DJ Times March 2013, Vol 26 No 3

WMC/MIAMI MUSIC WEEK ISSUE

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

MARCH 2013

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EDM’S COVER GIRLS

MOBILE OPPORTUNITY Same-Sex Weddings

HOLY SHIP!!

Top Jocks Go Cruisin’

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PLUS: n BEN UFO n NOIR n PIONEER DDJ-SX n WINTER NAMM PICKS n FOCUSRITE iTRACK SOLO

MASTERPIECE

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INDUSTRY EVENTS…NOTABLES…MILESTONES

NEWS

Dance Music Awards. DJ Times will be there with a dedicated booth at WMC’s exhibition hall, which will be open March 18-19. Pioneer DJ will also be in the house, showing its Platinum Limited Edition CDJ/DJM System and the DDJ-SX Serato Con-

Ovum Party: Josh Wink will play Treehouse.

Big Gigs: Afrojack will have a busy week.

Big Stage: Carl Cox returns to UMF.

troller. (For a review of the DDJ-SX, please see Sounding Off on Page 26.)

Of course, the week is highlighted by a slew of parties big and small, many of them from long-standing brands and music labels. One such event is Ovum Recordings’ late-night soiree at Treehouse on March 16. Featuring label co-founder Josh Wink on the decks, the Philadelphia-based label will feature plenty of special guests for this, its 18th annual WMC-week party.

Two Weekends: Ultra Music Fest has expanded.

And how’s this for irony? Ovum’s first Miami party happened in 1996 at the late, but legendary Groove Jet, the 23rd Street venue also known for Danny Tenaglia’s epic Miami sets. So, what’s inhabiting Groove Jet these days? You guessed it—Treehouse. Be there or be square.

International superstar DJ/pro-

Nicole Cussell

Nicole Cussell

By Jim Tremayne Miami Beach, Fla.—Once again, Winter Music Conference and Miami Music Week are here.

So what’s different this year? The whole block of dates—March 1524—will be bookended by two weekends of Ultra Music Festival, one of the DJ and EDM communities’ biggest events. Set for Bayfront Park in downtown Miami, UMF and its seven stages will run March 15-17, then again March 22-24. The three-day 2012 event drew 165,000 people, so one might imagine Biscayne Boulevard will be pretty crowded both weekends for this year’s incarnation.

As usual, UMF will present some of the world’s biggest DJ/producers each weekend. They’ll include: Carl Cox, David Guetta, Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, Tiësto, Richie Hawtin, Calvin Harris, Bassnectar, Avicii, Kaskade, Fatboy Slim, Knife Party and Swedish House Mafia.

As for “live” sets, UMF will present Deadmau5, Bloody Beetroots, Booka Shade, Boys Noize, Major Lazer, Hot Chip,Yeasayer, Disclosure, Nicolas Jaar, Faithless, Sleigh Bells and Snoop Dogg.

Set for the Miami Beach Convention Center, the 28 th annual Winter Music Conference will present 10 days of events, including exhibits, seminars and workshops, DJ spinoffs, a VJ Challenge, and its International

Declan O’Driscoll

WMC & ULTRA FEST HIGHLIGHT MIAMI MUSIC WEEK

ducer Afrojack will also have a big WMC/Miami Music Week. In addition to playing his own “Jacked Party” at South Beach staple Mansion on March 23, the Dutch talent is slated to play UMF’s Main Stage on March 15, plus UMF’s Ultra Worldwide Stage and UMF’s Jacked Stage (UMF Radio Stage) on March 22.

Lighting Up NAMM

Anaheim, Calif.—Beamwork at Chauvet Lighting’s booth highlights the Winter NAMM showfloor. Held this past Jan. 24-27, NAMM saw plenty of product debuts for mobile and club DJs, not to mention those studio mavens making their own tracks. For a quick spin through NAMM, please see Wesley Bryant-King’s gear picks on Page 7, and for a more thorough report from NAMM, stay tuned for the April issue of DJ Times.

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VOLUME 26 NUMBER 3

12 EDM’s Cover Girls The Nervo Twins—DJs, Songwriters, Models— Prepare for Global Domination

BY EMILY TAN

20 Holy Ship!!

Crazy Caribbean Cruise Carries Top EDM Talent Out to Sea

BY LINA ABASCAL

22 Playing Same-Sex Weddings As More States Legalize Same-Sex Marriage, DJs Are Reaping the Rewards—and Learning the Nuances Along the Way

BY JEFF STILES

DEPARTMENTS 7 Feedback

As Always, the Answers to All Your DJ-Related Questions

24 Making Tracks Focusrite iTrack Solo

26 Sounding Off Pioneer DDJ-SX

28 Mobile Profile

SF DJ Keeps Love in the Mix

30 Business Line

How to Grow Your E-Mail List

32 Gear

New Products from Mixware, Grundorf & More

38 Grooves

Phat Tracks from Birdy Nam Nam, Ulrich Schnauss & More

40 DJ Times Marketplace

Shop Here for All Your DJ-Related Supplies

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

The Hottest Records, As Reported

by Our Top U.S. Record Pools

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SAMPLINGS 8 Ben UFO

Dubstep Innovator

10 In the Studio With…

Noir

Cover & Contents Photos By Andrew Rauner

41 Club Play Chart

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FROM THE EDITOR

Miami Nights & New Mobile Moves

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

It’s taken some time, but thankfully most of the United States seems to be cool with the notion of full equality. Indeed, this past Election Day, three states—Maine, Maryland, and Washington—became the first to legalize same-sex marriage through popular vote. So, as of 2013, nine states plus the District of Columbia have legalized same-sex marriage. And just what does that mean for DJs? Well, if you believe some of the impact studies that have looked at this quickly spiking trend, it means millions of dollars for those states and related industries. Of course, for mobile entertainers, that means a potentially dramatic expansion of the wedding market. With that in mind, our Iowabased scribe Jeff Stiles connected with some of the country’s top mobiles and discussed some of the unique nuances of booking and performing at same-sex weddings.

On the cover this month, we present Mim and Liv Nervo, the Australian sister duo that has been on quite a roll recently. In addition to playing most of the major American EDM festivals—from Las Vegas’ established EDC to Chicago’s upstart Spring Awakening—they’ve been busy writing songs and creating music. (They co-wrote the Grammy-winning “When Love Takes Over” for David Guetta/Kelly Rowland.) And if you somehow didn’t notice from their cover shot taken by Andrew Rauner, their looks haven’t hurt their career either. The pair of Wilhelmina Models—talent division, not model division—were recently taken on by CoverGirl for a two-year contract. Our Emily Tan—herself a fashion-industry refugee—caught up with Liv Nervo to discuss music, travel and “beauty bias.”

In our review section, our New England-based studio hound Josh Harris handles Focusrite’s iTrack Solo, a two-in/two-out audio interface for Apple’s iPad, for Making Tracks. And in Sounding Off, Chris Davis—DJ Times’ other Georgia Bulldog—dives into Pioneer’s DDJ-SX Serato Controller.

In the Sampling section, new U.K. contributor Tom Banham connects with Ben UFO, a dubstep innovator who’s taken the genre to new and sometimes unexpected heights. Also, Mr. Chris Davis does a few minutes with Denmark’s Noir, one of the underground’s top practitioners of proper house music.

This month saw our Lina Abascal head out to sea for Holy Ship!! On this three-day cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, she accepted the harrowing duty of reporting on round-the-clock parties on and off the 3,600-capacity MSC Poesia cruise liner with talent that included Major Lazer, Skrillex, Zedd, A-Trak, Justice, Kill the Noise, 12th Planet and more. Hey, someone’s gotta do it.

Also, on the mobile tip, our Business Line offers several solutions for e-mail marketing. (How do you grow your e-mail list? When are the best times to send out e-mails? At what times of the business day are they mostly read?) In Mobile Profile, we visit with Dan Rosenbach, a Northern California mobile who underwent a career change—into the DJ world. He tells us why he hasn’t regretted it for a minute.

Of course, this issue will find itself in Miami for a week’s worth of events—Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival, chief among them. In addition to our time spent at Bayfront Park for the expanded Ultra Fest in Downtown Miami, we’ll be participating in WMC events during the day, then out on South Beach during the evening for some late-night action. Hope to see you there, as well.

We close this issue just as we return from the Winter NAMM show in Cali. Held this past Jan. 24-27 at the Anaheim Convention Center, the show brought plenty of DJ-market debuts for club/ mobile jocks and music makers, and ace gear reviewer/show cohort Wesley Bryant-King was kind enough to offer his quick picks from the show (found on the right-hand page). Expect to see a more detailed Winter NAMM wrap-up in our upcoming April issue. Until then…

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Cheers,

Jim Tremayne, Editor, DJ Times

editor-in-chief Jim Tremayne jtremayne@testa.com

graphic designer/artist Janice Pupelis jpupelis@testa.com

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

production manager Steve Thorakos sthorakos@testa.com

chart coordinator Dan Miller dmiller@testa.com contributors Lina Abascal Jody Amos Tom Banham Joe Bermudez Wesley Bryant-King Shawn Christopher Paul Dailey Chris Davis Justin Hampton Josh Harris Robert LaFrance Polly Lavin Michelle Loeb Lily Moayeri Phil Moffa Natalie Raben Scott Rubin Jennifer Shapiro Nate Sherwood Jeff Stiles Emily Tan 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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DJ Times (ISSN 1045-9693) (USPS 0004-153) is published monthly for $19.40 (US), $39.99 (Canada), and $59.99 (all other countries), by DJ Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 110503779. 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 © 2013 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 March 2013

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FEEDBACK

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Prophet 12, with 12-voice polypho‑ ny—each one with four oscillators, filters and analog VCAs. With a range of sound sculpting options, it makes for some pretty heady sound generat‑ ing capabilities, as well as pure fun at the keyboard.

On the home-recording front, Blue Microphones showed its new Nessie microphone—an unusual USB micro‑ phone designed to make recording vocals a bit less problematic. Blue

makes the analogy of the red-eye re‑ duction built into many cameras these days. Similarly, Nessie’s design and on-board smarts control plosives, and rumble, while automatically de-essing and controlling EQ and level, promis‑ ing a better result with less effort in less-than-ideal conditions.

Shown by U.S. distributor Mixware, the Electrix Tweaker is a performance MIDI controller that’s been talked about for awhile, but is now shipping.

With supplied mappings (and panel overlays) for Traktor and Ableton Live, its array of 32 buttons, 8 velocitysensitive pads, 6 push encoders and other elements, provides compre‑ hensive control over even complex software operations, such as Traktor’s granular effects capabilities—all in a package that’s decidedly outside the DJ controller norm.

– Wesley Bryant-King

1/10/2013 6:02:01 PM

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.

WINTER NAMM: WES’ PICKS Anaheim, Calif.—Now that I’ve re‑ turned from the Winter NAMM show, held at the Anaheim Convention Cen‑ ter this past Jan. 24-27, I wanted to offer some very quick thoughts on a few interesting items that caught my eye at the massive gearfest. (For more on NAMM, please see our upcoming April issue.)

Trusst, a new trussing brand from Chauvet, showed the new Goal Post Kit, which can be used to create a great booth backdrop for the mobile DJ, and while disassembled still fits in a single, compact, portable bag. Add Chauvet’s MotionDrape LED—per‑ fectly matched size-wise for the Goal Post Kit—to add 176 LEDs’ worth of animated effects for an even more compelling presentation.

Numark showed its new Orbit, a wire‑ less, programmable MIDI controller for DJs. Think wireless game control‑ ler here—it’s about that size, sports an array of buttons and a rotary knob, and is designed for two-handed use.

The sizzle comes from the inclusion of accelerometers that allow you (for ex‑ ample) to control an effect parameter by tilting the controller, Wii-style.

Even in the age of DAWs and softwarebased instruments, it was clear at NAMM that hardware-based synths are still going strong in every mu‑ sic genre. Korg introduced the MS20 mini, an updated version of the classic, circa-1978 (and still highly sought-after) MS-20. And Dave Smith Instruments took the wraps off the

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SAMPLINGS

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

Is there any genre of music that’s exploded and splintered quite like dubstep? In half a decade, it went from a handful of inner-city youths in U.K. suburbs to domination of the pop charts, co-opted by everyone from Korn to Britney Spears.

So stark has been the transformation from the emotive sub-pressure of dubstep’s original sound into its current festival-filling incarnation, that many of its early pioneers have forged a new sonic identity, where fragments of dubstep blend with traditional house and techno tropes in creative new alloys.

At the forefront has been Ben UFO—aka 26-year-old Ben Thomson—whose trendsetting label Hessle Audio pushed dubstep in new directions when it was launched in 2007. Since co-founding the imprint with college friends Pearson Sound and Pangaea, both forward-thinking producers in their own right, Thomson’s managed to successfully tread that elusive path—the DJ who doesn’t make records.

“I don’t know that it’s becoming more scarce,” he says when asked if he sees himself as a rarity in a world dominated by chart positions and YouTube plays. “I’m lucky in that my development as a DJ has been fairly gradual. When I started, our scene was tiny, but it had a lot of momentum behind it. That helped a lot. I’m not sure I would have been able to break into an already established scene without producing, and without heavyhanded management.”

That independence from the pressures of producing is afforded by the success of Hessle. With over 20 releases from the forerunners of post-dubstep like James Blake, Untold and Objekt, as well as Pangaea and Pearson Sound themselves, it has firmly stamped its mark on modern bass music. With Thomson’s A&R skills at the heart of that, it’s opened doors that might otherwise have been shut to someone who’s “just a DJ.” Alongside the label, Thomson’s cemented his credentials as a selector on the influential

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BEN UFO: DUBSTEP INNOVATOR Hessle Audio radio shows, broadcast on former pirate station Rinse FM. The label trio graduated to Rinse after three years on local radio while at college, and their show now attracts a hugely loyal following.

“I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that without radio, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now,” Thomson admits.

“We started Hessle as a result of producers starting to send us unsigned music to play on the radio, and I only really started to DJ in clubs as a result of the relative success we’ve had with the label.”

Of course, merely running a label isn’t enough to get you booked around the world.

Nor is it enough to score an invite to join the ranks of Fabric’s seminal mix series, as Thomson is set to do in January. Fabriclive 67 showcases the depth of Ben UFO’s record bag, and an ability to program a musical narrative that belies his age. But then, he has been collecting wax for some time.

“I was pretty reluctant to start DJing at first,” he recalls.

“I started to buy records [as a teenager] because at that stage there was no alternative, but I was listening to them on my dad’s turntable. Every time I thought about buying turntables of my own, I’d end up spending whatever I’d saved on records.”

Eventually realizing the error of playing 12-inch dubstep cuts on an old hi-fi, he pulled together the cash for a pair of belt-drive Numarks and learned to beatmatch using two copies of the same record he’d been sent by a store by mistake.

“Club DJing and radio DJing feed into each other,” he believes. “A lot of the same people listen to every show, which is a good incentive to seek out new material regularly. In club situations, I find playing the same tracks every show boring. Even if people might

realistically only see you in a club once or twice a year, I feel as though I have to keep things interesting for myself, because hopefully my enthusiasm for the music I play is something the audience picks up on.”

At presstime, he’s preparing for a mini tour of the U.S., where Thomson admits “the crowds probably aren’t as familiar with what I do as those in the U.K. and Europe.” Does that mean he feels pressure to change his sound, to play for the expectations of the floor— the perils of which DJ Shadow so recently fell afoul of?

“It’s difficult,” he admits. “I used to be principled and think that if I tailored my sets at all to my environment, it’d mean I was a sell-out. These days I’ve come to a realization that my environment hugely affects that crowd’s perception of what I’m doing. Certain tracks only work on great sound systems, and all rooms sound different.

“Sometimes the crowd has no idea who I am, but I don’t feel as though I have to compromise my selection, and I don’t ever play records I don’t like. Some records have a time and a place, and there are a lot of records I love where only a very specific environment can do them justice.”

But for Fabriclive67, Thomson had carte blanche to play whatever felt right, and the result is an enlightening glimpse into his personal view of dance history. “We’ve been running [Hessle Audio] nights at Fabric for three years,” he says, “and they’ve always given us the freedom to represent the label however we see fit. I felt able to approach the CD with that same sense of freedom.”

The mix was recorded in Pearson Sound’s studio on vinyl, with the occasional dip into Serato for unreleased tracks, with an Allen & Heath mixer and Roland Space Echo “that broke halfway through.” It’s a classic set up for a classic mix, one that lets the selection do the talking without any technological gimmickry. Ben UFO’s a DJ in the most classic sense of the word—a man whose identity is based on the way he understands other people’s music. And though he may be a rare breed, he’s all the more valuable for it.

– Tom Banham

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IN THE STUDIO WITH

Noir’s Defected mix includes loads of underground faves.

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

NOIR: PLAYING PROPER HOUSE

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Bitten by the EDM bug as a Danish youth and deeply influenced by Detroit’s techno godfathers, René Kristensen finally hit the DJ decks in 1996.

But it wasn’t until 2005 that Kristensen (aka Noir) broke through with his now-classic track, “All About House Music” (Wyze). It was shortly followed by a pair of chart-topping digital releases—“My MTV” (Toolroom) and “Africanism” (Neurotraxx Deluxe).

Then, in 2007, he launched Noir Music as an outlet for many of the underground’s more prolific producers (like Stimming, Tiefschwarz and Deetron). Noir struck clubland paydirt on that imprint in 2011 with “Around,” his collab with Haze that Pete Tong deemed Essential. Then, a Defected re-release of the track with Solomun’s hot vocal remix continued its run.

Now in 2013, he’s released his latest mix-comp, Defected Presents Noir In the House [Defected], so we caught up with the 37-year-old native of Aalborg, Denmark, to talk tech and DJing.

DJ Times: What was your approach to the Defected mix compilation?

Noir: I decided quite quickly that I wanted to make it a collection of tracks that I had been playing a lot for the last nine to 12 months. It’s not the obvious chart choices, but a collection of what really worked in the clubs for me, what I really enjoyed playing.

DJ Times: Favorite tracks off of the mix?

Noir: On CD1, I am quite happy about my own remix of “Amame”—it’s a top-3 best mix that I’ve ever done. CD1 is full of vocal tracks, which I have a weakness for, and Sandy Rivera’s “Changes,” originally from 2002, is one of my all-time favorite tracks. Hollis P. Monroe’s “If You Have a Doubt” is one of the brand-new bright stars in Noir’s vocal heaven. CD2 is more about the solid beats and deep grooves, and a bit more pumping. Tim Green’s track “Reed” gets such great reactions and it sounds so amazing in the clubs that it’s become one of my faves.

DJ Times: Favorite pieces of studio gear?

Noir: I use Ableton Live as my DAW and love it. Never say never, but I think I’ll stick to this for many years. I couldn’t live without my 49-key MIDI-keyboard, as I play all grooves, chords and keys by hand. I have become very good friends with Maschine from Native Instruments, which also allows me to play drums by hand. The Prophet 08 hardware synth is a treasure. My beloved and trusted Yamaha NS10 studio monitors I couldn’t live without.

DJ Times: How do you build a track?

Noir: It starts differently every time. It’s all something in my head that needs to go on the storyboard. That can be a specific rhythm, a chord progression, a loop, a groove or a vocal line.

DJ Times: What DJ gear do you like?

Noir: I use CDJs and play from a mix of CDs and USBs. I would play vinyls as well if it was possible, but most clubs are simply not built for it anymore. I had been using Traktor and the S2 and S4 controllers for a couple of years and started missing the raw feel from CDJs and vinyls again. I loved the opportunities that Traktor brings to a DJ set, but I just started missing the old feeling about DJing and decided to go back. It’s very exciting for me to play that way now.

DJ Times: Favorite DJs? Noir: Dennis Ferrer, Tale Of Us, Jamie Jones, plus a lot of resident DJs around the world. I really enjoy the local heroes, more or less unknown residents.

DJ Times: What impresses you about a DJ? Noir: Musicality, track selection, timing, passion for the music, involvement in the party, ability to read the crowd and react spontaneously to the inputs and vibe he gets back.

DJ Times: You’ve talked before about the cyclical patterns in dance music. What new sounds do you hear resurging?

Noir: The ’90s club sound has already had its impact in the underground house and techno scene and I think it’s gonna stay for a while. I think a growing interest in real old-school and simple techno with soul will appear. We’ve had a long “soft” period with slowed-down grooves and vocals—deep house and Nu-Disco—and I think the more back-to-basics and uptempo productions will now have a huge impact and stay for a while.

Faster, 125 to 132 BPM, and harder, but still with vocals, melodies and soul.\ DJ Times: Your view on the DJ scene now?

Noir: It’s very exciting right now. I can’t talk for the mainstream, but for the underground, things are changing. DJs are starting to get tired of the pitched-down vocals and big, slow, electro basslines that’ve been all over the deep-house and Nu-Disco scenes. They are looking for something new, something else now. And when that happens, there’s always excitement in the air.

– Chris Davis

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DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

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Talk about living the life. Of all the DJs on the global stage, the Nervo twins really seem to fit the bill. Right now, they have it all.

The Australian sisters—Olivia “Liv” Nervo and Miriam “Mim” Nervo—are blonde, professional models and talented singer/songwriters, DJ/producers in their own right.

Having scored a major cosmetics endorsement with CoverGirl because they are high-profile DJs, the Nervos are also cashing in on a thick, studiooriented résumé. They’ve co-written with David Guetta on “When Love Takes Over” (featuring Kelly Rowland) and “Night of Your Life” (featuring Jennifer Hudson)—the former a Grammy-winning single. They’ve also written for Ke$ha, Kylie Minogue and the Pussycat Dolls, as well as having opened for Britney Spears and Nicki Minaj on

Photos By Andrew Rauner

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DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

DJ Times: You’ve really seen your star rise recently as DJs, although you have solid songwriting chops under your belts from a young age. What does it feel like to be out front and onstage, as opposed to being behind the scenes?

Nervo: We are really having fun! We can’t believe it. We’re having more and more fun because our crowds are getting more reactive and they know our songs the second we start mixing them in. That’s the biggest buzz anyone can give us is that reaction. We haven’t spent those tens of years out on the road where we’re bored. We’ve been playing probably for three years, so in the game, that’s relatively young, I guess. Other DJs have been playing clubs for their whole teenagehood.

DJ Times: You’re the opposite.

Nervo: We did it the other way around. We were in the studio long… Sony signed us at age 18. We came to England from Australia and we landed a deal right away. I played guitar badly and Mim played piano. Someone at Sony/ATV signed us—then, followed five years of dark times in London, thinking we’d have a big hit. Like any young writer, getting ahead was hard. We waitressed. Slowly, we got better and gravitated to more electro-pop sounds because that’s what we like doing. We started collaborating more and more with DJs because we liked the sounds inspired by them. That started our journey.

DJ Times: What is your songwriting process when you’re in the studio?

Nervo: It depends on what we’re working on. We generally get asked to come in ourselves, and we write everything ourselves. Sometimes for us it’s just the top-liners. Sometimes it’s us as just producers. Inspiration comes from everything, from a drum loop to a riff to a chord sequence. Now when we’re recording vocals, we don’t like to do that on the road. We like high-fidelity studios. We like to thunder down in a real studio.

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2011’s “Femme Fatale” Tour.

As vocalists, the sisters sang on their first official single, “We’re All No One” featuring Afrojack and Steve Aoki, and they host their own NERVOnation radio show on SiriusXM Radio’s BPM channel. Working with a who’s who of dance music producers— from Armin van Buuren to Avicii, Kaskade to Dada Life—Nervo have numerous collaborations under their belts and a new single, “Like Home,” featuring Nicky Romero, just out on Protocol Records. Another new Nervo single is expected from EMI this spring, followed by a full-length artist album sometime this summer.

It may seem almost too easy for these ladies, beginning with their signing at age 18 with Sony/ATV Music Publishing up to this day when they are playing Vegas superclubs and seemingly every festival on the circuit—from Electric Daisy Carnival to Spring Awakening to Ultra Music Festival to the Voodoo Experience to Lollapalooza to the Identify Festival, to… you get the idea.

As if that weren’t enough, Mim and Liv Nervo really are having as much fun as it appears when they’re DJing. There is nary a bad vibe in the venue when they play. Perhaps the diametric opposite of the scowling, hipper-than-thou techno DJ or dubstep purist, Nervo are the embodiment of good times and a party-rockin’ flow.

DJ Times caught up with Liv Nervo by phone, while the sisters were in gallivanting across Europe.

DJ Times: In the past year or so, you ladies have really taken the U.S. by storm. Do you have any preferences touring across America as opposed to Europe or your home country of Australia?

Olivia Nervo: In America, we do a lot of cross-country touring.

It’s actually easier in Europe, living in Ibiza, to tour from here.

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Nervo in Action: (from left) Mim & Liv.

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We like the space of recording in a proper studio. On the road, we’re writing constantly.

When we’re not in hotels doing interviews— we’re constantly bouncing ideas to people we collaborate with.

DJ Times: What are your strengths in the studio and how do you two differ?

Nervo: Mim’s a better programmer than I am, in general. I’m a little better at some other things, but it all evens out in the wash [laughs]. Mim’s got a better voice. The best thing about the way of working is… when I’m having a dull moment, Mim will pick me up. That’s the good thing about the two of us working together. We’re pretty eclectic with our music tastes. We like a lot of electro bands, like Empire Of The Sun, with indie roots, which we really love. I love U.K. music that’s inspiring from James Blake to Imogen Heap, Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada—those kinds of things. There are these incredible indie electronic goddesses, The Japanese Popstars signed to EMI. We’re inspired by those artists.

DJ Times: How do you differ when you DJ out? Or are you completely in sync, as though you’re of one mind?

Nervo: In our sets, when we play, I’m used to playing more disco and more techier sounds, so I’m pushing that way. But Mim will push to be a little more melodic. In the studio, we just vibe off each other and just go where the song takes us in the studio. We both throw out a whole lot of ideas until both of us like it, but there’s also a lot of disagreeing in the studio.

DJ Times: How does that happen?

Nervo: We’re sisters, so we don’t have that problem telling each other to shut up.

The second we leave the studio, all of that’s gone. Also, when we’re both vibing off something, we’re both high, and it’s like a party!

We’re just screaming in there [laughs]. We’ll believe each other’s hype. It’s a lot of trialand-error.

DJ Times: What’s your main system in the studio for production?

Nervo: Logic is our main thing. All the plug-ins that come with it, we play with them.

We use all the same plug-ins now for five years and we really like them. We really like [Dada Life’s] Sausage Fattener plug-in. We do have a little bit of analog gear, too.

DJ Times: Do either of you play any live instruments when performing?

Nervo: We both play keyboards. I play guitar, but a lot of it’s in MIDI. We play our general ideas on the keyboard and then fix it in MIDI to make it nice and clean. It’s funny how it’s turned so visual these days. For the first idea, we jam it out in the studio.

DJ Times: You and Mim seem to be really having a great time when you DJ. You are very good at manipulating the crowd, and it often seems at festivals as though what you’re doing onstage is choreographed for maximum effect. Is your performance something you plan out in advance or is it spontaneous?

Nervo: That comes naturally. We’ve never thought about it, to be honest. We don’t turn it down or up when we play. We’ve been watching DJs all our lives. I like it when they (continued on page 42)

Photos by Drew Ressler/Rukes.com

H

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.—It’s not every week that you can watch world-class DJs play all night in a club, and then all day on the sandy shores of the Bahamas. In fact, it’s only about once a year.

But, this past Jan. 3—for the second consecutive year— HARD’s Holy Ship!! set sail for the Bahamas on the 3,600-capacity MSC Poesia cruise line. And the DJs rocked it all weekend long.

Without the club dramas of VIP sections or door bouncers, Holy Ship!! brought together bass-music bombers (12th Planet, Skream & Benga and Skrillex) with house faves (house kings Brodinski & Gesaffelstein) and electro crunchers (Justice and Boys Noize) for an audience that was ready for an EDM event devoid of the typical trance headliners.

Cabin prices were steep and the cruise sold out quickly, but the die-hard music lovers who made it onboard were treated to themed parties, artist-hosted events and surprise sets throughout the ship’s five stages.

Day 1 Highlights:

Day 2 Highlights:

After leading a whisky-fueled mini-golf tournament, a buzzed Dillon Francis was seen doing a pre-show ritual of pushups with his tour manager before his DJ set. His ensuing performance turned out fine, though, as his set included his signature moombahton hits, house anthems, and a sprinkle of dubstep. The set was MCed by Vice fave Fabrizio “The Fat Jew” Goldstein, who spieled against a goofy backdrop of dolphin graphics.

To add to the silliness of that Dillon Francis set, A-Trak was seen wearing a hat that resembled a pizza pie and Zedd took the microphone to recite the lyrics to Avicii’s “Le7els,” as if they were a speech. Seeing the three DJs joke together felt as if their Twitter exchanges had come to life.

During Major Lazer’s second set, Diplo switched up his usual shirtless stage dive by getting inside a clear, inflatable, hamster ball and rolling across the jam-packed

crowd, which was still peaking energy-wise at 4 a.m.

Day 3 Highlights:

As if being on a white sand beach of a private island wasn’t a highlight in itself, having Boys Noise, Gesaffelstein, and Justice tag-team a DJ set confirmed that the Holy Ship!! experience is truly one of a kind.

The Euro masters switched it up from their usual sound and threw in classic hip-hop tracks like “Getting’ Jiggy Wit It” and “California Love,” as thousands of beach bodies danced along.

Though 2011 seemed to be the peak of moombahton, the Mad Decent family (Nadastrom, Sabo, Dillon Francis, and Diplo) proved that those living in the here and now still love 108 BPM. The L.A.-based producers turned the Zebra Bar into a sweat lodge with four hours of hip-shaking grooves, perfectly appropriate for the island vibes of the cruise.

“When I saw the Holy Ship!! schedule, I knew something was missing,” said turntablist A-Trak to a crowded audience in the theater. A mysterious gap in the schedule apparently prompted the owner of Fools Gold Records to throw a strictly hip-hop party—perfectly timed with the recent trap phenomenon. Brodinski ditched his usual dancey vibes for an hour set of hip-hop faves, ranging from Ginuwine to Juicy J. Preparing for his upcoming tour with Just Blaze, young Brooklynite Baauer played his own tracks, while friend RL Grime danced and sang along onstage. n

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

Diplo & Co. made it clear why Major Lazer was chosen to play as the ship embarked on its journey. Giving the audience a taste for what is to come with Major Lazer’s upcoming Free the Universe album and tour, hype man Washy Fire led the duo (which recently replaced Switch with Jillionaire) in a tropical dancehall-inspired set, including a recorded shoutout from none other than Snoop Dogg.

The confusion caused by a

change in the set times was offset when Grammy winner Skrillex joined Boys Noize for a surprise set. At the first sound of his signature wobble, fans everywhere on the deck ran to join in the dance party. The camaraderie between the producers made it obvious that this would not be the only set Skrillex popped in on.

Clad in a tuxedo, the impossibly tall Skream hosted an ’80s prom-themed night, playing hit after retro hit, while friends Alvin Risk, Skrillex, and more danced as if it was senior year.

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All-Aboard: Fans pack the MSC Poesia.

Cruisin’: MSC Poesia brings the party.

Electro Outdoors: Justice spins in the sunshine.

Mad Decent: Diplo & Major Lazer rock the boat.

Welcome Aboard: Holy Ship!! embarks.

Bass! Skrillex, Kill the Noise & 12th Planet.

Mascot Man: Fool’s Gold in the house.

Lost at Sea: Zedd goes hands-up.

Sun & Sand: Bahamas beach party.

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

Boat Party: A-Trak threw a hip-hop bash.

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DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

P 22

Orlando, Fla.-based jock J.R. Silva is adamant about the fact his company will play for whatever type of wedding reception for which SILVA Entertainment will be booked, no matter the gender makeup.

“These alternative events have the same storytelling—they just have a different makeup of people,” says Silva. “Basically the clients invite their loved ones, close friends and family who don’t judge, and it’s a joyful celebration. That’s all there is to it.

“I find that the audience has to trust that the DJ is not there to pass judgment, and to just roll out a fantastic party. No religion specifically pays my bills at the end of the month, so I stay open-

more like, ‘Hey, now’s the time to bring that someone special out to the middle of our dancefloor.’

“Keeping a good filter on my announcements helps me avoid awkward transitions and presentations. And in the end, good preparation is all that’s needed.”

As a resident and DJ owner in one of the U.S. states that recently legalized same-sex marriage, Adam Tiegs of Adam’s DJ Service in Seattle says he has some firsthand knowledge of this subject.

“I’ve actually DJed a few same-sex events already and they’re really no different than traditional weddings with a bride and a groom,” Tiegs says. “One of them, however, I feel, was used as a political tool, as the couple

minded and versatile.”

This past Election Day, three states—Maine, Maryland, and Washington—became the first to legalize same-sex marriage through popular vote. So, as of 2013, nine states—Connecticut, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, and Washington—plus the District of Columbia and two Native American tribes have legalized same-sex marriage. In addition, Rhode Island recognizes same-sex unions performed in other jurisdictions, while California recognizes them on a conditional basis.

A look at the Maryland example alone should open some eyes for all wedding vendors, not just those DJs who run entertainment services. In 2012, a study by the Williams Institute— a think tank at UCLA’s School of Law “dedicated to conducting rigorous, independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy”— predicted that, over a three-year period, weddings by resident Maryland couples will generate between $40 million and $64 million for the state economy.

(The analysis didn’t include out-of-state couples traveling to Maryland for the purpose of getting married.)

With these possibly lucrative developments in the air, we asked mobile DJs around the country how the evolving social opinions regarding non-traditional marriages is impacting their event calendars, and how those changes are impacting how they operate their events.

The only challenge Silva says he’s found is how to adapt how he scripts his announcements.

“For example, saying, ‘Let’s have the gentlemen escort the ladies to the dancefloor’ doesn’t fly in this arena,” he says. “It’s

shared a slide show that shared their views and why same-sex marriages should be allowed— this was this past year, prior to the law passing—but otherwise I encourage the same customized fun that I encourage at all events for LGBT events.

“From the few same-sex events that I was a part of, most everything was the same—except during the ceremonies, religion was left out. They were more spiritual than religious, with poetry about love being used in lieu of traditional verses from a traditional religious book, such as the Bible. But still, things were pretty much the same as all weddings: a ceremony, then a party or celebration, with cocktails, a great meal, some formal dances and activities, and then dancing.”

The main difference Tiegs has noticed between same-sex receptions and traditional events in Washington is that every samesex event he’s been part of has had some sort of over-the-top show effect.

“At one event, our clients had dual dry-ice foggers because they wanted to get married on the clouds, so we made their dream come true,” he says. “At another one, we used an industrial bubble

to open up the dancefloor as a nice transition from dinner to dancing.

“There are oftentimes toasts or speeches given, sometimes more structured, while other times very impromptu and spontaneous. Lastly, about a quarter of the time we’ll see a ‘bride’ and father or fathers dance, or ‘groom’ and mother or mothers dance, depending on what the couple wants to do—if parents wish to be involved.

“The one party that comes to mind was much more contemporary dance stuff—Beyoncé, Rihanna, Usher, etc.—although they did incorporate a few of the traditional oldies and Motown songs—Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, ‘Shout’ and a few others.

But again, it was mostly modern dance music. Of course, that particular crowd in this case, and it was a younger crowd as well.

Back up in Maine, Mike Mahoney of South Portland-based M&M Entertainment says that, although they haven’t advertised specifically for gay weddings, his company has in fact done a few.

“The surprising thing I’ve found is that they are amazingly simple at this point, with much less frills and such,” he says.

“From the ones I have done, the two people are first and foremost just happy to be married. While there are instances of flamboyance, in general men are men and women are women.

Men are more simple and women are a bit more flowery, but both enjoy the formality and sophistication of the event.”

On the other hand, Mahoney says, there are definitely nuances DJs should be aware of.

“Primarily, watch your language,” he says. “It’s no longer a ‘bridal party,’ for example—it’s a ‘wedding party.’ Any reference to ‘bride’ goes away for men, unless they specifically ask to use it, and the same goes for ‘groom’ with women. ‘Please welcome Mr. and Mrs.’ becomes ‘Please welcome our newlyweds—Bill and Steve!’”

What Mahoney says he particularly enjoys about samesex events is that they tend to be very artistic in nature. “It’s like looking at things through a different lens, so to speak,” he says. “I would highly recommend anyone not currently doing them to jump in, as it’ll open up new ways of doing old things. In one specific instance, the couple took a common practice of putting seating-placement cards in grass at the entrance, then followed through and had a square of grass on each table as a centerpiece.

“One interesting piece that I’ve observed at same-sex events is that the garter removal is not a big deal, because they all want to toss the bouquet!” n

MARCH 2013

According to DJ Carl, it seems there are too many mobile DJs these days who specialize. “If I was hiring a DJ, I’d want them to be able to play all types of music for all types of lifestyles,” he says. “I wouldn’t want anyone to discriminate against me, so I don’t discriminate against same-sex couples.

“As a businessperson, same-sex events are very lucrative, because both individuals in the relationship usually do not have children and have more finances to hire a professional, higher-end DJ or band.”

Down in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., Scott Goldoor of Signature DJs says his jocks perform at two or three same-sex events per year and, although they have not specifically advertised or targeted this market, there is a company called The Rainbow Network that does solicit them to advertise.

“When we perform at these events,” he says, “some take on more of the traditional sense of a wedding ceremony and reception—less much of the fanfare and formality—while others take the shape of a more glorified party, with just one or two formalities thrown in such as a first dance and a couple toasts.

“There are not really that many contrasts, per se, but I would say that the majority of same-sex or civil ceremonies—many couples do call it an actual ‘wedding reception’—take on the shape of a glorified party, with a couple formalities thrown in.”

According to Goldoor, the emphasis and attention at samesex ceremonies is much more on the music selection. “Especially for the actual ceremony itself,” he says. “Most of the time when we perform for the ceremony, there’s a lot of customization, and the couples really try to stay away from the traditional Wagner & Mendelssohn pieces, ‘Here Comes The Bride,’ etc.

“With regard to the party itself, there’s usually an introduction of the couple, using just their first names most of the time—Krissy and Erica, for example. We will often perform a first dance and then often have all the guests join in. This is sometimes done before dinner, or sometimes after dinner

DJ TIMES

machine to have a bubble effect as the two brides walked back down the aisle at the end of the ceremony.

“I’m not saying all same-sex events will be like this, but that is one difference we’ve noticed so far.”

Currently, the only advertising Adam’s DJ Service is doing is promoting itself on engaygedweddings.com. Says Tiegs: “I fully support anyone who wants to get married, and am happy to help with music for their events.”

Back over in Pennsylvania, Steve Croce of Philadelphia-based Silver Sound DJs says they’ve made a few attempts to advertise online with the LGBT community, but claims that the sites created for gay weddings are often seen as ‘gay blackface.’

“Those websites are typically slapped together with SEO in mind, not designed to appeal to potential clients as vendors who are experienced and prepared to entertain their reception,” he says.

“As far as meeting new clients, we’re mostly forced to rely on wedding coordinators who dole out clients to us, based on little more than their own personal experience or favoritism.”

Still, Croce says he’s entertained for several same-sex weddings, both gay and lesbian. And at each one, he says something very similar happened—and that was there was a breakdown in services.

“Recently, when I was entertaining a gay wedding in Atlantic City,” he says, “I asked where the manager was to coordinate the flow of events and was told, ‘Oh, she’s probably on her break—I don’t know.’ It was clear that they weren’t treating a gay wedding the same as they would an average wedding reception.

“Often, I’m obliged to assume a leadership role and coordinate each nuance of the reception, including photos and even when food will be served.”

Carl Williams of DJ Carl Entertainment in New York City advertises toward the same-sex genre on WeddingWire. “There’s an option on that site that communicates to ‘brides’ that I will perform for same-sex weddings,” says DJ Carl. “I believe in diversity, and if a DJ can play music for a roomful of men to dance with one another all night long, then he or she has a great skill.

“Same-sex events are not much different than traditional events.

You just have to get used to same-sex individuals dancing, hugging and kissing one another more publicly at the reception. They tend to be more open in their affections towards one another.

“Oh yeah, and it’s much easier to get gay men to dance to great music than to get straight men to dance at weddings, too.”

23

MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

By Josh Harris

HOT INTERFACE: iTRACK SOLO “The vocals in both of my recording scenarios were full, and uncolored by the A/D conversion

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

process.”

24

Audio interfaces for Apple iPads are popping up on a pretty regular basis these days. So it shouldn’t be surprising that U.K. manufacturer Focusrite has thrown its hat in that ring with the iTrack Solo.

It’s a two-in/two-out interface for the iPad, but it will also work on a Mac or a PC. The two analog inputs are parceled out as an XLR input and a ¼-inch input for a guitar, or other mono audio source. Both inputs are located on the front of the unit, while the two analog outputs, which come in the form of a L/R RCA, are on the rear of the unit. There is also a decent-sized monitor knob on the front, as well as a Direct Monitor on/off switch.

The headphone jack is located on the front, at the lower right side of the unit.

Set-Up: This had to be one of the easiest installations I have ever experienced setting up an audio interface. I literally hooked up the iTrack Solo to my iPad with the included cable, along with the USB-to-AC power cable, launched Auria—WaveMachine Labs’ terrific iPad DAW—and I was ready to roll.

Using the USB-to-AC connection to power iTrack Solo is recommended, in order to handle its high-specification components. The whole installation process took less than five minutes. The only part of the setup that threw me at first was the length of the iTrack-to-iPad cable. It is short, but Focusrite wants to honor Apple’s “made for iPad standard requirements,” when it comes to sending data over a 2G network. If the cable is too long, there is the chance of noise interference. That being said, Focusrite offers an extension cable, which you can view in the Answerbase on its website (focusrite.com).

I had been itching to record vocals in Auria with a proper microphone for a while, but did not have access to an iPad interface that would allow me to do so until now. I quickly created a new session, plugged in my Spark mic (by Blue Microphones) to iTrack Solo and turned on the +48v switch for phantom power. Then, I record-enabled a track in Auria and was ready to go.

I spent a few minutes recording a male voice over, and then moved to recording a male lead vocal. The iTrack Solo performed admirably—and I must say that for the $199 retail price, the A/D converters sound good. I felt that the vocals in both of my recording scenarios were full, and uncolored by the A/D conversion process.

One nice little feature with iTrack Solo is that a green halo appears around the input gain knobs as good signal is passing through the unit. As there is no external metering, this feature helps with gauging if your input level is too hot or not strong enough. I did not record with input 2, the line input, which seems to be geared for guitar, as it has a guitar below the input knob.

The iTrack Solo has the ability to record up to 24-bit/96K and is bundled with some nice software: Ableton Live Lite 8, the Focusrite Scarlett plug-in suite, Novation Bass Station and 1 GB of Loopmasters royalty-free samples. The unit weighs one pound and is housed in a nice aluminum casing.

As the list continues to grow for iPad-compatible audio interfaces, iTrack Solo should be on everyone’s radar. And, if you really want to get the bang for you buck, use it on your desktop or laptop, and then simply unhook it to use with your iPad when traveling.

Way to go, Focusrite.

If you have any questions for Josh Harris or Making Tracks, please send them to djtimes@testa.com.

SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

PIONEER DDJ-SX: SERATO CONTROLLER SUPREME

By Chris Davis

Throughout the evolution of DJ culture, we have seen the recurring cycle of release formats and their accompanying DJ hardware rising and falling from dominant standing in the market. In the beginning, today’s now-puritan vinyl and turntable setups gave way to CDs and CDJs. Then, CD-based setups conceded to laptops and MIDI controllers, and consequently laptops gave the final push into the world of Frankensteined MIDI controllers and tablet-based setups that we see presently.

With production of the romanticized Technics 1200s ceasing and the skill of turntablism losing its ground as a requirement of a modern DJ, Serato has recognized that expanding its business means embracing the world of MIDI controllers—and to cement its foray into the space, its ITCH software has been repackaged and rebranded as Serato DJ. Serato has subsequently forged an exciting new hardware partnership with Pioneer DJ, and so the Pioneer DDJSX—perched at the front of the pack as one of six compatible Serato DJ

DDJ-SX: Serato DJ control, 4-channel mixing.

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controllers and seven upcoming Serato DJ Intro controllers—was born.

In The Box: My first impression during un-boxing was that this thing is built to take a beating. Weighing in at 13 pounds, with a footprint that is 26.1-inches wide, 14.1-inches deep, and 2.8-inches high, it’ll take up quite a bit of the space in the booth, although a DJ shouldn’t need much else, save for a laptop. A flight case or controller bag is going to be a necessity, so budget accordingly.

VDJs take note—also included in the box is a free download code for the Serato Video plug-in (worth $149), but only for the first 10,000 Pioneer DDJ-SX units shipped worldwide. This software plug-in for Scratch Live, Serato DJ, and Serato’s vanishing ITCH enables you to manipulate video playback, while you DJ via Serato control vinyl, control CDs, or a supported controller such as the

DDJ-SX. Basic Hardware: The usual suspects of an XLR master output, a second RCA master output, and a ¼-inch balanced TRS booth output are present, along with four channels of phono/line inputs with selectors for channels 1 and 2 easily accessible from the front of the unit, a combination XLR and ¼-inch microphone input on channel 3, and a ¼-inch microphone input on channel 4. Count ’em, folks—you have two microphone inputs to accommodate your thunderous MC skills.

The unit has a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz, and a 24-bit A/D, D/A converter that is sure to please your ears. Pioneer has taken the liberty of filtering out frequencies outside of the audible human hearing range— those over 20 kHz and below 20 Hz, the latter of which I found a bit concerning, as much of the subsonic oomph that can be felt through proper club systems is in the inaudible 0-20 Hz range.

When it comes to headphone monitoring, Pioneer has been kind enough to include both a ¼-inch jack as well as 3.5-mm jack, which should be fantastic news for the more forgetful DJs among us. Certainly, sure many of you have had that moment of terror when setting up for a gig as you realized that you left your ¼-inch adapter for your headphones at home.

An additional combined cue and master-cue headphone knob and a retractable volume knob on the front of the unit make getting that headphone mix “just right” a breeze. DJ duos will appreciate the fact that the ¼-inch and 3.5-mm headphone jack can be used simultaneously, so no need for pesky headphone splitters.

The Good Stuff: What makes the DDJ-SX stand out from the upcoming Serato controller crowd? For starters, the two velocity-sensitive pad banks featuring eight pads per bank and four associated pad modes.

For size reference, these touchpads were just a smidgen smaller and a tad less responsive than those found on

Native Instruments’ Maschine pads.

Eight hot cues are available to Mix: sat- Full-function mixer. iRig isfy your finger-tapping needs, plus a beat-roll mode staggered across the pads. After analyzing your files with Serato’s beat grids, the sampler and its “velocity mode”—exclusive to the DDJ-SX—allow you to trigger Serato’s SP-6 sampler slots at differOutputs: Unit includes 2 master outs & booth out terminal. ent volumes. Finally, a slicer function chops a section of your track into eight pieces, allowing creative looplives a retractable crossfader curve tope-powered Serato DJ effects— ing and triggering through the eight control. which include delay, ping-pong delay, “performance pads.”

An amazing, but often overlooked echo, reverb, phaser, flanger, distorAnother “why-didn’t-I-think-offeature is that the mixer section can tion, high-pass filter, low-pass filter, that?” feature developed specifically be used as a standalone hardware and combo HP/LP filters—though for the DDJ-SX is the “dual deck mixer, so if the situation calls for it, there are dedicated DJM-style color mode” that allows the user to link plug in your CDJs and turntables and filter knobs under each mixer chantwo software decks within Serato ditch the laptop. nel. Wet/dry functions exist in single and manipulate them as if they were Also featured with the controller FX mode, allowing a single effect to a single track, by using the large, conbe controlled by several parameters, are the contemporary DJ debateductive aluminum touch-sensitive sparking sync buttons and several and in multi-FX mode the knobs each platters. One of many usages that imaccompanying pitch-fader behaviors, correspond to a single effect. mediately come to mind is mixing in needle-track search, a dedicated The mixer section features four and manipulating a linked a cappella loop section, censor/reverse buttons, channels of Serato DJ isolator EQs and instrumental track in conjunction channel-fader cue point start funcand standard trim/gain knobs. Down with an isolated third track. tions, and a potent “slip-mode” functhe center are a master output conThese jog wheels feature an on-jog tion that allows you to scratch, loop, trol, booth monitor level control, and display in the center of the jog that or hot cue to your heart’s content, a dedicated sampler fader to control show the playback status and posithe volume of the sampler functions, while the original track continues in tion of the current track, giving the the background—normal playback and below are headphone cue butDJ a greater deal of accuracy when resuming from the point at which tons. At the top is browser navigation scratching. the track would have reached had and track-loading buttons, FX on/off There are dedicated hardware you not added your ever-so-tasteful buttons, and on the front of the unit control sections for the new iZo-

performance styling. The only feature that the DDJ-SX seems to lack is a dedicated microphone mixing section; DJs are forced to give up one of the four mixer channels in order to use a microphone.

Non-Serato DJs users may also rejoice, to some extent, as they can MIDI-map the DDJ-SX for other software platforms by entering Pioneer’s “utility mode.” I was able to find several capable mappings for competing software already gracing the Internet in free and paid forms.

While Serato advertises MIDI mapping of other controllers as a new Serato DJ feature, be aware that a dedicated Serato controller is required to be plugged into both map and control the secondary MIDI controller, preserving its oft-despised 1:1 hardware and software requirement.

With the opportunity to manufacture the first official Serato DJ controller to hit the market, Pioneer has unabashedly taken aim at the dime-a-dozen, all-in-one DJ controllers and made quite the argument for the DDJ-SX as the ultimate Serato DJ controller. The only real shortcoming of the controller is the lack of a dedicated microphone mixing section. If the sizeable footprint and $999 price don’t raise any issues, then DJs are sure to be pleased by this offering.

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MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

By Stu Kearns Berkeley, Calif.—Prior to making DJing his full-time job in 2011, Dan Rosenbach was a traveling salesperson for a company that imported and distributed decorative lighting fixtures from Europe and Asia.

You think DJing is exhaustive? He was traveling two to three weeks a month for 11 months out of the year for almost 10 years—an experience has helped him grow his DJ business.

“On one hand, I was communicating with interior designers and lighting designers on a regular basis,” he says. “To do that intelligently, I had to learn quite a bit about lighting fundamentals.

Obviously, all of that education is helping me now in creating innovative and interesting lighting designs for my clients. I can not only explain what each type of light does, but how they’re

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

SAN FRAN DJ KEEPS LOVE IN THE MIX

28

best used in harmony in a space to achieve the look or vibe the client is going for.”

Knowledge of lighting fixtures wasn’t the least of it—10 years of intensive sales experience has left its mark, too. “The ability to sell is the number-one, most-important thing for every business,” he asserts, “and I would say that not having that ability is what differentiates DJs with DJ skills, and DJs who take whatever skills they have and convert that into a successful business.

Salesmen are born, not made. If you don’t have one, hire one. I see so many businesses in the weddings and events industries fail to achieve, because they just d o n ’t u n d e rRosenbach’s career change stand how to et the sale, put him in the DJ booth. gdespite offering an extremely high level of service and performance.”

Rosenbach’s chief deliverable for his company, Love in the Mix, relies on his song-selection skills, which, like most DJs, was developed through his adolescent years, busy with tapes and a boom box.

“Getting my dad to take me to the record store was a weekly event,” he says. “I always read Rolling Stone and Spin and I seemed to ‘discover’ artists before my peers did. For me, good music is an essential element for a party. So, at an early age, wherever there was fun to be had, I wanted the right music there, and I found out that if I wanted to hear the music I liked, I was better off bringing my own boombox and tapes—and I guess that’s how it started. Anytime I would become complacent and let someone else take care of the music, I was always disappointed.”

Today, the goal he strives for is to never disappoint a client. “I don’t scratch or do a lot of live

remixing,” he says, “but I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to get to know my clients and handcrafting each playlist I draw from, specifically for that client and that event. I don’t recycle playlists. I devote many hours picking the songs for each event. I want to play things people know and like, but I also want to find those hidden gems—that song you haven’t heard in 10 years that used to be your jam. I also love food and watching cooking shows. Often you hear great chefs say they make their food with love. I make my mixes with love.”

Gear-wise, Rosenbach controls Algoriddim djay software with a Vestax VCI-300 mkII and, for PA, he uses an HK Audio Elements

Acoustics 2 Line Array system. A typical lighting system includes 20 American DJ Flat Par Tri-7 LED par cans, Chauvet ShowXpress control software and an ETC Source Four theatrical projection light for pattern washes.

Rosenbach started Love in the Mix in January 2011, arriving at the decision to pursue DJing full-time after some requisite soul-searching—and after planning his own wedding and coordinating with the DJ. “I had the full-time lighting sales job and I wanted to see what my prospects were for changing careers,” says Rosenbach, who was weary of the traveling. “So I let my friends know, and what really made me want to do this for a career was working with the great DJ [Gregg Hollmann] who DJed my wedding.

My wife and I were married on the Jersey Shore in 2009. We included a tremendous amount of personal details in our wedding.

My wife did a lot of the work and planning, but I was responsible for working with the DJ. The experience of planning the wedding and seeing our DJ in action convinced me that this was something I could do, and something I really could enjoy doing.

“I DJed for friends’ weddings and parties for free or a nominal fee and, after a while, friends of friends started asking about me, and as I did more events I endeared myself to the venue coordinators and sales staff. The referrals started to build up, I got reviews posted on Yelp, and away I went. When I saw I could do this full-time, I quit my other job.”

The favorable reviews and word-of-mouth spread as Rosenbach developed a reputation for filling floors, something that he takes very seriously. “I fill a floor by playing the jams,” he says. “But not my jams. Not radio jams. Jams that I have spent hours compiling. Through meetings and my questionnaire, I really try to get to know each client and event.Where are they from, how old are they, what are they into, where are they in life? As a salesperson and marketer, I’m always fascinated by what captures people’s attention. I’ve traveled all over the country and world. I’ve had a rich life experience, and all of that helps me connect the dots between my guests, the event specifics, and my goal to have everyone on the floor sweating until the end.

“I seem to have a knack for selecting and sequencing the right songs at the right times.

Generally, I try to get all ages dancing. I try to start out with dance classics and move progressively more modern as the night goes on. When Grandpa George comes out to dances to ‘My Girl’ and doesn’t leave until after ‘Levels,’ I know I’ve done something right.”

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BUSINESS LINE SALES…MARKETING…SOLUTIONS…

HOW TO GROW YOUR E-MAIL LIST

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

By Stu Burke

30

Despite the growing infatuation with social media, email blasts and newsletters remain a primary mover for business messaging and marketing campaigns.

So, you’ve got your e-mail list, culled from an opt-in form on your website, or from past clients, catering execs, and lists from bridal shows. And you dutifully send out blasts every two months, but your list doesn’t expand.

What are you doing wrong? Is it your content? Is it your strategy?

It could be both. Here are some ways to grow your list.

Popovers: Remember the days of Internet 1.0 when pop-ups appeared on your monitor like wildflowers?

They’re still around, but pop-up blockers have enabled people to banish them forever.

Now, savvy business owners use a more-sophisticated, less-intrusive form of the pop-up: the popover. A box that appears on a website asking viewers if they want to be added to an email list, popovers, a plug-in for most CMS, can be customized—set to appear only after a certain number of page views, after a certain time period or only with people who haven’t visited the site in a set number of days.

Don’t clutter your popover with a lot of words. Keep the language light and fun, and give people a reason to opt in. Think simple, direct and funny.

The Opt-Out: Rather than require people to opt-in, why not give them the choice of opting-out? When a retailer recently added a “group deals” e-mail to its marketing mix, it could have sent an e-mail asking subscribers to opt-in to receive it. Instead, it sent an opt-out email to offer people the opportunity to unsubscribe from the group deals list. Most people, predictably, did not opt-out.

But if the retailer had chosen to get permission before adding everyone to the new list, many people might not have taken time to respond, substantially reducing the audience for the group deals.

Link Your Twitter Bio to an Opt-In Page: If you do choose to use the opt-in on your website, then, of course, you should be putting your website URL in your Twitter bio. But beyond that, smart marketers link to a page with a direct call to action. Known as a landing page, it converts more effectively than your general homepage.

So think of a free offering you can give to brides and grooms—a “How to Shop for a Wedding DJ” e-brochure, or a “10 Things to Avoid When Hiring Wedding Vendors.” Or a 10-minute webinar. Whatever it is, links to that offering in your Twitter bio so followers who are interested can opt-in right away.

A great tool to do this is a WordPress plug-in called Pretty Link, which uses your own domain name for the link, rather than a random short link, which is great because it provides authority of your domain, and gives people an easy link to share to refer others to the resource.

Another benefit to having the link listed in your bio rather than below it (next to your location) is that the links in your bio show up all around Twitter and related sites. Furthermore, Pretty Link also tracks the clicks.

Use Twitter Tools to Offer a Free Bonus: Third-party tools like Pay with a Tweet or Cloud:flood allow you to give away something free for the “price” of a tweet. After a reader shares the link provided, they get access to the free content—as opposed to how most people do it, by requesting these shares randomly within posts.

But there’s an even more powerful way of using these tools: ask for a tweet after they’ve already opted in to your mailing list.

To do this, simply redirect new sign-ups to a page where they can “pay with a tweet” for even more content.

Here’s what this 3-step process looks like: 1. A new subscriber will opt-in to your newsletter from a newsletter signup page on your website.

Best Times to Send E-Mail

GetResponse analyzed more than 21 million emails sent by its clients during the first quarter of 2012. Among the findings: n 23.63 percent of all emails are opened within the first hour. n Most emails are sent from 6 a.m. to noon; the least amount sent from midnight to 6 a.m. n The hours that see the most click-thrus: 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., and 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; n The hours that see the most opens: 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., and 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Conclusion: For maximum open and click rates, choose morning and early afternoon.

2. After they confirm their e-mail, you would use your e-mail marketing service (MailChimp or Constant Contact, for example) to redirect people to a “Pay with a Tweet” page that has additional content available for the price of a tweet.

Use Pay with a Tweet or Cloud:flood to make sure that the link they tweet out sends people to your newsletter page.

3. Lastly, enjoy the benefits of giving extra value to your readers and having tons of people send out direct tweets to your newsletter page.

All it takes is a free resource to give to readers who send out the tweet, a little effort to set this up behind the scenes and you’re set to have a newsletter page that receives plenty of shares.

Use Click to Tweet to Make Your Sign-up Page Easy to Tweet: Take the time to make your newsletter signup page worth tweeting about. You can do this without having a freebie incentive, too. When done right, this can help generate a massive amount of new e-mail leads for you.

How can you get your newsletter signup page tweeted more?

Add a “sound bite” to your newsletter page. On your newsletter signin field, add something that’s worth tweeting (a quote or neat fact, something shareable) and allow it to be tweeted with a single click. You can use a tool like Click to Tweet to accomplish this. Now people have a call to action and a legitimate reason to tweet about your newsletter page. Make sure the content is something that your readers would like to tweet out. In short, don’t make it all about you, make it about them, and you’ll find that people will share it.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Mega Man ADJ Products/American DJ 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 582-2650 www.americandj.com ADJ Products has released the American DJ Mega TRI64 Profile fixture. The unit is designed with its power and DMX connectors positioned on the side so that it can sit directly on the ground without a bracket. It’s designed with 12 three-watt tri-color LEDs in red, green and blue and the colors mix smoothly, without RGB shadows. Additional features include 32 built-in color macros, LED pulse and strobe effects, 0-100 percent electronic dimming, and five different DMA and manual operational modes.

Trolley Car Reloop/Mixware 11070 Fleetwood St, Unit F Sun Valley, CA 91352 (786) 362.5757 www.reloop.com Reloop and UDG, distributed by Mixware, have developed the Terminal Mix 4 Trolley, which is designed to house a 4-channel controller.

There is a compartment for interface and headphones, and a second compartment for cables and accessories. The Trolley is made of waterrepellent ballistic nylon and it comes with an extra neoprene laptop bag for notebooks up to 15.4 inches. Additional features include inline wheels and a two-stage extractible aluminum handle with aluminum bar.

For You Blue

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

Blue Microphones 5706 Corsa Avenue, #102 Westlake Village, CA 91362 (818) 879-5200 www.bluemic.com

32

Blue Microphones’ Spark Digital is the first studio condenser microphone to connect to both iPad and USB, according to the company.

The digital version of Blue’s analog Spark microphone comes with studio controls such as volume, gain control and instant mute directly on the microphone. The mic also offers zero-latency headphone out for direct monitoring and Focus Control, which gives users two different sonic options in the same mic. Spark Digital includes an exclusive Cloud Production Bundle with free access to production tools and 25 GB storage.

Rekordbox-ing Match Pioneer Electronics 1925 E. Dominguez Street Long Beach, CA 90810 (310) 952-2000 www.pioneerdjusa.com Pioneer’s rekordbox DJ music management app is now available for iPhone and iPod touch. The app lets users customize browsing and sorting menus, as well as cue/loop point and beat location settings, perform waveform analysis, and save playlists on the device. Music in these devices can be wirelessly synched with a computer utilizing the Pioneer rekordbox music management PC software. The rekordbox app is currently available in the App store.

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GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Chances are SlimPAR Chauvet 5200 NW 108th Ave. Sunrise, FL 33351 (800) 762-1084 www.chauvetlighting.com

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

Chauvet added two new models to its SlimPAR line—the SlimPAR Quad-6 IRC and SlimPAR Quad-12 IRC. Both come equipped with four-watt, quad-color LEDs that create “a broad spectrum of pastels with natural-looking temperatures and impressive color saturation,” according to the company. They work in master/slave mode with other quad-color SlimPAR wash lights and each fixture features four or eight channels of DMX control for pre-programmed customized light shows. Additionally, these models include a built-in infrared receiver for wireless control with an optional infrared remote control.

34

Band on the Grundorf Grundorf Corporation 721 Ninth Avenue Council Bluffs, IA 51501 (712) 322-2900 www.grundorf.com The G-Series Lycra façade pre-lit LED screen comes in three configurations with four, five or six panels, and they come in a prelit option or one without LED lights installed. The lighted versions include the power supply and a wireless remote control that can adjust the lights to any color. The panels are made with a double layer of Lycra to create “a more polished on-stage performance,” and the screens are available in both black and white models.

Numark My Words

Meter Maid

Numark Industries, LLC 200 Scenic View Drive Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-3131 www.numark.com

iZotope 1 Kendall Sq Cambridge, MA, 02139 (617) 577-7799 www.izotope.com

Numark announced a collaboration with Serato to include Serato DJ software with the NS7, V7 and NS6 controllers. Users who already own one of those controllers can upgrade to Serato DJ for free, while owners of other Numark controllers that are compatible with Serato’s DJ Intro software are eligible for an upgrade at a special price. Serato DJ gives users access to a variety of features, including intuitive MIDI mapping, four-deck mixing and new effects powered by iZotope.

The Insight metering suite from iZotope is designed for postproduction and broadcast applications, letting users view all relevant information from a mix in one floating window. Real-time visual monitoring and color-coded alerts let users detect problems immediately, and the program is designed to make sure audio is fully compliant with current loudness standards. This fully-customizable and scalable program includes a suite of metering tools, including True Peak Meters, Loudness Meters, Loudness History Graph, Stereo Vectorscope, Surround Scope, 2D/3D Spectrogram, and Spectrum Analyzer.

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GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Do You Believe in VenueMagic Entertainment Sciences Group, Inc. 33301Agua Dulce Cyn. Rd. Suite 44 Agua Dulce, CA 91390 (661) 249-6160 www.esginc.biz

Making Waves

T h e Ve n u e M a g i c line of Show Control software is now f u l ly i n t e g r a t e d w i t h P.I. Engineering’s X-Keys Controllers. X-Keys are traditional button and keystyle controllers that also features joysticks, touchpads,

and foot pedals. The controller is able to trigger all of VenueMagic’s features with clearly labeled, dedicated keys. According to the company, “XKeys’ adaptable controls and command make setting up and running live media applications with VenueMagic intuitive and easy.”

Waves 2800 Merchants Drive Knoxville, TN 37912 (865) 909-9200 www.waves.com

Now & Denon

Waves introduced its first synthesizer, Element, which is powered by Virtual Voltage technology. Producer/ engineer Yoad Nevo worked with the company to develop the unit, which comes with a 16-step arpeggiator/ sequencer, as well as a large preset library, MIDI Learn for all controls, and a variety of integrated effects. All of Element’s parameters are laid out on a single page so that users don’t need to scroll in order to customize sounds.

Denon DJ’s MC2000 is a DJ controller with a plug-and-play link to Serato DJ Intro, allowing for traditional two-deck mixing of digital music files. The unit includes a builtin, pro-grade USB Audio Interface that lets users run audio directly in speakers. In addition, the MC2000 comes with jog wheels and faders from the company’s MC6000 Professional DJ Controller, as well as iTunes integration and the Serato Crate system for managing large music collections.

D&M Professional 1100 Maplewood Dr. Itasca, IL 60143 (630) 741-0330 www.d-mpro.com

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

Wouldn’t Hurt a Fleece

36

Greene + Gray 3051 Sturgis Road Oxnard, CA 93030 (805) 983-4651 www.greenandgray.com Greene + Gray released a new collection of laptop sleeves, carryalls, and totes available in Striped and Tribal print. The 13-inch tote bag features storage for a MacBook Pro, iPad and iPhone, plus a built-in organizer for pens and cards. Sleeves are available in 11-, 13- and 15-inch models featuring either leather wristlets or web handles. All models are lined in microfleece and feature genuine leather zipper pulls.

2013

AmericA’s Best DJ tour stArting mAy 2013

djtimes.com/americasbestdj

GROOVES TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS

Dauwd

The Martinez Brothers

“AFTER THE STORM” EP

u Just Be u Get Physical Music “After The Storm (Up Mix)” sports bright percussion and develops slowly—climaxing four minutes in. Meanwhile, the dreamier “Deep Mix” gets going much quicker. But don’t sleep on the fave—the energetic “Out Of The System,” which rounds out the deep-house package.

– Chris Davis

Birdy Nam Nam

Alex Metric

pick your poison and slow-dance to “Got To Be Something Here.” Close the night out and find your spot with the sultry “Mr. G.”

– Chris Davis “FLEX” EP u Pool u 2DIY4 Stimming absolutely rips a tech-house corker on their remix of “Botox,” with wafting basslines, colossal, floor-thumping kicks, a sassy guitar lick, wicked, warped, monotone vocals and a bangin’ vibe.

Just Be

“AMMUNITION PT. 2” EP

u Alex Metric u OWSLA The persistent upward energy and booming bass of “Rave Weapon” is sure to have any sized party pop off. Mark Starr’s remix takes things to the extreme, slowing it down and cranking the 808s, and UZ delivers yet again with an unyielding trap remix.

– Chris Davis

– Shawn Christopher A LONG WAY TO FALL

“FALL’S AWAY” EP

u Ulrich Schnauss u Domino

“THINKING” (MARK KNIGHT REMIX)

u Fur Coat ft. Mel Blatt u Crosstown Rebels

Loaded with elegant, ethereal soundscapes and tripnotic vocal morsels, this savvy chill-out effort will take you on a blissful journey. With joyful melodies and fluid musicality, it’s gorgeous and plenty classy.

u Submotion Orchestra u Toolroom Records

Mel Blatt’s fantastic vocal chops shimmer atop a stripped-down, yet infectious groove in the original mix. DJ Sneak’s remix takes off the fur coat and adds in some Chicago bounce to the beat, while the Just Be remix is truer to the original, layering fresh celestial sounds and samples.

A groovy house track that instantly makes you want to move your rump. Knight adds layers of goodness, sweetening the mix, which includes saucy vocals from Ruby Wood.

– Shawn Christopher

– Natalie Raben

– Chris Davis “BRIDGE SO FAR” EP

“DEFIANT ORDER” EP

u Benoit & Sergio u Hot Creations

u Birdy Nam Nam u OWSLA

Go right to “$100 Bill,” with its ’80s percussion and dotted quarter-note bassline weaving a bed of warm, funky grooves for the silky, seductive vocal hook to lie atop.

Craze’s ultra-crunk “Get Live” remix and UZ’s hi-hat-riddled trap remix are where this release really shines. But don’t forget to peep the “Breakbot Remix” for a Justice-like indie dance kicker that’s a bit more downtempo.

– Chris Davis

“STRANGE DAYS” EP

– Chris Davis

u The Lewis Connection u Numero Group

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

On this super-funky reissue from 1978, the commanding vocals of “Get Up” will make you do just that, while “Higher” might entice you to

38

Corner

Download

THE LEWIS CONNECTION

u Volta Cab u Illusion Recordings The moody vibes and soulful, uplifting vocals of “Don’t Give Up” segue into muted jazz trumpets and gravelly vocal snippets of “Strange Days.”

And check the two funky triangle parts dancing across “Morat On Ecstasy.”

– Chris Davis

Each month in this space, DJ Times digs through the virtual crates to give you a quick sample of the plethora of extraordinary tracks available exclusively on legal download—care of our favorite nextgeneration “record” stores (e.g. Beatport, iTunes, etc.).

“Heat Division” (Original Mix) by Dauwd [Ghostly International]: Somewhere between atmospheric, deep house and tech-house lies this cut. Its intricate swirling and evolving synth pads, minor-key melodies, and dubbed-out vocal cuts are contrasted with thumping sub bass and elegant 4/4 percussion work. Found at beatport.com.

“A Better Light” (The Martinez Brothers Remix) by Santos Resiak feat. Dilo [One]: The TMB boys mastermind a testament to their party-rocking reputation here. The vocals are delayed, stretched, and pitched into an ever-changing, restless backdrop. But the intensity slowly builds to a fervor with its off-beat toms and gradually opening filter on the synth. Found at beatport.com.

“Into The Night” (Original Mix) by Justin Jay [Southern Fried]: Need more cowbell? How about a whole track based on a cowbell melody? Yes, of course, you do—and that’s exactly what Justin Jay delivers. Laid over a “familiar” vocal, R&B-influenced chord progression and funky bass, this one gets deep and sexy! Found at beatport.com.

– Robert LaFrance

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SXSW.........................................39 Ultra Music Fest.................... 18 19 Winter Music Conference..........17 While every care is taken to ensure that these listings are accurate and complete, DJ Times does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. comming soon app ad.indd 3

7/31/2012 3:43:23 PM

Compiled As Of January 31, 2013

National Crossover Pool Chart 1 Rihanna 2 September 3 Christina Aguilera 4 Kelly Clarkson 5 Pitbull 6 Kerli 7 Enrique Iglesias F/ Sammy Adams 8 Swedish House Mafia F/ John MartiN 9 Will I Am F/ Britney Spears 10 Korr-A 11 Eric Turner Vs Avicci 12 Ke$ha 13 Audio Playground F/ Snoop Dog 14 Matchbox 20 15 Tony Moran F/ Anastacia 16 Nicki Minaj 17 Nelly Furtado 18 Conor Maynard 19 Kwanza Jones 20 David Guetta F/ Sia 21 Kristine W. 22 Neon Hitch 23 Alicia Keys 24 Adele 25 Frankie 26 Lenny Kravitz 27 Eric Prydz 28 PSY 29 Pet Shop Boys 30 Pink 31 Justin Bieber F/ Nicky Minaj 32 Tori Amos 33 Adam Lambert 34 Greg Machado 35 Noah 36 Jay Sean 37 Madeon 38 MBlack 39 Esquille 40 Tegan And Sara

Diamonds Hands Up Your Body Catch My Breath Don’t Stop The Party The Lucky Ones Finally Found You Don’t You Worry Child Scream & Shout Fiyacraka Dancing In My Head Die Young Emergency Shes So Mean If I Was Your Boyfriend Va Va Voom Parking Lot Turn Around Supercharged She Wolf (Falling...)

Everything That I Got Gold Girl On Fire Skyfall All Right Superlove Every Day Gangnam Style Leaving Blow Me (One Last Kiss) Beauty & A Beat Flavor Trespassing Switch It Up New York Is Dead So High The City Crush I Take U Higher Closer

National Urban Pool Chart

Island/Def Jam Robbins RCA RCA Jive Island/Def Jam Universal Republic Capitol Interscope Dauman Capitol RCA Canwes Atlantic Go Deeva Light Universal Geffen Capitol Innovation Capitol Fly Again Reprise RCA Columbia Dauman Atlantic Astralwerks Universal Astralwerks Universal Mercury Mercury RCA 2 Hot Ent. Noah Universal Columbia Robbins Global Groove Warner Brothers

1 2 ChainZ I’m Different Island/Def Jam 2 Kendrick Lamar Swimming Pools Interscope 3 Chris Brown Don’t Judge Me RCA 4 Miguel Adorn RCA 5 The Weekend Wicked Games Universal Republic 6 Juicy J F/Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz Bandz A Make Her Dance Columbia 7 Lil Wayne F/ Detail No Worries Universal Republic 8 Frank Ocean Thinkn Bout You Island/Def Jam 9 Future Neva End Epic 10 T.I. F/ Lil Wayne Ball Atlantic 11 Kanye West, Jay-Z, Big Sean Clique Island/Def Jam 12 Rihanna Diamonds Island/Def Jam 13 Game F/C.Brown/TYGA Wiz Khalifa&Lil Celebration Interscope 14 Rick Ross F/ Drake & Wale Diced Pineapples Island/Def Jam 15 Wiz Khalifa F/ Weekend Remember You Atlantic 16 A$ap Rocky Fkn Problems RCA 17 Keyshia Cole Trust And Believe Interscope 18 Trinidad James All Gold Everything Island/Def Jam 19 Chief Keef Love Sosa Interscope 20 Brandy Wildest Dreams RCA 21 Alicia Keys Brand New Me RCA 22 Big Sean GUAP Island/Def Jam 23 Miguel Do You RCA 24 Kendrick Lamar F/ Drake Poetic Justice Interscope 25 Ciara Sorry Sony 26 Meek Mill F/ Kirko Bangz Young & Gettin’ It Warner Brothers 27 Ne-YO Let Me Love You Universal 28 French Montana F/R. Ross,Lil’Wayne& Pop That Interscope 29 Omarion F/ Wale M.I.A. Warner Brothers 30 Jonn Hart F/ IAMSU Who Booty Epic 31 Joe Budden F/ Lil Wayne & Tank She Don’t Put It Down EOne 32 Fat Joe F/ Dj Khaled Lil Wayne,A$AP Yellow Tape Terror Squad 33 Rihanna Pour It Up Island/Def Jam 34 Trey Songz Dive In Atlantic 35 Alicia Keys Girl On Fire RCA 36 Kelly Rowland F/ Lil’ Wayne Ice Universal Republic 37 Future Turn On The Lights Epic 38 Marcus Canty F/ Wale In & Out Epic 39 Tex James F/ B.O.B & Stuey Rock Smart Girl Columbia 40 Ca$h Out F/ Wale Hold Up Epic

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

Britt Nicole Muzik Box Esquille No Doubt Wideboys Nicki Minaj Lee Dagger Tegan And Sara Jay Sean Ono

Gold Ear Candy I Take U Higher Looking Hot The Word Va Va Voom No Superstar Closer So High Im Moving On

Most Added Tracks Capitol Control Voltage Global Groove Interscope Radikal Universal Dagger Warner Brothers Universal Twisted

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rihanna Fat Joe F/ Dj Khaled Nicki Minaj Trinidad James Marcus Canty Young Jeezy F/ 2 ChaINZ Kirko Bangz T.Rone Tyga F/ Rick Ross Ace Hood F/Future & Rick Ross

Pour It Up Yellow Tape Va Va Voom All Gold Everything Used By You R.I.P. Keep It Trill Hello Love Dope Bugatti

Island/Def Jam Terror Squad Universal Island/Def Jam Epic Island/Def Jam Warner Brothers Big break Republic Cash Money

Reporting Pools ✦ Dixie Dance Kings - Alpharetta, GA; Dan Miller ✦ Flamingo - Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Julio ✦ Next Music Pool - Los Angeles, CA; Bob Ketchter ✦ Masspool - Saugus, MA; Gary Canavo ✦ OMAP - Washington, DC; Al Chasen ✦ NW Dance Music - Shoreline, WA; John England ✦ Pittsburgh DJ - Pittsburgh, PA; Jim Kolich ✦ Soundworks - San Francisco, CA; Sam Labelle ✦ New York Music Pool - Levittown, NY; Jackie McCloy ✦ Music Choice - New York, NY; Mike Rizzo✦ Pacific Coast - Long Beach, CA; Steve Tsepelis

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 for qualified DJs in the US. We service CDs and MP3s in dance and urban formats. Feedback and membership dues required. 770-740-0356

Nervo

(continued from page 16) interact. Then there’s a whole lot who are like Judge Jules or Carl Cox, but generally there’s less arm-waving—that’s what we would do. We really enjoy the energy we get back.

We get a good response from it. We like to give alcohol to our crowds, too [laughs].

DJ Times: Who are the DJs/producers you admired coming up in the scene?

Nervo: Going clubbing as kids and teenagers, we really loved Armand Van Helden. I snuck out in high school to go see him in Melbourne, I remember.

We’ve worked with a lot of indie ones like Top Level in the U.K.—he plays a very minimal, underground sound. He was an electronic artist and he’d play Fabric club in the U.K. In Ibiza, we’d always go see Carl Cox—the master— close at Space. We played with him two years later at Space, which was insane! I really love Deep Dish and still really love Sharam. We’ve always been interested in DJ culture. There are a lot of people that kinda say that dance music is all one style, but there are many different sub-categories.

We love going out. We’re not bored of it yet.

DJ Times: How is the Australian dance music scene? The festivals in your home country have been really strong for quite some time.

Nervo: It’s very festival-heavy, very electro. I feel the Aussies are very open to new music. We’ve been going to festivals all our lives growing up. Suddenly, we’re now getting VIP entry. From being a spectator to now playing, it’s very refreshing and the Aussies really embrace new sounds.

The U.K. has always had its own thing going on, but the Aussies are really open-minded.

DJ Times: And what’s your take

on the U.S. scene, now that you’ve been here for a bit?

Nervo: We feel very lucky and it’s amazing! These festivals you have like [Electric Daisy Carnival] are mindblowing and are second-to-none.We’re just really trying to hold on. Everybody’s talking about the resurgence of EDM and what I love about American fans is that they’ve embraced this whole raver thing with the culture and they dress up and they all get into the hippie aspect of it, the whole energy of it. It’s really sweet and really beautiful.

Before, there wasn’t that hippie vibe to it. You can feel the love. Kids wanna go crazy to have electro music, but there’s that undercurrent of love to it.

You guys have Burning Man, which is all about that.We’ve been a few times, and we had the best time. You just don’t use a lot of toilet paper [laughs]. That’s the thing about the festivals here. It is all lovely and giving and I hope it doesn’t change. When I went, it was so beautiful.

DJ Times: What’s your DJ setup at the moment?

Nervo: We use the Pioneer CDJ2000, USB sticks—and when we have time, we program our playlist in rekordbox. We’re always running around. We used to play on Serato, but not anymore. It’s so much easier now without a laptop. It’s better to concentrate on the crowd! And we use the Pioneer DJM-900 mixer. No effects boxes, just the DJM-900. A lot of our friends have gone from having to carry vinyl crates, but we never did. We’ve never played on vinyl, actually. We started on the CDJs. DJ Times: What’s your process of track selection like between the two of you, when DJing?

Nervo: If I’m feeling something, I’ll go on for a couple of songs and

then Mim will be like, “No, this goes next!” Mim has a plan for the next four tracks, maybe—then I’ll stand back and play with the effects for a bit. Then, generally, we vibe with each other. We generally have an idea of how we like to end our sets. In the middle is free and open, and we see where the crowd goes. We test the crowd as well to see if they’re reacting to more deep or commercial records, or more flat or with vocals. We suss out the crowd to tailor our sets.

DJ Times: What about Nervo material?

Nervo: We play a lot of our own records, but we have to space out where they fit. We don’t wanna play back-to-back too many vocals of our own. We have a general idea of where we wanna go in our set—then we’re free. It’s just like being sisters in the club or whatever.

DJ Times: How often are you playing Vegas?

Nervo: We’re there every month, sometimes two, three times a month.

We’re contracted for 12 shows a year. When we’re there, it’s amazing. The crowd is getting better and better for us. Vegas is its own thing.

It’s not Ibiza, but the lineup is—yes, definitely the lineup also plays in Vegas. But Ibiza has this island vibe that Vegas doesn’t have. Still, Vegas does have this crazy excitement about it.

Americans won’t travel overseas, but they’ll travel to Vegas. It just doesn’t stop. Ibiza has the same vibe with the Brits—that’s where the comparison comes from. The crowd is always up for it. A Tuesday night can be as big as a Saturday night. The nice thing about Vegas, something that Ibiza doesn’t have, is that it runs year ’round.

DJ Times: What are some recent tracks you’ve finished?

Nervo: We have a bunch of collabs coming out with Ned Shepard and Sultan. Then “Reason” with Hook N Sling. Then, “Like Home.” Then another with David Guetta on his album coming up. Then a couple with Armin van Buuren. On the Hook N Sling, we produced the vocals. With Ȃme, we produced, wrote and cowrote. On “Like Home,” we did the vocals. For Armin, we were co-producing and writing.

DJ Times: How does your signing with Wilhelmina Models affect your DJ career? Do you find difficulty with scheduling and travel?

Nervo: We signed just with them, and we’re about to start with them right now. We signed recently for a CoverGirl two-year contract that involves eight days of shoots. They’ll work around our schedule. DJing is the No. 1 priority, and then modeling.

We get around our DJing and it’s great, it’s just extra fun. I don’t think Cover Girl would’ve booked us if we weren’t DJs. We’re in the talent division of Wilhelmina, not the normal model division.

We’re entertainers, which makes us more attractive as models.

DJ Times: How do you overcome the “beauty bias” towards female DJs and gain real credibility in spite of your looks?

Nervo: We get asked that a lot, if looks work against you. It sometimes works against us, and then other times, it works for us. It’s interesting for female DJs like Annie Mac, but there have been even more DJs who DJ naked who make it worse for the rest of us. But then there are [female] DJs who’ve never DJed with their boob jobs hanging out! Honestly, on some days I feel so tired, I’m just happy when someone tells me I look pretty. n

DJ TIMES

MARCH 2013

Gender-Bending with tINI

42

…as well as a man…

If you don’t think I can DJ…

…then I’ll just fake it.

tINI, next month in DJ Times.

KEITH SHOCKLEE As a founding member of Public Enemy Keith Shocklee has been defining and defying musical genres for over 30 years.

“The future is the past! We’re taking new music to the streets in New York… it’s how we did it before Public Enemy and it’s happening again today - very organic and powerful.”

Keith and his mobile DJ’s, Power5, trust their PRX600 speakers to deliver devastating grooves night after night.

“PRX’s bang hard! We record on JBL LSR4300 monitors and when we perform live our PRX’s sound identical, just ten times louder.

And, at 3:00 am after the smoke clears, their lightweight is heaven.

JBL is the bomb!”

Photos by: James DeMaria

Learn more at jblpro.com/prx600 Check out Keith at keithshocklee.com

POWERFUL. RUGGED. VERSATILE.

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