DJ Times October 2009, Vol 22 No 10 by DJ Times Magazine

VJ & Video Issue

America’s First Magazine For Professional DJs Established 1988

october 2009

$6.95 CANADA

$4.95 US

DJ Nature

video-mixing master

Why Tweeting Will Boost Your Bottom Line

Mobile Marketing: 2010’s Top Wedding Trends

plus congrats to z-trip

n dvdj unique n VJ psyberpixie n DJ creme n arkaos grandvj n sony vegas pro 9 $4.95 US

america’s best dj ’09

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$6.95 CANADA

www.djtimes.com

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ind u st r y ev ent s…no t a bl es…mil est o nes

NEWS

MediÁmix-Studios.com

Atlantic City, N.J.—O nce again, the International D J Expo came up aces. D espite some gloomy talk about this year’s economic climate, the ’09 Expo—held this past A ug. 10-13 at the T rump T aj Mahal Hotel & Casino in A tlantic City—managed to outdraw the 2008 show by 8-percent (4,700). While the square footage of the show’s exhibits was down a smidge from last year, the Expo actually attracted more exhibiting companies by a dozen. Presented by DJ Times magazine and its publisher T esta Communications, the Expo offered four days of educational seminars, three days of exhibits and a full slate of entertainment, which included chart-toppers like Pitbull at the annual Promo O nly/Pioneer party and world-class D Js like QBert, Skribble and Grand Wizard T heodore. O verall, exhibitors and attendees were thrilled, as was the show’s producer. “L ast year, everyone bene ted from our move ‘Back to the Boardwalk’—no question,” says V inny T esta, President of T esta Communications. “Given the economy, we had to keep our minds open about this year’s

MediÁmix-Studios.com

DJ Expo Exceeds Expectations in Atlantic City Dope Decknician: QBert wowed the crowd from the Expo stage.

Video Mixer: DVDJ Unique rocked the Promo Only Party.

Expo. L uckily, the market responded resoundingly. Exhibitors enjoyed big shows and attendance actually grew. A s always, we’d like to thank our exhibitors and attendees for making this show such a success.” A dds DJ Times Editor/Expo co-organizer Jim T remayne: “What I found most encouraging was the flock of new attendees at this year’s show— at some seminars, it was 50- to 60percent new faces. It’s always an good sign for the Expo, and certainly promising for the D J market, that so many people continue to enter the industry and take it so seriously.” Similar sentiments were expressed by Jerry B azata, aka D J Jaz, from O gunquit, Maine, who moderated (continued on page 42)

Z-Trip—America’s Best DJ ’09

It’s now of cial: DJ Times and title sponsor Pioneer Pro DJ are proud to announce that Z-Trip has been voted America’s Best DJ for 2009. “It’s an honor to be ranked No. 1 by the people,” said Z-Trip (aka Zach Sciacca), “especially considering all the incredible talent out there these days.” Z-Trip will be honored further at the ABDJ closing party in Las Vegas Sept. 12. For full results, please visit www. americasbestdj.net.

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12 Like 2nd Nature…

Volume 22 Number 10

Brett Belcastro’s Old-School DJ Chops Mix Perfectly with the Visual World, Making Him One of Our Great Video Artists By Jim Tremayne

16 Twittering?

The Latest Social Media Phenomenon Has Inspired DJs to Reach Out & Reap Rewards By Jeff Stiles

20 Visual Trailblazer

With a Deep Arsenal of Skills, DVDJ Unique Has Taken Video Mixing Nationwide By Jim Tremayne

DEPARTMENTS 6 Feedback

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

24 Making Tracks

Sony’s Vegas Pro 9

26 Sounding Off

ArKaos’ GrandVJ

28 Mobile Profil

The DJ Connection’s Comeback Story

30 Business Line

Top Wedding Trends for 2010

32 Gear

New Products from Instant Video Presenter, Apple & More

36 Grooves

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

Phat Tracks from Danny Krivit, DJ Hell & More

SAMPLINGS 8 Psyberpixie

38 DJ Times Marketplace

Shop Here for All Your DJ-Related Supplies

41 Club Play Chart

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

VJ to the Stars

10 In the Studio With…

DJ Creme

Cover & Contents Photos by Mikey McNulty.

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f r o m t he ed it o r

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

Vim, Vigor & Video It didn’t take long to realize that Brett Belcastro might turn into something special. When I rst saw him on the ones-and-twos, he was a teenager competing against veteran D Js in spinoffs held by the D ixie D ance Kings record pool. T his is A tlanta in the early ‘90s and his competition consisted of top dogs in markets from Charlotte to Panama City—real pros with plenty of pride, lots of skills. Belcastro would have to earn their respect. He was a bit precocious, sure, but it was hard for all not to be impressed by his skills and seemingly innate ability to drop the right tune at the appropriate moment. He could cut and scratch, but he didn’t rely on those tricks—Belcastro was more about taste and timing. He won a few titles and nished second a time or two, but I always remembered his ability to shine when the pressure was on. When he re-emerged as D J 2nd Nature, a videomixing master, it didn’t shock me. He’d taken his old-school D J chops, merged them with a longstanding interest in the visual arts and produced a winning (and very entertaining) combination. In recent years, he’s become a staple at the D J Expo’s Promo O nly/Pioneer party and show attendees always get a kick out of his set, which offers some pop-culture video moments along with booty-shaking jams. With this year’s “V J and V ideo Issue,” he seemed like a natural subject, so we caught up with the Georgia-based jock to discuss his career path and professional vision. We also interview a trio of other special video talents. D J Creme has embraced the form and he’s invested in it with his New Jersey-based In T he Mix D J school, which offers videomixing instruction. DVD J U nique, who recently relocated to Miami, stands as a genuine up-and-comer, who also drops special pop-culture moments on video, while still rocking the dance oor. Miami’s Psyberpixie has become the V J to the EDM stars, as she’s provided mind-bending visuals for artists like Moby, Paul van D yk and Infected Mushroom. A ll three offer excitement and instruction for the visual end of D Jing. O n the tech side of video, R uss Harris reviews Sony’s Vegas Pro 9 suite and R ich Cohen takes on A rKaos’ GrandV J live mixing software. T his month, we offer a glimpse of our International D J Expo, held this past A ug. 10-13 in A tlantic City. We’ll offer a full Expo pictorial in next month’s issue, but for the moment we’d like to thank all the participants—performers, exhibitors and attendees—for making this year’s show one of the very best. Given the challenging economic climate, we weren’t sure what kind of show we’d have. But again, thanks to all those who believe so deeply in the D J market, this one was very special. A nd of course, we have a winner! A nd his name is Z-T rip, the L .A -based D J who was voted A merica’s Best D J for 2009. A gain, in next month’s issue, we’ll offer full coverage on our ABD J closing party in L as Vegas and a reprise of the ABD J Summer T our Presented by Pioneer Pro D J. Enjoy it, Zach—you earned it!

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

Cheers,

Jim T remayne Editor, DJ Times

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

For cust omer ser vice and t o order subscriptions, call 800-937-7678 visit our website www.djtimes.com

D J T imes Sound & Communications T he Music & Sound R etailer Sound & Communications Blue Book A merica’s Best D J Clubworld International D J Expo IT /AV R eport T he Club Show Convention TV News VTTV Studios

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operations manager Robin Hazan rhazan@testa.com Editorial and Sales O ffice D J T imes, 25 Willowdale A venue, Port Washington, New York, U SA 11050-3779. (516) 767-2500 • FA X (Editorial): (516) 944-8372 • FA X (Sales/all other business): (516) 767-9335 • D JTIM ES@T ESTA . COM Editorial contributions should be addressed to T he Editor, D J T imes, 25 Willowdale A venue, Port Washington, NY, U SA , 110503779. U nsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care an d should be accompanied by return postage. D J T imes (ISSN 1045-9693) (U SPS 0004-153) is published monthly for $19.40 (U S), $39.99 (Canada), and $59.99 (all other countries), by D J Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale A ve., Port Washington, NY 110503779. Periodicals postage paid at Port Washington, NY, and additional mailing offices PO STMA ST ER : Send address changes to D J T imes, PO BO X 1767, LO WELL MA 01853-1767 D esign and contents are copyright © 2009 by D J Publishing, Inc., and must not be reproduced in any manner except by permission of the publisher. Websites: www. O ctober 2009

visit our website: www.djtimes.com

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f eed ba c k covered under ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC agreements. Those agreements only cover the public performance of musi‑ cal compositions. So, to the extent music is contained in videos being dis‑ played, the performance of the music is covered, but not the actual images in the videos. Images (and audiovisual works) are separate from musical works and are entitled to separate copyright protec‑ tion. Depending on the source of the

images/videos, the right to publicly display them may be included as “part of the package.” That is, in some cases, when you acquire the images/videos, the public display right is included. In other cases, absent clearance for each specific image/video, the use of the image/video may be permissible under the “fair use” exception. But you should always be careful about rely‑ ing on fair use, as its applicability can vary widely depending on the particular

circumstances. While there is no hardand-fast rule under fair use, the shorter the clip, the more likely fair use would apply. Here’s a good “best practices” refer‑ ence guide for fair use in the context of video and film: http://centerforsocial media.org/rock/backgrounddocs/best practices.pdf – Coe W. Ramsey, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey, and Leonard, L.L.P., Raleigh, N.C.

– Mark Riva, Chicago, Ill.

Mark, The right to publicly display of im‑ ages, videos, or other graphics is not

DJ TIMES

Dear DJ Times, I have just finished reading an article on your website about DJ Performance Rights (October, 1999). Great stuff, but what about the visual side of our job? As a cutting-edge club DJ, I see myself as more of a “MJ,” a “Multimedia Jockey” in that I also spin visuals, too. With this said, I do not want to limit myself to just the official music video of a song. I want to provide unique visual accompaniment to the music I am playing. I would like to project images of the artists and their album art, for instance, while each song is playing. Or, perhaps I want to create a special interior design for my night and paste up album covers and artist photos on the walls of the club. Either way, my question is this: As long as I am DJing in a venue that pays an annual license fee to ASCAP, I know I do not have to get permission for each song I play. But what about the images I am projecting or showcasing? Certainly this art and these images are copyrighted in some way. Are there special rights allowed in showing images in an entertainment venue just as there is for my DJing music? Would this fall under the ASCAP/BMI umbrella or is it another issue completely?

OCTOBER 2009

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.

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promoo

sa mpl ings

Psy ber pixie’s A rgentine-born Marina R ao (aka V J Psyberpixie) isn’t the whole show, but she’s a hell of an accompaniment. Her mind-bending graphics, patterns and images have fired up performances by a variety of artists—from global stars Moby and Paul van D yk to Israeli trancers Infected Mushroom and altrockers Jane’s A ddiction— making their gigs memorable ones for their fans. A s her pro le and reputation have grown, we caught up with the Miami-based V J to discuss her processes, inspirations and motivations. DJ Times: How did you get into doing video? Psyberpixie: I majored in V ideo Production at the A rt Institute of F t. L auderdale. My initial start in video was producing and editing independent projects, and music videos. In the mid ’90, I was going to a lot of raves, and also had friends who were producing electronic music events, so I would document with video behind the scenes.

V isu a l Mix

Psyberpixie’s VJ Picks

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

1. Monk: “He DV J’s amusing booty-music mash-up videos and keeps the dance oor shaking and entertained with visuals.” 2. VJ V2: “My mentor, he’s brought the V J to the forefront as a paying act. I’d say he’s the longest-running, successful V J.” Psyberpixie’s trippy work has enhanced gigs for Moby & Infected Mushroom.

shows? Psyberpixie: A nything and everything under the sun. I have a unique visual media collection that’s been growing since 2003. F ilm, video, graphics for the visual scene never gets outdated, so that’s a good thing. DJ Times: What’s your approach to visual content? Psyberpixie: I always try to bring new visual elements to every gig. Sometimes I shoot video, animate content or remix visuals. I use various softwares— [A pple] F inal Cut, [GarageCUB E] Modul8, [A dobe] A fter Effects, A rKaos, [Electric R ain] Swift 3D . DJ Times: Which gear do you use? Psyberpixie: I use two Pioneer DV J-1000s, an Edirol V-8 or V-4 video mixer, Numark NuV J, A rKaos Grand V J with MIDI controllers, Mac Book Pro, external hard drive and preview monitors. DJ Times: How have audiences accepted video? Psyberpixie: Since my early days of V Jing, I have always made it a point to get stage position next to the D J or on my own platform and riser, so I am known for being the rst V J to push the picked up my rst Edirol V 4 in 2003 and that was the live visual performance. B y start to my self-driven V Jing career. being visible, the crowd could DJ Times: D o you ever D J? understand who is triggering Psyberpixie: I accompany the D Js, but DV Jing— the visuals and that it is done audio and visuals—is in my near future. I mix audio in real time—so it is a much for my own pre-recorded visual mixes. more interactive experience. DJ Times: What are you currently working on? DJ Times: A dvice for V Js? Psyberpixie: I am working with Winter Music Psyberpixie: R esearch Conference’s director Bill Kelly developing exciting the D J/musician you will be visual programs, events, and showcases highlighting playing with ahead of time, the growing visual scene for their upcoming 25th anniso you can prepare the adversary. We’re taking WMC 2010 into the future with equate visual material. D on’t the merge of music and visuals. A lso, we’re about to go too bright! T ry to keep launch ADV ERVISUAL S, a sub-division of my company your visual jam harmonious Psybervision V isual label—stay tuned! with the surroundings. DJ Times: Gigs you’re excited about? DJ Times: How would Psyberpixie: Playing with Infected Mushroom you describe your style? L ive in Miami. I’ve also played with them several Psyberpixie: A s e x y times in Mexico. Since 2004, it’s safe to say I’m their technological-fetish mix of designated V J whenever they come through Miami. bio-mechanical-organic-planA lso, this past A ugust, I played with Jane’s A ddiction etary-electronic praise to in Chicago to my largest audience to date—80,000 life. I customize every set and people! It was an amazing experience, look forward every show to a theme. I’m to more shows like it. likeDiplo a visual Tuff Gonged: (from right) Switch, &Wikipedia. “Major Lazer.” DJ Times: What content do you use for your – Jim Tremayne Most of the material had no audio, so I would have fun remixing it and adding effects and putting music to it. DJ Times: Was there a moment that hooked you? Psyberpixie: When I saw my rst visual show— R abbit in the Moon in 1997 at Zen F estival in Central F lorida—I was hooked and it was instant love! I knew exactly what I wanted to do—to provoke thoughts and positive ow through visual imagery. So I took it upon myself to gure out how to start producing and remixing visuals. Software and gear for V Js at that time was still not very accessible. I

3. VJ Culture: “He’s done some amazing projects and he pushes the scene by creating special V J events.”

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in t he st u d io wit h… In just a few short years, Carmelo F igueroa (aka D J Creme) has risen from Connecticut’s mobile ranks to make his mark on the Northeast’s rich L atin music scene. He’s enjoyed club residencies and radio mixshows, while playing a range of dance oor genres to a growing audience. In 2008-09, he was an America’s Best DJ nominee. His move into video and DV J work three years ago created a point of difference from other area jocks and now he’s entered the academic world, of sorts. With his bilingual In the Mix D J School in Belleville, N.J., Creme, 28, offers plenty of performance and studio instruction, plus a video-mixing class. We connected with the Bloom eld, N.J.-based jock to discuss his 13 years of career progress. DJ Times: T ell me about your school. Creme: We teach all levels of D Jing from beginner level to advanced skills. We also cater to the modern computer D J, offering two levels of multimedia D Jing and our video-mixing course. We also offer musicproduction workshops for all D Js interested in learning to edit, remix or produce. We currently offer ve software programs for music production and editing—Sonar, L ogic Pro, A bleton L ive, F ruity L oops and Mixmeister. I’m looking to open two more schools in the Northeast. DJ Times: How has video impacted your career? Creme: V ideo mixing has taken my D Jing to another level. Now having a visual to every song I play is incredible. I can now use movie clips, cartoons, and other visual content that will make my set a lot more interactive and original. DJ Times: Can you get more gigs now? Creme: V ideo mixing has helped the gigs grow because, in the tri-state area, I’m one of the few D Js that offer video mixing in clubs. I’m able to offer them a different show from most D Js, who only offer music. DJ Times: D o you make more money?

Creme: Yes, I do, especially since most clubs are not equipped with videomixing D J equipment. So if I have to provide it, there is an extra cost. DJ Times: What content do you use? How do you create it? Creme: I use music videos when available or re-edited videos. It’s a bit harder for a L atin video D J to play videos because I have to create music videos for popular songs that never made a video. F or content creation, I use A pple’s F inal Cut Pro. DJ Times: Which D J/V Js impress you now and why? Creme: D J 2nd Nature and DVD J U nique because they incorporate their very impressive D J skills with their video creativity. T hey put together amazing sets that both the audience and fellow D Js enjoy. DJ Times: Which gear do you use when you play out? Creme: Pioneer gear—DV J-1000s with the SVM1 0 0 0 m i xe r o r t h e DV J s w i t h t h e D J M - 8 0 0 . DJ Times: What kind of musical material are you playing? Creme: I play hip hop, T op 40 and dance. A bout 75-percent is L atin-oriented music—reggaeton, salsa, merengue, B achata. B ig artists for me now are Wis i n y Y a n d e l , A ve n t u r a , O m e g a , D addy Y ankee and F rank R eyes. DJ Times: A dvice for young V Js? C reme: A udio always comes rst, video is always second. Make your video sets and content interesting, but danceable. If it’s not, you’ll have everyone just standing around looking at the visuals. Give them something they’ve never seen before, but make them move. – Jim Tremayne

CMY

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

Creme’s bilingual In the Mix DJ School offers video mixing courses.

D J Cr eme’s V id eo Aca d emics

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CMY

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2009

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DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

Nature… Brett Belcastro’s Old-School DJ Chops Mix Perfectly with the Visual World, Making Him One of Our Great Video Artists

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By Jim Tremayne

2nd Nature’s Top Music Vids

1. “T hriller” by Michael Jackson. “F avorite classic video because I can so vividly remember watching it as a kid—the only music video that stuck in my head like that.” 2. “B.O .B. (Bombs O ver Baghdad)” by O utkast. “A nother classic in its own right.” 3. “Pon D e F loor” by Major L azer. “My current fave, that video made me laugh out loud—that doesn’t happen often.”

OCTOBER 2009

Photos by Mikey McNulty

DJ TIMES

Atlantic City, N.J.— In late Summer 2009, a slew of D Js reacted to the death of Michael Jackson with a urry of tributes. Mobiles, bar jocks and global D Js like D anny T enaglia chimed in with their various takes on T he King of Pop’s lasting musical legacy. It was predictable, if only because it was so heartfelt. Back up a year to the D J Expo’s Promo O nly/Pioneer party in A tlantic City and Brett Belcastro (aka D J 2nd Nature) honored a rather different muse: actor/comic Bernie Mac, who had passed three days prior. T he difference? It’s the effort put into such an endeavor. Sure, you can make your MJ mashups and mixes, and dazzle with taste and studio chops. But Belcastro’s task was taller. O n relatively short notice, he found, cut and remixed (for sound and vision) engaging Bernie Mac bits and re-imagined them in an entertaining, coherent and beat-friendly package. Wistful, sweet and immediate, it was a this-is-now, pop-culture moment that only video can truly deliver. T he tribute lasted just a couple minutes, but for the professional D Js in House of Blues that night, the effort did not go unnoticed. But 2nd Nature’s career has always been like that. Even as a teenager, he was snaring attention by winning D J battles and mix-offs. I remember seeing him in A tlanta in the early ’90s, competing in the D ixie D ance Kings’ spin-offs, doing dazzling work on turntables against top Southeastern spinners 10 to 15 years his senior. I recall thinking, “Who is this kid?” Now 33, 2nd Nature has consolidated his oldschool D J skills with his passion for all things visual to make himself one of A merica’s great video mixers and artists. A fter another blazing effort at the International D J Expo this past A ugust, we caught up with the A tlanta-based Brett Belcastro—D J 2nd Nature—to talk video, music and his career path. DJ Times: How long have you been D Jing? 2nd Nature: Since 1991. My pops was a D J back in the day, and gave me all his wax, bought me a mixer and some 1200s, and that was my start. DJ Times: When you got started D Jing, what D Js impressed or inspired you to do it? What music did your dad play? 2nd Nature: D J Magic Mike was my idol. I practiced all his cuts, bit by bit trying to learn them. I used to love doing that. My dad approached Mike at a show and said, “You are going to teach my son how to D J.” T he next thing I know, I’m doing a show with Mike at 17-years old. I’ve always looked up to Mike, and what’s great is we have become very close friends since those early days. Pops was spinning back in the ’70 and ’80s, so he was funked out with some O hio Players, T he Jets, and, of course, Parliament. DJ Times: D id you watch turntablists? If so, who impressed you and why? 2nd Nature: Yes. I was de nitely into turntablism. I loved QBert like everyone, but I’ve never aspired to be a turntablist or compete in DMC competitions. I have always been more focused on production, and playing what I produced for crowds. DJ Times: I remember you, as a teenager, competing in various D J battles with the D ixie D ance Kings record pool in A tlanta. What did you take from that period? 2nd Nature: I remember them, too, very well— great memories! I remember competing at 15 years old when all the other D Js where mid-20s and up, and being super intimidated. T he great part about those years was creating relationships with so many great people and D Js, they took me under their wings and helped to propel me forward. T hose where learn-

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DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

envelope. DJ Times: What’s your favorite song to play when you’re D Jing? 2nd Nature: O h man, that’s a hard one. I really can’t think of a favorite, but I love sneaking in some ’80s R &B whenever I can. DJ Times: What gigs are you currently doing? 2nd Nature: I have two partners that book my corporate and club shows. I’m booked pretty much every weekend for the rest of the year throughout the U .S. A lso a two-week tour of Canada is in the works. I just finished working with the Mountain D ew T our and am working with U nder A rmour this fall. I have shows coming up for the Hennessey T our, and I am really looking forward to working with Common and T he R oots, as well as F antasy F est with D iageo. DJ Times: How has video impacted your career? 2nd Nature: V ideo is everything to me. It’s mostly what I’m known for. I love doing my own remixes still, to include exclusively in my sets, and re-cutting a new video to them. D o I make more money? Yes. I’m doing more studio work, I’m getting better at it. I’m training myself and learning new software everyday. It takes a lot of time. A ll of this work leads to more jobs, whether it’s D Jing or editing. I’m just so blessed to do what I do, and I love it. DJ Times: What content do you

ing-experience years, for sure. T o this day, I use the turntable techniques and use for your shows? creative set skills I learned back then for current club sets and corporate 2nd Nature: A variety of music videos, some of which are the original performances. video, and some I have re-edited. I use movie clips, TV shows, DJ Times: How did you get the name 2nd Nature? youtube videos, self-produced videos and even lmed videos of 2nd Nature: I was having a chat with my buddy Ian and was my own. L ately, I’ve been really into ambient videos, collecting talking about needing a new name. I mentioned that D Jing was V J DVD s, and using plug-ins and other visual effects libraries I’ve “Music like “second nature to me,” and it stuck. purchased over the years. I take all of these elements to create DJ Times: How long have you been using video? one uniform and unique performance. selection 2nd Nature: I’ve been editing video since 1994. I graduated DJ Times: How do you create your own video content? from SCAD /Savannah College of A rt and D esign with a lm de2nd Nature: It’s all a combination of the videos I mentioned is always gree in 1999, and D Jing with video since 2004. above. I really like digging deep into plug-ins, automating them, going to be DJ Times: What’s your day like? or key-framing to the beat. I like chopping videos up and moving 2nd Nature: My day consists of overseeing the daily opthem around with F inal Cut. A ton of experimentation goes into the first thing erations of Second Nature Collective, which include several creating good visuals for me. I have 4 terabytes of visual effects divisions of development such as event production and media that I pull from, plus a ton of tricks up my sleeves! people feel. content design, new music and remix work and, of course, my DJ Times: Which genres do you like to play? The video is D J gigs. Second Nature Collective involves a team of individuals 2nd Nature: House, classic hip-hop, electro, funk, ’80s—you that I collaborate with on a daily basis via video teleconferencing know the deal, everything. I love playing what I love and enjoy, icing on the and real-time access to the team’s computer systems. I spend but I also don’t neglect my crowd/client/audience. A ll in all, I aim my evenings working on audio and video remixes and edits and to please. cake.” whatever client projects that are pending for Second Nature DJ Times: Which artists are big for you now? Collective, which may also include sound designing, song mixing 2nd Nature: It really varies gig to gig. I’ve grown to love and video editing. electro over the past couple years, so I like incorporating it into DJ Times: You’ve been coming to our D J Expo for a long time. my sets. I might go from Missy to D J Kool to Phil Collins to L il What do you get out of it? Wayne to Kings of L eon to A C/D C to Wolfgang Gartner. A ctually, that’s part 2nd Nature: My rst Expo was 1997, I think. I love actually being around of my set from D J Expo, but it’s a great representation of where my head is. people and D Js, face-to-face—that’s the best part about the Expo. So much Honestly, it changes every year for me. business is done now over the computer and phone, just transferring les and DJ Times: How does your background as a vinyl D J impact what you do stuff like that. So getting to reconnect with old colleagues, and meet the D Js now with video? I’ve been in touch with over email or T witter, is always great. 2nd Nature: I think being a D J in general and having rhythm, growing up DJ Times: I always enjoy your sets at the Promo O nly parties. What went listening to good music, and having a “visual mind” is what helps me the most. into it this year? T he comments I get the most from people are how they dig my rhythmic edit2nd Nature: T hanks so much, I love putting them together. T his year’s set ing, and I think that is key with what D Js do in the club. It all comes back to I was focused on showing off my video editing skills more than my D J skills. what a D J’s job is—to move the crowd. V ideo is an addition that has to move I always try to dig up some movie or funny clips to use. I try not to over-do the crowd as well, just in a different way. I guess what I’m saying is, yes, being the funny movie clip thing, and frankly I’m kind tired of it. A t the moment, I’m a D J has helped me immensely with my video skills. A D J is a D J when you get more focused on cool visuals cut nely to the beat—anything to push the (continued on page 42)

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OCTOBER 2009

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By Jeff Stiles A ccording to the social networking site T witter, there is safety in numbers. T he more people you have “following” you, the business concept’s theory goes, the better chance you’ll nd satisfaction in your network of friends. But how good does this networking fad work for business in the D J industry? Can you simply jack up the number of people “following” him/her around, and hope for an increase in sales or client satisfaction?

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

“T witter?” asks Ken Knotts of A ll-O ccasion Entertainment in A naheim, Calif. “Hell no—T witter is a waste of time. I have no interest in reading about someone’s imminent bowel movement or their recent pimple-squeezing episode, nor do I care to be informed of the sender’s hangover that refuses to leave.”

T ell us how you really feel, Ken. A lthough most D Js we surveyed agree that the latest—and quite possibly, the hottest—form of social networking is simply a waste of time for mobile jocks, that doesn’t mean T wittering it isn’t useful for business purposes. In fact, we found several jocks who are nding just that.

“We have recently begun to use T witter and have found it to be surprisingly bene cial,” says Patrick McMichael, business development director for D enon & D oyle Entertainment in Concord, Calif. “I tend to use it mainly to follow the different trade associations that we belong to—ISES, NA CE, WIPA , etc.—and to keep important dates and facts in front of my employees.” Yet Patrick says he recently attended the Eventworld Conference in San F rancisco, where he discovered what he considers to be a very interesting fact that potentially can boost the importance of a D J company using T witter. “F rom A pril 2008 to A pril 2009, T witter’s user percentage has grown over 1,200-percent,” he says. “A s our workforce, and ultimately our industry, continues to diversify and involve technology in our day-to-day work, social networking and media sites like T witter will have a severe impact on our business. It’s important to us that we are innovators in our industry A nd, as such, we tweet.”

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The Latest Social Media Phenomenon Has Inspired DJs to Reach Out and Reap Rewards

“Sales increases come from people knowing your brand and thinking of you when they do need your service. Twitter is a good way to build that brand awareness.” – DJ Sticky Boots

A nd Jason Jani of Sound Connections in T oms R iver, N.J., echoes the sentiments of many of his colleagues when he admits to having a T witter account, but feeling it is way too time-consuming to be used frequently. T witter is a simple—almost too simple—concept. Invite your friends to receive updates of your daily activities, and in turn ask them to share the same. Started as a side project in March of 2006, T witter has grown into a real-time short messaging service that works over multiple networks and devices. “In countries all around the world, people follow the sources most relevant to them and access information via T witter as it happens,” claims the company’s website—“from breaking world news to updates from friends. See what people are doing right now.”

DJ TIMES

Patrick McMichael says it’s important to keep in mind that D enon & D oyle only recently created the company’s T witter presence, as they’ve only been using the service for business purposes for a mere six months. But after speaking with friends in the industry about concerns with mixing business and personal, McMichael says they advised turning what began as a personal account into a corporate account. “Being deeply rooted in the bar and bat mitzvah market, many of our employees are young and hip to the edge of technology,” he says. “Bi-monthly we hold workshops for our disc jockeys, MCs and dancers, and our company has an array of touch points to our employees, including an online calendar, e-mail alerts and phone calls, just to name a few. “However, once T witter came along we saw a serious boost in attendance at these workshops. O ur median age for the bar and bat mitzvah employee is 19 years old—some younger and some older—and this age range can often lends itself to trouble with scheduling and responsibility. But this group, on average, is checking their T witter account three times a day. O nce we began sending workshop updates and invitations via T witter, our attendance boost 30-percent. “It’s a huge difference when you have 20 employees in a room as opposed to 14, and we feel that’s just one way we’ve seen T witter help our business internally.”

OCTOBER 2009

But Chuck Towns, of R ock the F lock Productions in Neenah, Wis., is like most mobile jocks in the U nited States when it comes to the latest in social networking sites. In fact, when it comes to social networking in general, this D J describes himself as more of a dinosaur than most D Js. “I don’t T witter, tweet or text—and I don’t even have an iPhone,” T owns explains. “In fact, I nd smoke signals to be an effective form of communication.”

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DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

O ver on the opposite side of the country, Vincent Velasquez of the Manalapan, N.J.based Hurricane Productions says his company also bases much of his business off social networks, and these days that includes using T witter to pump up excitement and interest in the services his entertainment company can provide. Velasquez says Hurricane utilizes T witter for a three-pronged marketing attack. “F irst of all, we use T witter to promote our blog items to increase links and awareness to banquet halls and vendors, as well as to inform our clients about photos from parties,” he says. “Secondly, we utilize it to promote our videos—even ones we take directly on the iPhone3GS—so that prospective clients can see us as real people as well as entertainers. “A nd nally, two of our entertainers—D J N9NE and D J Strato—use T witter to promote their mixes and where they’ll be D Jing next. F or example, D J N9NE is an upcoming resident D J in A tlantic City.”

“We use Twitter to promote our blog items to increase links and awareness to banquet halls and vendors, as well as to inform our clients about photos from parties. Secondly, we utilize it to promote our videos, so that prospective clients can see us as real people as well as entertainers.” – Vincent Velasquez While F lorida’s JR Silva admits to occasionally tweeting, he says he doesn’t yet participate much on T witter. T he O rlando-based mobile claims he doesn’t like the idea of people following him, plus he says the network makes him feel like he’s always performing for everyone. “A nd I really don’t have a need to tell them what I just ordered at the drive-thru,” he says, “so I’ve been holding back and cherry-picking the times I tweet.”.

L ikewise, Indiana’s DJ Sticky Boots says he uses T witter selectively as an alternative way for this club jock to keep in contact with fans and to develop new business. T his D J says the important thing about using T witter is to promote things selectively, without pushing people away with TMI. “I think T witter is a bit of a fad, and I don’t use it to keep in touch with clients so much as to just give a more personal side to D J Sticky Boots,” explains the South Bend-based D J (aka Blake Eckelbarger). “It lets fans see what I’m doing on a day-to-day basis, and especially on the weekends—where I’m traveling to, where I’m playing and who I’m hanging out with. “My strategy is just to build awareness and interest, rather than conducting hardcore marketing, so that my followers feel like part of a VIP group who are ‘in the know.’ When I’m playing a public event somewhere, I’ll offer guest-list privileges to my followers or fans on F acebook as a thank-you for their loyalty. “Plus, it helps increase my attendance numbers at events, which makes me look good to the owner or promoter.” T he key to using T witter effectively, says Sticky Boots, is to just be fun and candid with followers. T hat way, when and if you do happen to eventually hit them up with a marketing message or a request to do something, they will be sure to listen. “People are interested in the lives of D Js because— right or wrong—they think our lives are more interesting than theirs,” he theorizes. “But they don’t want to follow you if all you do is tell them to buy something, hire you for a party, or check out your website. “Sales increases come from people knowing your brand and thinking of you when they do need your service. T witter is a good way to build that brand awareness, but not really a great tool for direct selling.” n

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9/1/2009 12:19:20 PM

With a Deep Arsenal of Skills, DVDJ Unique Has Taken Video Mixing Nationwide

Trailblazer By Jim Tremayne

OCTOBER 2009

Jay Lopez is one jock who will gleefully testify to the wonders of video. Known professionally as DVDJ Unique, the Miami-based jock has taken his career to another level with his mastery of video mixing on Pioneer’s DVJ-1000 player and SVM-1000 audio/video mixer. Like DJ Creme, Unique’s a former Connecticut mobile and club jock who parlayed his vast DJing skills into a VJ career, one that now includes work as a demonstrator of Pioneer Pro DJ’s range of products. In the past couple years, Unique has helped build his audience with memorable VJ sets at the International DJ Expo’s annual Promo Only/Pioneer party at House of Blues. (His “Bill O’Reilly Do It Live Remix,” which chops and electro- es the cable blowhard’s famous on-air meltdown, was a hit at the ’08 Expo and it remains a YouTube fave.) He’s further raised his pro le as a member the Video Assassins, a confederation of VJs that includes the visionary Roonie G. Unique has also begun to travel nationwide and abroad, so we decided it was time to catch up with the rising 26-year-old DVDJ and talk visuals. DJ Times: How long have you been DJing? Unique: Been doing it for 12 years—I’m 26. I started as a mobile DJ spinning at private parties, weddings, and proms. Around the age of 18, I began to spin at nightclubs. My rst club gig was in Providence, R.I., spinning all house music. Man, I remember having to drive almost three hours each way, every Saturday just to spin. DJ Times: How long have you been using video? Unique: I’ve been at it for four years. I got into video so that I could stand out. I felt con dant enough in my skill and music selection that, if given the opportunity, I could go for it, but I needed to be memorable. I needed the crowd to remember my name, so that I could build a following. I began to use the video to my advantage by creating intros, name drops, and using movie clips to get a big reaction from the crowd. DJ Times: What gigs are you currently doing? Do you have residencies? Unique: I have a few residencies throughout the country. My newest residency is Amnesia in Detroit located inside the Motor City Casino. Also, John Barleycorn, which has two Chicagoland locations—one’s in Schaumburg and the other’s in Wrigleyville. I also spin at Sabor in San Jose, Calif., and Monet Lounge in Providence, R.I. But I’ve been working with Pioneer and Promo Only a lot lately. I spin at their trade shows throughout the country, most recently the Pioneer/Promo Only party at the House of Blues during the DJ Expo in Atlantic City. It was an amazing lineup, which included Pitbull, Deborah Cox, Kim Sozzi, The Paradiso Girls and video DJs 2nd Nature, Kris P and Scotty B. DJ Times: You’ve been coming to the DJ Expo for a long time. What do you get out of it? Unique: I have been attending the DJ Expo way before I became a Pioneer Pro DJ. As a DJ, the Expo is a great place to begin networking with other professionals in the industry. It also gives you the opportunity to meet and greet some famous DJs that you would normally never cross paths with. DJ Times: And now that you’re with Pioneer, you play in their booth at the conventions, but the Promo Only/Pioneer party really puts you front and center. Unique: As a Pioneer Pro DJ, I get a lot of support from all the DJs that attend the show. It’s never easy performing in front of your peers, but everyone at the Expo is very supportive. They all know how much work is put into these performances and appreciate the effort and creativity. DJ Times: How has playing video impacted your career? Unique: Video has impacted my career in a huge way. It has catapulted me into the mainstream market and allowed me to play at clubs all around the world. I’ve spun at the biggest clubs in Vegas, such as ROK Vegas, Studio 54 and Jet, all the way down to concerts in on the islands of Grenada and St. Lucia. DJ Times: It’s more lucrative, I assume?

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Visual

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DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

Unique: Once I started spinning video, I instantly doubled and tripled my area of the country where I’m spinning, I still try to keep true to my prices. Spinning video gives my performance more worth, due to the enterstyle. tainment value it gives your crowd. I do get more gigs, but more importantly DJ Times: Which gear do you use? it is the quality of gigs that I am booking. Larger venues are more likely to Unique: Over the past few years, I’ve changed my rider a few times. install video and hire DVDJs to use their The rst time it changed was when the Pioneer investment to it’s full potential. DVJ-1000 was introduced. Then it changed again DJ Times: What content do you use when the Pioneer SVM-1000 was released. Now DVDJ Unique’s Gig Rider for your shows? with the help of faster computers and larger Club Provides: Unique: I mainly use Promo Only for hard drives, I’ve just added the Serato SL3 box 2 Pioneer CDJ-1000 MK3 or DVJ-1000s (no substitutes) my music-video content, but on occasion to my rider. 1 Pioneer SVM-1000 or DJM-800 (no substitutes) I’ll nd some good videos on Smash Vidz DJ Times: Anything else? 1 Serato SL3 and the Crooklyn Clan website. Other Unique: The mixer and CD/DVD players are 1 Shure Wireless Microphone than music videos, I use a lot of movie always Pioneer, but recently I’ve added a few 1 Audio Monitor (on Left) clips, TV shows, and commercials that I’ll new things. I began to use a Mac Book Pro origi1 Video Preview Monitor mix into my set. It completely changes nally for ArKaos Grand VJ, so I could add some Artist Brings: the way I watch TV. I’m always on the cool visuals and effects to my videos. But now 1 Mac Book Pro lookout for a cool clip or funny outtake. I use it for Serato Video SL. I use a Korg Nano 1 Korg Nano Keyboard It’s kind of like when vinyl was popular MIDI Keyboard that has all my cue-point and 1 Buffalo 1TB External HD and I would dig through crates to find loop in/out points MIDI mapped. The Archos 1 Archos 605 with dock that one dope sample that I couldn’t wait 605 is a mobile DVR that I use to record my live to use. sets at the club. DJ Times: How do you stand out in DJ Times: From your experience, how has today’s VJ market? video mixing evolved? Unique: Yes, in today’s market, every DJ/VJ is starting to sound and look Unique: I think that video is the next step in entertainment. The the same. This is mostly due to the amount of downloading that everyone is transition that DJs are making from audio to video can be compared to doing. In order to continue to stand out, I have to produce a lot of my own the transition that DJs made from turntables to CDs. Plasma and provideos. I use movie clips, movie trailers, TV shows, comedians’ stand-ups, jectors are becoming more affordable and are being installed in more commercials, and I even shoot my own some custom footage. I produce my clubs as standard equipment. The technology we have now is making it videos using all Mac computers running Final Cut Pro, Motion, LiveType and easier to spin video and eventually everyone will be spinning some type Photoshop. of video. DJ Times: What musical material are you playing? DJ Times: And the audience? Unique: The types of music I like to play are high-energy tracks that are Unique: The crowd has been very responsive to the videos. The around 115 to 135 BPM. I try to play remixes of songs that the crowd has people at the bar enjoy the entertainment as they wait for a drink, and never heard before. I’m constantly trying to stand out and, like my namesake, the dance oor loves to glance over at the music video as they dance to be “Unique.” I spend a lot of time looking for new music and even creating their favorite song. some of my own remixes. DJ Times: In your opinion, what are some common mistakes that DJ Times: Which genres are you playing? VJs make? Unique: I’ll play everything from rock to hip hop and electro remixes of Unique: Wow, this is loaded question and I could spend days talking today’s popular tracks. Although the music might change depending on the about it. The most common mistake that video DJs make is related to the quality of the video. As an audio DJ, you wouldn’t play a cassette tape or a 96kbs MP3. Well, the same rules apply for video. You shouldn’t play a YouTube-quality video on a 52-inch plasma or 15-foot foot screen. Spend the time, energy and money on quality videos and it will pay off. DJ Times: Anything else? Unique: Another very common mistake is the amount of “cheese” that you incorporate into your set. We’ve all used cartoons and funny outtakes or “cheese” in our videos, but there is a time and place for it. Too much “cheese” can make you look unprofessional. DJ Times: Which of your DJ/VJ contemporaries impress you now and why? Unique: There are some amazing DJ/VJs that continue to impress me with their creativity. DJ Roonie G and DJ 2nd Nature come to mind. I’m a fan of 2nd Nature’s audio/video production and Roonie G’s energy and stage presence. I’m also a fan of DJ Kris P, DVDJ G-Funk, DJ Don Lynch, DJ Steel and DJ Creme. They all continue to push the limits, which inspires me to come up with new and creative ways to express myself though the videos. DJ Times: You recently moved, right? Unique: I just moved to Miami a few months ago from Las Vegas and, although Sin City was fun, I love the East Coast vibe and the Miami beaches! DJ Times: What’s next for you professionally? Unique: I’ll continue to tour around the country performing at upscale venues. I’ve also been spinning at events like Donald Trump’s birthday party, the X-Games and high-end corporate events. But mainly I’m beginning to break into the Miami scene. Though the nightlife scene is amazing, I feel that the Miami market is the last to see the true potential of what a DVDJ can do. n

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making tracks Studio…hardware…software…

Sony Vegas Pro 9: Super Video Suite

Vegas Pro 9: Ef cient work ow, powerful audio/video tools.

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

By Russ Harris Do my eyes deceive me? Did my laser eye surgery from a year ago suddenly go bad? I just installed the latest edition of Sony’s Vegas Pro 9, and I can see that this ain’t your daddy’s typical upgrade. As a DJ, I’ve been a fan of all of Sony’s products— ACID, Sound Forge, and the CD and DVD Architect lines. With Vegas, I’ve made many of my promotional videos for my DJ company, I’ve produced video montages for my wedding events, and I’ve created my own ambient videos with my name in 3D. I’ve also created many video mixes where I import a premixed set of music and line up the video on top of the music. This has been helpful when I know I will have sensitive eyes in the crowd and can edit out questionable scenes, if necessary. I’ve been using Vegas since its early 3.0 days and have seen it evolve into a pretty robust video editing program over the years. The following review is geared towards a DJ using this program, as I am not a professional video editor, but Vegas is an important tool that I use all the time with my DJ company. First off, if you’ve used previous versions of Vegas, you’ll notice a complete overhaul of the GUI. After many years of being a very light grey, it is now a dark charcoal grey that is much easier on the eyes when staring at a video screen for hours on end. Also, the layout has been rearranged for better work ow. The preview screens are now at the top and the linear work ow tracks are underneath on the bottom half of the screen. Sony has also added a number of various default layouts in case you like to mix things up a bit or want a speci c layout for Audio Mixing or Color Correction. Sony also went in and gave many options now for your keyboard and mouse working together in unison with different combinations while you are editing your projects. If you’re a user of HD files off your HD camcorder, and you want to edit the great footage you got last night at the party and throw it up on

YouTube, Vegas has a great Device Explorer window that allows you to search the contents of your camera’s hard drive instantly whether it’s a AVCHD or XDCAM EX camera. It will import the les directly and natively and you can view each le as its own icon in the window. If you’re using a SDI camera source, Vegas will also capture and compress the les into a MPEG2 easily, so you won’t have to worry about converting the video les externally through a different program. Say your DJ partner wants to work on a video set, but can’t come to your place. Vegas has enhanced “Save As” features that make it easier to save a project (and all of the les associated with it) into a speci c place. This is also great when you need to archive a project and pull it up later for reference or re-editing. A rst in 9.0 is the Non-Quantizing Editing option. Before, when I would line up a video track to sync with an audio track, I would have to deal with the “frame snapping” that would keep the sync slightly off in the nished product. No, that issue is gone and you can now get over dubbing and sync issues taken care of without the limits of the “grid” anymore. One thing I am still hopeful with Sony adding in the future is a Beatmapper tool to Vegas. This would help tremendously with mixing music videos together. I hope one day (maybe in 10.0) that mixing music videos will be as easy as mixing music in ACID, where all you have to focus is on the transitions between the two songs. In earlier versions, HD video clips would drag down the program a bit, with all the processing that the CPU had to deal with. All of those issues are gone now as processors have caught up and the streamlining of the program itself has improved. This is excellent for editing video for Blu-Ray Discs where image quality is something you don’t want to sacri ce. Other improvements in 9.0 include new lighting effects which will help make your titling sparkle with Glint, Rays, Defocus, Starburst, Fill Light and Soft Contrast, all of which can be viewed at Sony’s website.You will be amazed at how easy it will be to have Hollywood-type effects at your ngertips. Say you want that last picture of your video montage to freeze and suddenly have “sunrays” emerge from the bright light in the picture as it fades to black—the choice is yours. Sony’s Vegas Pro 9 will be your cup of tea whether you’re just getting into video editing or if you’re a seasoned pro.Video and audio les of all types—45 different kinds—can easily be dropped in your project. You can render your les into one of 24 different options which make Vegas a perfect converting tool if you ever need to convert a Quicktime .mov into a Windows based .avi le. Say you have an awesome video version of a song and need just the audio for your music collection, you can bring in the video file, save it as an .mp3 le and you’re done! Sony’s Vegas Pro 9 ($699 list) is a must for any DJ that needs to manipulate music or video for their show or company. Of course, the deeper you get into the program, the better your show will be.

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sounding off playback…pro audio…processing

GrandVJ: A Great Video Solution By Rich Cohen

ArKaos’ GrandVJ: Eight channels & effects for live video mixing.

DJs looking to integrate high-quality live visuals in a performance environment need look no further than GrandVJ, ArKaos’ latest VJ product. GrandVJ ($599 list) is a powerful live video-mixing software that has an ease of use that satis es the demands

mode is closest to the earlier Arkaos VJ 3 in looks and operation—and they carry over the familiar keyboard pane that has become distinct to their line of control software. The user interface loads with a single main window that includes two sets of “banks” where clips are stored and mapped for control—one of these b e i n g t h e p rev i ously mentioned keyboard pane. The ease of use with these banks is great. You simply drag a clip, effect, or generator from the browser and drop it either onto the matrix or keyboard bank. Then, it’s ready to trigger whatever has been mapped to the cell. (Cells are where the individual clip is stored. In the keyboard bank, a cell is a single key, which is even clickable on-screen.) All parameters available for the clip or layer can be mapped with MIDI devices. It is this functionality that realizes the full potential of the software, and the latest release is downloadable with some available templates for more common MIDI keyboards and controllers. GrandVJ suppor ts most common le types, including QuickTime, Mpeg2, Mpeg4, Windows Media, Flash animations and controllable texts, even H.264 for higher-quality clips. But it is recommended that clips

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

"Just the Flash animations and generators alone could make anyone's set look dynamic." of the mobile DJ and an array of tools and abilities that will impress any professional VJ or video producer. On startup, a prompt offers a choice between “synth” and “mixer” mode, speci c ways the user can interface with the software. With synth mode, the software operates very much like a visual instrument. With clips mapped to the keyboard or MIDI device, they trigger like a musical note and they overlap, depending on the compositing options that have been preprogrammed to the clip (those options, and any others are editable in real-time as well). Mixer mode allows the user to operate the layer individually, keeping separate layers playing simultaneously to be triggered. It’s closer, in theory, to a hardware mixer—you trigger a layer, not the clip. Visually, the program is similar to earlier VJ programs by ArKaos—synth

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should be rendered with QuickTime’s Photo-jpeg codec for best playback. It is important to note that the less compression a clip has, the better it should work with the application. While optimal for the software, the obvious downside is the disk space necessary for a large project. I tested GrandVJ using a Mac PowerBook G4 with a 1.5 GHz processor and 512 MBs of RAM. The software recommends a system with a minimum of 1 GB of RAM, so some playback issues I noticed I attribute to my system’s inadequacies. When I played with the software in the studio, I found that the more clips I added to the outgoing stream with effects, the slower the frame rate became on playback. I was intentionally pushing the limit to see what would happen and was able to crash the software only on one occasion—I was playing back full eight streams loaded with effects and I was clicking between windows to change parameters when it froze. I actually found this response impressive—it took a lot to make it crash, and again my system isn’t running at their minimum specs. The graphics card in the computer handles the outgoing stream, which optimizes the CPU usage. Of course, the better the graphics card, the better your video will look. In my setup, I used an M-Audio Oxygen8 keyboard to control my mapped settings. I recompressed

footage I already had, to their specs, and went about mapping my controller. It took a good deal of time, but I found it to be very easy and after a few minutes the process became intuitive. After I got a suf cient amount mapped for a small live set, I headed to the venue. That night, one of the bands went long in their sound-check, so my setup time was drastically reduced. After I got my screen up and beamer set, I didn’t have enough time to plug in a backup DVD player. But I was pleasantly surprised to nd that, not only did I not need a backup, I had enough content in my small project to keep material on-screen for several more hours with just using parameter controls to keep it fresh. What if you aren’t a video producer? The software comes bundled with sample content and an extra DVD of material produced by renowned VJs for use with the program. Just the Flash animations and generators alone—content that responds to audio input—could make anyone’s set look quite dynamic. The clips that come bundled are somewhat generic images that one might see in any club with a screen. However, by using effect parameters and overlays, anything could be manipulated into a unique image. I showed this software to several musician friends of different backgrounds to gauge their enthusiasm about whether or not this was something they would use, and they were all excited about having something that would respond in real-time to their input. Overwhelmingly, I heard that, if they couldn’t afford to hire a VJ, this program would easily provide the kind of visual stimulation that has been commonplace at so many of today’s shows. Like any other program or hardware, it requires a little practice to familiarize oneself with the full package. You’ll need time to set up a sequence or project to correspond directly to whatever controller is being used. But once that’s done, the limitation is only with the artist. You just have to go out and shoot something cool. Nice work, ArKaos.

9/1/2009 12:42:34 PM

OCTOBER 2009

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9/1/2009 12:42:37 PM

mobile profile careers…innovations…success stories

By Miles Burke

Jersey DJ Goes Recession-Proof

Cherry Hill, N.J.—From the end of January until the end of June, Rick Goldenberg would pick up his cell phone and call his business line. “That’s how dead it was,” he says. “I had to call my business line to make sure it was Fortunately, since the end of June, Goldenberg, owner of The DJ Connection, 20 minutes outside of Philadelphia, has seen an uptick. “It’s been very encouraging,” he says. “People always ask me, ‘Does the economy affect the Mitzvah market?’ I say, sure. We’re accustomed to booking mitzvahs two and three years out. Now, people are booking in the short term, booking six months in advance. My autumn calendar had been dead, but within the last month all of a sudden it’s lling up. That’s never happened—in 20 years, that’s never happened.” Goldenberg also points out that, like his peers in the wedding market, clients are not only booking closer to their dateof-event, but they’re also scaling back on upsells. “And I’m also hearing that a lot of mitzvah clients, instead of spending thousands of dollars on a mitzvah, are instead taking a trip to Israel for a week or two.” According to Goldenberg—who describes Cherry Hill shopping centers as places where many stores are shuttered— clients are also holding on to their deposits because they’re afraid that whatever company they do hire won’t be in business a

Rick Goldenberg has been in the DJ game since 1983.

been years since I’ve taken a weekday job for $300. But you know what? If you want to keep cash ow, and you happen to not be booked on a weekday or weekend, take the event. It’s better than nothing.” Nowadays, if you ask Goldenberg what his full-time job is, he’ll tell you point-blank: “I network, 24/7. Last week I went to six different networking events. It works. I’m in BNI, [Business Networking International], and each chapter has one of each type of profession—one lawyer, one electrician, etc. And we have meetings once a week. I’m booking business from it. What you want to do, especially in times like this, is to keep your face in front of people. Sometimes it might overlap, with people seeing you time and time again, but quite frankly, you want them to get sick and tired of seeing you.” Essentially a leads group, BNI members meet and everyone gives a 30-second commercial about their business, and then two different people give a slightly longer 10-minute presentation. “At the end of the meeting we pass referrals around,” he says. “It’s a bona- de hot lead, if you need a lawyer or an electrician or a marketing professional.” And a mitzvah jock?

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

“If you want to keep cash flow, and you happen to not be booked on a weekday or weekend, take the event. It’s better than nothing.” few months down the line. The solution? “You have to take steps back and do things you did 20 years ago,” he says. “Doing promotional events, for example, that you stopped doing a while ago to get your face in front of people. Doing less expensive parties—not dropping prices, because when you drop prices, when the economy recovers it’ll take you a few years to get back to your ideal price point. But as an example, it’s

“And a mitzvah jock,” laughs Goldenberg, who says 90-percent of his business is mitzvahs, middle-to-high end. “Normally I have a DJ, an MC, party favors, contest prizes, DJ booth and lights. But with the economy the way it is, I’ve developed another package—a two-person mitzvah package. No-frills MC and an assistant, party favors and contest prizes, with a different DJ booth and a sound system that’s easier to carry in and carry out. It’s been great for high-end clients, where the breadwinner is out of work, say, and they want the bells and whistles, but they’ve got to cut back on budget.” Goldenberg, born in the Cherry Hill area, started DJing professionally in 1983, after graduating from American University, where he rst got the “bug”—in the radio booth. “So I’ve technically been doing this since 1978,” he says. “It’s all Tony Perkins’ fault.” Perkins, the former weatherman on “Good Morning America” and a college friend, took Goldenberg, a self-described “quiet type of guy,” down to the radio station one day and told him he should get behind the mic. “I said, ‘Yeah, right.’ But I started doing it and I liked it.” But Goldenberg, a business and communications major whose family owned a ooring store in South Jersey, also had an eye for business, and had no interest getting involved in the radio game. “I like the idea of radio,” he says, “and if someone wanted to offer me a part-time radio job, I would grab it in a heartbeat for no pay. But it’s too unstable to make a living, and I also need to be in front of people.” To weather the economy, Goldenberg has also been booking weekday gigs at nursing homes. “And it’s awesome.” And he’s waiting for another large part of his business—corporates—to bounce back. And that prompts a great sh story. “Last year before the crash, I did an event for a pharmaceutical company,” he recalls. “I had done a mitzvah for their events coordinator’s son, and she called me saying the company needed somebody to get carnival games for an event they were doing in Philly. I told them I could do it. DJing wasn’t even on their list, and after weeks of going back and forth I wound up upselling them—to the tune of more than $20,000.” Goldenberg relishes the memory. “Only $1,200 of that was DJ entertainment,” he says.“I bought in stilt walkers, and Wii games, prizes, you name it. I kept myself in their face. Those days will come back again.”

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9/1/2009 4:37:32 PM

business line sales…marketing…solutions…

Future Shock: Top Wedding Trends for 2010 By Con Carney

A famous marketer once said that three words de ne all successful marketing campaigns: Strategy, strategy and strategy. That said, through several online polls and a survey of DJs, catering executives and other wedding vendors, we’ve arrived at a list of wedding trends for 2010 for you to absorb when devising your marketing plans for the next year. The key here is to be aware of these trends and to describe to your couple the solutions that you provide, and how those solutions will bene t them. Back to Basics Because of the economy, which expects a slow recovery beginning this fall, wedding events will continue to scale back on the glamour and focus more on details, the foundation of the event. Consequently, you might want to consider spending more on the lasting memories than the showmanship of the event. How? This might be a good time to sell photo or video montages, upsells that emphasize the couple’s emotional connection. This is why brides, according to our research, are spending more on photography than they are on owers. Couples will also continue to spend a little more time (and money) honeymooning, which might be a good reason to incorporate vacation packages into your DJ offerings. Why not treat your local travel agent as a fellow vendor? Work with them. Refer them to your brides and grooms and negotiate a commission, or, rather, trade with them as a referral base.

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

Home Weddings With so many 401Ks taking a hit in the last year, parents of the bride and groom have less money in the till for a wedding. As a result, many weddings have migrated to the backyard. This means you should concentrate on personalizing the wedding day experience for your couple. In many ways, it’s harder to DJ a small event than a larger one. Let your couple know you’re aware that smaller-size guest lists means more intimate settings, and that your service is perfectly poised to provide it.

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Big Day Butter Cream New culinary techniques now allow for butter cream to look as smooth as fondant when applied by a skilled artist. Brides and grooms now have the option of better avor, more natural ingredients, and less costly cakes without lacking design. How does this help your DJ business? Well, it doesn’t, directly, but letting your bride and groom know that you’re aware of such wedding minutia helps establish you

as an authority in your eld, and will assist you when trying to upsell other services to your couple. Return of the Favor The same theory applies to party favors as it does to butter cream—personalized appreciation is back. The effect that this has on an event is more noticeable than ever, so the importance of a favor has increased exponentially. Suggest to your couple that in order to fully appreciate those in attendance— and to not make it seem like it’s just an afterthought—they should consider using local artisans, locally grown products, personal mementos, or a donation to a local charity or college fund as party favors.

Nearby Destinations ”Nearby destination” weddings exist on the same side of the coin as “stay-cations,” and they’re grabbing market share from exotic and far-off locales. The ever-popular destination wedding will never die, of course, but guests will be more than happy to scale back by attending a wedding within driving distance. One DJ we spoke with packages deals with his local AAA and area hotels, so couples can create a weekend and guests get an escape (a “stay-cation”). It’s no different than most of your weddings, but by packaging it as a “special,” or “recession-buster,” you’re articulating bene ts to your couple. And in our book, that’s a win-win.

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#-9

Green Me Many couples, young and old, are expressing a desire to reduce their carbon imprint. Demonstrate to your couple you’re just as eco-conscious at Leo DiCaprio. See what your fellow vendors are doing in the green category: are they cleaning green, composting, using solar, refusing to use oasis in oral arrangements, reducing catering waste? Are you using solar LED? Once you aggregate this information, sell it to your couple. When you’re competing with another DJ in your price range, it might tip the scale in your favor—in other words, thinking green can lead to green. It’s no longer about making the event appear “organic”—it’s about demonstrating to the couple that you’re aware of how things are made and disposed of. Video Integration into Events We’ve all seen the photomontages of a couples’ childhood during dinner, but the next phase in video at their event will come in several different forms. For a while now, video DJs allow guests to dance to music videos; increasingly, DJs broadcast the ceremonies on screen so guests can a better view it from the back; time-lapse photography is being shot and integrated into video for montages, too. Set up a crane camera and project the event as it unfolds on screens around the dance oor. HD Video Attention all DJs who are also providing video: Videographers have already gone hi-def. But next year all or most will make such a transition, making HD and even Blu Ray the norm in wedding videography. What’s the benefit to your couple? Smaller cameras on site, less intrusion at their event, and an all-around better (though more costly) option on the big day. Visual Combinations More than ever, cameras come equipped with more bells and whistles—like the Canon 5D Mark II DSLR with HD video capabilities included. If you aren’t already, you should be working with your fellow video and photographer vendors and providing their product on your website, using Flickr or YouTube. Use this as an upsell to tech-savvy couples who wish to capture every moment of their day and then share it in social media on the Internet. They will feel a lot hipper, and you’ll be providing them and their guests with an enhanced visual experience—plus, you’ll be able to use their wedding as a marketing tool on your site.

9/1/2009 12:42:43 PM

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#-9

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gear Audio…lighting…stuff

On The FlexDOT Martin Professional 700 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway Sunrise, FL 33325 (954) 858-1800 www.martin.com

SDJ2 DLS S-MCPS

FlexDOT S1 LED video displays come in DMX512-controllable strings sporting 100 LED pixels. Each pixel is “driven by its own processor and individually addressable for independent control of color, special effects, and animation,” according to the company. The strings offer a wide operating temperature range so that it can be used both indoors and outdoors. The string’s length can be altered and custom pixel spaced strings are also available. ELEV8R SYSTEM

Apple of My Eye Apple 1 In nite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 996-1010 www.apple.com

The latest version of Logic Studio offers upgrades to both Logic Pro and MainStage, as well as more than 200 new features. Among them are a new set of Flex Time tools for manipulating the timing and tempo of the audio. Flex Time lets users move recorded tracks between different Logic projects and match them together, even if they were performed at different tempos. Also included is a Playback plugin that lets users perform with pre-recorded drums, sound effects and more.

PA PACKAGE 2X

Seven Year Itch Rane Corporation 10802 47th Avenue West Mukilteo WA 98275 (425) 355-6000 www.rane.com

Serato ITCH 1.1 DJ software offers a host of new features, including a History feature that keeps comprehensive records of every track played during every gig, and exports those sessions to txt, csv and m3u les; the Loop Roll looping feature that lets users “activate a loop on any track with a valid BPM;” and ITCH support for promotional audio les, which gives DJs free access to new promotional releases through whitelabel.net.

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

Bible Belt Spinningbooks Publishing Connealle 54b 2531 Ubach-Palenberg Germany +49 241 5183 081 www.traktorbible.com

The Traktor Pro Bible offers information on Native Instruments’ Traktor Pro and Traktor Scratch Pro, organized so that all information on the same topic can be found in one chapter. Many of the chapters offer tutorials with step-by-step explanations of Traktor’s features, and the company says the “selection and the weighting of topics were strongly in uenced by research in the Traktor user forum on the Native Instruments website.”

CK1000 SYSTEM

Bundle Up American Audio 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 582-2650 www.americanaudio.us

American Audio’s Factory Bundle Systems are available in CD and MP3 formats and come in a heavy-duty case. There are four packages available. The PA Package #2X includes a mixer with 99 digital effects and 12 line inputs, as well as two speakers, speaker stands, and rack mounting kits. The SDJ2 DLS Speaker and Media Card Player System Bundle come with an SDJ2 Media Player with built-in mixer, plus two 15-inch speakers. Included in the Elev8t-R System Bundle are two Radius 1000 CD/MP3 players with full MIDI control and a MX1400 Professional Mixer, while the CK 1000 DLS System Bundle includes a dual CD/ MP3 player with a two-channel mixer and two DLS 15P speakers.

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gear Audio…lighting…stuff

Emotionally Nady Nady Systems 6701 Shellmound Street Emeryville, Ca 94608 (510) 652-2411 www.nady.com

The SMPS-USB and SMPS-2X are two new phantom power supply units from Nady. The SMPS-USB offers 48V DC phantom power for condenser mics and features balanced XLR mic inputs and outputs, a USB audio interface, and compatibility with both PC and Mac. The SMPS-2X offers all of the same features except it includes two balanced XLR mic inputs and outputs.

Apogee Electronics Corp. 1715 Berkeley St. Santa Monica, CA 90404 (310) 584-9394 www.apogeedigital.com

GiO is an audio interface and foot controller for Macs. It features an unbalanced high impedance instrument input, MIDI Expression pedal input, and stereo output for headphones, powered monitors or an instrument ampli er. The controller works with Apple’s Logic Studio and GarageBand ’09, and connects to the computer via USB. Additional features include ve Stompbox buttons, ve Transport control buttons, and two Previous/Next preset select buttons.

Scorpion King Chauvet Lighting 3000 N. 29th Court Hollywood, FL 33020 (800) 762-1084 www.chauvetlighting.com

The Scorpion Storm RGX effect laser creates “a unique star field with many patterns” with the help of 30mW green and 80mW red laser modules, as well as a 114degree coverage angle. It operates in sound active, automatic via master/slave or DMX mode, and can be daisy chained at 120 volts.

Native Instruments calls its AUDIO 2 DJ “the world’s smallest SB audio interface for DJs,” its size described as similar to a deck of cards. The bus-powered unit sports dual stereo outputs, 24bit/96kHz Cirrus Logic converters, low-latency drivers for Windows and Mac OS X, and high-output amps that deliver a +9.7dBu audio signal. The unit, which also comes with RCA break-out cables, is designed with the travelling DJ in mind.

DJ TIMES

Native Instruments North America 5631 Hollywood Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90028 (866) 556-6487 www.native-instruments.com

OCTOBER 2009

In My Pocket

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gear Audio…lighting…stuff

Living in the Presenter Instant Video Presenter c/o ej4, LLC 12125 Woodcrest Executive Drive Suite 300 St. Louis, MO 63141 (877) 682-9964 www.instantvideopresenter.com

Cash and Carry

Instant Video Presenter is a software application that creates professional newsroom-style videos without the need for a post production process, compression, or editing. The software uses “chroma-key” and “green-screen” technology to capture its images and upon completion of the video, les can be emailed, uploaded, or burned to CD.

EXTREME

SOUND

SKB Cases 434 West Levers Place Orange, CA 92867 (714) 637-1252 www.skbcases.com

The 3I-1813-5B-N Injection Molded Laptop Case from SKB sports a recessed foam cutout on the bottom for power supply, cables and accessories. There is also a leather organizer in the lid, plus a rigid fold down cover with compression foam that protects the laptop during travel. It’s made out of polypropylene copolymer resin and features a continuous molded-in hinge, trigger release latches and a snapdown rubber over-molded cushion grip handle.

Take Me to the Pilot American DJ 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (800) 322-6337 www.americandj.com

The Palm Copilot is a touch-sensitive, eight-channel handheld on/off controller designed speci cally for DJs. It can work with either an external power supply or a 9V DC battery. The unit comes with a threepin DMX output connector and a DB-9 analog connector. Additional features include power failure memory, a Touch Tone feature, and a 10-way dip switch setting on the rear panel.

THE WORLD’S SMALLEST USB DJ AUDIO INTERFACE

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

www.native-instruments.com/a2dj

The Software Parade Stanton Magnetics 3000 SW 42nd Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 (954) 316-1500 www.stantondj.com

New software updates are available for Stanton’s SCS.1 and SCS.3 product lines. The updates include DaRouter, Stanton’s MIDI and system control software that “allows the SC System controllers the ability to send and receive information from host applications,” according to the company. Users get new pitch slider control logic, quick switching between presets, and deck select logic for assigning multiple physical decks to the same deck. Additionally, there are updates to the mixer presets, including Transport for scrubbing, pitch control, sync control, and pitch bends; Loop/beat jump for looping, moving and beat jumps; and FX1 and FX2, which allows FX selection by name.

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OCTOBER 2009

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9/1/2009 12:43:18 PM

grooves tracks…mixes…compilations

“Feels like Singing”

 Marc Picchiotti  Blueplate Another big vocal stormer from Mr Absolute. All tastes are covered with mixes featuring big pianos and tougher interpretations, complete with old-school stabs.

– Curtis Zack Southern Fried & Tested 2

Danny Krivit

718 Sessions Danny Krivit  Nervous Deep, soulful vocal tunes like Louie Vega’s “That’s What Love Is” and Kings Of Tomorrow’s “Another Day” ow into vibrant disco cuts like BT Express’s “Peace Pipe” and super-groovy dance oor thumpers like Freddy Turner’s “Spread Love.” Sweet.

– Shawn Christopher “Better”

 Angela Johnson  Libero Vocalist Johnson shows pure class on this Micky More-produced number. As soulful as house gets, this is a beautiful piece of music.

– Curtis Zack

Nathan Detroit  Southern Fried This comp takes the label’s past 15 years and condenses 67 of the best Southern Fried tracks into a slammin’ mini-mix for the A.D.D. Generation—Crookers, Riva Starr, Dusty Kid and more.

– Joe Bermudez “Work For Money”

 Juan Atkins & DJ Kimyon feat. Tricia  All About Tricia brings a vintage garage vocal and Lars Behrenroth’s dub drops a lush synth intro that becomes a light tribal workout. Dimitri Max drops a funky electro mix that manages to retain its ’90s house style.

– Phil Turnipseed “Pack Yo Bags”

 Alexander East  Chillin Music Soulful house. The haunting keys

Paul Oakenfold

Mark Picchiotti

and bouncy minimal groove on the original mix are simple, but effective. “Diem’s Remix,” with its chunky drums and spacey electro keys, get trippy and sexy.

– Phil Turnipseed

Dirty Vegas and Mark Trophy and great new mixes from Bart B. More and Koen Groeneveld. And check Garraud’s special mixes for “Miami is BS” and “No Techno Is This Room Please.”

– Joe Bermudez “Handle It”

 Tarantulaz  Curious Records

Perfecto Vegas

Urgent keys, soulful vocal melodies and a slick, catchy hook re up this ultra-bouncy houser. The club mix offers heavy, chugging beats and climactic breaks. Scott Wozniak serves up some killer keys and a bright party vibe, while Jojo Flores and Joe DiPadova take a more techy approach.

 Paul Oakenfold  Thrive A slice of Oakie’s Vegas residency at The Palms’ Rain nightclub. This energetic mix offers uplifting vocals (The Fraction “Awaken”), techier trance sounds (Barry Jay’s “Infused”) and big-room electro (Joey Modus & Kazell’s “Slack Jaw”), offering a glimpse of one of America’s hottest nights out.

– Shawn Christopher

– Joe Bermudez Toolroom Knights

 Joachim Garraud  Toolroom Records This 2-CD set offers 30 of the best techno and electro tracks you’ll nd. You get label staples that from

“The Place For My Heart”

 Danielle Bollinger  Bill Friar Entertainment Bollinger’s amazing voice shines on remixes by Constantine, DJ JST, and

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

Download

Corner

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Each month in this space, DJ Times digs through the virtual crates to give you a quick sample of the plethora of extraordinary tracks available exclusively on legal download—care of our favorite nextgeneration “record” stores (e.g. Beatport, iTunes, etc). “Take Me” (D-Formation Remix) by Lance D [Mecha]: Every sound is selected with an expert ear; D-Formation turns in an utterly expressive, deeply moving track. It might sound best in the cavernous afterhours spots, but its progressive leanings, striking vocal, and slow burning break—complete with a breathtaking key change—will ll any oor! Found at beatport.com. “The DJ” (Deetron Remix) by DJ Hell feat. P. Diddy [International Deejay Gigolo]: Deetron edits the outlandish P. Diddy vocals down to manageable chunks and serves up a “French Kiss”inspired epic remix that starts deep, but quickly turns nasty with the addition of a never-ending growling bassline. The mix meanders a bit in the end, but Mr. Diddy speci cally called for the long version. Found at beatport.com. “Psycho Thrills” (Aniki’s Thrill Ride Remix) by Cicada [Critical Mass]: Yes, I’ve heard electro is dead, but don’t tell that to Cicada or Aniki. He takes the cheeky vocal for an over-the-top and in-your-face ride and produces a monster—manic, distorted breakbeats, banging bass, stutter edits, and a break that’s so ridiculous that you’d better be sure you’re crowd is capable of keeping up! Found at beatport.com. – Robert LaFrance

9/1/2009 12:43:25 PM

grooves tracks…mixes…compilations

Mike Borders. The fave is Border’s mix, which brings mainstream feel for radio DJs.

– Dave Fairman “Losing The Dog” EP

DJ Hell

 Pete Dafeet  Artizan Music

Joachim Garraud

This one gets deep. A moody bassline, echo-pads and effects reverberate all around—an EP perfectly suited to those late-night moments.

– Curtis Zack “Don’t Go”

 Panevino  Panevino This is the kind of standard vocal fare that Panevino produces so very well and, like much of his work, it’s instantly likeable. In addition to the vocal mixes, there’s a killer dub that sounds better the louder it gets.

– Curtis Zack “Any Love”

 Izzy Stardust  Just For Fun After the success of DJ Meme’s cover, it’s now the turn of Martin Brodin to take on the Chaka Khan classic. A much tougher offering, this should be massive. – Curtis Zack “A Better Place”

 Random Soul  Barcoda Australians Yogi & Husky drop a terri c summertime offering. Acoustic guitar and great vocals form the basis here. Able mixes from Central Avenue and Vincent Kwok round it out.

– Curtis Zack “Get Down”

 Sly  LoveHouse Jeremy Sylvester returns with a classic house groove that gets instant reaction. Devastating drums underpin chunky synths and vocal samples, giving this an excellent vibe. – Curtis Zack “Viral” EP

 Dekata Project  Doshi Wa Produced by Zed Bias and featuring the sultry vocals of Sam Sharp, this four-tracker offers four cuts to pick from. “Leave It” takes the spoils, though the others ain’t far behind. – Curtis Zack Hercules-DJtimes.indd 1

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9/1/2009 12:43:31 PM

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DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

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Moog Music

Native Instruments

Numark

C-III

Palms/N9NE Group

Pioneer Pro DJ

C-II

Promo Only

Rane

Sirius|XM

Sony Creative Software

Video Assassins

Virtual DJ

Zulubeatz/Pay up/Final Level/The Union Music

While every care is taken to ensure that these listings are accurate and complete, DJ Times does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors.

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DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2009

DJs everywhere.

39 9/1/2009 PMAM 5/11/200912:43:59 11:43:28

Profile: Z-Trip

20 of 20 Real Name: Zach Sciacca Alias: Z-Trip Home: Los Angeles Age: 38

Profession: DJ, remixer, producer, snowboarder Affiliations: DJ Hero, Soul Kitchen, Shepard Fairey/ Obey, Hellrazor Hobby: Sleeping Last Book Read: “The Complete Master Cleanse”

By Tom Woloshyn

Last Film Seen: “Food, Inc.” Claim To Fame: Eclectic turntable wizard, just voted “America’s Best DJ 2009”

Latest Accomplishment: I just finished a 10day master cleanse—lost 14 pounds, feel great. Greatest Accomplishment: Making a living doing what I love to do and not having to compromise my musical taste to do so. Opening for The Rolling Stones in front of 450,000 people. Favorite Quote: “The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side,” Hunter S. Thompson. Why I Do What I Do: I do this for the music, the feeling it gives me. I also love the feeling of turning people onto new or different music when they least expect it. MP3, CD, or Vinyl: All formats, all the time. One Tune That Never Leaves Your Record Box: “Pakard” by Plastikman. I’ll only break this

out if the crowd really deserves it. I played it at the end of my set at the last Detroit Electronic Music Festival.

My Big Musical Project For 2009 Is: Hellrazor. Best Gig Moment: There truly are too many to name, but my Bonnaroo/lighter moment stands out as a memorable one. I will forever leave the clip up on myspace (www.myspace.com/djztrip). Worst Gig Moment: I try to forget. Profile: Before being voted America’s Best DJ in 2009,

Z-Trip was recognized as an early leader in the mash-up movement. A gifted turntablist, Z-Trip can entertain almost any crowd—he’s opened for the Rolling Stones and played with jam bands at the Bonnaroo Festival. The L.A.-based jock was also featured heavily in Doug Pray’s terrific documentary, Scratch. His 2005 artist album, Shifting Gears, featured cameos from Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and Jurassic 5’s Soup. He broke out a decade ago with Uneasy Listening, Vol. 1, a limited-edition mixtape collab with DJ P that caught the attention of critics, fans and other DJs—it remains a hot eBay item. Now an in-demand global DJ, Z-Trip continues to amaze fans and other DJs alike with his skills and deep, eclectic approach to music. He’s richly deserves the title: America’s Best DJ.

I STARTeD ReADING DJ TIMeS IN: THe eARLY ’90S.

DJ Times: Fits every Profile C E L E B R AT I N G 2 0 Y E A R S

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9/1/2009 12:44:03 PM

Compiled As Of August 29, 2009

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 Livvi Franc Kristinia DeBarge David Guetta Kaci Battaglia Wynonna AnnaGrace Black Eyed Peas Lionel Richie Jessica Jarrell Chrisette Michele Cascada Ashley Tisdale Pussycat Dolls V Factory Miami Star sh F/Jermaine Lasgo Ameerah Utada De-Grees VS Real Boo Daisy Groove State Gia Bella Perry Twins F/Niki H Naturi Naughton Alyson Letoya Britney Spears Lady Gaga Jan Wayne Vs. Raindr Marcie F/ Mike Rizzo Ciara F/Justin Timbe Andrew Spencer VS La Wideboys F/ Dennis G Rico Bernasconi India Arie Kathy Phillips Anjulie Whibby White Alex Sayz F. L. Alex

Waking Up In Vegas (RMX) Now I’m That Bitch Goodbye When Love Takes Over Crazy Possessive (RMX) Sing (RMX) Let The Feelings Go Boom Boom Pow Just Go Armageddon Epiphany (I’m Leaving) Evacuate The Dance oor It’s Alright, It’s Ok Hush Hush; Hush Hush Love Struck Clothes Off! Gone The Sound Of Missing You Come Back To Me Apologize Everytime Do You Want My Love Back It Up Bad Bad Boy Fame 09 Sticky Sticky She Ain’t Got Radar Love Game Numb (The Mixes) Midnight Love Sex Magic Here Without You Sambuca Love Deep Inside Therapy If This Is Love Love Songs Never Too Much Shame On Me

National Urban Pool Chart

Capitol Jive Island Astralwerks Curb Curb Robbins Interscope Island Mercury Def Jam Robbins Warner Brothers Interscope Warner Brothers Groove Factory Robbins Robbins Island Capp Robbins Play Lab Xtreme Perry Twins Music Lakeshore PM Media Capitol Jive Interscope Capp EsNtion LaFace Capp Next Plateau Capp Universal Republic Next Plateau Concord Pandemonium 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

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

Letoya Lolene Vanessa Williams Pepper Mashay Sarah McLeod Annick Cascada Anjulie Rico Bernasconi Naturi Naughton

She Ain’t Got Sexy People The Real Thing Freeway Of Love Tell You Story Walkin’ Wonder Evacuate The Dance oor Love Songs Love Deep Inside Fame 09

Waking Up In Vegas (RMX) Capitol Now I’m That Bitch Jive Goodbye Island When Love Takes Over Astralwerks Crazy Possessive (RMX) Curb Sing (RMX) Curb Let The Feelings Go Robbins Boom Boom Pow Interscope Just Go Island Armageddon Mercury Epiphany (I’m Leaving) Def Jam Evacuate The Dance oor Robbins It’s Alright, It’s Ok Warner Brothers Hush Hush; Hush Hush Interscope Love Struck Warner Brothers Clothes Off! Groove Factory Gone Robbins The Sound Of Missing You Robbins Come Back To Me Island Apologize Capp Everytime Robbins Do You Want My Love Play Lab Back It Up Xtreme Bad Bad Boy Perry Twins Music Fame 09 Lakeshore Sticky Sticky PM Media She Ain’t Got Capitol Radar Jive Love Game Interscope Numb (The Mixes) Capp Midnight EsNtion Love Sex Magic LaFace Here Without You Capp Sambuca Next Plateau Love Deep Inside Capp Therapy Universal Republic If This Is Love Next Plateau Love Songs Concord Never Too Much Pandemonium Next Plateau Shame On Me

Most Added Tracks Capitol Capitol Concord Capp Next Plateau ISV Robbins Concord Capp Lakeshore

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Kentrell Mullage Platinum Boy FCJ F/J R. Kelly F/Keri Hils Jay-Z Tearra Marie F/ Flo- Jeremih R.Kelly F/OJ DA Juic Mariah Carey Young Money

Encore Trick’n Ur Daughter Fell... Number One D.O.A. Cause A Scene Imma Star Supaman High Obsessed Every Girl

Jive Jive Platinum Boy Jive Rock-a-fella Warner Brothers Def Jam Jive Columbia Universal

Looking for these titles? You can hear them and buy them at www.dancekings.com. Just click on the links in the chart. ''. KDV OLPLWHG PHPEHUVKLSV DYDLODEOH IRU TXDOL¿HG '-V LQ WKH 86 :H VHUYLFH &'V DQG 03 V LQ GDQFH DQG XUEDQ IRUPDWV )HHGEDFN DQG PHPEHUVKLS GXHV UHTXLUHG

048OC09_p001-044.indd 41

DJ TIMES

✦ Masspool R - Revere, MA; Gary Canavo ✦ OMAP - Washington, DC; Al Chasen ✦ Central Ohio - Columbus, OH; Fred Dowdy ✦ NW Dance Music - Seattle, WA; John England ✦ Philly Spinners Assoc. - Cherry Hill, NJ; Fred Kolet ✦ Pittsburgh DJ - Pittsburgh, PA; Jim Kolich ✦ Soundworks - San Francisco, CA; Sam Labelle ✦ New York Music Pool - Levittown, NY; Jackie McCloy ✦ Dixie Dance Kings - Alpharetta, GA; Dan Miller ✦ Hawaii DJ Association - Honolulu, HI; Kevin Okada ✦ Rickett’s Record Pool - Saddle Brook, NJ; Bill Rickett ✦ Paci c Coast - Long Beach, CA; Steve Tsepelis

OCTOBER 2009

Reporting Pools

45791 41

9/1/2009 12:44:07 PM

Jeff Heart

Grand Wizard Theodore’s special set

DJ 2nd Nature (continued from page 14)

down to it. You just have to add that visual layer. DJ Times: Which gear do you use? 2nd Nature: I started on the Pioneer DVJs. They really helped push my career and creativity. Pioneer really was a “pioneer,” and the DVJ was my tool. I now use Serato for the music videos, and I’m learning Modul8 [VJ software]. Basically, my setup is two Technics 1200s, a Pioneer DJM-800 or a Rane TTM-57SL mixer, two MacBook Pros running Serato and Modul8, an Edirol V8 video mixer, and an Akai MPD24 to control Serato. And I’m changing and tweaking the rig every day. I switched back to turntables to really get a feel for

playing on vinyl again. Really, to be compatible with every club you have to be able to play on any kind of gear, so it’s good to be exible. DJ Times: Why do you think video is the future for DJs? How do audiences accept it? 2nd Nature: Music will always come first for the DJ—period. Every set I create or plan for, music is my first go to. But, video gives me another level. It gives me something that sets me apart. And most importantly, it gives the audience a whole new way to experience music, in a club or just view it on the web. To see a dancefloor surrounded by video and the crowd feeling the music and visually experiencing the screens is amazing. DJ Times: Are there do’s and

Freedom Williams at Promo Only Party

MediÁmix-Studios.com

Jeff Heart

(continued from page 3) Pitbull at House two panels at the Expo, "Negotiating the of Blues New Economy: How DJs Stay Ahead" and "Winning Over New Clients." "I received a mountain of business cards after my seminars," he says, "and when I compared the business cards I received this year with the stack I had from previous years, it was surprising to nd not many duplications. And in speaking with some of the vendors, they all said that despite the economy, there was great optimism and activity on the trade show oor and the post show sales that are still occurring today." And what would an Atlantic City Expo be without its winners? Steve Moody was one of the many at this year’s show. The Marylandbased mobile won this year’s “DJ of the Year” competition. Additionally, Ohio jock Jeff Dick of Abracadabra Entertainment won the Ultimate DJ Getaway (a 2010 Florida cruise from Whet Party host Travel and GCI Technologies). Derrick Johnson Mike Walter of Groove Entertainment—also a Master Chief

Petty Of cer in the U.S. Navy—had his name pulled for the Ultimate DJ Giveaway, a raf e which included products from American DJ, Beamz, Crown, Denon DJ, JBL Pro, Pioneer Pro DJ, Promo Only, and Rane. “DJ Expo 2009 was the best one we’ve had since the post-9/11 economic crash,” says Karl Detken of Pioneer Pro DJ. “We were braced for the worse, but we were pleasantly surprised.” Denon’s Karl Gustafson concurs: “More than any other year in the past, this year’s attendees spanned a much wider age group, which is extremely encouraging in terms of bringing new customers into the market. It was a great show.” Tune in next month for full Expo coverage or please visit djtimes. Denon booth on show oor. com/djexpo. n Jeff Heart

Expo

don’t for a VJ playing to a crowd? 2nd Nature: Again, music comes first, video second. Don’t get me wrong, video can be very important, but the music selection is always going to be the rst thing people feel. The video is icing on the cake. People come to a club to dance, they to a theater to watch movies all night. So it’s a ne line, and the line is still being gured out. DJ Times: Which DJ/VJs impress you now and why? 2nd Nature: Eclectic Method, Magic Mike, Monk, DJ Spider, Mr. Best, Steve1der, and Don Lynch. I might be biased, but these guys are close friends and I’m lucky to work with them. They all are pushing video forward in completely different ways. Google them right now.

DJ Times: What’s next for you? 2nd Nature: I just finished producing the video and visuals for Big Boi, of Outkast, on the “Rock The Bells” tour. Music production is going great. DL Jones and I are recording and co-producing with Ben Sollee for his next album. He’s a singer/songwriter from Kentucky that plays the cello like no one else. So we are doing some funky Detroit Tribe-Called-Quest folk remix thing and it’s amazing. Not to mention, I’m still playing clubs, remixing, editing, running the company and getting a handle on all our projects. Really, I’m just grinding like all the other DJs out there in this economy, trying to elevate to that “next level” creatively. I’m enjoying every day of it.n

DJ Hell’s Nom de Techno

DJ TIMES OCTOBER 2009

It’s a typical German name

But DJ Hell is much livelier— dontcha think?

My name is Helmut.

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DJ Hell, next month in DJ Times

9/1/2009 4:38:52 PM

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9/1/2009 12:44:47 PM

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9/1/2009 12:44:50 PM