DJ Times September 2011, Vol 24 No 9

THE DJ EXPO ISSUE

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988 SEPTEMBER 2011

$6.95 CANADA $4.95 US

HOW MOBILE APPS BOOST BUSINESS ONE DJ’S 4 RULES OF THE VLOG

BASSNECTAR BASS IN YOUR FACE! Highlights from America’s Best DJ Summer Tour

PLUS: n Mary Anne Hobbs n Soul Clap n Datsik n Novation Twitch n Crown XTi 6002 n Spectrasonics Omnisphere

Presented by

touching is believing.

C D J - 7 0 0 P R O F E S S I O N A L M E D I A P L AY E R Featuring the first color touch screen for DJs, the CDJ-700 represents a brand new dimension of control. Select your tracks, or execute effects with the same intuitive touch found on popular smart phones and tablets.

Playback options include CDs, SD cards and USB memory devices in all popular file formats. And the CDJ-700 delivers full MIDI capability, DSP effects and an adjustable, touch-sensitive jog wheel. Scratch, Reverse and Slip Mode provide maximum creativity.

Professional features and innovative design are all at your fingertips with the CDJ-700.

Get your hands on one at DJ Expo, Booth 412.

Š 2011

G C I Te c h n o l o g i e s C o r p .

G e m i n i i s a r e g i s t e r e d t r a d e m a r k o f G C I Te c h n o l o g i e s C o r p .

P h o t o g r a p h y C r e d i t : To n y C o r d o z a P h o t o g r a p h y

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

SEPTEMBER 2011

$6.95 CANADA

$4.95 US

INTRODUCING THE FIRST TO U C H S C R E E N F O R DJ S .

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INDUSTRY EVENTS…NOTABLES…MILESTONES

NEWS

DJ EXPO: MORE TALENT, SPONSORS & SEMINARS LINE UP Atlantic City, N.J.— It’s here!

DJ Expo has landed at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

Presented by DJ Times and publisher Testa Communications, the show will run Aug. 8-11, entertaining and informing nearly 5,000 professional jocks with four days of seminars, three days of exhibits, and three nights of parties.

Beginning Aug. 9, major manufacturers will fill the Mark Etess Arena, showing products that will impact the mobile, club, studio and accessory segments of the DJ market. At presstime, one exhibitor was ready to announce a new product—Rane will introduce its MP26 Club Mixer.

Starting Monday morning, Aug. 8, more than 25 panels and semi-

Party Host: Actress/artist Traci Lords. of sessions, “New Technologies: In the Booth & Beyond” will include top retailers and product reviewers offering insight on the very latest in pro-audio, lighting, playback, video

Roonie G. On Aug. 9 at House of Blues at Showboat, The Annual Promo Only Showcase (including new sponsors Denon and Chauvet) will present a deep slate of talent. Hosted by Kimberley Locke, Blake Lewis and Traci Lords, the party will include performances and appearances by: Jeremih; Wynter Gordon; Pete Wentz & Black Cards; Crystal Waters; Rockell with Joe Zangie; Kreayshawn; Neon Hitch; Jessica Sutta (Pussycat Dolls); Blush; Kerli; Dev; Iyaz; Eva; DaCav 5 and Alyssa Reid, plus Denon VJs like Roonie G. Note: Expect extra-special surprise guests.

Party Talent: Pete Wentz & Massive: Movement will light up Detroit.

Black Cards. (continued on page 50)

Party Sponsor: Peavey will give away an IPR 1600.

and studio solutions for pro DJs. Additionally, sponsored seminars will come from the following exhibitors: Bridelive; Chauvet Lighting; Eternal Lighting; Newtek Business Systems; Pioneer DJ; Stanton DJ; and X-Laser.

“Keynote Q&A” sessions will feature industry legends DJ Skribble (Monday), Public Enemy co-producer Keith Shocklee (Tuesday) and C+C Music Factory co-founder Robert Clivillés (Wednesday).

Evening events go as follows: Aug. 8 at Casbah, The Mobile Kick-Off party—hosted by Elite Entertainment’s Mike Walter—will start the evening. Then, The DJ Expo Kick-Off Party Hosted by Denon DJ will swing into action with Denon jocks like

L a s Ve g a s — E r i c k M o r i l l o moves it at Las Vegas’ Marquee Nightclub this past July 2 during a stop on America’s Best DJ SummerTour Presented by Pioneer DJ. Fans cast their ballots in hopes of becoming the one lucky voter who will win a return trip for two to the venue for the ABDJ Closing Party/Award Ceremony on Oct. 9. For more on America’s Best DJ, please see Page 24 and visit americasbestdj.net

SEPTEMBER 2011

Vegas, Baby

DJ TIMES

nars will tackle topics from the DJ, remixer/producer and technology fronts. Entertainers will want to sit in on “Mobile Operator” sessions like Steve Moody’s “All-Star MCs’ Secrets Revealed,” Jerry Bazata’s “Business in a Down Economy,” Randi Rae’s “All Things Mitzvah,” and Joe Molineaux’s “Smart Marketing: Spinning Without Spending.”

From the “DJ Culture & Music” track of sessions, “The DJ Expo Artist Panel: Hitmakers of Clubland” will include a slew of artists ready to tell their stories and explain their creative processes. They include Jeremih, Dev, Pete Wentz, Jessica Sutta, Kimberley Locke, Rockell and Traci Lords.

From the “Gear & Tech” segment

5

VOLUME 24 NUMBER 9

18 Bass In Your Face

After Years of Pushing His Unique EDM Sounds, Bassnectar’s Time Has Arrived

BY JUSTIN HAMPTON

26 Highlights from the Road

America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented

by Pioneer DJ Hits More Top Clubs & Festivals

BY DJ TIMES PHOTOGRAPHERS

28 Mobile Apps

Many DJs Are Using Phone & Tablet Apps to Increase Business. Are You?

BY JEFF STILES

DEPARTMENTS 9 Feedback

32 Making Tracks

Spectrasonics Omnisphere

34 Sounding Off

Crown XTi 6002 & Novation Twitch

36 Mobile Profile

Jersey DJ’s “4 Rules of the vLog”

38 Business Line

Sharpen Your Business Skills—At DJ Expo

40 Gear

New Products from American DJ, Numark & More

46 Grooves

Phat Tracks from Reid Speed, Slam, Audiofly & More

48 DJ Times Marketplace

Shop Here for All Your DJ-Related Supplies

49 Club Play Chart

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

66

The Hottest Records, As Reported

by Our Top U.S. Record Pools

SAMPLINGS 10 Mary Anne Hobbs

EDM Progressive

12 Soul Clap

Deep DJ Duo

14 In The Studio With…

Datsik

Cover Photo By Nick Schrunk/Red Bull Content Pool

Obituary: American DJ Remembers Mike Healy

Contents Photo By Douglas Wojciechowski

FROM THE EDITOR

editor-in-chief Jim Tremayne jtremayne@testa.com editor-at-large Brian O’Connor boconnor@testa.com

Bass Factor: Off the Charts

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

When people ask me what I’m going to remember about this year’s festival season, I have an easy answer—a lotta bass in my face.

By hitting most of the stops on America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer DJ, I’ve enjoyed an up-close view to the ongoing evolution of electronic-music tastes. Dubstep, bass music—whatever you wanna call it—this wobbly, booming subgenre is very much having its day. It’s especially evident with college-age kids at the festivals like Movement, Starscape, and Camp Bisco where thousands of fans flock to see their favorite genre performers like Skrillex and Rusko.

And the undeniable emergence of Bassnectar—this month’s cover boy—is very indicative of the steady rise of bass-dominated music.

For Bassnectar (aka Lorin Ashton), success couldn’t come to a more deserving artist. He’s been on our radar for awhile, ever since he emerged from the late-’90s Burning Man scene with his uniquely heavy, psychedelic jams. As his music continued to evolve, his popularity started to spike.

Now, with eight full-length albums to his credit, he’s headlining or earning plum spots at the aforementioned festivals and turning out new fans every week. I should know, I think I’ve met most of them this summer.

With all this in mind, the time was right to honor Bassnectar with a cover story, so our Justin Hampton hooked up with Mr. Ashton to discuss his latest release, Divergent Spectrum, and the continuing rise of dubstep.

In our Sampling section, we stay on the dubstep tip by interviewing rising Canadian DJ/producer Datsik and the genre’s longtime U.K.-radio advocate Mary Anne Hobbs. And don’t think we’ve forgotten about good-old house music either, because we also connect with Boston-based DJ/producers Soul Clap, who discuss their lingering vinyl fetish.

In our review sections, we evaluate a trio of products. In Making Tracks, our studio-oriented department, Josh Harris sits with Spectrasonics’ new bad-ass virtual synth, Omnisphere. Over in Sounding Off, our pro-audio column, Mike Klasco and Tony Russell put Crown’s XTi 6002 power amplifier through its paces, while Wesley Bryant-King takes on the Twich controller from Novation.

Getting back to America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented By Pioneer DJ, we offer another great photo spread from some of our latest dates, including Upstate New York’s Camp Bisco and Denver’s Global Dance Festival. Again, we remind you to vote in-person at one of our remaining events—the tour runs through Labor Day—or online at www.americasbestdj.net. If you do, you’ll be automatically entered to win a trip for two to Las Vegas for the America’s Best DJ Closing Party/ Award Ceremony at Marquee Nightclub Oct. 9. Gotta be in it to win it.

On the mobile-DJ tip, our Jeff Stiles takes a wander through the land of mobile apps and asks successful entertainers which ones are making the grade. Additionally, in our Mobile Profile department, we connect with New Jersey-based jock Chris Atwood, who reveals to us his four rules of the vLog (as in video log) and explains how it’s boosted his business. Additionally, in Business Line, we give you a preview of DJ Expo’s business-specific seminars. We hope they’ll help you sharpen your skills and enrich your acumen.

Hopefully, you’re already at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, immersed in DJ Expo, reading these very words. Good luck and we’ll see you there.

8

Cheers,

Jim Tremayne, Editor, DJ Times

chart coordinator Dan Miller dmiller@testa.com contributors Jody Amos Joe Bermudez Wesley Bryant-King Shawn Christopher Paul Dailey Justin Hampton Josh Harris Russ Harris Robert LaFrance Polly Lavin Michelle Loeb Lily Moayeri Phil Moffa Jonathan Novick Scott Rubin Jennifer Shapiro Nate Sherwood Jeff Stiles Emily Tan Phil Turnipseed Floor Vahn Curtis Zack Stacy Zemon President/Publisher Vincent P. Testa

FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO ORDER SUBSCRIPTIONS, CALL 800-937-7678 VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.djtimes.com

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operations manager Robin Hazan rhazan@testa.com Editorial and Sales Office: DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York, USA 11050-3779. (516) 767-2500 • FAX (Editorial): (516) 944-8372 • FAX (Sales/all other business): (516) 767-9335 • DJTIMES@TESTA. COM Editorial contributions should be addressed to The Editor, DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, NY, USA, 110503779. Unsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care an d should be accompanied by return postage.

DJ Times (ISSN 1045-9693) (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 © 2011 by DJ Publishing, Inc., and must not be reproduced in any manner except by permission of the publisher. Websites: www.

September 2011

visit our website: www.djtimes.com

FEEDBACK AmericA’s First mAgAzine For ProFe

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Highlights from America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by

Mobile Marketing: Maxing Your Dollars Moombahton Man Dave Nada

will.i.am On DJs, New Tech & Our Musical Future PLUS: u DJ Expo Update u JBL Studio Monitors u Soviet Panda u Pioneer DJM-900nexus www.djtimes.com 048JAU1_p001-044.indd 1

7/11/2011 8:18:06 AM

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 question that is not asked.

Instead of fielding questions from readers, this month’s Feedback sec‑ tion is dedicated to Mike Healy, a wellknown and well-liked manufacturer’s rep, who passed away recently. The following comes courtesy of American DJ, one of the many lines carried by his company, The Healy Group.

– Jim Tremayne, DJ Times

AMERICAN DJ REMEMBERS MICHAEL B. HEALY: The American DJ family mourns the loss of its dear friend and colleague Michael (Mike) Healy, who passed away suddenly on the morning of Sun‑ day, June 26.

Mike was a founding member of the Healy Group, a leading manufacturer’s rep firm serving the music, lighting and consumer electronics industries.

Based in Richmond, Va., The Healy Group has represented American DJ, American Audio, Elation Professional, Acclaim Lighting, Global Truss and Ar‑ riba Cases on the East Coast for over a decade.

Universally loved and respected throughout the American DJ Group of Companies and by all of the retail‑ ers he served, Mike was known for his intelligence, integrity and genuine concern for the welfare of others.

“We’ve lost more than a valued and re‑ spected business advisor,” said Scott Davies, General Manager of the American DJ Group of Companies. “We also lost a true friend. Mike always looked for the best in people and brought out the best in people. It was impossible to spend any

time with him and not feel better about life. He will be sorely missed.”

Mike is survived by his wife and best friend of 38 years, Kathleen, his son Christopher, daughter-in-law Kendal, daughter Meghan, and future son-inlaw Brett Needham, as well as the two special loves of his life, his grandchil‑ dren, Cullen Christopher and Brenna Kate; and his friend, brother and busi‑ ness partner, Timothy Patrick Healy.

Aside from his successful business ca‑ reer, Mike was very active in numerous philanthropic, charitable and communi‑ ty organizations. He was very involved in the Chickahominy Youth Soccer League, an executive board member of the Richmond Strikers and a member of the Glen Allen Ruritan Club. Raised in Alexandria, Va., he graduated from Bishop Ireton High School and attend‑ ed George Mason University.

SAMPLINGS

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

Out Front: Hobbs was an early dubstep proponent on UK radio.

10

English DJ Mary Anne Hobbs may be the rarest of all things—a music professional that never burns out on new music.

Speaking from her inaugural stop on her national Road Warrior tour in Seattle, the former NME journalist and BBC Radio 1 DJ enthuses articulately and endlessly about the entire panoply of emergent electronic artists and styles. So it was only a matter of time before she returned to the airwaves via her Saturday Xfm program to spread the massive basslines and forward-thinking sonic textures she’s become known for.

“I see broadcasting as pretty much a fine art in itself,” says Hobbs. “That’s what really gives me the most pleasure and I suppose, ultimately, the role of musical evangelist as well. The role of a journalist is ultimately always more critical. And I’ve never been so comfortable as a critic. I’m still really purely a fan at heart.”

In particular, Hobbs’s early adoption of dubstep—her 2006 BBC 1 Breezeblock special on the genre introduced artists like Kode 9, Skream

and Benga to an international audience—has paid back for both parties. For Hobbs, it led to a stint as music supervisor for the Oscar-winning film, “Black Swan” and an international DJ career.

But dubstep’s growth has also led to the rise of “bro-step,” dubstep’s wheezy, testosterone-filled evil twin. Admittedly, while Hobbes acknowledges room for all tastes, she insists, “I’m not remotely interested in bro-step.”

She’d much rather big-up the music she likes, whether it’s her tourmates Gonjasufi, Lorn and Take, or her newest musical obsessions on America’s East Coast. There, she singles out Percussion Lab partners Praveen Sharma and Machinedrum (aka Sepalcure), along with FaltyDL, Jimmy Edgar, Mike Slott and NYC dub mainstay Badawi as current faves that have stolen the shine from Hobbs’ previous favorite place on earth, Southern California.

As for spinning in proper venue settings, Hobbs admits to some insecurity as a “new and nervous” club DJ. While she has picked up Ableton Live for her new radio gig, she says she doesn’t trust Able-

Shaun Bloodworth

MARY ANNE HOBBS: EDM PROGRESSIVE

ton or Serato enough to use them in clubs, preferring CDJs instead.

“Being a female DJ,” she says, “I think sometimes in a crisis situation where you can’t get it to work, all the big clichés will come rolling out. ‘She’s female.’ ‘She’s blonde, and you know what? She’s got a computer!’ ‘She’s not a real DJ!’” However, the DJs she admires generally work with software alongside CDs, namely Addison Groove, Al Tourettes and especially L-vis 1990, who blew her away at Bloc Festival with a four-CDJ set.

For now, Hobbs is too comfortable in her role as electronica cheerleader to heed the call by some to either start her own label or produce music herself. She recalls an observation her partner Orris Jay made to her once. “He wanted to actually play a particular sound in his set, but he couldn’t find it among all the dubplates that were coming in,” as she puts it. “But he said, ‘Invariably, you never really produce yourself exactly what it is you want. You’ll always find it elsewhere.’”

– Justin Hampton

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SAMPLINGS

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

Playing Detroit: Soul Clap’s Cnyce (left) & Elyte.

12

Eli “Elyte” Goldstein and Charles “Cnyce” Levine, the Boston-based duo that calls itself Soul Clap, like keeping things in the family.

Their organic musical development has been based on this ethos, they admit, whether or not they were aware of it at the time. For Soul Clap’s recent installment in the DJ Kicks series, they team up with brothers-in-groove Wolf + Lamb— once again, keeping it mob-like.

The compilation’s track listing reads like a label retrospective for Wolf + Lamb’s Double Standard Records. This was not the initial intention for the collection, but with enough exclusives offered from the extended Double Standard family, it made more sense to have it represent the label’s diverse sounds and feelings. According to Soul Clap’s Goldstein, this means: “Deep, sexy, creative, and experimental.”

DJ Kicks differs from Soul Clap’s mix Social Experiment for No. 19 Music, which focuses on preclub vibes. DJ Kicks goes for the afterparty. Plus, both members of Soul Clap and Wolf + Lamb had

equal duties in its creation, with Levine leading the writing of new music and Wolf + Lamb’s Gadi Mizrahi collecting exclusives. All four conferred on the tracklisting, which was then mixed by Goldstein in Ableton with the final package designed by Wolf + Lamb’s Zev Eisenberg.

While the DJ Kicks compilation features many Double Standard staples and soon-to-be staples, it also showcases Soul Clap’s style, which shies away from the peak-of-the-night dancefloor tunes many DJs count on to keep themselves in demand. Instead, it’s about moody rhythms and shuffling beats that are more sustainable in the long haul. The duo attributes their tastes to growing up in New England’s rave scene and catching influence from the nearby New York house sound.

“As we learned the history of dance music, we realized the disco DJs had it right by selecting music from so many genres,” Levine says.

“David Mancuso, Larry Levan, Francois K, Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, all these guys weren’t play-

ing a genre of music so much as pulling from all the sounds of their time to create a journey that kept the dancefloor moving all night. Our sound is based around American dance-music history.”

Keeping with the historical theme, the fellows from Soul Clap still prefer vinyl to any other format, but have to compromise in order to be able to play the newest material. Luckily, technology has helped them find a happy medium.

“We really got tired of having the computer in our faces all the time, so we started burning CDs,” they say. “It seems like DJs who perform with a computer don’t connect with the crowd.

Even when we’re playing with DJs that use Serato, we make sure it’s underneath the booth and out of the way. Now with Pioneer CDJ-2000s, we don’t have to burn CDs. We can just drop the jams on a USB stick and plug it right in, which saves a lot of time. We both still travel with rolling UDG bags full of records and always try to push to keep vinyl alive.”

– Lily Moayeri

SAMPLINGS

DATSIK’S DIRTY DUBSTEP

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

B.C. Boy: Datsik has led the genre surge north of the border.

14

Bass bombs detonated throughout the night recently at New York’s Highline Ballroom, issuing from the stacks during Smash Gordon’s electro-dubstep set—Skrillex’s remix of Benny Benassi’s “Cinema” set the place off. Of course, what really whipped the sweaty bridge-andtunnel crowd—jeans and wifebeaters for the boys, Lycra and heels otherwise—into spasms was when headliner Datsik got behind the decks.

The 22-year-old Canadian, with a cameo from Dieselboy, summoned from Serato his signature dark and robotic dubstep—Flux Pavilion’s throbbing “Bass Cannon” lit the joint up and ignited a mosh pit, while the “Guess I got my swagga back” call-out from Datsik and Excision’s “Swagga” had the room moving up and down like a cornfield in a windstorm.

We talked to Datsik (aka Troy Beetles), and asked him about the last year, which has seen many DJs inhale the dubstep air, while his jams on Rottun, Ex7, and Smog Recordings have crowded the Beatport charts.

DJ Times: Where does a North American dubstep DJ best concentrate his efforts?

Datsik: From my experience, the major dubstep hotspots in North America are Denver, L.A.—actually, California, in general, is epic—Minneapolis, Austin and most of Texas. Also, Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Baltimore, Miami and more…

Honestly, everywhere has been good in the last year that I’ve played. I think the past year has been massive for dubstep as a whole and it’s going to continue its uprise this year!

DJ Times: Have you checked out the U.K. scene yet?

Datsik: I haven’t traveled around Europe all that much, but I know Belgium’s got a massive scene, and Amsterdam was one of the coolest places I’ve played at. I know there are other massive scenes out in Europe—I just haven’t been there myself yet to witness it.

DJ Times: Are you creating tracks mostly on the plane or in the studio?

Datsik: I usually create all my music

at home, although when I’m on a long trip or just away for a long time I can’t help myself. I usually tend to bang out drumloops and melodies and such while I’m traveling, because making sick basslines is a bit too difficult in headphones, and I’d rather do that at my house so I can gauge out better depth and stereo imaging and such.

Plus, it makes me excited to go home.

DJ Times: Tell us a little about your evolution of music making, and how does your early infatuation with Rza manifest itself today?

Datsik: Basically my whole childhood consisted of listening to oldschool ’90s-era hip-hop, Wu-Tang included. I think the first time I heard Wu-Tang was in Grade 6!

DJ Times: Tell us how Twitter and MySpace impacted your tunes. How has it affected your collaborations, inspirations?

Datsik: MySpace was the first platform I put my tunes on. It helped a lot, as anyone could come across my page and send me a message. In the beginning it was all about meeting

people over the internet—Dubstep Forum, MySpace, etc.—and now it’s definitely become more of an inperson kind of thing, which is cool. I find it’s easier to create a better relationship with the people I look up to, and I am meeting tons of cool friends along the way!

DJ Times: Who are some dubstep producers who blow you away? And why do you think Skrillex has hit so big?

Datsik: At the moment, my favorite dubstep producers are Downlink, Flux Pavilion, Doctor P, Excision, and Skrillex. Skrillex is awesome. I think his timing was epic. He hit it big because he had all angles covered, from being super versatile with his music to launching with a good label when he dropped his first release. It’s going to be a good year for him—already has been—and some of his newer unreleased stuff, damn… That’s all I’m gonna say. Musicality meets filthy production. You don’t see it done too often in dubstep lately, and on top of that he is a really cool dude!

– Brian O’Connor

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Psychedelic atmospheric effects can be created on walls, ceilings and dance floors with this DMX unit’s unique web-like red and green laser patterns and the dark blue LED wash. Small clubs and mobile entertainers will love the Atmospheric RG LED due to its lightweight portability and wide-angle coverage. It’s also easy to use – just turn it on and let it the built-in programs run in soundactive mode.

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rotate back and forth and a 90-degree beam angle, the Royal 3D is a DMX unit that creates amazing laser effects on ceilings or walls, and its brilliant beams can even be projected on to a crowd. It’s very easy to operate, so it’s perfect for smaller clubs or entertainers on the go. The 15 built-in programs can be run in sound-active mode and up to 14 units can be connected to create an awesome shower of green and blue laser beams.

At 40 inches (one meter) in length, the Mega Bar LED RC offers the convenience of an infrared wireless remote to control what would normally require a DMX controller or adjustments to be made by hand. The remote offers hands-free and wire-free control of the Mega Bar LED RC’s features, such as black out, built-in programs, flash, DMX addressing and RGB color change.

Its 251 ultra-bright, vibrant LED’s make the Mega Bar LED RC a great choice for stage or wall washing, as well as stage performances.

More prizes to be announced!

Bass After Years of Pushing His Unique EDM Sounds, Bassnectar’s Time Has Arrived

Face

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

By Justin Hampton

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The photos on the Facebook say it all. No matter where they’re taken—EDC Las Vegas, Red Rocks, The Dave Matthews Caravan, Bonnaroo or any given festival stop—they all tend to look alike.

In the background, a massive, surging crowd of kids stretches back well into the distance, and in front, a lanky, long-haired hippie-type flashes the horns like he’s saluting Deicide or Nuclear Assault. That would be Lorin Ashton (aka Bassnectar), founding father of the North American Bass Music empire.

After gradually seeding the planet with a unique musical vision that comprised elements of glitch-hop, ambient, breaks, IDM, psychedelia and eventually dubstep, a domestic movement has sprouted which marks EDM’s permanent placement in the American pop-music firmament alongside rock and hip hop. And the former hesher teen behind the laptop is helping to lead the charge. Rock and roll.

Longtime supporters of Ashton’s vision still marvel at these developments, because no one, including Ashton himself, ever planned on it getting this big. Initially starting as a death-metal guitarist bucking his born-again Christian background, Ashton discovered EDM through college-music broadcasts in his hometown of Santa Cruz, Calif. He later minored in electronic music composition at UC-Santa Cruz under Peter Elsea, picking up DJing much later during the Wild West days of the mid-’90s West Coast rave scene. Ashton embraced the donation-based Full Moon Gatherings, spearheaded by psytrance underground mainstays Moontribe, throwing parties in the woods outside of Santa Cruz.

Psytrance DJs of this time period DJed on DAT tapes, which early on sparked Ashton’s ambition to transcend turntables and vinyl.

With CDs of his own work in tow, Bassnectar soon aligned himself with Burning Man, and together with fellow EDM burners like the Glitch Mob, Freq Nasty and Tipper, set the blueprint for a sound which broke free from the era’s reigning tech-house and drum-n-bass formulas. Eventually, Bassnectar became one of the playa’s biggest draws, while the arrival of dubstep and the emergence of jamband electronica festivals such as Sonic Bloom and

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In our

Photo: Nick Schrunk/RedBull Content Pool

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barbaric. I went from this guy who’s constantly, “More bass! More sound!” to this guy who’s “Please turn it down!’ (laughs) And so this spring, we went out testing various arrays of what they call cardioid subpatterns. Bass is omnidirectional, whereas mids and highs are directional. And cardioid pattern allows you, through phasing and phase control, to direct the force of your bass, ideally within 20 dB difference, so you could stand behind the sub and it’s much quieter than in front of the sub. And that was just an inexpressible challenge [to get it right].

DJ Times: How do you manage the DJ performance? Is it still using Ableton Live? Is it even a DJ performance still?

Bassnectar: My template is basically the same. It has been expanded a little bit in features and new plug-ins and effects. But for the most part, it is the same infrastructure and what is really expanding is my collection of clip packs, which are customized ALS files of grouped clips that can either be one song or a collection of beat loops, and it’s massive now. I’ve just started Amorphous Music Studios officially this year, which currently is 100-percent exclusive to Bassnectar projects because I just have so much work. And it’s just a mastering engineer who, in addition to mastering the album that I just finished, is working on the clips for the live show.

DJ Times: How does that work?

Bassnectar: I’ll ask, “I wanna play these three tracks. I can’t tell what their subs are like.” So he’s basically mastering every song in my DJ collection, which is fucking intensive as well. I am still DJing, but I push it as far as I can. When I play a two-hour set, I’m doing either manual gating with the levels on the mixer or keeping the set flowing with diverse loops. I take apart some songs, so I’m

Photo: Avery Cunliffe

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

Camp Bisco broadened the base for the Bass.

Nowadays, Bassnectar hosts his own branded festival, Bass Island on Aug. 13 at Governor’s Island in New York, which this year will feature Lupe Fiasco, Z-Trip and Prefuse 73. For tours, he travels with a custom-built sub system that guarantees 115 dB at 80hZ at front of house, literally flooding the room with low end. Clearly, with shows selling out and album leaks and scalpers becoming bigger problems for Bassnectar, the champion sound and the fury surrounding it have become bigger than the playa, bigger than the original vision and bigger than Ashton himself.

Somehow, in the midst of this, Bassnectar has seen fit to release Divergent Spectrum on his own label, Amorphous Music. As can be expected, many of these tracks, such as “Upside Down” and “Voodoo,” give the bassheads the dank frequencies they crave, but softer, melodic touches like “After Thought” and his remix of Ellie Goulding’s “Lights,” commissioned by Goulding herself after Ashton’s unsolicited version took off on the internet, introduce the kids to another side of the Bassnectar spectrum. We kicked back with Lorin Ashton, fresh off his appearance at the massive Electric Daisy Carnival to consider his newly collaborative creative process, his streamlined production technique, and his take on bass music culture’s past, present and future.

DJ Times: What are you traveling with for the live show?

Bassnectar: We work with two sound companies: PK Sound in Canada, who I met through the Shambhala Music Festival, and Brown Note in Colorado. And the whole theme of this spring tour was solving a new problem that had arisen. To basically be standing on top of that sub rack for two and a half hours every night, five to seven nights a week three months straight, it’s

playing their various components together and some songs I’m running in a routine. I work almost as if as if it’s acts in a play and each act is composed of several routines. And the routine could be anything from a three- to 15-minute section of songs that work good together, some of which I have really well-rehearsed, but it’s kind of like a scratch DJ. Some of it is like an improv section where it’s the same 10 tracks that flow together, but you can fuck up the order and you can redirect the flow. I want to have four intros playing at once and then as they all sweep up and build, drop into one different song.

DJ Times: Gotta switch it up.

Bassnectar: A lot of times, it’s to fake people out and, luckily, now that people are more familiar with the genres, you can tell better jokes, whereas in the past, I was breaking people in. These days, one can just crush much more deeply with those genres. And the element of surprise and playing with people’s expectations is actually more fun. So you set up the remix of Flux Pavilion’s remix of “Gold Dust” or [Doctor P’s] “Sweet Shop,” some track that everyone knows, and right before it drops, you throw in a different beat completely and some people are caught off-guard. For the most part, I find it delights people.

DJ Times: I wanted to ask about your early DJ career. Was it hard finding tracks to spin?

Bassnectar: In 1996, when I first started DJing, I never thought, I wanna be a house DJ or I wanna be this.

Beat-matching is very easy for me, and I didn’t want to make that my performance. I wanted to bring in strange noises. So I would beatmatch in advance two songs together and edit them together in a new remix.

Usually, what I would do was play one song at 33 BPM, so it was heavier and then I would even record myself drumming along to it with a hand drum and then add these Aphex Twin-inspired glitchy clock noises, so it was basically glitch-hop meets halftime drum-n-bass, but in 1997-1998, so really poorly produced. I still have some of it. I’ve considered releasing it because it’s cool as a history lesson.

But it really was pretty muffly. That was my first style that wasn’t specifically psychedelic trance or trip hop, which were the two official things I played.

DJ Times: You minored in electronic music at UCSC. What did you learn from that experience?

Bassnectar: At the time I was very indignant. I wanted to learn how to make psychedelic trance and bass music and I would play my teacher Peter Elsea drum-n-bass and be like,

“Do you hear this? This is 175 BPM. I want to play this at 87. How do I make that sound?” [Peter] just called everything “techno-noise-grunge,” and he prohibited us from making the styles that we wanted to make. It was very fucking similar to Mr. Miyagi in “The Karate Kid.” He was forcing us to learn the very regimented structure behind early electronic music and musique concrete.

DJ Times: What did you think of that material?

Bassnectar: Back then, I hated it just like Daniel-san hated waxing on and waxing off. But I learned the crane kick and I’m really glad I did it.

It’s tough for a lot of people these days who spend 20 to 40 grand at an electronic music school and they’re taking classes on miking a band and they know they never wanna be a studio engineer. They just wanna make dubstep, and for those people, you can do either one of two things.

You can go to someone like ill.gates, who’s gonna teach you how to make dubstep, or you can spend time learning the foundation. And I don’t think one is better than the other.

DJ Times: So what is your basic workstation for your tracks?

Bassnectar: My workstation is Ableton, partly because I wanna use one program and not be moving around in platforms—and since I

use Ableton to DJ with, it just made sense to learn it. And I have to thank ill.gates for that because he taught me and helped me build a template.

My preference nowadays is to work collaboratively. I’m on the road fulltime. So if I was 20-years old and living at home without a job and got to work for 15 hours a day in the studio stoned (laughs) every day of the week, it would be a different thing.

But because I’m always moving and I’m not always in front of a sub and I’m making bass music, it’s really good to be able to work with someone who’s in a studio. Also, because I play these sets and they end up on the internet and in fans’ hands so quickly, I need to adapt and mutate the sounds more quickly. So if I can write 10 tracks all on my own. I can write 150 tracks if I have enough collaborators that I’m with. If this is the movies, I don’t want to be the actor as much as I wanna be the director, like Dr. Dre, facilitating new, amazing producers and thinkers and instrumentalists and vocalists and just help music flow along quicker and better.

DJ Times: Tell me about where you’re creating the basslines and how you design the sound from there.

Bassnectar: So it’s usually exploring a synth or taking a synth from another song or tweaking it. Now I’ve made several albums with Ableton, all

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DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

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Photo: Nick Schrunk/RedBull Content Pool

those song files exist in very easy-to-remix formats.

So I don’t necessarily have to start from ground zero. And frankly, sound design is the least interesting thing to me these days, ’cause what I wanna do is finish songs. I don’t necessarily want to release a record just to release it. I’m a fucking control freak.

But in a perfect world, I would work with a massive team of people and just keep the parts that I liked from what I heard.

DJ Times: How are you collaborations working?

Bassnectar: So collaboratively, working with Dylan [Lane, aka ill.gates] or working with Jansen, it’s just opening up like crazy. Dylan created what he calls 128ths because there’s 128 positions in a knob in Ableton and you can basically fill each position on a knob with a different sound running the same MIDI to the same automation to the same filters. So it’s really easy to take a song, change the sounds and keep the pattern, and once you like that, change the patterns and it’s a brand new song. But it took you one day to do it.

DJ Times: So what are the synth programs that you feel most comfortable with at this point?

Bassnectar: I like [LinPlug’s] Albino. I love [Native Instruments’] Massive just because I know it.

Albino, I love the sounds but I can’t run it as well.

[Rob Papen’s] SubBoomBass had a cool sound in it, but really, once I get the sounds, it’s like resampling myself and I use the Ableton sampler a lot. I’m remixing myself constantly. Every song, I’m pretty sure on Divergent Spectrum, is a mutation of an old song. I’m not really interested in starting things from scratch, if I don’t have to. It’s less relevant for me to work with the synth, ’cause I have all my patches written in Massive and in Ableton and I save channel strips, so the strip is already in existence and there’s not a lot of tweaking. It’s just to retune things. But I would stick with a lot of the same basic lower kicks and lower snares.

DJ Times: Any other production techniques?

Bassnectar: I also picked up something from Terravita—an aggressive duck to the sub via the snare. I do a lot of sidechaining both as a sound effect to create pulsing in synths, but also as a cor-

rective measure to control the bass and the kick, although I prefer to have [it] done in mastering, the real final engineering decision on what ratio to duck the kick and sub out is. But I do that to the snare as a production technique, to change the sound of the bass, and using a really deep, rich, low resonant snare. It’s my latest obsession.

DJ Times: A lot of the kids see you as a dubstep producer, mainly because of the focus on low end in your productions. And there’s been the bro-step backlash against artists like Rusko, who you respect. How has this affected you, or has it?

Bassnectar: I see a lot of misinformation and erroneous facts online that are very emotion-fueled, and I don’t know what’s causing the emotion. But the word kids these days use to describe electronic bass music is dubstep.

And they mislabel tracks all the time as dubstep. But since they do it in such a mass, it doesn’t even matter if it is or isn’t dubstep because they’ve made it become dubstep. It’s ironic that the word dubstep existed to describe a different genre in general anyway. These days, I see people fighting online about my song, “Laughter Crescendo,” calling it dubstep. And they’re so aggressive about the definition that they’ve taken the fun out of the music. And the irony is if they wanna get technical, they’re wrong. But because they’ve made such a big deal of it, they’re right. (laughs) DJ Times: What would you tell them, then?

Bassnectar: It’s important for people who are reading this to understand if you wanna critique someone, critique them based on their intention. Don’t critique them based on your intention. If your intention is to listen to something so hard and evil and huge and you find something that isn’t evil enough or hard enough or filthy enough, just don’t listen to it. But don’t yell at the person who made that based on your rule that music should be evil or filthy or hard, because that individual/human who made it probably doesn’t have the same rule as you have.

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DJ Times: Sometimes you can’t win with the haters.

Bassnectar: Someone may say, “This song isn’t as good as Datsik, ’cause it isn’t as hard.” And I’m like, “Well, I didn’t want this song to be as hard. I’m not competing to be the hardest.” And a guy like Skrillex is going to be a target ’cause I think he’s probably the biggest dubstep producer in the world right now. But as a person, he’s probably the nicest human being I’ve ever met, and as a performer and a producer, he’s really skilled. But taking on the large pack mentality in human culture, I think you’re gonna get that kind of energy no matter what you do.

DJ Times: Some detractors may ask why it’s Skrillex at the top and not, say, James Blake or Burial.

Bassnectar: I don’t think it’s important to ask why it is who it is.

Just gravitate towards what you like.

A rising tide lifts all boats. And the people whose first experience with dubstep is Skrillex won’t necessarily stop there. It’s just opening the gate.

I’ve been the “gateway drug” to a lot of people, too, in a lot of different scenes, and I’ve taken a lot of hate for it, but I’ve never really minded it, because I was a new person at one point, too. If I had been trying to walk into my first rave, and someone stopped me at the door, saying, “I’m

sorry, no longhaired, heavy-metal kids are allowed in here. You have to be a seasoned raver with baggy, white pants and you have to know the names of these songs,” I never would have gotten in, and there would have been no Bassnectar.

DJ Times: Why do you think Skrillex takes such heat?

Bassnectar: Skrillex is also a target because he’s so new. But the topic isn’t so much about Skrillex to me as it is about people accusing acts like myself or Skrillex or whoever of being mainstream. For me, mainstream is being a compromised sellout in exchange for popularity or money. As long as you are doing what you really wanna do, if you get really popular for doing it, it just means you’re doing something really cool, it doesn’t mean you’re mainstream.

DJ Times: I want to ask you a bit about compression. A few years ago, you applied it sparingly to your productions. Now you’re talking about sidechaining. What do you do as far as compression is concerned?

Bassnectar : I use all Ableton compressors for the most part. I’ve gotten really comfortable with compression. And the one thing I don’t want to do my own mastering. I like mastering other people’s music, but I look at mastering like book editing. I want to make the song and I

want someone to come in and decide the functionality. Is this track gonna sound good on a car system? Is this track going to sound good on a club system? I wouldn’t even really call that compression as much as mastering. But it does relate to how the bass and the kick fight over who gets the low energy. You don’t necessarily need it to do it via sidechaining compression, but it just seems to make the most sense. And some of the mixes that I’ve been doing lately, they’re like a lattice of sidechain compression, whereas instead of turning things up or down, I just have certain things ducking other things. And it’s fun to do. But it makes it hard [for remixers] because you don’t actually have a final mix separate from itself because of all the sidechaining.

DJ Times: Who are some of the producers you’re feeling these days?

Bassnectar: On the non-dubstep side, Filastine, Beats Antique and the Glitch Mob are all really intriguing artists to me. On the dubstep side of course, Jansen and ill.gates and Datsik are all very important collaborators to me. I oftentimes have trouble mentioning specific names because it’s like a “thanks list.” And if you leave off one person accidentally, it comes across as so rude. I have been overjoyed at the openness of up-and-coming acts. There’s very few

of them out there that catch my ear who aren’t open to interacting, connecting, trading files. I’ve spent so long having all of the U.K. acts that I looked up to being locked up in a boy’s club and having no access to them. And it’s great now to see a network of young, unassuming, openhearted people. It’s just cool to see how collaborative everybody is.

DJ Times: You’ve done a lot to shape the direction of EDM in this country through sheer force of will.

Of course, certain factors fell into play like dubstep, but there really was no bass music scene in America when you were starting out. Now that there is, where would you like to see it head?

B a s s n e c t a r : I ’d j u s t l i ke t o keep doing what I’m doing. I never thought that Bassnectar would become as wide-reaching and powerful and popular as it is. And I’m just absolutely honored and humbled and excited. Right now, we’ve sold out every single show this year. They’ve all been five times the size of any show I would have ever imagined doing in any given city. Just watching the difference between a crowd that’s enjoying themselves and a crowd that is completely going off the entire time is truly magical. And I just wanna keep letting it naturally develop and evolve. n

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More Highlights from America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented

by Pioneer DJ

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

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The second month of America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer included stops in: Worcester, Mass., for the Kick It Party at Club Oasis; Las Vegas for events at Marquee Nightclub and Tao Beach; New York City for the Basic Party at Cielo; Mariaville, N.Y. for the Camp Bisco Festival; COCO-XO club in San Antonio, Texas; and Morrison, Col., for Global Dance Festival at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Here’s a look at the nominated DJs and the fans who voted for them. For the very latest on America’s Best DJ, please visit www.americasbestdj.net.

– Jim Tremayne

1 This Is Red Rocks: Local heroes Manufactured Superstars do Denver. www.DarrinHarrisFrisby.com

5 Celeb Factor: Angel Porrino rocks it for Erick at Marquee.

By Brenton Ho

2 Vegas, Baby: Fans lineup outside Marquee Nightclub.

By Brenton Ho

6 NYC’s Basic Party: Sleepy & Boo snuggle in Cielo’s booth.

By Begoña Gwertzman

3 At Tao Beach: Markus Schulz works Pioneer’s DJM-900nexus in Vegas.

By Neil Johnson

7 Outdoors Party: TOKiMONSTA gets in the groove at Camp Bisco.

By Ashley Suszczynski

4 Scary Monsters Up-Close: Skrillex kills it at Camp Bisco.

By Ashley Suszczynski

8 Major Lazer: Diplo & Skerrit Bwoy light up Red Rocks. www.DarrinHarrisFrisby.com 9 Cast Your Ballot: Fans voting at Camp Bisco’s ABDJ booth.

By Ashley Suszczynski 10 Down in Texas: Sticky Boots in the mix at COCO-XO in San Antonio.

Courtesy COCO-XO 11 Late-Night Action: Porter Robinson closes the show at Red Rocks. www.DarrinHarrisFrisby.com 12 Youth Is Served: Fans gather at the ABDJ booth at Red Rocks. www.DarrinHarrisFrisby.com 13 Kick It Party: Annalyze at Club Oasis in Worcester, Mass.

By Daniel Chapoteau 14 Bangin’: Wolfgang Gartner drops a beat at Camp Bisco.

By Ashley Suszczynski 15 All Smiles: Tao Group’s Phung Tran at Tao Beach.

By Neil Johnson

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16 Boomin’: Bassnectar causes a rumble at Camp Bisco.

By Ashley Susczcynski 17 Time to Vote: A fan poses at the ABDJ booth at Camp Bisco.

By Ashley Suszczynski 18 Lights Out in Vegas: NFL star Shawne Merriman with Erick Morillo at Marquee.

By Brenton Ho

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DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

When it comes to iPhone apps, Tim Raley of Kre8shuns Mobile DJ Service in Rome, Ga., says he uses Soundhound nearly every day.

“It’s very similar to Shazam, except I’m not limited to only five free songs per month,” the North Georgia jock explains. “Even though I may know a song I hear on the radio, this app helps me remember it for much later after I get home.”

With so many downloadable DJ-useful apps these days—from Spring Navigation to Facebook to Tweet Deck to Xmarks to CalenGoo to Dropbox to Flipboard to Skype to Vonage to The Daily to Shazam to iCharts to Dead Later to Keynote to Evernote to Dragon Dictation to Penultimate to Prezi to Contacts XS—how in the world are mobile DJs deciding which apps to utilize the most?

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“Remote is a free app that becomes a useful remote control for iTunes as long as the computer running iTunes and the iPhone/iPod is on the same WiFi connection,” Raley says. “The past several years I have DJed for a local college’s basketball team, and for pregame I could turn on iTunes and walk around the arena and mingle with the team and fans.

“I would ask them, ‘What would you like to hear next?’ and without having to walk back to my booth I could change the music selections and volume. Remote has many more features, but this was the main way I use it.”

FunWedding is another app Raley claims as one of his favorites, put out by the guys at DJ Intelligence.

“This app is very useful, not only for

A

Mobile Apps Many DJs Are Using Phone

By Jeff Stiles

me, but my clients,” says Raley. “Since this app’s release, I have referred all my wedding clients to the app store to get it, and they’ve all told me how useful it was in helping them narrow down music choices.”

Truth be told, Robert Starkey of DJ Intelligence says Fun Wedding lays claim to multiple unique music charts, is updated monthly, is based on actual client requests at actual events, and is nowadays utilized by nearly 10,000 DJs, brides and other party vendors nationwide.

“Fun Wedding is a mobile app designed for professional DJs that gives them access to 19 unique music charts for weddings and parties,” says Starkey.

“While at an event, DJs can launch Fun Wedding for new song ideas or

Are You?

& Tablet Apps to Increase Business.

SEPTEMBER 2011

and-groom, bride-and-father, groom-andmother, bridal party, bouquet, garter and introduction songs.

“Plus, it includes top cake-cutting, money dance and last-dance songs, in addition to an eye-opening list of the most overplayed songs.”

Additionally, Fun Wedding allows users to listen to song samples, create a “favorites” list, plus utilize Find a DJ—a feature powered by Party Blast that provides visitors with a list of all qualified DJs in the area (in case they need a last-minute emergency backup). Because of these features, Fun Wedding is also a popular app among brides and party hosts.

“Fun Wedding gives users a true insider’s look into those songs that determine the success or failure of any wedding or party,” Starkey says. “It has been coined among industry experts as the ‘DJ’s secret

DJ TIMES

last-minute suggestions to help keep the dancefloor full.

“Additionally, DJs can use Fun Wedding to determine which songs are the hottest right now, which songs are on the up-and-coming and which songs are on their way out. Fun Wedding compiles data from DJ Intelligence—an online music request service used by over 15,000 DJs worldwide.”

The way Fun Wedding works, according to Starkey, a DJ’s clients and guests make requests online, and then the results are tabulated in real-time to generate these charts. Millions of requests are made through the system each year, resulting in the charts being accurate.

“Fun Wedding charts includes Top-200 most-requested and Top-100 decades from 1950s through the 2010s,” Starkey says. “You also get the Top-50 bride-

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weapon’ and is quickly becoming one of the most popular DJ apps in the AppStore, with thousands of downloads to date.”

Up in Taunton, Mass., Brendan Lafferty of B-Sharp Entertainment says he’s found Shazam helpful on a number of occasions, but prefers to utilize Splashtop and the Virtual DJ apps when he’s on the road.

“Splashtop allows me to use my iPad to control and stream audio and video content from my home PC from anywhere, and I can use the VirtualDJ app to control my main DJ console from anywhere in the room,” he says.

“Splashtop is unique in that it lets me take control of my Windows PC through my iPad,” he continues. “While there are many ‘remote desktop’ programs available, Splashtop has the unique ability to redirect the audio output of a home or office PC and stream that to an iPad as well. So I can literally be anywhere I want with my iPad, controlling the PC in my home office, while listening to songs from the external hard drive that’s attached to my PC.” Lafferty says he can also launch his favorite editing software and do some remixing and editing on the Splashtop app, wherever he happens to be at the time.

“Thanks to Splashtop, I never have to wait until I’m back in the office to take care of important tasks,” he explains, “so the office now travels with me.”

One thing Lafferty notes is that Splashtop works best on a local network, and that it can sometimes be a bit choppy when a DJ is using it over the Internet. However, he says he can tolerate that given its super-useful functionality. (Splashtop’s developers do note that its Internet abilities are currently experimental and not guaranteed.)

As for the Virtual DJ app, Lafferty says this is really a dream-come-true feature for him—he usually doesn’t work with an assistant and therefore must stay close to his console in order to keep the music going and the volume level consistent.

“What I love about the Virtual DJ app is that it gives me flexibility to move around the room, make adjustments if needed and easily segue into the next song,” he says. “It’s handy at wedding receptions—especially at venues where the cake-cutting takes place in a far-off corner of the room. I used to have to wait for a cue from the photographer to know when to start the music, but now I can be much closer to the action and still control the music perfectly.”

Lafferty adds that the AmazoneMP3 app on his Droid phone has saved his

DJ life on at least two recent occasions.

“Once when I mistakenly thought that I had already bought the bride-andgroom’s last-dance song, and another time when I realized that the version of a song in my collection was a much longer mix of the song a couple wanted me to play as they entered the room,” he recalls. “This app in particular gives me instant access to Amazon’s vast selection of music, and the song purchases get charged to your regular Amazon account.”

Over in Loveland, Col., Scott McKinney of Solid Sound Entertainment echoes the usefulness of the Virtual DJ remote app for controlling VDJ from anywhere in a room, while adding that Google Translate has come in handy in that it can translate words into many different languages—which especially comes in handy when the Colorado DJ is entertaining with parents and guests from other parts of the world.

“It makes these folks feel more welcome if you can at least make a simple welcome in their native language,” says McKinney, “and it will even give you vocals as to how it’s supposed to sound.”

With his iPod Touch, McKinney says his DayTimer calendar not only performs the mundane tasks of tracking meetings and such, but also contains a very important app for when he does outdoor gigs, by forecasting how his day may shape up from the local NBC TV station—tying into their weather radar so he knows exactly how hot or cold it will get and if a storm is brewing.

“I also have the usual ITunes for song downloads as well as Shazam, plus an app called Wifi2HiFi that will link up my iPod to my laptop,” he says, “so I can use it as a secondary receiver and transmit whatever I’m playing on my laptop to my iPod—if I have, say, another speaker in another room, making it great for cocktail music.”

Meanwhile, several mobiles we spoke with mentioned the usefulness of the entertaining app Angry Birds, for nothing else than entertaining oneself after all our equipment is set up and we’re waiting for guests to arrive.

And for some of us, in fact, Angry Birds is the only app we need.

“The only app I currently use is Angry Birds on the iPad,” jokes South Bend, Ind.-based DJ Blake Eckelbarger (aka Sticky Boots). “After all, it’s a great way to unwind after a late night, after the gig is finally over!” n

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MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

OMNISPHERE: DEEP VIRTUAL SYNTH

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

By Josh Harris

32

It’s no secret that the world of virtual instruments is a saturated one, and it’s very difficult to keep up with everything that is released within a given year. But I have always appreciated how Spectrasonics clearly subscribes to a “quality-over-quantity” philosophy.

As a longtime Atmosphere user, the company has always had my attention. So when I first learned that a new synth called Omnisphere was in development, I was very excited to get my hands on it. Shipping with six DVDs, Omnisphere packs around 50GB of content for users to dive into, tweak and use in their track making. For this review, I used Omnisphere 1.5 on a MacBook pro running Logic 9.1.3.

Installation & 1.5 Highlights: At the end of the day, loading up 50GB of content from a half-dozen DVDs takes a while. It took me nearly three hours to load everything up, but installation went off without a hitch. I chose to install the content on my MacBook’s internal drive, which is a 500 GB/7200 RPM drive.

After installation, I went to the Spectrasonics website and downloaded the most recent version, 1.5.5. With high-end virtual synths these days, it’s all about hard drive space, so make sure that your drive has plenty.

I opened up Logic, chose Omnisphere as my synth, and started diving into the patches. Much like Trilogy, there is a browser that helps users navigate through the extensive patch list. In this most recent version of Omnisphere, there are a few highlights to point out: over 700 brand new patches created by the Spectrasonics team, which brings the total patch count to over 5,000, with 8,000 total sounds. The new browser “sorting” option helps with streamlining patch selection even more.

There is support for the new Omni TR iPad App, along with updates to the Granular Synthesis, Waveshaper and Harmonia pages. And, best of all,

Omnisphere: Meet Spectrasonics’ new flagship synthesizer.

it’s a free update to existing Omnisphere owners.

In Use: If any of you out there are under the impression that Omnisphere is simply an updated version of Atmosphere, think again. Omnisphere is on a whole new level. While the entire Atmosphere library is part of the Omnisphere core library, there thousands of new and different sounds. Trilian users will be happy to know that the Trilian library shows up in the Omnisphere browser.

Some of my favorite Omnisphere sounds are the distor ted synth sounds. The sounds cut through and they sound huge. Many of these sounds will work with dance and electronic music. The Arp section boasts some really nice, full patterns that can be used as flourishes in a track, or as foundational sounds.

With the STEAM Engine and Groove Lock Technology, the MIDI information of a drum pattern in Stylus RMX can be brought into Omnisphere, and implemented into an Arp pattern.

There is also a Live Mode, allowing for transitionless patch changing and layering. Patch changing can occur from within your hardware controller by simply using the “MIDI Learn” function. Stack Mode gives users the flexibility of layering multiple sounds, splitting multiple parts and assigning them to a specific velocity range, and

crossfading between parts using MIDI CC. When using either Live Mode or Stack Mode, it is best to share effects between the multiple patches. This helps out the CPU, as both of these modes can be CPU-intensive.

Omnisphere is loaded with greatsounding filters, which are accessible from a pull-down menu on the edit page. There are low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and specialty filters to choose from.

Omni TR & The Orb: The impetus behind creating the iPad Omni TR (Touch Remote) app was to allow for an extensive amount of control over Omnisphere’s parameters. For those of you who have incorporated the use of virtual synths into your DJ or live performance sets, this will allow you to do some extremely cool manipulations in real-time. All of us electronic music heads out there love real-time control for live and studio situations.

In addition, you can browse and select any of the Omnisphere patches from within the TR software. The computer and iPad have to be on the same network for it to work. Omni TR can control patch selection in Multi, Live or Stack Modes, as well as control certain parameters of the edit page, like level, pan, filter cutoff and resonance. The iPad is a fantastic control surface for utilizing this fea-

ture. It’s like having hardware control over a software synth. And, using Omni TR with the new Orb feature is incredibly powerful.

The Orb happens to be my favorite feature. It’s a circular controller that analyzes the sound/patch in real time, and creates variations of it in realtime. As you move The Orb, different parameters of the sound change in real-time. If you don’t like what Orb is giving you at the onset, you can select “dice mode” and it will give you something new. You can also record your Orb moves and even designate the length of your pattern (i.e., one bar, two bars, etc,). The Orb is extremely intuitive and unlike anything else that I have run across in a virtual or hardware synth.

Conclusion: Omnisphere is an extremely deep virtual synth, and by no means does this review cover all that it can do—but it should give readers a glimpse. The only issue that I can find (if you want to call it an issue) is that it requires a fast computer, but that can be said of any virtual synth that sounds fantastic.

You want great sounds that are big and epic? Then you need a powerful machine to run them. Hats off to Spectrasonics for pushing through five years of development and giving us Omnisphere. While the MSRP of $499 may seem high for a virtual synth, this is so much more than your average virtual synth, so for me, this is a great buy. Atmosphere users can upgrade to Omnisphere via the Spectrasonics website.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL USERS: 2.4 GHz or higher processor; 2GB RAM minimum, 4GB or more recommended; Dual Layer compatible DVD-ROM drive; and 50GB of free hard drive space. Mac Users: OSX 10.5 Leopard or higher; Intel dual core processor or higher; AU, VST 2.4 or higher, RTAS capable host software; Audio Unit plug-in requires host with support for “Cocoa” based plug-ins; Native 64-bit and 32-bit on OSX; and 6GB of RAM or more if using the Sample File Server. Windows Users: VST 2.4 or higher, RTAS capable host software; Microsoft Windows 7/ Vista; and Native 64-bit and 32-bit on Windows.

SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

By Wesley Bryant-King

CROWN POWER; NOVATION TWITCH

This month, we offer a pair of reviews from way out west (the direction, not the DJ duo). San Francisco Bay Area evaluators Mike Klasco and Tony Russell take on Crown’s whopping XTi 6002 power amplifier, while Denver DJ Wesley Bryant-King reviews Novation’s innovative Twitch controller.

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

Crown XTi 6002

34

In 2006, Crown introduced its XTi Series amplifiers with lower power models—XTi 1000, XTi 2000 and XTi 4000 units. Fast-forward a halfdecade and now we take a look at the second-generation flagship, the XTi 6002. With 2,100 watts per channel into 4 ohm loads, that’s some serious power for a street price of $1,999.

The XTi 6002 is at the ideal stage in product development for the customer. It boasts a state-of-the-art design that’s been updated and refined with five years of field experience.

Crown developed the XTi amplifiers specifically for DJs and bands that have to take their gear with them.

While permanent installs, such as clubs, require sound quality and reliability, mobile-DJ equipment ideally needs the same power as installed amplifiers, along with smaller size and lighter weight. The XTi 6002 is only 2 rack spaces high (3.5-inches) and 24 pounds. Construction is rugged steel chassis with cast-aluminum front panel with the rack handles (roll bars!) cast into the panel.

While the lower power models have a standard 15-amp plug, the XTi 6002 and has the special 20-amp high power plug—which might not be available at every job you work.

I would mention that the XTi series design is extremely efficient and has front-to-back ventilation, vari-speed fans and heat sinking. But with 6 kilowatts output bridged into 4 ohm, just don’t hang the XTi 6000 off an extension cord. (Of course, you can’t—because of the unique power plug!)

Tony Russell, best known for his mesmerizing DJ work at San Francisco’s Pleasure Zone, checked out the unit and thought the XTi 6002 would be matchless for fully integrated portable systems with a generator specifically designed to operate the

equipment. “Be great for parades, beaches, and places like Burning Man,” he offered, “where there’s no power or powered trucks, such as Carnival. Seems like something like that would be almost as useful as this amp, where power sources are so limited.”

Considering the lack of availability of 20-amp wall plugs on many jobs, the XTi 4002 (with 1,200 watts into 4 ohms) may be smoother sailing for many DJs, and at half the street price ($999). We reviewed the previous series’ XTi 4000 in March 2008 and it really checked out well. The comments on the features below apply to both the XTi 4002 and 6002.

We will discuss the features of the XTi 6002, but all this assumes that the amplifier sounds good—and that’s exactly the case here. You get clean, effortless, unlimited power.

The XTi 6002 has USB connection for computer interface.

If you are comfortable with computer softw a re , yo u c a n get a lot out of the XTi series control and the (free) signal processing software HiQnet Band Manager and System Architect software. If audio presets and computer software make you sweat, you might want to consider buying from a local store with knowledgeable and helpful staff. Alternatively, you can set the signal processing using the front panel LCD display.

The XTi has six parametric filters per channel with ±15 dB boost/cut.

Also, you get adjustable high- and low-shelving filters. If you don’t have a response analyzer, you can bypass this—but this capability will make any speaker in any venue sound better. Full electronic crossover is also part of the signal-processing package, so you can use a single XTi 6002 for both the woofer and top-end of your speaker. Or better, use the XTi

Crown’s XTi 2 Series: Clean, effortless, unlimited power.

Novation’s Twitch: Controllerists, take notice!

6002 (or 4002) for the bottom end for a pair or two pairs of speakers and maybe the XTI 1002 or 2002 for the top-end. There is also a subbass processor, which adds extreme bottom-end—dubstep jocks take notice! Of course, this will help you find complaining neighbors you did not know you had, as well as give your subwoofers some exercise.

The XTi’s Peakx limiter has all sorts of user-adjustable settings— and perhaps enough rope to hang yourself! But the real advantage is that instead of just protecting the amplifier from clipping, Peakx can be set to protect your speakers from both you and your Godzilla amplifier! Beyond the Peakx input limiter,

protection circuitry guards against shorted outputs, open circuits, DC, mismatched loads, general overheating, high-frequency overloads and internal faults and general dumbness.

If all this does not save you, Crown’s three-year, no-fault, fully transferable warranty will come in handy.

Inputs for each channel are XLR and another XLR for feed-through to drive another amplifier. Speaker connectors include both binding posts and Speakon connectors. Front-panel stuff includes level controls for each channel, along with LED status display (ready, signal level, clip, and thermal overload) and the signal-processing LCD display with push-button toggling through the menus.

Overall, the XTi 6002 is a very fine amplifier with essentially unlimited power—your speakers will never sound better.

Novation Twitch

For a growing segment of the DJ population, the line between spinning music and producing music continues to blur. For some of us (myself included), “producing” means spending more time in the studio: fine-tuning, perfecting and controlling. For others, it means the excitement and energy that comes from live performance, where no show is ever exactly the same, and tools of the trade are treated more like the conventional instruments of rock, jazz, or any other genre. It’s for this exact expanding group of DJs that UK-based company, Novation, introduced its latest DJ controller, Twitch.

It might be tempting to just pass off Twitch as “yet another Itch controller,” given that it’s bundled with Serato’s increasingly popular Itch DJ software. But that’s rather like looking at anything with four wheels and saying it’s “yet another car.” Sure, you can drive it, but there’s a bit more to look at here.

First Impressions: Unboxing Twitch ($499 MAP), you immediately know that it’s something different, if for no other reason than the fact that it has no jog wheels that factor so prominently into nearly every other DJ configuration to date. But doing away with the turntable-control metaphor is merely the beginning of the story. Novation has replaced the jog wheels with a pair of touch strips that live amongst the many buttons on the top surface of Twitch.

But they’re used for more than just transport control, as we’ll see later.

Speaking of buttons, Twitch looks like something I’m more accustomed to seeing used with Ableton Live, including Novation’s own Launchpad, or maybe Akai’s APC20. But along with all the buttons are the customary EQ knobs mounted under an aluminum bezel (the base is plastic), and an array of I/O options on the front and back panels, including balanced ¼-inch master outs, RCA booth outs, dual (1/8- and ¼-inch) headphone outs, and a ¼-inch microphone input.

The overall presentation is clean, tidy, and inviting.

Even before connecting new gear, I like to give the various knobs and faders a touch to assess their feel.

Twitch shines here, with everything feeling balanced and sharp—no “play” in anything—a reaction that was reinforced by actually using Twitch (everything was clean and accurate).

Set-Up & Use: Set-up of Twitch is as I’ve come to expect with Itch controllers—fast, easy and painless.

I’ve evaluated several Itch controllers, and they all use a common version of Serato’s Itch. It appears as if Twitch will, too, with Itch 2.0, but for now, the bundled version was required, and was customized specifically for Twitch—which, given its unique fea-

ture set, is not surprising. But regardless, it’s pretty much: insert CD, follow instructions, plug controller in (USB), reboot, done. Itch provides a few basic configuration options in the software, including the ability to disable the crossfader, as I tend to prefer it.

For the basic DJ operations we’re all familiar with, Twitch + Itch was as intuitive as I expected it to be. Using the touch strips in lieu of jog wheels took literally seconds to adapt to.

Between the touch strips, and the adjacent “swipe” and “drop” buttons— which are used to control the touch

strip’s behavior—you get the usual nudging ability, CDJ-like “vinyl-mode” behavior, and some other interesting ways to control playback, including a needle drop-mode where you can start playback anywhere in the track by touching a spot on the strip.

But swapping jog wheels for touch strips was only one change from the CDJ-like approach most manufacturers take: pitch (tempo) control was changed from the classic slider to a knob. At first, I found this strange, but the implementation of the knob on Twitch makes me wish everyone did it this way. Big pitch changes can be

made quickly by either pressing down on the knob and turning (as the user manual suggests), but also, as I discovered, by simply moving the knob very rapidly. Move at a more normal speed for typical response, or move them very slowly, and you can get very accurate changes of 1/100th of a BPM. This velocity sensitivity is what makes this feature alone remarkably cool—especially for DJs like me who are a bit OCD about exact BPM settings.

Using Twitch for basic, traditional DJing was just plain fun. But Twitch’s sweet spot is, as mentioned earlier, (continued on page 50)

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MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

By Milo Burke Union, N.J.—Chris Atwood began DJing in college in 1998, but like most DJs, his “calling” arrived much earlier.

“I didn’t take the most traditional path to the 1s and 2s, as most jocks I know, where they were inspired by an old-school mixmaster,” he says.

“Growing up I was the token ‘class clown,’ which unexpectedly lead our school’s theatre director to encourage me to take my passion for entertaining to the stage.”

Atwood took it to the stage, but also became interested in behind the scenes action—lighting, sound and

JERSEY DJ’S “FOUR RULES OF THE VLOG”

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

Action! Chris Atwood of Absolute Events.

36

production. And when he entered college, while working as a mechanic at a bowling alley, his personality once again drew notice: his manager asked him to play music and talk on the microphone for the Saturday night Laser Cosmic Bowling.

“If you asked me going into college about DJing, it truly was the furthest thing from my mind,” he says.

“But once I got behind the decks, it truly was a natural fit.” From there, Atwood’s career trajectory took him to a DJ company, where he helped out on the weekends. And that continued, at various stops, for the next 10 years.

That changed nearly three years ago, when he broke out on his own and formed Absolute Events & Entertainment. “Now I couldn’t be happier,” he says.

Atwood started his new endeavor by using his experience from previous companies. “My marketing plan was based around bridal shows,” he says. “I’ve developed a showcase performance that, along with an ‘aftershowcase campaign’ that involves e-mails, phone calls and concludes with a private showcase, has worked well for us.”

The other strategy has been to offer different services—photography, videography, limousines and lighting design, specifically. “We want to be known as a one-stop shop for brides,” he says. “The great thing about this is sometimes a bride hears about our photography, but has no clue that we provide entertainment, so when we meet for a sales consultation, our all-in-one packages are an added bonus for her. In addition, we offer multi-service discounts so our packages might be more attractive to brides.”

But the area where Atwood believes he has made the greatest strides is social media. “The current millennial brides are all over Facebook/Twitter/YouTube, and so are we,” he says. “Planning promotions and advertising this way is the most cost effective and successful way of getting your name out there.”

Within the social media framework, Atwood has made his greatest advances in vLogging, which he calls a natural progression to take some of the traditional wedding videography footage and showcasing it online for others to see.

“I have to admit, I became inspired

from a great friend of mine, Jason Jani, on how to formalize the vLog,” he says. “Although he may not have started the ‘DJ vLog,’ I think he is instrumental in setting the standard in vLogging, which includes showcasing a strong welcome to the vLog, highlighting exciting footage from the celebration, and a candid client testimonial. I’ve taken that model and created something of my own to showcase to future clients.”

We asked Atwood for a four-step program to get you up and running as a vLogger.

Pregame: “Before you start vLogging, you need to first set up your social media sites to get your content out [YouTube/Vimeo/Facebook].

Be sure to include ways to contact you through these vehicles. Next, buy a decent camera. Video quality is important to making a lasting impression to your bride, so this video represents your company! You don’t need a Canon 5D, but stay away from the flip cams. The set-up I use includes a Canon Vixia HF M300, a Sima SL-20lx Light and a tripod— total cost to me under $600. Also learn about your equipment. Practice with the different setting of your camera to see what would work best under low-light conditions and with loud music playing. Lastly, be sure to include in your contract that the client gives you consent to capture and publish video and photographer footage of the event.”

Capture: “Be sure to capture all

elements of the event including staff, production, venue, and other vendors you’re working with. Also, be sure to use a light, it makes all the difference in a quality video.”

Edit: “Keep your vLogs engaging, entertaining, unique and fast. Every vLog you post should have a different feel and dynamic that matches the vibe of the couple and wedding. Believe me, your customers will scroll thru a couple of different videos of yours, use different editing styles, music, and effects to keep them interested in your videos. And most importantly, keep them short, no one really needs to see the whole chacha slide. Just show bits and pieces of your work and leave the customer thirsting for more knowledge. In turn, you should get a phone call.”

Promote it: “Besides posting the vLog on your social media sites, also post on the client’s so they can share it with their family and friends. Also, share with the venue and other vendor’s social media sites as well.”

How successful has vLogging been for Atwood?

“It has helped my business tremendously,” he says. “I would say one out of every six leads generated heard of us exclusively from our vLogs and the greatest thing about that: It’s free. Besides the upfront cost of the camera and editing equipment, to showcase to clients is completely free. We can easily put our talents into the homes of thousands of prospective brides (continued on page 50)

BUSINESS LINE SALES…MARKETING…SOLUTIONS…

SHARPEN YOUR BUSINESS SKILLS AT DJ EXPO

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

By Con Carney

38

As you begin your Expo journey (or if you’re viewing from afar), this year’s cast of talented DJ business owners appearing at seminars will not disappoint, for nowhere else does such an esteemed collection of experience gather.

One such person is DJ Mike Kindlick, owner Jam on Sound Productions in Reading, Pa. He’ll speak on a topic that seems to return to the Expo every couple of years—by popular demand. Kindlick’s “The Power of The Upgrade” will guide attendees through the labyrinth that upselling has become in the tight economy.

Kindlick says the key to upsells is “daring to be different.” His seminar will be structured as follows: Intro: Deciding How To Be Different Branding yourself and your company * How do you obtain the “WOW” factor * What do you like and what will make event better? * What is missing from an event that will make it better? * Multi vs. Single-Op * Go over pros and cons * Many upgrades, having help is nice.

Survey Your Market * What are others doing, not doing. * OK to do something similar, just make it your own. Make yourself stand out by being different. * Follow the “K.I.S.S.” rule. Great ideas and upgrades that are simple, yet interesting will sell themselves. * Don’t copy—create!

Cost Analysis * Determine your price, what will earn you more revenue, without overpricing your market. * What works for one, may not work for another. * Nothing ventured, nothing gained * No stupid ideas, just ideas that either work or do not. * Don’t Try, Just Do! SEO Tactics Vincent Velasquez, co-owner of the New Brunswick, N.J.-based Hurricane Productions, will be on

hand to provide attendees with sure-fire online SEO tactics designed to book gigs.

Velasquez will discuss some of the following ways to maximize your online presence.

“If you’ve got a blog—and you should—it’s about frequency,” he says. “A lot of times, I see a company get really excited about something they’re doing, and they blog about it, and then you never see it again on their site. At least once a week, you need to spread your content across your network of sites—you can re-package a blog post to look completely different on Facebook, and also different on Twitter.”

But first, according to Velasquez, you must realize that there are different audiences for everything you do. “There’s an audience that will only see your blog, and an audience that will only see your Facebook, and an audience that will only see your Twitter, and there’s little overlap.

“If you look at your Facebook fans and most of them are clients that have fanned you from a previous booking, you’ll want to package that post with elements they might want to see. If it’s your blog, you want to make that post so that it’s driven towards people who find you through search, and if it’s Twitter, you might want to do something that goes a little viral, and brings them back to your site.”

Velasquez uses as an example a wedding post.

“Say we worked at a place in Freehold called The Inn,” he says. “We have a video, text, and a photo in the post, and we’re going to take that blog post and make it SEO best for, first, the venue name, so that people looking for that venue will find us; then we’ll take that link and bring it into Facebook and tweak the headline, and we’re going to choose either for people to watch the video or look at the picture.”

DJ Competition Reaps Rewards And if you’ve never considered the business benefits of entering the DJ of the Year Competition— held Wednesday night, August 10—then heed this account given by Keith Alan, owner of Keith Alan Productions n Waterbury, Conn., who has become something of a local TV personality in his hometown, fresh off a triumph in last August’s “DJ of the Year” competition. This is what he told us: “DJ Times and Mike Walter—who organizes and produces the ‘DJ of the Year’ competition at the DJ Expo—thought it would be a good idea for me to tell the story of how winning ‘Best DJ Game’ last August has improved my business.

“First off, I was skeptical about competing again.

I had won in 1997 for Best Dance, and I thought to myself, ‘I won it already—I don’t want to go up there and lose something. I wanted to go out a winner.’ But I got the bug.

“So I contacted Mike and I’d developed this game that we do, called ‘Buddies for Life,’ and I’ve actually put together a team-building motivational program, but that’s a very small part of it, and I digress. “ ‘Buddies for Life’ is an ice-breaker, best for corporate events, that involves every person at the event—it’s hard to describe, because people are running around, they meet different people, and they do different physical activities, and have different ways of remembering the people that they meet.

“I didn’t create it on my own. I had a little help from a guy in Tennessee, who’s not a DJ, but he’s into team building, and he gave me some ideas, and then I kind of morphed it into what I do. By the end of this team-building program, audience members learn to think together as a unit, demonstrate leadership skills, and have a good time. I use it to book gigs that are staff training events.

“So I decided to enter it at the DJ Expo. I was getting positive response to the game, and I knew I only had a limited amount of time to perform it, so I wanted to take some of the most active parts and do it that way, because I didn’t know how much room I was going to have, I didn’t know my limitations. I talked to Mike and asked him, ‘What do I have to do to compete this year?’ And he told me, ‘Nothing, you just told me that you want to, so that’s it.’

“So I performed it, and it won ‘Best New Game.’

“Now, I’d been trying to get my foot in the door at a local TV station here in Connecticut—a CBS affiliate, WFSB in Hartford, that runs a local show called ‘Better CT.’ They have different acts on a local variety show, but not a cheesy variety show.

I had been on the show once before, about two years ago, because I had donated my services to a camp that the station sponsors, and they got me on the show to do little segment. But I wanted to get more involved with them, for my business, with my presence on the show. So I called them, and told them I had won a national DJ award, and that I would like to come and talk to them. They said, ‘Well, how about just coming on and doing the show?’ I said OK. “We did my game show portion again, and immediately after the show was finished, the guy who’s the star of the show and pretty much runs the whole thing said, ‘I want you as a regular.’ I said OK. ‘We want you on the show every other week.’

I said “OK.” And all because he resisted the urge to dismiss entering the competition. Our advice, to Expo first-timers and non-first timers alike: go to the competition, and try to figure out what it lacks, and then fill that void next year.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Viva Las Vegas Sony Creative Software 1617 Sherman Ave Madison, WI 53704 (800) 577-6642 www.sonycreativesoftware.com

Peanut Butter Jelly Time American DJ 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (800) 322-6337 www.americandj.com

Sony has introduced its latest video editing software,Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 11. In addition to professional-grade stereoscopic 3D capabilities, the program offers users the opportunity to create media projects in nearly any format. There are templates for text animations and effects, as well as a new video-effects plug-in and improved Render, New Project and Make Movie functions. The program is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese.

The Jelly Jewel is American DJ’s newest addition to its Jelly Series of two-in-one LED moonflower effects with transparent cases. The Jelly Jewel produces 46 bright red, green, blue and white beams that move to the music. Not only do the beams project onto walls, ceilings and dance floors but they also make the transparent case look like it changes color.

Jockey for Position

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

Mixware 7421 Laurel Canyon Blvd, Ste 14 N. Hollywood, CA 91605 (786) 362-5757 www.mixware.net

40

The Reloop Jockey III Master Edition is the company’s flagship Traktor Pro controller, audio interface and stand-alone digital mixer.

Housed in a metal body, the Jockey III controls all four Traktor Pro decks and features 90 fully assignable MIDI controls designed. Its highresolution jog wheel offers mechanical tension control and 4,096 impulses per rotation resolution. The unit also sports an audio interface that features 24 bit/96 kHz BurrBrown AD/DA converters, two pairs of phono/line inputs to connect CD players or turntables, microphone input, headphone output with dual jacks, booth output and balanced master output.

Return to NS6 Numark Industries 200 Scenic View Drive Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-3131 www.numark.com The NS6 professional four-channel digital DJ controller is the result of a partnership between Numark and Serato Audio Research. The controller comes with a built-in, 24-bit, four-channel mixer and works seamlessly with a four-deck version of Serato ITCH. Features include two mic inputs, four stereo line inputs, headphone output, 140 separate controls and a six-inch dual zone touch-sensitive metal wheel with nonconductive rubberized outer ring.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

In MIDI Air Digital Music Technology Ltd Rose Cottage Wirral CH63 4LB United Kingdom 0151 201 0692 www.iximix.com LiveRemote, a dedicated MIDI Control system for Ableton Live, is available for both PC and Mac users. It connects to Ableton via CoreMidi networking technology. It controls eight faders at once and offers high-resolution meter readings of the audible decibels for each channel. LiveRemote lets users launch clips directly from their device, as well as implement transport controls like Play, Record and Stop in real time.

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

iPad Thai

42

Line 6 26580 Agoura Rd Calabasas, CA 91302-1921 (818) 575-3600 www.line6.com Propellerhead has released a new version of ReBirth that is compatible with the iPad. ReBirth 1.1 is currently available from the iTunes AppStore. It supports AudioCopy, allowing users to paste ReBirth tracks as audio directly into 75 compatible third-party iPad apps, including by Sonoma Wire Works, Synth by Retronyms, MorphWiz by Wizdom Music and Looptastic by Sound Trends.

Change Direction EASTWEST www.soundsonline.com EASTWEST is now the U.S. distributor for the Best Service ElectraX virtual instrument. It includes four synths in one interface. Each synth´s filter section consists of two multi-mode filters with 23 unique filter types and multi-mode distortion. Users get more than 1,000 sounds, 13 different combinable synthesis methods and up to 18 oscillators per voice. The sample oscillator also lets users import their own waves. This version includes an exclusive sample/wavetable pack produced by Best Service.

Got Your BK Roland Corporation 5100 S. Eastern Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90040-2938 (323) 890-3700 www.rolandus.com Roland’s BK-7m Backing Module is built with an SSC Sound Engine with more 1,000 sounds and 57 drum kits. In addition, there are 400 accompaniment arrangement styles—each with four variations—in 10 different rhythm families. The BK-7m includes a MIDI wizard that allows users to connect to any MIDI-compatible instrument. Its USB memory key input houses backing tracks in SMF, KAR, MP3, and WAV formats, and users can record in WAV format to a USB memory key.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Trim the Phatty Moog Music Inc. 2004-E Riverside Dr. Asheville, NC 28804 (828) 251-0090 www.moogmusic.com Moog Music’s Phatty OS v.3.1 is the most recent version of the company’s popular Phatty family of analog synthesizers. The newly-upgraded operating system offers users the ability to map note velocity to output volume with fifteen adjustable levels of sensitivity saved per preset. All Phatty synths can now send and receive high-resolution 14-bit MIDI messages and there is an improved arpeggiator that can now send MIDI Clock, MIDI Start and Stop messages. In addition, version 3.1 has a sustain/hold mode and an LFO reset with two LFO trigger modes.

Watch & Learn

Rolling in the Deep Gator Cases 18922 N. Dale Mabry Hwy Lutz, FL 33548 (813) 221-4191 www.gatorcases.com Gator Cases expanded its line of rolling speaker bags to include three new sizes: the GPA-715, which fits most 15-inch loudspeakers; the

GPA-712-SM designed for compact 12-inch loudspeakers; and the GPA-712-LG that fits for most 12-inch speakers. As with previous models in the line, these speaker bags feature a nylon exterior, pull-out handle, recessed wheels, double zipper design, and foam interior for protecting the gear.

DJ Enterprises, LLC 230 E. Kings Highway, Ste 201 Haddonfield, NJ 08033 (877) 442-7170 www.djvideonetwork.com DJ Video Network is a new Internet TV station made by DJs for DJs. The site is “a one-stop destination to watch original videos by topic,” according to DJ Enterprises. Programs focused on gear reviews and tutorials, entertainment and news shows, music mixing, contests, industry event coverage and more can be viewed on a computer, mobile device or television free of charge.

Desktop Icon CERWIN-VEGA! 772 S. Military Trail Deerfield Beach, FL 33442 (954) 949-9600 www.cerwinvega.com Cerwin-Vega’s XD3 Powered Desktop Speaker features self-powered cabinets in a Master/Slave configuration with low noise, 15-watt

amplifier. The wood cabinets are magnetically shielded to “maximize speaker placement options near computer monitors,” according to the company. There is a 1/8-inch stereo auxiliary input for use with MP3 players and additional features include an integrated threeinch woofer and ¾-inch tweeter.

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

Shoxx & Awe

44

Prime Loops Unit 2a, Tavern Quay Business Centre SE16 7TX United Kingdom +44 (0) 207 237 7666 www.primeloops.com Electro House Shoxx 2 includes more than 250 Electro House basslines, drum loops, synth hooks, SFX loops and drum one-shots inspired by artists including David Guetta, Deadmau5, Noisia and Swedish House Mafia. The samples are royalty-free and locked at 128bpm for “fast and easy remixing,” according to Prime Loops. They come in a variety of formats, including WAV, Apple Loops, Acid Loops, FL Studio, Reason Refill and Rex2 Loops.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Peavey Herman Peavey Electronics 5022 Hartley Peavey Dr. Meridian, MS 39305 (601) 483-5365 www.peavey.com The Peavey IPR 3000 power amplifier provides 1,490 watts RMS on each of its two channels. The amp is designed with

a high-speed class D topology and features Peavey’s exclusive DDT speaker protection with multi-point clip sampling, as well as two independent, fourth-order Linkwitz-Riley 100 Hz crossovers. Additional features include combination ¼-inch and XLR inputs, combination twist-lock output connectors and individual signal pass ¼-inch jacks on each channel.

Duet, Where’s My Car? Apogee Electronics Corp.

1715 Berkeley St. Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310) 584-9394 www.apogeedigital.com Duet 2 is a USB Audio Interface for Mac from Apogee Electronics. Duet 2 features balanced outputs, independent speaker and headphone outputs, multi-function controller knob, two assignable touch pads, selectable 48v phantom power and a full-color OLED display. It records from sampling rates of 44.1 to 192 kHz and comes with Maestro 2 software.

Who’s on FirstMix GCI Technologies 1 Mayfield Ave. Edison, NJ 08837 (732) 346-0061 www.gci-technologies.com Gemini’s latest USB DJ Controller is the FirstMix, an entry-level unit that connects to a laptop or desktop computer via USB. The FirstMix access iTunes and other mu-

Three-Ring Circus Chauvet Lighting 5200 NW 108th Ave. Sunrise, FL 33351 (800) 762-1084 www.chauvetlighting.com The Circus effect light creates color-changing aerial effects by projecting sharp, flowing beams.

The unit includes red, green, blue, white and amber LEDs, which are housed in five separate, synchronized pods. Up to 12 Circus fixtures can be linked, and each comes with built-in automated programs accessible via master/slave mode or DMX control.

sic libraries and lets users scratch or blend the pitch of the tracks by using the touch-sensitive jog wheels. Additionally, the Sync feature allows two separate tracks to be combined and beatmatched. The FirstMix ships with Cross LE DJ software from MixVibes and is also compatible with other DJ software programs like Traktor, Virtual DJ and algoriddim’s DJAY.

Skooba Snack Skooba Design Division of Three Point Ventures, LLC 465 Paul Road Rochester, NY 14624 (877) 435-5679 www.skoobadesign.com The Cable Stable Mini is the latest version of Skooba Design’s Cable Stable accessory organizer. The folio-style zip-up case is designed to carry an assortment of power cords, adapters and other small accessories. It comes with 12 interior storage spaces, including hold-down straps, elastic loops and neoprene pockets for business cards, pens, phones and cameras.

Loops along the center spine hold batteries and USB thumb drive, while the outside of the case sports a carrying handle and full-length zipper pocket.

GROOVES TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS

“BASS MONSTER”

u Reid Speed u Play Me Too Records

“IF YOU LOVE ME” u Panevino u Panevino

Feelin’ the dub? Fueled with electrifying drum patterns, long percussive loops, and distorted basslines, this track is beast. Intense.

Featuring the falsetto vocals of Xavior, this is a great summer workout from the Swiss crew. The original versions nod towards their earlier outing “Freeze the Frame,” while Pad Beryll supplies some great remixes.

– Jen Shapiro

– Curtis Zack “ALL THIS LOVE FOR YOU” (REMIXES) Ellie Goulding

u Ralf Gum u Gogo

“CALL MY BROTHER”

To celebrate 10 years of Gogo, “All This Love” gets a re-release and remix treatment courtesy of the label’s main protagonists Ralf Gum and Raw Artistic Soul. The script remains the same— classy, soulful house music all the way.

Paul Gardner breaks away from Soul Avengerz for a moment—and it’s exactly what you’d expect: A skippy mainroom groove with all the SA trademarks, and perfect for late night.

u Paul Gardner u Soul Avengerz

– Curtis Zack

– Curtis Zack “GOOD TO BE ALIVE”

u DJ Rap u Propa Talent Initially released in 1998, this track’s been re-recorded and ably remixed updated by MC Navigator, DubKiller and Echo India, among others. Check the sub-busting bass frequencies and updated beats.

– Jen Shapiro

“6 DEGREES” u Audiofly feat. Fiora u Get Physical

Ralf Gum

While the original has ambient, almost-loungey undertones, Booka Shade’s mix kicks it up a notch. Of course, “The Tales of Us” mix drops the tempo back down. Not your usual Get Physical release.

– Natalie Raben

“DRUG HANGOVER” u Hott22 u Gossip Based around the famous “Love Hangover” loop, this is classic Hott 22 with its driving, disco feel that remains just the right side of being too tough. There is only one mix to date, but with such a well recognized sample that’s all you’ll need.

– Curtis Zack “TALKIN HEADS” EP

u Pixel Fist u Rottun Recordings This throws down some of the best dub there is. The remixes drop some unpredictable bass frequencies with some shuffling beats. Definitely check out “Quadrant” and “Arcade.” Hot.

– Jen Shapiro

u Ellie Goulding u Cherry Tree/Interscope Goulding’s vocals are simply divine and, on his remix, Shook throws down a funky, bass-guitar lick, classy keys and a slick, soulful groove. Bassnectar drops a dubstep mix with a trancey vibe and bellowing bassline. Max Gordon follows with a similarly dubby, equally exquisite effort.

DJ Rap

– Shawn Christopher “MATHEMATICS” EP u Tuccillo u 2020 Vision A heavy-hitting, three-track house EP. “Without U” has a brilliant fluid vocal hook with an incredibly groovy flow. “Mathematic” is a peak-hour, floor-thumper with a ripping bassline. “Rainbow” is a blissful, deep, dubby, latenighter with smooth disco vibes.

– Shawn Christopher “EVERYBODY” (REMIXES)

u Warren Clarke u Milk & Sugar

Reid Speed

46

“NO REGRETS”

u Moonbeam Pres. Illuminant For Fancy u Neurotraxx

Audiofly

Nicole Cussell

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

The original of this has been causing havoc for months, and now the remixes land. Ranging from deep to serious main-room fare, this full package should now have something for everyone.

– Curtis Zack

Quality house vocal featuring several top mixes. Check the rugged “HOSH Remix” and the deep-tech groove of the Hector Romero and Davidson Ospina “Never Say Never Mix.”

– Phil Turnipseed

Corner

Download

“LIGHTS” (REMIXES)

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 next-generation “record” stores (e.g. Beatport, iTunes, etc).

“In It Together” (Shapeshifters Remix) by Human Life [Defected]: The Shapeshifters live up to their name by transforming this ’80s electro-pop song into a dark, main-room, tech monster. Driving and powerful, but still remaining true to the original, this will delight global dancefloors. Found at beatport.com.

“The Power” (Chris Kaeser vs. DJ Reivax Mashup) by Snap [Bootleg]: Kaeser takes this bootleg in a different direction than you’d expect by focusing on the soulful vocal instead of the original’s famous stuttered bassline. It’s layered over thick, musical chords a la SHM and keeps an authoritative edge with pounding drums, a massive build-up, and heavy bass. Free at http://soundcloud.com/chriskaeser/snap-thepower-chris-kaeser-vs “Do We Need?” (Radio Edit) by Slave [Pschent]: And now for something completely different… Slave is the modern electronica reincarnation of the legendary Joy Division. The same sullen bass, distorted electric-guitar strumming, and dejected male vocal. Synthesized top end and feedback round it out and make for a convincing and gratifying imitation. Found at beatport.com – Robert LaFrance

OCTOBER 28, 29, & 30 • 2011 HALLOWEEN WEEKEND!

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Compiled As Of July 22,2011

National Crossover Pool Chart 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Katy Perry Adele Snoop Dogg Hot Rod Lady Gaga David Guetta F/ Flo Rida & Nicki Mi September Britney Spears Michael Jackson Kat DeLuna INXS F/ Rob Thomas Lady Gaga Beyonce Pattie Brooks Chris Brown F/Benny Benassi Japanese Popstars Inner Party System Greg Parys Jennifer Hudson Negin Swedish House Mafia Coolio F/Rico Bernasconi & Kylian J-Lo F/Pitbull Kerli Dani Barbers Rihanna Jessie F/Yelawolf & The Toy Boys Wendel Kos F/Andrea Holley Josie Cotton Taio Cruz Paul Hardcastle Monster Taxi Ft. Marco Cocchiaro Inner Party System Mary Mary Gloria Trevi Oh Land Yovanni Dave Mathias Vs Julissa Veloz Dj Zilos F/ Sophia Cruz Sam Freiberg F/ Asia

Last Friday Night Rolling In The Deep Sweat/Wet D.Guetta Mixes Dance With Me Born This Way Where Them Girls At Me And My Microphone Till The World Ends Hollywood Tonight Dancing Tonight Original Sin Judas Run The World (Girls) Its All About The Music Beautiful People Let Go Not Getting Any Better Why Don’t We Just F**k Where You At Unexpected Save The World Gangsta’s Paradise On The Floor Army Of Love Say Goodbye S&M Push It Dancing On The Lights See The New Hong Kong Higher Rainforest / What’s Going Miami Spice American Trash Re-Mixes Walking Me Rio De Ti Son Of A Gun Hello Sweet Sugar Poison Always Changing Fire

National Urban Pool Chart

Capitol Columbia Astralwerks G Note Interscope Astralwerks Robbins Jive Epic Universal Rhino Interscope Columbia RGP Music Jive Astralwerks Red Bull Robbins Jive Robbins Capitol Capp Island Island/Def Jam Dani Barbers Prod.

Def Jam Prospect Park Robbins Scruffy Mercury Trippin N Rhythm Toy Robot Red Bull Columbia Granda Epic Trigga Carrillo Amathus Next Plateau

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Chris Brown Beyonce Ace Hood Rihanna J-Lo F/Pitbull Lloyd F/Awesome Jones Snoop Dog Ft. R. Kelly Kirk Franklin Snoop Dogg Mary J Blige F/Diddy&Lil Wayne David Guetta F/ Flo Rida & Nicki Mi Big Sean Ft. Chris Brown Rihanna Travis Porter Jennifer Hudson Nicki Minaj Kelly Rowland F/ Lil Wayne Waka Flocka Flames Bei Maejor F/ J. Cole Chris Brown F/Benny Benassi Nicki Minaj J.O.D. Coolio F/Rico Bernasconi & Kylian Pitbull F/Ne-Yo +Afrojack+Nayer Jill Scott F/Anthony Hamilton Jamie Foxx F/ Wiz Khalifa Lupe Fiasco F/ Trey Songz Lil’ Wayne F/ Cory Gunz Anthony David F/ Algebra Eva Dj Khaled F/Drake&Rick Ross Young Jeezy F/ Lil Wayne Alja Jackson Chris Brown Rafael Saadiq Fabolous Michael Jackson Rick Ross F/ Lil Wayne & TI Trey Songz Ft. Drake Estelle & Rick Ross

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

Paul Hardcastle Pepper Mashay U.V.U.K. Katrina Time Takers Ricky Martin Brooklyn Bounce Vs D Dj Sammy F/ J Baptis Pattie Brooks Enrique Iglesias F/

Rainforest / What’s Going Love S.O.S. Forever OPM She Blows Freak Of Nature Club Bizarre Animal Its All About The Music Dirty Dancer

She Ain’t You Run The World (Girls) Hustle Hard S&M On The Floor Cupid Platinum I Smile Sweat/Wet D.Guetta Mixes Somebody To Love Me Where Them Girls At My Last Man Down Bring It Back Where You At Super Bass Motivation Grove St. Party Trouble Beautiful People Did It On Em Candy Rain Gangsta’s Paradise Give Me Everything So In Love Best Night Of My Life Out Of My Head 6 Foot 7 Foot 4Evermore Not My Daddy I’m The One Ballin’ Prettiest Girl Look At Me Now Good Man You Be Killin Em Hollywood Tonight 9 Piece Unusual Break My Heart

Jive Columbia Island/Def Jam Def Jam Island Interscope Priority Jive Astralwerks Geffen Astralwerks Interscope Def Jam Jive Jive Universal Universal Asylum Jive Jive Universal SOW Capp Sony Reprise Sony Atlantic Universal E1 In Ya Face Def Jam Def Jam Interscope Jive Sony Def Jam Epic Def Jam Atlantic Atlantic

Most Added Tracks Trippin N Rhythm Control Voltage Robbins Red Red Robbins Sony Capp Robbins RGP Music Universal Republic

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

IC Green F/ Busta Rh Bera Tanya T-6 Jennifer Hudson Pitbull F/Ne-Yo +Afr Beyonce Keyshia Cole Yo Gotti Miguel Ace Hood

Strut Favorite Things I Got Money Where You At Give Me Everything Best Thing I Never Had Take Me Away We Can Get It On Quickie Go & Get It

Jive Georgian Dream The Associates Firm Jive Sony Columbia Geffen Jive Jive Island/Def Jam

Reporting Pools ✦ Flamingo - Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Julio ✦ Lets Dance / IRS - Chicago, IL; Lorri Annarella ✦ Next Music Pool - Los Angeles, CA; Bob Ketchter ✦ OMAP - Washington, DC; Al Chasen ✦ Central Ohio - Columbus, OH; Fred Dowdy ✦ NW Dance Music - Shoreline, WA; John England ✦ Philly Spinners Assoc. - Bensalem, PA; Fred Kolet ✦ Pittsburgh DJ - Pittsburgh, PA; Jim Kolich ✦ Soundworks - San Francisco, CA; Sam Labelle ✦ Dixie Dance Kings - Alpharetta, GA; Dan Miller ✦ Rickett’s Record Pool - Saddle Brook, NJ; Bill Rickett ✦ 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

45791

Expo

(continued from page 3) Talent agency Moodwing360 will present an afterparty at Mixx at Borgata, which will include a DJ set from Pete Wentz with a special performance from Black Cards, plus performances

by Dev, Vita Chambers, Silver Medallion and Jump Smokers. It will also include music from Moodswing360/ Borgata resident DJs Carlos Melange, Chachi, Enferno, PS1, Riz, Rock-It! Scientists, Roonie G and Scene.

Sounding Off

(continued from page 33)

around live performance that blends the traditional DJ art with the onthe-fly chopping, reassembling and mixing of whole tracks, beat beds, or whatever source material that works for you—and it’s also where Novation’s decision to replace jog wheels with touch strips starts to make even more sense. Controllerists, take notice.

There are four fundamental “performance modes” available. All utilize a block of eight button pads (one set of them for each deck), and most use the touch strip as well: Hot cues are nothing new; virtually every digital DJ tool supports this ability to set cue points anywhere in the track and jump immediately to them.

Auto loop is also quite familiar; it merely allows you to loop a section of the track as long as desired, with an ability to set its duration.

The eight buttons correspond to different starting lengths for the loop.

Using multi-touch (two fingers) on the touch strip lets you “squeeze” to shorten the duration, or “unsqueeze” to lengthen it.

Loop roll is similar to the auto loop, except the button action is momentary (the loop plays as long as the

On Aug. 10, Casbah will be the spot for the 10 th Annual “DJ of the Year” competition sponsored by Peavey Electronics. Again hosted by Mike Walter, the event will bestow awards for a variety of mobile-related categories. The “DJ of the Year” winner will receive a Peavey IPR 1600 ultra-light power amplifier and one lucky fan will win a Hercules DJConsole 4-Mx DJ controller.

Immediately afterward at Casbah, button is held).

Slicer is where things get interesting, and I’ll confess I’m intrigued, but probably need some real practice time on Twitch to really grok the possibilities here. When you enter slicer mode, an eight-beat block is created, which you can see visually on Itch’s waveform display for the playing track. The entire-eight beat block can be looped, but moreover, the eight pad buttons become triggers that jump playback to any of the eight beats in the block. Those beats can be individually looped as well.

There are several subtle options with Slicer, and I can foresee some very interesting possibilities depending on the tracks you have loaded if one starts to combine the various playback modes, plus Itch’s effects, across two playing tracks. The possibilities are mind-boggling—even more so when you watch a DJ experienced with Twitch doing exactly that. (Novation’s YouTube video for Twitch demonstrates this quite well.)

Speaking of effects, as usual, Itch comes with the standard pool of possibilities including filters, flangers, delay, and the like. Twitch does a good job of providing hardware control over them with a block of knobs and buttons in the upper left corner of

Expo attendees will experience the “Pioneer DJ Official DJ Expo Closing Party,” featuring top talent and plenty of product giveaways. In addition to floor-moving set from DJ Skribble, the party will present exclusive video sets from DJ 2 nd Nature and DVDJ Unique. More performers to be announced.

And on the Expo’s last day, one lucky attendee will have his business card pulled on the exhibit floor and

he or she will win a slate of prizes from Expo sponsors. They include: American DJ (Royal 3D, Atmospheric RG LED and Mega Bar LED RC lights); Pioneer DJ (DJM-900nexus mixer, a HDJ-2000 headphone and a pair of CDJ-2000s); Promo Only (subscriptions to either Express Audio or Express Video via POOL, Promo Only’s new Digital Delivery System); and Rane (SL4 for Serato Scratch Live).

the unit. Interestingly, effects are also available to be tied to the channel faders, enabling some very interesting twists to track-to-track mixes.

Novation also gave Twitch nice hardware support for browsing and loading tracks, with dedicated controls in the upper right part of the top surface. These work similarly to other Itch controllers I’ve looked at, and are a nice, intuitive, “mouse-less” way to find the material you want to play.

Finally, Novation makes clear that Twitch is also a good match for those who don’t want to use Serato Itch.

In particular, they offer support for Ableton Live and Native Instruments’ Traktor, for which they even included a nice polycarbonate overlay in the box that serves to re-label all the

control legends to match the Traktor configuration Novation provides.

Conclusions: Novation Twitch, bundled with Serato’s Itch, brings a new control metaphor to the DJ market, one I found to be usable, enjoyable and accurate. Novation’s out-of-thebox thinking extends to an emphasis on live, on-the-fly production performance, opening the door for cuttingedge jocks to explore new territory in keeping audiences engaged.

But even DJs with more traditional needs will enjoy the innovative ways Twitch provides control over one’s set. With its compact size, nice weight, and the fact that Itch is right inside the box, it makes for a pretty sexy, “just add laptop,” all-in-one digital DJ solution.

Mobile

(continued from page 34) with a quick video. In addition, another great perk about the vLogs is all of the networking I’ve done with my fellow YouTubers. There is a great community of DJs all across the world that share their events, tips and stories all thru video.”

In five years, Atwood hopes to expand the additional services under the Absolute Events banner—mainly

photography and videography. “I plan to begin to advertise these services separately at showcases and through social media,” he says. “Currently, I’m the head of each division, but my true passion is entertainment. In the future I plan to add someone to our staff that has the same passion I have for entertainment to our photography and videography department, and take those services to the next level!”

David Guetta, EDM’s Gallic Goliath

50

I’ve won 2 Grammy Awards…

Photos By Shawn Bloodworth

DJ TIMES

SEPTEMBER 2011

So… enough with the French jokes, OK?

And sold over 15 million singles.

David Guetta, next month in DJ Times