that I’m original.

DJ LIFE: How has the business changed in the past few years? How do you think events have changed?

Jacobsen: I think couples have become programmed to micromanage every aspect of their wedding these days and don’t leave a lot of space for “cool surprises.” I used to love to surprise my couples with interesting things I came up

with that they loved. Now, if it’s not listed on some kind of agenda, it feels like you’re doing something unwanted.

DJ LIFE: You’ve been involved with DJX for quite awhile, since your days working the Jersey Shore. What can DJX attendees expect from you in Atlantic City this August?

Jacobsen: This will be my 17th year running the “Games” seminar for DJX. I usually do one or two games myself, but I think the joy of the seminar is watching the various presenters I use. I have a knack for fnding other awesome game people, who have amazing imaginations and like to educate their fellow DJs. It’s always the most-fun seminar of the conference, for sure. I’ll also be cohosting the Mobile Party on Wednesday night with my good friend Mike Alevras. We already have a cold lineup of performers we think the show attendees will love.

DJ LIFE: Where do you see yourself/ your company in fve years?

Jacobsen: Honestly? Probably still doing this exact same thing. As I’ve gotten older, I don’t need to be a market leader or some incredibly sought-out entertainer. I just like going out and rocking parties for whoever is lucky enough to hire me. And one thing I can always do is rock a party.

THE POWER OF

Customer-Centric Marketing

By Joshua Volpe

When it comes to modern marketing in 2024, every DJ and every company vies for attention and market share. That critical quest for innovative strategies often leads many DJs and entertainment companies to closely scrutinize their competitors.

However, amidst this, there lies a hidden gem of untapped potential: the invaluable insights and inspiration that stem directly from your own customers from prior events and weddings.

So, let’s talk a little about the transformative power of customer-centric marketing, which explains why your most impactful ideas originate from within your own client base, and not from external rivals.

Understanding Customer-Centric Marketing

Traditionally, marketing strategies have been crafted with a hawk eye on competitors, focusing on outmaneuvering them and capitalizing on market gaps. In other words, taking what competitors do, spinning it, and getting ahead of them so more clients reach out to you versus them.

While competitive analysis certainly has its merits, the shift towards customer-centric marketing represents an important evolution. At its core, customer-centric marketing revolves around placing the customer at the center of all strategic decisions. It involves cultivating a deep understanding of customer needs, preferences, pain points, and leveraging this insight to tailor your DJ services, and messaging to resonate with potential clients on a much higher level.

The Advantage & Why Your Clients Hold the Key

The fundamental premise of customer-centric marketing is really about the notion that your clients are not merely passive recipients of marketing efforts, but active participants in shaping the brand narrative of your company or DJ services. By engaging in meaningful dialogue with your clients, listening attentively to their feedback, and observing their behavior, DJs can glean invaluable insights that fuel innovation and drive sustainable growth moving forward.

Uncovering Unmet Needs & Pain Points

Believe it or not, your clients are the ultimate cheerleaders of your value, because they possess an intimate understanding of their own needs and wants when it comes to their events. By actively soliciting feedback through surveys and social-listening tools, DJs can uncover important needs and pain points that may have gone unnoticed from people who are searching for entertainment at their events. These insights serve as the foundation for service offerings, enabling DJs and businesses to create the right solutions that address genuine customer challenges and deliver tangible value.

Tailoring Experiences for Individual Preferences

Humans live in an age of information overload, where generic, one-size-fts-all marketing approaches are no lon-

ger suffcient to capture consumer attention. Your clients crave personalized experiences that cater to their unique preferences and interests for their events. DJs should be segmenting their audiences into distinct groups based on behavioral patterns, demographics, geographic locations, event types, and psychographic traits.

Psychographics is the important study of consumers based on psychological characteristics and traits such as values, desires, goals, interests, and lifestyle choices. Psychographics in marketing focuses on understanding the consumer emotions and values, so you can market more accurately. Armed with this granular understanding, DJs can deliver hyper-targeted messaging and offers that resonate with each group or type of clients, driving engagement and more inquiries for services.

Building Authentic Connections Thru Storytelling

At its essence, marketing is about storytelling – crafting narratives and messages that captivate audiences and forge emotional connections. However, the most compelling narratives are not concocted in meeting rooms, but emerge organically from the lived experiences of clients at past events. By amplifying customer stories through testimonials, reviews, and user-generated content, DJs can foster a sense of authenticity and credibility that resonates with prospects. These real-life narratives serve as powerful social proof, instilling trust, and confdence in what a DJ offers.

Brand Advocacy & Loyalty

In today’s hyper-connected world, word-of-mouth remains one of the most potent forms of marketing. When your clients feel valued and heard, they are more likely to become vocal advocates for your business or DJ services, spreading positive sentiment far and wide. By nurturing ongoing relationships with your clients through personalized communication and exceptional customer service, DJs can transform their satisfed clients into passionate brand ambassadors who champion their offerings to friends, family, and social networks.

Embracing the Customer-Centric Mindset

Today’s world is defned by rapid technological innovation and shifting consumer preferences, so the ability to adapt and innovate has never been more critical. By embracing a customer-centric mindset and prioritizing the voices of your audience, DJs can unlock a treasure trove of insights that fuel innovation, drive customer engagement, and foster long-term loyalty. In doing so, they not only gain a competitive edge over what other DJs are doing, but also forge deeper, more meaningful connections with their clients — a priceless asset in today’s crowded marketplace and DJ industry.

Joshua Volpe is the owner of Kalifornia Entertainment in Rochester, NY.

DOUBLE DUTY

Headliner Los Angeles has released the Ventura Portable DJ Booth and Lighting Bar System, a complete solution for DJs on-the-go. This all-in-one package includes a scrim-covered facade with built-in countertop and lighting bar, and a set of zippered carrying bags. The facade has four 27.5- by-47-inch panels made of black powder-coated steel frames with white scrims, ideal for rear-projection lighting. The machine-washable/freretardant scrims are made of stretchy Lycra. The 49.5- by-19-inch countertop, made of two carpeted boards, attaches directly to the facade via two sturdy extendable crossbars. The countertop sits at a comfortable 36.5-inches from the ground and holds up to 60 pounds of evenly distributed weight. The lighting bar attaches directly to the facade’s side panels and can be set up as a goal post or as two independent T-bars.

Headliner/Mixware 11070 Fleetwood St., Unit F Sun Valley, CA 91352 (818) 578-4030 www.headliner-la.com

WHITE-OUT

Denon DJ has announced the release of a special-edition of the PRIME 4+ standalone DJ system – the all-white PRIME 4+ WHITE. Designed for the working DJ, the PRIME 4 + WHITE fuses the creative potential of four standalone decks with professional features and robust construction. The unit includes two distinct mic mixer sections, music-streaming options, multiple media-input slots, Independent Zone Output, onboard lighting control, and an FX suite that boasts Main FX, Sweep FX, Touch FX, and Fader FX. Its onboard analysis buffers streaming tracks into internal memory, ensuring uninterrupted playback from any Wi-Fi source or cellphone hotspot. With its fully routable Bluetooth Audio Input capability, the unit can effortlessly handle playing songs from smartphones and other compatible Bluetooth devices. Operating on Engine DJ software, the unit receives new features with each update.

Denon DJ/inMusic 200 Scenic View Dr. Cumberland, R.I., 02864 (401) 658-3131 www.denondj.com

MAJOR UPDATE

AlphaTheta Corporation has released rekordbox (ver.7.0.0) for Mac/Windows, a complete DJ-software app that integrates everything from music management to live-performance capabilities. The 7.0.0 update adds software learning, cloud, and automation technology and improves processing loads. The update makes it easier and faster to manage music and search for tracks from the tens of millions available on multiple streaming services or a DJ’s own collection. Additionally, new tracks that users add to a collection can now be automatically fltered by different categories, with cue points automatically set and the option to share playlists. The latest update also adds a new graphical user interface (GUI), to make music management and gig preparation easier and more intuitive.

AlphaTheta Corporation 2050 W 190th St #109 Torrance, CA 90504 (424) 488-0480 www.alphatheta.com

WITH THE STREAM

Audio-Technica has launched its AT-UMX3 live-streaming USB audio mixer, the company’s frst for streaming and other applications. The plug-and-play AT-UMX3 is a feature-rich unit that’s easy to operate, with no need to think about equipment settings or installing any special drivers. This all-in-one interface is equipped with one XLR/¼-inch microphone input, two line inputs, and a headphone jack for monitoring. The AT-UMX3’s loopback function allows users to mix mic and line audio with sound from their computer into a single stream—and be confdent their audience will hear the same mix. When loopback is turned on, it is possible to play background music while streaming. The mixer’s A/D converter provides resolution up to 24-bit/192 kHz, ensuring crystal-clear output for voice and other inputs.

Audio-Technica 1221 Commerce Drive Stow, Ohio 44224 (330) 686-2600 www.audio-technica.com

ANNY TIME

LD Systems, distributed by Adam Hall Group, has released the ANNY 10, the frst product from its ANNY series of portable, battery-powered PA systems. The ANNY 10 is an active 2-way full-range loudspeaker with a 10-inch woofer, 1-inch tweeter, an integrated 6-channel mixer with 3-band EQ and effects (reverb and delay), Bluetooth 5.0 streaming and a footswitch input for hands-free effects control. The unit may be moved easily thanks to its wheels and telescopic handle. Connection options include two mic/line combo inputs, a stereo channel with 3.5-mm jack (aux) and RCA inputs. The ANNY 10 has a battery life of up to 25 hours (ECO mode) or fve hours at maximum volume. Adam Hall Group 1 S. Corporate Dr. Riverdale, NJ 07457 (973) 335-7888 www.adamhall.com

GEAR

WASH UP

Eliminator Lighting has introduced the Mega Wash 24, a compact, yet powerful LED wash fxture suitable for lighting stages, dancefoors, events, and more. Offering huge versatility, it is ideal for use by mobile DJs as well as for installation in a variety of venue applications. Featuring 24 10-Watt 6-in-1 HEX LEDs, the Mega Wash 24 can be used to generate a broad spectrum of vibrant colors. Each LED combines red, green, blue, white, amber, and UV elements, which can be combined with varying intensities to create an almost limitless palette of color options. The UV element allows for a black-light effect to be created, which causes white and neon colored décor and clothing to glow when used alone, and it can also be combined with other elements to create vibrant colors like hot pink, deep purple, and electric blue. Eliminator Lighting/ADJ 6122 S. Eastern Ave Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 316-9722 www.adj.com

GEAR

STUDIO SET-UP

Focal Naim America has released the redesigned Trio6 ST6 3-way studio monitor. The all-analog Trio6 ST6 features a more detailed and transparent sound while retaining Focal’s sound reproduction. Innovative speaker drivers, dual Focus mode, user-controlled automatic stand-by, a redesigned laminar port, and a structurally enhanced cabinet are just some of the features working together in the monitor. Trio6 ST6 is equipped with an 8-inch subwoofer with a ‘W’ cone –a patented Focal innovation. The 5-inch midrange woofer incorporates Focal’s TMD (Tuned Mass Damper) technology, reducing distortion in the 1kHz to 3kHz frequency range by 50 percent. A new beryllium tweeter featuring IAL (Infnite Acoustic Loading) to control resonance, rounds out the 3-way drivers.

Focal Naim America 156 Lawrence Paquette Industrial Dr. Champlain, NY 12919 (800) 663-9352 www.focalnaimamerica.com

STUDIO CANS

Audio-technology brand/headphone manufacturer Audeze has released the MM-100 studio headphone. Made in collaboration with 17-time Grammywinning engineer/producer Manny Marroquin, the MM-100 features Audeze’s latest planar magnetic driver design, and a new lightweight chassis. Based on Audeze’s MM-500 headphones, the MM-100 carries forward the tuning from Audeze’s 90mm planar magnetic drivers. These effcient, low-impedance drivers make the MM-100 easy to drive from any console, interface, or laptop. The newly-designed chassis features premium materials, but weighs only 375 grams, ensuring comfort over long sessions. Its lightweight chassis features magnesium/aluminum housing, gel-flled leather earpads, suspension strap, and spring-steel headband for long-term durability and comfort; folds fat for storage or travel.

Audeze 3410 S. Susan St. Santa Ana, Calif., 92704 (714) 581-8010 www.audeze.com

UPDATED DAW

PreSonus has released Studio One 6.6, an update to its digital workstation. In addition to immersive workfow improvements, the set of updates includes Apple Spatial Audio monitoring within the native Dolby Atmos renderer. This feature includes head tracking and personalized profles when used with compatible Apple headphones. With its new TuneCore integration, users can upload fnished songs directly to TuneCore for immediate distribution on social media and all major streaming platforms. The update also includes Lead Architect, its exclusive new virtual instrument, a powerful synth that uses sampled hardware instruments and digital effects to create a patchwork of tones that possess a uniquely human touch. With Studio One + Hybrid, this subscription tier will grant a perpetual Studio One Pro license to users with a Studio One+ annual subscription.

PreSonus 18011 Grand Bay Court Baton Rouge, LA 70809 (800) 856-9801 www.presonus.com

GLAZED VOCALS

For remixers/producers, Native Instruments has released Glaze 2, a unique pop and hiphop vocal instrument that offers lush vocal harmonies, textures, and chord progressions at the touch of a key. The second version of Glaze features even more voices and slick sounds of the talkbox. Studio hounds can set their tracks apart with smooth vocal pads and brilliant riffs, runs and hooks. Crafted in collabo-

MOBILE PODCASTING

Roland has released GO:PODCAST, an integrated system for live-streaming with iOS and Android mobile devices. Using the powerful GO:PODCAST mobile app and included USB microphone, creating high-quality streams is simple—even for beginners. From intimate Just Chatting sessions to interviews, demonstrations, and more, GO:PODCAST offers a variety of video setups and helps content creators elevate their online presence with engaging video and crystal-clear sound. GO:PODCAST makes it easy for users to start streaming with the mobile devices they already own. Connect the included microphone to the smartphone via USB-C and plug headphones into the stereo mini jack for monitoring. Then, open the GO:PODCAST app to set up the device’s camera and directly connect to YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and other streaming platforms.

Roland 5100 S. Eastern Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90040-2938 (323) 890-3700 www.roland.com

ration with hitmaking engineers Curtis “Sauce” Wilson and Rochad Holiday, Glaze 2’s samples were recorded with a diverse range of live vocalists, providing options for everything from polished pop to edgy hip hop. With Glaze 2, users can play, twist, and tweak their way to unique vocal vibes that hit just right.

Native Instruments North America 6725 Sunset Boulevard, 5th FL Los Angeles, CA 90028 (866) 556-6487 www.native-instruments.com

STORAGE SOLUTIONS

Other World Computing has released three additions to its Envoy product line of portable storage solutions. They include: the Envoy SSD at 1TB and 2TB; the Envoy Pro Elektron at 4TB; and the Envoy Pro mini in a 2TB capacity. The pocket-sized the Envoy Pro mini USB drive packs a punch in both performance and capacity. At a new 2TB capacity and the size of a keychain charm, this new capacity for the unit will be a powerful tool for those DJ/creators who like to always keep their work with them. The USB-A and USB-C connector means connecting to your capture device of choice is never in question and you’re always backed up.

Other World Computing 8 Galaxy Way Woodstock, IL 60098 (866) 692-7100 www.owc.com

“THE DEEPNESS” EP

Josh Wink

Ovum

Vast soundscapes, rugged, steady rhythms, and gripping, cinematic vibes defne the title cut – a seven-minute dancefoor journey that won’t let go. The fipside, “IZ,” offers similar rhythmic pleasures, but alternates between upbeat, squelchy effects and darker tones. A superb two-tracker.

– Jim Tremayne

“RAINDROPS” (QUBIKO REMIX)

Frankie Ferrara & Venessa Jackson King Street Sounds

Talented Euro producer Qubiko will make the dancefoor come together, bumping and grinding, with his deep and funky twist of this cut from Frankie Ferrara and Venessa Jackson (whose vocal channels a pinch of Lonnie Gordon and dash of Grace Jones). They return to legendary house imprint King Street with “Raindrops,” whose original takes you to the disco and Qubiko takes you straight to the club.

– Joe Berinato

“ECHOES” (BOXER REMIX)

RYTERBAND

Ryterband Records

Picking up the pace considerably from its relatively ethereal original, Boxer’s remix takes a decidedly prog-house direction here and turns it into a gorgeous dancefoor winner.

– Jim Tremayne

ALRIGHT”

Tobtok & Oliver Nelson

Perfect Havoc

If you like the French Touch records of yore, you’ll love this sweet collab. Breezy, melodic and properly fltered, this Gallichouse cut delivers that irresistible, pulsing, ’90s groove that never seems to lose its magic.

– Jim Tremayne

“CONNECTIVITY”

MIGUEL MIGS FEAT. URSULA RUCKER

Salted

Unquestionably one of the fnest deephouse producers in the game, Miguel Migs continues to deliver the goods on his Salted imprint. With two hopping mixes to pick from here —plus Rucker’s intoxicating spoken-word delivery – both contain devastating grooves to get lost in.

– Curtis Zack

Miguel Migs

Ryterband

Qubiko

“ALL TO YOU” (REMIXES)

JASON WALKER

I AM HOUSE

A whole range of mixes to pick from on this latest outing from Chicago’s I Am House imprint. For me, the David Morales mix takes the prize, but there is defnitely a mix for all occasions with this package.

– Curtis Zack

“CAN YOU FEEL IT”

LENNY FONTANA

Karmic Power

Featuring super-soulful vocals from Freddy Turner, Wyncey Terry, Donald Pinkney and Carole Sylvan, this Fontana disco-house thumper raises the roof for sure. Uptempo and irresistible.

– Jim Tremayne

“ELEVATION”

2fox & Laville

Soul Clap Records

Everything we love about soulful house is held in this track from the U.K. duo and Laville. With its rich harmonies, rolling rhythms and an ultra-funky bassline, this lead single from the eponymous EP should get you grooving right away.

– Joe Berinato

“HEY SCOTTIE”

Nick van Tiel

Loulou Records

This feelgood funky tune has summer written all over it. Courtesy of Aussie producer van Tiel, this one offers a solid good dose of ’70s funky-guitar riff with a wickedly dirty bassline. It’s a perfect bed for a simple, looped-up vocal to jump all over; then it’s cooled out by some blissful harmonies. The intermittent “Hey Scottie” chant ups the funk factor even more.

– Joe Berinato

Nick van Tiel

“TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT”

Oden & Fatzo feat. Poppy Baskcomb Defected

With one of Defected’s big tunes for the summer, Oden and Fatzo return and enlist the considerable vocal talents of Baskcomb. Lifting the chord sequence from “Saturday Love,” this has an irresistible vibe and is a defnite winner.

– Curtis Zack

Oden

Fatzo

Lenny Fontana

CLUB PLAY CHART

Gary Canavo masspooldjs Saugus,MA

DJ Sticky Boots The HyperMiXx Syndicated

Dan Mathews Rhythm 105.9FM + Syndicated

Manny Esparza Nexus Radio Chicago,IL

Howard HK Kessler In The Mix With HK Syndicated

Randy Schlager KNHC 89.5FM Seattle, WA

DJ Ilan Fong Multiple Pod Casts Columbus, OH

Chris Egner Victors Milwaukee, WI

Alan Chasen OMAP Washington, D.C.

Brian Stephens Mixxmasters Lithonia,GA

Peter K. Productions Peter K Syndicated

DJ Spawn Mix 93 FM Los Angeles, CA

Michael Cerchiai House Of Pride Radio San Francisco, CA Ritmo