DJ Times "30 Years" 2018, Vol 31 No 9 by DJ Times Magazine

1988 2018

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988 WINTER/30TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE

VOLUME 31 NUMBER 9

LeXeDIT

LATIN MUSIC’S TOP REMIXER JOINS BPM LATINO Find hundreds of exclusive edits and original remixes by the prominent producer BPMLATINO.COM

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New Tech: DJs descended on ADE’s Gear Test Lab.

Back to the Future: Laidback Luke followed a tech timeline.

Marco Scheurink

Mark Richter

NOTABLES…MILESTONES NEWS

Chris Chin

ABDJ ’18: Markus Schulz

companies include Native Instruments, Serato, Virtual DJ, DEX3, Mixvibes and DJuced/ Hercules and the development will enable users to stream and mix original tracks, DJ sets, mixes, beats and loops more via SoundCloud Go+ subscription and their favorite DJ app. To support the integrations, SoundCloud also announced that it has added high-quality audio streaming to SoundCloud Go+, its premium-content subscription offering. “Until recently, digital workflows for DJs were limited to downloads and physical media, but streaming workflows are the future,” said Trainor. “Through the partnership, DJs will have the largest, most diverse streaming music catalog ever assembled, instantly accessible within the tools they use every day.” Also, at the Gear Test Lab at de Brakke Grond, gear-makers and technology developers displayed their

New York City – For an unprecedented third time, Markus Schulz has been voted America’s Best DJ. Now in its 13th year, DJ Times’ annual fan vote ran alongside a summer full of ABDJ-related tour stops in cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, Denver, New York and Baltimore. At presstime, the Miamibased DJ/producer was prepared to accept a new golden Pioneer DJ mixer, which represents the ABDJ title.

Mad Parties: ADE presented over 2,500 DJ/artists.

wares. Major manufacturers like Pioneer DJ, Denon, and Ableton showed their latest and a few companies demonstrated brand-new products. In addition to its TRAKTOR PRO 3 DJ software, Native Instruments debuted its TRAKTOR KONTROL S4 controller. Among its new features: Jog wheels uniquely transmit cue points to DJs’ fingertips. At the Aptec booth, Audionamix, which specializes in audio-source separation, debuted XTRAX STEMS 2. An update on its original software, which automatically separates songs into three parts (vocals, drums and remaining music) for DJs and remix artists, the new version is equipped with an advanced algorithm offering 30-percent faster stem isolation. Also, tech companies ROLI and nura collaborated at their booth, showing the nuraphone headphones, which uniquely controlled sound (attuned to your personal hearing) through touch on BLOCKS, ROLI’s modular music-making system. Notable Seminars: On Oct. 18 at DeLaMar Theatre in a keynote Q&A with rock manager Merck Mercuriadis, legendary musician/produc-

er Nile Rodgers, who had big disco hits with Chic and helped create chart-topping albums by Madonna, David Bowie and The B-52’s, filled 60 minutes with terrific anecdotes and juicy dollops of inspiration. For example, he told the story of an illuminating, early-career conversation he had with the late jazz guitarist Ted Dunbar. After Rodgers conveyed his reluctance to playing pop songs – like The Archies’ “Sugar Sugar” – with a cover band back in the day, Dunbar replied: “Man, any song in the Top 20 speaks to the souls of a million strangers.” It was then, Rodgers said, that he began to open his mind, view music differently and became inspired to write future hit “Everybody Dance,” which, he noted, was “the beginning of Chic.” Later, on the same day within the same venue, Dutch DJ/producer Laidback Luke went “Back to the Future” with a gear-heavy workshop/presentation that deftly drew a technological timeline for DJ gear – beginning with turntables and mixers, and eventually evolving to CDJs and modern touchscreen controllers. Luke, cur(continued on page 42)

WINTER 2018

A m s t e rd a m , N e t h e r l a n d s – According to organizers, Amsterdam Dance Event drew more than 400,000 visitors from more than 100 countries – including more than 7,000 electronic-music-industry professionals – to its annual conference/ exhibition/festival. Held this past Oct. 17-21, the 23rd edition of ADE offered more than 450 evening and 600 daytime events at over 200 Amsterdam venues. Over 2,500 DJ/artists performed, and more than 600 speakers participated in keynotes, workshops, panels and master classes on a variety of industry-related topics. As usual, DJ Times was there to take in all the action. Notable Tech News: Soundcloud CEO Kerry Trainor announced that the platform has partnered with leading software companies to integrate SoundCloud’s massive catalog (190 million tracks) into their DJ software – it’s the first time that DJs will have unlimited, immediate access to stream and mix such a catalog through pro-DJ software. Those

DJ TIMES

By Jim Tremayne

Ruben May

ADE ’18: TECH DEBUTS, INSPIRATION & MAD PARTIES

6 6

FEATURES

14 A Look Back in Time

For DJ Times’ 30th Anniversary, We Re-Connect with Some of Our Top DJ-Subjects BY JIM TREMAYNE

22 Memory Lanes

Time Has Changed the DJ & The Way Clients Experience Their Events – Here’s How... BY JEFF STILES

24 Amsterdam Dance Event ’18

ADE ’18 Brought the Global-Dance Industry to Holland BY ADE PHOTOGRAPHERS

26 Double Duty

Anna Lunoe’s NYC Weekend Delivered a Pair of Wild Parties BY BRIAN BONAVOGLIA

SAMPLINGS Vj & Vid eo is s u e

10 Kungs

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LESSONS LEARNED: ONLINE DJ COURSES

30 Years of Ch-Ch-Changes

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WINTER 2018

VOLUME 31 NUMBER 9

1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

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FROM THE EDITOR

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018

Happy Anniversary: 30 Years of DJ Times

When publisher Vinny Testa started DJ Times in late 1988, it appeared to be a simple business decision with surprisingly scant regard for the era’s growing DJ culture. How do I know this? Well, years ago, he told me a story about how he realized that after attending several mobile-DJ-led events on Long Island – weddings, Sweet 16s, whatever – he added up the value to all the jocks’ gear and decided there needed to be a magazine for these performers. In his mind, there were monthly applications-based publications for guitarists, bassists, keyboardists, drummers – so why not DJs, too? And, as it related to the music-products industry (aka the M.I. retail market), many of these companies needed to know that “DJ” was an essentially unidentified and somewhat untapped market. Of course, what he couldn’t know in its entirety was how much steam the DJ culture had already gathered by that time. In addition to the technological evolutions in the pro-audio, playback, lighting, and studio sectors of the market – again, few of which actually identified with DJing at the time – there was something going on musically with a pair of DJ-driven genres in the U.S. and the U.K. In the States, with the help of MTV, hip-hop had crossed over to Middle America – just Wiki “1988 in hip-hop music” and you’ll be astounded by that year’s number of seminal releases. Across the pond, England was abuzz (literally) with the original rave scene, its most revolutionary musical movement since punk a decade earlier. Essentially, we’re talking about two DJ-led music cultures that reverberate to this day. So, while Vinny might’ve stumbled onto something bigger than he realized, his instincts (as they often are) were spot-on – and 30 years later, DJ Times is still here. Accordingly, with this anniversary issue, we take a look back at some of the more memorable quotes from some of the most influential DJs we’ve interviewed over the years. Trust me, it was quite an effort to gather and if we left out your favorite DJ, I feel for you. But understand, we were looking for quotes that helped tell a story of the DJ culture, not so much the greater glory of that particular DJ/producer. Also, with the help of Twin Cities-based tech scribe DJ Deets, we put together a “DJ Gear Hall of Fame” (of sorts), which covers playback-related kit. We hope you enjoy the trip back in time. On the mobile side, we take a look back as well. Iowan scribe Jeff Stiles asks some very successful DJ veterans to compare today’s mobile market with the one three decades ago. What did you do back then that you don’t do today? What were prices like? How did performances differ? From East Coast (Jersey’s Mike Walter) to West Coast (Cali’s Brian Doyle), we get some serious reminiscing. Also, in Business Line, we hit some more veterans with one very specific question: How has the business aspect of the DJing changed for you? In Mobile Profile, we visit with Jeffrey Craig Siber of Total Entertainment in Hackensack, N.J. – and why not? He’s one of the few mobile entertainers/entrepreneurs that has been at it longer than DJ Times – 44 years. Mazel tov. As for DJ/artists in this issue… this past Labor Day weekend, our Brian Bonavoglia spent a day with Aussie DJ/producer Anna Lunoe, who maintained a stage at New York’s Electric Zoo festival, then spun an afterparty at Brooklyn’s Analog club. She reveals how she prepped for the events and how she grew her HYPERHOUSE brand. In Samplings, our Canadian scribe Ryan Hayes connected with youthful French DJ/producer Kungs, while new contributor Jaime Sloane returned from a European trip with a studio-related story on Sweden’s Axel Boman, a rather twisted house producer. Also, in this issue, we deliver our annual report from the Amsterdam Dance Event – Europe’s most vital dance-music-industry confab. In addition to the lively pictures provided by ADE’s crack photo crew, we report on all the week’s newsy moments, its tech debuts and, of course, the party highlights. As usual, there were plenty of each. On the tech side, DJ Deets does some double duty by reviewing two very different Pioneer DJ controllers (DDJ-400 and DDJ-SX3) in the Sounding Off column. And in Making Tracks, Denver’s Wesley Bryant-King reviews Sonarworks’ Reference 4 Studio Edition, a software solution for accurate studio monitoring. As we look back at 30 years’ worth interviews with major DJs, we also must congratulate Markus Schulz for being voted America’s Best DJ for an unprecedented third time. This past Nov. 30 at Marquee New York, the Miami-based DJ/producer was presented the gold-plated Pioneer DJ DJM900NXS2 mixer that represents the coveted title. Congrats Markus and many thanks for all your contributions to our industry. Cheers,

editor-in-chief Jim Tremayne jtremayne@testa.com editor-at-large Brian O’Connor boconnor@testa.com assistant editor Brian Bonavoglia bbonavoglia@testa.com chart coordinator Dan Miller dmiller@testa.com contributors Wesley Bryant-King Chris Caruso Amanda Chavez Shawn Christopher Paul Dailey Reed Dailey Chris Davis DJ Deets Tony Fernandez Tommy D Funk Michelle Fetky Mike Gwertzman Jennifer Harmon Josh Harris Ryan Hayes Greg Hollmann Mike Klasco Michelle Loeb Lily Moayeri John Ochoa Jeff Stiles Bruce Tantum Phil Turnipseed Curtis Zack President/Publisher Vincent P. Testa FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO ORDER SUBSCRIPTIONS, CALL 800-937-7678 VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.djtimes.com

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operations manager Robin Hazan rhazan@testa.com Editorial and Sales Office: DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York, USA 11050-3779. (516) 767-2500 • FAX (Editorial): (516) 944-8372 • FAX (Sales/all other business): (516) 767-9335 • DJTIMES@TESTA. COM Editorial contributions should be addressed to The Editor, DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, NY, USA, 110503779. Unsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care an d should be accompanied by return postage. DJ Times (ISSN 1045-9693) is published monthly except for February, July, September and December for $19.40 (US), $39.99 (Canada), and $59.99 (all other countries), by DJ Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050-3779. Periodicals Postage Paid at Port Washington, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DJ Times, PO BOX 1767, LOWELL MA 01853-1767 Design and contents are copyright © 2018 by DJ Publishing, Inc., and must not be reproduced in any manner except by permission of the publisher. Websites: www.djtimes.com and www.testa.com Winter 2018

visit our website: www.djtimes.com Jim Tremayne Editor, DJ Times

FEEDBACK INSIDE Montreal’s Piknic Électronik Utah’s Das Energi Fest

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988 FALL ISSUE 2018

VOLUME 31 NUMBER 8

Speedway, Las Vegas, Nev. International Music Summit (IMS Ibiza), May 22-24, Hard Rock Hotel, Ibiza, Spain

Misstress Barbara Rocks Piknic Électronik DJ EXPO ’18 WRAP-UP • WINNERS • TECHNOLOGIES • TAKEAWAYS PLUS: ALAN WALKER • OCTAVE ONE • YAMAHA STAGEPAS BT ROLAND SPD-SX-SE SAMPLING PAD • HOT GROOVES

This is Feedback, a monthly feature that fields questions from you, our readers, and funnels them out to in‑ dustry professionals. If you have any questions about DJing – marketing, mixing, equipment or insurance, any at all – drop us a letter at DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Ave, Port Washington, NY 11050, fax us at (516) 944‑8372 or e‑mail us at djtimes@testa.com. If we do use your question, you’ll receive a free DJ Times T‑shirt. And remember, the only dumb question is the ques‑ tion that is not asked. 2019 Event Calendar Looking into the coming year, DJ Times is set to hit a variety of trade shows, conventions and conference/ exhibitions. In addition to a full slate of America’s Best DJ-related club and fes‑ tival events, which will run between Me‑ morial Day and Labor Day, DJ Times expects to have representatives at many of the following industry-related con‑ fabs and big events: Winter NAMM Show, January 24-27, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif. South By Southwest (SXSW), March 8-18, Various Venues, Austin, Texas Audio Engineering Society (AES) 146th Convention, March 20-23, The Conven‑ tion Centre Dublin, Dublin, Ireland Beyond Wonderland Festival, March 22-23, NOS Events Center, San Ber‑ nardino, Calif. Miami Music Week (includes Winter Music Conference & Ultra Music Festival), March 25-31, Various Venues, Miami, Fla. Jamaica Frenzy House Music Festival, March 26-31, Negril, Jamaica Phoenix Lights, April 5-6, The Park at Wild Horse Pass, Chandler, Ariz. West Coast Weekender, Dates & Venue TBA, San Diego, Calif. Canadian Music Week, Sheraton Cen‑ ter Toronto Hotel & Various Venues, Toronto, Ont., Canada Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC Las Vegas), May 17-19, Las Vegas Motor

Summer NAMM Show, July 18-20, Mu‑ sic City Center, Nashville, Tenn. Global Dance Festival, July Dates & Venue TBA, Denver, Col.

Movement Electronic Music Festival, May 25-27, Hart Plaza, Detroit, Mich.

Moonrise Festival, August 10-11, Pim‑ lico Race Course, Baltimore, Md.

Spring Awakening Music Festival, June 7-9, Douglas Park, Chicago, Ill.

DJ Expo, August Dates & Venue TBA, Atlantic City, N.J.

Electric Forest Music Festival, June/ July Dates TBA, Rothbury, Mich.

Electric Zoo, August 30 – September 1, Randall’s Island Park, New York, N.Y.

Audio Engineering Society (AES) 147th Convention, October 16-19, Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York, N.Y. Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE), Octo‑ ber 16-19, Various Venues, Amsterdam, Netherlands Lighting Design International (LDI), November 22-24, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev. Lights All Night Festival, Dates & Ven‑ ue TBA, Dallas, Texas

SAMPLINGS

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018

KUNGS: ASCENDANT STAR

Bedroom to Mainstage: Valentin Brunel aka Kungs.

Valentin Brunel’s rise to dance-music prominence has been a case of every bedroom producer’s wildest dream being realized. In 2014, at the age of 17, the French talent began posting his first remixes on SoundCloud under the name Kungs. Two of his earliest offerings – mixes of Bob Marley’s “Jammin’” and Lana Del Rey’s “West Coast” – quickly garnered the attention of electronic-music fans around the world, and he was off and running. One year later, Brunel completed his first official remix – a high-profile opportunity tackling Axwell & Ingrosso’s “On My Way.” Then, Brunel was offered the opportunity to open for countryman David Guetta on the European leg of his Listen tour in 2015. His big break came with the 2016 release of “This Girl,” an infectiously sunny collab with Aussie funk trio Cookin’ on 3 Burners that topped charts all over the world. He quickly followed up with Layers, a well-received debut album. Since then he’s been releasing singles, like recent pumper “Disco Night” (with Throttle), and playing major festival stages on all continents. As he prepared for his sophomore full-length just shy of his 22nd birthday, we caught up with Valentin Brunel (aka Kungs). DJ Times: Growing up, you were influenced by your dad’s taste in rock and blues. How has that informed your productions? Kungs: The rock elements come across most heavily in the way I structure the vocal elements of my tracks. My productions are often rooted in dance music, but tend to have some parts that are more soul-oriented. Also, a lot of my toplines are rock-inspired. Allowing personal influences to creep in to your productions keep things original. A real high for me was when I was lucky enough to work with Luke [Pritchard] from The Kooks. He was a real hero of mine growing up. I loved that band so much. Making a collaboration together was unreal. Rock and blues influences allow me to make dance music with an edge. DJ Times: How did you get into production? Kungs: By experimenting. I loved it, but I viewed it as a hobby at first. I honestly never expected it to take off the way it did. My first memory of making music – if you could call it that – was playing with a djembe that my parents had given me. As long as I can remember, I have always been creative. It just so happened that my desire to create led me to production software and, from there, digital methods of making electronic music. DJ Times: What it was like to teach yourself to produce? Kungs: Starting out, my biggest stumbling block was always the technical aspects of production – EQs, vocal treatments, and compressors. A friend of mine helped me a lot at the very beginning. From there, I spent a lot of time on YouTube tutorials. Improving myself just took time. I remember it being frustrating because I would have good ideas that I couldn’t manage to bring to life. It is all about nailing down the basics – otherwise, you will never be able to bring your visions to life. Unfortunately, that just takes time and sheer persistence. It’s worth it, though. DJ Times: What’s your production set-up? Kungs: In the studio, I primarily use Ableton Live. I really enjoy the freedom it gives me to cut samples and manipulate sounds. On the road, my Mac is my go-to, even at shows. This is the best thing about creating dance music… everything is portable. Technology has made it so easy to produce sounds like they are coming from a full band. You can create depth with multiple instruments and different orchestral sections all from a Mac on the road. That is definitely the most fun and interesting part of producing for me. DJ Times: Almost immediately after the success of “This Girl,” you began touring the world. What was that learning curve like? Kungs: Steep. Really quickly, I started playing huge shows that I never thought I would be booked for. Learning how to navigate crowds was difficult. What tracks (continued on page 42)

IN THE STUDIO

AXEL BOMAN PUMPS UP THE VOLYM Axel Boman’s playful, avant-garde world is an infectious one. The Swedish DJ/producer galvanizes dancefloors with his melodic odysseys and a boisterous brand of house music that pushes twisted samples, brash, analog synths, and leftfield moments. But that’s how it’s been since 2010 when he broke big with the wonderfully blurry house cut, “Purple Drank.” Studio Barnhus, the label he runs with fellow pranksters Kornél Kovács and Pedrodollar, is reimagining underground sounds with an experimental approach that can be heard most recently on the imprint’s inaugural compilation, Volym 1. The 19-track offering features tunes from the likes of Boman’s early champion DJ Koze, collaborator Adrian Lux, and even John Talabot, who also teams up with Boman in one of the more acclaimed DJ duos of the moment, Talaboman. We caught up with the Studio Barnhus flagbearer in Portugal this past fall before his performance at Lisbon nightspot LuxFrágil. DJ Times: How did you choose the 19 tracks for the Volym 1 comp? Boman: A lot of it was by chance. There was this track by DJ Koze that we really wanted to include, a collaboration he did with Jackmate. I thought the track was so good and hadn’t been released before, and I had been mailing him [Koze] for years asking for it. Finally, he just wrote me back and said, “What if I give

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018

Combo Plan: Boman likes cheap synths & cassette recording.

you a new original track [‘Hawaiian Souldier’] I just wrote?” And it’s absolutely perfect for the compilation. DJ Times: Koze helped break you big. Boman: Koze was playing in Stockholm years ago and I was asked to open for him. I was thinking, “Wow, this is my hero – this is my dream come true.” What I remember from the night that was so cool is how he started hard, and played deeper and slower toward the end. It was basically a backwards DJ set, and at the end we were drunk and went to his hotel room. I remember giving him my “Purple Drank” track, and months later he told me he was starting a label, but it would take a while. I told him that didn’t matter, he could take however long he needed, and that track changed my life. DJ Times: “Purple Drank” was the big track off of your Holy Love EP, which Koze released on his Pampa label, and it really propelled you to prominence. And now he’s contributing a track to your label’s first comp. Boman: There was a year that everyone was playing “Purple Drank” and I was hearing reports from people that DJs at Panorama Bar were playing it. It was such perfect timing, all coming from a fateful drunken night with DJ Koze. It’s amazing that he’s given us a track, and it shows he respects us because he’s super picky. I don’t know anybody that picky. DJ Times: Tell me about your production

process. Boman: Sampling has been my main tool since I started making music, and now I still use it a lot, but it’s just transformed. A lot of the time, I’m just collecting sounds, and then I start to organize them and put them together, rather than synchronizing all of the machines at once, like an orchestra. I pull a little bit from this, and a little bit from that, exactly what I do when I sample. Then I put them together to make this collage of music, but I definitely use way more gear now because I can afford to buy it. DJ Times: Previously, you were working off a laptop, with a Yamaha RMX1 synth. What are you using these days? Boman: My favorite gear now to use is the Syncussion [vintage SY-1 drum/percussion synth from Pearl]. I also bought an ARP 2600, which I love. I have my trusted Roland Chorus Echo 501, which I use for everything. I use the Juno 106 for basslines, and the Moog Minitaur for basslines also. I also like cheap synthesizers, like those uglier sounds. My favorite one is the Nord Drum synthesizer, which I only use for melodies. DJ Times: Are you still using the Fostex portable studio? Boman: Yes, I use it a lot. It’s for when you want to add some grit to something. You record things too fast, then pitch it down on the cassette, and then the magic happens! It adds so much texture, if you want to get out of that clean, laptop, perfect-sounding world, using a cassette player is a great way to distort the sound and give it some character. DJ Times: What do you use when you’re DJing and why? Boman: These days usually I use vinyls, Pioneer CDJs and Allen & Heath Xone:92, plus the Fostex Strymon El Capistan Echo, and the Electro Harmonix Space Drum. But that’s just my set-up. If I play with John Talabot, for example, we use four CDJs and no vinyl. I’ve digitalized everything because so many times you go to a festival and you’re disappointed by the setup there – you can’t really play vinyl. DJ Times: But CDJs work fine for you, right? Boman: I don’t feel creatively disturbed by using the CDJs – I love them. I think they’re amazing machines. I loop everything. It’s easy to layer and play tracks that would be more difficult on vinyl. But again, you lose something that I miss about vinyl. Showing up with a bag of records limits you, and gives you limitations and, as everyone knows, limitation is the mother of creativity. Having endless options doesn’t make for a better DJ set. The guy with the most synthesizers doesn’t make the best music. DJ Times: Studio Barnhus has carved out its own avant-garde lane so far. What’s next? Boman: Everything we’ve done has happened by chance and intuition, and by not planning, and I would hate if us becoming more mainstream or successful or recognized changed that. I really wish that we continue to carve out our niche in the music world. We’re so isolated in our world and our day-to-day lives running the label that we just continue doing what we’re doing. I love that we’re standing next to dance music, standing next to pop music, next to everything, but nobody is asking us to do anything. We don’t have pressure from anyone and we’re floating in our own bubble, and I think we’re going to keep on floating. – Jaime Sloane

A Look Back in Time FOR DJ TIMES’ 30TH ANNIVERSARY, WE RE-CONNECT WITH SOME OF OUR TOP DJ-SUBJECTS By Jim Tremayne As DJ Times celebrates its 30th anniversary – yes, issue #1 was published in late 1988 – we take a deep look back in time and present parts of some of the more memorable interviews we conducted over the past three decades. But, in order to give the piece some form, we assembled it in such a way that spotlights some of commonalities that each interview subject tackled. Not to say that there’s a particular template for DJ Times cover stories, but many of the same themes do tend to be discussed. After all, DJs – no matter what genres they spin or what level of fame they achieve – often share similar experiences. So, we broke it down into six categories: Beginnings; Influences & Inspiration; Gear; DJing; Advice & Business; and Music & Legacy. And with the help of our tech writer DJ Deets, we’ve also assembled a “DJ Gear Hall of Fame.” We hope you enjoy it all.

BEGINNINGS “I began as a mobile DJ because there were no barriers on the music I was playing – whether I was playing country music or playing R&B or playing funk and soul music… your job is to entertain people.”

– Carl Cox, July, 1997

“I started as a street DJ—me and Eazy E, actually—DJing high–school luncheons in the L.A. area, parties and wedding receptions… If my homeboys liked what I was doing, then I was really onto something.”

– Dr. Dre, February, 1997

“Anything that spun I was drawn to.”

– Questlove, January, 2016

“Larry [Levan] and Frankie [Knuckles] started working for me at The Gallery in 1972… I was one of the first DJs to actually slip–cue and beat–match, so Frankie and Larry saw that first–hand when no one else was doing it.”

– Nicky Siano, August, 2000

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DJ TIMES 18

– Tom Rowlands/Chemical Brothers, July 2007 “There are DJs like Richie Hawtin, who is really like an ‘art DJ.’ Then there are DJs who play for the people, like I do.”

– Tiësto, June, 2007 “There’s something indescribable about having to go through a record–store listening process–having guys in the store with amazing ears that can turn you onto new sounds.”

– Charlie Levine/Soul Clap, March, 2016

“We are so incredibly disorganized [during shows], but still we pull it off every time. That’s [our] magic.”

– Z– Trip, June, 2005 “To win DJ battles, you have to practice–there’s no way around that. Routines have to be air–tight, even under pressure, so you have to be able to do them in your sleep.”

– A– Trak, January, 2007 “I love expanding people’s horizons a bit when you DJ for them. Getting people to like a track they didn’t know they liked is very rewarding.”

– Mark Ronson, August, 2007 “Mixing now is not as difficult as it was with vinyl or with the first CDJs. Now the thing practically mixes for you – I mean, you have to be a real idiot not to be able to mix with CDJs.”

– Armin van Buuren, April, 2014

– Axwell/Swedish House Mafia, July, 2010

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“For DJs I look at it like this: You got the best job in the world.”

– DJ Jazzy Jeff, June, 2015

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– DJ Craze, September, 2000

“What gets me is that people are doing [mash–ups] on a computer at home. Awkward. For us, we were mixing, blending records – that was it.”

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blism. And there’s a DJ… rocking the crowd.”

“Our DJ-mixing style? Twelve vodkas and not really giving a shit. The music is more important than the mix!”

– Felix Buxton/Basement Jaxx, June, 2001

“Dance music has a leg up on other genres because it has a point. If you dance, it works. You can actually measure it.”

– James Murphy, July, 2005

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“My three-deck mixing approach came from wanting to be a hip-hop DJ, but coming from house music...”

– Carl Cox, July, 1997

“I had no idea that I could make this a profession. DJing was just something to help me pay for school.”

– Frankie Knuckles, June, 1995

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DJs who say:

– Funkmaster Flex, August, 1998

– Deadmau5, June, 2008

“Successful just means making music that I love and hoping that other people love it, too. That’s the only criteria for success that I have.”

– Moby, February, 2004

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– Armin van Buuren, April, 2014

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“All the feedback and posts on YouTube and Twitter make our fans a part of the shows. In turn, that creates more demand for more shows. It’s a vital source for marketing.”

– Steven Angello/ Swedish House Mafia, July, 2010

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“I owe my entire career to Beatport! The ease of being able to put something out digitally at such a low cost and low risk… not everyone has $5,000 to press 500 vinyls.”

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“Do it because you love it… If you’re a DJ and you’re playing for 50 people at a bar on Friday or you’re doing $50,000 at a club, it’s all success. If you’re playing, you’re successful.”

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“My goals? A Top – 40 No. 1? [laughs] No, not really… I’m just focusing on the music, on the gigs and making a good impression on everyone – and have fun. If you think too much about it, then it becomes something else. Let’s keep it fun for now.”

“DJs that are more connected [to clubbers] are better DJs.”

“There’s always a more perfect beat.”

– Ellen Allien, May, 2017

– Liam Howlett/ The Prodigy, December, 2004

– Avicii, March, 2011

– BT, February, 2011

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“I’ve turned down a gig for £100,000… I needed to get an album finished. But, I actually did one for that amount in Norway.”

– Fatboy Slim, January, 2001

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“What’s important is choice of music, originality, understanding the crowd, technical ability and knowing how to play records together. And having one’s own sound and being original gives a DJ longevity.”

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“It’s going to be a numbers game. This whole scene of DJs being popular in America is eventually going to die because of that. When they stop caring about the actual music, it’s going to become a business 100-percent and it needs music to survive.”

– Diplo, July 2013

WINTER 2018

including… Junior Vasquez Jellybean Benitez danny tenaglia nicky siano Juan atkins QBert roni size Louie Vega Basement Jaxx tony humphries david Morales çois K Franç pete tong Mr. c dr. dre carl cox dJ Lethal chemical Brothers Funkmaster Flex

“With hip-hop and DJing, I like being part of something that you believe in with your heart and seeing it grow into where you have magazines like DJ Times because it is so big.”

– Jam Master Jay, June 2000

DJ TIMES

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* Grandmaster flash * frankie Knuckles * Darude * DJ swamp * Kid Koala * Dennis ferrer * D.o.n.s. * cut chemist * David morales * Gareth emery * Bob sinclar * cosmic Gate * morgan Page * Quivver * timo maas * rhettmatic & more

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MUSIC & LEGACY “When you scribble some thoughts down at 4 a.m., turn that into a song, then have 8,000 people singing them back to you… that’s the most fulfilling thing you can have.”

– Tony McGuinness/ Above & Beyond, April, 2015

“You can definitely see how house is used in a lot of pop music worldwide these days. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t get watered down and people get really tired of bad house-influenced pop tracks.”

– Axwell/Swedish House Mafia, July, 2010

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“Dance music has been bubbling in the underground for 20 some years. This is our moment and nobody is going to take this away from us!”

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“Trance is all about happiness, whereas other genres bring a message of ‘you need to be cool,’ and all that.”

– Thomas Bangalter/ Daft Punk, May, 2001

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“I opened the door for many of my colleagues. I’m glad for everyone. Dance music has never been as big on every level with big names like me crossing over and also on an underground level. Altogether, we’re all creative and strong, and it makes all of us stronger.”

– David Guetta, October, 2011

and change into something more.”

– Boris, April, 2016 “The underground-vs.EDM thing? Who cares? Really, really—who cares? If everyone just focused on making good music… Why do people spend any time thinking about the thing they don’t care about?”

– Jamie Jones, March, 2017

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“We have certain media specialists like DJ Times getting the word out around the world…The infrastructure has changed a lot, but we’ve made our own mark. We DJs are an industry.”

“[Run–DMC] would show up at the gig and we’d come in with one Calzone case with one big-ass GLI mixer in it. The promoter would ask, ‘Where’s the rest of the gear? Where’s the band?’ And I’d be like, ‘Yo! I am the band.’”

“My getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame [in 2007] is for DJs of all genres. From Fatboy Slim to Paul Oakenfold, from the Invisibl Skratch Piklz to Craze, from A-Trak to Theodore, for all the street DJs, for all the mixshow jocks – this one’s for them.”

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colors and creeds and religious denominations. And we’re realizing that we’re actually all the same!”

– Carl Cox, March, 2006 “In clubs and at raves, the sense of community is what’s important because we’re breaking down barriers between races and

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WINTER 2018

“That’s what house music should be – constantly destroying the rules and making new ones.”

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DJ TIMES

– Tom Rowlands/Chemical Brothers, July, 1999

– Ferry Corsten, January, 2011

– Kaskade, June, 2012

“Kids always start out with EDM stuff because that’s what’s being played for the masses but eventually, kids grow into adults, and their tastes in music mature,

“We like the idea of sounds you haven’t heard before. It’s an interesting place to be on the dancefloor and you hear this sound you can’t believe it’s coming out of the speakers.”

– Grandmaster Flash, March, 2007

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MORE MIXERS & AUDIO INTERFACES Pioneer DJ DJM Series: This series has redefined how DJ mixers are used and how they operate. They introduced many DJs to channel faders, crossfaders, filter effects, and many more features that are now taken for granted on controllers, all-in-one units, and mixers the world over. Rane SL: The SL “breakout box” started the Digital Vi-

nyl revolution and allowed DJs to manipulate vast digital libraries of music stored in their laptops. Allen & Heath Xone: With its pristine sound, robust construction and legendary EQ section, there’s a reason that Xone mixers are the choices of many of the world’s top touring jocks. The Xone:92 was one of the first DJ mixers to incorporate MIDI for control of software or external devices. MEDIA PLAYERS Pioneer DJ CDJ Series: Ever since the CDJ-1000 stormed onto the scene in 2001, DJs have been hooked on the ability to manipulate their music in a tactile way. Bringing them into the digital age, Pioneer DJ has continually improved upon them with newer features and more connectivity, giving DJs the perfect blend of reliability, build quality, and club standardization. Denon DJ SC5000/ SC5000M: Awesome units with a smartphoneesque touch screen, perfor-

TURNTABLES Technics SL-1200: The time-tested turntable has graced DJ booths for several decades and has earned a devoted following. It ushered in a new era of DJ turntables and still continues to be the goldstandard for vinyl systems. CONTROLLERS Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX: No controller has set the standard for what a controller should be quite like the DDJ-SX. It was the first controller to offer support for Serato DJ, and its design and layout have set the tone for a long line of present and future DJ controllers. Numark NS7: This piece changed the game when it was launched in 2009. With two 7-inch motorized vinyl jog wheels, DJs could feel the experience of playing on spinning vinyl through an all-in-one controller. Subsequent iterations have

added more performance features and blurred the lines between turntablism and controllerism. Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol S8: Interestingly, this piece gained notoriety not for what it had, but what it didn’t: jog wheels. Ditching them allowed engineers to cram a host of features, including color screens and STEMs integration, into a compact, reliable form factor. Couple a set of turntables or media players running DVS and you get a powerful DJ system that unlocks the full extent of Traktor’s features. DJ SOFTWARE Serato DJ: Used in front of thousands of fans every week, this software offers native, plug-and-play support for a wide selection of world-class hardware, many devices of which have been designed through collaborations between Serato and the respective manufacturers, and features some of the best digital vinyl integration of any DJ software. Native Instruments

Traktor: With each update, Traktor brings increased stability, widened support, and world-class features to the legions of DJs who swear by its rock-solid beat grids, thrilling effects, and impressive hardware integration. For certain genres of techno, house, and electronic dance music, Traktor has defined how that music is produced and performed. Virtual DJ: Far from just a freely downloaded laptop-based DJ software, Virtual DJ is celebrated throughout the mobile and event DJ sphere because of its reliability, ease-of-use, and library organization features. It also brought an army of new DJs into the culture through its laptoponly free version. Algoriddim djay: For smartphone and tablet users, this software opened up the DJ world to millions of users. Its simple, easyto-use layout made learning the art and mastering the craft accessible to entirely new audiences, and it shows with tens of millions of downloads worldwide.

DJ TIMES

EARLY MIXERS Going back to the Nixon Era, disco DJs used the Bozak CMA-10-2DL rotary model. Later, the UREI 1620, a more popular Bozak clone, found favor. Further into the ’70s, the Meteor Clubman 2-channel models filled discos and skating rinks nationwide. As suppliers like Gemini (with models like the PMX2200) and Numark (with DM-1975 sampling mixer) thrived, Rane claimed U.S. clubland with its basic, but solid MP24. Meanwhile, turntablists enjoyed the Vestax PMC-05 Pro and Rane TTM-57 mixers.

By DJ Deets & Jim Tremayne mance pads, in-unit music analysis, and the ability to control two decks from a single media player.

WINTER 2018

DJ GEAR HALL OF FAME

ard to believe DJ TIMES has been publishing for 30 years — since the last year of Ronald Reagan’s presidential term, a decade before inter-league play in Major League Baseball, and well before digital information became omnipresent. So, for this anniversary edition of DJ TIMES, we asked a group of veteran mobile DJ/entertainers to help us reminisce. K. C. KoKoruz

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018 2018 WINTER

Brian Doyle, Denon & Doyle DJs, Pacheco, Calif. How did you generate most of your gigs 30 years ago? “I reached out to the Yellow Pages – the Google of that day. Once the calls started coming in, I quickly found I was not competing with other DJs, but with bands. Quite a few of the calls had never seen a DJ at an event, they but were curious. So, I got my sales pitch down and started booking events for $350 a night. “Where we used to design and print expensive literature, we can now do so with a website template and stock photos. Need some great reviews? Simply

make some up. Want to advertise for events? We no longer have to commit to a year in the phone book, do a direct-mail campaign or put expensive advertising in a [local] magazine. Instead, buy some Google AdWords or hop on Craigslist or Thumbtack.”

Cindy Ormond, Ormond Entertainment, Syracuse, N.Y. How did you generate most of your gigs 30 years ago? “Hustle! We entertained at all kinds of parties... kids’ birthdays, fundraisers, picnics, nightly karaoke shows, corporate parties, grand openings, fashion shows. You name it, we did it. We participated in bridal shows, Chamber of Commerce functions, radio-station events, anything that would put us in front of an audience. “We also ran creative co-op ads in the Syracuse New Times, a weekly entertainment paper, which truly stood out at the time. Now most of our work, thankfully, comes by referral.”

as a 1099’d contractor, it was still awesome. We all have to start somewhere.” How did you generate most of your gigs 30 years ago? “I left the multi-op I worked for and started my first company in 1990. I put up Kinko-printed flyers with business cards stapled to them, to be pulled off of the flyer on community bulletin boards in grocery stores and restaurants. I also DJed a ton of fraternity and sorority parties and went door-todoor dropping off cards and Kinko flyers to the social-chair people from each fraternity and sorority house. “I scraped together enough money and signed up for two shopping-mall bridal shows and called every person who came by our booth until they either agreed to meet with me or until they threatened to call the police if I called them one more time. “My last way of generating gigs was going door-todoor at venues and dropping off cards hoping and praying they would hand them out.” Did you ever imaging you’d still be DJing all these years later? “I never wanted to be a celebrity nightclub or radio DJ. My goal was to own the largest mobile company in Chicago. My goal was to have DJ partners in multiple offices throughout Chicago and its suburbs and oversee the company. I never thought I would stop DJing and, at a certain age, I also never thought so far into the future that I ever wondered if I would or wouldn’t be DJing 30 years later. “I do remember being engaged to be married at 22-years old and I was DJing a 40th birthday party on the deck of a very nice house in a very nice area. I looked at the ‘birthday boy’ and thought, ‘I want this someday when I am 40.’ Forty seemed so far away and, yet for me, that was nine years ago. Ferris Bueller said, ‘Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.’”

KC KoKoruz, Keith Christopher Entertainment Group, Arlington Heights, Ill. How much were you charging for a wedding 30 years ago? “I started DJing for a multi-op company that has since gone out of business. They charged $300$400 per wedding, and I was paid $75 to pick up the gear four hours prior to the wedding, drive to the venue, set up, typically perform a six-hour wedding, tear down, drive back to the warehouse and put everything away. It was typically about 11 hours for $75. Despite the pay of $6.82 per hour

Mark Brenneisen, Total Entertainment, Glens Falls, N.Y. How much were you charging for a weding 30 years ago? How much are you charging now? “When we started, $500. Now, it’s $2,000 and up, as high as $5,500.” How did you generate most of your gigs 30 years ago? “Newspaper and flyers, tiny bit of radio. Most of our work came out of the bar gigs we did and school dances.” What are the big changes that you think have

Shani Barnett, Shani Barnett Productions, Chicago, Ill. How much were you charging 30 years ago? “I started out as an interactive dancer, then interactive MC and now DJ and all-around entertainer. When I started mitzvahs, our basic package was around $1,500. Now the basic package before upgrades is $3,950.” What changes have you seen on the dancefloor? “Phones! Everyone on the dancefloor now are dancing less and taking pictures, posting on Snapchat—you can make a custom filter for the event. Also, they’re on Instagram in the moment, going Facebook Live and other apps. Back in the day, people were just dancing and living in the moment. But don’t get me wrong — the ones posting are still having fun. It’s just a different type of dancefloor fun now.”

Mike Walter, Elite Entertainment, Tinton Falls, N.J. DID YOU EVER IMAGINE YOU’D STILL BE DJING ALL THESE YEARS LATER? “Hell no. I started with Star DJ’s in my early twenties and thought this would be a cool thing to do for a while until I decided what I really wanted to do. Thirty years later… yeah, we both celebrate the same anniversary! I still haven’t found anything better – I stopped looking a long time ago, in fact.”

most impacted the DJ business? “Online sales — more people using web now versus older methods, which means a larger pool of pros to search for and more competition. “Also, more genres of music — it seems every week there’s another genre or sub-genre. It’s harder and harder to be an expert than it was 20 years ago!” Did you ever imagine you’d still be DJing all these years later? “Not really. When I started, I was a public-safety officer and didn’t think DJing would ever be a full-time thing. I’ve also diversified, too, which has helped, starting photo/video, rentals, wedding planning and travel brands to make up the differences, and keep us busy.” Joe Bunn, Joe Bunn DJ Company, Raleigh, N.C. How much were you charging for a wedding 30 years ago? “I was 17-years old and doing small weddings for folks in my hometown of Wilson, N.C. I didn’t have a clue of what I was doing. I think I was charging what I did for any party, which was $50 an hour. Times have definitely changed!” How did you generate most of your gigs back in the day? “Back then, it was all word-of-mouth around my town. Most people either knew my parents or knew me, and I was who they called when they needed music.” What were three big changes that you think have most impacted the DJ business? “Equipment — smaller, better, faster, lighter. I really don’t think I would still be DJing if Serato and powered speakers had not been invented. “Social media — you don’t have to be at every wedding show these days to get your name out there! “Music — there is definitely a trend towards having more current music at weddings, but some songs like Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing,’ for example, never seem to go out of style.” Did you ever imagine you’d still be DJing all these years later? “Honestly, no. After college, I thought it was over. I felt like it had been a great hobby and lots of fun from ages 13-21, but never knew you could make a career out of it. Guess I was wrong!” Gregg Hollmann, Ambient Music DJ Services, East Windsor, N.J. What were three big changes that you think

Brian Doyle

have most impacted the DJ business? “The explosion of global ‘DJ culture,’ which gave the public a greater appreciation for the craft of DJing, increased the mystique of the DJ and helped to make us more marketable for upscale weddings and events. “Also, the prevalence of online review sites such as The Knot and WeddingWire that provided discerning shoppers a wealth of information to make an informed choice. The internet in general has allowed the prevalence of digital marketing and reduced the need for ‘in-person’ showcases like bridal shows. Our company performs at just one bridal show per year, yet books over 500 events – including 150 weddings. Thirdly, digital DJing. It was incredibly liberating to switch to spinning MP3s, yet losing little of the tactile element of turntables. Spinning with MP3s with pre-set cues and loops allows me to spend more time on entertaining guests than searching through crates of CDs or vinyl.” Did you ever imagine you’d still be DJing all these years later? “No, I never imagined that I’d parlay a passion for music into a profession. The continuing education afforded by DJ Times’ DJ Expo and New Jersey Disc Jockey Network were the sparks that helped to ignite my DJ career into a full-time profession — NJDJN’s Marcello Pedalino, Darryl ‘Jake’ Jacobsen and Jeffrey Craig Siber have been particularly inspiring. “I was beaming with pride to see Asrtem Lomaz

win 2018 ‘Entertainer of the Year’ at this past DJ Expo. I can remember when Artem was a beginner and soaking up information from professional associations and colleagues — just as I had.” Denny McConnell, Denny McConnell’s Music to You Entertainment, Reading, Pa. Did you ever imagine you’d still be a DJ all these years later? “In the very beginning, people would ask me what I was going to do when disco died, and I always answered that I would play whatever became popular – and here I am 44 years later. I always said that if it started to not be fun, I would probably hang it up. Well, as you know, I’m still having fun riding the wave I jumped on back in 1974 when I started my company – and have not looked back ever. I’m still having fun. “I don’t DJ quite as much since I added photobooths to my company, and the typical bride doesn’t want a 70-year old DJ unless they know me or my reputation. But I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon.” Mike Wieder, Ultimate Sounds DJs, Hightstown, N.J. Did you ever imagine you’d still be DJing all these years later? “Not at all. I really thought I’d be on Wall Street – I was working for a brokerage firm. I only got into DJing to meet girls.” n

BY JEFF STILES

DJ TIMES

MEMORY LANES

WINTER 2018

TIME HAS CHANGED THE DJ & THE WAY CLIENTS EXPERIENCE THEIR EVENTS – HERE’S HOW...

WINTER 2018

DJ TIMES 24

Branding: The ADE logo was all over Amsterdam. Piet van Strijp

Next Wave: SoundCloud’s Kerry Trainor drops big news. Mark Richter

Hands On: Attendees at ADE’s Gear Test Lab. Mark Richter

DGTL Presents: Techno legend Jeff Mills in the mix. Tim Buiting

SoundCloud Showcase: Matthew Dear at Waalse Kerk. Yannick van de Wijngaert

The Legend: DJ Jazzy Jeff imparts his wisdom. Liekevd Oord

Tweakin’: Plenty of knobs were twiddlin’ at ADE. Coen van Tartwijk

Scenic: Spectacular bridge view over the Keizersgracht. Mark Richter

Afterglow: Joris Voorn thanks his audience. Jordy Brada

Keynoter: Acidhouse legend DJ Pierre holds court. Laura Jacobs

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Amsterdam Dance Event drew more than 400,000 visitors – including 7,000 electronic-music-industry professionals – to its annual conference/exhibition/festival. Held this past Oct. 17-21, ADE offered a slew of events at over 200 Amsterdam venues. Over 2,500 DJ/artists performed, and more than 600 speakers participated in keynotes, workshops, panels and master classes on a variety of industry-related topics. It all looked like this:

Bigtime: Martin Garrix at RAI Amsterdam. Sacha Hoebergen

WINTER 2018

Late Night Action: Amsterdam venues were filled. Tim Buiting

What A View: Audio Obscura party at The Loft. Jordy Brada

DJ TIMES

Music Talks: Bonobo makes a production point. Dick Rennings

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018

New York City – When it comes to the world of electronic dance music, there simply aren’t many like Australia’s leading lady, Anna Lunoe. Over time, Lunoe has developed into a fully rounded artist, one playing the roles of DJ/producer, singer/songwriter and, of course, bonafide tastemaker as a radio host. In addition to hosting her HYPERHOUSE radio show on Apple Music’s Beats 1 station, she maintains a busy touring schedule. But before her talents made her a global draw, she worked her way up the DJ ranks, honing her craft and mastering the CDJs. Eventually, she became a fan favorite with her deft selections, bubbly personality and undeniable energy. Plus, it didn’t hurt to have a production catalog filled with anthems like “Bass Drum Dealer (B.D.D),” “Stomper,” “Radioactive,” “Godzilla,” “Blaze of Glory” and her most recent dancefloor weapon, “Badass” with Born Dirty. This past Labor Day weekend at New York’s Electric Zoo festival, Lunoe – as a part of her HYPERHOUSE brand takeover with AC Slater’s Night Bass – closed out the Sunday School Grove Tent to an enthusiastic crowd. Serving up a tasty blend of electronic flavors with a sprinkle of hip-hop tunes, the flawlessly transitioned, 90-minute B2B performance set the tone for what was to come in a more intimate environment. Later that evening, she made her way to Analog, a gritty Brooklyn venue, for another backto-back set, this time with U.K. talent, Redlight. In the industrial, neon-lit club, the duo dropped hard-hitting house into the wee hours for a crowd that didn’t want the party to ever end. Quite a day. Of course, DJ Times was there for all the festivities and squeezed out a few on-the-record moments with the ever-busy Aussie to discuss

WINTER 2018

DJ TIMES

Sunday School: Lunoe with E-Zoo cohort AC Slater.

her past, present and future. DJ Times: HYPERHOUSE has come quite a long way since its inception. How does it feel to throw down a proper 90-minute set at your own festival stage at Electric Zoo? Lunoe: It’s funny how things happen. It’s been such a week-by-week growth for me… There was some discussion about whether we wanted to close the stage and be up against the other headliners, and I was just ready for it. I had my “put me in the ring, pop!” moment where I just knew I was up to it, and it was honestly so enjoyable and fun. I was ready for it, and it felt great. DJ Times: How did you first combine with AC Slater? When did you two realize that your two brands fit together? Lunoe: We have been friends for 10 years. We have outlived a million fads and trends. We both know what we are and what we are best at – and HYPERHOUSE and Night Bass fit together and complement each other well, so it’s a natural fit. He has played my events and I have played his – and we all love each other, so it’s a no-brainer, really.When it comes down to it, all we have ever wanted to do is party with our friends. DJ Times: You’ve played at a number of biggest festivals and clubs across the globe. Are you more of a festival gal or do you prefer playing for intimate crowds? Lunoe: Both! Always! Need the balance. It’s like saying sweet or salty, you know? Balance is key. DJ Times: Being in the electronic-dancemusic game as long as you have, what are some changes you’ve noticed over the years? Lunoe: Oh, wow, how long do you have? The changes are infinite. The world and everything about the music industry has changed in 10 years. An easier question is what is still the same because it’s barely the same sport. What I know now is that staying true to yourself is key, and that slow and steady is a great way to play. It’s been a nice steady rise for me and, as I mentioned, I have felt ready for each step… for the most part. DJ Times: You’ve gone from FBi Radio in Australia to Beats 1 on Apple Music. With great power comes great responsibility and being a bonafide tastemaker is no easy task. Is there a certain pressure when you have your own radio show compared to your traditional DJ sets? Lunoe: Yes, with radio, I feel pressure to represent a wider proportion of artists, touch on more scenes, represent people doing what they do well… whereas in my DJ sets I think, “Is this song me? Does it resonate with me?” Selfish, huh? DJ Times: What DAW are you using these days when it comes to production? Lunoe: I’m currently using Ableton Live 10. DJ Times: Walk us through a studio session with Anna Lunoe. Lunoe: I light all the candles and burn the pine wood, listen to two or three songs I have been vibing that week. Then I dive in and try to fearlessly make whatever comes out for about one or two hours before I question anything. After that I think, “Do I like this? What even is this song about?” DJ Times: You’re always open to receiving demos from producers both big and small. What is it that catches your ear when sorting through your inbox? (continued on page 42)

MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

Reference 4 Studio Edition: Headphone/monitor correction software.

SONARWORKS’ MONITORING SOLUTION

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018

By Wesley Bryant-King

I can speak from personal experience that two of the greatest challenges in building out a home music studio are room treatment and monitoring environment tuning. Treatment is the sound conditioning of the room itself with acoustic panels and the like — basically reducing or eliminating sound reflections that can affect both recording and monitoring quality. Tuning, on the other hand, is taking whatever treated environment you have, and adjusting the monitoring settings to ensure that what you hear from the monitor speakers is accurate, and reasonably flat, at your usual listening position in front of your mixing desk. The challenges with tuning can be many. But given that most studio monitors have fairly few and generally coarse-level options for changing the EQ of the speakers for optimal listening, and coupling that with that fact that many (or most) of us — me included — are not trained audio engineers, tuning can quickly turn into a hit-or-miss affair. That, in turn, colors the mixes we put out, skewing frequencies during EQing and mixing that can then result in harshness or dullness in the finished product. If you care about what your mixes sound like, then optimizing the listening environment properly can make a real difference. Over the years, I’ve tried a couple of hardware-based, studio-monitoring tuning solutions. The concept is quite similar to what you might have experienced with home-theater gear: Essentially, a microphone is placed at the listening location, a series of audio signals are generated, the mic picks it all up, and corrects the EQ based on what it “hears” during the test. The hardware solutions I tried were great in concept, but not so much in practice. One solution simply never successfully completed a calibration; the other worked initially, but the hardware failed later. So… enter a new solution hailing from the Baltic republic of Latvia: Sonarworks 4 Studio Edition. Aside from a calibration microphone, it’s a software-based solution to the problem. The concept of Sonarworks is similar to what I outlined above. You use the included microphone (which is itself individually calibrated; you download the calibration profile based on its serial number along with the Sonarworks software when you go to get it up and running) and run through a visually guided process within the software, while it’s running on your studio workstation. That process includes moving the microphone around your listening environment in accordance with dots overlaid atop a graphical rendering of an office chair in front of a mixing desk, representing the center of the listening environment. Be ready with a measuring tape. During calibration, the software will determine the distance between your monitors, and the distance between the monitors and the location of your head while sitting in your chair. It was uncannily accurate; I did measure with a tape to be sure, and the adjustments were just an inch or two from what the software measured by soundwave propagation delay timing. Amazing.

The calibration process didn’t take long, and the execution in software was superbly cool. The software displays a dot; you move the microphone to that position, pointing forward toward your monitors, at the height of your ears while seated. (You can also use a mic stand, as I did.) Using its soundwave-delay detection, it visually shows the dot moving around, and whether your mic is in the right spot. When you get it there, it tells you to stop while it does its testing in that position. You’re then alerted to move it to the next location. Multiple, individual spots are checked. At the end of the process, the software displays a visualization of the frequency response of your monitoring environment, and… well, wow, was mine far from flat! No wonder I’ve had so many challenges in getting my tracks mixed and mastered properly. I’ve really struggled with brightness and crispness, or what I like to call “sparkle” in my mixes, and now I can literally see why. Once the testing is completed, you have your choice of two methods for leveraging the calibration data to compensate for spectral regions where your listening environment is too strong (or not strong enough). First, the “systemwide” app latches to the active system sound output’s drivers, allowing you to apply the software’s spectral corrections to virtually any application running on your computer. It’s nice to know that even while listening to Spotify, the software is ensuring a properly tuned listening environment. Second, you can use a plug-in as the last device

on your master-track plug-in chain within your DAW and apply the corrections right there. Given how Ableton Live (my usual DAW) accesses the sound system, this was, in fact, the only working route to take in my situation. By turning the correction on and off with a few recent projects, I saw exactly how “off” my environment was. I invested a pretty significant chunk of time remixing these recent projects with Sonarworks’ corrections active, adjusting EQ all over again from scratch. The results were telling. Disabling the Soundworks plug-in before rendering these tracks out (a required step — you don’t want your monitoring environment corrections in the actual output to disk), and then listening to these same tracks in a range of environments (home stereo, earbuds, car, etc.), I immediately reinforced what I intuitively knew, but had no way (until now) to correct: If you aren’t hearing the truth of your mix, you’re not going to get a good result. Every listening environment your audience might use is going to color your music, so step one is getting it right in an optimal, flat environment so that those colorations are not compounded by a poor-quality mix. Sonarworks smartly didn’t stop at calibration of monitor speakers. On the contrary, the product ships with an ever-expanding array of calibration profiles developed for popular headphones from a wide range of manufacturers, including many that commonly show up in the studio. I happen to own two that are in the list; this made it easy to get the correction benefits of Sonarworks, whether I was listening to speakers (and enjoying the mic-based corrections I described) or with cans over my ears, using the “average” profiles that ship with the product. If you commonly mix and master only with headphones, you can choose Sonarworks’ Reference 4 Headphone Edition for just $99. If you want the monitor speaker corrections, as well, plus the calibrated mic with which to do it in your environment, the cost is just $150 more: $249 total. To be honest, it’s a shockingly low price for the direct, tangible benefits you can gain from the investment. As I said above, I can certainly attest to the difference it made in my own projects, and again, if you care about the quality of your mixes, it’s worth making sure they’re right. Sonarworks 4 Studio Edition is certainly a great way to make sure they are. If you have any questions for Wesley Bryant-King and/or Making Tracks, please send them to djtimes@ testa.com.

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SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

PIONEER DJ: COOL CONTROLLERS

For this month’s Sounding Off pro-audio column, Minneapolis-based DJ Deets takes on a pair of Pioneer DJ controllers – the DDJ-400 and the DDJ-SX3.

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018

By DJ Deets

DDJ-400 Pioneer DJ is currently at a crossroads with its controller lineup. Its immensely popular DDJ-S and DDJ-R series of controllers cater to users of both the Serato family, but also Pioneer DJ’s own rekordbox dj software. Some DJs were surprised when Pioneer DJ released the DDJ-1000, the first controller built from the ground up for rekordbox dj; previous rekordbox controllers were highly functional, altered copies of existing Serato designs. This year, among other releases, Pioneer DJ brought to market the DDJ-400, an entry-level controller, and we recently sat down with it. The Unit: The controller comes packed well, surrounded by Styrofoam padding and sheathed in a wrapping to avoid scratches. What’s included? An instruction manual, USB Type-B-to-Type-A cable, and a license key for rekordbox dj software. Users can download the file from Pioneer DJ’s website and enter the included key to unlock the full performance portion of the rekordbox software. What’s interesting is that this entry-level Pioneer DJ controller ships with the full version of rekordbox, as opposed to a stripped-down software version found in many other controllers at this price point. Alone, the software license is offered through a subscription program, costing anywhere from $10 to $15 per month. Since the controller costs roughly $250, DJs planning to use at least two years of rekordbox dj’s subscription plan might be better

off purchasing the controller. DJs with Pioneer DJ setups that do not include rekordbox software licenses (like media players or Serato controllers), who want to transition to the new software, might want to consider purchasing this controller as a secondary controller to add to their arsenal, instead of just purchasing the software. Layout: The DDJ-400 follows its larger DDJ1000 stablemate closely, resembling the form factor of a modular CDJ + DJM setup. There are two deck sections, each with jog wheels, transport controls, eight performance pads, and looping controls. Although considerably less spacious than the 6-inch jog wheels found on flagship Pioneer DJ gear, the 4-inch, touch-sensitive jog wheels work well for both mixing and scratching. Below the jog wheels, the performance pads are rubberized and emit a button-like click when pressed; they are on the smaller side, but nonetheless perform well. If more-responsive, larger pads are desired, DJs can always combine the DDJ-400 with the $249 DDJ-XP1 for powerful and intricate finger-drumming, cue juggling, or tone-play. Their primary modes control Hot Cues, Beat Loops, Beat Jumps, and the rekordbox dj sampler. With the shift button pressed, the pads can also control a keyboard, two banks of effects controls called PadFX, and controls for key shifting. To the right of the pads, the tempo sliders have a medium throw and click when at the neutral center position. At the left of each player section, there are

Pioneer DJ’s standard Play and Cue buttons that, as always, feel amazing to use and operate. At the top of the player section – where the effects section was once stationed on other Pioneer DJ controllers – there are controls for looping, which mimic the yellow-button looping controls traditionally found on CDJs. Next to the looping controls, there is an unmistakable, bright-red sync button that allows DJs to quickly lock two tracks together. At the center of the controller, the mixer section feels like strikingly similar to a 2-channel Pioneer DJ DJM mixer. The knobs are smooth plastic, as opposed to the rubberized finish found on other Pioneer DJ gear; it’s a really small issue, but it’s worth noting. Each channel has a 3-band equalizer with dedicated trim controls. Below the bass knobs, there are controls for the combo hi/lo-pass filter. The rekordbox software filter sounds good when used on a variety of music and can be modified within the software to faithfully recreate a host of other Pioneer DJ sound color effects from their DJM series of mixers. For outputs, the master signal comes out on only RCA cables or through the laptop’s speakers. The signal is decently loud for a USB-powered device and features the lively sound typical of Pioneer DJ gear. To the right of the master RCAs, there is an unbalanced jack for a microphone with a small level knob at the back. I would’ve liked to have seen some microphone controls on the top of the

DDJ-SX3 One of the tallest orders that any design team can ever receive is an edict to improve a bestselling product. One can only imagine how the Pioneer DJ engineers reacted when they received the news that they had to design a third generation of such a groundbreaking controller as the DDJ-SX. When it was released in late 2012, the first generation Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX set a high benchmark for DJ controllers. Its form factor and user interface has been adopted by all manner of manufacturers, including Numark, Reloop, Roland, and Denon DJ. It was the first controller for Serato DJ. It was one of the first controllers to feature the now-familiar eight performance pads. DDJ-SX units have seen countless weddings, private events, club DJ booths, and even festival stages. If there were such a thing as a DJ Gear Hall of Fame, I would wager that, alongside Pioneer DJ’s CDJ range, Technics’ SL-1200 turntable, and some select others, the Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX would certainly make the cut.

The Unit: Form and function have remained familiar over three generations. The second version of the unit brought DVS support, RGB performance pads, and dedicated controls for Serato Flip. New for 2018, this third one brings many features first introduced on the DDJ-SZ, including control of Sound Color effects and dual USB ports. Also included on this new controller are an astounding three microphone inputs. Outside of pro-audio analog and digital mixers, very few pieces of DJ gear can handle and route signal from three microphones simultaneously. The DDJ-SX3 achieves this by using mixer channels for the microphones. Basically, Channels 3 and 4 can accept microphone inputs instead of software or external inputs when needed. If a mixing DJ needs all four channels for tracks, they’ll only have a singular microphone input to work with. I think this feature will appeal most to mobile DJs who need to coordinate multiple microphones to accommodate different speeches. I also think it might be interesting for some performing DJs who have multiple live-vocal artists with whom they need to

collaborate. The DDJ-SX3 will be instantly recognizable to users of previous generations: Everything is where you’d expect it to be. There are two deck sections – each can control two separate decks that flank a middle 4-channel mixer. Older versions had five vertical faders – one for each of the four channels and an additional one for the sampler volume – but this unit goes down to a streamlined four, as the sampler volume is now controlled by a button. The filter knobs on each channel have now been replaced by four, hardware-based Sound Color effects: echo, jet, noise, and filter. By far my favorite feature on the new controller, the Sound Color effects allow DJs to quickly manipulate and trigger channel-based effects with ease. While I would’ve liked to have seen one of the awesome magnetic velocity – “magvel” – crossfader make an appearance, I’m left satisfied with the installed one. Somebody could always swap it out for an Innofader or another crossfader if they wanted a little more. On each deck section, there are the familiar DDJ-SX-style jog wheels with the helpful LED play-

DDJ-400: Entry-level unit with full rekordbox dj.

unit, useful if a microphone doesn’t have an on/off switch or if a DJ needs to adjust the mic levels in the middle of a set. Left of the RCAs, there is the USB-Type B port that connects the controller to the laptop running rekordbox dj. While it might be one of the best beginner DJ controllers on the market, the DDJ-400 isn’t perfect. For starters, apart from a single output on RCA cables, there’s no other outputs. Don’t even go looking for a secondary master, booth, or record output on XLR, TRS, or additional RCA outputs. Second, there are no external inputs, aside from a single microphone input. However, at its price, one can forgive the lack of inputs and outputs. Another small issue I had with the DDJ-400 was in the effects arena. While the rekordbox dj software offers a vast library of built-in software effects, the mixer-located hardware control of these effects is limited. For instance, it is impossible to simultaneously control two different effects on two different tracks, something that is easily possible on other Pioneer DJ hardware, where the effects control is found on each deck section. It is worth noting that this same bugbear becomes apparent when using a CDJ setup, where the mixer can route effects to individual channels or the master output. Given that there are no additional inputs and outputs, the DDJ-400 is most likely best suited as a highly functional bedroom controller or backup controller. For DJs wanting more features in a 2-channel package, the DDJ-SR2 or DDJ-RR pro-

vide the familiar Pioneer DJ experience, but add more professional features, including DVS control, auxiliary inputs, and multiple outputs. I think the real benefit of the DDJ-400 is how much it feels like using a CDJ + DJM setup. DJs wanting to make the transition from controllers to larger, club-standard gear needn’t fear because the DDJ-400 does a really good job emulating that experience. Furthermore, the rekordbox ecosystem allows a virtually seamless workflow on both CDJs and Pioneer DJ controllers. A DJ’s cue points, samples, and beatgrids live in one rekordbox library

that can be utilized by any compatible hardware. I almost wonder if committed rekordbox DJs might consider purchasing one as a portable studio tool to save hot cues, samples, and test mixes that will later be performed on CDJs. Conclusions: In a field dominated by power players, this Pioneer DJ unit shines through as a heavy hitter in the entry-level controller field. Other entrants make worthy cases for themselves, but none replicate the experience of using clubstandard gear quite like the DDJ-400, which makes it a rather special controller.

dual-deck mode. I/O: On the back, there are master outputs on RCAs and balanced XLRs, a booth output on TRS connectors, inputs for the standalone-capable and DVS-ready mixer, a Kensington lock, and two USB ports. Channels 1 and 2 feature switchable line/ phono-level RCA connections, and Channels 3 and 4 line-level RCA connections and XLR microphone connections. On the front, there are both 1/8- and 1/4-inch headphone jacks with level and headphone mix controls, a crossfader curve control, and the third microphone input. When the unit first became available this past year, there were reports of technical complications upon release. While Pioneer DJ didn’t launch a full recall, it did ask users facing problems to get in contact with its support department. It has since implemented a fix for the glitches and have put black dots by the serial number of unaffected controllers with the fix. While it might be a setback for Pioneer DJ, it’ll probably go down in history like the iPhone 4’s initial recall: vastly overshadowed by the ultimate success of the product.

Conclusions: Ultimately, the Pioneer DJ DDJSX is a worthy follow-up to an immensely popular controller. I think only history will tell how Pioneer DJ’s dual strategy of making hardware for rekordbox dj and Serato will exactly play out. The DDJSX3 keeps the Serato user base having an advanced Pioneer DJ controller on the market. In all honesty, I think its biggest competition comes from other Pioneer DJ controllers on the market. The DDJ1000 offers some more advanced features with only a slightly higher price. The rekordbox-specific DDJ-RX was quietly discontinued, but can still be found in many retailers. Yes, there’s worthy competition from other suppliers, as well, so it truly competes with the very best of DJ gear. There is no one DJ type that this DDJ-SX3 specifically appeals to. Being this jack-ofall-trades, it has to satisfy mobile DJs, club DJs, wellresourced bedroom DJs, and just about everyone in between – a tall order to say the least. That being said, it puts up a valiant effort and will certainly not disappoint. The DDJ-SX3 is currently available and has an MSRP of $1,099 in the United States.

DJ TIMES

head illumination on the platter. For the DDJ-SX3, Pioneer DJ claims that it has reduced the latency of these jog wheels. While I can’t feel a noticeable difference from the previous generations of Pioneer DJ controllers, I can say that they feel great to use, offering precise control for scratching, mixing, and beat-juggling. Below the jog wheels, there are the typical Pioneer DJ transport controls, dedicated controls for Serato Flip Mode, controls for looping, and eight performance pads. The pads are RGB-illuminated and control hot cues, rolls, loops, the Serato SP-6 sampler, and the beat slicer. At the top of each deck section, there are controls for Serato’s software effects, and there are also controls for the Pitch ‘n Time plug-in, which allows DJs to perform instant live key-shifts on their tracks. There is also a needle search, allowing a DJ to effortlessly scrub through a track with a finger. To the right of the jog wheels, there is a long tempo slider, which offers precise and accurate control. Like all DDJ-SX units, each deck section can control two separate decks or both of them together when in

WINTER 2018

DDJ-SX3: Full features include three mic inputs.

MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

A DJ VET’S ART OF THE HUSTLE

By Stu Kearns

Hackensack, N.J. — Remember The Hustle? Jeffrey Craig Siber does. That was back in 1974 when he started his DJing journey, in Brooklyn, teaching the popular dance with a DJ partner. And now, 44 years later, Siber is in New Jersey, a partner in Total Entertainment, which books north of $15 million per year. You’d think a company that large would have a warehouse the size of a Home Depot. Siber does — 36,000 square feet, with five trucks, and he rents about two dozen 16to 24-footers every weekend. That’s a lot of parties, many upsells, and plenty of customer service. With so much history to recall, we asked Siber some of his trade secrets.

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018

You got your start with The Hustle. Jeff Siber: It was with a partner, and we did shows in Long Island and I used to put on shows in the Catskills. It was great, and then Son of Sam came [in 1977] and everybody did not want to go out. So I started teaching in houses, and somebody came to me and asked if I can do anything more than teaching dancing. So I went out and borrowed turntables and guitar amps and records from all my friends. I had a gooseneck microphone, and I did my first Sweet 16. I was 20-years old at the time, and I did it for $10 an hour.

When did you start to make money? Then I got a break from a friend of mine in Brooklyn who owned a catering hall, two big rooms. He took me in and I was making… I think I asked them for, like, $200 for a four-hour party. And before you knew it, he was giving me 100 parties a year. After a few years, I got up to about $800, doing weddings, bar mitzvahs, doing all kinds of stuff. Then you moved to New Jersey and started a company. I was making $800 a party, and at

Disco Era: Jeff Siber’s journey began in the ’70s.

a bar mitzvah showcase I brought the price down for a one-day special — $400 a party – and I booked 27 parties on the spot. That started my company in Jersey, and I ended up taking on more and more MCs and dancers, and soon I had like 10 or 11 MCs. I built that company over 12 years and brought it to $3.5 million — seven of my employees today have their own company. You sold that company for how much? I sold that company in 2007 for $2 million. And at the same time, I came into Total Entertainment. I was invited by the owner, my now partner Mark, who at the time was doing $8 million a year. And that company is doing what kind of revenue? Let’s just say we’re doing comfortably more than $15 million this year. What are some of the secrets to massive bookings like that? You know, I was a good MC, I was a great dance instructor and I was a good DJ. I did everything, but I saw

What other things did you do to scale your business? I brought my MCs and DJs to my parties, and then when people would call for me on a party, I told them I have a tentative party, and then asked them if they remember the guy that was with me on the microphone that day. I told them that he’s free – and they’d say, “Oh, he was great, too – I’ll take him!” And whether they remember him or not, all they remember is that the party I did that day they loved, whether it was me or the other guy on the mic. That’s how I built my business, and every MC I train that way. Total Entertainment: Siber’s gone big.

the writing on the wall and I started really getting involved in the business behind the business.

There must be other tricks. When the economy crashed, I started to focus on all the extras. I was the guy that came up with the phrase, as we call it, “EE” – extra entertainment.

Explain the business behind the business. I used to go and do wedding showcases and mitzvah showcases, and we’d give away a free cocktail hour. I used to charge $150 for it, and I used to call everybody that signed up on my sheet and say, “Congratulations! You won a free cocktail hour!” And I’d end up booking their weddings, birthday parties, and mitzvahs. I focused on the business, and I looked at the business real seriously, and understand I went to Brooklyn College for three years in accounting, but I never graduated. I just understood business.

Extra entertainment? That meant anything, but the entertainment. It could be lights, it could mean video projectors and caricaturists. It could mean anything you think of. I was focusing on EE — with a client that’s already using you, they already trust you, and they need extra. Go for that bigger piece of the pie. I always say that I’ve made myself look bigger than I am. Somebody asked me at a wedding, “Do you have a string quartet?” I said, “Oh my God, sure I do,” and I tell them about it, talk about it and I might not even have it. My motto, for all companies: “Buy now and worry how to produce it later.”

SALES… MARKETING…SOLUTIONS… BUSINESS LINE

By Stu Kearns

Gregg Hollmann, Ambient Music Service, East Windsor, N.J.: “Now, the barriers to entry are lower than ever, attracting a never-ending supply of aspiring DJs. While many will never emerge from the

hobbyist phase to become professional mobile DJs, I’m always amazed by how many DJs are booking themselves out in New Jersey.” Joe Bunn, Bunn DJ Company, Raleigh, N.C.: “Computers and the Internet and clouds have made it a lot easier to run a multi-op. I used to have a giant desk calendar back in the day with all of my shows on it! Now I can run 20 guys a weekend off something like DJ Event Planner.” Mark Brenneisen, Total Entertainment, Glens Falls, N.Y.: “Everything is more web-based, in terms of sales – less people want to talk in-person. I think there’s more professional offices that companies use now versus the old days.” KC KoKoruz, Keith Christopher Entertainment Group, Arlington Heights, Ill.: “I am 49-years old now and I am considered ‘DJ Old.’ I am 20 years older than the average bride getting married today and my passion in the business has shifted from entertaining to managing, marketing, and selling our services. “I still DJ about 10-15 events per year, but I put in crazy hours running, maintaining, and building my companies. There are far more DJs today than there were 30 years ago.” Mike Walter, Elite Entertainment, Tinton Falls, N.J.: “The business has changed with our clientele. Millennials are a different breed and we’ve had to adjust our marketing and communication. Thirty years ago, you talked to every client and met with most of them. Nowadays, you can communi-

Shani Barnett, Shani Barnett Productions, Chicago, Ill.: “As a woman who’s been DJing for 15 years, I don’t have to prove myself as much now. It’s better nowadays, but I still encounter a few naysayers who think a female can’t hang with the boys. I don’t take it personal. I let my success be my noise! I love what I do and it shows when I talk about my job and when I DJ.” Cindy Ormond, Ormond Entertainment, Syracuse, N.Y.: “With the development of uplighting, photo booths, monograms, projection mapping, flat-screen TVs, easy-to-use editing software, wireless technology, etc., DJs have more tools and potential revenue streams, as they create greater experiences for their clients. “The development of associations, conferences, performance workshops, pro magazines and platforms like DJ Event Planner have all worked in concert to move the dial from ‘hobby’ to legitimate industry. “As a woman, while our bookings and prices have increased, the public still struggles to comprehend us in the role of DJ/MC. Even after they’ve heard me on mic and have seen me behind the DJ table, guests still mistake me for the wedding planner or venue coordinator [sigh].” Carl Williams, DJ Carl Entertainment, NYC: “There’s so much competition today that rates for many industries—including the DJ industry—have seen decreases. I was making much more money 30 years ago because most DJs couldn’t mix. Today, anyone can hit the sync button. “In the future, the music will be transported from Serato and Virtual DJ to a cloud, and the DJ as we know it today will not even exist. If you’re a millennial, I highly recommend you fine-tune your personality and hosting [soft] skills, because just having a photobooth, video, and some uplighting will not cut it in the future.” If you have any questions for Business Line, please send them to djtimes@testa.com.

WINTER 2018

Denny McConnell, Denny McConnell’s Music to You Entertainment, Reading, Pa.: “When I started in 1974, bands were everywhere, but in a few years that all changed. I believe disco music brought the DJ to the forefront and the bands did nothing to stop it. “Equipment got better and prices came down. And then the MP3 came, and we were able to find and then share music. When we were playing vinyl, I started with 45s, putting two together to make the song longer to keep the dancefloor. Some DJs joined record pools to get the latest music. I attended the Billboard Disco conventions from 1976-78 and learned a lot, and kept that from my competitors. “Later, in 1990, I heard about a new show – DJ Times’ International DJ Expo in Atlantic City, N.J. – and since then, I have attended every show, but one. The show has given the smarter DJ the opportunity to network with other companies. People started sharing and competitors became your friends.”

30 YEARS OF CH-CH-CHANGES IN THE DJ BIZ

cate digitally, show them videos online and book them without ever speaking to them.”

DJ TIMES

Running a DJ business in 1988 seems light years away from running a one today — like the difference between the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk and the space Shuttle at Cape Canaveral. So, in time for DJ Times’ 30th Anniversary Edition, we queried veteran mobile jocks about those changes, and how they’ve made running a business easier or more challenging. Our Simple Question: How has the business aspect of DJing changed in 30 years? Here’s how they replied: Mike Wieder, Ultimate Sounds DJs, Hightstown, N.J.: “The Internet has been the biggest factor in changing the industry [website, digital advertising, wedding sites]. Where I had to do ‘on-the-job training,’ there is a plethora of information available (equipment, education, how to) on the Internet. DJ Times and every network or association were not around for me to learn from when I started 36 years ago. “Today, the new breed of DJ/entertainer has it made. Today’s bride and groom are different. They research the web and would rather communicate by email and avoid speaking by phone, buying by ‘stuff ’ and price without concern with being educated and investing in the right entertainment.”

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Twice as Nice Peavey Electronics 5022 Hartley Peavey Dr. Meridian, MS 39305 www.peavey.com Peavey Electronics has released its SP 2P powered loudspeaker system, which includes two low-distortion switching power amplifiers and is capable of up to 130 dB peak SPL. Like the original SP Series, it’s ideal for a variety of applications, including sound reinforcement, PA, side-fill, karaoke and musical playback, and it has a 15-inch Black Widow BWX series woofer – but the 2P system includes a long-throw voice coil for stronger low frequencies. Speakers in the SP Series are light and compact, making them easy to pack in a van or install in the club. Weighing in at about 60 pounds and measuring 30-inches high by 20-inches wide by 20-inches deep, the SP 2P is constructed from plywood augmented with internal braces and covered with a textured black painted finish.

On the Rekord Pioneer DJ Americas 2050 W. 190th Street Suite 109 Torrance, CA 90504 (424) 488-0480 www.pioneerdj.com The DDJ-XP1 from Pioneer is a DJ Controller for rekordbox dj and rekordbox dvs. The controller has undergone a software upgrade, allowing for a more intuitive GUI and improved overall design. Users can now customize the font size on the track browse screen, as well as utilize the updated audio/graphic/video signal processing algorithm in the KORETECH engine for a more intuitive track search. In addition, the rekordbox dj performance application includes new additions such as Key Shift and Keyboard mode.

DMX Marks the Spot ADJ Products 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 582-2650 www.americandj.com ADJ’s myDMX-RM lighting control interface is a 19-inch rack-mountable interface that acts as a hardware dongle for the myDMX 3.0 software by connecting to a computer running the myDMX 3.0 software, via USB, to a DMX-controllable lighting rig through a standard XLR connection. In addition, the unit features 16 programmable, backlit trigger buttons. Users can assign lighting programs to each button and then store the information on the device itself. The unit also features both three- and five-pin XLR sockets.

Insure Thing

DJ TIMES

ProSight Direct 412 Mt Kemble Avenue Morristown, NJ 0796 (800) 774-7335 www.prosightdirect.com

ProSight Direct is a platform that helps DJs and other small business professionals buy insurance. According to the company, customers can get a quote in 60 seconds utilizing a process that “focuses on clear, plain-language questions about customers’ needs.” ProSight Direct provides 24/7 access for managing all aspects of insurance, including instant access to customized certificates of insurance and the ability to manage the claims process transparently online.

AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

GEAR

On the Phones Audio-Technica 1221 Commerce Drive Stow, OH 44224 (330) 686-2600 www.audio-technica.com The ATH-M60x On-Ear Professional Monitor Headphones are the latest addition to Audio-Technica’s M-Series line. The headphones sport a low-profile, closed-back, on-ear design with proprietary 45-mm largeaperture drivers that deliver clarity throughout an extended frequency range with accurate bass response, according to the company. There is memory foam on the earpads and headband, and the headphones come with three interchangeable cables (1.2 m - 3.0 m coiled, 3.0 m straight, and 1.2 m straight) – each with a 3.5 mm mini-plug, a 6.3 mm screw-on adapter, and a protective carrying pouch.

Call It a Wash Blizzard Lighting N16 W23390 Stoneridge Dr. Suite E Waukesha, WI 53188 (414) 395-8365 www.blizzardlighting.com The Motif Atelier 16FX and 8FX from Blizzard are LED linear wash lights available in one-meter and half-meter sizes, respectively. Both models offer RGB+WW 4-in-1 color mixing and pixel effects via 15W, individually controllable high output LEDs. The IP65-rated wash lights feature DMX connectors and powerCON TRUE1-compatible power connectors with sealing rubber covers. The Motif Atelier 16FX and 8FX sport a fanless, natural convection cooled design that the company says is optimized for sound sensitive environments.

I’m the Captain Now Mixed In Key 3250 NE 1st Ave #305 Miami, FL 33137 www.mixedinkey.com Captain Plugins 2.0 is a new VST plug-ins for music composition from Mixed in Key. Designed for users of all skill levels, the plugins offer a full palette of custom chord structures from Minor and Major to Exotic scales, and intuitive controls that link to the user’s DAW and other VST software instruments. Users can also connect the plug-ins to a MIDI keyboard to identify any chords played from MIDI and record them for further editing. Captain Plugins 2.0 is available for both Windows and Mac.

Stiff Upper Lib Tracklib Nytorgsgatan 15 116 22 Stockholm www.tracklib.com Tracklib is a music service that enables music creators to discover, sample and license original recordings. There are more than 60,000 original songs available to browse on the site. Users are able to search within custom genres, regions, song keys, BPMs, or release dates and then download a high-quality, uncompressed 16bit WAV file of their chosen track. When their original track featuring the sample is finished, the user can then go through Tracklib to obtain a license for releasing the song.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

On Speaker Terms Yamaha Corporation of America 6600 Orangethorpe Ave Buena Park, CA 90620 (714) 522-9011 www.yamahaproaudio.com Yamaha has begun shipping the DZR and CZR series of speakers and subwoofers. The DZR line of powered speakers, along with the DXS-XLF powered subwoofers, feature Advanced FIR-X tuning technology that, along with digital processing done at 96kHz, minimizes latency and phase distortion. The CZR series of passive speakers feature best-in-class SPL performance, while the companion CXS-XLF subwoofers will extend a sound system’s bottom end down to 29Hz for more bass-heavy applications. All models come housed in 15mm-thick plywood cabinet that is coated with military-grade polyuria.

Biotek Savvy Tracktion Corporation 10820 NE 108th Street Kirkland, WA 98033 (425) 273-3376 www.tracktion.com Tracktion’s Biotek 2 synthesizer offers Deep Parameter Control for intuitive workflow management, as well as a Spinal Saw Oscillator that delivers a total of 44 sawteeth per sound layer and a Granular Oscillator that extracts and redistributes sound grains from samples. Two hundred modulation routes are available for each sound layer and the unit also features a Wild macro page that lets composers customize their sound by allowing them instant access to inspirational parameters.

Run a Tight SHP American Music & Sound 925 Broadbeck Dr. #220 Newbury Park, CA 91320 (800) 431-2609 www.AmericanMusicAndSound.com The SHP-8 from Reloop is a professional over-ear headphone that is designed for studio use and monitoring purposes. Available in anthracite grey with gun-metal finish, the headphones feature a closed-back construction, rotatable ear cups and an extendable aluminum headband outfitted with memory foam padding and high-quality protein leather. The SHP-8 uses a high-quality 3.5 mm stereo jack cable with gold-plated plugs and spring-loaded bend protection, and the headphones also come with Bass Accentuation Technology, allowing users to boost the low frequencies by +3 dB or +6 dB.

Raise Your Electro-Voice

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018

Electro-Voice 130 Perinton Pkwy Fairport, NY 14450 (800) 289-0096 www.electrovoice.com

Electro-Voice has added two models to its ZLX Speaker Series – the 12inch, 2-way ZLX-12BT and the 15-inch, 2-way ZLX-15BT. Both models are Bluetooth-equipped for audio streaming from any mobile device, and they sport a rugged composite enclosure with three-handle design. These units come equipped with 1,000-watt Class-D power amplifiers that deliver up to 127 dB peak SPL. In addition, they feature Electro-Voice’s patented Signal Synchronized Transducers (SST) waveguide design, which provides “precise and consistent coverage, minimal distortion, and maximized acoustical loading,” according to the company.

AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

GEAR

Case Closed UDG Gear Industrieweg 18-21 3846 BD HARDERWIJK The Netherlands www.udggear.com UDG released a new flight case designed to fit the Denon DJ MC7000. The UDG Ultimate Flight Case Denon MC7000 Black Plus (Laptop Shelf) is constructed from solid 9mm thick plywood and it features a laminated exterior with a black finished honeycomb/hexagonal Stage Grip pattern. Features include heavy duty spring loaded handles, UDG logo embossed ball corners and high-density, diamond-embossed EVA foam protective padding on the interior. There is also an extra notebook shelf for a notebook, mouse, effects processor, interface or other device.

Fire Starter Akai Professional 200 Scenic View Drive Suite 201 Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-4032 www.akaipro.com Akai Fire is a dedicated hardware controller for FL Studio that was created in partnership with Image-Line. Featuring plug-and-play integration, the Akai Fire comes equipped with 4x16 velocity-sensitive RGB pad matrix, a step sequencer and four banks of four touch-capacitive knobs. There is also a Performance Mode for live playing, recording of notes and launching patterns. The Akai Fire is USB bus powered and features a graphical OLED display. It is expandable up to four units, creating the potential for an 8 x 32 Matrix.

Back to Black

DJ TIMES

The MX Black Series of active studio monitor speakers from Sterling Audio includes three models—the MX8 Black, which features an eight-inch low-frequency driver and one-inch tweeter; the MX5 Black, with a five-inch woofer and one-inch tweeter; and the MX3 Black, with three-inch woofers and ¾-inch tweeters. Available in a matte black finish, units in the series are bi-amplified and feature silk-dome tweeters powered by neodymium magnets, as well as acoustically engineered, multi-fiber, low-frequency cone drivers.

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Sterling Audio P.O. Box 5111 Thousand Oaks, CA 91359 (888)-621-2154 www.sterlingaudio.net

TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS

Camelphat

Rissa Garcia

“YUKSEK EDITS” EP

u Yuksek u Razor-N-Tape Some really classy edits here of underground disco cuts, like the funky “Think of You,” from French producer Yuksek. DJs get four tracks in total and all equally deserving of air-time.

– Curtis Zack “SINGULARITY” (ANNA REMIX)

for a dark dancefloor. “Tryna Prove” rides a tough rhythm until a combo of sweet key stabs and scat singing delivers a catchy melody. “Outta Love” thumps and builds with purpose – a real call to the dancefloor – then drops intoxicating vocal samples for hand-raising effect. If you want a taste of modern, deep-house sounds, here’s the real thing.

– Jim Tremayne

u Jon Hopkins u Domino

On this churning techno take of Hopkins’ otherwise melodic, ethereal track, ANNA ramps up the tension, then pulls the release with a huge tonal drop. Then, quite effortlessly, she jets back into the taut, bewildering groove. Wicked.

– Jim Tremayne “LOVERS CHANGE MINDS”

u llija Rudman u Classic Music Company Well-known for his distinctive analog-disco sound, the Croatian producer Rudman delivers again with this funky, retro-styled track that features heavily filtered vocals and ’70s bassline. Hot Toddy’s bass-focused remix comes loaded with electric-guitar riffs and tasty synths for an even slicker groove.

– Tommy D Funk “BLACK SKIN BLUE EYED BOYS” (REMIXES)

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018

u Bollo feat. Jocelyn Brown u SoulfulHouse A cover of the 1970 track and originally released in 2015, this package gets a timely pair of remixes from Bollo & Chapter and Brian Power. The latter provides the best mix with a throwback to the ’90s to match Ms. Brown’s vocal perfectly.

– Curtis Zack “WANNA FEEL LOVED”

u Rissa Garcia u NightChild A sweet three-track EP here from Garcia, a New York house mainstay. “I Wanna Feel” kicks a hip-swaying, tribal-tinged groove – perfect

Ferry Corsten

“TOGETHER”

u Yogi & Husky u Random Soul Recordings Yogi & Husky return with another solid production. This one’s a piano-driven, undergroundhouse stomper with a sexy groove and compelling vocal. Also, check the quality house mix from Jarred Gallo.

– Tommy D Funk “BREATHE”

u Camelphat & Cristoph u Pryda Presents

“SYNCHRONICITY”

u Ferry Corsten & Saad Ayub u Flashover A trance lover’s dream! Starting with a thumping bassline, this one really builds the energy. Eventually, it gently slips into a heavenly breakdown, then it delivers a menacing, triumphant swell. An intricate, beautifully created track and a dancefloor killer. – Jennifer Harmon “NO WORDS” EP

u Mat Zo u Anjunabeats

This terrific three-tracker kicks off with “See It When I Believe It,” an off-kilter, trance track with a spaced-out vocal and a tight breakdown. The emotive “Says Without Going” drops a stark, robust sound that gets trippy, while the killer house track, “Meaning Lost All Words,” offers melody, thumping rhythms and playful notes throughout.

– Jennifer Harmon “LIBERTA”

This enchanting track opens with breathy vocals then gets right down to its thumpin’ bassline and pumpin’ groove. Eventually, the track morphs into a trance-like sound, while maintaining its beautiful vocal.

– Jennifer Harmon “MOVIN’ ON” B/W “THE RIGHT TIME”

u Roach Motel u 4 To The Floor

Originally released in 1993, this one gets repackaged for the younger generation. Both classic tracks pack plenty of energy with eraspecific pads, soaring synths and a deep-house vibe. It’s a classic that never leaves my box.

– Tommy D Funk “BABABOP”

u DJ Lora & Ce Ce Rogers u Pitch One An underground club monster of piano-soaked house that takes the duo back to its roots. A proper house track with top-notch vocals, courtesy Rogers. Don’t sleep on this one.

u Fahlberg u No One Around A thumping house ditty accompanied by a whimsical school-house chant – quite affecting, actually. Although it’s quite repetitive, there’s a lovely guitar breakdown. Jumping back into the vaguely Middle-Eastern groove and once again breaking down, the track comes back for a strong finish with a resounding proclamation. Unique and danceable.

– Jennifer Harmon

– Tommy D Funk “HANDS TOGETHER”

u Gershon Jackson u Glitterbox This deep disco-house pumper throws down with electric-guitar loops, uplifting house rhythms and powerhouse, soulful vocals. Another floor-filler from the Chicago-based producer.

– Tommy D Funk

Mat Zo

Cristoph Yuksek

GUEST REVIEWER: PHIL ROSE

“COULD HEAVEN EVER BE LIKE THIS” (CRISSY KYBOSH REACH UP EDIT)

Phil Rose

WINTER 2018

that iconic bassline to drive any dancefloor to an almost religious place. Guaranteed to take you away with Idris into his heaven, without doubt. Hats off to Chrissy for doing what a lot of re-editors/producers sometimes cannot do, making an amazing record sound even better. Look out for a vinyl release only in the coming months. Jon Hopkins

DJ TIMES

Idris Muhammad Reach Up Sometimes there are cases where a record can be sampled in the wrong way or re-edited to its detriment, but this is not one of those situations. Firstly, taking on such a monumental record from this legendary American jazz drummer is no mean feat. The orchestration and production of the original alone makes any re-edit a task in itself. But Crissy’s edit has managed to keep the raw elements all in the correct places, while at the same time using

Audionamix

Powered by brand new artificially intelligent algorithms, XTRAX STEMS 2 offers faster, cleaner stem separations, backing tracks and a cappellas at the same low price. Created for DJs, music producers and remix artists, XTRAX STEMS allows users to separate any song into its vocal, drum, and remaining music components for easy sampling, remixing and unmatched control during live sets. www.audionamix.com/products/xtrax-stems

Bose

15% off the new ToneMatch Mixers and other select Bose portable products now through Jan. 3, 2019. Learn more at: www.professional.bose.com/15promo

Pioneer DJ

DJS-1000 Stand-alone DJ Sampler Propel your sets to the next level. Use the DJS-1000 to intuitively create unique sounds and phrases with features such as the 7-inch full-color touch screen, Live Sampling, onboard effects and 16 multi-colored Performance Pads.

BPM Latino record pool has the largest selection of Latin music available online. Find high quality audio and video downloads in every essential Latin genre, plus one-of-a-kind edits and DJ-ready versions. www.bpmlatino.com

DJ TIMES

BPM - The #1 Source for Latin Hits and Exclusives

MARCH 2018

www.pioneerdj.com/en-us/product/dj-sampler/ djs-1000/black/overview/

MP3s in 56

Compiled As December 2, 2018

NATIONAL CROSSOVER POOL CHART

NATIONAL URBAN POOL CHART

1 Ariana Grande 2 Tiësto & Dzeko 3 Janet Jackson 4 Metro F/ Nelly Furtado 5 U2 6 Hilary Roberts 7 Silk City & Dua Lipa 8 Sabrina Carpenter 9 Calvin Harris 10 Cher 11 Dj Khaled F/Justin Bieber 12 Marshmello & Bastille 13 LSD f/ Labrinth, Sia & Diplo 14 Cara Alessia 15 Emily Perry 16 5 Seconds Of Summer 17 Khalid & Normani 18 Sir Ivan 19 Jaki Nelson 20 David Guetta And Ann Marie 21 Rita Ora feat. Cardi B, Bebe Rexha 22 Snow 23 Kygo 24 Kim Cameron 25 Anne Marie F/ Ed Sheeran 26 Djs From Mars 27 Juice Wrld 28 Selena Gomez 29 Loud Luxury 30 Joaquin Torres 31 Axwell & Ingrosso 32 Tk Kravitz F/ Jacquees 33 Vassy X Lodato 34 Jennifer Hudson 35 Post Malone 36 Cash Cash F/ Abir 37 P!NK 38 Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper 39 Felicia Punzo 40 Brice Vyne

1 Lil Baby & Drake 2 YG F/ 2 Chainz, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj 3 The Carters 4 Cardi B / Bad Bunny & j Balvin 5 Tyga F/ Offset 6 Lil Duval F. Snoop Dogg 7 Drake 8 Janelle Monae 9 G-Eazy F/ Yo Gotti & YBN Nahmir 10 Juice Wrld 11 Travis Scott 12 Queen Najja 13 Cardi B F/ Kehlani 14 Tory Lanez & Rich The Kid 15 Quavo 16 French Montana F/ Drake 17 Drake 18 Post Malone 19 Ella Mai 20 Lil Wayne

God Is A Woman Republic Jackie Chan ft. Preme & Post Malon Republic Made For Now Rhythm Nation Sticks & Stones Radikal Love Is Bigger Than anything In Its Way Island There For You Redbird/Dauman Electricity Columbia Almost Love Hollywood Promises Columbia Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! Warner Brothers No Brainer Epic Happier Capitol Thunderclouds Columbia Growing Pains Def Jam Summer On Lock Dauman Youngblood Capitol Love Lies RCA Get Together Peaceman Dancing With Strangers 418 Music Don’t Leave Me Alone Atlantic Girls Roc Nation Informer 2018 Radikal Remind Me To Forget Ultra Fearless Lovers Side FX 2002 Atlantic Somewhere Above The Clouds Radikal Lucid Dreams Interscope Back To You Interscope Love No More Armada Desnudame Saybo Dancing Alone (feat. RØMANS) Capitol Low BMG Dommsday Spinnin’ I’ll Fight Epic Better Now Republic Finest Hour Atlantic Secrets RCA Shallow Interscope Thrill Ride CayaMusic Drew Barrymore Warner Brothers

Most Added Tracks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Snow Sabrina Carpenter Jess Glynne Jennifer Hudson Loud Luxury Keith Cullen Felicia Punzo Kylie Minogue Joaquin Torres 5 Seconds Of Summer

Informer 2018 Almost Love All I Am I’ll Fight Love No More Turn On The Light Thrill Ride Golden Desnudame Youngblood

Radikal Hollywood Atlantic Epic Armada Believe CayaMusic BMG Saybo Capitol

REPORTING POOLS

n Carlos

Cabrera n Gary Canavo n Blake Eckelbarger n Chris Egner n The Dance Environment n Manny Esparza n Ilan Fong n Howard HK Kessler n Sam Labelle n Dan Mathews n Brian Stephens n Peter K. Productions n Steve Tsepelis

Nashville,TN Masspool Dj Stickyboots Victors Powered By Spectrio Nexus Radio Kahoots In The Mix With HK Soundworks Klubjumpers / RHYTHM 105.9 FM KRYC Mixxmasters Peter K Pacific Coast DJs

Saugus,MA Goshen,NJ Milwaukee,WI Chicago,IL Columbus,OH Minneapolis,MN San Francisco,CA Sacramento, CA Lithonia,GA Long Beach,CA

LOOKING FOR THESE TITLES? YOU CAN HEAR THEM AND BUY THEM AT WWW.DANCEKINGS. COM. JUST CLICK ON THE LINKS IN THE CHART. DDK HAS LIMITED MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE

Yes Indeed Big Bank Apes**t I Like It Taste Smile In My Feelings I Like That 1942 Lucid Dreams Sicko Mode Medicine Ring Talk To Me Workin Me No Stylist Nonstop Better Now Trip Uproar

Capitol Def Jam Roc Nation Atlantic Empire Empire Republic Atlantic RCA Interscope Epic Capitol Atlantic Interscope Capitol Epic Republic Republic Interscope Republic

Most Added Tracks 1 2 3 4 5

Lil Wayne Game F/ Yg/Ty Dollar $ign Queen Najja French Montana F/ Drake Saweetie X London On Da Track

Uproar DTF Karma No Stylist Up Now

Republic EOne Capitol Epic Warner Brothers

NATIONAL LATIN DANCE POOL CHART 1. Gretchen G 2. Pabanor feat U4ria 3. Grupomania ft Omega & nejo 4. Daddy Yankee 5. Pitbull ft El Chombo, Karol G, C Ranks 6. Coastcity & L Fonsi 7. Karol G 8. Tito Rojas 9. Adassa 10. Alsikiatra 11. Chacal 12. Domenic Marte 13. Vaquero 14. Bori 15 Baby Rasta & Gringo 16. Magia Caribeña 17. Circobeat Band 18. William Melendez 19. Choco Orta 20. Mercy Group

Soltera So Sexy/Tan Sexy Chorro E’ loco Dura Dame Tu Cosita Pa’ La Calle Mi Cama El Doctor M.B.S. Dame Un Besisto No Volvere Todo tiene Su Final Guateque Saborearte De Nuevo Envuelta Amparito Perro Fiel Boogaloo Baby Mi Buena Aventura Que Hablen

CD Music Ent. Pegassus Mania Music El Cartel 305 Empire Universal TR Sky Urban DA 360 J & n Mayimbe Hot Song Music Wolflow Music MC J&N Cookita CO Cafe

Most Added Tracks 1. Kenny Man 2. El Gran Combo 3. Charlie Aponte 4. Maluma 5. Nakor

Ni Gucci Ni Prada Ella Lo Que Quiere Es Combo Mi Salsa Marinero Desnudita

Universal EGC CA Sony On Top

REPORTING LATIN POOLS n Latinos Unidos Record Pool n Salsamania Latin Record Pool n Lobo/Bass

Record Pool n Urban Tropics Music Pool n North East Record Pool n Mixx Hitts Record Pool n Ritmo Camacho Record Pool n Ritmo Internacional Record Pool n DJ Latinos Record Pool n Mass Pool n Record Pool Latino n V.I.P. Chicago Record Pool. ATTENTION DJ TIMES READERS: DJ Times is currently looking for DJs that are interested in reporting to the DJ National Dance/Crossover chart and the DJ Times National Urban Dance chart. Reporterships are open to Record Pools and individual DJs. For more information contact: Dan Miller, dmiller@testa.com

News

(continued from page 5) rently a Denon DJ devotee, explained his own career path, which included working for a year in a grocery store as a teen in order to save enough money to buy just one Technics SL-1200 turntable. “If you want something bad enough,” he said. “You should be willing to work for it.” He also explained how he balances work and life, which includes dedication to the martial arts. “I’ve had two big burnouts as a DJ/producer,” he said. “But overall, practicing kung fu

Kungs

(continued from page 10) work in what environments and how to handle the pressure of big shows is something that I still try and work on. It’s all an evolution, and I think every DJ, really, continually works on bettering their live artistry. DJ Times: How do you prepare for big shows and extensive tours? Kungs: Taking my Ultra Miami set as a specific example, I planned the instrumental intro and chose some key remixes that I wanted to play. I try to go in to a big set with a sort of framework, but not an exact plan. When you are playing a main stage,

Double Duty

(continued from page 27) Lunoe: That is a million-dollar question. It’s a feeling... a feeling of boldness and freedom... fearlessness to step away from what is safe. You know it when you hear it. DJ Times: Your recent collaboration with Born Dirty, “Badass,” turned into quite the summer anthem. How did that track come together? Lunoe: We just sat in a room and

NAMM

revelers whooped it up during every build-up and breakdown. On Oct. 18 at Sugar Factory, an intimate Leidseplein club, Berlin’s Monkeytown imprint threw down mightily for a revved-up audience. Label founders Modeselektor headlined the evening with a rousing techno set of big rumbles, quaking grooves and ripping sound effects. Before the Modeselektor duo did its damage, Copenhagenbased Solid Blake dropped a satisfying set of rolling grooves that featured clattering peaks followed by ethereal passages. Ultimately, she reverted to

ominous techno breaks, wrapping up a nice mix of harder-edged flavors. At Melweg on Oct. 19, American trance titan Markus Schulz played an energetic and varied open-to-close set to a sold-out room of “Schulz Army” conscripts. On the venue’s other side, veteran Brit jock Dave Clarke (aka “The Baron of Techno”) laid waste to Melkweg’s main room with plenty of late-night buzzbombs. Two very different parties, perhaps, but plenty of satisfied customers. For more on ADE 2018, please see Pages 22-23.

you have to have a loose structure to go along with the lighting, pyrotechnics and visuals. Currently, I am really loving the visuals for my new show, which is also a big part of tour preparation. But not having more than a loose framework is really important because you need to leave room to read a crowd and change tempos. Every crowd is different. DJ Times: How do crowds differ between Europe and North America? Kungs: American audiences seem to like genres that lean more towards future bass, trap, and big-room EDM. Europe, on the other hand, prefers a specific section of EDM that isn’t as heavy.

Everything has more of a house sound. DJ Times: What have been your favorite festivals, clubs and cities to play? Kungs: Ultra Miami was amazing. I really enjoyed playing in the sunshine for such a huge purely dance-music event. My favorite venue, I think, was the AccorHotel Arena for the Fun Radio party in my home of Paris. I got to play alongside DJ Snake and Martin Solveig, and I just had a lot of fun. It was definitely a very different experience than Ultra, but I really enjoy the variety of playing to both large festival crowds and more intimate venues. I also loved playing in Dubai because I had never experienced a place like that, ever. It

was so hot, and such a big city.The skyscrapers were crazy, and I got to take a ride on a camel. The whole thing was a very surreal experience. DJ Times: Who inspires you? Kungs: I’m always inspired by guys like Daft Punk – and that’s not just because I’m French… also, acts like Lost Frequencies, Martin Garrix, Throttle, and Galantis. In their own way, they all represent how an artist can and should continue to remain fresh by pushing their sounds forward. You don’t have to permanently change the landscape of dance music, but as an artist you should always continue forward. – Ryan Hayes

tried things for like four days before we clicked into that idea. Once the vocal was laid out, we knew we had something. I started playing Born Dirty on [my Beats1 radio show] HYPERHOUSE around early 2016, and he’s always made some of the most interesting house music. I invited him over one day we instantly hit it off.We actually started a few demos when I was pregnant, but it was too hard writing for me then, so we waited and

re-approached it this year. It was a total team effort, and I love how cheeky the track turned out. DJ Times: You’ve never been one to shy away from using your vocals on a track. As a producer, it’s got to be convenient to know you’ll be able to deliver a proper topline yourself. Lunoe: It’s the basis of me as an artist. I start with a vocal and a vibe, and then I build around it. If the vocal is right, the rest will slowly find its groove. Some-

times I wish I wasn’t like that and just churned out crazy bangers with no vocals, but that’s not my strength. The vocals give me the message and the world the song lives in, and I go from there. DJ Times: What’s next for you? Lunoe: Sleep! [Fall] is about catching up and remembering who I am and what I want to say and finally getting my washing done and hugging my baby girl [Willa] all day before she is too big to hug me back. n

Show: Unveiling Sexy, New Gear And my design drew big raves.

So… who’s gonna be this year’s model?

DJ TIMES

WINTER 2018

At NAMM ’18, I was so chic…

has helped me remain balanced with my music. Think about this: I’ve never seen a 90-year-old DJ, but I have seen a 90-year-old [kung fu] grand master.” Notable DJ Gigs: On Oct. 17 at Claire, a cozy venue in the Rembrandtplein, Scottish prog-house DJ Denis Sulta drove the club’s tight dancefloor into intermittent frenzies with his tasty and diverse late-night set of funky flavors, deep-house dives and trippy excursions. Though the thick fog and the slick dancefloor created some issues – dancers were occasionally careening like bumper cars – the roomful of ADE

Winter NAMM Preview, in the next DJ Times

DJ Times "30 Years" 2018, Vol 31 No 9

Articles inside

Anna Lunoe's NYC weekend delivered a pair of wild parties

AXEL BOMAN PUMPS UP THE VOLYM

KUNGS: ASCENDANT STAR

A Look Back in Time For DJ Times’ 30th Anniversary