DJ Times October 2011, Vol 24 No 10

Highlights from America’s Best DJ Summer Tour

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

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david guetta LIFE AT THE TOP

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Hot Shots & Takeaways

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Paul Kalkbrenner Randy Boyer Rane MP25 Electro-Voice Live X Elektron Octatrack

INDUSTRY EVENTS…NOTABLES…MILESTONES

NEWS

everyone again next year—can’t wait.

By the way, when’s next year’s show?”

Here’s your answer: DJ Expo 2012 is set for Aug. 13-16 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J. (For more on DJ Expo 2011, please see Page 18.)

Pioneer Party: QBert rocks The Casbah.

Star Power: 50 Cent at House of Blues.

MetroMixMedia

Robert Velasco: Ultimate DJ System winner.

DJ TIMES

Praise from Expo exhibitors was effusive. “DJs have been a key component of JBL’s success for years,” said Richard Ruse of JBL Professional, “and the 2011 DJ Expo was the perfect opportunity for us to get close and interact with our supporters from the DJ community. It was a fantastic few days and in every way we feel that the show for JBL was a huge success.”

Added GCI Technologies’ Alan Cabasso:“Gemini’s exposure at this year’s show was the best in 20 years. Our booth design and product layout was noticeable by all attendees.”

“This was by far the best run, most well attended, most professional seamless DJ Expo experience I can remember,” said Karl Gustafson of D&M Professional.

DJ-attendees shared the upbeat feelings. “DJ Times put together an incredible show,” said Eric Cunningham of Choice Entertainment in Ashland, Va. “I’ve been attending for the past five years and by far this was one of the best experiences that I have had. Thank you for embracing the DJ community as you do!”

“The DJ Expo was sick this year, awesome new products,” said Jon Kemetz of Laser DJ Company in Bethlehem, Pa. “We spent quite a bit of money.”

“Had a great time at the Expo,” Brian Henshaw of DJ Brian K Productions in Greenfield, Pa. “Hope to see

OCTOBER 2011

Jeff Hart

Atlantic City, N.J.—With another sold-out exhibit hall and a 12-percent rise in attendance from the previous year’s event, the 2011 DJ Expo maintained its positive momentum at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J., this past Aug. 8-11.

Produced by DJ Times magazine and its publisher Testa Communications, the Expo drew nearly 5,300 attendees and grew nearly 30-percent in exhibit floor sales. With its 26th show in 21 years, the Expo presented a solid slate of exhibits, seminars and parties.

Music industr y legends like Keith Shocklee (Public Enemy), DJ Skribble (MTV) and Robert Clivillés (C+C Music Factory) delivered keynotes, while top mobile and club jocks provided tutorials.

Additionally, exhibitors like BrideLive, Chauvet Lighting, Eternal Lighting, Newtek Payments, Pioneer DJ, Stanton DJ and X-Laser presented sponsored seminars.

Evening events included performances from charttoppers like 50 Cent, Crystal Waters and Jason Derülo (at the Promo Only party at House of Blues), plus Pete Wentz and Black Cards, Dev and Jump Smokers (at the Moodswing360 party at Mixx in Borgata). The Expo also saw video jocks like Roonie G (at The Casbah for the Denon DJ Kickoff Party) and turntable talents like BT, QBert and Shiftee (at The Casbah for the Pioneer DJ Official DJ Expo Closing Party). After each Pioneer party performer finished his set, he unplugged a piece of gear and “donated” it to a lucky audience member.

As always, the Expo saw its share of Atlantic City winners. Jack Bermeo of LJ Productions in Belleville, N.J., won the annual “DJ of the Year” competition, hosted by Mike Walter. Presented

by Peavey Electronics and co-sponsored by Hercules, the event saw Bermeo win a Peavey IPR 1600 amp and a lucky audience member take home a Hercules DJ-Console 4Mx. Robert Velasco of New Brunswick, N.J. won the annual Ultimate DJ Giveaway, which included: American DJ lights (Royal 3D, Atmospheric RG LED, Mega Bar LED RC); Pioneer gear (a DJM-900nexus mixer, HDJ-2000 headphones and 2 CDJ-2000 media players); Promo Only subscription (to either Express Audio or Express Video via POOL, Promo Only’s new digital delivery system); and Rane’s SL4 for Serato Scratch Live.

MetroMixMedia

NUMBERS UP: DJ EXPO WINS BIG FOR DJ MARKET

3

VOLUME 24 NUMBER 10

12 Life at the Top

David Guetta Returns With Artist Album #5— This Time with a Unique, Club-Friendly Twist

BY EMILY TAN

16 VJ Update 2011

Incorporating Video Can Future-Proof Your DJ Career. Here’s How Some of America’s Top VJs Do It

BY ROBERT LAFRANCE

18 DJ Expo Highlights Hot Pics from DJ Expo at The Taj in Atlantic City, N.J.

BY JOHN HOHMAN, JEFF HEART & ANGELA BRUNO

22 On The Road

America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer DJ Hits More Top Clubs & Festivals

BY DJ TIMES PHOTOGRAPHERS

DEPARTMENTS 7 Feedback

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

24 Making Tracks

Elektron’s Octatrack

26 Sounding Off

Electro-Voice Live X & Rane MP25

28 Mobile Profile

Florida Jock Shane Presley

30 Business Line

Takeaways from DJ Expo

32 Gear

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

4

New Products from Yorkville, GCI & More

38 Grooves

Phat Tracks from Duck Sauce, Serge Devant & More

SAMPLINGS

40 DJ Times Marketplace

8 Randy Boyer

41 Club Play Chart

10 In the Studio With…

Shop Here for All Your DJ-Related Supplies

The Hottest Records, As Reported

by Our Top U.S. Record Pools

A Career in Trance

Paul Kalkbrenner

m o r e t h a n a t o u c h o f i n n o vat i o n .

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

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

FROM THE EDITOR

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

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

Report from DJ Expo: A Big Thank You

6

Before I dive into the specifics of this issue, I must offer a big “thank you” to all our DJ Expo participants—attendees, exhibitors/sponsors and speakers/presenters. Held this past Aug. 8-11 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J., this DJ Expo turned out to be the best one we’ve ever had—again, thanks to our supporters. Speaking of which… next year, we’re set for Aug. 13-16 in the same venue. Hopefully, we’ll see you all there again.

For those who missed the previous show, or for those who just can get enough Expo, please see Page 3 for a wrap-up story and Pages 18 to 21 for the Expo seen through the camera lenses of our photographers MetroMixMedia, Jeff Heart and Angela Bruno. Again, thanks to all.

This issue hits on several themes—first up, one of the DJ/artists most responsible for the global resurgence of dance music… David Guetta. From our previous interviews, you may know that Guetta has been involved in the EDM community far beyond his booth duties. He’s assumed almost every role from promoter and party host to chart-topping studio artist. And now that he’s back with his latest full-length—the uniquely packaged double-disc, Nothing But the Beat. Our Emily Tan caught up with him to discuss his most recent moves, some of them far from typical for a DJ of his status.

On the theme of DJs on the rise, we also give you another glimpse into America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer DJ. This month we take you to several locales, including Minneapolis for the Bassgasm4 event at the legendary First Avenue club (with ABDJ nominees Klever and Christopher Lawrence); Clearwater Beach, Fla., for the Sunday Skool party at Shephard’s Beach Resort (with DJ Skribble); Washington, D.C., for the Teka party at the Lima Lounge (with Saeed Younan); Boston, Mass., at the Guilt nightclub (with Joe Bermudez); Columbus, Ga., at the Mix Ultra Lounge (with DJ Roonie G); and The Hamptons on Long Island’s East End for the Classics Party at Neptune Beach Club (with DJ Theo). Thanks to all those who voted and stay tuned for the next issue of DJ Times where we reveal who was voted America’s Best DJ 2011 (or if you want to get a head-start, please check www.americasbestdj.net).

This month’s issue also sees our re-examination of the video-jock world. Longtime contributor Robert LaFrance connects with some of America’s top VJs and asks them to 1) reveal their personal gear set-ups and explain their uses and 2) offer advice to those who are considering a move into the video realm. With responses from a stout line-up that includes Roonie G, DJ 2nd Nature, Joshua Carl, DVDJ Unique, DJ Kris P, DVDJ Biggie and Scotty B, we think you’ll have plenty of useful info to chew on.

In this month’s Samplings department, our Robert LaFrance stays busy, as he takes a look at a regional jock (Randy Boyer) who’s worked hard to push beyond his Connecticut roots. I caught up with Boyer a couple years ago in El Salvador as he rocked a ready audience during the Istmo Music Fest, and now he’s teamed up with global trance jock Darude to form EnMass Music—looks like he’s succeeding. Additionally, our Irish Ibiza correspondent Polly Lavin scored a few minutes with Paul Kalkbrenner, a German techno/cinema star settling back into the world of clubland. (A shoutout: Check out Kalkbrenner’s latest, Icke Wieder, a full-length loaded with very tuneful techno.)

On the review side, we have a few. In Making Tracks, Phil Moffa took Elektron’s Octatrack synth into his Butcha Sound Studios and came out with inspired results. Also in the Sounding Off department, New England club jock Nate Sherwood put the Rane MP25 mixer through its paces, while Bay Area mobile Jody Amos gave the Electro-Voice Live X loudspeaker series a test drive. Enjoy.

Cheers,

Jim Tremayne Editor, DJ Times

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

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

DJ Times (ISSN 1045-9693) (USPS 0004-153) is published monthly for $19.40 (US), $39.99 (Canada), and $59.99 (all other countries), by DJ Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 110503779. Periodicals postage paid at Port Washington, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DJ Times, PO BOX 1767, LOWELL MA 01853-1767 Design and contents are copyright © 2011 by DJ Publishing, Inc., and must not be reproduced in any manner except by permission of the publisher. Websites: www.

October 2011

visit our website: www.djtimes.com

FEEDBACK What are the dates for the next DJ Expo? What are some other industry events where I can expand my industry connections and musical knowledge?

– Several emails, phone calls, etc.

After the success of our most recent DJ Expo this past August at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J., we’ve announced that we’ll return to the ven‑ ue August 13-16, 2012. We’re looking forward to bringing you more discus‑ sion panels of hot, DJ-specific top‑ This is Feedback, a monthly feature that fields questions from you, our readers, and funnels them out to in‑ dustry professionals. If you have any questions about DJing – marketing, mixing, equipment or insurance, any at all – drop us a letter at DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Ave, Port Washington, NY 11050, fax us at (516) 944‑8372 or e‑mail us at djtimes@testa.com. If we do use your question, you’ll receive a free DJ Times T‑shirt. And remember, the only dumb question is the ques‑ tion that is not asked.

DJ TIMES: I was wondering what you guys would recommend to use as a Digital Vinyl System.

Would you go with Native Instruments Traktor Scratch Pro or Serato Scratch Live?

Also, what exactly can the SL3 do that the SL2 can’t besides plug in another turntable? Thank you!

– DJ Chris Tharp Columbia, Md.

CHRIS, If we’re just discussing Native Instru‑ ments Traktor Scratch-vs.-Serato Scratch Live, it’s really largely a matter of personal preference—which inter‑ face and general approach you prefer.

Some feel that the Traktor interface is more polished aesthetically, and some feel that the side-by-side waveform displays in Serato offer better usability.

Clearly, they both get the job done, but most jocks have started with one and stuck with it, so it’s hard to find truly deep, objective analysis of one vs. the other.

The best advice is to talk to some DJs in your area that use each one. Hopefully, you’ll have a chance to try both and form your own opinion of what feels right.

You pretty much nailed it with the SL2 vs. the SL3, but there’s a side-by-side feature comparison on Rane’s web site that might shed a little more light on the subject. It’s located here: www. rane.com/sl3.html.

Good luck!

– Wesley Bryant-King, DJ Times

ics, hands-on workshops and exhibits demonstrating the latest mobile, club and studio gear, and more evening events with top DJ and artist talent.

In the coming months, a couple of other industry events are on the ho‑ rizon. One is the Amsterdam Dance Event, and it’s set for October 19-22 in Holland. Informative seminars will be held at the venerable Felix Meritis Cen‑ ter and the nearby Dylan Hotel, while a slew of evening events will be held at clubs and venues around the great

city of Amsterdam (www.amsterdamdance-event.nl).

Additionally, Moogfest—celebrating the life of industry pioneer Bob Moog—is set for Oct. 28-30 in Asheville, N.C. Presented mostly as a three-night mu‑ sic festival at various Asheville venues (with performances by acts like Moby, Amon Tobin and Tangerine Dream, among others), Moogfest will also in‑ clude panel discussions and workshops (www.moogfest.com).

– Jim Tremayne, DJ Times

SAMPLINGS

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

RANDY BOYER: A CAREER IN TRANCE

8

Sometimes there are no shortcuts to success in the DJ game. That’s especially the case when you’re from Connecticut, a state whose biggest claim to fame is being located between two other states with big cities—New York and Boston.

But that never deterred Randy Boyer. Despite pursuing his craft in a secondary market, his career has grown organically—from passionate local trance DJ to popular mixshow jock on WKSS to international sensation. He’s done it all through dedication, energetic performances, and top quality releases on labels like Armada, A State of Trance, and Ultra. And now he’s teamed with Finnish trance star Darude to form their own imprint, EnMass Music.

We reached out to the Hartford-based Boyer to discuss his partnership with one of the world’s biggest DJs, his upcoming release “Welcome to the Future” on EnMass, and exactly what the future holds for one of the bright lights of the American trance scene.

DJ Times: How would you describe “Welcome to the Future”?

Boyer: “Welcome to the Future” is one of those songs that has commercial appeal, but yet rocks out in the clubs. It has a very hooky melody and unique vocals. The lyrics and feeling of the song are very futuristic. The remixes by Menno De Jong and M.I.K.E hit all kinds of genres, such as trance and progressive. The remix by myself and Darude has a strong anthemic appeal as well.

DJ Times: In your opinion, what makes it work?

Boyer: For me, it’s the vocals of Jason Arnold of Hypnogaja. His vocals are slightly eerie, but unique and captivating—they really grab your attention. The vocals gave Kristina Sky and I the inspiration for writing music behind it.

DJ Times: How is it different than your previous releases on EnMass?

Boyer: I would say this release is unique because I have never heard vocals like this before in dance music. I love working with new vocalists, and I think we found a really great talent with Jason Arnold of Hypnogaja. Also, this release is Kristina Sky’s debut release on EnMass Music. If you have followed my releases over the years, you know that she and I always team up for productions.

DJ Times: How did you get involved with Darude?

Boyer: To tell you the whole story it would take up a whole page! To sum it up in a briefly, I’ll say this: We met when Darude played his first gig in the U.S. in 2000. I met him a few times after that and, in 2007, he started supporting some of my music. I emailed him to thank him and we connected from that point on. I opened up for him on his tour that year, and we realized our styles in DJing really clicked. Then we also realized we both had the same goal of starting up a record label. From there, we spent a couple years getting the ball rolling and EnMass Music was launched in December, 2010. He’s a great business partner

It Takes 2: Along with Darude, Boyer founded EnMass Music.

and friend. I’m so thankful for the success we have had so far.

DJ Times: What process did you use to collaborate with Darude? Online?

In person?

Boyer: It started in person, then progressed to emails and now we have Skype meetings every week and we talk on the phone as well.

DJ Times: What software do you use to edit and/or mix? What are your favorite synths and plug-ins?

Boyer: I use Logic Pro, and I’ve been loving Massive by Native Instruments lately. Just the fat analog sounds you can get out of it are amazing. It’s all about the expansions.

DJ Times: What’s the future hold for you and EnMass Music?

Boyer: Putting out amazing music and DJing all over the world, connecting with every fan I can possibly meet and take pictures with, and sign as many autographs as possible. This fall is booking up really fast and EnMass Music will be celebrating its first birthday at year’s end. At the start of next year, we will be expanding EnMass Music and creating new sub labels—I am really looking forward to it all!

– Robert LaFrance

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IN THE STUDIO WITH

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

PAUL KALKBRENNER: BEYOND THE SCREEN

10

Paul Kalkbrenner exhales nonchalantly in a prescribing voice over the telephone line from Berlin: “You know, I don’t really think I want to talk about the movie anymore—I just want to concentrate on talking about the album.” And with that, the whistling sound of a cigarette being inhaled cuts through the air like closure.

But the fact remains, Kalkbrenner became a star in Germany with his lead role in Berlin Calling, a 2008 film that still graces German cinemas and continues to sell well (180,000 DVDs so far). Playing a troubled DJ/artist, Kalkbrenner’s screen turn has been parlayed into much bigger things since the release of the film and its soundtrack (which included Kalkbrenner’s hit “Sky and Sand”). For example, in 2010, he played 140 shows to 65,000 people in a tour of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This past year, he eased into the U.S. market, by playing Detroit’s Movement festival.

Long-known to the underground techno world as an original artist on Ellen Allien’s much-respected BPitch Control label, Kalkbrenner has since founded his own eponymous label. In mid-2011, he released his eighth artist album, Icke Wieder, which offers a slew of accessible, memorable techno grooves. Opener “Boxig Leise” drops an irresistibly quirky melody, while “Gutes Nitzwerk” kickstarts the dancefloor and “Schnakeln” shimmers in acid rave—hard not to get quickly hooked on this one. With that in mind, we recently caught up with Paul Kalkbrenner.

DJ Times: What are your feelings on the fact the movie made you such a big techno star in Germany?

Kalkbrenner: Nothing would have happened, if not for the film. The Berlin Calling soundtrack was relevant to my music. I’ve played Berlin two times in a row for 17,000 people and in some way I am a projection, an interface for a lot of young people who want to go out and dance. But I think the image in the outside world is set by powers I can’t control—the internet, etc.

DJ Times: In the case of Berlin Calling, is art imitating life and life imitating art for you right now?

Kalkbrenner: No, the ego is this guy [in the film] and it’s separate from me, even though people think I am this guy.

DJ Times: If you hadn’t done Berlin Calling, where do you think you would be now?

Kalkbrenner: It was a multiplier. I would have brought out an album and maybe sold 10,000 copies. But I see all my old albums are selling much more then 10 years ago. It’s funny—they all had to be re-pressed.

DJ Times: Did you train in any musical instruments along the way? Kalkbrenner: I played the trumpet when I was younger. But the older I get, the less and less I need that knowledge to make my music. It’s easier for me to make a harmony. To be honest, the music I make more requires good ears and my having something to tell.

DJ Times: Tell me about your early career at BPitch Control.

Kalkbrenner: It was around 1997 which we called “the dark years” in Berlin. At the time, we didn’t have any techno to go out and listen to on a Friday night. Then Ellen [Allien] started BPitch and we brought our music into the studio on cassette and she suggested bringing it on a DAT machine.

DJ Times: How did you make your music?

Kalkbrenner: We made it on a Commodore 64, which was not even a PC, a Roland S-750 and EFX, which were all going together in a general mix. I work even today like this and still do this playing live. My whole knowledge of records and labels stopped in 1996. I have the laptop—the older Powerbook series, not the new Macintosh, as the new series does not have Fireface 400. My mixer is a Mackie 1604, 16-channel mixer. I run it through the soundcard, then into another mixer and play live through Ableton. Everything is analog on the mixer. It’s the same as it was years ago, but years ago I had more equipment—now everything is in the laptop.

DJ Times: What process did you go through to make this album?

Kalkbrenner: I locked myself away for three months. I was searching for silence. I did not have such an arty feeling and just went into the studio every day and worked. It’s not an anti-album—it shits a little bit on the expectations people might have had. I went back on the previous albums to go a step ahead.

DJ Times: So, what is the concept behind the album, then?

Kalkbrenner: The album is more about what your hands and mind do to make music and to make it work—devoting yourself to work and spending some time with your music.

I sold all my equipment in 2001 when Ableton came out—it’s perfect. I am sitting in a studio all week Monday to Friday from January to March.

DJ Times: Why has techno become a more acceptable part of culture?

Kalkbrenner: I think because it is a quarter of a century old and it is now un-destroyable and is cool. It’s a strong, vital, global-youth movement. Everybody is invited—black, white, and brown—and it’s a hedonistic way of living. Everybody wants to get in this. I am working in a service industry, the people are paying in and I service this with my role.

– Polly Lavin

In ’08, Berlin Calling made Kalkbrenner a German pop star.

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TOP DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

LIFE AT THE

DAVID GUETTA

12

RETURNS WITH ARTIST ALBUM #5— THIS TIME WITH A UNIQUE, CLUB-FRIENDLY TWIST

DJ TIMES

It’s one thing for a DJ to enjoy one of the highest pay grades within the nightclub and dance-music industries. It’s entirely another when he’s entered the daily cultural discourse. But that’s exactly what’s happened with France’s top musical export, David Guetta.

A recent example: When 2011 U.S. Open golf champ Rory McIlroy was given a moment of post-victory facetime with CNN, which DJ/artist did he namecheck when asked about his musical faves?

Yep, David Guetta (along with Swedish House Mafia, which earned an incredulous smirk from host Piers Morgan). And this was repeated numerous times around the world this past July 4th weekend. Can’t beat that kind of exposure, right?

But that’s the way it’s been going for Guetta, who in recent years has helped spearhead dance-music’s return to the top of the American pop marketplace. Monster global hits like “Sexy Bitch” (featuring Akon), “When Love Takes Over” (featuring Kelly Rowland) and “Love Is Gone (featuring Chris Willis) vaulted Guetta’s star beyond clubland. Then, productions/collaborations like “I Gotta Feeling” (Black Eyed Peas) and “Club Can’t Handle Me” (Flo Rida) made his a recognizable name. Winning a pair of Grammy Awards didn’t hurt his Q Score either.

Unlike Tiësto, Guetta has yet to play the opening ceremony at the Olympics; still, we were reminded of a quote from the famed Dutch jock: “I have perfect freedom. When I walk down the street in New York, nobody bothers me. But when I want to feel like a star, I go into a club.” For Guetta, that may not be the case anymore.

From his perch atop dance music’s mountain, Guetta is savoring every sweet moment of his success.

Even when you talk with him today, his appreciation for how far he’s come—and how far the music itself has come—is expressed with an almost childlike wonder. He’s not feigning modesty when he marvels at the joys of collaborating with music’s brightest talents, nor does he exhibit any bravado when gushing with excitement over his new material.

It’s been said before in these pages, but part of the reason Guetta is on top is because of his breadth of experience. He’s been a DJ, promoter, producer, label owner and songwriter in some form or another for just over a quarter-century. Guetta himself has recalled to DJ Times how he would often design the flyers for his club nights, print them, flyer cars on the street, collect money… and then DJ the party. There were long spells where he’d work himself sick. This is the David Guetta the haters don’t know.

So, all these years later, here we are, and following the unbelievable popularity of his previous studio album, 2009’s One Love (EMI), Guetta has released his fifth artist album, Nothing But The Beat (EMI/Capitol).

Singles and standout tunes from the pop album include “Little Bad Girls” featuring Taio Cruz and Ludacris, “Night Of Your Life” featuring Jennifer Hudson, and “Where Them Girls At” featuring Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj, which gained some chart traction.

What’s more surprising than the prevalence of booming, radio-ready pop songs with big-name guests is the fact that Guetta decided to release the pop album with a bonus album of pure tracks (without any vocals). The tracks may be purchased separately through established EDM retailers, but the significance is that the pop album cannot be purchased without the album of tracks. At a moment when Guetta truly has nothing left to prove—his social media statistics and record sales remain stout—Guetta is putting his money where his mouth is and forcing new [pop] fans and old [club] fans to know this: there is nothing more important than the music.

We recently caught up with David Guetta. It went like this: DJ Times: I have to admit, the tunes on Nothing But The Beat are very good. I had high expectations following One Love.

David Guetta: I have even bigger tunes, if you can believe it or not!

DJ Times: There’s a separate album of electronic tracks that come bundled with the album of pop songs. Why did you choose to do that?

Guetta: The thing is that I’m a DJ first. I’m also a music lover! So, all my life it was, I was a little bit in the middle, sometimes, because I love electronic beats and I love playing them as a DJ. I think you should be more emotional. I think there’s nothing better than songs. I’ve been growing musically with different albums over the years. At the same time, I wanted to use my success to show a different side of me than maybe my community knew. Some people are banging their eyeballs. “Let’s use my success to educate,” I thought. I might sell the electronic album separately on Beatport. Most importantly, the idea that you get the electronic album, you cannot get the pop album without the electronic album.

DJ Times: We’ve spoken many times, and you’ve always said that you are a DJ before anything else.

Guetta: It’s my life, really. I’ve always been a DJ. I’m a DJ first before being a producer. It’s really important for me to put out my own music. A lot of those beats on those electronic albums are crazy. I’ve played them already and the reaction is insane! It’s also important to surprise people, and I think a lot of

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BY EMILY TAN

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people are going to be surprised not only in the pop community, but also in the electronic community because I did this when I don’t really need to do it. I did it for the love, and I’m sure people are gonna feel it. I’m also going into more of the French-Dutch sound where I’ve never been. Before, I’ve been a huge Daft Punk fan, but I thought it was too obvious to do that sound.

DJ Times: I remember the stories about you promoting your own parties, actually being the one to put the flyers out and then doing everything up through DJing the party. I think you worked until you made yourself sick. And now… what’s the view like from the top?

Guetta: It’s amazing, because the success… I opened the door for many of my colleagues. I’m glad for everyone. Dance music has never been as big on every level with big names like me crossing over and also on an underground level. All together, we’re all creative and strong, and it makes all of us stronger. We’re in an exciting, amazing place at the moment. It’s incredible. And then as a music person, for me to be able to work with the most talented people on the planet—I’m not saying only the famous ones like Will.i.am, but also what I’ve done with Afrojack— is also very important to me. Even though when I went to work with [Afrojack] he was not famous at all.

It’s about the feeling and talent with people, so that’s one thing that’s really extraordinary.

DJ Times: How about success as a working DJ? Guetta: Then, as a DJ, for me to be able to play those amazing shows, at the most amazing festivals in the world, my own concerts, the touring, it’s a blessing. It’s really not like any artist to be in that place, and I’m trying to enjoy every minute of it. I’m saying to myself that that magic is not going to last forever.

DJ Times: Why do you say that?

Guetta: My sound is really popular at the moment, but there’s never been a producer who’s stayed at that level forever. I’m trying to work as hard as possible and always push further and make it bigger and stronger.

At the same time, my challenge with the new album was not so much to make hit records, because I’ve done this. I know how to do it. It was to reinvent myself, and I think I’ve done it with my electronic album.

DJ Times: When I listened to your album for the first time, I listened to all of the pop songs in a row. Then, I listened to all of the electronic tracks in a row. During the transition from the last pop song to the first electronic song, “Glasgow,” it seemed as though the sounds were wider, deeper, richer and noticeably more resonant as soon as you hit that first electronic track. Did you do this on purpose? Were you holding anything back sonically on the pop tunes?

Guetta: It’s very interesting that you feel like this! It’s a very simple physical thing, is that when it comes to mixing, the more elements you

have, the harder it is to sound fat. And this record [“Glasgow”] is so minimal that it made my life easy to make it sound really big! When you have a song with synths, drums, bass, guitars, voice, you don’t have so much space in the spectrum for each of them.

But when you have only drums and bass, of course you can use a lot of space for them. So this is the basics of engineering. Basically in the mix, if you have a bassline and the synth, you don’t want them at the same frequencies. So you have to put the bass down and the synth high. So if you have only the bassline, then you can keep the whole frequency open and then it sounds way bigger. A mix like this is so simple.

DJ Times: When we interviewed Will.i.am, he said, “The underground is bigger than the mainstream.” He is such a believer in electronic music, and I wasn’t expecting to hear that from him.

Guetta: Will.i.am and I have learned a lot from each other, and that’s what makes our relationship interesting! I found myself sometimes in club shows with him, and I’m like, I still have things to learn. And he finds himself in proper DJ shows with me, and he feels the same! [laughs] DJ Times: Will.i.am truly loves electronic music and understands club culture, but some people don’t believe he’s a good DJ. Even with Skrillex’s incredible rise in popularity, there are still the die-hard dubstep fans who dis him. What do you say to the haters out there who begrudge your success?

Guetta: I think the people you’re talking about, the haters, they’re not music people. There are the people who are into our music for the lifestyle. And then there’s some who are into the music for the music. I don’t do it for the lifestyle. Just like Skrillex is also a music person. When we speak on the phone, we love each other’s music. The haters, most of the time, are not making music. Because if you make music, you can appreciate different types of music.

DJ Times: You’re doing your “F*** Me I’m Famous” parties at Pacha in Ibiza again this summer. How’s that going?

Guetta: Yeah, it’s just sick! It’s bigger and bigger each time. We’ve been sold out since Day 1, every date of the summer. It’s insane! We sold out every date of the summer.

I could easily do twice the venue on my own, but I think it’s really exciting to have guests like Sidney Samson, Afrojack, Avicii, 2manyDJs as guests, so it makes it more exciting. People are going to get my music, and also when I’m playing there, I play a very different set every week. I play every week.

When I make a concert, it’s only my music. This is more like when I was a

resident DJ—I play my favorite new records and I’m trying new sounds.

It’s very interesting for me. It makes me very happy.

DJ Times: Do you feel that you need to keep playing a weekly club residency to stay connected, to stay sane?

Guetta: You’re totally right! Yes. It’s very easy to lose the connection with real clubbers, because when you get to this kind of size of room, it’s really more like a concert. It’s more physical to try new sounds. I don’t have time because it’s a shorter show. I say to my management, “I want a minimum of two club shows per month even when it’s not summer,” because all of my information comes from the club. It’s very important for me to stay creative, to stay in touch with the real clubbers, the party people that have been following me for all those years, that I’m not only about the big shows.

DJ Times: Your social networking statistics are staggering. How involved are you personally with your own social media?

Guetta: Every Tweet comes from me! I don’t do everything myself on Facebook because it’s a lot of work, but Twitter I should do even more.

DJ Times: You were working with Joachim Garraud in the studio. Are you still working with him, or are you producing and engineering all of your music by yourself on the new album?

Guetta: No, Joachim was a long time ago on my last album. Of course, I engineer everything myself. I love to work with other people, too, and it depends. Sometimes I engineer and I work with a classical-music person because I need some crazy string arrangements and it needs a very high level of harmony. Or sometimes, it can be the opposite. When I work with Afrojack, he’s engineering. Of course, I’m also engineering myself. I know a lot of different softwares.

DJ Times: What do you most prefer?

Guetta: My main software is Ableton Live, but I also work with Logic. Since we work together with Afrojack, at the beginning he was engineering and he was using Fruity Loops, and I’ve learned [that] because he was too lazy to learn mine. It was such a pain when I had to give him mine to patch sessions. So now, I’ve learned to use Fruity Loops, so now we bounce sessions back and forth.

DJ Times: Have you noticed that you’ve lost any clubbers now that you’ve become so popular?

Guetta: No, not at all. They know where I’m coming from. When I play, I think of my new fans, but I first think of my older fans who’ve been following my DJ sets for so many years. I play much more eclectic because of those clubbers. n

By Robert LaFrance “Video is the future of DJing.”

I’m sure you’ve heard that statement many times. Only time will tell if it rings completely true, but one thing is certain—for any DJ that’s playing exclusively audio, adding the option of video to your sets can spark new inspiration, futureproof your skills, and add to your value as a DJ. When done right, video sets are multi-sensory experiences that can command attention and capture imaginations unlike anything else. Does that get you amped up and ready to get started? Me, too!

But before you head down the path to video greatness, there is a lot to consider. Gone are the days of showing up to the club with a crate of records and a pair of headphones. Video DJing requires computers, special software, media players, mixers, a new music/video library, and maybe even a MIDI controller or two. Plus, there are multiple options in each category depending on your DJ style, music format, and access to capital.

But don’t worry, that’s what we’re here for. DJ Times reached out to some of the nation’s premier video DJs and asked the following questions to help you start thinking about “the future of DJing.” The are: 1) If you had to give advice to a newbie on how to get started as a VJ or a DJ incorporating video, what would you tell them to buy? What platforms would you recommend? Where do you get your content?

2) What’s your current video-gear setup and why does it work for you?

2011

UPDATE

VJ

Incorporating Video Can Future-Proof Your DJ Career.

Here’s How Some of

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Joshua Carl, Strictly Hits, Boston: Advice: With technology moving as fast as it does, the right answer today might not be the right answer tomorrow. You need to find the pulse of the video DJ community and keep your finger on it. In the past five years alone, we’ve gone from DVD players to hi-def MP4 files. So find yourself a mentor—someone who has already made all the mistakes and is willing to pass on his knowledge. If you can’t find one, scour the website of your favorite Digital Vinyl System (DVS), read the forums, and hit up the moderators and senior members.

What to buy is completely dependent on what style of video DJ you want to be, much like choosing your DVS software. You have Serato Video SL (VSL), MixEmergency by Inklen, VirtualDJ, DVDs and a few other lesser known programs. If you’re someone who just wants to load up a few videos and walk away to work the mic, then VirtualDJ may be for you. If you’re a turntablist or hip-hop DJ who is a performance style artist, then maybe Serato is more your speed.

As far as content goes, I’m a complete hoarder. Joining pools is an integral part of building your collection, and most sites offer deals to buy their back-catalog. I’ve been with SmashVidz since Day 1, I also have an account with DT Video. If you live in Canada you can join Xtendamix.

These sites round out the baseline of my collection nicely. And with a weekly trip to Crooklyn Clan and a few of the other independent editor sites, you can be ready pretty quickly. But, the beast must be fed, so eventually you want to start make your own edits. That will surely elevate your content.

Gear: I have been on Serato since Day 1. But when I got into video, the VSL plug-in was not out yet. So, I was running VirtualDJ for video gigs, and Serato Scratch Live (SSL) for audio gigs. Once the VSL plug-in dropped, I immediately made the switch. In 2010, I moved from the VSL plug-in to the MixEmergency plug-in. I am a vinyl guy at heart, so I love the way it feels—the responsiveness and all the things we have all come to love in the vinyl style DVS software. Couple that with the constant releases, ease of use, and amazing features of MixEmergency, and it’s literally like flipping a switch on and you can wow your crowd with effects, transitions, visuals. At the moment, MixEmergency is Mac-only, but it was enough reason to switch me from PC last year, and I haven’t looked back!

Top VJs Do It

DJ Roonie G, Mix Ultra Lounge, Columbus, Ga.: Advice: Get either VirtualDJ or Serato Scratch Live. If you go with Serato, use either Serato Video-SL or Inklen’s MixEmergency. For editing there are a few options: Apple’s Final Cut, Adobe Premier, or Sony Vegas Pro. Promo Only is a great source for content and so is SmashVidz.com.

Gear: Personally, I use Serato and MixEmergency on a MacBook Pro with 8 GB of RAM. I thought the RAM would make a big difference, but not really. I also don’t use any more external USB drives from bad experiences. I only use the FireWire 800 drive port if I’m using external now. It makes a big difference when a file needs to be re-analyzed. I also try to stay away from powered external drives simply because there are more opportunities for things to come unplugged. I prefer editing on Vegas Pro. Scotty B, Miller Lite/Promo Only, Orlando: Advice: Before you buy anything, do it right and plan. Make sure that the software/hardware you buy now will still meet your needs next year. Otherwise, you’re just wasting money. For example, will your present system handle HD videos? I recommend you try several software titles and invest in the one you feel most comfortable with. VirtualDJ allows flexibility. MixEmergency has great transitions. Serato is an industry standard for a reason. There is no “one-size-fits-all” answer. Go with what you feel comfortable with and will help you make your show look the best.

Content? Get it from a variety of sources. There are several sites that have some amazingly good content and editors like Promo Only and SmashVidz. I also create my own edits with Final Cut. Don’t be lazy and buy from just one site. The more sites you dig through, the more great videos you will find. Unique, quality content will help elevate your game as a VJ and separate you from those who just download and play videos.

Gear: I run MacBook Pros. My main rig runs with VirtualDJ using a Denon DN-MC6000 controller. I feel most comfortable with Virtual-

DVDJ Unique, Video Assassins, Miami: Advice: When making the transition to video, there are a few different routes you can take. If you already own a DVS solution, the most economical route is to purchase a plug-in or third-party app that works with your existing DVS. There are a number of very reliable and reputable DVS solutions that support video, such as VirtualDJ and Serato Scratch Live. VirtualDJ natively supports video and Serato Scratch Live requires the Video SL plug-in. Surprisingly, a more advanced and economical solution to Video SL is MixEmergency, which is a third-party app.

If you don’t trust computers and their stability, or just prefer using DVDs instead of a DVS solution, the Pioneer DVJ-1000 may be a viable solution. Although, for the newbie DJ/VJ this may not be the most economical, it still is an option.

Overall, if your goal is to jump into video with the smallest learning curve possible, then you’ll want a DVS solution. Going this route gives you the flexibility to simply add on to your existing DJ setup, without a costly upgrade in DJ gear.

If you’re not sure which application to purchase, check out which applications the industry leading DJ/VJs are using—like this article! Usually, they’re the most advanced users and push the limits, giving these applications a true test. You can also receive a lot of great advice on DJ forums and DJ magazines such as this.

CrooklynClan.net and SmashVidz.com have quickly become a major source of my content. The quality of their videos is amazing. As one of their remix artists, (continued on page 42)

OCTOBER 2011

out of the crowd. I get huge reactions out this. With MixEmergency the possibilities are endless.

As a video editor, I used to use Vegas 8 Pro and eventually grew out of it and decided that I wanted to pretty much do all my work from one computer and switched to Final Cut Pro 7.

DJ TIMES

Scott King (aka DJ King), Crooklyn Clan,The Vault Videos/SmashVidz, Orlando: Advice: You first need a laptop computer that is capable of playing video through your VJ software.

Not having enough processing power can make your playback look choppy or blocky with video or audio dropouts. Usually, 2 GB of RAM is sufficient with a decent-size video card. You’re going to need a VJ software that can play video. Right now, I am using a MacBook Pro 2.8GHz, i7 processor, with 8 GB of RAM. Content? I’m a proud supporter of SmashVidz. I am sponsored and edit for the company. Their edits are made for the working VJ with eight-bar intros and outros on most songs. They also provide a cappella and remixed videos.

For editing, I would recommend getting a more powerful computer. I started out on Vegas for Windows and kept using my Mac to do certain types of processing and decided it was taking too long to transfer files from one hard drive to the next. Now I am on Final Cut Pro 7 and life has never been easier.

I feel comfortable with Final Cut Pro because of the all the pro plug-ins that are available for it.

Gear: As a VJ, I use Serato SSL 2.0 with MixEmergency by Inklen as my video plug-in. I also use my IPad 2 with the Touch OSC app as a MIDI controller that triggers both audio and video effects. My mixer is a Rane TTM 57SL and I use two Technics 1200s, with time-code records. I am using an older version of Serato—and this is not uncommon. I talked to several other VJs that have the same problems with newer versions of Serato. Anything after 2.0 has a weird type of lag when loading video that makes it almost impossible to do quick mixing. Also, video and audio tend to drop out if you start jumping to cue points within a song. So I just stay with Serato 2.0.

MixEmergency (ME) by Inklen is hands-down the best video plug-in I have ever used. It gives me accurate fader assignments with my Rane mixer. Nick at Inklen loves hearing about glitches in his software and fixes them almost instantaneously. It gives you easy access to 12 different video ambients that you pre-assign and can drop over your playing window at a moment’s notice.

You can also link video content to an audio track and have it recall whenever you go back to that track. Another nice feature is that you can have scrolling text at all times playing over your master output. VSL only has that option per channel, so when you switch back and forth between decks your content gets disrupted. My favorite thing in ME is displaying my laptop’s camera on my master video output. Then, I dance to the music and do silly stuff to get a rise

MetroMix Media

DJ 2nd Nature, Screenwerkz, Atlanta: Advice: The best advice I can give is to focus on one thing at a time. There are so many paths and options for DJs starting out today that it can be overwhelming. If you’re a seasoned DJ thinking about adding video into your sets, first focus on learning the fundamentals of video editing. If you want to set yourself apart and add another skill set to repertoire, learning to become a video editor will not only allow you to play your own unique video edits during your sets, but it can open up doors for new work opportunities in the future.

Gear: Getting started, gear-wise? My simple answer is whatever you can afford or have access to.

Any video editing app will do. While I recommend Final Cut X to the beginner, I wouldn’t recommend it to the advanced editor. However, FCX for $299 is a great tool to learn the basics of editing. I DJ with two MacBook Pros. One runs Serato with MixEmergency, and the second runs Avenue, all hooked into a digital switcher.

MetroMix Media

DJ. I like the ability to remap an array of buttons and effects to fit my creative needs. More importantly, I like VirtualDJ’s ability to run large HD files. To me, quality is important. I run 8 TB of Western Digital Hard Drives via e-SATA. Data transfer speed is very important and underestimated by many DJs. I also run a second MacBook Pro that uses ArKaos and Akai LPK25 Keyboard for visuals.

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HOT PICS FROM DJ EXPO AT THE TAJ IN ATLANTIC CITY, N.J.

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The world of digital DJing is evolving. TWITCH is a DJ controller that enables you to do so much more than mix; you can slice your tracks up and put them back together totally on the fly.

Navigate tracks with the Touchstrips -

Incredible new ‘Slicer’ mode enables you to slice up

Twitch works with other DJ software including

you can also use ‘pinch’ and ‘swipe’ actions to

your tracks and remix grooves in real time

Traktor - a free Traktor Overlay comes in the box

pull off awesome performance tricks

For more information: (310) 322-5500 www.novationmusic.com/twitch

MORE HIGHLIGHTS FROM AMERICA’S BEST DJ SUMMER TOUR Summer Tour Presented by

Whew! Another summer full of DJ-driven events is over—but here it is for you… in pictures.

The third month of America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer included stops in: Minneapolis, Minn., for the Bassgasm4 event at First Avenue (with ABDJ nominees Christopher Lawrence and Klever); Clearwater Beach, Fla., for the Sunday Skool party at Shephard’s Beach Resort (with DJ Skribble); Washington, D.C., for the Teka party at the Lima Lounge (with Saeed Younan); Boston, Mass., at the Guilt nightclub (with Joe Bermudez); Columbus, Ga., at the Mix Ultra Lounge (with DJ Roonie G); and E. Quogue, N.Y., for the Classics Party at Neptune Beach Club (with DJ Theo).

So enjoy our looks at the nominated DJs and the fans who voted for them. For the very latest on America’s Best DJ, please visit www.americasbestdj.net.

– Jim Tremayne

D.C. Space: Saeed Younan gets his groove on a Lima Lounge. By Doug Van Sant

Hamptons Hero: DJ Theo rocks Neptune Beach Club. By George Stoff

Female Skrillex? Gal poses at ABDJ booth at First Avenue. By Denis Plaster

Boomin’ Bass: Twin Cities fans cast ABDJ ballots at Bassgasm4. By Denis Plaster

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

Mad in Minneapolis: Bassgasm4 gets mighty crowded at First Avenue. By Denis Plaster

First Avenue Fans visit the ABDJ booth at Bassgasm4. By Denis Plaster

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Banned in Boston? Gals at Guilt take a look at DJ Times. By GF Productions

Florida Fun: Skribble drops a beat at Shephard’s Beach Resort. By Kevin Kelii

First Avenue Fave: Christopher Lawrence gets boomin’ at Bassgasm4. By Denis Plaster

Georgia Girls: Roonie G fans vote at Mix Ultra Lounge. By Roonie Tunes

Guilty Pleasure: Joe Bermudez (left) poses with a friend at Boston’s Guilt. By GF Productions

Mix Ultra Lounge: Roonie G (right) poses with a pal way down in Columbus, Ga. By RoonieTunes

Bassgasm4: Klever cranks the bass at First Avenue in Minnesota. By Denis Plaster

Beach Party: Dancers pose at Shephard’s Resort in Clearwater. By Kevin Kelii

Thanks, Skrib: A fan at Shephard’s glad-hands Skribble in Clearwater Beach. By Kevin Kelii

Optical Illusion: A masked fan rocks his glowsticks at First Avenue.

By Denis Plaster

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MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

OCTATRACK: HOT PERFORMANCE SAMPLER Elektron’s Octatrack: Instant sampling & remixing.

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

By Phil Moffa

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Although software samplers have the advantage of being attached to a computer’s memory, processing, and storage powers, hardware samplers are anything but obsolete. Take it from me—countless producers still turn to out-of-the-box sampler/sequencers to make their beats.

Elektron (www.electron.se) has made some serious noise in the EDM world since the release of its Machinedrum and Monomachine units, and the Sweden-based company has returned with the Octatrack DPS-1, the most exciting thing to hit the hardware sampler market in a long time.

DPS stands for “Digital Performance Sampler” and it is suggested that the Octatrack can be used for many different purposes: sampler, sequencer, looper, sound processor, backing track machine, effects unit and even a DJ mixer. There are so many features and ways of manipulating audio on the Octatrack that it would be impossible to cover them all here. The tradeoff for a large feature set is a steep learning curve, but once its methods become clearer, the Octatrack allows for an intuitive creation process.

The Octatrack, as its name indicates, is an 8-track device. But this means that it controls both eight internal stereo audio tracks and eight MIDI tracks simultaneously. Each internal track can be assigned one of four types of machine: Static, Flex, Thru or Neighbor. It is also possible to make Track 8 function as a master track thru which all of the other tracks are processed. Static and flex machines are relatively similar in their function. Their main difference is that a static machine streams 16bit WAVs or AIFFs from a compact flash memory card (up to 2GB!) and 24-bit flex samples and are loaded into the unit’s 64MB RAM to give them a bit more malleability.

Once a sample is loaded into a static or flex machine, it can be sequenced and processed in a great number of ways. Loop-based samples can easily be time-stretched to fit into any tempo. Thru machines are utilized for processing incoming audio from one of four ¼-inch inputs and neighbor machines are simply a second set of effects that can be assigned to an adjacent track for extra processing power. The 8-track MIDI sequencer is very thorough, with its own set of pages of parameters per track. There are even MIDI LFOs and a customizable arpeggiator.

So, let’s say you wanted to compose a sample-based beat on the Octatrack. You would begin by picking a bank and then a pattern to program.

The next step is assigning a flex or static machine to a track and then a sample from the audio pool to that machine. At the bottom of the unit are 16 circular buttons known as trigs—all of which have very nice feel and rounded edges—that are used to sequence in the 16-step fashion made famous by boxes like the Roland TR-808 and TR-909. Up to 64 steps, or four measures, are possible per pattern. You are not limited to this perfect grid, however. Users have the capability to have each step in the sequence have its own swing as well as micro-timing, which places an impressive 1/384 step resolution grid between each 16th note. Every track can have its own unique length and time signature setting, making it possible to sequence polyrhythms and triplets. Each activated trig will play-

back whatever sample parameters are normally assigned, but every trig can have its own completely unique set of parameters by holding down the trig and tweaking the knobs. If the Octatrack is put into live recording mode, all of the knob movements are recorded as automation and assigned to what are known as trigless trigs, which contain parameter data but not a “note on” message. Trigs can play any sample from the flex and static sample slot lists, not only the ones assigned to the track.

Each bank has 16 different scenes which can be assigned to either the A or B side of the crossfader. A scene contains its own set of parameters for all eight tracks. For example, if the crossfader is all of the way to the left and the scene assigned to B has a sample pitched down an octave, the crossfader acts as a negative pitch bend as it goes to the right. But this is just the beginning of the possibilities here. Every parameter of every track, including LFOs and effects settings, can be adjusted by moving the fader. When first experimenting with this, I was very impressed with how smooth the samples responded to crossfader movements. I’ve never encountered a hardware sampler that can handle this type of real time

processing across so many samples and settings.

Recording samples to the Octatrack is done differently from the method with other units. Sampling can occur during playback or while recording a pattern. It is even possible to program when sampling starts and stops via recording trigs and then immediately have those samples assigned to new tracks for their own sequenced playback. There is a pretty extensive audio editor for doing things like trimming samples and normalizing them. A function known as “slice” is very similar to what Propellerhead’s ReCycle does and each slice can be assigned to any trig.

Elektron has truly paved the way to the future of sampling. The Octatrack ($1,440 MAP) is built well and the quality of the playback sound is exceptionally high. This unit has a tremendous timbral range and seems to have a ton of headroom, too. No matter where I’m at, it seems that there’s always room to turn up the levels. It has taken many hours to get used to operating it, but I think that is a testament to the power of this digital performance sampler.

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

SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

By Jody Amos & Nate Sherwood

DOUBLE DOSE: HOT SPEAKERS & MIXER

This month’s column finds Calibased multi-op mobile Jody Amos testing out Electro-Voice’s Live-X loudspeaker series, while New England-based club jock Nate Sherwood takes on Rane’s MP25 mixer.

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

Rane MP25

26

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Mukilteo, Wash.-based Rane Corporation. Through the years it has established a foothold in the DJ mixer market by designing high-quality interfaces with superior durability.

Two years ago, it retired its flagship 19-inch rack mixer, the MP44, one of the longest-running DJ mixers in history. Now it has introduced its replacement, the MP25, which has broad appeal. It promises to deliver high-end audio, while bridging the gap between analog and digital-DJ platforms. DJ Times was lucky enough to get our hands on one of these intuitive mixers, and we put it through the test to see what digital-audio perfection looks like—30 years in the making.

My first impression of the MP25 was that it looks rather basic—but I that’s a good thing! Many manufactures jam unnecessary bells and whistles into their mixers, resulting in overwhelming confusion. Rane has stayed true to its iconic roots by keeping it simple. Any DJ can jump onto the MP25 and feel right at home.

The color scheme is black and grey, and cleverly laid-out. Key knobs such as the Program Selectors, Gains, and Mics are grey, while standard functions such as EQs and volume control remain black. All of the buttons are illuminated, providing visual feedback for cueing and triggering the Mic and effects. Each channel contains a 60-mm, long-throw vertical fader, a dedicated visual volume meter, a sonically accurate 3-band EQ, and a stunning filter sweep knob. There are two mic inputs with ducking ability.

Rane has put a ton of thought into

Rane MP25: Raising the bar for mixers.

the audio routing on this unit—the DJ can route any input channel to any or all of the fader outputs. So you can cut up a track into the bare essentials on the fly, in real time. The right-hand side of the mixer sports Rane’s industry-standard magnetic crossfader with fully adjustable contour control.

Onto the technical specs: There are four switchable phono/line inputs, four auxiliary inputs, four stereo USB inputs and five stereo output sources (one XLR, two RCA, four ¼-inch).

The effects loop is perfect for Pioneer EFX or Kaoss Pad users. Multiple inputs allow recording capabilities from multiple audio sources. So, anyone can record his or her set in multi-track mode, perfect for editing.

Continuing with the digital onslaught, the entire face of the mixer is MIDI mapable, making the MP25 a stunning control surface for any digital software system. It’s a fantastic option for audio and video DJs alike.

And now, the test-drive. Being an avid Native Instruments Traktor Pro user and opting to skip the user manual, I immediately booted up my laptop, installed the audio drivers,

and tried mixing with my timecoded records. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.

Fortunately, it’s been my experience that Rane has the best customer service on the planet. It took two minutes on the phone to find out that this mixer does not support timecodes for Serato or Traktor Pro. Overall, that was a smart move by Rane. It keeps the price affordable ($1,449 MAP) and many DJs are using software like Ableton, PCDJ, and Traktor, which allow internal mixing without timecodes. After getting that sorted out, I started to bang it out.

The sound quality of the MP25 is stellar. It’s enveloping, crisp, and pristine.

This is the kind of equipment that can push a marginal sound system to its fullest potential. I was impressed with the ergonomic layout of the mixer. For example, the filter knobs are positioned to the left of EQs, a departure from the in-line setup found on other mixers. I also feel that Rane’s filter produces a cleaner, more dramatic sound than its competition.

The crossfader is flawless, which is no surprise. Rane crossfaders have been the preferred choice for many of the

world’s most discerning turntablists.

The FLEXFX function pairs perfectly with my Pioneer EFX500 and Traktor effects. Triggering two effects units on one audio signal gives the DJ unlimited creativity, which is what most digital jocks yearn for.

Next, I decided to connect the MP25 via USB to my studio computer to really understand the digital control options. The entire audio mapping is done through your software program, and I tested it with Ableton.

I mapped four individual tracks to each of the faders and re-routed them back to be recorded. Everything worked flawlessly. I was amazed that EQs and filters can still be used to manipulate each channel. I’m a firm believer that analog adjustments are warmer sounding than the software, and I’ve always preferred to turn a knob vs. click the mouse. MIDI mapping is basic and worked as expected with almost zero latency. I was genuinely surprised; rarely do you find a mixer that is as useful in the studio as it is in the booth.

In conclusion, the MP25 is the culmination of three decades of audio

mastery. Rane has continued to raise the bar, and this will become the ideal choice for club installs and mobile applications. The MP25 takes analog and digital, strips it down to the bare essentials, and partners it with precision control and high-end audio.

It’s perfect for mobile DJs, club DJs, video spinners, and integrates seamlessly into your any production studio. In fact, after spending a few days with the MP25, I’ve developed a real attachment to this mixer and I don’t want to send it back.

Electro-Voice Live-X: DJfriendly active units.

Electro-Voice Live-X

I think it’s safe to say that powered speakers have taken over the market in the mobile-DJ arena. After surveying over 100 DJs, about 75-percent of them told me they were using active speakers for their mobile events.

Of course, with powered speakers, you no longer have to fit your system with a matching amplifier, as they are built into the back of each speaker. I can still remember the glorious day when I removed the heavy amplifier from my DJ-system console, cutting the overall weight almost in half— and saving my back from a lot of pain the following mornings. In this day and age, it’s arguable that the sound quality of powered boxes is comparable to that of most passive speakers.

With their popularity among mobile DJs and musicians, it seems like every manufacturer is coming out with active speakers. However, it has taken one major player quite a bit of time to tap into this booming market in a big way.

Burnsville, Minn.-based ElectroVoice debuted its Live-X Series of loudspeakers at Winter NAMM this past January, bringing its world-tourproven performance within reach of the masses. It has introduced its first three powered speakers, as well as four passive models, all of which are very potable and great looking.

The Live-X series boasts 15-mm, lightweight-yet-durable plywood cabinets with 18-gauge, black powdercoated steel grilles. These speakers have a look and feel you will be proud of at any gig. If these speakers don’t impress you with their beauty, maybe their sticker price will catch your attention.

Comparing the 12-inch, 2-way powered Electro-Voice units to another popular 12-inch, powered speaker in its class, the Live X-Series is roughly 25-percent less money than its competitor. How can that be, you ask? Well, let’s break it down.

My first thought here is just a hunch: EV was late to the poweredspeaker game and it wants to make as much noise as possible. I believe EV cut its price down to gain a lot of market share. Secondly, if you compare these speakers to others in its

class, you will notice it might have a few less features. Besides a speakerpole socket in the bottom, the Live-X series speakers do not have built-in hang points like most other cabinets—so don’t plan on rigging these cabinets overhead.

In addition, they do not have a third handle on top for easier handling, like some do. In my opinion, some of these luxury items have been waived to accommodate their relatively low sticker price without compromising the sound quality the brand is known for. Overall, the Live-X series is just a well thought-out, simple design without much of the fluff that is rarely used in the mobile-DJ world.

EV didn’t cut back everywhere, as it packed this cabinet with a lot of punch. The powered 12-inch and the powered 15-inch speakers are each loaded with a 1,000-W, Class-D, highefficiency amplifier; a DH-1k 1.5-inch titanium compression driver; an EVengineered woofer (the company is known for the quality of its woofers and drivers in the touring arena); and they disperse a horizontal coverage area of up to 90 degrees.

You can run these bad boys all night and they will still run cool. In fact, they don’t even have fans or heat sinks, shedding their net weight to 41 pounds on the 12-inch, 2-way and just 54 pounds on the 15-inch, 2-way.

On the back of the cabinet, you will find your control panel, featuring a 2-channel mixer with a variety of options. On channel one, EV offers

an XLR/TRS combo jack and a dualRCA input for any line-level source.

On line two, you have another XLR/ TRS combo jack with a switch for your choice of a mic- or line-level input. Each channel has its own independent volume control. In addition, you have a master-volume control, an XLR output to link more speakers, an EQ switch for normal or boost settings, as well as a low-cut switch for

full-range use or an optimum setting for when using it with a subwoofer.

For this review, EV let me test drive the ELX115P (powered 15inch, 2-ways) and a single ELX118P (powered 18-inch sub) that weighs in just under 70 pounds. The sub is rated at 700 W with a Class-D amplifier, which is crossed over at 100 Hz. It has very simple-to-use features on the back, including a single XLR input, a single XLR output, master volume control, and power. It also has a pole-mount socket which, when setup with its mate, I have found to be more secure than most other sets I have. This sub is a very nice box and, with a max of 134dB, it comes with plenty of thump.

At my last couple events, I was extremely satisfied with the performance of these speakers. With a frequency range of 44Hz to 20 k Hz and 134 of max dB, the music and vocals had the dynamics and head room that I was looking for. However, I did have a minor issue with my XLR cable getting stuck inside one of the combo jacks. It took a little “MacGyver-ing” to get my cable out, but I did and haven’t had the problem since.

Other than that, these speakers look amazing, sound great, they have all the features I need, and the price is more than affordable. As the owner of a multi-op DJ business, I would have no hesitations with adding more of the EV Live-X series of speakers to our inventory.

I do have one request for EV, though—speaker bags! Although some other brands may fit fine, I would like to see EV release a slip cover or a zip-up bag, sporting the EV logo on them as a finishing touch.

Keep it up, EV—good job!

MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

Shane Presley takes his cues from Northeast mobiles.

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

By Con Carney

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DJ BRINGS BIG CITY VIBE TO CENTRAL FLORIDA

Indicia Woodruf

Indicia Woodruf

Melbourne, Fla.—“From one to 10, [the event] was a 20.”

Such is the unbridled enthusiasm and confidence that Shane Presley brings to his gigs. Don’t mistake the confidence for arrogance, however— he’s supremely thankful for all the good will that has floated his way.

“I think DJs are the luckiest people on the planet,” he says. “We get paid to make people happy.”

Presley, who owns DJ Shane Entertainment in Melbourne, credits his success—he’s been making his living as a DJ for more than 15 years—with an approach that’s unique to his area.

“A perfect example is the bride I played for this past weekend,” he says, referring to the “20” mentioned earlier. “She wanted that big-city vibe in Central Florida. Now, I’m not from the city, but I do my homework, and I do this for a living. I’m on the Internet until 3 in the morning, every morning, because I want to see what every other DJ is doing out there.”

In his market, Presley says there are about 25 DJ companies. But, he says, there’s little to learn from them. “There might be three or four of them who are doing it for a living.”

But then, he says, “I look at guys in New York and on the East Coast, DJs with hundreds of competitors, and I see how they’re doing it, what’s making them special. I see that. I talk to those guys at the DJ Expo and I bring that vibe back to Florida— teaching dances, being an entertainer.

Specifically, Presley notices that DJs on the East Coast are “a bit more creative at their reception,” he says.

“Instead of the basics, in terms of introductions, and just playing dance music, they are more involved.”

So how does Presley bring the Big City to Central Florida?

“I work with two DJs at every event,” he says. “I’m on the microphone, and never in the console. I’m going from table to table, because since I already know what the bride and groom want—I’ve sat down with them for several consultations—but now I’m talking to everyone. I ask

them: ‘How was the wedding?’ I’m sitting down with the captain, and I do lots of stuff that has noting to do with DJing. It’s as if I work for the hotel, since I’m wearing a tuxedo, sometimes people will ask me: Is the bar open? Can you get me some ketchup?”

Presley laughs at the thought of it, and then reverts back to his talkative self.

“I’m lining people up, letting guests know what’s going to happen before it happens, so they don’t miss it by taking a cigarette break at the wrong time; so they don’t miss the niece doing a father-daughter dance that they’ll never see again. I find that it’s actually the small things I do that make every event a big one.”

Obviously, Presley is a big believer is personality; it’s the one essential

element of what he calls “Big City” DJing.

“Yeah, I guess you can say I’m a big believer in personality,” he says. “For me, the MC is what makes a successful mobile-DJ event. That’s what works for me. There are other styles that work great for other DJs, but that’s what works for me. I do it in this style because it feels most natural, and that enthusiasm is what the staff at the hotels are noticing, and that’s why they promote me to their brides—that, and the teamwork, of course. They know we’ll keep the flow going.”

Which brings us to how Presley and company generate gigs. “Wordof-mouth is what works for our company,” he says. “No word-of-mouth?

Then people aren’t talking about you.

That, and hotels—that’s where the brides are going first. Where we win is when brides shop two or three different venues, all of those hotels mention us as quality entertainers.

When they come to us, the brides know we’ll take care of them.”

Presley has also tried running radio commercials. “Didn’t work,” he says. “But TV commercials do. I’d love someone to pick up the phone after seeing me on TV and book me. That hardly happens. But I can’t tell you how many times people have said to me, ‘I’ve heard of you, but I’ve also seen you on TV,’ and that might be three months since I’d last run a

spot.”

Of course, in his 15 years of DJing, success hasn’t come easy for Presley, who employs a handful of DJs he refers to as good friends.

“When I first started DJing, I was coming from a few years as a club DJ, and I was coming from the club vibe when I first started out. I wanted to have that energy, I wanted to be the cool DJ and I’m going to lay the hot thing that’s out now. That was a learning experience for me: always start with the old and work your way to the new; the older folks leave earlier, so you want to do The Twist and make them happy.”

Fifteen years in, Presley would like to dispense some of his knowledge for the next generation of DJs. “Follow the list of songs that the bride and groom give you, but pick the songs for what’s in front of you,” he says. “We have to read that crowd… and you also have to do homework on ethnic weddings, especially in Florida, but increasingly, all over the country. You should be able to do Latin, Caribbean, Venezuelan, Jamaican, all of it, everyone has their own flavor, so try and get some music from your client. They often go back to their homeland, when they do I ask them to bring back some music that we can’t get in the States. They come back with a thumb drive, and I’ll play it, just a song or two to give them a feeling. That goes a long way.”

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TAKEAWAYS FROM DJ EXPO

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

By Gregg Hollmann

30

The DJ Expo is always a boon for my DJ business, and this year I attended nine seminars over three days. At the end, I was as exhausted as I was enlightened. From this past DJ Expo—Aug. 8-11 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J.—here are some takeaways: Steve Moody’s All-Star MC Secrets Revealed The 2009 “DJ of the Year” Steve Moody hosted a panel of all-star MCs, including Mike Wieder, Jay Thomson, Shani Barnett and Marz Lawhorn.

Lawhorn recommended DJs to adopt a human approach to selling, to “step outside yourself, be more yourself, and sell more.” This personal touch has served Lawhorn well—when his twin daughters were born, he received 75 gifts from clients.

Moody and Wieder spoke about the importance of laying the groundwork for a successful party by getting to know your clients and guests in advance.

While I have traditionally preferred to pack dancefloors organically, several of the panelists advised staging a packed dancefloor. For example, use an opening routine to get all guests on the floor, then riding the momentum of this opening routine for the rest of the evening.

Jerry Bazata’s Business in a Down Economy Finance guru and DJ business owner Jerry Bazata provided a powerful blend of big-picture economic insight and specific sales/marketing strategies. On the big-picture side, Bazata explained how the Section 179 deduction is set to expire at the end of 2011 and business owners would be wise to accelerate their equipment purchases to guarantee a tax deduction. He also advised attendees not to be afraid of applying for an SBA loan, and said that local community banks might provide a better chance for loan approval.

On specific sales/marketing strategies, Bazata is fond of email marketing. Not relying on canned responses, Bazata personalizes his emails and runs multi-touch campaigns. For email subject lines, he recommended avoiding “salesy” overtures, and instead offered subject lines such as “Establishing a Budget for Your Wedding,” “Music Selection for Your Event,” “Avoid Embarrassing Songs at Your Event,” and “Is Your Do Not Playlist Really a Do

Not Playlist?”

Finally, Bazata said that social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, blogging) is a supplement to a corporate website, but never a replacement.

Simple Solutions of Being Different, The Power of the Upgrade DJ Michael Kindlick from Jam on Sound Productions gave an excellent seminar about the art of the upgrade. After being introduced to Beyoncé’s “Let Me Upgrade You,” Kindlick expanded on the principles of successful upselling.

Specific tips included: 1) Make the client want the upgrade, 2) Don’t copy upgrades, create them.... (or at least adapt them to “make them your own”), and 3) Use the K.I.S.S. Rule (Keep it Simple and Stupid)… upgrades should be easily understood by your clients.

In developing potential upgrade services, Kindlick recommended that DJs survey past clients to see what might have been missing from their event, and then to fill that void. Some specific upgrades that Kindlick is finding success with in his local market include a concierge service (i.e., an assistant to the bride and groom at their wedding reception), casino nights and trivia.

Mike Walter’s Maximizing Employee Training Mike Walter, the head honcho at multi-operator Elite Entertainment, provided a fast-paced, multimedia seminar about finding and training DJ talent.

This material was primarily from his 2011 book/ audiobook “Running Your Multi-Op.” It seems obvious, but Walter is correct in saying that the success of a DJ entertainment company hinges on the quality of its talent! Walter recommended keeping a list of qualities sought in a new recruit, so that you’ll recognize this person when you cross paths with them—quite possibly in the course of your daily life.

On the performance side, Walter advised that an MC use prompts (e.g., “Clap Your Hands,” “Raise the Roof ”) to maximize your dancers’ potential, and that a DJ should not be afraid to shine, saying that a DJ will never steal the spotlight from the

bride and groom. On the business side, Walter advised to “get over yourself,” to “delegate or suffocate,” and to “ABC—Always Be Closing.”

New Media Marketing: Control Your Media Message Vincent Velasquez and Strato Doumanis from New Jersey-based Hurricane Productions are social media pioneers in the mobile DJ industry and shared specific tips and strategies for Facebook, Twitter and blogging. Impressively, Hurricane Productions does not spend any money on advertising and relies solely on its social media platforms to promote its business. Based on my read of the room, while most DJs have a basic social-media presence, few are practicing it at an advanced level.

This could represent a huge opportunity for those DJ companies.

Did you know that on your business’ Facebook Fan Page, there is a tab for administrators called “View Insights” that will show a demographic profile of your Facebook fans by age and geography?

This tab also spits out other graphs and statistics that show how frequently your Fans interact with you. According to Hurricane, having a large number of Facebook fans is not impressive in and of itself.

Rather, it’s about engaging your fans and having them interact with your company and sharing content.

Hurricane advises creating high-quality content for distribution over social media. For example, it shoots video in HD and its photos using an SLR camera. To protect its images and promote its brand, Hurricane watermarks all of its photos. For its videos, Hurricane uses a “logo sting” (a professional opening scene that promotes branding). For about $200 per year, Hurricane uses Vimeo Pro to host its videos (importantly, this service allows Hurricane to watermark its videos with the Hurricane logo).

Three specific tips for maximizing the ranking of your content in search engines: 1) Create a name for your photo file that is relevant to the subject of the photo. For example, “Sweet 16 Grand Entrance. jpg” would be better than “IMG0012.jpg,” 2) When creating tags for blog entries, use hyphens between words, not spaces. For example, “NJ-DJ” could rank better than “NJ DJ,” and, 3) In titling a blog entry, keep it simple and representative of the subject matter. For example, “Ambient DJ Sweet 16 at Nassau Inn” would be better than “Ambient DJ Raises the Roof at Ashley’s Sweet 16 at the Nassau Inn.” That’s it for now. Stay tuned next issue for more DJ Expo takeaways.

Gregg Hollmann is the owner of Ambient DJ Service in East Windsor, N.J.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Raising the Bar American DJ 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (800) 322-6337 www.americandj.com American DJ’s Fusion FX Bar 5 combines three of the company’s popular effects, including the Tri Color LED Moonflower, which uses a three-watt LED lamp in red, blue and green to create colorful beams and patterns; a “celestial-style” laser that emits more than 500 red and green beams that “create the impression of a galaxy of stars in a solar system;” and a bright white LED strobe/wash that’s powered by 90 white LEDs. The unit operates in sound active and master/slave mode, as well as on seven DMX channels.

Tangled Up In Blu-Ray DVJ Media, Inc. 55 Washington St. Brooklyn, NY 11201 (877) 385-8474 www.dvjvision.com United Vision created City Visions New York, a Blu-ray HD visuals compilation with a 5.1 surround sound DJ mix. The disc can sync up to the music being played at the club, or work as a stand-alone “audiovisual experience” that works on projectors, flat screens and more. It contains a Blu-ray HD disc, an SD DVD and an iPod-ready H.264 file.

What’s My Paraline?

Yorkville Sound USA 4625 Witmer Industrial Estate Niagara Falls, NY 14305 (716) 297-2920 www.yorkville.com

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

Mister Speaker

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GCI Technologies 1 Mayfield Ave. Edison, NJ 08837 (732) 346-0061 www.gci-technologies.com Gemini’s RS-415USB loudspeaker features a built-in USB and SD media player that has an LCD display screen and controls for play/ pause, stop, repeat and track skip. Its speaker includes a 15-inch woofer and 1.75-inch titanium high frequency driver in a bi-amped, 300-watt system. Additional features include dual microphone inputs, bass and treble tone control, line RCA inputs, XLR inputs and an XLR output.

The Paraline Series Loudspeaker System from Yorkville Sound includes the PSA1 active full-range loudspeaker, which is housed in a rugged injection molded ABS cabinet.

The unit features neodymium magnet woofers, internal DSP and BMS compression drivers. It offers focused 15-degree vertical dispersion, as well as 110-degree horizontal dispersion. Up to four PSA1 cabinets can be powered on one 15-amp circuit.

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DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Laughter in the Rane Rane Corporation 10802 47th Avenue West Mukilteo, WA 98275 (425) 355-6000 www.rane.com Rane’s MP26 is a 19-inch club mixer with a 22-channel USB audio interface. It features a MIDI-enabled front panel, as well as low-latency, multi-client ASIO and Core Audio drivers and the company’s patented magnetic crossfader. It has an internal effects engine featuring filter, flanger, phaser, echo, robot, and reverb functions. Additional features include two microphone inputs, four studio-grade phono preamps, four analog aux inputs, four low-latency stereo USB inputs, and FlexFX architecture that lets users “apply a variety of effects to any combination of mic and program inputs,” according to the company.

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

Rubix Cubix

34

Chauvet 5200 NW 108th Ave. Sunrise, FL 33351 (800) 762-1084 www.chauvetlighting.com The Cubix Light Effect features two multicolored effects—one that creates flowing effects and animations with 64 RGB LEDs and a quadsided derby effect with by two rotating tri-color LEDs. Both effects can be controlled independently and users are able to select colors in stand-alone mode. Cubix comes with built-in automated programs via master/slave or DMX, as well as sound-activated programs that sync the effects to the music.

All Hands on MIXDECK Numark Industries 200 Scenic View Drive Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-3131 www.numark.com Numark’s MIXDECK EXPRESS DJ system includes Virtual DJ software, two CD decks, two USB flash-drive ports, and a three-channel mixer.

The unit comes with touch-sensitive platters for mixing and scratching, along with a replaceable crossfader and cue, brake, and reverse controls.

A three-channel mixer is built in, with three-band EQ on each channel.

MIXDECK EXPRESS is designed to be compatible with all music sources, including CD, USB thumbdrive, iPod and turntable. Anti-Shock buffered skip-protection technology is included on both CD decks.

The Soft Bag Parade Arriba Products 6122 S. Eastern Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90040 (626) 217-6710 www.arribacase.com The AC-205 and AC-210 are two new soft bags from Arriba Cases designed specifically for carrying LED bars. The AC-205 holds two ½-meter LED bars, while the AC-210 fits two one-meter LED bars or four ½-meter LED bars. High-density, shock-resistant foam covered with durable synthetic fabric protects the bars from damage. Features include padded dividers, nylon web straps, wide zipper openings and an interior zippered pocket for clamps and other accessories.

Š Testa Communications

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

MuRF-y Brown Moog Music Inc. 2004-E Riverside Dr. Asheville, NC 28804 (828) 251-0090 www.moogmusic.com A free software VST controller plug-in is now available for Moog Music’s MIDI MuRF pedal.

Called MuRF_Controller, the plug-in lets users create and save presets and gives them access to the MuRF’s LFO speed, staccato and triplet musical timing modes, and a time multiplier for the envelope that “stretches” or “shrinks” its duration without changing its shape. The plug-in allows for full automation functionality so that the DAW’s plugin automation tools can create fully-automated parameter changes on the MIDI MuRF.

Firmware Hand Pioneer Electronics 1925 E. Dominguez Street Long Beach, CA 90810 (310) 952-2000 www.pioneerdjusa.com A free firmware update from Pioneer DJ adds a host of new features to its popular DJM-2000 Professional Performance DJ Mixer, including higher volume adjustment on the built-in NOISE feature and updates to the filter and reverb functions. Users can now adjust not only the length of the reverb effect but also the openness of the simulated space at the same time.The update also includes a Quantize function that automatically corrects the BEAT EFFECT to play on-beat. The update is available for download from the company’s website.

Under PARdelite MBT Lighting 2456 Remount Rd., Suite 305 North Charleston, SC 29406 (800) 845-1922 www.mbtlighting.com PARdelite LED PAR fixtures have a three-inch low profile design that the company says makes them ideal for tight stages, nightclubs and venues with low ceilings. “As many as four of the new lights can fit in the same amount of space used by one traditional PAR,” according to the company. All models in the line can be used as a stand-alone unit or controlled with DMX. They can also be used on the floor or hanging from trussing thanks to the dual yoke design.

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

Blame It on the T-Pain Effect

36

iZotope 1 Kendall Square Cambridge, MA, 02139 (617) 577-7799 www.isotope.com iZotope teamed up with popular rapper T-Pain to create a collection of music making tools called The T-Pain Effect. The T-Pain Effect centers on The T-Pain Engine, a self-contained beat-making and vocal recording application that works with on either a PC or Mac and includes 50 song templates made up of hundreds of beats approved by the star. There is a built-in keyboard, as well as a MIDI controller, and users get VST, AU, and RTAS plug-in versions of The T-Pain Effect for use with Pro Tools, GarageBand, Cubase, SONAR, Logic and other DAWs.

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

ASHEVILLE, NC FLAMING LIPS • MOBY • PASSION PIT • STS9 • TANGERINE DREAM TV ON THE RADIO • SPECIAL DISCO VERSION FEAT. JAMES MURPHY & PAT MAHONEY CRYSTAL CASTLES • UMPHREY'S MCGEE • CHROMEO AMON TOBIN: ISAM • GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY • FLYING LOTUS SUICIDE PERFORMING THEIR LEGENDARY FIRST ALBUM "SUICIDE" • CHILDISH GAMBINO M83 • BEATS ANTIQUE • BATTLES • ANIKA • LITTLE DRAGON • THE ANTLERS HOLY F**K • THE NAKED & FAMOUS • DAN DEACON • ST. VINCENT • ZOMBY MAYER HAWTHORNE & THE COUNTY • TIM HECKER • TWIN SHADOW ADRIAN BELEW POWER TRIO • YACHT • SBTRKT • BEAK • THE DRUMS EOTO • SAVOY • MATTHEW DEAR (BAND) • TORO Y MOI • ATLAS SOUND KODE9 • GLASSER • GOLD PANDA • BRANDT, BRAUER, FRICK LUNZPROJECT FEAT. HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS & TIM STORY • STICKMEN • AUSTRA EMANCIPATOR • CANT • MIMI GOESE & BEN NEILL • ARAABMUZIK • BATHS WHAM CITY COMEDY TOUR • CAUSING A TIGER • HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS JOHN MAUS • ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER• FAREED HAQUE + MATH GAMES MOON DUO • FORD & LOPATIN • CLOUDLAND CANYON • ACTIVE CHILD WARM GHOST • GRIMES • FINE PEDUNCLE • SHAHZAD ISMAILY AND WELCOMING VERY SPECIAL GUEST

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60+ ACTS, WORKSHOPS, PANELS, FILMS AND MORE! Visit us at Moogfest.com, facebook.com/moogfest or follow us on Twitter @moogfest to stay up-to-date on all things Moogfest!

GROOVES TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS cuts like the moody, but bouncy “Teach This” by Jack Riley and the smoking, hot “Don’t Understand” by Huxley and Russo.

“BIG BAD WOLF” u Duck Sauce u 3Beat Following the wild success of “Barbra Streisand,” ATrak and Armand Van Helden continue to define the genre of quirky house with this latest offering. Simple, but deadly—be very afraid of this big bad wolf.

– Phil Turnipseed “CUDDLY TOY”

– Curtis Zack

u Beverly Knight u Hurricane The queen of U.K. soul fires out another quality cover, this time taking on the Roachford tune. Dave Doyle provides a moving remix, crammed full of quality and wringing out all the deep emotion.

“GAG ON IT”

u Chad Jack vs. Nasty Pig u Madtizzy Music Ain’t nothing like a bangin’ bitch mix to “lift me up.” Complete with sassy dialogue interludes, this one has no lack of hip-throbbing, booty-shaking, drum-clanking grooves—great for any sweaty dancefloor or basement club. Check the hot mixes by Barry Harris and Superchumbo.

– Curtis Zack “NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN”

Beverly Knight

u Richard Earnshaw u Duffnote

– Natalie Raben “CREEPER”

u Deepgroove u Veryverywrongindeed

Honey Dijon

Impressive new joint. This deep and techie tune drops two mixes that will definitely get your body bouncing. We love the funky “Waifs & Strays Remix,” while the original builds with a banging, dark techno groove.

Trademark stuff from the Duffnote/Earnshaw stable and, as expected, this is high on quality. The vocal comes from the criminally underrated Orlando Vaughn and, with top-notch production backing it up, you can’t go wrong here.

– Curtis Zack “THE EP” u Misteralf u Purple Here’s some genuine style from Misteralf with three tracks that all demand attention. For me, “Higher Love” takes the title, though all three will get serious airtime.

– Phil Turnipseed “I BELIEVE”

– Curtis Zack

u Syke n Sugarstarr u Do The Hip “DIFFERENT MORALS” Serge Devant

Dark, tech-house lovers, take note. Of the seven mixes here, check the “Danny Daze Mean Mix” with its stripped-down groove, the “Clockwork Remix” for its chunky vibe, and Mat Playford’s “Supermoon Remix” for its gloss and muscularity.

– Curtis Zack DEFECTED PRESENTS BEACH CLUBBING

u Various Artists u Defected Jonesing for a chillout mix with soulful vocals?

Look no further. CD 1 includes Dennis Ferrer’s “Hey Hey” and ties things up nicely with Osunlade’s “Envision” (Âme Remix). CD 2 starts slow, then lifts off with the funky Rogerseventytwo’s ”You Take Me Higher” and also includes Kings of Tomorrow’s classic “Finally.”

Corner Duck Sauce

– Natalie Raben “LOVE BEGINS”

u Matt Samuels Feat. Joel Edwards u Toolroom Led by an incredible vocal and equally catchy hook, this delivers six robust re-rubs—check the glossy “Extended Vocal Club Mix.”

– Phil Turnipseed

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

u Spiritchaser u Guess

38

Richard Earnshaw Chad Jack vs.

Nasty Pig

“SUENO LATINO” The ’89 classic receives a nifty rehash from the Spiritchaser gang—and what a sterling job they’ve done. This contains all the qualities of the original with a little nip and tuck for good measure.

– Curtis Zack “THE SUMMER SOUNDTRACK” EP

u Various u Leftroom With a delicious blend of dark, tech-house mixtures, this five-cut burner has some bite to it with

u Luca C & Brigante u Southern Fried

Download

A welcome return for the legend that is Ce Ce Rogers, and a cracking little number from Syke n Sugarstarr. A quality house/electro groove and imitable vocal give this all the right ingredients.

– Phil Turnipseed

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).

“3AM Eternal” (Original Mix) by Serge Devant feat. Taleen [Ultra]: Nostalgia for house music’s early days is a surefire way to turn heads on the dancefloor and on the sales chart. Devant re-energizes this KLF classic in modern big-room style and an enormous breakdown with a neverending riser. The “I Feel Love”-influenced bassline and samples of the original track’s synth beeps keep the ’80s feel. Found at beatport.com.

“Until the Day” (Alex Kenji Remix) by Honey Dijon feat. Dajae [Toolroom]: Oozing with urgency, power, and bass, Kenji’s remix of this soulful original can’t be denied a spot amongst peak-time, floor-filling, tech-house bombs. Just buy it immediately—enough said! Found at beatport.com.

– Robert LaFrance

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Behringer 11 Chauvet 3 Crown 9 Denon 31 Dixie Dance Kings

36

Focusrite 21 Gator Cases

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GCI

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Compiled As Of September 9,2011

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

Swedish House Mafia Save The World David Guetta Where Them Girls At Katy Perry Last Friday Night Kylie Put Your Hands Up Enrique Iglesias F/ Usher Dirty Dancer Britney Spears I Wanna Go Inner Party System Not Getting Any Better Pattie Brooks Its All About The Music Jason Derulo Dont Wanna Go Home Lady Gaga Edge Of Glory Paul Hardcastle Rainforest Beyonce Best Thing I Never Had Jennifer Lopez F/ Lil Wayne I’m Into You Rihanna California King Bed September Me And My Microphone Katrina OPM Beyonce Run The World (Girls) LMFAO Party Rock Anthem Britney Spears Till The World Ends INXS F/ Rob Thomas Original Sin Ricky Martin Freak Of Nature Lady Gaga Judas Dj Sammy F/ J Baptiste & Nyah Animal Hot Rod Dance With Me U.V.U.K. Forever Pepper Mashay Love S.O.S. David Guetta Little Bad Girls Pitbull F/Ne-Yo +Afrojack+Nayer Give Me Everything Vandalism And Static Revenger Vegas Coolio F/Rico Bernasconi & Kylian Gangsta’s Paradise Japanese Popstars Song For Lisa George Acosta F/ Fisher True Love Nicollette F/Rev-Players Can You Feel It? Depeche Mode Behind The Wheel Japanese Popstars Joshua Monster Taxi & Tatiana Blades Porn Star Hot Dacav5 Dirty Style Mayra Veronica Freak Like Me Dev In The Dark Emilia De Poret Weightless

National Urban Pool Chart

Capitol Astralwerks Capitol Astralwerks Universal Republic Jive Red Bull RGP Music Warner Brothers Interscope Trippin N Rhythm Columbia Slip-N-Slide Island/Def Jam Robbins Red Red Columbia Interscope Jive Rhino Sony Interscope Robbins G Note Robbins Control Voltage Astralwerks Sony Vicious Capp Astralwerks Songbird Amathus Reprise Astralwerks Toy Robot Dacav5 Universal Universal Republic Robbins

1 Beyonce 2 Chris Brown 3 Travis Porter 4 Kirk Franklin 5 Snoop Dog Ft. R. Kelly 6 Rihanna 7 David Guetta 8 Dj Khaled F/Drake & Rick Ross 9 Lloyd F/Awesome Jones 10 Lil Wayne 11 Waka Flocka Flames 12 Bei Maejor F/ J. Cole 13 Nicki Minaj 14 Trey Songz Ft. Drake 15 Coolio F/Rico Bernasconi & Kylian 16 Eva 17 Alja Jackson 18 J.O.D. 19 Frank Ocean 20 Rick Ross F/ Lil Wayne & TI 21 Dj Drama F/Fabolous 22 Jamie Foxx F/ Wiz Khalifa 23 Musiq Soulchild 24 Jill Scott F/Anthony Hamilton 25 Beyonce 26 Lupe Fiasco F/ Trey Songz 27 Estelle & Rick Ross 28 Miguel 29 Anthony David F/ Algebra 30 Pitbull F/Ne-Yo + Afrojack + Nayer 31 Mary J Blige F/Diddy & Lil Wayne 32 Young Jeezy F/ Lil Wayne 33 Keri Hilson 34 Chris Brown 35 Jennifer Hudson 36 Charlie Wilson 37 G 38 J Peezy F/ Niah 39 R Kelly 40 Yo Gotti

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

David Guetta F/Tinie Sir Ivan Gloria Estefan Emilia De Poret Mayra Veronica DJ Nick Cannon F/Ako Japanese Popstars Dacav5 JLS Hakimakli

Little Bad Girls Live For Today WEPA Weightless Freak Like Me Famous Song For Lisa Dirty Style She Makes Me Wanna Ding Dong Ding

Run The World (Girls) Columbia She Ain’t You Jive Bring It Back Jive I Smile Jive Platinum Priority Man Down Def Jam Where Them Girls At Astralwerks I’m The One Def Jam Cupid Interscope How To Love Universal Grove St. Party Asylum Trouble Jive Super Bass Universal Unusual Atlantic Gangsta’s Paradise Capp Not My Daddy In Ya Face Prettiest Girl Interscope Candy Rain SOW Novacane Island/Def Jam 9 Piece Def Jam Oh My (2011) E1 Best Night Of My Life Sony Yes Atlantic So In Love Reprise Best Thing I Never Had Columbia Out Of My Head Atlantic Break My Heart Atlantic Quickie Jive 4Evermore E1 Give Me Everything Sony Somebody To Love Me Geffen Ballin’ Def Jam One Night Stand Interscope Look At Me Now Jive No One Gonna Love You Jive Life Of The Party Epic Tell Me SOW Its My Time APB Radio Message Jive We Can Get It On Jive

Most Added Tracks Astralwerks Peaceman Crescent Moon Robbins Universal NCredible Astralwerks Dacav5 Jive Robbins

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Big Sean Ace Hood R Kelly 50 Cent Dj Khalad F/ Mary J Rihanna Charlie Wilson Wiz Khalifa F/ Too Short Lil Wayne Wale F/Jeremih & Rick Ross

I Do It Go & Get It Radio Message Outlaw It Ain’t Over California King Bed Life Of The Party On My Level How To Love That Way

Island/Def Jam Island/Def Jam Jive Interscope Cash Money Island/Def Jam Epic Atlantic Universal Geffen

Reporting Pools ✦ Dixie Dance Kings - Alpharetta, GA; Dan Miller ✦ Flamingo - Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Julio ✦ Lets Dance / IRS - Chicago, IL; Lorri Annarella ✦ Next Music Pool - Los Angeles, CA; Bob Ketchter ✦ Masspool - Revere, MA; Gary Canavo ✦ OMAP - Washington, DC; Al Chasen ✦ Central Ohio - Columbus, OH; Fred Dowdy ✦ NW Dance Music - Shoreline, WA; John England ✦ Philly Spinners Assoc. - Bensalem, PA; Fred Kolet✦ Pittsburgh DJ - Pittsburgh, PA; Jim Kolich ✦ Soundworks - San Francisco, CA; Sam Labelle ✦ New York Music Pool - Levittown, NY; Jackie McCloy✦ Rickett’s Record Pool - Saddle Brook, NJ; Bill Rickett ✦ Pacific Coast - Long Beach, CA; Steve Tsepelis ✦ NE Record Pool - Boston MA: Justin Testa

Looking for these titles?

You can hear them and buy them at www.dancekings.com.

Just click on the links in the chart.

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

45791

VJ Update

(continued from page 17) I tend to double- and triple-check my work before submitting it. Making sure I’ve meet all of their quality control requirements. I usually recommend them as a source for DJ/VJs regardless of their experience level.

Gear: I chose to use Serato Scratch Live and MixEmergency because I felt it was the most stable, user-friendly, and feature-rich combination. I also rely heavily on the performance of the MacBook Pro and the sound quality of the Serato SL3. The Pioneer gear (Pioneer CDJ-2000, Pioneer DJM-800 or DJM-900) was a simple decision—they have the industry’s standard CD players and mixers for a reason. I also use Novation Dicers and an Apple iPad as MIDI controllers to trigger features and effects.

DJ Rippin Da Bumps (aka DJ Niros), The Betatesters, Seattle: Advice: The most important piece of gear to buy is the right laptop. This is the brains of your VDJ system and video DJing software is really picky on what system, configuration, OS, etc., it will work with. Computer information and modifications are readily available in the VDJ forums on www.Serato.com or www.Inklen. com. Do your homework before you buy or modify.

To be a successful VDJ, you’ll need to get content from a variety of sources. One video pool or video service will probably not be able to supply you with enough. I use Rockamerica, SmashVidz and, since I have a condo in British Columbia, I also use Xtendamix. I also get content from the labels to edit for remixes, but the combined services give me more than enough current and older material.

Gear: My setup is a MacBook Pro

Quad 2.3, with 8 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive running at 7200.

It’s running OSX 10.6.8 and I’ll wait to update to the 10.7 until the smoke is all clear. I use and prefer Apple’s platform because it plays nicely with Serato and VSL. Jack Millz, Crooklyn Clan, Pittsburgh: Gear: Pioneer CDJ-2000s, Pioneer DJM-800 or 2000, Serato SSL/ VSL + MixEmergency. Apple MacBook Pro. This platform allows the most flexibility for the working VJ, with tons of effects and options to get the creativity flowing. SmashVidz, Crooklyn and Promo Only for content.

DVDJ Biggie, Crooklyn Clan Vault/Visual Club Concepts, NYC: Advice: If you’re currently DJing, then you probably have a platform already chosen and you should stay with it. If not, I’d suggest Serato with the MixEmergency plug-in (Mac only). VirtualDJ already has video included (Mac or PC). Also, make sure you have a laptop that can run video and space for the video content. I have 2 TB of videos. Don’t just jump into it. There’s a lot of stuff you need to figure out like: What inputs does the club have for video (s-video, VGA, HDMI)? What kind of converters will you need to hook up? Is there video content for the music you already play? For stuff you don’t have a video for, what can you put on screens (like drink specials, DJ name or upcoming events)?

The main question I get from people starting out is: How do I convince my club to do videos? My main selling point is that not everyone in the club comes to dance—so why not give

them something to watch? This could make the people that aren’t dancing possibly stay longer. Also, video DJs can promote anything—a liquor sponsor with a logo on the screen in the corner all night, upcoming events, or scrolling text. All this adds a great new feel to any venue!

I get video content from SmashVidz—intro’d and outro’d videos with no breaks and Snipz which are one verse chorus, and outro edits!

For remixes, SmashVidz and Crooklyn Clan Video Vault. Check my section out www.crooklynclan.net/dvdjbiggie. I have been making my own content for about four years now.

Custom content is what separates you from everyone else!

Gear: I use VirtualDJ because I was playing music videos before Serato came out with video capabilities.

I was already comfortable with VirtualDJ, so why spend money to switch?

There is a huge debate between DJs of whether to use a MIDI controller, CDJs or old-school vinyl. It’s not what you use that counts—it’s how you rock a crowd that counts. The people on the dancefloor aren’t worrying about what the DJs use—only the other DJs in the house do! My setup right now includes a Pioneer DJM-800 mixer, Hercules 4-Mx MIDI controller, Alienware m15x Laptop, and VirtualDJ.

DJ Kris P, www.djkrisp.com, Los Angeles: Advice: If you want to get started as a video DJ, you’ll need to get your gear right and build up your video library. It’s just like building a new music library, but with the creativity and fun of adding videos. I would tell anyone just starting to go with Serato Scratch Live and MixEmergency to play their video content. As far as the

videos themselves, SmashVidz.com is the most consistent for new content especially for the club genres. If you’re more of the wedding-DJ type or more open-format jock, Promo Only has a vast library with every genre from old-school to Latin.

Gear: I use two CDJ2000s, a Pioneer DJM-900, Korg Nano Pad2, and a MacBook Pro with Serato and MixEmergency. It’s a super-stable platform that can’t skip and is super-forgiving. I use the Nano Pad for MIDI controls. This gives me great freedom to jump in and out of songs live and remix on the fly.

DJ Eloy, Natural Born Spinnas, NYC: Advice: The first thing I would I say is: What kind of gig are you trying to do—mobile or club? There’s a large array of DJ/VJ applications now on the market—Serato’s VSL, Inklen’s MixEmergency, VirtualDJ, and MixVibe. They all can play videos, but some have better options, depending on the task. I get a lot of my content from labels, Vimeo, VEVO, Promo Only, and iTunes. Yes, I pay for videos on iTunes. I am a video remixer and it’s good to have HQ/HD content to make remixes from.

Gear: I use Serato VSL, Inklen’s MixEmergency and Modul8 because I am a Scratch Live user and because run an Apple Laptop. MixEmergency has jumped head of the pack with updates that come every three to four months and they are on the cutting edge of VJing. I pipe my videos from MixEmergency to Modul8, were I go crazy with video effects and all kinds of other things with it. I am on a MacBook Pro and all of these apps are Mac only other then Serato ScratchLive. If you are a PC user you can use Serato’s VSL. n

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2011

DJ Shadow: The Less You Know, The Better?

42

I’ve changed since the 1996 release of Entroducing…

You could even say I’ve mutated.

See what I mean?

DJ Shadow, Next Month in DJ Times

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

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

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

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

And, at 3:00 am after the smoke clears, their light-weight is heaven. JBL is the bomb!”

Photos by: James DeMaria

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

POWERFUL. RUGGED. VERSATILE.

© 2011 JBL Professional

PERFORMANCE YOU CAN TRUST