DJ Times April 2013, Vol 26 No 4

PLUS: NICOLAS MATAR // tINI // DJ MUGGS // iZOTOPE ALLOY 2 // HERCULES CONTROLLER // BOSE SPEAKERS

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

APRIL 2013

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LIVING THE LIFE

HOW TO

‘JUST SAY NO’ TO YOUR CLIENT

WHY YOU NEED TO SEND AN E-NEWSLETTER

NAMM REPORT: GREAT GEAR

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INDUSTRY EVENTS…NOTABLES…MILESTONES

NEWS

WINTER NAMM ’13: DJ REMAINS A HOT MARKET

By Jim Tremayne

Anaheim, Calif.—Held this past Jan. 24-27 at the Anaheim Convention Center, the 2013 Winter NAMM show hosted over 1,400 exhibitors showing their musical, studio and pro-audio wares to nearly 95,000 attendees—retail buyers and end-users alike. As usual, Testa Communications—DJ Times’ publisher—provided on-the-spot show coverage with Convention TV @ NAMM. As it does, Winter NAMM was loaded with gear debuts for DJs of the mobile, club and studio varieties.

What were they? Let’s take a look: Pioneer DJ broke out its Platinum Edition Gear for CDJ players and DJM mixers, plus it showed the white version of the XDJ Aero system and announced that the DDJ-WeGO system will enjoy support for Serato DJ. Stanton DJ showed its DJC.4 Virtual DJ Digital Workstation, while related Gibson company Cerwin-Vega introduced its P-Series active pro PA system, which includes the P1500X two-way unit and the P1800SX 18inch sub. GCI’s Gemini DJ showed the GMX Pro DJ controller and the G4V Virtual DJ controller. Hercules showed the DJConsole RMX 2 controller and a black edition of the DJConsole 4-Mx controller.

Chauvet debuted nearly 30 lighting products at NAMM. They included the Freedom series of wireless fixtures; the SlimPAR series of wash lights; the CORE series of fixtures; the SlimPAR Quad IRC series; the Intimidator Beam LED 350, MegaStrobe FX12, Scorpion Burst GB, and the Geyser RGB. Also, Trusst— Chauvet’s new trussing brand—debuted the portable Goal Post Kit, which works as a backdrop along with Chauvet’s new MotionDrape LED, which includes 176 LEDs worth of animated effects.

Distributor American Music & Sound showed the Vestax VCI-400DJ controller and Spin2 DJ controller, while related company Novation announced Launchkey, an integrated instrument with DAW control and 16 launch pads. Denon DJ showed the MC2000 DJ controller, the SC2900 multimedia player/controller, and the SC3900 multimedia player/controller.

Rane showed its range of Seratosupporting mixers.

UDG: Creator Hardcase Protector.

DJ Young 1: Rocking the Rane booth.

American DJ had a big show, as it debuted: the Inno Color Beam 12 compact RGBW beam effect; the Mega TRI38 Sys LED wash system; and the Mega Go Floor Par RGB color wash. American Audio showed its new ELS15A active-speaker system and the ELX Series of class A/B power amps, while fellow ADJ outfit Elation Professional broke out the Platinum Spot LED Pro, Platinum Beam 5R Extreme beam effect and the Rayzor Q7 headlight.

Numark Industries showed the Orbit, a wireless, programmable MIDI controller, the NS7 II Serato DJ controller, the iDJ Live II controller, and the Mixtrack Pro II controller (now compatible with Serato DJ). Related inMusic company Akai Professional showed the iMPC, a production app for iPad. Also, in studio-land, Korg showed the MicroKorg XL+ synth and the MS-20 mini, an updated version of the classic MS-20. Roland showed its M-200i mixing app for iPad. Dave Smith Instruments showed its Prophet 12 polyphonic synth, while Moog showed the Sub Phatty analog synth—complete with the legendary Bernie Worrell doing the demo.

Distributor Mixware showed a variety of new products. They included: Electrix’s Tweaker performance controller; Reloop’s Terminal Mix 2 Serato controller; Magma’s CTRL case for Pioneer’s DDJ-SX controller; the Monkey Banana range of monitor speakers; and four additions to UDG’s Creator Hardcase Protectors range.

In the pro-audio world, ElectroVoice debuted its ZLX range of portable powered speakers, which in-

ZLX: Electro-Voice’s new system.

cludes 12-inch and 15-inch versions.

Yamaha showed the STAGEPAS 400i and 600i ultra-portable PA systems.

IK Multimedia showed its iLoud portable studio monitors.

From the world of accessories, Grundorf Corporation show its new G-Series Lycra façade pre-lit LED screens. Designed for DJs, the screens are available in 4-, 5-, and 6-panel configurations, either pre-lit or without LED lights installed. Hosa Technology showed its new USB200FB Series High Speed USB Cables

with Pivoting A Connector.

Gator Cases broke out the GTOUR-DDJ-SX ARM, which allows protection and full use of the Pioneer DDJ-SX controller, and the Frameworks line of stands and support systems for microphones, keyboards and tablet devices. Orbit Concepts introduced its JetPack Remix multipurpose DJ bag. SKB Corporation debuted five new universal mixer/ gear bags. Cosmic Truss showed its latest modular truss archway system designed for mobile DJs.

3

VOLUME 26 NUMBER 4

DEPARTMENTS 7 Feedback

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

24 Making Tracks iZotope’s Alloy 2

As EDM Goes Enormo, Art Department’s Dynamic Duo Keeps the Underground Fires Burning

BY JIM TREMAYNE

18 Doing It Right

Inspired by Ibiza, DJ Nicolas Matar Opened Cielo. Ten Years On, It Remains the Jewel in NYC Nightlife.

BY JIM TREMAYNE

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

22 The Irritant Client

4

It’s Not Always Wise to Do Everything a Client Asks. Consequently, Some DJs Have Found Ways to Work Around the Demands.

BY JEFF STILES

SAMPLINGS 8 tINI

White Island Grooves

10 In the Studio With…

DJ Muggs

Bose Speakers & Hercules Controller

28 Mobile Profile

Boston DJ Finds a Diverse Mix

30 Business Line

Why You Need To Send Out An E-Newsletter

32 Gear

New Products from American DJ, Electro-Voice & More

38 Grooves

Phat Tracks from Sasha, Lazy Rich & More

40 DJ Times Marketplace

Shop Here for All Your DJ-Related Supplies

41 Club Play Chart

The Hottest Records, As Reported

by Our Top U.S. Record Pools

Cover & Contents Photos by Bennett Sell-Kline

12 It Takes 2

26 Sounding Off

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FROM THE EDITOR

Crashing the Comfort Zone

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

I’ll admit it: I’ve always been a little fascinated by singers who don’t, in the more traditional sense, sing. And by that, I mean people like David Lee Roth, Fred Schneider or John Lydon—nontraditional frontmen/”vocalists” who can take casual listeners out of their comfort zone right away. You hear “Running with the Devil” or “Rock Lobster” for the first time, and it’s a little perplexing. You’re confronted with the idea that you may be missing something—that is, until you “get it.” Then, you love it. Bring it on.

I had a similar experience with Art Department. The first time I heard AD’s “Without You”—in Detroit during Movement festival weekend a few years ago—my first thought was: “Gee, that DJ’s gotta fix the pitch.” But after the rock-solid groove grabbed me, I realized I was in for a new treat. As we’ve come to know, Kenny Glasgow’s vocals are pitched-down intentionally, giving the tune a gloriously disorienting feeling, while the track’s individual elements work their magic on any dancefloor.

Nearly three years later, the track remains an underground classic and Art Department—with a stout discography of other techy and soulful tracks and primo remixes—has become a stalwart on the global-underground scene. As the Toronto-based Glasgow and Jonny White prepared a major tour in support of their debut mix compilation—Social Experiment 003 (No. 19 Music)—we connected with Mr. White to talk a little DJ tech and a lotta DJ culture.

This month also finds us celebrating an anniversary for one of our favorite dance-music dens—New York’s Cielo. Ten years after founding the gorgeous little westside club, DJ/owner Nicolas Matar is still going strong with a tremendous lineup of residents including François K, Louie Vega and Kevin Hedge and visiting talent like Chris Liebing and Damian Lazarus. As Matar began to make other club moves in nearby Brooklyn (with the new OutPut space), we caught up with the Cielo principal to discuss how a DJ’s deft touch helped create one of the Big Apple’s lasting venues.

This month, Chris Davis contributes the entire Sampling section by interviewing a pair of diverse DJ talents. For the “In the Studio” entry, he interviewed DJ Muggs, who discusses his new Bass for Your Face CD, which finds him transitioning toward dubstep and trap sounds. He also connects with tINI, who explains how she’s benefited from years of living on the Spanish party island of Ibiza and how her relationship with Loco Dice’s Desolat family has kept her in good stead.

In the world of mobile entertainers, our Jeff Stiles connects with a handful of jocks who explain how to “just say no” to bad ideas or how to best handle their more irritating clients. Our “Mobile Profile” focuses on Boston jock Rob Peters, who explains how he “inherited” a new market.

Additionally, in Business Line, North Carolina-based jock Joe Bunn details why you need to be sending out an e-newsletter.

From the world of gear and tech, Josh Harris provides the Making Tracks column by checking out Alloy 2, iZotope’s nifty new plug-in that offers six mixing tools. Also, in Sounding Off, Wesley Bryant-King handles the Hercules DJConsole RMX controller, while Jody Amos reviews Bose’s L1 Model 1S speaker system and its B2 Bass Module.

Of course, this month also finds us offering our final report from Winter NAMM—in all its gear-whore splendor. Enjoy.

6

Jim Tremayne, Editor, DJ Times

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

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

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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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promotions/web designer Fred Gumm fgumm@testa.com digital media manager Chris Davis cdavis@testa.com advertising manager Jon Rayvid jrayvid@testa.com art/production assistant Douglas Yelin dyelin@testa.com Circulation circulation@testa.com Classifieds classifiedsales@testa.com operations manager Robin Hazan rhazan@testa.com Editorial and Sales Office: DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York, USA 11050-3779. (516) 767-2500 • FAX (Editorial): (516) 944-8372 • FAX (Sales/all other business): (516) 767-9335 • DJTIMES@TESTA. COM Editorial contributions should be addressed to The Editor, DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, NY, USA, 110503779. Unsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care an d should be accompanied by return postage.

DJ Times (ISSN 1045-9693) (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 April 2013

visit our website: www.djtimes.com

FEEDBACK

WMC/MiaMi MusiC Week issue

AmericA’s First mAgAzine For ProFessionAl DJs estAblisheD 1988

MArCh 2013 $6.95 CANADA

$4.95 US

eDM’S cOver GirLS

MObILe OPPOrTunITY Same-Sex Weddings $4.95 US

$6.95 CANADA

HOLY SHIP!!

Top Jocks Go Cruisin’

PLUS: n Ben UFO n nOir n PiOneer DDJ-SX n Winter nAMM PickS n FOcUSrite itrAck SOLO

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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.

DJ TIMES, Thank you for your article on DJs play‑ ing same-sex weddings. (Ed. Note: March 2012 feature by Jeff Stiles.)

It was very enlightening reading how DJs around the nation handle these festivities.

Being a gay DJ, I DJed a civil union here in Texas back in the late-’90s, not even thinking where the world would be decades later. I was asked by my uncle to help his friends out. I said, “Sure.” Not really having experience with DJing a wedding, I think I did a great job.

Anyway, I’m glad you are embracing this market and not running from it.

I’d like to think that when gay couples decide to hire DJs that they are there because they want to be there.

When can we see a gay DJ on the cover? Thanks for a great magazine!

is inching in that direction for all its citizens. Equal opportunity… and, while we’re at it, more events for DJs. By the way, since our 1988 inception, DJ Times has put plenty of gay jocks on the cover. But honestly, when con‑ sidering coverage of DJs, someone’s sexuality has never been much of a consideration one way or the other.

– Jim Tremayne, DJ Times

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PAPI, Thanks for the kind words.Simply put, playing same-sex events has become a very hot topic in the mobile market, and it’s our job to cover it. At this point, it seems almost more remark‑ able that most of the American pub‑ lic—according to polls, anyway—now holds such a ho-hum attitude about sexuality and same-sex events.

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DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

SAMPLINGS

8

tINI: A member of Loco Dice’s Desolat family.

tINI’S WHITE ISLAND GROOVES Most DJs are plenty happy to play Ibiza. But what would it be like for a DJ/producer to actually live and work there? One jock who fits the bill is tINI—aka Germany’s Tini Günter.

After meeting Loco Dice a decade ago on the Spanish party island and playing gigs with him, she joined his Desolat label family and began to release music. She eventually moved to Ibiza and produced her rugged 2011 artist debut Tessa there. (In 2012, Desolat offered a Tessa remix package, which included Carl Craig’s twisted techno mix of “My Shine.”)

Since then, she’s enjoyed residencies on the White Island (Ushauaia), London’s Fuse parties and Rimini, Italy’s massive Cocoricò club. More recently, she’s spun her popular weekly summer beach party (“tINI & The Gang” at Ibiza’s Sirocco Beach Club) and hit the global circuit, which included a stop at Mexico’s BPM Festival this past January. DJ Times connected with tINI to discuss her White Island Grooves.

DJ Times: How did you connect with Loco Dice and Desolat? tINI: I met Dice about 10 years ago, seeing him for the first time in Ibiza back then. Everything started with a party in my hometown Munich in 2003 where I played his opening set and we finished that night playing back-2-back together and we stayed in contact from that moment on.

DJ Times: How much has he impacted your career? tINI: He definitely is to be credited for my career. He has been supportive since that b2b in 2003, and soon I became a member of the Artist Alife agency. I went along with him on his 7 Dunham Place album tour [2008] and then released my first track, “That’s Right,” on his label Desolat. I am very thankful for having him as a friend and mentor in my life and career.

DJ Times: You’ve lived in Ibiza for the past few years. What was it like to make your album there? tINI: It could not have been a better base! It was my first whole season on the island and I shared a house with Loco Dice and Tom Preuss—founder of the Artist Alife agency.

We had such an amazing place. I had my separate little apartment with a sea view from my bed, and the most important thing was that it was a quiet place with time to rest and work. I absorbed the nature around me and the whole magical feeling on the island.

DJ Times: Where did you produce the album? tINI: I did the pre-producing in my little room, with very basic equipment—very basic speakers and headphones!

DJ Times: Any challenges living on the island? tINI: Probably this past year, handling a summer living in Ibiza with my own weekly beach party and a weekly radio show [“It Could Be Worse”] on top of touring every weekend. I managed it well and actually enjoyed it a lot.

DJ Times: Can you describe your musical style? tINI: I like when the music is organic and not too predictable. Therefore, my sets in the club are very versatile. I love tracks from techno to house music and I combine all kinds of styles in my sets.

DJ Times: Favorite pieces of studio gear? DJ gear? tINI: For the studio, my new Moog Rogue, the JoMoX, my tiny [Korg] Electribe. I used to play vinyl only back in the day, but now I am very happy with my setup: I’m using two turntables, a mixer, a Cycloops and Traktor on my Mac. You still find vinyl in my bag. But, the most important thing is always the crowd in front of you!

DJ Times: Favorite producers right now? Fave DJs? tINI: Isherwood—amazing, organic tracks. Patrice Meiner & Archie Hamilton—very great, deep tracks. Fernando Costantini & Alexandar Kyosev—amazing new talents. DJs? Enzo Siragusa and Yaya—I love how they play and I love their tracks.

DJ Times: What’s a must-see experience on the White Isle, especially for first timers?

Any best-kept secrets on the island? tINI: Sunset with view of Es Vedra! It is a magical little rock island next to Ibiza. Secrets? If I share them, well, they’re not secrets anymore!

– Chris Davis

IN THE STUDIO WITH

DJ MUGGS’

BASS FOR YOUR FACE

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

“I CONSTANTLY EXPERIMENT WITH SOUNDS LIKE THE BEATLES AND LED ZEPPELIN.”

10

Secret Weapon: Muggs says it’s his record collection.

Most casual music fans know DJ Muggs for the massive hip-hop hits he produced for Cypress Hill and House of Pain in the 1990s. In fact, HOP’s “Jump Around” remains a reliable party starter—from nightclubs to catering halls and sports arenas.

These days, Muggs has turned a bit of a musical corner as he, like much of America, has begun to feel the bass.

In the past few months, he’s dropped the self-released “Sound Boy Killa” EP and Bass for Your Face (Ultra Music)—both boombastic efforts, with the latter featuring cameos from MCs Chuck D, Dizzy Rascal and Danny Brown.

We connected with LAbased DJ Muggs—aka Lawrence Muggerud, 45—for a quick talk about his latest sub-rocking productions.

DJ Times: How did this musical evolution happen for you?

Muggs: First, it comes from being a fan of anything and everything good, traveling and constantly looking for new sounds and styles of music to play in my sets, along with seeking new challenges and inspiration to push my musical boundaries. I constantly experiment with sounds— like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. I have many sides and I never want to live or create from a one-dimensional point of view. That would be a miserable existence.

DJ Times: So, how would you yourself describe the sounds of this newer material?

Muggs: The sound is hip hop in spirit, with elements of dub, reggae, glitch, electronica, dubstep, and hip hop all blended together.

DJ Times: Are there certain bass-music/dubstep DJ/ producers that you’re digging these days?

Muggs: I dig 6Blocc because his shit is raw and underground. I like Bassnectar because he plays the game with no rules. I dig Eprom, Flying Lotus, Daedalus, and The Gaslamp Killer for their forward, progressive styles and for always pushing the envelope.

DJ Times: Let’s head into your production environ-

ment. What’s your main setup?

Muggs: I use an Akai MPC 3000, SP-1200, Moog, two turntables, Logic, all Native Instruments stuff, Waves— pretty simple. I have a studio and do my work from there.

On the road, I bring my laptop and just work out of the box.

DJ Times: How has your production process evolved over time?

Muggs: My process went from a crate of records and a SP-1200 to what I have now. The sky is the limit with sound and styles. But it starts with the drums 80-percent of the time, unless it’s a samplebased song. Then the sample leads the charge.

DJ Times: Any secret weapons in there, especially for your more recent projects?

Muggs: My record collection is the secret weapon!

DJ Times: Are you still spinning?

Muggs:Yes, I still DJ a lot—I did 120 shows last year.

DJ Times: OK, what gear do you use when you DJ out?

Muggs: I’m using Serato Scratch Live and a mic. We don’t play mix tapes or a preset mix, and just add effects.

We keep it 100-percent turntables and skill-based.

DJ Times: What do you make of some of the newer DJ gear?

Muggs: I think all the new DJ gear is great and it looks fun. I embrace technology and love seeing the DJ culture grow to what it is today.

DJ Times: What unique sensibilities does a DJ bring to the studio? What makes him different from, say, a more traditional musician?

Muggs: A DJ can be in the studio, close his eyes and channel being in front of the crowd to feel what reaction he is going to get from his music while he is making it.

DJ Times: What’s next?

Muggs: Up next, my new group, Cross My Heart, is coming out in the spring.

Then the Meyhem Lauren/ Action Bronson album I am wrapping up is going to come out. There will be a new Cypress Hill album and four new DJ Muggs EPs. So, so 2013 is going to be a fun year!

—Chris Davis

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DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

As EDM Goes Enormo, Art Department’s Dynamic Duo Keeps the Underground Fires Burning

12

Nearly three years on, the scene is oft-repeated. The pinging opening synth lines to Art Department’s “Without You” waft over a club sound system, and the crowd reacts with a knowing hum.

By the time the burbling bassline drops and Kenny Glasgow’s hazy, nearly disconnected vocal begins to plead, “I just can’t… no, I just can’t… make it without you,” the dancefloor has begun to heat up.

The bumping groove locks in and hips are swaying. All the track’s elements are clear and perfect, yet

somehow off-kilter and wonderfully warped for its 3-a.m. serving time.

Yes, it’s obvious that, in two-plus years since its late-2010 release— as a Crosstown Rebels “B-side,” no less—“Without You” has achieved classic status. It’s just going to be one of those tracks that never goes away. But, unlike plenty of others we know all too well, it’s doubtful to ever suffer from brain-deadening overexposure. Chalk that up as one of the pleasures of the underground.

Though it was Art Department’s initial single, the Toronto-based duo—

Glasgow and Jonny White—were hardly new to the scene. Glasgow, a former resident DJ at Toronto’s seminal Industry club, had a track record of productions going back to 1993 on labels like Jinxx, Narcotic and the self-run imprint, Method 11/11.

White, the son of a music-industry exec, began as a promoter, eventually began to produce and then, in 2008, launched his No. 19 Music label.

Glasgow and White hooked up professionally in 2009 when they were commissioned by Crosstown Rebels label chief Damian Lazarus to

do a remix for Riz MC’s “Don’t Sleep.”

Since then, Art Department has enjoyed an almost sainted existence within the global underground. After “Without You,” ultra-deep tracks like “We Call Love” (feat. Soul Clap and Osunlade) and “Touch You Gently” further excited tech-house jocks and many of AD’s singles were included on its 2011 artist debut, The Drawing Board (Crosstown Rebels). Additionally, AD’s remixes for “Hungry for the Power” by Azari & III and, more recently, “Tomorrow Can Wait” by Luca C & Brigante feat. Robert Owens have

Photos By Bennett Sell-Kline

music industry—how did that impact your love of music?

White: My father was working as division manager for A&M Records when I was growing up—prior to PolyGram taking over the company.

So I was very fortunate in that I was likely exposed to more great music growing up than your average kid was. I grew up in a house where music surrounded us and it was important—it wasn’t just in the background.

DJ Times: What was his influence, specifically, then?

White: My father had very expensive home audio, speakers, amps, headphones and a ridiculously huge record collection—for a guy who wasn’t a DJ. I think it was more of what music meant to him and to my mother that impacted me as a child than the fact that it was putting food on the table, as well. Of course, there is that aspiration to grow up and follow in your parents’ footsteps. That idea of working in the record industry has been with me since I was very young, too. But my love for music, that’s something else.

DJ Times: So, what got you attuned to DJing and dance music?

White: This might sound overly romantic, but it all happened in one night. It was a trip to a legendary Toronto nightclub called Industry where, coincidentally, Kenny was a resident. It was a proper afterhours nightclub when house music was first moving from raves and warehouses into clubs that went until 7 or 8 a.m., and was booking international DJs like Sneak, Tenaglia, Hawtin.

DJ Times: Sounds like a good start.

DJ TIMES

kept the momentum going.

Now Art Department has dropped its debut DJ-mix compilation, the outstanding Social Experiment 003 (No. 19), which includes tasty exclusives like Art Department’s “Insomniac” and Jamie Jones’ “Doctor Blue.”

So, with an extensive tour looming—including dates at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival, Berlin’s Panorama Bar and Detroit’s Movement fest—we connected with Jonny White, onehalf of the underground darlings, Art Department. It went like this: DJ Times: Your dad worked in the

APRIL 2013

Art Department: (from left) Kenny Glasgow & Jonny White.

13

DJ Tracks: Always in the Box

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

“Alive” by Daft Punk [1997]: “Maybe my favorite dance record ever made.”

“Allowance” by Isolée [2013]: “It’s a new one that I don’t think will ever leave the box.”

An Art Department record: “In case of emergency.”

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White: I had never heard house the way I heard it in that club on that first of countless nights I spent there.

It wasn’t just the music—it was a real underground scene, a movement. It was very apparent that people were there for the music, because they could be themselves and because they had found a place that attracted like-minded people.

DJ Times: It’s always great to realize that there’s a community out there for you.

White: There was a family vibe.

All the people in the club seemed to know each other. Everyone was there to meet up with friends and partake in something that felt secret. It might sound crazy now, but people my age and older remember this—that feeling of finding something that you identify with, something that excites you from the inside out and makes sense to you when you›re young and not sure of yourself yet. It can be a very powerful thing. The scene in Toronto was easily one of the best in North America at the time, in large part due to this one club. So I was blessed to be there.

DJ Times: So, I understand you were a club promoter before you got into the DJ booth—just like David Guetta!

White: Ha ha—just like David Guetta, huh? Well, it’s true. I was promoting more commercial events.

They were playing house music, but it wasn’t about the music—I can admit that. It was before I got really deep with the music. I was doing live-toairs, and bar-hours events in mid-

town and downtown Toronto, things of that nature.

DJ Times: Beats flipping burgers, right?

White: Promoting seemed like a brilliant way to make money and party for me. I mean, I had started promoting for clubs when I was 17, before I was even old enough to legally be allowed in a nightclub myself.

DJ Times: What did you learn from promoting gigs?

White: Well, like I said, at that time it wasn’t about the music but… about four years ago, I did 94 shows that year alone. I work with a very serious team doing all of our Social Experiment events, each with upwards of 15 years doing events under their belts, so I’ve learned a ton from my own experience and from them.

DJ Times: Is there anything that a DJ needs to know about promoting gigs?

White: I wholeheartedly feel that a DJ doesn’t need to know anything about promoting.

It shouldn’t be something they’re concerned with. It’s up to the promoter to find the right artist for their particular clientele and then to present them in the best light possible—to entertain, educate and make people feel. It’s the opportunity that the promoter is giving to the artist and to their crowd. If an artist is having to worry about filling a venue it will only take away from what they’re doing.

DJ Times: What was the idea behind No. 19 Music?

White: The No.19 Music record label is my baby, really. I started it out of necessity. I needed an outlet for my own music and for the music that my crew in Toronto was making at the time. I really believed in everything we were doing, and I always hated the idea of having to shop it or leave it up to someone else to decide what was going to work and what wasn’t. We needed a vehicle, so I built one.

DJ Times: Seems to have worked out.

White: The trust we built within the industry and with our customers has really allowed us to expand the vision and broaden the spectrum of music that we’re releasing now. Guys like Tone Of Arc—whose entire album doesn’t have a dance record on it—or the material from Martina Topley-Bird with Warpaint and Mark Lanegan... it’s amazing music. It’s not dance, but we’re now in a place where I hope our market knows that it’s going to be a good

Much Respect: DJ/Producers

Richie Hawtin: “Always respected how innovative he’s been and how he’s managed to stay relevant and at the top of his game throughout his career.”

Apollonia Crew: “Dan Ghenacia has done a great job of staying very true to what he loves and keeping real house music important.”

Lee Burridge: “Anyone who does his job as well as Lee does— and has been at it for almost 30 years—has got my respect and admiration.”

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record if it’s coming out on No.19, regardless of genre.

DJ Times: How valuable is it for a jock to have an entrepreneurial outlet, like No. 19, beyond DJing?

White: I think that it’s quite important these days. Those days of just being a great DJ and making a name for yourself are long gone. The more hats you wear, the more presence you have—and you need that when there are five billion DJs. They’re like Gremlins these days.

DJ Times: Tell me about it.

White: I wouldn’t say that you need to have a record label—production is more of a necessity now than anything. It’s a producer’s market now. For guys like myself who have a real vision for their record label, creating a brand and working to develop other artists as much as they do their own projects, it’s another amazing creative outlet. I get a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment out of doing it all. It’s a labor of love mostly—so if you don’t love it, don’t bother.

DJ Times: What was the artistic connection with you and Kenny that formed Art Department?

White: We share a very broad taste in music. We both have what I would consider to be an extensive knowledge of music, spanning decades and genres, and enjoy most of the same artists. So there’s a huge and solid common ground we share, and we’ve built this sound on just that. To us, it’s quite clear. We can hear even the slightest remnants of influence from particular artists in our songs. The vision was really to take the best of what we both love and are able to do as producers/writers, and combine it to create something new that we couldn’t achieve on our own.

DJ Times: When creating music, are you an Ableton guy? Anything else you’re digging in the studio?

White: I’m still using Ableton, yes. The truth is that I simply don’t find it limiting in any way. That would be the only reason I would look for any other tool for my own production. My favorite studio toy at the moment is my [Roland] Jupiter-8.

DJ Times: Still into the Arturia plug-ins?

White: Yeah, I’ll still use an Arturia plug-in if I’m messing about on a plane or in a hotel room, which is very rare for me, as I hate to write outside of my studio. I’ve got quite a

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nice studio though for the first time in my life now, though, so it’s mostly gear at this point.

DJ Times: I read somewhere that you didn’t like talking tech because you didn’t want anyone replicating your sound.

White: Kenny’s a bit of a studio junkie and doesn’t mind spending hours talking shop. Unfortunately, I hate talking about it. I love to write and produce and be in the studio, but that’s not my bag. It does occur to me that I don’t actually want to tell people what we’re using or how to sound like us because, well, what’s the point? Why would we?

DJ Times: With Kenny on the mic, I tend to doubt anyone’s really gonna sound like you.

White: It’s not as if I’m concerned that someone is going to out-Art Department us. The style is quite difficult to replicate I would imagine, especially with Kenny singing, as you mention. It’s not as if you can program an Art Department track because it’s not a matter of just mimicking a style of percussion or a pitched-down vocal.You’re going to have to listen to the same music we’ve listened to our whole lives, and be able to translate that as we do through our own filters into what an Art Department song is. And then if you can figure that out, you have to do it twice, as there’s two of us.

DJ Times: So, no secrets here?

White: It’s really about not encouraging other new producers to attempt to replicate what anyone else is doing, and to really create themselves. I’ll tell you something— anybody who is sitting in their studio and trying to make something that sounds like something else to achieve success—whether it comes out sounding great or horrible— they’re missing out on what is probably the most stimulating experience you can have as an artist. They’re missing the point.

DJ Times: Let’s talk a little about (continued onpage 42)

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In the Booth: Matar spinning at Cielo’s Paradizo party.

By Jim Tremayne New York City – A full decade ago, Manhattan nightlife was enduring another of its periodic shifts. The legendary Twilo had closed —and, relatively speaking, Arc and Centro-Fly weren’t far behind.

In between those shutdowns, the city’s DJ/danceclub scene essentially had morphed into two extremes.

The purists loved the rawer black-box spaces, like Arc, which sported a music-first attitude and a kick-ass Phazon sound system. But the financial realities of NYC saw the transition to glitzier venues, like Centro-Fly, which placed more emphasis toward bottle-service customers. Top jocks played both kinds of spots, but the vibe was changing to a more upscale scene. Not everyone was pleased.

The next phase, in retrospect, made plenty of sense.

But, as is often the case, it took a DJ to get it right, and he did it by combining the best of both worlds.

That’s what Nicolas Matar

layed that into something special on Manhattan’s West Side.

As it celebrates its 10-year anniversary, Cielo continues to host some of NYC’s best DJ residencies—Deep Space with François K, Roots with Louie Vega and Kevin Hedge, Vibal with Tedd Patterson, and Paradizo with Matar and Willie Graff among them. Additionally, diverse global talent—from Damian Lazarus to Cosmic Gate—continues to grace Cielo’s DJ booth.

S o, j u s t a s M a t a r w a s kick-starting another club in nearby Brooklyn—OutPut in Williamsburg—we connected with the Cielo DJ/owner and reflected on how a DJ’s touch helped transform New York’s clubland.

DJ Times: I read that your father was a Studio 54 regular and you had a nightclub in your basement. What do you remember about that time and how it impacted your interest in DJ/dance culture?

Matar : In the late ’70s and early ’80s, my father built a small nightclub in

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INSPIRED BY IBIZA, DJ NICOLAS MATAR OPENED CIELO. TEN YEARS ON, IT REMAINS THE JEWEL IN NYC NIGHTLIFE.

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did when he created Cielo in 2003. Located on Little West 12th Street in the Meatpacking District, the 250-capacity Cielo offers tasteful décor with unobtrusive bottleservice areas, while delivering a well-curated lineup of DJ talent playing on one of the tightest Funktion-One sound systems you’ll ever hear. Just descend into Cielo’s dancefloor and feel the sweet spot—you’ll quickly understand what all the fuss is about.

Like many before him, Matar took his inspiration from Ibiza, where he DJed at the original Pacha from 19932001, years before it became a major global destination.

But he took the island’s pure house-music ethic and par-

our basement in Washington, D.C., inspired by his frequent trips to New York to party at Xenon, Studio 54.

My father would occasionally throw parties for his friends and play disco records. This e x p o s u re t o d i s c o / s o u l / funk/jazz in the formative years definitely influenced me musically and laid the foundations for my future career in dance culture.

DJ Times: Do you remember a couple records that you loved from that era?

Matar : Sure—Odyssey’s “Native New Yorker,” George Benson’s “Give me the Night,” Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love,” Teddy Pendergrass’ “The More I Get” and Grace Jones’ “La Vie En Rose.”

DJ Times: How did you get into DJing? What turned you onto the idea of it?

Matar: Before Acid House broke in the mid-1980s, my older sister had some friends who listened to Italo-disco—and I remember hearing a mix tape they brought around. Also, an older girlfriend of mine from Bristol exposed me to early Acid House mix tapes from the U.K. in 1988.

DJ Times: What was your

first DJ gear?

Matar: My first DJ setup consisted of Gemini turntables—not direct-drive, mind you—and a two-channel Numark mixer.

DJ Times: Do you remember the first time a DJ really rocked your world?

Who was it and where?

M a t a r : Ye s ! I h e a r d Frankie Knuckles play at MARS in New York around 1989-1990. When he played his track “Tears” there, it

massive explosion of the superstar DJs. This was when the party, its ambiance, and the music defined life on Ibiza.

DJ Times: Tell me about opening Cielo and the motivation behind it?

M a t a r : U n d e r g ro u n d nightlife was on the verge of dying in Manhattan when I decided to build Cielo in the early 2000s. I knew it would be impossible to recreate the large nightclubs of the

1990s, but people still needed a club to go out and dance.

So drawing upon my experiences clubbing in New York and DJing in Ibiza during the 1990s, I conceived the idea of a small, boutique nightclub— Cielo.

DJ Times: And the name?

Matar: Its name refers to El Cielo in Ibiza. Cielo’s aesthetic evokes what we might imagine a discotheque would have looked like in the 1970s.

I modeled it on what I imag-

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feel. This was also during the early days of the Acid House movement. There was a magical energy and vibe back then that can’t quite be put into words.You had to experience it first-hand.

DJ Times: What were your days of DJing at Pacha Ibiza like?

Matar: Those were the best years of my life as a DJ, during the golden era of proper house music in the ’90s. This was before the

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David Cova

changed my life in so many positive ways.

DJ Times: Obviously, Ibiza was a huge influence on you.

Tell me about your earlier days on the island before it became this massive EDM/ tourist destination. What made it special?

Matar: When I first discovered Ibiza in the summer of 1989, it was a different place entirely. It was much less developed and still had a very strong bohemian/hippie

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ined would be a long-lasting, timeless nightclub— and now we are going into our second decade.

Cielo’s elegant appearance, coupled with its simplicity and small size lend it the intimate feel it’s known for.

DJ Times: As a DJ, what did you bring to Cielo? How did your DJ background impact what the place has become?

Matar: That is a great question. DJing internationally at some great— and not so great—rooms around the world, I brought a DJ’s perspective to the design and construction of the dancefloor and the DJ booth. I knew how important the quality of the DJ booth setup and its monitors is to consistently successful nights on Cielo’s dancefloor. Not only did I build Cielo for clubbers to enjoy, I also hoped that the DJ booth would allow for artists to perform well week-in and week-out. The monitors in the DJ booth are almost a great sound system unto itself!

DJ Times: With jocks like Louie Vega, Kevin Hedge and Tedd Patterson playing each month, how important is it to you that Cielo remains an active venue for proper house music?

Matar: Cielo continues to nurture Louie’s Roots par ty, Will Graff ’s and my own Paradizo, Tedd’s

Vibal, and François’ Deep Space. They have solidified Cielo’s reputation in New York’s vibrant scene. I am still in awe each time I play with Willie Graff at Cielo.

DJ Times: As a DJ/ club owner, what’s it like for you when you get one of those magic nights at Cielo? Are there a few that stand out for you?

Matar: Carl Cox and Danny Tenaglia! Only Cielo can offer their sound in such an intimate setting.

DJ Times: DJs do love to play Cielo—why do you think that is?

Matar : Music-wise, Cielo remains a real touchstone for dance-music lovers. For me, what really sticks out is that the venue maintains residencies from some of New York’s greatest DJ legends like François K for Deep Space and Louie Vega/Kevin Hedge for Roots.

D J T i m e s : C a n yo u talk a little bit about those DJs, those nights and why they’re so special and defining for Cielo?

Matar : Residencies have always distinguished the most notable clubs in New York and around the world. In a sense, they guarantee the success of guest DJs and new talent, while a club evolves naturally with the music.

Cielo now stands firmly within this tradition. n

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COMFORT ZONE: DJs DISH ON CIELO

Cielo Resident: François K at Deep Space.

On the occasion of Cielo’s 10th anniversary, we connected with club residents and visiting jocks, who offered their accolades and a few warm memories.

François K (Deep Space): “It’s a fantastic room with peerless acoustics, a very intimate feeling and a friendly staff. The sound system is crystal-clear, but not overbearing. So those who come can actually have a conversation without screaming into each other’s ears. It’s truly comfortable to spend time there. These things do actually mean a lot to me, which is why I chose it as the only place to have my weekly residency. To be honest, for me, it’s not merely just another club—it’s home.”

Kevin Hedge (Roots): “The DJ booth and sound system are perfect!”

DJ Chus (of Chus+Ceballos): “Cielo is a place where we DJs don’t work—we just enjoy playing music.”

Willie Graff (Paradizo): “When you play there, the music is translated perfectly through that sound system, so what you are trying to do really gets across, and the people on the floor truly feel what you’re saying. That’s the best relationship to have with a dancefloor.”

Benny Benassi: “I always love Cielo. It’s just a very good and chic club with a great sound system, especially in the DJ booth!”

James Zabiela: “The sound system, the size of the venue, the people that attend—it’s the winning recipe that makes this one of my favorite clubs. The crowd comes for the music, and you can really feel this.”

Charlie Levine (of Soul Clap): “From the DJ’s perspective, Cielo is a beautifully lit room. And they do a very old-school and classy trick to create magic: In the middle of a breakdown or key moment, they stop the disco ball from spinning—just turn the motor off. On the dancefloor, it’s like time stands still—makes my heart pound every time.”

Victor Calderone: “Cielo has built a great core fanbase that allows a DJ that sense of freedom when playing there.”

Nicole Moudaber: “The quality of the DJs booked and the intimate vibe of the club makes it very special.”

Laidback Luke: “It feels proper old-school and intimate. With the low ceiling and the way the DJ booth is set up, the energy can be really intense.”

Honey Dijon: “Cielo has never lost its integrity in supporting and introducing quality house music. It’s a very special room to play.”

Chris Liebing (CLR): “Playing Cielo for the first time, I was totally overwhelmed by its atmosphere, the vibe, the fun crowd and the amazing sound system.”

Cassy: “Cielo is not just following trends—it’s a serious club.”

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22

Jennifer Tigges of Video Creations knows firsthand the complications that can arise when a wedding client wants something that she knows from decades of experience is not to going to work.

“Just last week I did exactly what my bride in Maquoketa, Iowa, wanted— knowing that she would not be pleased—and sure enough the client was not happy in the end,” says the Dubuquebased videographer, who works with bridal parties and other event clients in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. “Fortunately, in this case I had charged an extra $400 ‘irritant quotient,’ so it was worth it in the end.

“I actually call it pain-in-the-ass add-on,” Tigges adds. “I quote a higher price when I know I’m going to have to do more work, to stay later or when I know the client is going to be a pain in the rear. If I know I’m going to have to work overtime, my minimum extra charge is equal to taking my family out to dinner.

“By the way, my clients don’t know this is factored into their quote.”

What do mobile DJs do when our brides ask us to do something cheesy or that’s guaranteed to fail? Do we do what they ask for anyway, even if we know it will flop? Or do we gingerly suggest an alternative that might work better and earn us praise from our client?

Over on the West Coast, Mark Haggerty, director of operations for Denon & Doyle Entertainment in the San Francisco Bay area, says he uses his experience and expertise to create a unique experience that will please his clients.

“When I do a wedding consult with my couples,” he says, “I start off by reminding them that this is a live event, wherein I need the flexibility to respond to their crowd as things happen.

Having a rapport and establishing trust with my clients, in most cases, usually helps eliminate awkward situations.

“One thing I never do is to flat-out tell them, ‘No!’” Of course, Haggerty says there are times when simple persuasion simply doesn’t work on a bride.

“I recently had a bride wanting me to open the dancefloor with the ‘YMCA’ and do a whole set of older tunes first,” he recalls. “In the planning meeting, I thought, ‘What the heck—it’s her day!’ But as I was playing dinner music, her friends and other 20-somethings were the majority of the crowd, and they looked to be the cool, hip San Francisco crowd.”

Worried that he would lose most of the guests after the first dance set he had already agreed on playing—and with mainly the older guests and some young ones already on the dancefloor— Haggerty noticed a few of his younger crowd packing up to leave, grabbing purses and jackets.

“That’s when I realized some of the missing folks had gone outside and to a balcony, and I even had someone come up and ask me, ‘Are you going to play anything new tonight?’

“In that case, I picked up the pace a little bit, everything turned out just fine, and everyone stayed and danced to the end.”

Another time, Haggerty says he had a bride who wanted five interactive games during her wedding reception, though he doubted he could fit in so many games during their party.

“After the third game , people were starting to lose interest, and after I had already made up my mind that we were done with games, the bride approached me and said that was enough games—they could just dance now.

“OK, so I called it!”

Back over in Ogunquit, Maine, Jerry Bazata of Jaz Music & Entertainment can vividly remember two wedding receptions during which his brides chose music for their parties that might have ended in disaster.

“In 2002, I was contracted for a wedding in Portland in which the theme of the reception was based upon Broadway shows,” recalls Bazata. “The bride and groom had been collectors of show

memorabilia, so they created an entire reception around a theater setting including doormen, red ropes and a concession stand.

“Because they wanted the guests to enjoy all of the memorabilia on display, they had an extended two-hour cocktail hour, during which they wanted only Broadway show tunes played and nothing else. “ T h e f i r s t 3 0 m i nu t e s were tolerable, but then the guests—in a very polite manner—kept coming up to me asking if this was what I was playing all night. In fact, after 90 minutes the uncle of the bride offered me a $100 bribe to play something else.

“Knowing that the quests were within minutes of slitting their wrists with butter knives, I politely convinced the bride to allow me to play some Rat Pack music to tie the theme together.

“Overall, the bride was happy and the guests were relieved to know they didn’t need to suffer through yet another version of ‘Singing in

IT’S NOT ALWAYS WISE TO DO EVERYTHING A CLIENT ASKS. CONSEQUENTLY, SOME DJS HAVE FOUND

WAYS TO WORK AROUND THE DEMANDS.

APRIL 2013

Adam Tiegs of Adam’s DJ Service in Seattle, Wash., says he always suggests a segmented timeline to help with the flow at his clients’ receptions.

“It’s typically a ceremony, a cocktail house, dinner, formal activities and dances, and then open dancing,” explains Tiegs. “This helps things to flow better, we can entertain guests instead of having them just standing around, and we make sure the photographers get their photos so they can leave and the rest of us can party.”

So when one of Tiegs’ clients asks him to switch up the schedule—for example, saving the bouquet toss and garter toss until the middle of dancing—he simply explains that he wants to continue with the energy level he’ll be helping to create on the dancefloor and doesn’t want to break up.

Tiegs says he can’t think of anything a bride or groom wanted to do at their wedding that he thought would be a disaster. However, he

DJ TIMES

the Rain.’”

In the other instance, Bazata says his bride asked that only songs performed by Enya be played during the dinner hour at her reception in a historic home on the south shore of Massachusetts.

“I was concerned, based on the fact it was solely one artist, so announced to the guests during dinner that, ‘The Bride has personally selected the music for your enjoyment during dinner, as they want you to enjoy what has brought them together.’

“The bride and groom actually thanked me so much for recognizing them and making it their wedding, and the rest of the event was a total success.”

When the “Cupid Shuffle” first started becoming popular, Steve Croce of Philadelphia’s Silver Sound DJs says he had a bride and groom who thought it would be a great idea to have their small bridal party perform the line dance in front of the entire crowd.

“Instead of scaring them with the notion of failure, I

started asking more questions about their friends and family,” Croce says.

“As it turns out, I discovered that nearly everyone who would be attending the wedding was either a teacher, sponsor or was somehow affiliated with a group of special-needs children. The bride happened to be a teacher of one of the classes for these kids, and when I asked how many people in the room would recognize her students, she said everyone.”

Croce next suggested the bride create permission slips for the students to take home, requesting they be permitted to be filmed doing the “Cupid Shuffle,” so that she could take footage and project it overhead while the bridal party, the bride and the groom virtually danced along with the students.

“My bride immediately burst into tears and said it was a wonderful idea, and when the moment happened in front of their 200plus friends and family there was not a single dry eye in the room—especially when the students held up a sign that said, ‘We love you!’”

does recall when a drunken friend of the drunken dad wanted to sing a song to the bride and her new husband—right in the middle of the dancing.

“I knew the bride and groom really wouldn’t have cared for this, but after some commotion and misunderstanding, we gave in to the dad’s wishes to have his friend sing his song.

“I was able to fade out of a portion of the song and introduce this friend in a professional and inspiring way, and he actually pulled it off and the guests that were there to witness it gave him a nice ovation.

The bride and groom actually thought it turned out nice, and I was able to crank up the tunes again for the rest of the night.

Everyone was happy and it didn’t kill the party like I thought it would.”

Tiegs says that he always tries to “go with the flow” at his events and do whatever his clients want, though, at his face-to-face meetings he tries to plan everything from the setup to breakdown—if for no other reason to agree on a soundtrack and program for their event that avoids embarrassing situations for everyone.

Back over the Midwest, Diana McKinney in

Loveland, Col., says she was recently subcontracted at the last minute by a bride who insisted that she follow her contract “to the letter” in order to not be sued. This particular client insisted on a DJ event planning system that allows the couple to select songs that must be played, and during her fourhour event had nearly all of her music ranging within the 75-95 BPM range.

“Since most of the guests were 25-40 years old in age, I knew that energy level wasn’t going to be high enough to keep the guests engaged,” says the co-owner of McKinney Entertainment.

“Sure enough, about 30 minutes into the evening the event coordinator informed me that the bride wanted me to pick up the pace of the music.

“I shared with the coordinator that could only be done if the couple allowed me to go off their must-play list, and after about an hour they relented and I was allowed to select the music.

‘Gangnam Style’ and ‘Sexy and I Know It’ packed the floor, and we were off and dancing. Disco and hip hop were the other hot genres of the night.

“Sometimes couples really get carried away with the romance of their wedding day and forget that all the loveydovey songs don’t translate well to a packed dancefloor.”

McKinney says she’s going to encourage the DJ who contracted her for that gig to reduce the number of must-plays that she allows a couple to select. “Personally, I give them their formal dances and then 10 more (continued onpage 42)

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MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

ALLOY 2’S HOT MIXING TOOLS

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

“The Transient Shaper and Limiter are the two tools that really stand out to me. Applying just these two on a mix really can really change the sonic landscape.”

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Alloy 2: Six tools in one iZotope plug-in.

By Josh Harris Just about anyone making music these days has noticed the impressive stable of mixing and sound-shaping tools that iZotope has built up over the last couple years.

Just within the past 12 months, I’ve reviewed Ozone 5, which quickly found a permanent home in my set of essential mixing plug-ins, and Iris, an innovative sampling re-synthesizer. (Additionally, this space saw a thumbs-up review by Wesley BryantKing for Nectar, iZotope’s vocal-processing plug-in.)

What else have we experienced from the Boston-based outfit? Relatively recently, the Alloy 2 mixing-tool plug-in was released. It’s a substantial upgrade to Alloy 1, and it’s also an excellent complement to Ozone 5. In fact, those of you who have worked with Ozone will find Alloy 2 extremely easy to use.

In one integrated plug-in, Alloy 2 consists of six tools: Dynamics, Exciter, Transient Shaper, Limiter, De-esser and EQ. These tools can be used a suite, individually, or in different combinations. And, with all of Izotope’s sound-tools plug-ins, the Library is well stocked with 250 Presets, which includes both global presets and individual module presets. Each preset has a brief description of its sonic characteristics in the small dialog box below the Preset folder.

Alloy 2’s interface is extremely easy to navigate, and you have the option to view all of the plug-ins being used in Overview mode, or you can select them individually. One of my favorite features is the ability to view your plug-in chain as a signal-flow

graph, by selecting the Graph button within Overview mode.

Sometimes, we forget what is actually going on from a signal-flow standpoint, when using presets. So, the History feature is also nice, providing a history of all changes made, which can come in handy if you make a few adjustments, and then decide that you would like to go back to an earlier setting or scenario.

Alloy 2 sounds great. However, with all of this sound-sculpting power, it is easy to succumb to the temptation to overdo it—so setting aside some time for experimentation is recommended. I wound up using it on instrument buses and the master fader, more than individual tracks themselves.

That being said, Alloy 2 is effective when working with individual sounds.

It was just my personal preference to use it for instrument groups. I really enjoy some of the drum presets, and there is no question that Alloy 2 adds punch and presence in a way that other plug-ins cannot.

I particularly like the ability to switch between Digital and Vintage modes in the Dynamics 1 and 2 plugins. Bypassing and engaging plug-ins in the chain is very easy: the yellow light indicates that the plug-in is active, and switching between the different plug-ins to edit parameters occurs by simply selecting the large button below the plug-in name.

Of the six tools here, the Transient Shaper and Limiter are the two that really stand out to me. From experience, I can tell you that applying just these two on a mix really can really change the sonic landscape. You’ll certainly notice the difference.

At a price of $199, Alloy 2 offers so much more than other plug-ins that cost twice as much. Upgrading from Alloy 1 is $79 and iZotope also offers a $399 bundle, which includes Ozone 5 and Alloy 2.

Hats off to the iZotope team (izotope.com) on creating another welldesigned and great-sounding plug-in.

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

SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

This month, two of our Western-most writers contribute with a pair of rather different entries. Bay Area mobile operator Jody Amos takes on Bose’s L1 Model 1S speaker (with its B2 Bass Module), while Denver DJ Wesley Bryant-King handles the Hercules DJConsole RMX 2

BOSE SPEAKERS & HERCULES CONTROLLER

By Jody Amos & Wesley Bryant-King

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

Bose L1 Model 1S Building on the success of its L1 system, the L1 Model 1S system with the B2 sub represents Bose’s next evolutionary step in mobile line-array loudspeakers.

The L1 Model 1S system’s highlighted feature is the tall Articulated Array with 12 vertically mounted 2.5-inch drivers, precisely angled to create clearer highs and more consistent tones throughout your venue. The system’s breakthrough loudspeaker produces a wide, uniform sound coverage with nearly 180 degrees of horizontal dispersion—compared to roughly 75-90 degrees of your standard pole-mount speaker. Bose boasts that you’ll experience consistent volume and tone definition from the stage through the back of the room, for an audience of up to 300 people.

Bose is a one-of-a-kind speaker manufacturer, and the L1 Model 1S loudspeaker system is a very unique product. To understand the Model 1S system as a DJ, you pretty much have to throw out the window plenty of what you know about a speaker system.

Most DJs look for wattage or SPL (sound pressure levels) ratings when choosing speakers. However, with the Bose Model 1S

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system, wattage and SPL is not necessarily what you should be looking at. In fact, you might not even find those specifications listed anywhere, because they are just not really a factor in this case.

What a DJ needs to understand is the application and environment to know if this system is ideal. I should also add that this system is not priced on the low end, so you might want to add that to your equation as well.

The System: This intriguing L1 Model 1S system is made up of five parts that can quickly be set up in a matter of minutes.

First, you have the base power stand that has four retractable legs, and all your power input and audio connection jacks.

Next you have an upright extension that mounts to the base power stand and your main Cylindrical Radiator (housing all 12 drivers) that mounts on top of the extension. Finally, you have a B2 bass bin (featuring two 10-inch woofers) and the (optional) small T1 ToneMatch 4-channel mixer, with built-in effects. Each system runs just under $2,500 list price, and you’ll probably need two if you’re a DJ. The B2 Bass Module: Bose’s B2 offers

Hercules DJConsole RMX 2 French company Guillemot is the force behind the Hercules brand, and it is under that venerable marque that the company has cranked out a growing line of DJ products at price points that newcomers will find especially appealing. Lucky for the market, these offerings target not only the entry-level jock, but also intermediate-level DJs. Early in 2012, I took a look at a trio of goodies from Hercules, but for this review, I take the company’s recently-introduced DJConsole RMX 2 for a spin in the booth.

First Impressions: With a street price of roughly $300, it would be easy to assume that the DJConsole RMX 2 is targeted to the lower end of the market. And while it’s designed to be affordable, Hercules has succeeded in delivering some pretty good value.

To start, this controller—like the Hercules family members before it—makes an immediate good first impression with its solid-feeling steel construction. Most DJ controllers, especially at this price point, are predominantly plastic, so the choice of steel all-around makes the DJConsole RMX 2 impress right out of the box. It feels good and, while it’s not so heavy that it’s burdensome to tote around, you won’t worry about it scooting around the desk in the booth, either.

Then there are the other little pro touches, like the choice of a

Boom: Bose L1 Model 1S & B2 Bass Module.

Neutrik-style mic connector up-top, allowing both ¼-inch and XLR connections. And on the back side, dueling XLR master outs. I suppose I could quibble slightly with the decision not to offer RCA master outs as an alternative—and ditto the choice to offer only ¼-inch for headphones. But there are headphone jacks both top and front (nice touch), and they are otherwise minor nits; I think any serious jock has cabling or adapters handy to deal with any common hookup scenarios. Additionally, the unit’s RCA-based booth outputs could always be utilized as house masters in a pinch.

The DJConsole RMX 2 uses the same rubberized buttons found on all the generations of Hercules DJ controllers I’ve tested over the years. The design is simple and effective, and provides for attractive backlighting options.

For the DJConsole RMX 2, Hercules picked the streamlined “Mini” version of the venerable innoFADER capacitance-based crossfader control. Rated to last more than 4 million cycles, and field-replaceable, it’s a smart choice whose brand identity adds a certain cachet to the controller. That being said, I’m not a crossfader user, and have become a little snobbish when it comes to controllers—like the DJConsole RMX 2—which don’t provide some way to disable it, either

HERCULES

physically in hardware or virtually in software.

Speaking of software, Hercules has with this controller included not just one, but two options for DJ applications. Included is both a bundled version of Virtual DJ, and Hercules’ own DJUCED, which I reviewed last year. Both offer functionality that’s roughly equivalent; arguably Virtual DJ might be a wiser choice for serious newcomers, given that with an upgrade path to its full version, your bag of DJ tricks has the potential to be scaled up as your skills and needs evolve.

Still, DJUCED is a perfectly functional, aesthetically pleasing, and satisfying choice as well.

The box also includes a carrying case. It’s a great value-add of decent quality, not just a cheap thing meant to check a feature list box.

You also get a power adapter, a USB cable, software on CD-ROM, a manual and a quick reference poster. Both the manual (a getting-started guide, actually) and the poster are geared to DJUCED users—jocks who want to use Virtual DJ instead will sort of need to figure things out on their own.

Set-Up & Use: Hercules deserves kudos for offering a streamlined installation process that couldn’t be easier. Before connecting anything, insert the CD in your computer’s drive, and follow the instructions, connecting the hardware via USB when prompted. Under Windows 7, it was simple, fast and painless and, choosing DJUCED for the test, I was spinning in less than five minutes. Impressive. And the installer also grabbed the latest drivers over the Internet during the process. I’ve seen a lot of installation methodologies over the course of my reviews—the people at Hercules got theirs right.

It’s worth mentioning that the DJConsole RMX 2 is not USB-bus-powered—the AC adapter (supplied, including fittings for North American, European and UK style mains outlets)—is required. While it does add one more thing to the mix for set up and carrying the unit around as well, I don’t consider it a huge liability—especially since it eliminates worries about the adequacy of the USB port, use of hubs, etc.

Using the DJConsole RMX 2 was simple and intuitive, and not unlike the experiences I’ve had with Hercules controllers over the years. As I said earlier, I’m not a crossfader user, so for me, getting a decent mix out of a controller when I have to use one isn’t as easy a business as one might think. DJUCED provides some configuration options for crossfading curves, and I’m sure that jocks who use crossfaders will find it all a non-issue.

The available controls on the DJConsole RMX 2 cover most of the desired bases, with a logical layout, nice spacing between buttons, knobs,

cable housed in an XLR-type barrel) for the ToneMatch engine and a 4-wire Speakon output for the bass bin—both proprietary cables are included with the package.

The Bose L1 Model 1S system seems to have been designed for a small niche of performers. It’s ideal for many musicians playing in small- to mediumsized halls or clubs—but many DJs can benefit from its features as well.

Imagine playing music or making announcements and not having a dead spot in the room. You might also have a venue that is acoustically challenging due to all the reverberation bouncing off the ceilings and walls—and that’s where the Model 1S system will shine.

Designed with true line-array systems in mind, the 7-foot-tall cylindrical radiator with all 12 small drivers, precisely angled, reaches every corner of the room. However, the narrow vertical dispersion helps minimize the reverberation and delivers your sound further in the room with less dB dropout than you’ll get from traditional speaker cabinets.

Conclusions: Overall, with this system, you’ll deliver crisp sound with an amazing tonal balance and your ears will not be fatigued from a long night of music and announcements. It’s something that you will have to listen to yourself to fully appreciate what Bose has accomplished with this system.

If you have the time, do a little research on the Grateful Dead’s Wall of Sound. My belief is that the engineers at Bose had this theory in mind for this small, portable sound system—and that’s a good thing.

Affordable Control: Hercules DJConsole RMX 2.

etc., and positive control feel.

The only thing I found a bit lacking are the controls for looping, effects, samples, and cues. All four of these functions—activated one-at-a-time with a Mode button— are mapped to a single knob, plus a quadrant of four large rubber buttons that resemble simple drum control pads. A shift button, located adjacent to the transport controls, can be used as well for alternate functionality.

While Hercules did a good job in DJUCED of mapping and leveraging the Spartan number of controls for these functions, I think users would have been better served by a decision to make the unit physically a tad larger, and either implemented dedicated controls for each of the four functions, or provided more flexibility in the shared control system. For example, there’s a decent flanger effect in DJUCED, but on/off coupled with a single dry/wet control—you use the shift button with the knob to alter the effect—doesn’t really do this or the other effects justice. And with the buttons not labeled for each purpose, it was a bit of guesswork to figure out what each one did, but with effects, and with other functions.

The DJConsole RMX 2 offers support for external signal sources, and it offers both phono and line level inputs for CDJs, turntables, iPods, and so forth. The signal source—internal deck or external—is selected with a button toward the top of the controller. Many DJs, especially mobile guys, will appreciate the ability to incorporate virtually any type of source material into a set.

Mobiles will also appreciate the mic input. An on/off button and level knob are provided, right beside the combo input on the top left side of the controller. One down side to the mic input—and this is not limited to Hercules, but in fact to all controllers in this price range I’ve seen to-date—is that the mic audio is not routed back to software as a sound card input. Rather, it’s strictly added to the master output for house audio. What that means is that while DJUCED, for instance, has a record button—ideal for cutting DJ demos and for recording entire sets for posterity, as I’ve been asked more than once by brides-to-be—the mic cannot be recorded, so nothing uttered through it will be captured. Regrettable—but common.

Conclusions: Given its $300 price point, I find it quite easy to overlook a minor shortcoming or two. While truly great for an aspiring DJ, I’m betting the DJConsole RMX 2 will find a home with many professional mobile jocks as well— especially given the pro-style inputs and outputs that the unit sports. In summary, I found the DJConsole RMX 2 to embody what I’ve come to expect from Hercules: good functionality, solid build quality and, with the inclusion of two software choices and a terrific carrying case, extraordinarily good value as well.

If you have any questions for Sounding Off, please send them to djtimes@testa.com.

APRIL 2013

greater low-frequency output when needed, especially for gigs with larger audiences. For increased flexibility, the B2 features three settings: normal for bass guitar or miking a live kick drum; lower for acoustic guitar and vocals; and higher for DJ/music playback apps. DJs can power one B2 bass module on a single L1 power stand, and an optional PackLite power amp allows jocks to add a second B2 for additional low-end power.

With the Bose T1 ToneMatch audio engine, you can mix three mic/line mono channels with an XLR and ¼-inch TRS combo jacks, plus one stereo channel featuring dual ¼-inch inputs. The T1 comes packed with all of Bose’s studio-grade presets, processing and effects built in. You can dial in the perfect preset to match the exact microphone you use, and add effects like reverb and equalization to each individual channel you use.

The ToneMatch features a digital display and each channel has a volume knob, trim knob, rotary dial for the effects bank, an effect mute button and overall mute button.This tiny mixer mounts directly to the vertical speaker tower with a small bracket that’s included with the system.

On the base power stand itself, you’ll find a variety of jacks—and some that DJs are not necessarily accustomed to. Of course, you have your standard IEC power jack, on/off switch and trim knob, but you also have a direct ¼-inch TRS analog input. I think most DJs are used to having a line-level XLR input for their active speakers, or a 2-wire Speakon jack for their passive speakers. The power base also has a digital input (an Ethernet

DJ TIMES

BOSE

27

MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

BOSTON DJ FINDS A DIVERSE MIX

By Hugh Maggio

Boston—Rob Peters was attending St. Joseph’s College in Windham, Maine, studying communications and broadcasting when he was introduced to radio.

One of his mentors DJed the on-campus events, and Peters would watch and absorb. “Eventually, I was asked to DJ a dance on campus and loved doing it,” he says. “But even then, I was only getting paid a small fee. I think it was around $25. The college owned the gear, so I spent the money I was making on records and 12-inch singles.”

It wasn’t until halfway through his college career when Peters realized that there was money to be made DJing at parties and dances, but it really took off for him after he graduated.

“In the spring of 1992, I was dating a girl who asked me to DJ a party for her sister,” he says. “At the time, I was working as an assistant manager for Strawberries, a regional record-store chain, so I had access to the music I needed— and a great discount, too! I rented speakers and did the party for her. People had fun and were asking for my business card. At the time, I didn’t have any and had to write my contact information on cocktail napkins! It was a great party.

The only downside at that time was the girl I was dating dumped me a few weeks later!”

But Peters won out in the end, as the experience encouraged him to pursue DJing part time. His uncle, a musician, helped him find gear and come up with marketing ideas. “I spread my business cards everywhere,” says Peters, who called the company Rob Peters

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

After a friend’s illness, Rob Peters inherited a new market.

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Entertainment, which has grown into a multiop business. “I even worked with two other agencies in my area to learn and get bookings. I studied what my competition was doing to get work. The internet wasn’t even invented yet, so it was ‘guerilla marketing’ in the most basic form—brochures in bridal and tuxedo shops, word-of-mouth marketing, business cards on bulletin boards, listings in the phone book and bridal shows.”

Plenty of challenges presented themselves, of course, primarily his availability—he was still working at Strawberries. “I was working parttime doing Saturday mornings at a small Boston radio station,” he says. “I arranged my schedule so that I could do my morning shift and work on Saturday evenings at Strawberries—so Saturday nights were tough to book events then.”

Eventually, Peters got a 9-to-5 job that made running his business easier. “I loved running my business so much that I would call prospective clients during my lunch break and on my way home from work and spend another 15 to 20 hours a week working on marketing and sales appointments.”

The hard work began paying dividends, as his company developed a reputation for its work at weddings and corporate events—with weddings representing 50-percent of the business, corporate and other private parties 20-percent. The remainder— children’s entertainment—began with help from a mentor friend, John Allo.

“John was a full-time DJ in my market, someone I had known since the mid-1990s,” he says. “He actually was one of the people who helped me go full-time as a mobile DJ. In the fall of 2005, John and I had both been asked to speak at the Maine Disc Jockey Network annual meeting, so we decided to take the ride up together.

During the three-hour ride, John told me about how he was doing very well with an entertainment concept he had developed for kids, and how much fun he was having with it. It seemed like a great idea. At that time, I was busy with other obligations, so I did not have the time to commit to it as part of my business.”

A year later, on Easter Sunday of 2006, Peters was driving home from visiting family when his cell phone rang. “It was John,” he recalls. “He told me that he was in the hospital and asked if I could come see him because he had something important to discuss with me. Having known about John’s medical condition over the past few years, I couldn’t help but think that something was terribly wrong. I arrived at the hospital,

where John asked me if I would take over his kid’s entertainment business, as his doctor had advised him that continuing on would not help his recovery. We sat, went over dates and he gave me a ‘crash course’ about the program and how it worked.”

The first event that needed coverage was four days away. Peters dutifully covered the party and he was hooked.

“These performances were fun,” he says. “And profitable, and we have been able to turn it into a healthy addition to our business because of the demand, the marketability, and even for the referrals we receive for other events, such as weddings, corporate events and more.”

The key to marketing at these gigs, says Peters, is to inform the adults in the room that these parties are not the only type of parties his company does.

“Marketing has become a whole different ballgame compared to when I started,” says Peters. “But some of the concepts we started with still are things we do. For weddings and mitzvahs, we attend several wedding expos every year, and have a strong referral network with facilities in our area. We still put business cards everywhere, especially for the kid’s entertainment services. The Internet has been a big plus, because we can add video to help reinforce the services we offer. We do email marketing and direct mail, and we target our marketing efforts depending on the service we offer, but we are currently reinforcing these efforts with radio advertising.”

Where does Peters see the business in five years? “I always have a goal of adding something new to RPE every year, whether it’s a new service or a new market we are looking to serve,” he says. “I always believe that there is plenty of work for everyone, so I am not looking to dominate my market, but rather be able to continue to work with some of the best customers and DJs I know. To me, it’s not about being the best at what we do, it’s about doing what we do!”

JOHN LYONS AND CROWN: PARTNERS IN EXCLUSIVE CLUBS.

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A LEGACY OF UNPARALLELED SONIC ACCURACY With over 30 years of experience in the highly competitive club business, John Lyons is an international success. And, from hot spots in Hollywood to Las Vegas, from Atlantic City to Dubai, he’s turned to the unparalleled sonic accuracy and superb reliability of Crown’s Macro-Tech i Series amplifiers to power the sound in his popular clubs.

“The robust construction of the Macro-Tech i Series amps make them a good choice for a club where failure during the show is not an option.”

- JOHN LYONS

BUSINESS LINE SALES…MARKETING…SOLUTIONS…

WHY YOU NEED TO SEND AN E-NEWSLETTER

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

By Joe Bunn

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One of the stronger pieces of marketing that we use here at Joe Bunn DJ Company is sending out a monthly enewsletter. It’s easy, informative and, most importantly, it’s cheap (if you do it yourself). In this article, we will discuss the steps that will get you rolling on creating and sending your own.

The Template: The first thing that you should do is to have your graphics person create a template that you can use each month. If you don’t have a graphics person, the going rate to hire one can be anywhere from $35-$50 per hour. The template should match your current branding—card, website, etc. It needs to have the same colors, look, and feel of the rest of your marketing so that as soon as your A Few Design Tips readers see it, they’ll know where it came from. * Try to add photos to each section of the newsletter.

Choosing Your Sender: After the template is complete, you will Spice it up! use it with one of the hundreds of mass email providers that there * Keep your contact list up to date. are out there. Our choice is Mailchimp. But Constant Contact is also reputable. We are able to go in to the dashboard, add the email * Hyperlink to any vendors, DJs, videos mentioned. addresses that we want to send it to, and then simply input the URL * Include all of your contact information, including of the template, and click send! Very easy. social media.

Who Receives It? One of the things that I have been doing since starting my company more than 12 years ago is to keep a huge vendor list on an Excel spreadsheet. At every single event I do, I colA Few Content Tips: lect business cards from my fellow vendors. I toss out the “bozos,” * Provide value to readers. Give tips on how to and keep the people that I would like to network with, or work with choose a DJ, for example. again. Each week, I add the data from those business cards to that * Interview fellow vendors and ask for their tips. spreadsheet. Name, company, email address, phone, mailing address, web, social media—even their birth date! That spreadsheet, once * Get seasonal. Write about your most profitable you’ve built it up and it reflects the folks that you are going to want events and the venue. Forward the e-newsletter to the to receive your e-news, is gold. Not only should vendors receive it, venue contact. but also your past and future clients. They are your biggest fans! And lastly, I also send it to a large group of friends and family—and, of course, all of my DJs. Content Is King: OK, so you have the template and you know who the e-newsletter is going to be emailed to. Now you have to come up with something to say every month—that is usually the hardest challenge.

So you have the I usually open up with a short one paragraph “letter” from me, the owner. Mention what season it is, or how you’re excited about holiday parties, etc., basically something relevant to the month you’re in. template and you The next section for us is the “DJ of the Month.” For multi-op owners, this is a no-brainer. It starts the e-newsletter on a strong, positive note and puts the spotlight on one of your star DJs. It builds their value right away and they love know who the it too! For single-op owners, maybe you could do a “Vendor Spotlight” and pick a fellow vendor (baker, venue, florist) and interview them for a short blurb in your e-newsletter. They’ll love you forever and might forward the newsletter e-newsletter is to their friends, increasing your own list. going to be emailed to.

In the third section, we mention an event or somewhere that we can be seen to the public. For example, a bridal show or showcase. The other idea may be to mention something that you are excited about. Some great examples Now you have to are maybe your company won an award from your local Chamber of Commerce, NACE or ISES chapter. Share that!

And in the final section, mention something from your social-media playbook. Do you do a video blog every other come up with something week? If so, take the link from YouTube and share it. Maybe you are trying to build your number of Twitter followers, post the direct link to your Twitter handle. Maybe getting more Facebook fans is what you’re looking for. Post the to say every Facebook link and maybe mention a recent post you made that received a ton of “likes.”

If you take one hour each month to write this newsletter, I promise it will produce results for very little investmonth—that is usually ment! Go get ’em!

Joe Bunn, The DJ Whisperer, is the owner of Joe Bunn DJ Company in Raleigh, N.C. the hardest challenge.

FSTVL#0014>>

PHASE 1 A TRIBE CALLED RED / AMTRAC / ANDY C / ART DEPARTMENT BEN KLOCK B2B MARCEL DETTMANN / BIG GIGANTIC / BRENDON MOELLER AKA ECHOLOGIST CARL CRAIG / DAVE CLARKE / DENNIS FERRER / DERRICK MAY & KEVIN SAUNDERSON DRUMCELL / DVS1 / GEORGE FITZGERALD / HATCHA / J.PHLIP / JOHN DIGWEED LUKE SLATER - P.A.S. - live / MAETRIK / MALA / MIKE PARKER / NICOLE MOUDABER / NOISIA ONRA / PACO OSUNA / RICHIE HAWTIN / RROSE / RYAN ELLIOTT / SILENT SERVANT SLAM / STEVE RACHMAD / SUPERVISION / TENSNAKE / TERRENCE PARKER / THE BUG THE M MACHINE / TOMMY FOUR SEVEN / TRUNCATE

PHASE 2 ADULT. - live / AL ESTER / ALTON MILLER / ATAXIA / AUDION - live AZARI & III - live / BEN SIMS / BIG CHOCOLATE / BREAK SCIENCE - live / BRODINSKI BRUCE BAILEY / CARLOS SOUFFRONT / DANIEL BELL / DANTIEZ SAUNDERSON DJ MINX featuring DIVINITI and EVA SOUL / DON DADA (DJ GODFATHER and ZEBO) DOWNLINK / ELLEN ALLIEN / ERIKA - live / GESAFFELSTEIN / GRAMATIK / GREGOR TRESHER GRiZ - live / HECTOR / LAURA JONES / MASTERS AT WORK - KENNY DOPE & LOUIE VEGA MATT TOLFREY / MIGUEL CAMPBELL / MILKMAN / MOODYMANN / MR. JOSHOOA NICOLAS JAAR - live / PAPER DIAMOND / SOUL CLAP / STACEY PULLEN / STEFFI T.WILLIAMS / TOKiMONSTA / TOTALLY ENORMOUS EXTINCT DINOSAURS - live

PHASE 3 COMING SOON!

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GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Jelly Roll

Sub In

ADJ/American DJ 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 582-2650 www.americandj.com

Electro-Voice 12000 Portland Ave S Burnsville, MN 55337 (800) 392-3497 www.electrovoice.com

The Jelly Go Par64 is a two-in-one RGB effect from American DJ that is powered by a built-in lithium battery that can run for eight hours on a single charge. It comes in a see-through case and features a battery life indicator. The unit is powered by 176 10mm LEDs, including 58 red, 60 green and 58 blue. The Jelly Go Par64 comes with the company’s ADJ LED RC Infrared Remote Control, allowing wireless control from up to 30 feet away.

Electro-Voice expanded its ZX loudspeaker line with the passive ZX1-Sub. Built with a steel grille and a 15-mm-thick internally braced wooden enclosure with two side handles, the unit has a frequency response of 53 Hz – 125 Hz. It’s equipped with a 12-inch EVS-12S woofer that operates in the 42 Hz to 200 Hz frequency range, while two recessed NL4-type connectors are wired in parallel so the input signal can be looped through.

Toe to Serato The SKB’s Knees

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

SKB Corporation 1633 N. Leslie Way Orange, CA 92867 (800) 410-2024 www.skbcases.com

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SKB’s 3i-5014-LBAR Injection Molded Watertight LED Light Bar Case is the latest product in its DJ line. Molded out of ultra-high-strength polypropylene copolymer resin, these cases are water-and dust-proof and feature both a cushioned handle and in-line skate wheels. They fit four light bars up to 36.75 inches long and come with moveable PE foam blocks that let users fit two short light bars or one long bar per 2.75-inch-wide channel. Users can also store cables in the space underneath the light fixtures.

Serato DJ Private Bag 92015, AMSC Auckland 1142 New Zealand +64 9 379 4944 www.serato.com Serato DJ 1.1 is the company’s latest DJ software and is available as an upgrade option for Numark Mixtrack Pro, Pioneer DDJ-ERGO and Denon DJ MC2000. It comes with the Serato Video plug-in and offers a variety of effects from iZotope, including Delay, Echo, Reverb, Phaser, Flanger and Distortion. Its brand new interface includes two- and four-deck view modes for four deck controllers.

Additional features include eight cue points, MIDI mapping, colored waveforms, auto tempo matching and a looping function that includes manual loops, auto loops and loop rolls.

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Platinum Blonde Hold the Phones TEAC America 7733 Telegraph Rd Montebello, CA 90640 (323) 726-0303 www.tascam.com TASCAM’s TH-02 headphones sport a closed-back design that the company says creates a “clean sound with rich bass response and crisp highs.” The headphones are foldable. They are designed with a padded headband and feature full 90-degree rotation capabilities on both the left and right ear cuffs.They offer a frequency response of 18Hz – 22 kHz and 98 dB of sensitivity. The headphones have a cable that extends to 9.8 feet and they come with 1/8-inch and ¼-inch snap-on adapters.

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

Beam Me Up!

34

Chauvet 5200 NW 108th Ave. Sunrise, FL 33351 (800) 762-1084 Chauvetlighting.com The BEAMbar has joined the Chauvet DJ line of products with its 4-degree beam angle emitting narrow, sharp beams of white light for crisp visual effects. DJs can mount BEAMbar to a truss or tripod, add fog or haz and flood the room with beams and effects. Fitted with five 6-watt white LEDs, it includes full pixel control to create sweeps, animations and runway effects.

Pioneer DJ 1925 E. Dominguez Street Long Beach, CA 90810 (310) 952-2000 www.pioneerdjusa.com Three Pioneer DJ models became available in limited-run Platinum Editions, each with a mirror chrome finish that sports a plaque engraved with the production run and serial number. The platinum version of the CDJ-2000nexus comes with up to 35 controls, plus slip and quantize functions, rekordbox music management software, and a Wolfson Microelectronics digital-to-analog converter. The DJM900nexus comes with a built-in X-Pad and a built-in 24-Bit / 96 kHz high performance USB soundcard, while the RMX-1000 features auto BPM, remixbox editing software, and Scene FX, Isolate FX, X-PAD FX, and Release FX controls.

Spectra Gadget DJ Tech Tools 360 Langton Street San Francisco, CA 94103 (877) 246-8958 www.djtechtools.com The Midi Fighter Spectra from DJ Tech Tools is an upgrade to the Midi Fighter Classic that is custom built for each user. Customers can choose the color of the buttons and silicon body, as well as select from a wide range of top finishes. The Midi Fighter Spectra features full-color ring lighting in each of its 16 arcade buttons, which the company says “allows the creation of dynamic yet highly intuitive controller mappings.”

2013 America’s Best DJ Tour Starting May 2013

americasbestdj.net

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Benny & the JetPack Remix Orbit Concepts 18632 Beach Blvd. # 210, Huntington Beach, A 92648 (657) 229-5381 www.orbitconcepts.com The JetPack Remix is the latest product in Orbit Concepts’ JetPack line of DJ bags. The bag fits laptops up to 17 inches and includes recess back padding to reduce the heat on the user’s back. It also comes with a portable battery compartment, built-in record sleeves, a dedicated area for flares and netted pouches for cables. The front panel is removable and the bag features both U-shaped straps and an adjustable chest straps.

Drake Takes the Cake Hex 3051 Sturgis Road Oxnard, CA 93030 (866) 294-4878 www.shopehex.com Hex’s Drake Collection includes water-resistant laptop duffel and messenger bags. The laptop duffel is made of blended wool and outfitted with web handles, leather zipper pulls and a removable shoulder strap. The messenger bag uses PadPort, which allows users to access their iPad without taking it out of the bag. Both bags are designed with padded and fleece-lined compartments including an interior laptop storage for up to a 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Going Software

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

Roland Systems Group 5100 S. Eastern Avenue PO Box 910921 Los Angeles, CA 90091 (800) 380-2580 www.rolandsystemsgroup.com

36

Roland Systems Group announced that free downloadable Windows video capture software is now available for both the company’s VR Series Video Mixers and VC Video Converters. The software allows users to record and capture both audio and video from live events by connecting their Roland product to a computer using either USB or Firewire, depending on the model. Mac Users can use the software with their VR Series Video Mixers and VC Video Converters by using Quicktime.

Rolling in the Deep Funky House Future Loops www.futureloops.com Future Loops’ Ibiza Sessions - Deep Funky House is a 3GB collection featuring more than 4,000 royalty-free samples in WAV and REX formats. The collection includes full grooves, kick loops, non-kick loops, musical loops and top loops. In addition there are more than 3,000 drum hits, plus bass, leads, synth, pads, chords and vocal FX. Ibiza Sessions – Deep Funky House also comes with an effects section that includes crashes, sweeps, falls, risers and wooshes.

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GROOVES TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS “SATISFIED” u DJ Rap u Propa Talent

INVOLVER 3 u Sasha u Ministry of Sound Shimmering and beautiful, this third iteration of the Involver series dives into the deepest trenches of techno and house. CD1 features 11 special Involv3r remixes accompanied by Sasha’s previously unreleased “Shoot You Down” ft. Kicki Halmos, while CD2 sees Sasha reworking seven of his CD1 remixes into haunting beatless remixes.

Infused with massive kicks and snares, bangin’ synthetic basslines, and beats programmed to absolute perfection, “Satisfied’ also offers sultry vocals courtesy of DJ Rap herself. For d-n-b lovers, there’s the rockin’ remix featuring Rap and Liquid Bass. Also, check the thumping SupaDeckStars Deep House Mix. Lazy Rich

– Jen Shapiro

Celeda

– Chris Davis

“GRIT” u Roni Size feat. Danny Byrd u Hospital Records

“BRAINFREEZE” u Lazy Rich u Doorn Records Another upbeat house thumper that blurs the lines between electro and the patented Swedish brand of progressive house, this track’s growling synth line and punchy vowel synth stabs are as upbeat as they are unrelenting.

– Chris Davis

On this collab between d-n-b heavyweights, you get a track loaded with smooth, rolling beats, sick bass, drum loops, and effects galore. Perfect for primetime play, this one’ll work anywhere you flip it in your set.

Big tune.

– Jen Shapiro

Roni Size

“C’MON LET ME RIDE” (REMIX)

“TAKE WORDS IN RETURN”

u Skylar Grey u Interscope

u Henrik Schwarz u Watergate A house monster with Carl Craig remixes to boot. The original has deep, poetic vocals that are run through some wildly clever effects and combined with a grooving, chuggy bassline. Craig’s mix is more driving, fluid and slightly harder with a robust emphasis on emotive, stretched synth melodies. Sheer and utter dancefloor tunage.

With their “Trapstep Remix,” teenaged Spaniard Danny Avila and Swede Mikael Weermets unleash a colossal amalgamation of trap, dubstep, and drum-n-bass vibes in this thunderous edit of a sexy 2012 pop original (from Skylar Grey ft. Eminem). Believe the hype—this one is special.

– Chris Davis

Lars Vegas

– Shawn Christopher

“THE CALM” EP u Danny Daze u Ellum Audio Imagine what the sound of a dark heartbeat would be—that’s the experience here on the title track. This one goes different places with haunting vocals and a chilling climactic mid-track beatbreak. Daze combines depth with darkness on this EP, creating a storm that is rather the opposite of its title.

– Natalie Raben

“WHITE NOISE”

u Disclosure feat. Aluna George u Universal Island London-based siblings Howard and Guy Lawrence are back with another exceptional single, this one featuring the sensual vocal cooing of Aluna Francis and production stylings of George Reid (aka AlunaGeorge).

Melodic, ethereal, but plenty grooving.

DJ Rap

– Chris Davis

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

Download

Corner

38

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).

“Be Yourself” (Adam Freemer Remix) by Celeda [Twisted]: Remixes of classics are always nostalgic. Here, Freemer tones down the “diva” of the original and amps up the 4-a.m., underground-warehouse vibe to fantastic effect. Lots of dark, reverberated synth stabs that perfectly accentuate the vocals and deep, brooding bass over a mesmerizing, flanged drum groove—ace!

Found at beatport.com.

“The Game” (Original Mix) by Lars Vegas [Large Music]: Yes, it’s deep house—but no, it’s not jazzy and light. This is tougher—more of a Detroit-techno version of deep house—still with the soulful vocals and chords, but with grittier drums and synchronized low end that will drive a dancefloor and not lull it to sleep.

Found at beatport.com.

“Diablo” (Chriss Ronson Cre8tion Remix) by Obrotka [Abstract Music]: Do you like multi-layered, delayed and stuttered vocal effects, especially when swirled around your head—all over a solid, hypnotic, tech-house foundation with synth stabs thrown in for good measure? Of course, you do. Buy this. Now. Found at beatport.com.

– Robert LaFrance

TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS

GROOVES

“EMPEROR”

u Ali Love Feat. Kali u Crosstown Rebels

sleep on uptempo “About To Get Fresh” ft. Chiddy Bang, the growly title track ft. Jess Mills, or the introspective “Storm” ft. Kid Harpoon.

Maceo Plex brings his A-game with his “Last Disco Remix,” which sports a blasting bassline, driving percussion and a witty, throwback, vocal sample. Emotive keys and tasty flavors top this one off.

– Chris Davis

– Shawn Christopher “SHINE” u Digitaria u Hot Creations

“DIGITAL LOVE” u Almamy u ModyWorks Henrik Schwarz

Quite a stew here: Moody, seductive vocal, a cheerful hook, rich, dynamic keys, a thumping kick and a fluid rumbling bass line. wAFF brings a techy twist with some clever percussive elements and captivating keys, while Morgan Geist comes with a bellowing low-end and pumping dancefloor flare.

– Chris Davis “BEAUTY (REMIXES 2013)” EP

u Jenia White pres. Lakosta u Dextrous Trax Cave Sedem’s sonic journey is built in layers atop a house of sub-bass, while the stellar Dandy remix (aka Peter Makto & Gregory S) dubs things out and creates an irresistible vibe. Tim Hanman’s remix opts to leave in the vocals and Jordan Rudess-esque synth lines, reversing and re-pitching the vocals to great success.

– Shawn Christopher “ERIC GOES TO DISCO” u Beltek u Toolroom Beltek is back with a sassy house rump-shaker that’s begging to be played out in the summer sun. He keeps it simple and effective with a dirty little lead that dances around the thick, punchy kick.

In this Daft Punk cover, Almamy’s quirky, breathy vocals flex powerfully atop a mechanical beat that increases in tempo after the vocals drop out of the original mix. An even weirder dub version rounds out the two-track release.

Sasha

– Chris Davis

– Chris Davis “MY LOVE” (REMIXES) “SOMEBODY TO LOVE” EP u Jack Beats u OWSLA

u BK Duke & Fine Touch ft. Tanya Michelle u MODA Top

Jack Beats neatly packages vowel-bassline-filled electro house with underground pop sensibility. The techy “Just A Beat”—the only track lacking an instrumental version, understandably—is the highlight, though don’t

Out of this hefty 10-track remix package, be sure to cop the sassy “Festival Alert Mix” and the bouncy, though predictable “Ezzy Safaris Remix.”

Danny Daze

– Chris Davis

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40 New Improved.indd 2

1/10/2013 4:36:40 PM

Compiled As Of March 13, 2013

National Crossover Pool Chart 1 Will I Am F/ Britney Spears Scream & Shout 2 Kwanza Jones Supercharged 3 September Hands Up 4 Tony Moran F/ Anastacia If I Was Your Boyfriend 5 Conor Maynard Turn Around 6 Tori Amos Flavor 7 Miasha Everybody’s Beautiful 8 Suzanne Palmer Joy 9 Kelly Clarkson Catch My Breath 10 Adele Skyfall 11 Britt Nicole Gold 12 Enrique Iglesias F/ Sammy Adams Finally Found You 13 Ciara Sorry 14 Emeli Sande’ Next To Me 15 Pink Try 16 Kerli The Lucky Ones 17 Wideboys The Word 18 Pitbull Don’t Stop The Party 19 Esquille I Take U Higher 20 Alicia Keys Girl On Fire 21 Ke$ha Die Young 22 Justin Timberlake F/ Jay Z Suit And Tie 23 Matchbox 20 Shes So Mean 24 Lee Dagger No Superstar 25 Stacy Jackson Pointing Fingers 26 Katrina Ready To Love 27 No Doubt Looking Hot 28 Chris Cox/DJ Frankie - Crystal Waters Oh Mama 29 Courtney Stodden Reality 30 Arianna Sexy People 31 Audio Playground F/ Snoop Dog Emergency 32 Greg Machado Switch It Up 33 Justin Bieber F/ Nicky Minaj Beauty & A Beat 34 Muzik Box Ear Candy 35 Calvin Harris F/ Ayah Marar Thinking About You 36 Pet Shop Boys Memory Of The Future 37 Nicki Minaj Va Va Voom 38 Vic Cologne One More Time 39 Flo Rida I Cry 40 Eric Turner Vs Avicci Dancing In My Head

National Urban Pool Chart

Interscope Innovation Robbins Go Deeva Light Capitol Mercury MAF Music Plant RCA Columbia Capitol Universal Republic Sony Capitol Jive Island/Def Jam Radikal Jive Global Groove RCA RCA RCA Atlantic Dagger 3B1G Red Red Interscope Tommy Boy Media Giants RCA Canwest 2 Hot Ent. Mercury Control Voltage Sony Astralwerks Universal Music Plant Atlantic Capitol

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

Suzanne Palmer BEX Depeche Mode Emeli Sande Right Said Fred Chris Cox/DJ Frankie Glenn Morrison F/ Mi Courtney Stodden Delonda Harvey Ez

Joy Music What You Are Heaven Next To Me Raise Your Hands Oh Mama Secrets Reality Dancer Top Of The World

Most Added Tracks Plant Sybersound Sony Capitol Promark Tommy Boy Robbins Media Giants Music Plant Risk

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 ✦ Masspool - Saugus, MA; Gary Canavo ✦ Soundworks - San Francisco, CA; Sam Labelle ✦ Majik Boys - , ; Jeremy Martorano ✦ New York Music Pool - Levittown, NY; Jackie McCloy ✦ Music Choice - New York, NY; Mike Rizzo ✦ Dixie Dance Kings - Alpharetta, GA; Dan Miller ✦ 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

Art Department (continued from page 16)

Kenny’s voice and how you mix that with some of these ultra-deep productions. What’s your process?

White: Generally speaking, we like to keep his vocals quite up front, which isn’t always how it’s done in more experimental and trippier productions. I think that is one of the few pop sensibilities in our productions, but people really connect with his voice and his lyrics, so I like having them right up front. There’s usually very little effect on it, maybe a slight reverb and very minimal delay to create a little bit more space.

DJ Times: Let’s discuss the Social Experiment mix comp. What was your approach, and what do you think makes for a good mix CD? White: It’s a very tricky thing.

It has to be something that works outside of a club, but with this particular mix series, we’re trying to really showcase what we’re doing at the Social Experiment events. That’s the real interactive experience, so it has a heavier club vibe that has to work outside a club now. This mix was really dancefloor by our standards for a CD, because you imagine people listening to this at home and in cars, so we’d usually opt to go much deeper and possibly slower, but we wanted to really showcase what we’re doing at the parties. The other really tricky bit, when you’re putting together a mix using almost all exclusive music, lies in taking these 14 songs that you’ve pre-selected from these amazing artists and figuring out how to make them work together in the context of a mix.

DJ Times: What’s in your DJ rider?

White: We keep it really simple, always have. We switched from vinyl to CD after our first tour over two

years ago. So it’s just three [Pioneer] CDJs, Allen & Heath mixer, and a bottle of Jack.

DJ Times: Musically, how do you two approach your DJ set?

White: There is no preparation and the division of labor is right down the middle—one for one. There is a real intuitive thing going on between us. I’ll play with other friends at afterparties and realize how drastically different it is.

DJ Times: In your mind, what makes a great live DJ set?

White: What makes a great DJ is programming. Being able to take the crowd with you, in a not too selfindulgent way, considering the energy that they’re giving back to you, being able to adjust the direction as needed and being able to catch that energy quickly so that you don’t head in a direction that won’t work for even one song. All within the realm of what you do, not having to stray from what you play and who you are as a DJ— being able to educate people while entertaining them.

DJ Times: Seems like you put a lot of thought into it.

White: We take it very seriously.

It’s nothing short of an art form to us and I think the fact that we still love it as much as we do really plays a huge part in our being successful as DJs that people continue to want to listen to.

DJ Times: What are your favorite places to play?

White: Favorite festival is BPM festival in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.

We love the vibe down there, the people, the bookings and it’s put on by very close friends from our hometown of Toronto. Clubs? Would have to be DC10 where we’re residents for Circo Loco [in Ibiza] and Pan-

orama Bar in Berlin.

DJ Times: It’s my belief that the underground will ultimately benefit from this EDM craze. I’ve already seen that, at some point, fans begin to want something more than these enormo-festivals with all the same talent. Your take?

White: It appears to be going in that direction. Although I’m not so sure that what’s going on in the world of Deadmice and Swedish House Gangs will really translate into those same people becoming interested in what we’re doing. Those lines between the music aren’t easily drawn.

That, to me, is the main and maybe only difference between what happened when hip hop exploded into the mainstream and with this explosion that’s happening now with EDM. DJ Times: How’s that?

White: With hip hop, you could find your way in through, I don’t know, Mace or Diddy and easily find your way to Mos Def or Mobb Deep, because you could draw more parallels between the music. Whereas here, the music those guys are doing has absolutely nothing to do with what we’re doing in the underground.

What will happen though, and this is because of the promoters in North America who are reacting to the increasing demand for the stuff we do, is we will continue to be given larger and larger platforms to showcase what we’re doing and our audience will grow. It’s happening now, but as long as there is big money to be made at these festivals, they’re going to continue to promote this music to large crowds to bring it in.

DJ Times: At a certain point, doesn’t this underground-vs.-EDMfest bickering get boring?

White: Nah, if you’re referring to those guys I mentioned above. I don’t think any of us really consider each other to be part of the same world, so it doesn’t come up in conversation a whole lot—aside from in interviews, of course. n

Irritant

(continued from page 23) songs—and that’s it. The rest is up to me, because they’re paying me for my expertise. If they want to select all their music, I have a system I rent for $300, but they have to supply the music and someone to run the equipment.”

Of course, not everything always turns out as picture-perfect as a bride envisions or as the DJ desires.

Says Croce: “I once had a client who pre-programmed their entire playlist and printed out copies that were placed at each table setting. What should have been a fun event turned into psychotic bingo.

“No one wanted to get out of their seats because they were busy checking off the boxes next to each song being played—in order. I even joked over the microphone, promising to play the songs in order even if they weren’t keeping track. There was absolutely zero response, and the entire wedding played out like a David Lynch film.

“Naturally, I had advised him beforehand that such rigid control wasn’t conducive to a relaxed and fun environment. The Type-A groom said his friends and family were loads of fun and said they wouldn’t need my ‘zaniness’ to get them on the dancefloor.’ I was right. He was wrong.

“And they didn’t even tip. Bastards.” n

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2013

Miss Kittin’s Content Clash

42

I grew up DJing tough techno.

Now I’m covering “Everybody Hurts.”

WTF is wrong with me?

Miss Kittin, next month in DJ Times.

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