DJ LIFE MAG, Vol.4 No.4 SOFI TUKKER

SOFI TUKKER

EDM’S DYNAMIC DUO

TIPS ON DISCOVERING NEW MUSIC

MICHIGAN’S ELECTRIC FOREST FEST

PLUS: DJ COVA * JEREMY OLANDER * OLIVER DOLLAR * PIONEER DJ PLX-CRSS12 * FOCUSRITE INTERFACES * “DIGITAL DAVE” LANDER * HOW AI HELPS DJs

DJX ’24: KEYNOTES, AFTER DARK PARTIES & MORE

Atlantic City, N.J. – The time has come, DJs – DJX’24 is about to land at the Jersey Shore.

Set 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 37 seminars, panels, and keynotes tackling the most-pressing topics, and After Dark events 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.

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.

Then on Aug. 7, superstar DJ Laidback Luke will participate in his own “Keynote Q&A.” Known for his 2009 remix of the Robin S classic, “Show Me Love,” plus other tracks like “Leave the World Behind,” his collab with Swedish House Mafa, the Filipino-Dutch DJ/producer is a regular at dance-music’s top festivals and clubs. In recent years, he’s become quite an educator for up-and-coming DJs and he’s also helped create Reloop’s latest four-deck controller, the Mixtour Pro. He’ll discuss it all at this exclusive session.

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. QSC (Aug. 5) and AlphaTheta (Aug. 6) are scheduled with sessions in the Hard Rock that will run each day from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

The Edit Studio: Also new to DJX, The Edit will assemble a neighborhood of “pop-up studios” that will present products for recording studios and content-creation environments. At presstime, participants include RCF, rekordbox, Jrumz Ear Wear, Audio-Technica, Crate Hackers, DJ.Studio, and Mixed In Key.

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. 6, DAS Audio will deliver its annual “Twisted Tuesday” party at The Terrace in the Hard Rock and will present popular turntablist Puffy as its headliner. Known for his unique style of performing live genre-blending mashups and edits, Puffy has risen in the ranks with his unique Caribbean-EDM sound. Also, he’s the only DJ to ever win both the Red Bull Culture Clash and the Red Bull 3Style battles. Support DJs

include Chitown Shani, CYD, Ease, Five Venoms, Immortal, Lady Shay, and ThroDown.

Running Aug. 7 from 8 to 11 p.m., the “Millennium Mixtape Party,” Wednesday night’s mobile-centric event 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, Pittsburgh’s “Digital Dave” Lander and more.

Immediately after the early event inside The Balcony on Aug. 7, Mell Starr & Friends will present “Disco & 40 Years of House Music,” a star-studded afterparty that’ll run late into the evening. In addition to Mell Starr, talent includes versatile house-and-soul maven DJ Spinna, “The 45 Queen” Natasha Diggs, and Grammy-nominee Scram Jones.

Ultimate DJ Giveaway: As always, at the end of the show, one lucky DJX attendee will have his or her name pulled from the hopper and walk away with a treasure trove of gear from the following companies: BV Mobile Apps, ColorKey, Electro-Voice, Esstart, Headliner, JetPack, JMAZ, Mixed In Key, Odyssey, Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta, Rock N Roller Multi-Cart, Ultimate Ears, and Vibo.

(For more on Sponsored Seminars, please see Pg. 8. For more on Educational Seminars, please see Pg. 10.)

Electric Forest Fest

Rothbury, Mich. – Fans pack Electric Forest’s Ranch Arena, as freworks explode overhead. Held this past June 20-23, the event drew more than 50,000 fans to the Michigan woods to see top DJs like John Summit, Seven Lions, LP Giobbi and more. For more, please see Pg. 24.

Laidback Luke: Aug. 7 keynoter. Puffy: Twisted Tuesday spinner.

DJ Spinna: Closing-party jock.

The 45 Queen: Natasha Diggs.

IN THIS ISSUE

Oliver Dollar Electric Forest

Four-Day Fest Brings Top Talent to the Michigan Woods By ALIVE Coverage

Jeremy Olander

Cover & Contents Images by Vanessa Vlandis

8 Feedback Events for DJX ’24, Set for Aug. 5-8 in Atlantic City, N.J.

36 Festival Spotlight Minnesota’s Breakaway Festival

40 Playback Pioneer DJ’s PLX-CRSS12

42 Studio Session Focusrite’s Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen

44 Mobile DJ Profle Pittsburgh’s “Digital Dave” Lander

46 DJ Business

Why Use AI? Let Me Count the Ways

48 Gear

New Products from Rane, ADJ & More

54 Tracks

Phat Tracks from Duke Dumont, David Morales & More

56 Club Play Chart

The Hottest Records, As Reported by Our Top U.S. Record Pools

DYNAMIC DUO & DJX ON TAP

Whether they’re performing live as a group or DJing as a twosome, SOFI TUKKER stands as one of EDM’s biggest acts. By now, you’ve no doubt heard several of the duo’s many hits – from the group’s Grammy-nominated “Drinkee” to its Apple-commercial soundtrack “Best Friend,” which featured NERVO, The Knocks and Alisa Ueno. After two full-length albums, the pair – Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern – have returned with a third, BREAD , which should be available by the time you read this. Lucky for everyone, our Mark Mancino caught up with SOFI TUKKER and got them to discuss their beginnings, their rise and their latest endeavors.

In our features, we connect with DJ Cova, a longtime DJ/remixer/producer and label rep, who has created a big profle on Twitch, a platform suddenly more friendly to the DJ world. In Sound Bites, our Ashley Teffer sits down with Berlin-based/Detroit-friendly DJ/producer Oliver Dollar, who has a slew of hot house-music tracks on tap. Additionally, Mr. Mancino gets some studio talk with Jeremy Olander, who creates deep, proggy sounds, plus darker, techno-leaning material under his Dhillon moniker.

From the festival world, we take a look at two big recent events. As usual, Electric Forest brought worlds of wonder in the form of music, arts and community to the Michigan woods. Of course, we have pics of the festival’s top DJs, like Subtronics, John Summit and Dom Dolla. And in Festival Spotlight, we head to Minnesota for the Twin Cities stop of the Breakaway Festival tour with headliners like Kaskade, Illenium and Slander.

In our review columns, Brooklyn-based DJ/producer Lexi Ferguson goes into the studio with Focusrite’s Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen interface. Also, in Playback, Twin City’s based DJ Deets runs Pioneer DJ’s PLX-CRSS12 hybrid turntable though its paces.

In the mobile world, our Danielle Johnson interviews Pittsburgh’s “Digital Dave” Lander, who handles tons of wedding gigs and also spins for fve area sports teams, including the NFL’s Steelers and MLB’s Pirates. In Business Line, Jordan St. Jacques offers ways that DJs can best use AI in their marketing workfows. Also, guest author Phil Morse (of Digital DJ Tips) offers “fve golden rules” – taken from the 2nd Edition of his book, Rock the Dancefoor – on how DJs of all stripes can discover new music.

And this being the issue that comes out the beginning of August, we have plenty of info on DJX ’24. Set for Aug. 5-8 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., the show will feature an exhibit hall full of the latest DJ-related technologies, 37 seminars, workshops and keynotes discussing the industry’s most-pressing issues, and After Dark events featuring sponsored parties. For the very latest, please visit www.djxshow. com, and we hope to see you in AC!

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.

Design and Contents: copyright © 2024 by DJ Life Mag and must not be reproduced in any manner except by permission of the publisher.

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.4

DJX’24: SPONSORED SEMINARS TO SPICE UP SHOW

Atlantic City, N.J. – Set for Aug. 5-8 at AC’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, DJX’24 will present an unprecedented 10 sponsored seminars from exhibiting companies. They include:

Aug. 5: “Going Wireless – Presented by ColorKey Lighting.” Presentation will demonstrate cutting-edge solutions from ColorKey’s full line of wireless and long-lasting batterypowered lighting fxtures. Session to include giveaways.

“New Tools for DJs with Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta.” Pioneer DJ’s Jay Brannan and Pulse will present an in-depth and interactive demo of OMNIS-DUO controller, WAVEEIGHT speakers, euphonia rotary mixer, rekordbox 7 software, and the XPRS2 powered-speaker line. Giveaways.

Aug. 6: “CHAUVET DJ Presents DMX: The Magic & the Madness with Geoff Short.” The seminar will illuminate the power and pitfalls of DMX technology. Beginners will discover new ways to control lighting, while seasoned pros can fnd new depths to explore. “DJ.Studio: Make Your Own Mash-Ups with the New DAW For DJs.” Siebrand Dijkstra of DJ.Studio and Aaron Traylor of Crate Hackers will demonstrate how to quickly create your own mash-ups, edits and mix shows

with this new, powerful DAW for DJs.

“Harmonic-Mixing Master Class presented by Mixed In Key featuring DJ HAPA.” This workshop will demonstrate the brand-new features in Mixed In Key 11 harmonic-mixing software for DJs and producers. HAPA’s session will cover harmonic-mixing techniques to help attendees blend tracks smoothly, improve transitions, and ultimately stand out from the pack. Giveaways.

“Ghosting: 8 Proven FollowUp Tips to Help Minimize the Dreaded Sales Phenomenon presented by WeddingPro.” Tom Chelednik, the North America Associate Director of Vendor Engagement for The Knot Worldwide, will offer proven strategies to minimize “ghosting,” the situation where a sales prospect stops all forms of communication. Plus, he’ll offer essential methods to enhance engagement and foster genuine conversations.

Aug. 7: “Bring the FUN as a DJ with Carnival Cruise Line.” A panel of company reps and industry pros will explore shipboard DJ culture, career paths, exclusive DJ benefts, and global-touring opportunities with the cruise line. Panel-

ists include Dimitri “DJ Atomic” Fontenelle (CCL Supervisor, Pro DJ’s & Digital Music), Stephanie Fritz (CCL Supervisor, Casting & Booking), Katherine “DJ Saxy” Grant (CCL Fleet DJ Trainer), and Aaron “DJ-Aroc” Thomas (CCL Pro DJ & Serial Entrepreneur).

“Planning from the Palm of Your Hand with Vibo.” Rick Webb, Jay Murch, and Maxwell Reed will offer an insider’s of how top DJs in the industry are achieving success with Vibo event-planning software. The session will also explain how to utilize customizable event-planning templates and a branded business profle to enhance client engagement and promote your brand effectively.

“The SMPL Path To Success: Why A Good CRM System Is Crucial.” SMPL, the all-inone event-planning and management software, will unravel a CRM system’s pivotal role in optimizing client interactions, bookings, and business growth. From managing events to staying in sync with inquiries, SMPL will discuss how a tailored CRM system for DJs can simplify workloads and amplify success.

Aug. 8: “DJ.Studio: Make Your Own Mash-Ups with the New DAW For DJs.” A reprise of the Aug. 6 session.

JOIN THESE INDUSTRY LEADERS SUPPORT INDUSTRY FUTURE

SPONSOR FUTURE TALENT

NEW PRESENTERS TO HIGHLIGHT DJX’24 IN ATLANTIC CITY

Atlantic City, N.J. – At DJX’24, set for Aug. 5-8, a cast of new presenters will highlight the show’s seminar schedule in AC’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. These sessions include:

Aug. 5: “DJing & Diversity: Spinning Multicultural Weddings.” Matt Campbell, the founder of My Wedding Songs, has helped millions of couples a year plan their wedding songs. But, in this DJX session, he’ll help guide mobile DJs looking to spin weddings for multi-cultural clients, as he’ll interview DJs who specialize in weddings for the LGBTQ+ (DJ Tori Vee), Latin (Dre Ovalle), and Indian (Rohit Goswamy) communities, respectively.

General topics include: How to approach consultations to ensure clients’ cultural and traditional wedding music is incorporated seamlessly? What strategies help ensure that the dancefoor is inclusive and caters to a variety of musical tastes across generations and cultures? What customs and formats must be honored?

Aug. 6: “The Art of Consultative Selling for Mobile DJs.” As a Certifed Zig Ziglar Legacy Trainer and the holder of Proft Builders’ Leadership & Sale Coaching certifcation, Philly mobile operator Chuck Zerambo certainly knows about selling.

So, at this info-flled session, Zerambo will explain: How to adopt a consultative approach to sales by focusing on understanding and addressing client needs; How to stop selling on price by creating and selling on the unique value proposition of your company; How to gain sales language and negotiation techniques that builds rapport and trust with

potential clients; and how to understand the sales cycle in the DJ industry and analyze sales data.

Aug. 7: “DJing Outside the Box.” Darrin “B-SIDE” Young of DAS Audio will offer a well-informed look into the past, present, and future of the DJ market. As an industry vet with R&D background, he’s uniquely qualifed to discuss the very evolution of our market’s technologies.

At this hands-on workshop, he’ll demo of some of the latest technologies. See how wireless technology and software, for example, are changing the game and how stems can be useful, even if you’re not a remix DJ.

Aug. 7: “The Gig MacGyver: Predicting & Preparing for Disaster (Before It Actually Happens).” As all mobile DJs know, there’s a lot that must go right to pull off a quality performance on the most important day of someone’s life. That said, there’s also a lot that can go wrong – before you leave the offce, in transit, or on location. How do you predict, prepare, and ultimately solve a bad situation?

Ohio’s Ryan von Ahn of By Request DJs is a 22-year veteran of the entertainment industry and a former corporate trainer, so… he’s seen it all – staff issues, gear failures, vehicle breakdowns, etc. In this detailed tutorial, Ryan will offer ways to mitigate risk, using both real-life examples and hypotheticals.

B-SIDE Session: The evolution of DJing.

OLIVER DOLLAR: STILL PUSHING ON SOUND

In his decade-plus of making music, Berlinbased DJ/producer Oliver Dollar has become known around the world for his deep, soulful house tracks. And with top-charting hits like 2011’s “Doin’ Ya Thang” and 2014’s “Pushing On” (with Jimi Jules), he’s certainly earned some OG status in the genre.

But, if you hear him talk about his biggest musical successes, he’ll tell you that they were mere accidents along the way. And when it comes to playing gigs, he’d much prefer the tight, intimate, sweaty nightclub to a festival, even one with a big payday. For him, it’s still all about the underground.

As he was preparing for the release of Contemporary, a trilogy of house EPs on the Rekids label, Oliver Dollar (aka 42-yearold Oliver Siebert) sat down with DJ LIFE to discuss the studio, his career and his view on the modern dance-music scene.

DJ LIFE: Who are your biggest infuences?

Siebert: So many talented musicians out there, it’s insane. There’s people like Moodyman — there’s just so many. In general, the ’90s house movement is what all started it for me –that’s my main inspiration, I would say. There’s a bit of techno and disco, too, but the ’90s house movement really shaped my sound.

DJ LIFE: You’re considered to be an OG house artist – you’ve been around a while. How do you feel about the different movements in house music right now?

Siebert: It’s kind of a weird moment for house music – but it’s also exciting. Now, the kids want this 180-BPM techno and I had all this kind of shit, like in the ’90s. But everyone thinks they’re inventing the wheel, like it’s something brand new – they never had it because they weren’t even born. I think the only constant is change, but that doesn’t mean I have to like everything. I’m very chill.

DJ LIFE: What are you using in the studio?

Siebert: My laptop and Ableton. It’s kind of simple. It’s easy to use, like a super-simple interface and it’s easy to work with samples. I’m creating my own samples. But if I’m using sample packs, then it’s from friends and I know they’re gonna be badass.

DJ LIFE: What’s your process for creating music?

Siebert: Usually, I start with a beat – usually on the sample – and then start from there to record that into the DAW.

DJ LIFE: What’s your goals at this point in your career?

Siebert: That’s a good question. I guess my goal would be to use less samples and to get more musicians in the studio. I mean, that’s also bullshit because I love sampling

— so my goal is to just push for quality and just do different stuff than everybody else is doing. It’s not reinventing the wheel here. But it’s like pushing the envelope for quality.

DJ LIFE: You’re still making physical records. Why do you keep on making vinyl and why do you believe it’s important to keep making vinyl?

Siebert: It’s kind of a timestamp. With digital promos, you hear them today and it’s forgotten tomorrow. But with a real record, you look at the physical product – it smells, it looks cool. Maybe it’s not as great qualitywise as a CD format or digital, but even if it’s 300 vinyl copies, you have something for the fans. I’m a vinyl collector myself. It’s nice to hold something in your hands, an end-product. I have an upcoming project that’s going to be a fve- or six-vinyl set.

DJ LIFE: Let’s talk streaming. At frst, you didn’t stream your music, and then you did. How do you feel about streaming now?

Siebert: I mean, we all know what needs to happen with streaming. We should do a movement like Hollywood did with the strike... you know, against all these big platforms, who are literally acting like a mafa and all the shareholders make a dime, but not the artist, actually. And I think the old system is so unfair, like it’s literally a punch in the face to the artists, and they should defnitely change it.

DJ LIFE: How do you feel about the current underground scene?

Siebert: This scene was always the underground. I was just lucky in my career that I had like these two crossover records. They make me known worldwide. I guess there’s always been an underground movement, and that’s also great. I just got lucky that I’m in between both worlds. That I’m kind of accepted in the unknown. I think my heart is still going for the more quality stuff instead of crossover hits. You can’t force that and, also, that was never my goal to make a platinum record.

DJ LIFE: What’s your take on social media, and the marketing machine used by artists?

Siebert: To be honest with you, I wish I was better with social media because, these days, you can make your career just being good at social media while sucking at music. And that’s what you see everywhere at the moment. It’s a slap in the face, but that’s how it goes these days. For me, the music was always important, more important than anything else. Now it’s like if your record goes viral, cool, we sign you, and… what’s that about? Nobody is taking risks anymore, and it’s a really frustrating game. I believe that at some point it will come to an end – if you are talented, show it in your music, not on your Instagram.

DJ LIFE: What advice do you have for other DJs and producers who are trying to make it?

Siebert: Find your own sound. Find your niche, something you’re really good at, and just believe in it. Be calm, constantly on it, and not just trying it for half a year because that will never pay off. It took me 10 years to fnd out what’s really important to me.

DJ LIFE: How did success fnd you?

Siebert: When I fnally made it, that was my giving-

up record, actually. It was never planned as a record and was planned as a bootleg for me and my friends. Then a friend of mine played it out in San Francisco, and literally the next day, my phone was ringing like crazy. And that’s how “Doin’ Ya Thang” became a thing, and I guess the rest is history. I was about to throw it all down and give up. Sometimes you never know what’s poppin’ and what’s not. So, I think what’s really important is what other people told me back in the day, something I couldn’t understand at that time… they said, “Find your sound.” Of course, in the beginning, you would copy things that you really like, but at some point you will come up with something you deeply believe in.

DJ LIFE: You have some releases in the works – can you elaborate on them?

Siebert: I’m doing this album project with Rekids, that’s Radio Slave’s label, and it’s basically like a lot of collaborations. I’m doing it with all my homies and I got ADMN involved as well and a lot of musicians here from Detroit and European artists... basically, all the people I’m looking up to and being friends with, and it’s going to be called Contemporary. It’s three volumes – the frst three on vinyl will be extended versions of the tracks. Then, there’s going to be a mixed version, vinyl number four, with interludes and shorter versions. And then there’s going to be remix vinyls, as well. Aside from that, I got a new single coming up with Spot Lite Records. In the pipeline, “Doin’ Ya Thang” is going to get rereleased with Defected. They licensed that for 10 years. I’m going to rerelease “Granulated Soul,” one of my oldies as well, early next year.

DJ LIFE: I’ve noticed you spend a lot of time in Detroit – it’s like your second home next to Berlin. Why?

Siebert: For me, it’s a very creative city. It’s not a beautiful city like Berlin is, but Detroit has a lot of great creativity. It’s crazy how many singers are around Detroit who don’t even know they are singers or super-talented musicians and they’re not even aware of it. Also, there’s the rich musical history in Detroit, from Motown to everything else.

DJ LIFE: You are very selective about what gigs you play. How do you decide on your shows?

Siebert: You should play the places you really want to play. That’s not happening all the time; sometimes you have to take a risk. That could be the dopest show ever, but it’s also could be the shittiest show ever – you never know. But, in general, you shouldn’t play everything. Also, check who else is on that lineup – the lineup is important to me. The best-paid shows are usually the worst. When I play the cheaper shows, it’s the best time of your life.

DJ LIFE: What about festivals?

Siebert: I was never the biggest festival guy, to be honest with you. I like intimate crowds, 200-300 people, where you actually feel the vibe of the room, instead of standing in front of 5,000-10,000 people where you’re literally 50 meters away from the crowd and you can’t hear anyone yelling anymore or losing their shirt. I’m the guy who’s lost without intimate venues.

– Ashley Teffer

JEREMY OLANDER: MAKING “MEGATRON”

Known to DJs and dance-music enthusiasts for his progressive, melodic deep-house and techno sounds, Jeremy Olander has been steadily climbing the career ladder for more than a decade.

In 2011, Olander became one of the frst artists to sign with Pryda Friends, the imprint founded by fellow Swede Eric Prydz. While on the label, he managed to make quite a name for himself with hits like 2013’s “Let Me Feel,” among others. The next year, he took the stage at New York’s Madison Square Garden where he performed during Prydz’s EPIC 3.0 showcase. Since then, he’s released tracks, EPs and remixes on a variety of prominent labels, including Anjunadeep, CR2, Big Beat/Atlantic, Universal, Ultra, Spinnin’ Deep, Drumcode, Suara and Bedrock.

In 2014, the time came for Olander to start his own record label and event series, dubbed Vivrant, so he began to showcase his brand at leading clubs and festivals the world over. And if that wasn’t enough, Olander also performs and releases darker, more techno-leaning material under his Dhillon moniker.

Now Olander has taken his talents to Insomniac Music Group’s Interstellar imprint for his latest effort, Megatron. Following the release of the four-track EP, DJ LIFE caught up with Jeremy Olander, and here’s how it all went down:

DJ LIFE: How and when did you begin your exploration of electronic music?

Olander: It started back in high school. A buddy showed me you could make tunes on a computer, and I was amazed that you could make music with just a DAW, a laptop, and decent headphones. I’d always thought you needed some fancy multi-million-dollar studio setup.

DJ LIFE: Were you instantly hooked?

Olander: Once I dove in, I got

hooked on the whole arrangement process. It reminded me of those old-school strategy games I used to play, like Red Alert. Laying out those MIDI blocks felt like putting together a puzzle. Funny thing is… dance music didn’t grab me right away. It was more of a slow burn. It took some friends introducing me to Joachim Garraud’s podcasts to really get me fred up about it.

DJ LIFE: What are some early memories you have of the scene?

Olander: I was about 15 or 16 when some older friends took me to this place in Stockholm called Grodan Cocktail Club. It was pretty much the go-to spot for house and techno. Man, I miss that place – I bet a lot of other Swedish producers and DJs would say the same. It had something special about it. It was wild to see these guys who later went on to sell out huge venues like Madison Square Garden, starting out in this small, sweaty basement with just a hundred people. That was super-inspiring. What really stuck with me was the connection between the artist and the crowd. We all felt like one with whoever was playing.

DJ LIFE: Who were some of the DJs/producers that inspired you when you were starting out? Which artists are your favorite right now?

Olander: In music in general, it’s got to be Michael Jackson. In my book, nothing comes close to the magic he created with Quincy Jones. That stuff is pure perfection to my ears. Can’t see anything topping it. When it comes to dance music, Eric Prydz. I genuinely believe he’s one of the top producers of his era... another level. Right now, I enjoy what Tim Engelhardt, Arkajo, OLING and Eagles & Butterfies are putting out.

DJ LIFE: Tell us about one of your very frst DJ sets or DJ experiences… Olander: I honestly had really limited experience DJing before I actually started touring outside Sweden. My frst show outside Stockholm was in London with Eric at his frst EPIC

Vivrant: Olander’s brand has gone global.

event at Brixton Academy. My nerves leading up to that one were unreal.

DJ LIFE: Megatron was recently released through Insomniac’s Interstellar Records. Tell us about the tracks you included on this EP…

Olander: It’s a quite diverse project sonically that I feel really represents where I’m at musically right now. It’s a very peak-time-ish project with pretty much all of the tracks being on the slightly darker side of what I make. I’m really happy with how it came it and to be the frst artist out the gates on Interstellar.

DJ LIFE: Did you go into the project knowing you wanted to make an EP, or did you create tracks and then later decide to put the body of work together?

Olander: I never really approach any project wanting to make a specifc type of EP. I approach production from the perspective of my DJ sets and make stuff I feel I need in my sets, and then after the fact I sit down and fgure out what tracks make sense together to put out.

DJ LIFE: Tell us about your DJ set-up. What did you frst start out with? What’s your set-up like now?

Olander: I play on four Pioneer CDJ-3000s and the Pioneer DJM-V10 – so, not that exciting. I’m looking at adding some effects units into the mix and I want to start experimenting with some kind of a live set-up, too.

DJing?

Olander: Probably too many if I’m being honest, but I’m taking those to the grave.

DJ LIFE: How about fondest career memories?

Olander: It’s mostly that I’m blessed with being able to do music for a living for over 10 years now. I’ve never really had a regular job and music is all I know so I’m happy it worked out!

DJ LIFE: You’ve had the opportunity to tour with some of the biggest names in electronic music, as well as headline your own shows. Which shows stand out most to you?

Olander: Playing hometown shows is always special, especially when we do our own Vivrant label events. One of the most memorable was at City Hall in Stockholm a couple years back. We got permission to do a show at Blå Hallen, which is where the Nobel Prize dinner is hosted every year. It’s the frst time they allowed someone to put on an electronic show in there and it truly felt historic.

DJ LIFE: Your summer tour includes over 35 shows across the world. What can fans expect this summer?

Olander: Super-excited about it. I’m doing a few Jeremy Olander vs. Dhillon shows on this tour for the frst time. I either do two shows in one day at two difference venues or an early set and a late set at the same venue. I play as Jeremy Olander frst, and go straight melodic and atmo-

DJ LIFE: When it comes to production, can you tell us more about what a typical day in the studio is like for you?

Olander: I try to maintain as much of a routine as possible and approach the studio kind of like a regular job. I do, like, 9-to-4 every day when I’m home, unless I need a day to recover from travel or have something planned with my kids.

DJ LIFE: What would we fnd in your studio and what’s some of your go-to gear, plug-ins, DAW?

Olander: I’m 100-percent loyal to [Apple’s] Logic Pro still and have been pretty much from the beginning, or at least since I started getting serious about production. I have a very basic set-up with an iMac, Genelec monitors, and I use Logic’s ES1, Soundtoys’ EchoBoy, Logic’s Space Designer and iZotope’s Ozone for mastering a lot.

DJ LIFE: Looking back on your career, can you recall a crazy or outrageous story from when you frst started

spheric, and then darker and more straight techno as Dhillon. I’ve revived that alias this year and got the itch back to do more techno stuff.

DJ LIFE: If you could play a back-to-back DJ set with any DJ, which would make your list?

Olander: Oh man, that’s a tough one. I honestly have no idea. I do know that I had a great time playing nine hours B2B with OLING a few weeks ago, so I’d defnitely would want to do that again.

DJ LIFE: What does the rest of the year have in store for you?

Olander: Thanks a lot for having me and to everyone out there supporting my stuff. I see you! I have loads of new music dropping in the next few months that I’m excited to put out there, so look out for that. Hope to see you at one of my shows this summer!

– Mark Mancino

BY MARK MANCINO

With energetic DJ sets and live shows, not to mention plenty of hit records, SOFI TUKKER has been a staple on the EDM scene since 2014.

Comprised of Sophie Hawley-Weld, 32, and Tucker Halpern, 34, the pair’s music has garnered over a billion streams, earned Platinum and Gold records on fve continents, and has topped radio, streaming, and Billboard charts. They’ve also earned two Grammy nominations – in 2017, for Best Dance Recording (“Drinkee”), and in 2019, for Best Dance/Electronic Album ( Treehouse).

Many DJs are familiar with SOFI TUKKER through the group’s smash hits like “Drinkee,” “Purple Hat,” “Best Friend” (feat. NERVO, The Knocks & Alisa Ueno), “Sun Came Up” (with John Summit), “House Arrest” (with Gorgon City),” “ Sacrifce ” (with Kx5), “It Don’t Matter” (with Alok & INNA), “Batshit,” and “Summer In New York,” among an array of others.

Some of their songs might even be well-known due in part to their exceptional sync licensing and placements. From Apple commercials to U.S. Open tennis, and video games to TV-show theme songs, their music has become ubiquitous. And that’s not all… they’ve remixed tunes for the likes of Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Nina Simone, Katy Perry,

WHETHER DJING OR PERFORMING LIVE, SOFI

DYNAMIC DUO

TUKKER

SOFI TUKKER: (from left) Sophie Hawley-Weld & Tucker Halpern.

TUKKER HAS BECOME ONE OF EDM’S BIGGEST ACTS

DYNAMIC DUO

Clean Bandit, Demi Lovato, David Guetta, Bishop Briggs, and TOKiMONSTA.

The twosome has managed to construct quite the discography over the course of their career, which includes two wildly successful LPs, Treehouse (2018) and WET TENNIS (2022) – and fans are eagerly anticipating their third full-length, BREAD , dropping in late August.

Their BREAD album is a 10-track musical journey that showcases the very best of what fans know and love from SOFI TUKKER, all while surprising listeners with some unexpected and non-traditional elements. BREAD is an album that’s guaranteed to make you dance, yet each track packs a unique punch, whether through its lyrics, melodies, or productions.

Upon entering their BREAD era, in true SOFI TUKKER fashion, Soph and Tuck have been baking up something special. Having dropped three singles: “Throw Some Ass,” “Spiral,” and “Hey Homie,” all of which have received widespread praise, they’ve also released accompanying music videos for each respective track, including a co-starring role from Heidi Klum in “Spiral.”

So, you might be wondering: How

Photos by Vanessa Vlandis

exactly did Tucker – the 6-foot-7 college-basketball-player-turnedDJ – and Sophie – the jazz performing singer/songwriter and dancer – end up becoming one of electronic music’s leading duos?

DJ LIFE had the opportunity to sit down with SOFI TUKKER as the group caught some brief downtime between shows. We discuss their history, including how they frst met, all way to up to the recording of the new album. Our chat with Soph and Tuck went down like this…

DJ LIFE: How did you two know you wanted to work together, musically?

Sophie: We met and started working together musically at the same time. Basically, we met in college [at Brown University]. I was doing this sort of acoustic-jazz set at an art gallery, and Tucker was a DJ at the same event. He was playing after me, but came early and saw me play. He was like: “Hey, this is cool, but can I bring a drum beat onto this?” So, he starts playing this drum beat, we loved how it sounded, and thought: “Wow, this is cool! Let’s keep doing this!” Literally, from the moment we met we were making music together, and we just haven’t stopped ever since.

DJ LIFE: Who were some of your musical infuences?

Tucker: I think it’s interesting because when we met, Sophie didn’t really have any knowledge or interest of dance music… house music, that is! She was in a dance troupe in school and stuff, so she liked to dance to music [laughs]. But, she wasn’t that literate in dance music. That was really fun because her infuences were so different, so we were able to mesh our infuences together and it didn’t sound like what was [already] coming out of the dance music world. So, that was really cool. She was really listening to classics in jazz and bossa nova-type stuff. Amadou & Mariam was an act that we really connected on together, but I only really knew of them because of Miike Snow’s remix [of their song “Sabali”]. There were ways that we were connecting, but for me , in my early college days, I defnitely fell in love with dance music and Avicii at that time was a big one for me.

I became even more into dance music once the bubble started reaching the masses, but from there I really got into more European house-music stuff. Also, Nicolas Jaar was in school a couple of years ahead of us, and there’s this really cool, kind of underground dance music scene at Brown in Providence, R.I. So that defnitely infuenced us while we were there as well.

Sophie: That was the only real access I had to dance music at that time, so it was really cool!

DJ LIFE: What was your DJ set-up like during those early years?

Tucker: Initially, I was playing off my computer on [Native Instruments] Traktor. From there, I really wanted to learn on [Pioneer DJ] CDJs. I had a buddy who used to be a DJ, but had kind of given it up, so he lent me his CDJs for my senior year of school. I remember I would just wake up and learn them. They were older CDJs, but it was nice because you weren’t even able to use sync even if you wanted to, so they were good to learn on [laughs].

DJ LIFE: How about your go-to setup today?

Tucker: Our setup now is the Pioneer DJM-3000s and the Pioneer DJM-V10, which is the 6-channel mixer, which is good for us because it has two separate cues. At the same time, Sophie can be cueing stuff while she’s using the Pioneer DJ DJS-1000 [sampler]. She’s able to listen to that in her cues without me listening to it in my cue, so that’s defnitely what I think works the best for us.

DJ LIFE: Compare your DJ sets to your live sets…

Sophie: The biggest difference is that in a DJ set, we’re mixing all of the songs together and it’s not planned ahead of time. When I’m singing during our DJ sets, it’s usually on top of the track, whereas during our live sets, we’re decomposing the song and taking a lot of stuff out. During our live sets, I’m playing the guitar live, I’m singing live – so, it’s actually deconstructing them and making them “live” [versions]. For the production, we usually have a “set,” you know? So, the production is very different when we do a DJ set compared to a live set. Our live shows also tend

to have a bigger stage, which is always fun to use and run around. In a DJ set, we’re using CDJs and there’s usually CO2 and totally different effects; it’s a different vibe, energy level, and feeling.

Tucker: We’ve got the CO2 and the lasers in our live shows now, too, but we didn’t always used to have all that [laughs].

DJ LIFE: How much of a crossover between the two is there?

Sophie: I would say over time they’re becoming more similar. For our DJ sets now, we’ll bring dancers. We’ll dance. There are a lot of performance elements to our DJ sets. A lot of people actually think they’ve seen us live, but they haven’t [laughs]. And then in our live sets, we’re bringing a lot of the really high energy, and mixing songs into each other, which is what we really like about the DJ sets. But there’s still always a different energy: It depends on the venue; it depends on what the vibe of the festival or the club is. And then from there, we’ll usually do what we feel is most appropriate for it.

Tucker: The most technical way to say it is that when we’re DJing, we can play any song at any time. And it’s not only SOFI TUKKER songs, although often the majority are, or remixes of them. But for the live shows, there’s a setlist, we have a plan, and the visuals are all lined up with the tracks. We also have tons of rehearsals and choreography, so it’s all things like that.

DJ LIFE: Let’s venture into the studio. How did you get started there?

Tucker: When I initially learned, I was actually pretty late to the game. I had to stop playing basketball in college. I always loved music and grew up playing the drums a little bit in garage bands, but I didn’t really make music until my junior year in college when I was sidelined and in bed for a long time. I started on FL Studio, so I was a FruityLoops guy, originally; but when I bought a MacBook, I went to Logic Pro. When I was in school, I took some music classes and some they taught on Logic as well. We actually made our frst song in Logic, called “Drinkee.” From there, when we started making our frst EP, we had just moved to New York and were working out of The

Knocks studio – and they had Ableton on theirs. They also told us that once we started playing live that we were gonna want to be working within Ableton, so ever since then, I’ve been in Ableton. Sophie actually also recently started with Ableton, and now she’s pretty good with it already, right Soph?

Sophie: Yeah!

DJ LIFE: With Tuck at home sick, you played your frst ever SOFI-only DJ set in Las Vegas recently. How’d it go?

Sophie : It was awesome! It was something that I felt like I knew I could do, but that I’ve never actually done. At frst it was kind of scary, but once it was over, I was kind of like: “Oh wow, I really get it!” [laughs]. Usually, when Tuck and I are DJing, even though I know how to DJ, he’s a better DJ than me. He’s typically the one picking the songs [track selection] and controlling the master, and I’m bringing lots of a cappellas in, I’m sampling, and performing. But actually, having control over all of it was really satisfying and really empowering! We just had a chat last night, and we were like: “Wow, this is really opening up Pandora’s box!” I defnitely want to B2B more, and I wanna be more in control because it’s really fun!

DJ LIFE: When did you have your frst real “pinch-me” moment as SOFI TUKKER?

Tucker: I think there have defnitely been levels to it. Obviously, there are things that happen now that might seem more routine than when they happened early on in our career. Back then, they might’ve seemed like the craziest things ever, which is nice. We try to always stay grateful, even though goals change and everything. I would say the frst thing for me was probably our Grammy nomination for “Drinkee” because it was the frst song we ever made. At that time, we were so small and playing such small shows that we didn’t even know that was the day they were announcing the nominations, and we didn’t even know we had been put up for it [laughs]! Things are so different now… every time the Grammy nominations come out now, I feel like, “Oh, there is a possibility,” which is crazy. Beforehand, it was so out of this world that we were so shocked and

caught off guard that it felt like, “Oh shit… maybe this is going to be a real thing, and we can do this!”

Sophie: I feel like we’re really lucky to have pinch-me moments all the time, you know? I feel like I had a pinchme moment yesterday when I was DJing… and I was all by myself and I can do it – this is amazing [laughs]! We can be in a restaurant and randomly our music will start to play, and those are pinch-me moments.

DJ LIFE: Similar to WET TENNIS , I just found out there’s an acronym for the BREAD album title as well. Venturing into the world of BREAD … did the acronym come frst?

Sophie: First, it was the track, secondly, it was that we loved the title of the track, and it also felt like it was a statement for the album, so let’s call the album BREAD . But BREAD just because of actual bread. Everybody around the world gathers around bread to bond with the people that they love – and also to get energy. And then as far as the acronym, it was sort of the frst thing that came to mind: “Be Really Energetic And Dance.” It’s really simple, straight-tothe-point, and everything that we want our music to do.

DJ LIFE: What are the next singles from the BREAD album going to be?

Tucker: We just released “Hey Homie” and then the next one we’ll release when the album comes out is “Woof.” We really feel like every song on the album can be a single, so it’s been really hard to choose.

Sophie: The plan is really to fgure out a way to give all the songs a “single life,” even after the album is out… like by doing special activations, music videos, and things like that.

Tucker: Yeah, and “Perfect Someone” is actually the theme song for The Sims new video game. But we had to go in and sing it in Sims language [“Simlish”]… That gives shine

to [“Perfect Someone”], and hopefully in another way that can spark something there. So, stuff like that for songs that might not get your traditional music video and DSP push…

DJ LIFE: How did the creative process differ with BREAD album, as opposed to your previous two albums?

Sophie: The BREAD album-making process was very different. First of all, we spent a lot of time in Brazil while making it, and we’ve always had a lot of Brazilian infuences. Spending all this time there and going to [Rio de Janeiro Carnival], all while making the album was defnitely a big part of it. But also, the level of care and time that we took with each song was really at a level that we’ve never done before. In some ways, sometimes we take a song all the way to 120-percent, and then we’re like: “Actually, we gotta take it back a little bit and add some of that raw magic.” We really wanted to do our due diligence with the songs, and we even did a lot of songs that didn’t make it onto the album. But these 10 songs are extremely special, single-worthy tracks.

Tucker: Also, going to Brazil for two months to work on this album was very different than the last album, which we made during the pandemic. I also think the fact that we were touring and traveling during this album, you can feel that there’s more energy in the songs because we want to play songs that have a lot of energy and make people dance. Those kind of infuences weren’t there as much during Covid, while we were sitting at home. We didn’t have that same inspiration or idea of what’s going to work on the stage and what’s not in that same way.

DJ LIFE: Tell us a bit more about some of the activism work that you do outside of music…

Sophie: Right now, one that I’m most involved with is our Un-Endangered Forest Project. We have a distillery in the

ATA FLIGHT CASES - BAGS - FACADE & WORKSTATION - TRUSSING

Cases & Bags for RANE PERFORMER, FOUR, ONE

Pioneer DJ

Brazilian Atlantic rainforest, and as part of that project in the same region, we’re basically fnding seedlings of endangered trees and fguring out how to make sure they don’t become endangered. So, we’re going in and replanting them on properties throughout the region. The team that’s working on it is really cool and really knows what they’re doing. We love trees and the jungle, which have always been part of our aesthetic, so it’s great to be able to partner with an organization that is making sure that we actually have trees – it’s really cool [laughs]!

DJ LIFE: What’s to come for the upcoming tour? Any new stops for this one?

Sophie: There’s a lot of places where we’re going and playing bigger venues than we’ve played before. We’ve always wanted to play The Anthem in Washington, D.C., or venues that we’ve either been to shows at before or we were the opener in the past and now we’re the headliner.

Tucker: There are some new places for this tour. Right now, we just unfortunately had to cancel a few weeks of touring in Europe [due to my recent strep throat]. So, now I really want to be playing in Europe [laughs].

Sophie: But we are playing in Europe in November!

Tucker: We are, but it’s those fun summer places like Ibiza and Mykonos that we won’t be able to play in, which I was really looking forward to…

DJ LIFE: Your songs have done especially well as far as sync placements. What role did these play in shaping or beneftting your career?

Sophie: I think it’s really hard to pinpoint that one because I feel like we don’t fnd out in the moment, especially when it’s something like a video game. People might be playing it and hearing our music while they’re playing it, so it becomes a part of their life. But then, we’ll hear from people that they’ve heard of us because of FIFA, which are sort of harder to put your fnger on, but we have done some bigger ones, like Apple.

Tucker: Yeah, Apple, for sure. When we did the iPhone X launch, [“Best Friend”] played during the announcement for it, which was really cool… also, the commercial for it where people were singing the words to the song. There were so many people watching, that it almost immediately made a difference for us. The best moments are the ones we can see the most or feel the most. Another cool one was The New Pope, because we’re the theme song [“Good Time Girl”].

Sophie: That one was awesome !!

Tucker: As far as what it means to our career, especially during our early years of touring, we were DJing a lot, you don’t make money touring… you just try not to lose money touring. We were basically funding all the touring and all the grinding that we were doing was because of all these syncs. And I’d say that was about 80-90-percent of our income for the frst three, four years of being a band until we got to a bigger level. Those placements could not have been more important because they helped us pay rent and be able to keep going with it.

DJ LIFE: From creating your own on-stage costumes to collabs with designers like Dolce&Gabbana, fashion –both on and off stage – is a big part of your lives as well, right?

Tucker: It’s defnitely something that I’ve always really been into and it’s another way to sort of build out the world, express our art, and what we wanna say. I think being colorful and fun is just an extension of our music and personalities. I know Sophie’s had a lot of fun designing outfts and stage outfts as well as making relationships with some amazing designers. Yeah, I just love it!

DJ LIFE: At this stage in your career, what are some of your bucket-list items or things we’d fnd on your goals list?

Sophie: Oh, my God, there’s so much that I want to do, both creatively, and also have people respond to things, which is the part that you can’t control.

Tucker: For me, which is more of a broad stroke, would be continuing the growth. We’ve been lucky that since we’ve started, we’ve been on an uphill trajectory, and we’ve been able to keep the momentum going for eight years. I just like continuing that feeling, the feeling that we’re growing. Each time we do a tour, the venues get bigger. Not every time you put a song out will it be bigger than the last, but as long as we keep making better music in my mind, then that feels like growth to me. And if we keep loving what we’re doing. Yeah, I’d love to play stadiums, but in some places we’re able to play arenas now, which is mind-blowing, but once you get there, I know the way I am, I’ll want to then aim for bigger [laughs]. Next would be I want to win a Grammy after being nominated for them… it’s things like that that I’m always striving for, but I’m also just a competitive person… [laughs].

Four-Day Fest Brings Top Talent to the Michigan Woods

Photos by ALIVE Coverage

By Jim Tremayne Rothbury, Mich.

– More than 50,00 fans flled the Michigan woods for Electric Forest this past June 20-23, as the 12th annual festival presented some of EDM’s top performers – DJs, bands and more.

Produced at the Double JJ Resort by Madison House Presents and Insomniac, Electric Forest ’24 presented John Summit, Pretty Lights, Seven Lions, Subtronics, LP Giobbi, Mau P, Ludacris, ACraze, Dom Dolla, Excision, Nelly Furtado, and many more. It all looked like this:

Fantasia: Lasers fy over the fans.

Thankful: Seven Lions at Sherwood Court.

Drop In: Skydiver delivers the message.

Subtronics: Bass in your face.

Say It Right: Nelly

onstage.

Furtado

Southern Hospitality: Ludacris gets loose.

Girl Math: Nala & VNSSA.

Lit Up: Disco Biscuits get groovin’.

Mesmerizing: A late-night scene at EF.

B2B: Dom Dolla & John Summit.

Power of 2: LSZEE’s CloZee & LSDream.

La-La Land: Green Velvet at Ranch Arena.

Day 2: Pretty Pink at The Observatory.

NRG: The real Electric Forest.

Love & Sunshine: Fans embrace.

How to Discover New Music – Tips From a Professional DJ

By Phil Morse

Whether you’re a music fan looking to expand your knowledge, an amateur DJ who wants to broaden your horizons, or an experienced DJ looking for new ideas, I’m here to share with you my secret to discovering new music as a DJ of over 30 years.

DJs will hear more of the world’s music than your average person, so they can pick the best of that music for their own collection – music that talks to you personally. But in a world that is overfowing with music, it can be hard to fnd exactly that, or know where to start. So, here are my fve golden rules that will help you listen to and discover more music:

1. Listen to music anywhere and everywhere.

Your job is to build music into your life to such an extent that it’s harder to avoid it than it is to keep listening. Use your phone alarm to wake up? Set a playlist on a smart speaker in your bedroom instead. Make sure you have speakers in every room of your house (Airplay, Sonos, whatever). Obviously, now’s the time to subscribe to a music-streaming service if you’ve had your head in the sand for the last decade, and get its app on your laptop and phone, keeping it packed with playlists for both when you’re at home and when you’re out and about.

Set every preset on your car radio to a different music channel. If you’re allowed headphones at work, wear ’em. When you go out, try to go to a music bar rather than a sports bar (for instance). Wear headphones at the gym, walking the dog, while running, on planes... you get the idea. No silence.

2. Listen to anything and everything.

This isn’t about being painfully cool; it’s about listening to music – any music. From death metal to kiddies’ TV themes, classical to country, this is your chance to hear music of all types, not just music you’d play, buy or even particularly like.

The point is to have music on. Indeed, it is often better to listen to stuff that makes you uncomfortable – that’s when you broaden your tastes and become more knowledgeable.

3. Don’t think too much about it.

This is, at frst, a hard one to do, but you will get better at it. Listening to music 24/7 is not about having long debates with yourself over whether what you’re hearing is worthy or not, whether you could play it in a DJ set, or anything else cerebral, for that matter. If you cave in to consciously grading, sorting and organizing the music you hear, you’ll be exhausted pretty quickly and fnd yourself turning it off to get a break from yourself.

This is about feelings, not thoughts; emotions, not reasons. When a joke makes you laugh, do you analyze why it made you laugh? Of course not. Nor should you analyze the music you’ve got on. Just have it on.

“IT IS OFTEN BETTER TO LISTEN TO STUFF THAT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE –THAT’S WHEN YOU BROADEN YOUR TASTES AND BECOME MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE.”

4. Notice what interests you.

As from now on, you’ll be playing music all the time, and as you’re not going to overanalyze it, you’re inevitably going to mentally switch off and almost forget you have music on at all. That’s exactly what we want because now you’ll be listening like a “normal” person, not a DJ.

When something grabs your attention, it will do so not via the critical faculties of a hard-to-please DJ, but because deep down you like something about whatever the piece of music is. It’s important to realize that what it is you like about that tune is not important.

You may notice it because it’s a great song, because it really annoys you, because it sounds like something else in your collection, because it’s the frst tune you’ve heard loud for ages – whatever. Learn to acknowledge that something has got your attention, take note of that fact, and get on with your day.

5. Religiously note all such tunes.

Using a note-taking app on your smartphone, or a musicrecognition app like Shazam, or just good-old pen and paper, scribble down names, artists and even snippets of lyrics for you to search later, if that’s all you can get. Just try and get some kind of placeholder for that tune in your system.

Outside of this, it’s also important to consider where you’re getting your music from. If you’re looking to DJ local gigs, check out the Shazam charts for your area (which can be found on Shazam’s website), as well as local radio stations to see what’s popular near you. There are also online sources such as Bandcamp, Mixcloud and SoundCloud; these three alone can introduce you to a huge range of shows, music and producers that you won’t fnd anywhere else.

Furthermore, make use of social media where you can follow DJs, labels and channels that interest you. So, every time you come back, there’s a pile of suggestions for you to get started with.

Finally, don’t forget the music you already have, revisit some old classics, and you don’t know what you might fnd or re-discover. Keep these rules in mind, switch up your sources from time to time, and you’ll constantly be discovering new music.

This is an adapted extract from the 2nd Edition of Phil Morse’s book, Rock the Dancefoor! With a DJ career spanning more than 30 years, Morse is also the founder and CEO of Digital DJ Tips , the world’s largest online DJ school.

If you look at the history of DJ culture, you’ll see that resourceful jocks sometimes fnd unique solutions with products or systems not originally intended for them. In so doing, they often become early adopters of a variety of technologies – from early turntables and drum machines to more modern media platforms – that ultimately help all DJs. In the world of Twitch, where gamers rule the roost, DJ Cova has been one of those adopters and, indeed, a pioneer in the game for DJs.

A longtime jock, remixer/producer and record-label rep, Cova (aka Esteban Covarrubias) transitioned into the online world in 2016 with his Tweak Music Tips show. Originally on Facebook, the show migrated to Twitch in 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic, and caught on with regular content that includes interviews of DJs and industry mover-shakers, reviews of the latest DJ-related gear, discussion of the DJ world’s latest issues, and more.

While Twitch and other platforms have given DJs some bumpy rides in the past few years, the platform has recently announced the Twitch DJ Program that fnds the platform partnering with the music industry, hopefully ensuring a place for DJs for years to come.

We recently caught up with Cova to discuss his career, but also to talk about the Twitch platform and its exciting new connections with the DJ world.

DJ LIFE: What sounds/artists got you interested in music initially?

Cova: I was born in the U.S., but moved away when I was a baby. When we came back to New Jersey – my parents are Chilean – my dad gave me a radio. That’s how I discovered Kiss-FM, WBLS, and the older KTU. These radio stations played artists like Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, The Dazz Band, and The Gap Band. My teenage cousins also had house parties. So, at the age of 5, I watched them dance and interact to these tracks, which felt like the soundtrack to my childhood.

DJ LIFE: What got you into DJing?

Cova: DJing wasn’t actually my initial plan. Even though my dad was the family DJ at all the parties, I was always set on becoming a music producer. That’s why I went to the Institute of Audio Research in NYC. However, I soon realized that the school focused more on recording than production. During my time there, I met a lot of people from all over the city – The Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn – and many of them were DJs. A friend even lent me some DJ equipment, and that’s how, I guess, it all began.

DJ LIFE: When you started spinning, what were you playing on?

Cova: The lent gear from one of my friends from IAR and he lent me two Lineartech belt-driven turntables –with a hand-made pitch control. My friend was an electrician and he created a makeshift pitch control for it, and I also got a Pyramid mixer. I later upgraded to Technics SL-1300 turntables and a Numark mixer.

DJ LIFE: How did you begin to make music?

Cova: Shortly after fnishing the IAR program and starting to DJ, I bought an Ensoniq ASR-10 sampling keyboard. I was so excited that I told the young record-store clerk – named DJ Psychopath – I was going to make a record. He had just bought an E-mu SP1200 sampler himself, and replied with similar enthusiasm – “I’m going to make a record, too!”

CONTENT CREATOR

AFTER YEARS OF LABEL & REMIX TWITCH TO ANOTHER

By Jim

Tremayne

Adopter: Cova’s Tweak Music Tips show.

CONTENT CREATOR

REMIX WORK, DJ COVA HAS TAKEN ANOTHER LEVEL FOR DJS

DJ LIFE: So, what happened?

Cova: We decided to join forces and committed to creating an EP together. However, we quickly realized we lacked the necessary equipment. Since I had a basement apartment at the time, I borrowed as much gear as I could from my friends from school. Amazingly, we were able to fnalize the EP using almost entirely borrowed equipment. It was eventually picked up as a white label and released as “The House of Style” EP. It was our frst record and we had it played on New York radio in 2000. It had a house version of TKA’s “Maria” that Glenn Friscia broke on Hot-97 and then it got picked up by other New York radio jocks and eventually broke into other markets.

DJ LIFE: Not bad right out of the gate…

Cova: That “House of Style” EP was special for two reasons. It came from two kids who didn’t know anything about making records, but we just had the hunger. The freestyle sound had gone out of style, so revamping it into house was a way to bring the sound back. The second reason was that we got our record on the radio. I mean, radio and mix shows were so huge back then. Dave Mondo from Mondo Music was the one who made us make a couple of acetate records. Gave it to Glenn and a couple of other radio jocks... I tell him all the time that I wouldn’t be making records if it wasn’t for you believing in us! He was/is like a big brother!

DJ LIFE: How did you get entrenched in the business and label side of the music game?

Cova: After fnishing my program at IAR, I realized I didn’t enjoy the recording studio aspect of music creation as much as I thought. So, I enrolled in school at William Paterson College and tried college radio, thinking it would lead to bigger opportunities. However, I disliked the limitations and rules of radio. Interestingly, my girlfriend, who had just graduated college and landed her frst full-time job, worked at a record label. She suggested I intern there, and to my surprise, I loved it! That internship eventually led to my frst job at a major record label. Unlike radio, I absolutely thrived in the label environment.

DJ LIFE: What were your jobs in the label world?

Cova: So, I started as an intern at Logic Records. I started in the CD library, just fling CDs and picking them up in the studio. But I got a job in BMG Special Markets. I knew how to DJ and how to record. I knew urban and dance markets, and I would pick special songs for special markets on certain budget compilations. I left the company as an A&R coordinator.

DJ LIFE: Also, you did remixes – what was the most memorable?

Cova: One of the biggest started as a bootleg – Whitney Houston’s “It’s Not Right, but It’s Okay.” We created that remix with The House Alliance. Whitney had just passed and we did it on whim from an instrumental we released on my Tweak Spin label at the time. We added the Whitney vocals to it and rearranged the track. It was like magic. Before long, it hit radio and DJs were playing the track on festival stages.

DJ LIFE: Explain Tweak Music Tips. When did it start, on which platform and what were your initial intentions?

Cova: You could say there was an element of fate involved in starting Tweak Music Tips in 2016. My parents were both teachers, and I found myself constantly explaining music gear, DJing techniques, or some other musical

aspect to my friends. This led me to believe that interviewing people in the music industry would be a cool way to learn more myself, while also giving them a platform to share their stories and the valuable insights they’ve gained on their journeys.

DJ LIFE: When did you begin on Twitch?

Cova: So, we actually started on Facebook with occasional interviews. We interviewed artists like Crystal Waters, Dave Audé, and even Lady Gaga’s producer, White Shadow. We would sometimes multistream to Twitch since DJs were increasingly moving to the platform. Just as we were gearing up to interview David Morales in a couple of weeks, my stream encountered technical problems due to the multi-streaming. We ended up not focusing on Facebook – making it the secondary streaming location – and going all-in on Twitch in June 2020, at the height of the pandemic. Surprisingly, we had around 380 live viewers for that show on a platform we hadn’t focused on much! Our multi-streaming software was basic, so we couldn’t see the Twitch viewers or chat in real-time. Needless to say, the unexpected audience blew us away, and we hit the ground running from there.

DJ LIFE: Why did you become successful on the platform and how did you maintain your status after Covid?

Cova: There are probably two key reasons for our success. First, consistency was crucial. We established dedicated days and times for our streams, allowing viewers to schedule their time around our shows. This was a novel approach in the early days of live-streaming. Second, we prioritized community-building. Even when we faced challenges, like a major artist cancelling an interview 15 minutes before our stream, we didn’t abandon our viewers. Despite the lack of a formal interview, I went live to explain the situation. Surprisingly, I found around 150 people already in the chat, thanks to my moderator’s heads-up. The audience’s enthusiasm – with raids and hype trains – was inspiring.

This unexpected audience engagement led me to interview the DJs who were actively participating in the chat. We even randomly sent interview links to viewers who were DJs themselves. The atmosphere was electric, and we reached a peak of over 400 live viewers. This experience solidifed my belief that while bigname guests were great, the heart of the stream was the community. The true value came from the sense of unity fostered among DJs through our show and its consistent schedule.

DJ LIFE: You moved from Jersey to Florida in the past couple years – where are you physically doing the Twitch shows now?

Cova: When I frst started the show, I actually ran everything out of a tiny home studio I converted from a bedroom. It was a bit of a shoebox setup, but it worked.

Now that I’m in Florida, I’ve got a much more spacious operation going in our two-car garage. I’ve actually got two separate set-ups in the garage. One side is a green-screen setup, perfect for interviews. The other side is a full DJ setup with multi-camera functionality, which is ideal for demos and product review live-streams.

DJ LIFE: Can you break down what gear and software you are using to produce the show?

Cova: As for the tech side of things, I rely on Open Broadcasting Software, or OBS, for the main streaming software. For cameras, I use Sony A7IV and ZV-E10 DSLRs. For audio, I’ve got RØDECaster Pro mixers and Shure SM7B microphones. The Logitech Mevo cameras mounted overhead are a great addition – they let me zoom in and out for those close-up shots when needed.

DJ LIFE: What is it that works on that platform for you and

SIPS, CHIPS & DOGS SUNSET SESSIONS

Sunset Sessions at DJX’24 is all about celebrating community and giving DJs a laid-back space to connect

Kicking off Sunset Sessions is QSC, a brand focused on helping DJs create unforgettable experiences and truly understanding and meeting the needs of the DJ community.

Join QSC on Monday, August 5th for sips, chips, dogs, music and great company!

Meet the QSC Team, enjoy the sound, have a drink and see what the QSC experience is all about.

RSVPS and Wait List Attendees have priority entry. Please arrive early to secure your spot. Food and drink is frst come, frst served.

Monday, August 5th 6:30pm-8pm

Brighton Ballrooms III and IV

other DJs?

Cova: Our show incorporates a variety of elements that resonate with DJs and viewers alike. We host DJ competitions, product reviews – like the AlphaTheta euphonia, OMNIS-DUO, and Rane’s Performer with motorized platters – and, of course, insightful interviews. We’re particularly excited about the new Twitch DJ program, which will provide DJs with their own dedicated category for better discoverability.

DJ LIFE: What things do DJs get wrong about the platform?

Cova: I see many DJs, especially veterans, overlooking the importance of building a virtual audience and creating engaging content. In today’s digital world, we’re witnessing people from all walks of life forging successful careers online. DJs who leverage Twitch effectively can tap into a vast audience and create new opportunities.

DJ LIFE: What numbers are you getting on Twitch and what numbers are realistic for DJs getting started on the platform?

Cova: Our viewership typically ranges from 100-300 concurrent viewers per stream, but it can vary depending on the specifc show and guest. High-profle interviews can attract signifcantly more viewers, sometimes 10 to 20 times our usual numbers. For new DJ-streamers on Twitch, viewership can vary considerably. However, the average beginner streamer can realistically expect to start with around 14-30 live viewers. The key to growing your audience is consistency – streaming regularly at scheduled times. It’s also important to develop a theme for your stream, whether it’s focusing on a specifc music genre or cultivating a unique visual aesthetic. Remember, Twitch is a global platform, so your audience can potentially come from anywhere in the world!

DJ LIFE: You had the Twitch CEO Dan Clancy on your channel late this past fall. What eyeballs did you get from that interview and what did he convey to everyone?

Cova: Man, that interview with the Twitch CEO was truly unforgettable. We anticipated a positive response, but it far surpassed our expectations. The stream peaked at an impressive 11.5k live viewers, and within 24 hours, it garnered nearly 500k replays, making it our most-successful show to date. There was a signifcant buzz leading up to the interview, as many DJs felt they weren’t getting the recognition they deserved on the platform. However, the CEO clarifed that copyright issues were a major hurdle, not a lack of support for DJs. He was incredibly approachable and even offered valuable insights on utilizing Twitch effectively.

DJ LIFE: Regarding Twitch’s latest announcement, explain what it mean for DJs? What does it means for the music industry/labels?

Cova: This Twitch announcement feels like a major step forward for both DJs and the music industry, as a whole. For DJs, it opens the door to a new level of creative freedom. They can now legally mix and play new music, bring back older tracks, and curate playlists that truly refect their unique styles and tastes. Plus, with the ability to monetize streams through label partnerships, this creates a whole new revenue stream for DJs. The music industry and labels beneft, too. Twitch provides a valuable platform for music discovery. Labels can leverage the platform’s reach and engagement to expose artists and tracks to a wider

audience. Plus, the ability to track what’s being played offers valuable insights into listener preferences and trending artists. It’s a win-win! This feels almost like the next evolution of terrestrial radio, but with a video twist – DJs as personalities curating virtual stations. It’s a really exciting time!

DJ LIFE: From the announcement, what are the implications for DJs short-term and long-term?

Cova: Change can be tough to swallow in any industry, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some pushback from DJs at frst. But the good news is that this announcement seems to offer some stability – it sounds less likely they’ll suddenly shut down DJs who are genuinely trying to build something on the platform. That stability is exciting! I’ve personally seen DJs launch entire careers through streaming, then use that online presence to land gigs in real-life venues. This Twitch program feels like the next step in that evolution. For those bedroom DJs out there hustling away, this could be a chance to turn their passion into something truly global. Imagine veteran DJs, with all their experience, connecting with audiences worldwide… it’s a fantastic opportunity.

DJ LIFE: Were you surprised by the announcement?

Cova: To be honest, I was a little surprised by the announcement. DJs haven’t exactly been the biggest market on Twitch, so it wasn’t necessarily the frst platform I expected to embrace us. But then again, Dan Clancy, the CEO, is a musician himself – a music lover, really. When he saw how DJs managed to build a community and keep things going without a ton of built-in support from Twitch, I think he was genuinely impressed. Honestly, I don’t know if this announcement would have happened under any other leadership. It feels like a genuine recognition of the value DJs bring to the platform.

DJ LIFE: Twitch is obviously a platform that’s not specifcally about DJs – it’s really more about gamers. How do you think Twitch and its parent, Amazon, view DJs as a whole?

Cova: You’re absolutely right, Twitch is defnitely more gamer-centric, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for DJs, too! Streaming as a whole is exploding, just look at how platforms like YouTube and TikTok have impacted different industries. Take TikTok, for example; it’s been a gamechanger for music – launching underground tracks into the mainstream, breaking new artists, and even bringing older songs back to life. I think Twitch sees that potential for music discovery on their platform, and fortunately for DJs, they seem genuinely interested in supporting us in that process. Again, it’s a win-win, really!

DJ LIFE: What’s next for you?

Cova: Our passion is helping the DJ culture and music community. So, our main focus will always be supporting DJ culture and the music community. We recently launched an online music academy to help DJs develop their editing and production skills, taking their craft to the next level. This year, I’ve also been invited to speak at four events and conferences, including DJX in Atlantic City, on the topic of live-streaming for DJs, focusing on growth and monetization strategies. It’s a thrilling time! On a personal note, I recently got married, and I have to give a huge shoutout to my wife for always pushing me outside my comfort zone, especially when it comes to public speaking. In the past, I’ve always been more comfortable behind the scenes. But if sharing my knowledge can empower the next generation of DJs, then I’m all for it!

Twin Cities Tour Stop Breakaway Festival Reaches Minnesota

By Jim Tremayne

St.

Paul, Minn.

– As a part of its multi-city series of events, Breakaway Music Festival landed at St. Paul’s Allianz Field Festival Grounds this past June 28-29. Drawing thousands of fans, the event presented some of the EDM world’s biggest DJs, including Illenium, Kaskade, Slander, Knock2, Audien, Dr. Fresch, Frank Walker, Matroda, and more.

The Minnesota event was the ffth stop on a 10-city tour that will also hit Cedar Rapids, Mich., on Aug. 16-17, Worcester, Mass., on Sept. 6-7, Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 27-28, Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 11-12, and San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 25-26. The Twin Cities event looked like this:

Breakaway: Throngs surge the mainstage. Mike Kirschbaum

Flying: TwinSick up in the air. Mike Kirschbaum

Headliner: Kaskade gets going. Mike Kirschbaum

Wilding: Mainstage gets amped. Meg Blair

In the Mix: Rossy on mainstage. Mike Kirschbaum

Snogging: Illenium fans connect. Meg Blair

Stand Up: Knock2 on Day 2. Meg Blair

Boom: Frank Walker on Launch Pad. Mike Kirschbaum

Fire Up: Kaskade pumps the crowd. Billy Gingerich

Booming Duo: Slander post-set. Meg Blair

Day 1: Night Tales on Launch Pad. Meg Blair

Fan Scene: Friends soak it in. Meg Blair

House Call: Dr. Fresch checks in. Meg Blair

Out Front: TwinSick throws down. Mike Kirschbaum

Feel Good: Illenium grabs the mic. Mike Kirschbaum

Ka-Boom: Fireworks at night’s end. Mike Kirschbaum

Game-Changer:

PIONEER DJ

By DJ Deets

Over the last few years, DJ gear has evolved tremendously. Controllers have incorporated more and more features, and all-in-one units have fourished – with some even going so far as to offer built-in speakers and battery power.

However, considering all types of DJ gear, vinyl turntables as a class may have undergone the least evolution in recent years. Many turntables in 2024 look very much like turntables from 2014, which themselves look like turntables from 2004. It seems Pioneer DJ wants this to change, and its latest turntable, the PLX-CRSS12, has the potential to be a big leap forward for the market segment.

Launched in mid-2023, the CRSSD12 looks – at frst glance – like a traditional DJ-oriented turntable. But, despite these similarities, it’s packing one big ace up its sleeve (more on that later). It shares visual elements from Pioneer DJ’s own very-popular PLX-1000, which was released just under a decade ago.

From the labels and buttons, the turntable is designed to be oriented vertically or “battle-style.” It’s powered by a three-phase brushless DC motor connected via direct drive to a full-size 12-inch platter.

At the back, there is a power switch, a USB-C connection, a port for grounding the turntable, and a phono-level output on RCA jacks. The USB-C allows MIDI connection for the performance pads and provides data for the small OLED display on the top (more on both later).

On the left side, there’s a Kensington lock and an IEC power connection. Personally, I would’ve preferred to have the power supply connection by the outputs on the back. (Note from Pioneer DJ: There is cable routing [space near the top-left corner leg] that can route any cable from any

position to the front or side. This was by design.) The current orientation makes connecting the right-hand-side turntable a bit harder when it’s positioned directly next to a mixer or another piece of hardware to the left. On the front, there is a three-position switch to control the electronic brake and how quickly the record stops playing.

On the top of the unit, there is the typical turntable fare –albeit with some added digital fare. At center stage is the full-size 12-inch platter. In my testing, I found the platter to feel rock-solid and steady, just like any other professionalgrade DJ turntable.

At the bottom right, there are four small performance pads. They become active when the turntable is connected via USB to a laptop running compatible DJ software: most likely, Serato DJ or rekordbox. (Note from Pioneer DJ: DJ software that’s compatible with Serato or rekordbox timecode, like Virtual DJ and algoriddim DJ Pro AI, can also utilize this.) They can control hot cues, samples, and even stems functionality. The full bank of eight hot cues can be activated by pressing the button marked “5-8,” which toggles between hot cues 1-4 and 5-8. It’s not the fanciest performance-pad system in the world, but it gets the job done. Personally, I would rather use a mixer with in-built performance pads –like a Pioneer DJ DJM S7/S11 or Rane Seventy-Two – to get optimal use of my hot cues and sampler.

Opposite from the performance pads are the transport controls. There is a start/stop button, which is brightly lit by an LED rim. Just next to it, there’s a button to turn the motor off – this replaces what is usually an elevated switch on other turntables. I don’t particularly lament the loss of the oldstyle motor switch, but it is worth noting. Pressing the start/

MAGVEL CLAMP: Enables direct control of digital music fle.

PLX-CRSS12: Analog playback & tone-arm-free DVS control.

stop button reactivates the motor if it’s been switched off. Above the transport controls are two buttons to switch between 33 RPM and 45 RPM. There’s a pop-up light to help illuminate the deck and calibrate platter speed.

At the top, things get a bit more interesting. As expected, there is a pitch slider with a long throw and accuratefeeling adjustment – two buttons to the left control step pitch and the tempo range. Just below the tempo slider there is a small OLED display that shows helpful information when the turntable is connected to DJ software, including what deck is being controlled and BPM/key information. Key settings for the turntable can also be adjusted here, including the torque level of the motor. There’s also a button marked needle mode. Pushing it switches the turntable from a typical vinyl turntable into effectively a spinningplatter controller for DJ software. When the turntable is in analog mode, the audio output comes from the record on the platter and what is being transmitted via the needle and tonearm. In digital vinyl mode, however, a magnetic clamp at the center of the platter reads how the record is spinning and transmits that information to a small computer inside the device. This computer then translates whatever the record is doing and outputs it as control tone signals that can be read by a DVS-capable mixer, controller, or device running Serato DJ Pro or rekordbox.

In this mode, the tonearm and needle do not need to make contact with the record – in fact, you don’t even need a record on the platter at all. In my testing, I found the digital vinyl mode even worked with just a pair of slipmats. One big advantage to this approach is that there will be no issues from needle futter – this is especially helpful in DJ booths with a lot of vibration.

In my testing, the turntable felt good in both analog and digital vinyl mode. Using digital vinyl mode took a little getting used to. If anything, it was a bit spooky to use a turntable and hear sound come out of my mixer despite the tonearm being clipped in and the needle totally off the record. The sound quality of the turntable in analog mode is more than acceptable, and the platter felt rock solid as I played with it.

There are a couple situations where the CRSS12 makes a lot of sense. For one, I could see venues (or gear rental

agencies) that routinely host DJs requesting turntables invest in these to have on hand. With them, they can support both analog and DVS DJs very easily. I could also see hardcore DVS users opting to use these, given the in-built DVS capability and the headaches such a system eliminates.

Having said that, a big question is whether the CRSS12 is worth the upgrade over a traditional analog-only turntable and running DVS “the-old-fashioned-way” with control vinyl. With a price of $1,399 as I write this review, the CRSS12 costs a bit more than Pioneer DJ’s own PLX-1000 and PLX-500 analog turntables. For some, this difference might be easily justifable.

Another approach might be adding a device like Phase DJ to vinyl turntables to get a tonearm-free DVS setup. Phase consists of a cartridge that sits on the center of a turntable and reads the movement of a vinyl record on a turntable. The cartridge wirelessly transmits that information to an external box that outputs control tone to DVS-capable devices. Here, the Phase box is doing exactly what the CRSS12 does internally – of course, setting up the Phase system isn’t as easy as having the turntable directly output the control tone directly. (Note from Pioneer DJ: CRSS12 doesn’t require recharging a battery.)

Then, there are DJs who solely plan on controlling DJ software. In this case, a device with spinning platters, like a Rane Twelve mkII might make sense. Pioneer DJ’s own DDJ-REV7 controller features two 7-inch spinning platters and a battle-style mixer section on a single device for just a few hundred dollars more than a single CRSS12. The Rane One DJ controller packs similar features as well. This route does lack the versatility of a modular setup or the ability to play vinyl records. (Note from Pioneer DJ: An advantage of DVS over HID or MIDI control is that it isn’t locked to the latest version of the software. Because it uses timecode, you can even use it on older versions of DVS-capable software, including as old as Scratch Live.)

Conclusions: It must be said that the new PLX-CRSS12 by Pioneer DJ is a game-changer for turntables and is the tightest integration of DVS into a turntable ever. Using it feels like turntables have taken a huge leap forward and –perhaps fnally – entered the 21st Century.

Top Interface: FOCUSRITE’S

Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen

By Lexi Ferguson

The Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen audio interface from Focusrite packs useful pro features, reliable core functionality, and handy upgrades in a compact form factor and at a competitive price. The 4i4 is the top of the range of the most recent Scarlett 4th Gen offerings, with larger interfaces still available in their Focusrite’s 3rd Gen Scarlett line. The 4i4 4th Gen will accommodate the needs of most DJ streamers, home-studio producers, independent podcasters, or solo live performers.

Start Up: I had no trouble setting up the Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen for the frst time. The interface started working on my Macbook Pro M1 right away without installing any driver or application. The 4i4 is meant to be used in conjunction with the included Focusrite Control 2 software, which unlocks the full feature set.

The 4i4 4th Gen works fawlessly via bus power with computers that supply enough juice over USB. My Macbook Pro M1 had no trouble powering the Scarlett on its own, though the same might not be true for older Intel Macbooks. While I did most of my testing on a Macbook Pro M1, I also own a PC laptop and did brief testing with that computer as well. I had a similarly smooth overall experience, although my 2021 model Intel PC laptop could not supply enough bus power for the Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen to work without the included AC power adapter. The front panel of the Scarlett unit gives you immediate feedback whether or not it’s getting enough power via a green- or red-lighted charge symbol.

Build: I generally had a high degree of confdence in the stability and reliability of the 4i4 4th Gen, supported by its appearance and apparent build quality. The chassis is made of metal, while the front and back panels are made from sleek black plastic. It feels both lightweight and sturdy.

Use: Using the interface for production, music preparation, and home entertainment went perfectly smoothly. In the past, I’ve experienced some instability with previous generations of the Scarlett line. My production students who use Windows sometimes experienced signifcant trouble using Zoom without crackling audio.

I’ve used older Scarlett units while recording musicians in Panama, and also while running the production booth over the years at the offcial Burning Man radio station. In my personal experience with those units, I sometimes had issues when the USB cable shifted or was bumped, which would disconnect the unit in the middle of using it. With the 4i4 4th Gen, I didn’t have any of these issues, even while intentionally jiggling the cable connection.

Output: The Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen has four physical output channels, which will most commonly be used as two stereo pairs, plus a ffth headphone output channel. Outputs 1 and 2 are controlled by the large Output knob on the front panel. As is common with other interfaces, Outputs 3 and 4 are not controlled by any physical volume knob, and will come through your speakers at maximum volume. You can lower the volume within the Focusrite Control 2 software.

I/O for Everything: Complete compact studio hub.

It also has an additional stereo audio channel for its Loopback feature, which lets you natively record your computer’s overall system output – including web browsers and audio players – without the need for additional software like Blackhole, VoiceMeeter, or Rogue Amoeba’s separate Loopback software. The Scarlett’s native Loopback feature is available on all interface units of the Scarlett 4th Gen line, although the 4i4 has more fexibility in routing the audio than its smaller siblings. On the 4i4 4th Gen, the Loopback audio shows up as Inputs 5 and 6. You can then use this special input for OBS streaming, Zoom meetings, or simply recording browser audio into your DAW.

Inputs: The Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen has four physical audio inputs: two combo XLR-¼-inch inputs on the front panel, and two ¼-inch inputs on the back panel. It has four outputs on the back panel, all ¼-inch jacks.

The 4i4 has four knobs on the front panel – two input gain knobs to control each of the combo XLR-¼-inch audio inputs, an output knob for the speaker output volume, and a headphone output volume knob. The input gain knobs on the 4th Gen model use an infnite encoder, while the output knobs are mechanical and have a fxed low and high boundary past which you can no longer physically turn it.

The input gain knobs are physically different from the output volume knobs, with a rubbery outer texture. The other two knobs are made of metal, with scored sides, presumably to improve grip. Ironically, I found the rubber knobs to have much better grip than the metal knobs, despite the texture given to the metal knobs. It’s a notable difference. I couldn’t use the light touch to I’m accustomed to and prefer to use with my gear, including my Apollo interface and the DJ mixers and controllers I use most often. Of course, the metal knobs turn easily with a tighter grasp; however, I’m forced to wonder why they’d use any knob that slips through the fngers so easily, especially when their rubber knobs work so well.

Other Features: The ring of light around the input gain knobs shows two kinds of information. While you’re turning the knob, it shows the amount of gain applied; and once you’ve set the level, the ring of light switches to show you the live level of the input signal.

The front panel has six buttons for additional options to control the input signals. The Select button switches focus between Input 1 or Input 2, and the other 5 buttons apply

their functions to whichever input is currently selected.

The button marked 48V applies phantom power to the selected XLR input to power condenser microphones. The Inst button refers to “Instrument Level” and applies extra gain for instruments that need additional amplifcation. Press it a second time to return to neutral Line Level.

The Air button has two modes. Press once for green, which adds “Air Presence” – typically a phrase like that means a high-frequency EQ boost, and that’s what it sounds like here; then press the Air button twice for Air Presence in combination with “Harmonic Drive,” which refers to subtle saturation. In production settings, I prefer to add these effects myself, so I can dial in exactly what I want, and change it after the fact. In a live setting like a livestream or radio show, I could see these modes being a very useful shortcut to a great sounding vocal on the fy. I personally found both Air modes to offer subtle improvements to my speaking voice, and I think it’s quite useful.

The Auto button activates auto gain, a mode which listens to the signal for 10 seconds and decides on the optimal gain level. When I tested the Auto button, it worked quite well. It only judges based on 10 seconds and does not update continuously, so it would be best to set it with the loudest part of your performance.

The Safe button listens for when your input signal is clipping and reduces the input gain to preserve a clean signal. When I tested the Safe button, it worked as advertised, pulling back the volume in small increments as I got louder. It seems to reduce the input gain in 4db chunks as necessary. The Safe mode only reduces volume, so watch out – if you have a brief loud moment in your input audio, the rest of the performance will be reduced in volume, compared to before the volume spike.

Conclusions: If you want to stick with the Scarlett range and need more inputs and outputs or more than one headphone output, then you’ll have to get the 8i6 3rd Gen, which sacrifces the new 4th Gen functions of Auto and Safe, the new input gain light behavior, and notably increased input gain range. The next step down from the 4i4 ($279.99 MSRP) is the 2i2 4th Gen ($199.99 MSRP), which cuts the number of inputs and outputs in half, though it retains most of the features of the 4i4 including the great 4th Gen preamp and their input gain range.

Otherwise, The Scarlett 4i4 4th Gen is a fantastic audio interface. It has everything you need for the most common uses at a competitive and reasonable price.

The Family: Focusrite’s 4th Gen range of product.

DIGITAL DAVE

Iron City Beatmaster

By Danielle Johnson

Gibsonia, Pa. – Dave Lander or “DJ Digital Dave” as he’s known, has been running his own DJ company in the Pittsburgh area for 29 years. His array of events varies from nightclubs and bars to professional and collegiate sporting events. Most notably, he currently spins for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates, and University of Pittsburgh football and men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Lander’s journey into DJing began in 1995 at a roller-skating rink and, since then, he’s created a remarkable reputation in the Pittsburgh DJ scene by combining his love for music with his love for sports. At DJX in Atlantic City, N.J., this August, he’ll be spinning the Aug. 7 “MillenniumMixtape Party,” where attendees can expect a mix of genres from 1990 to 2010. Here’s his story:

DJ LIFE: How did you get into DJing?

Lander: In 1995, I was working at a roller-skating rink just north of Pittsburgh called Romp N’ Roll as a skate guard. I worked Saturday afternoons and always hung out Saturday nights after my shift with the Saturday-night DJ, Jim McCaan to watch him work. One night, Jim called in sick at the last minute and the manager, David Martin, asked me if I wanted to try DJing for the evening… and the rest is history.

DJ LIFE: Where did you grow up and what got you frst interested in music?

Lander: I grew up in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh. My frst concert with my dad was the Statler Brothers, Ricky Skaggs, Ronnie Milsap, and Lee Greenwood. I listened to mostly country music until middle school and then I fell in love with the heyday of New Jack Swing... SWV, Jade, En Vogue, Bobby Brown, After 7, etc., and then Golden Era Hip Hop as well as the dance music that was coming out at the time. In 1985, I was at Cedar Point amusement park

in Sandusky, Ohio, with my family and heard a cover of DeBarge’s “Rhythm Of The Night.” I had to have it, so at 6-years old, I made my mother take me out to our local National Record Mart and we found it on 45. That was the frst record I ever owned.

DJ LIFE: How many events do you do each year?

Lander: I do around 200-250 annually. I have a crew of local DJs who do weddings and events for me; however, they’re subcontractors and welcome to pick up their own gigs as well. Two of my best friends, Jan Jursa/DJ Jan, and Mark Raich/DJ Hypnotyza, have been doing gigs for me for almost 15 years. I enjoy running a company, but I love music, so I never wanted to grow so big to the point where running a company took me away from my passion for music.

DJ LIFE: What’s your percentage breakdown of events?

Lander: We do about 20-percent weddings, 35-percent sports, 40-percent nightclubs and bars, and 5-percent corporate/private events.

DJ LIFE: What makes your company unique within the market?

Lander: As far as weddings go, our

market is unique in that we have lots of gorgeous 100-plus-year-old buildings that house weddings. However, a lot of them have huge rooms full of marble, which are gorgeous, but can make acoustics challenging. I have a great relationship with many of the wedding vendors in the city. It feels like a big family and everyone gets along pretty well. I’d say we all bring our nightclub experience to the table in DJing weddings, which leads to a lot of fun energy during the dancing portion of the evening.

DJ LIFE: How does your company market itself?

Lander: It’s important for me to market my company as diverse, doing nightclubs, sports, and weddings. I make sure they all shine and get love. I’d say, marketing-wise, we get the most engagement on Instagram and Mixcloud. All of my marketing is organic at the moment. I spend money on marketing – design work – but I don’t spend any money on actual advertising.

DJ LIFE: As it relates to spinning for sporting events, what are your responsibilities?

Lander: I’m playing all the music you hear in the stadium/arena… whether it’s a music bed for a presentation, a song to hype up fans in a pivotal moment, or just a fun, poppy tune for fans to dance to during a commercial break. Every day when I come to work I get a 10-plus page script outlining every element that will happen as part of our show. This includes things like player intros, presentations, contests, etc. Throughout the show, I’m on a headset in constant communication with the entire staff that runs the video board as well as our game day producer. It takes a village to put on a show in a major stadium or arena.

DJ LIFE: For a DJ, how do the sporting events differ?

Lander: The vibe is different for each. With baseball, we’re less

intense with our music selections sans specifc pivotal moments. It’s summertime, a ton of families attend games and our music selection is diverse and light-hearted. Football is much more intense, with a lot of hip-hop and hard rock. In basketball, energy falls somewhere in between the two. I’d say we’re musically heaviest on hip-hop, EDM, and pop for basketball.

DJ LIFE: What was the biggest learning curve for you doing these events?

Lander: First, you have to be ready musically at any given moment for almost anything. In football, a play could result in a sack, interception, a short gain, a long gain, or a touchdown, for either team, all of which have their own unique songs we’d play to accompany them. Second, in sports, you’re not controlling the energy of the room, what’s happening on the feld is, and you have to respond to it. Usually, as DJs at weddings or nightclubs, we’re used to controlling the vibe, so it’s unique to not have that control. We’re quite literally soundtracking more so than DJing.

DJ LIFE: What do you think are the all-time best walk-up songs for Pirates hitters?

Lander: This season is easily Rowdy Tellez’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Rowdy had a slow start to the season and changed his song to the Shaboozey hit, and since he made the change, he has been having a monster year and become a fan favorite. Easily the best walk-up song on our team for the year.

DJ LIFE: What’s the most fun part of spinning for sporting events?

Lander: As a lifelong sports fan working for my hometown teams, getting to be a part of helping to create an atmosphere that can help my teams win is so incredibly cool. Also, being a part of some historic moments is really special. Last week, the Pirates hit seven home runs, including two grand slams, in one game, which we hadn’t done in over 90 years. I got to work [Steelers’ quarterback] Ben Roethlisberger’s last game at Heinz Field, where he took a 10-minute, post-game victory lap around the feld high-fving fans, while I played Foo Fighters’ “My Hero” and Motley Crue’s “Home Sweet Home,” which ended as his kids ran out onto the feld into his arms. That moment still almost brings me to tears.

DJ LIFE: How has the business changed in the past few years?

Lander: During peak-Covid, business was tough. Then post-Covid, it was almost too much, and now I’d say it’s fnally leveling out. My favorite thing about where music is currently is there are fewer obvious bangers than ever, which makes DJ sets more unique. I see that as a great positive, which also allows the DJs with the deepest knowledge and most creativity to shine.

DJ LIFE: What DJ gear set-up do you usually use?

Lander: I use a Pioneer DJ DJM S-11 mixer, Technics 1200s, Shure QLXD Beta 58 wireless systems, Pioneer HFJH5 headphones, Astera Titan Tubes for lighting, and a variety of RCF speakers including Evox 8, Evox 12, and ART-932 tops with 8003-AS subs.

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

Lander: I don’t know, to be honest. As a club DJ frst, I never expected to get into weddings. I also never expected to get into education and I never expected to be soundtracking games for four of the fve biggest sports teams in my city. I never expected to get to play on Power 106 in LA or play on multiple different Sirius XM stations or at LIV nightclub in Miami. I go to work every day with one goal, which is to do a better job than I did the day before. That was the goal yesterday, that’s the goal today and that’s the goal tomorrow. Most days, I feel I have achieved that goal which, in my mind, is what’s led me to all of the great opportunities that have presented themself over the years.

Dave Lander: Pittsburgh’s top sports DJ.

DJS, WHY USE AI?

Let Me Count the

By Jordan St. Jacques

Recently, I’ve been posting various AI-generated images in Mike Fernino’s DJ Idea Sharing Group on Facebook in attempts to showcase some of the benefts of using such imagery on a DJ-centric website. There are actually quite a few reasons to at least consider AI images, and yet most DJ companies still don’t seem to approach this topic with enthusiasm. I am, of course, listening to the naysayers on the comments, such as “the quality isn’t good enough” or “clients want realism,” etc. So, let’s go over the matter in this article, with the goal of countering the myths and pointing out aspects that you might not have considered with respect to using AI images in your marketing mix.

LET’S GO OVER THE FOLLOWING:

Image quality

Creativity

Personalization

Legal permissions

Time and cost

Image Quality

No argument here, there is still much work to be done before every AI image is perfect. Images can be skewed badly by problems such as misplaced teeth, ghoulish faces (my fave glitch, lol), eyes going in different directions, badly sized and misplaced limbs, etc. However, there are many image scenarios that end up being absolutely perfect. It is still hitand-miss, but the hits come more often than the misses. You owe it to yourself to use whatever AI images that come out just right.

Ways

Authors Note: Our own site, prommarketing.com, uses AI photos extensively due to the teenage aspect of what that brand is all about. AI photos have saved us tens of thousands of dollars in not requiring photoshoots on all the images we have on that site.

TIME & COST

CREATIVITY

When it comes to differentiating yourself from the competition, the imagery that you use on your website makes a big difference with respect to the storytelling aspect for your brand. Most of you have the usual photo styles covered from the various photos that you have taken at your gigs, of course. But, what about when an image requires a scene that doesn’t present itself quite often? Or, when a real-life photo requires touchups to look as good as it can be? AI images solve these creative problems and more.

PERSONALIZATION

The best marketers I’ve seen out there take the extra time and effort to personalize their sales materials to the client in question. This personalization engenders a higher degree of trust, making the client feel as if you are paying special attention to their needs directly. To execute on this, however, is quite time-consuming under normal circumstances,

especially with photos and, most of all, video. AI solved those challenges, though, allowing you to invoke such personalization at scale, so that personalized photos and videos are prepared in a fraction of the time.

Authors Note: Check out the AI video-scaling tool called BHuman I’ve used it before.

LEGAL PERMISSIONS

Although a lot of you simply go ahead and use photos from your gigs without obtaining legal permissions, you’re actually supposed to obtain a release form for each photo used, and from every person shown in the photo in question. Furthermore, when it comes to anyone under 18, that obligation shifts to requiring a photo release form signed by the parents of each child. This is, of course, quite a burden, and so it’s not a surprise to learn that over 70-percent of the DJ-centric websites out there are in some form of legal jeopardy. To remove this liability, use AI photos.

Suppose you have a situation that calls for a unique style of scene, one which is unusual for a wedding photo. You have a choice – either spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a professional photoshoot or get creative with AI in order to get that photo taken. Last time I checked, DJ company budgets for professional photoshoots aren’t very large. Consider using AI images to save on photoshoot costs, at least until you can fnd a real-life photo that can be swapped into that space.

CONCLUSIONS

I hope I’ve given you enough reasons to start using AI images in your marketing workfow. The debate continues, of course, but the technology is improving every week. Within a year, the negative comments on using AI imagery that exist today will be moot, and those of you who are late to the game will need to play catch-up in a hurry. Don’t get left behind!

For more on these AI issues, please see my various seminars at DJX 2024 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, N.J., this Aug. 5-8.

ON THE XPRS

AlphaTheta Corporation’s Pioneer DJ brand has released four new additions to the XPRS2 Series of loudspeakers. Currently rounded out at six systems, the series now includes the 8-inch XPRS82 and 15-inch XPRS152 full-range units and the 15-inch XPRS1152ST and 18-inch XPRS1182ST active subwoofers. Features for the full-range units include four DSP modes (including Live, Music, Speech, and Monitor) and 16 Customizable User DSP Modes, which can be saved with custom names, to ensure EQ settings are maximized in every scenario. Features for the subs include three DSP Modes (Boost, Extend LF, and Normal) and an M20 screw socket

standard metal pole mount. The full-range units include Class D 2,000-watt amplifcation, while the subs offer Class D 4,000-watt amplifcation.

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

LOVE TRAKTOR

Native Instruments has released Traktor Pro 4, the latest version of its fagship four-deck DJ software, which offers next-generation creative tools including fexible beatgrids, high-quality stem separation, Ozone Maximizer, and Pattern Player. The Stem Separation is powered by AI and iZotope’s RX technology and it allows users to precisely isolate and manipulate stems – drums, bass, instruments and vocals – individually. The fexible beatgrids are ideal for moving between genres or mixing tracks with a changing tempo. The Pattern Player brings the sounds of iconic drum machines to DJ sets. The Ozone Maximizer protects the mix from clipping and distortion.

Native Instruments North America 5101 Santa Monica Blvd Ste 8 Los Angeles, CA 90029 (866) 556-6487 www.native-instruments.com

A NEW PERFORMER

RANE, an inMusic brand, has released Performer, a 4-channel motorized DJ controller. Designed for skillful showcasing and creative mixing, Performer features hightorque, motorized, 7-inch aluminum platters equipped with hi-def 3.5-inch LCD screens, offering track info, waveform dynamics, and album artwork. The unit’s Day Mode guarantees screen visibility in all lighting conditions. Other features include: advanced stems control capabilities, allowing DJs to manipulate individual music components in real-time; STEM-SPLIT and STEM LEVEL, which allow DJs to creatively remix tracks on the fy; enhanced FX suite, incorporating 29 MAIN FX controllable via intuitive paddle triggers and four knob-controlled CHANNEL FX; MAG FOUR crossfader; and four PRECISION FEEL volume faders.

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

CRANK IT UP

On-Stage, a brand of The Music People, has released the LS9900B Crank-Up Lighting Stand, which makes it easier for DJs to set up and tear down tall lighting and loudspeaker confgurations in performance spaces. To accommodate a wide range of lighting effects, the stand adjusts in height, reaching as high as just over 13 feet. Raising and lowering is accomplished via a hand-cranked ratcheting winch, making it much easier to fully elevate and safely bring down heavy equipment. At the top, a T-bar holds light fxtures with four available mounting spaces that accept PAR cans, LEDs, spots, lasers, projectors, moving heads, and other effects. A standard 35-mm speaker adapter is also included, enabling the use of add-on attachments to mount speaker arrays weighing up to 185 pounds. For compact storage, effcient transportation, and ease of load in and load out, the T-bar can be detached and the tripod base folds down.

On-Stage/The Music People 154 Woodlawn Rd Berlin, CT (800) 289-8889 www.on-stage.com

MAJOR UPDATE

Image-Line has launched FL Studio 2024, a major update introducing new features that aim to provide music producers with everything they need to stay in the creative fow. The new version expands FL Cloud with plugins, launching with 69 instruments and effects from brands like Native Instruments, UVI, and Baby Audio, which can all be managed and installed through one application. It also introduces a powerful, AI-powered music-composition tool, as well as in-demand effects to FL Studio, building on recent features and services for enhancing the creativity and workfow for all producers, and making it easier than ever for complete newcomers to start creating their best music. Also, FL Cloud is now available in three tiers – Plus, Pro, and Free – with each tier benefting from the addition of plugins. All existing FL Cloud subscribers are now upgraded automatically to FL Cloud Plus, at no extra cost.

Image-Line NV Franklin Rooseveltlaan 348 D B-9000 Gent, Belgium 32 9 281 15 33 www.image-line.

JOLTED!

ADJ has released the Jolt Bar BX2 and the Jolt Panel FX2 multifunctional strobe/wash fxtures, both of which offer intense output and huge versatility. Delivering the creative potential of dazzlingly bright white strobe/blinder LEDs combined with zone-controllable RGB color mixing LEDs in the same fexible fxture, they provide huge creative potential. These next-generation units also offer a variety of upgrades to the original models which make them even more appealing. Delivering the same high-impact effects as the original Jolt models, these new versions offer more robust external housings, reinforced hanging brackets, wider rigging fexibility, diffusion flter slots, and ADJ’s Aria X2 wireless system built-in. Both fxtures feature a central strip of 5-Watt cool white SMD LEDs which are extremely bright and, when combined in multiples, generate truly intense strobe and blinder effects.

ADJ 6122 S. Eastern Ave Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 316-9722 www.adj.com

MIC CHECK

Shure has introduced the Nexadyne dynamic microphone platform. Available in cardioid and supercardioid polar patterns, Nexadyne vocal microphones feature with Shure Revonic Dual Transducer Technology. These two transducers work together to provide a greater range of acoustic optimization, maximizing specifc frequencies and minimizing unwanted noise, especially handling noise and mechanical vibration. This built-in signal processing delivers a stronger output than traditional single transducer designs, while subsequently removing the need for a traditional pneumatic shock mount and time-consuming, corrective audio editing.

Shure Inc. 5800 West Touhy Avenue

Niles, IL 60714 (847) 600-2000 www.shure.com

ENGINE THAT COULD

Engine DJ, an inMusic Brand, has released Engine DJ 4.0, its latest version of its DJ performance software with an array of new features providing greater customization, improved workfows, and enhanced performance capabilities. They include: Redesigned Performance View, which includes consistent deck layout across all views and devices, enhanced album art display, and new Beat Phase/Beat Keeper options; Layout Manager, which offers 100 different performance view combinations with the ability to save and recall up to three custom layouts; and the Performance Library is now accessible in all view confgurations. Also, the software makes browsing and searching faster and more effcient with improved Library layout and a redesigned Search Bar.

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

OFF THE BONE

ADJ-related brand Accu-Cable has released the Power Bone series of power-distribution boxes. Perfect for a variety of apps, including lighting, audio, video, and effects for one-off events, touring productions or permanent integration projects, all units are IP20-rated and therefore suitable for indoor use only. All three units in the series feature the unique bone-shaped design, four outputs, additional input and thru connections, two bonus USB outputs, and an Omega Bracket for mounting. The Power Bone T1ED features four standard Edison output sockets, the Power Bone T1PC features four Seetronic locking power output sockets, and the Power Bone T1T1 features four Seetronic IP65 locking power connectors. All three models feature a pair of 2.4V DC USB output sockets that can each be used to charge or power low voltage devices with a maximum draw of 2.1A per socket/3.4A in total. All three models are cETLus, FCC and CE approved and have a slimline design and low weight of less than 4 pounds.

Accu-Cable/ADJ 6122 S. Eastern Ave Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 316-9722 www.adj.com

TRACKS

“Luna ”

Cosmic Boys & Sam WOLFE Legend

A relentless storm of beats gives way to pulsing effects, rising synth swirls and ethereal Middle Eastern vocals on this mega-percussive techno track. Tough and melodic, this one’s a keeper.

– Jim Tremayne

“Don’t You Know”

DJ Vivona & Crystal Waters

Sunclock

Italy meets the U.S. on this release, with the Sicilian producer hooking up with legendary vocalist Waters. The original version heads down the tech-house route, whereas on the fip the “Disco Mix” does exactly what it says… with funky guitar and strings galore.

– Curtis Zack

“Wild Electric” (Gregor Tresher Remix)

ADRIANNA

Temple House Music

Soulful vocals ascending over a nervy synth line and taut rhythms make this a terrifc techno track. German DJ/producer Tresher raises the stakes with a transcendent, rugged remix that should ignite the dancefoor.

– Jim Tremayne

“Strings of Life (Stronger on My Own)” (Michael Gray Remix)

Soul Central feat. Kathy Brown

Defected

Forthcoming on a full Kathy Brown long player, Michael Gray has taken this huge hit and turned it on its head. A boogie bassline, classy piano and Kathy’s unmistakable vocals give this a fresh new edge, nearly 20 years after the original dominated dancefoors worldwide.

“Energy”

Duke Dumont

Club Blasé/EMI

A simple, but deeply catchy EDM track, Dumont’s latest relies on a manic synth riff, insistent kick drums and sampled, spoken-word vocals to create a real earworm. You might be hearing this one for awhile.

– Jim Tremayne

– Curtis Zack

Soul Central

Duke Dumont

Gregor Tresher

DJ Vivona

Crystal Waters

“Our Love (80s)” (David Penn Remix) Yours Defected

The dance supergroup consisting of Maverick Sabre, New Machine, Jake Hall and SOLLÉR gets the remix treatment from Spanish superstar David Penn. As you’d expect, he takes it from a super-cool nu-disco cut to a super-cool house banger. Excellent stuff all round.

– Curtis Zack

“Ain’t Nobody”

David Morales feat. Romina Johnson DIRIDIM

A rave-up cover of Chaka Khan’s 1983 R&B classic, Morales’ approach brings it to the modern dancefoor and Johnson’s big vocals don’t disappoint. Call it Nu-Disco or groove-flled modern club music, whatever… the chugging rhythm and the gleeful horns will get you moving, hands in the air for sure.

– Jim Tremayne

“Lonlieness” (DJ Meme Remix)

Ch’i feat. Alison Crockett

Sub-Urban

Originally released in 1998, this bumpin’ track enjoys a great remix from DJ Meme, who hits the accelerator pedal on this new interpretation. A catchy piano hook, strings and the vocal all combine to bring this great track to a whole new audience.

– Curtis Zack

“Win Your Love”

Jason Herd, Nightlab & Kathy Brown Bohemian Disco

After a brief hiatus, Jason Herd is fring on all cylinders, as his Bohemian Disco label keeps dropping winners. Featuring Kathy Brown on vocals, this pure house groover is nu-disco at its fnest. Check the “Bohemian Disco Mix” – it’s sublime. – Curtis Zack

DJ Meme

“I’m The Only One”

Lello Russo & Alex Rai feat. Venessa Jackson

King Street Sounds

With no let up quality since the acquisition from Spinnin’ Records, King Street’s latest release is everything you would expect. The original is a percolating, soulful gem, perfect for late night New York City dancefoors, and on his terrifc remix Sebb Junior does his thing on the garage/ house tip.

– Curtis Zack

Venessa Jackson

Jason Herd

David Morales

CLUB PLAY CHART

■ Gary Canavo masspooldjs Saugus,MA

■ DJ Sticky Boots The HyperMiXx Syndicated

■ Dan Mathews Rhythm 105.9FM + Syndicated

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■ Randy Schlager

■ DJ Ilan Fong

■ Chris Egner

■ Alan Chasen

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■

■ Ritmo Internacional Record pool

■ DJ Latinos Record Pool

■ MassPool

■ Record Pool Latino

■ Latin Beat Chicago Record Pool

■ All In Music Pool