DJ Times Summer 2018, Vol 31 No 6

UPDATE RETURNS

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

SUMMER ISSUE 2018

VOLUME 31 NUMBER 6

NEW SPECIAL SECTION

LESSONS LEARNED: ONLINE DJ COURSES DO TRUMP POLICIES IMPACT DJs? AMERICA’S BEST DJ LAUNCHES IN MOTOWN

Toni Varga conducting the elrow madness

PLUS: Sam Feldt * L-Side * JBL EON One Pro * Akai MPC X Ultimate Ears CIEMs * Branding Tips for DJs

NEWS

NOTABLES…MILESTONES

Bryan Mitchell/Paxahau

MOVEMENT: DETROIT FEST LAUNCHES AMERICA’S BEST DJ

AZ DJ: Mija soared at Star Gate stage.

ABDJ Booth: Fans cast their ballots.

Ghetto-Tech: DJ Godfather ripped it up.

SUMMER 2018 DJArtChick TIMES Photography

ArtChick Photography

By Jim Tremayne Detroit – Despite temperatures that hit the mid-90s, thousands of dancemusic fans flooded into Motown’s Hart Plaza this past Memorial Day weekend for the Movement festival. Produced by local promoter Paxahau May 26-28, Movement presented nearly 100 DJs and electronic acts on five sponsored stages.

As always, Movement also served as the launch of America’s Best DJ, the fan vote that seeks to find the most popular jock in the land. Presented by DJ Times since 2006, the three-month vote is supported by a summer tour that allows fans to cast their ballots for their favorite DJ and win prizes. (To see the 2018’s 100 ABDJ nominees and vote, please visit americasbestdj.us.) At Hart Plaza, DJ Times maintained a dedicated activation booth that took fan votes and distributed the latest issues of the magazine.

Additionally, DJ Times shared its booth space with Give A Beat, a non-profit, social-justice organization that, among other activities, provides mentorship programs (music and graphics) for recently released inmates. At Movement, Give A Beat conducted fund-raising Giant Jenga games with talents like The Saunderson Brothers, DJ Holographic, J.Phlip, Soul Clap and more.

At this year’s Movement festival, 13 nominees for the America’s Best DJ title hit the decks. They included Carl Craig; Claude VonStroke; DJ Godfather; Justin Martin; MANIK; Stacey Pullen; Anthony Parasole; Kevin Saunderson; The Martinez Brothers (B2B with Loco Dice); Diplo; Dubfire; J.Phlip; and Mija.

Movement Highlights from ABDJ Nominees: At the Star Gate stage Saturday, Detroit’s Stacey Pullen dropped a set of uniquely soulful techno that connected deeply with the clued-in crowd – a Kosmic Messenger, indeed. Fellow Detroiter Carl Craig followed up with a coterie of onstage players that kept the dancefloor pulsing. Earlier on the Pyramid Stage (and through some thick humidity), MANIK got the daytime groovers going with a deft tech-house set.

Also on Saturday at the Red Bull Music Academy Stage, turntablist DJ Godfather worked past some technical issues and – along with MCs Good Money and Lil Mz – ripped a set of ghetto-tech that had plenty of booties shaking.

Later, on the main Movement stage, Dirtybird players held sway with Justin Martin dropping quirky tracks and label principal Claude VonStroke going a little darker than usual.

On Sunday at the Underground Stage, Brooklyn’s Anthony Parasole delivered a resounding afternoon techno set that expertly balanced forceful boom with artful, beatless sonics. On the main Movement stage, The Martinez Brothers B2B set with Loco Dice pushed the party by matching hands-in-the-air moments with taut, techy beats.

On a sweltering Monday at the Star Gate stage, J.Phlip got the plaza grooving with jacking Dirtybird tracks, then Mija (DJ Times’ cover gal for May) kicked into a delicious R&B/disco set that transcended the heat. Dubfire closed out the trippy Pyramid stage with a typically expert set of chuggy, bewildering techno.

Other Highlights: From non-ABDJ nominees, there were plenty of memorable moments, including tight Sunday sets from Modeselektor and Laurent Garnier who both dazzled the throngs at the Red Bull Music Academy Stage – the former playing with techno dynamics, the latter attaching more groove to the action. On the same stage on Saturday, Ed Rush and Optical thrilled fans with a tasty set of drum-n-bass buzzbombs. On Sunday at the Underground Stage, Charlotte de Witte’s rumbling techno pushed the dark room into a gleeful lather.

For the latest on America’s Best DJ, please visit americasbestdj.us.

For more on Movement festival, please see our photo spread on Pages 18-19.

ArtChick Photography

Packed: Movement rocked Hart Plaza.

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Cover Images By Pablo Dass & faris Villena

VOLUME 31 NUMBER 6

Special Section: ClubWorld 28 Spotlight There’s Nothing Quite Like an elrow Party.

So Meet the Minds Behind the Brand.

30 Hot Shots EDC ’18 Drew the Masses to Sin City

32 Gear & Swagg Club PAs, Festival Hydration Packs & More

FEATURES

12 The Conductor

Amid All of the elrow Party’s Orchestrated Craziness – Lights, Costumes, Confetti – DJ Toni Varga Keeps the Mad Symphony Going

BY BRUCE TANTUM

16 A Trump Effect?

Have Trump Policies Impacted the DJ Industry?

Mobile Jocks from Around the Country Offer Their Opinions – Pro & Con

18 Motown Magic Movement Fest Rocks Detroit & Kicks Off America’s Best DJ Summer Tour

BY DJ TIMES PHOTOGRAPHERS

20 Lessons Learned

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

Returning to the DJ Scene Can Be Easier Than Ever Via Interactive Web Courses – Here’s How I Did It

BY JENNIFER HARMON

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DEPARTMENTS 7 Feedback

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

23 Mainstage

New-Technology Showcase

34 Making Tracks

40 Business Line

How to Improve Your DJ Brand

42 Gear

New Products from Roland, Reloop & More

46 Grooves

Akai MPC X

Phat Tracks from Josh Wink, Souldynamic & More

8 Sam Feldt

36 Sounding Off

49 Club Play Chart

10 In the Studio With…

38 Mobile Profile

SAMPLINGS After the Sunset L-Side

JBL EON One Pro & UE 6 PRO CIEMs Florida Phenom Dreams Big

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

FROM THE EDITOR

Ch-changes & Hello Again, ClubWorld!

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

Howdy… you might’ve noticed some changes with this most recent issue of DJ Times. The most obvious is that we’ve condensed our Summer issues into one seasonal entry. It features a bit more content and a new special section – but more on that later. Going forward, we’ll be publishing each six or seven weeks, as opposed to four, as we have in the past. Of course, it’s a reflection of the realities of modern magazine publishing, but as DJ Times moves onto its 30th anniversary this winter, we will continue to bring you the best from the DJ world – in the magazine each issue, online every day, and at our DJ Expo each August.

Also, you’ll notice that we’ve revived ClubWorld, this time as a quarterly special section in DJ Times. In this version of ClubWorld, we visit Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival, take a look at some unique professional and consumer products for the club and festival circuits, and we meet with the minds behind elrow, the Spanish party promoters/producers that look to conquer the cluband-festival world. And judging from its recent moves – global residencies from Ibiza to Las Vegas, plus a variety of festival productions – elrow seems well on its way. By mixing wildly cartoonish themes with underground music and mind-bending productions – lights, costumes, confetti and more – elrow is like no other party.

Speaking of elrow, meet Toni Varga – one of the brand’s longtime resident DJs. As elrow prepped for its Brooklyn party this past spring, our Bruce Tantum connected with the Spanish jock and found out how, amid all of elrow’s orchestrated craziness, Varga keeps the mad symphony going.

We also ventured to Detroit this past Memorial Day weekend for the Movement festival. As always, we kicked off our America’s Best DJ Summer Tour by maintaining an activation booth and taking ABDJ ballots from fans who voted for their favorites among the 100 nominees. Who will be voted America’s Best DJ 2018? Additionally, we co-branded with our favorite non-profit organization, Give A Beat, which fights for social-justice causes and offers mentorship programs to challenged youth. In our News section and in a two-page photo-feature spread, we bring you all the sights, if not the sounds.

In Samplings, Amanda Chavez interviews Brazilian drum-n-bass DJ/producer L-Side, who reveals some of his studio secrets. Also, Ryan Hayes catches up with Dutch EDM DJ/producer Sam Feldt, who also offers some insight to his music-making endeavors.

For the past couple years, Arizona-based scribe Jennifer Harmon has been writing Groovessection reviews for the magazine and online club/festival wrap-ups for DJTimes.com. Now, after completing a 10-week online course – Musicians Institute Online’s “Intro to DJing” – she reclaims her love for DJing and details that process. In this issue, we offer her diary of taking the M.I. Online course.

In Mobile Profile, we visit with young Alex Ariete, who has taken every DJ class, played every kind of event, begun to create his own club sounds and looks to make a big career out of the craft – and he’s only 17. In Business Line, we hear from Pennsylvania mobile Mick Uranko, who offers more tips on marketing your DJ brand. And in Jeff Stiles’ feature, we ask mobiles from coast to coast: Has Trump’s fact-challenged presidency or his controversial policies – like the recent tax law – impacted you in any way? Both sides weigh in.

From the gear-testing side of the magazine, Mike Gwertzman reviews Akai Professional’s MPC X production unit. Meanwhile, in Sounding Off, we offer two reviews. Wesley Bryant-King examines Ultimate Ears 6 PRO custom in-ear monitors, while Paul Dailey tests JBL Professional’s EON One Pro line-array PA system.

Of course, as we forge into Summer, we again prep for DJ Expo. Produced by DJ Times and Testa Communications, the show is set for August 13-16 at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. The Expo will feature: exhibits and demo rooms featuring the latest DJ products; seminars, panels and keynotes tackling the hottest topics; and sponsored evening events. And don’t forget that the 2018 DJ Expo will feature plenty of daily giveaways, including the Ultimate DJ System. See you in AC!

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Cheers,

Jim Tremayne Editor, DJ Times

editor-in-chief Jim Tremayne jtremayne@testa.com editor-at-large Brian O’Connor boconnor@testa.com assistant editor Brian Bonavoglia bbonavoglia@testa.com chart coordinator Dan Miller dmiller@testa.com contributors Wesley Bryant-King Chris Caruso Amanda Chavez Shawn Christopher Paul Dailey Reed Dailey Chris Davis DJ Deets Tony Fernandez Tommy D Funk Michelle Fetky Mike Gwertzman Jennifer Harmon Josh Harris Ryan Hayes Greg Hollmann Mike Klasco Michelle Loeb Lily Moayeri John Ochoa Jeff Stiles Bruce Tantum Phil Turnipseed Curtis Zack President/Publisher Vincent P. Testa FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO ORDER SUBSCRIPTIONS, CALL 800-937-7678 VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.djtimes.com

DJ Times Sound & Communications The Music & Sound Retailer Sound & Communications ClubWorld Blue Book America’s Best DJ The DJ Expo IT/AV Report Convention TV News VTTV Studios

director of integrated advertising Paul Bozikis pbozikis@testa.com art director Janice Pupelis jpupelis@testa.com production manager Steve Thorakos sthorakos@testa.com digital art director Fred Gumm fgumm@testa.com social media coordinator Matt Van Dyke mvandyke@testa.com marketplace advertising sales manager Ricky Pimentel rpimentel@testa.com art/production assistant Ricky Pimentel rpimentel@testa.com Circulation circulation@testa.com Classifieds classifiedsales@testa.com operations manager Robin Hazan rhazan@testa.com Editorial and Sales Office: DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York, USA 11050-3779. (516) 767-2500 • FAX (Editorial): (516) 944-8372 • FAX (Sales/all other business): (516) 767-9335 • DJTIMES@TESTA. COM Editorial contributions should be addressed to The Editor, DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, NY, USA, 110503779. Unsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care an d should be accompanied by return postage.

DJ Times (ISSN 1045-9693) is published monthly except for February, July, September and December for $19.40 (US), $39.99 (Canada), and $59.99 (all other countries), by DJ Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050-3779. 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 © 2018 by DJ Publishing, Inc., and must not be reproduced in any manner except by permission of the publisher.

Websites: www.djtimes.com and www.testa.com Summer 2018

visit our website: www.djtimes.com

UPDATE AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

MAY 2018

$4.95 US

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MIAMI MUSIC WEEK: ULTRA, WMC & MORE PERFECTION: STUDIO MIXING/MASTERING HOW DJS PRODUCE GREAT OUTDOOR EVENTS PLUS: iLAN BLUESTONE ✦ MR. FINGERS ✦ DENON DJ VL12 ✦ CR2 SAMPLE TOOLS ✦ FLEXING YOUR BRAND

FEEDBACK

4/24/2018 3:28:29 PM

This is Feedback, a monthly feature that fields questions from you, our readers, and funnels them out to in‑ dustry professionals. If you have any questions about DJing – marketing, mixing, equipment or insurance, any at all – drop us a letter at DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Ave, Port Washington, NY 11050, fax us at (516) 944‑8372 or e‑mail us at djtimes@testa.com. If we do use your question, you’ll receive a free DJ Times T‑shirt. And remember, the only dumb question is the ques‑ tion that is not asked.

DJ Expo Update Atlantic City, N.J. – DJ Expo is set for Aug. 13-16 at Harrah’s Resort At‑ lantic City. Produced by DJ Times and Testa Communications since 1990, the show brings something for every kind of DJ – mobile, club, bedroom, turntablist, or remixer/producer.

As always, DJ Expo features an exhibit hall full of the latest DJ-related prod‑ ucts, demo rooms offering up-close/ hands-on experiences with major pro‑ fessional PA systems, 30 seminars and keynotes covering all hot DJ top‑ ics, and sponsored evening entertain‑ ment. With more to announce, events include: “Pre-2K Kick-Off Party.” On Monday, Aug. 13 at The Pool at Harrah’s, this retro-flavored throwdown at Harrah’s indoor tropical oasis will feature the best music from a bygone era – ’90s hip-hop, ’80s dance, ’70s disco and Prince! Hosted by Jake Jacobsen and featuring a Purple Megamix by Mike Walter, the event will launch Expo week in a big way. Sponsored by RCF. “Entertainer of the Year” Competition. On Wednesday, Aug. 15 at Haven Nightclub in the Golden Nugget, the annual event will bestow awards to the Best of the Best of America’s MobileDJ Nation. Hosted by Jake Jacobsen, this year’s show will feature new, ex‑ citing routines, games and dances.

Sponsored by Chauvet DJ. “Official DJ Expo Afterparty feat.

DJ Skribble & Friends.” Later that

night, Aug. 15, at the Eden Lounge inside Harrah’s, legendary New York DJ Skribble will rock the room with an open-format set that’ll light up Expo attendees and take them late into the evening. Sponsored by BASSBOSS. In addition to sponsored seminars from ADJ, Chauvet DJ, Pioneer DJ, and Roland, sessions include: * “Going Full-Time: Making the Transi‑ tion/Taking the Plunge” * “Wedding-DJ Tips: Creating Unique Moments That Last a Lifetime”

* “Talking Tax: How DJs Can Take Ad‑ vantage of the New Tax Law” * “Bitcoin & More: How to Earn More Per Gig by Taking Cryptocurrency as Payment” * “How to Be a Difference-Maker” * “Intro to SEO: How to Rank Your DJ Services on Google” * “Intro to Socials: How to Use Social Media to Generate Qualified Leads” * “Intro to Paid Digital Ads: How to Best Use Facebook & Google Paid-Ads Products”

* “Weddings & More: Tips to Help You Crush Your Next Event” * “Music Theory for DJs” * “Mash-Ups: Playing & Producing” * “The DJ Website Is Not Dead: How to Make Your Work for You” * “The Pivot to Streaming: How DJs Can Capitalize on New Music Ser‑ vices” * “Networking for DJs, aka Schmooz‑ ing 101” For the latest information on DJ Expo, please visit www.thedjexpo.com.

SAMPLINGS

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

SAM FELDT: AFTER THE SUNSET

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Like several other Dutch DJ/producers, Sam Feldt has found success at a relatively young age. Indeed, the 24-year-old talent has racked up an impressive array of hits and become a major mainstage talent at the world’s biggest festivals. But maybe it shouldn’t be such a surprise – he’s actually been DJing since he was 11.

Of course, it was his studio work that first gained him notice.

After breaking out in 2015 with his EDM remake of Robin S’ “Show Me Love,” he followed up with favorites like “Summer on You,” “The Devil’s Tears” and the Akon-featured “You.” After releasing a flurry of singles that sport infectious, down-tempo melodies, he released Sunset, his album debut on Spinnin’ Records in late 2017. He quickly followed up with Sunrise to Sunset, which added a dozen tunes to the debut effort. And now in 2018, his fans were presented with the remix album, After the Sunset. We recently caught up with Feldt to discuss his process, his career.

DJ Times: What inspired you to DJ? Feldt: I’ve always been a big music lover. Growing up, the radio was always on in the house and I got introduced to a lot of different genres. I’ve been wanting to be a DJ from the age of 11. I started by doing a drive-in show where I would play to parties of my friends.

DJ Times: What’s your production set-up?

Sam Feldt: The production was done in my home studio on my Macbook Pro, on FL Studio, running Parallels. Hardware-wise, I use a Scarlett 2i2 interface to connect my Macbook to my KRK Rokit 8 G3 monitor speakers. My favorite VSTs are Kontakt, TruePianos, M1, Sylenth and Nexus. My album also contains a lot of live elements – sax, guitars, trumpets etc. – that I recorded with ProTools in a separate studio.

DJ Times: This double-album has 24 songs to represent the hours of the day and the years of your life – what was that undertaking like?

Feldt: It was difficult, but a lot of fun as well. I made the album together with my live band and it was great to spend a lot of time with them in the studio. The most difficult part was keeping the album diverse and interesting, especially with it being 24 tracks. I see the link more on an emotional level than just a sonic level. That a track was written, for example, at 6 a.m. doesn’t mean it only contains sounds that are found during that time of the day. It’s more about how a certain track makes you feel; what the perfect time is to listen to it.

DJ Times: Does Sunrise to Sunset represent the two sides of your production process?

Feldt: If I only explored two styles and tempos, I would have created a very boring album. There are so many genres on both albums – progressive house, tropical house, deep house, pop, reggae, R&B, etc.

– that it is impossible to say Sunrise and Sunset represent two different sides of my production. Even with my span of genres, the entire album still shares that “Sam Feldt” vibe. I think being varied and open, while still maintaining a vision is something that is very important. From a producer’s point of view, I always like to push the boundaries of a genre. Just as one example… working on a crossover like “Yes” with Akon, and blending tropical house with R&B was a lot of fun.

DJ Times: How do you approach your vocal tracks?

Feldt: Ninety-percent of the time, my tracks start with a strong vocal or a lyric. I like to work that way because I immediately get a feel of what the track should sound like by looking at the story that is being told lyrically. I start by building chord progressions that fit a specific vocal demo, continue from there by building a basic arrangement, and then I start working on an instrumental hook. After I am satisfied (continued on page 48)

SEMINARS, PANELS & WORKSHOPS “Going Full-Time: Making the Transition/Taking the Plunge.”

“Intro to Socials: How to Use Social Media to Generate Qualified Leads.”

“Wedding-DJ Tips: Creating Unique Moments That Last a Lifetime.”

“Intro to Paid Digital Ads: How to Best Use Facebook & Google Paid-Ads Products.”

“Talking Tax: How DJs Can Take Advantage of the New Tax Law.”

“Weddings & More: Tips to Help You Crush Your Next Event.”

“Bitcoin & More: How to Earn More Per Gig by Taking Cryptocurrency as Payment.”

“Mash-Ups: Playing & Producing” “The DJ Website Is Not Dead: How to Make Yours Work for You”

Aug. 13-16 Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City, NJ

Plus, sponsored seminars from ADJ, Chauvet DJ, Pioneer DJ, Roland & more.

More to be announced.

“How to Be the Difference Maker.”

“Music Theory for DJs”

“The Pivot to Streaming: How DJs Can Capitalize on New Music Services”

“Intro to SEO: How to Rank Your DJ Services on Google.”

“Networking for DJs, aka Schmoozing 101”

Go to www.thedjexpo.com for more details and information

IN THE STUDIO

L-SIDE: C A R N A L M I N D

L-Side: Brazilian drum-n-bass maestro.

Leonardo de Jesus Silva isn’t the typical drum-n-bass artist. Known professionally as L-Side, the Brazil-based producer makes music that can lean toward the smoother, more fluid side of drum-n-bass. But he can also drop aggressive, funky dancefloor tunes within the genre.

Working from his home studio in São Paulo, L-Side forged a relationship with London’s beloved imprint V Recordings back in 2014, then put out a handful of singles and EPs, including 2017’s well-received Love Vibration.

Fast-forward a year and L-Side brings us Carnal Mind, his first-ever, full-length album – and it’s a massive one.

Carnal Mind weighs in with a hefty 15 tracks, and includes the added touch of 12 vocal features from the likes of Jeru The Damaja, MC DRS, Lady Chann, MC Fats, MC Conrad, and Inja to name a few. Between finishing his album and working his DJ commitments, DJ Times linked up with L-Side to discover more about the making of this record.

DJ Times: What’s in your home studio?

L-Side: Many times, when I talk about my set-up, people don’t believe me [laughs]. My studio set-up is as basic as possible – I use a Macbook Pro, M-Audio Fast Track interface and headphones. Sometimes I use a Micro-System Aiwa to test the tunes and have a better reference.

J Times: What were the challenges in making a large, vocal-heavy album like this?

L-Side: One of the biggest challenges was certainly getting all the collabs organized. It was not easy, and it took a lot of time, I’ve been working on the album for almost three years. It took time, but I’m happy with the result and I feel honored to have such heavy vocalists/ MCs together in the same project.

DJ Times: What are some of your favorite amenheavy tracks of all time?

L-Side: So hard to tell because there are many! [laughs] I will share three that I like very much: Spirit’s “Re-Dial” on the Metalheadz label; Trinity’s “30 Hertz” on Chronic; and PFM’s “The Western” on Good Looking Records.

DJ Times: How do you go about creating the sounds for your tracks?

L-Side: I really enjoy using old hardcore and jungle samples and cutting ’70s funk breaks. On top of that, I work until I get a result that pleases me. I really like distortion, too.

DJ Times: Do you have a method when it comes to editing vocals?

L-Side: When I’m editing vocals, I always like to duplicate them and work the background effects on the second channel, sometimes pitch-down, reverb, and echoes.

When it comes to remixes, I really like cutting out vocals and changing the sequence of phrases, creating a different groove from the original track.

DJ Times: Which track off the album do you think best represents your current sound?

L-Side: In my album, I put a little bit of everything I like to produce. If I could choose a signature sound, I would currently select “Night Prowler” featuring Inja. I really like the vibe of this song, the tense atmosphere and the aggressive vocals.

DJ Times: How did you approach the mastering process?

L-Side: I think it is necessary to have a balanced sound in the mixdown, so that in the process of mastering you can have room to work and get a good result. For me, the principle of everything is mixing down.

DJ Times: What’s your current DJ set-up?

L-Side: I started out as a hip-hop DJ and always used turntables. Now I’m enjoying working with Pioneer CD(continued on page 48)

A new podcast featuring unfiltered conversations with nightlife’s biggest artists, legends, promoters, pioneers, and professionals.

Coming Soon

djtimes.com

THE CON Amid All of the elrow Party’s Orchestrated Craziness –

Lights, Costumes, Confetti – DJ Toni Varga Keeps the Mad Symphony Going

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

By Bruce Tantum

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NDUCTOR Brooklyn, N.Y. – It might have been the dragon, rivaling any flying lizard from Game of Thrones in size, or perhaps the humanoid chicken happily crowd-surfing its way through the club while roosted in a raft.

Then again, it could have been the stiltwalking parrots and camels, or the flagwaving hippie pirates, or the industrialstrength confetti guns, or the array of inflatable whatnots bouncing above the revelers’ heads. Or maybe it was the fact that every square foot of the massive room was covered with random faux-mythic and quasi-surrealist imagery, fluorescently pulsating to a propulsive, churning tech-house soundtrack, or possibly the state-of-the-art visuals that silhouetted the DJs against a hypnagogic halo of computer-generated imagery.

Whatever it was—and most likely, it was the cumulative effect of all that and then some—it was pretty evident that this wasn’t your standard, dancing-ina-dark-room kind of clubbing experience. That’s because this wasn’t just any party—it was an extravaganza helmed by elrow, the Barcelona-based purveyor of experiential clubbing that, in recent years, has set its sights on taking over the world.

Held this past April in Brooklyn’s massive Avant Gardner clubbing complex, with a lineup that boasted Eats Everything, Steve Lawler, and elrow residents De La Soul and Toni Varga (among others), the affair wouldn’t seem to have an obvious appeal to New York nightlifers more accustomed to the kind of stripped-down ular venues like Output and Good Room.

Instead, this was more akin to a full-on,

Andrei Oprescu

but undeniably fun.

DJ TIMES

sensory-overload carnival, a little bit daft,

SUMMER 2018

approach to clubbing exemplified by pop-

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DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

Toni Villen

Young ravers of all stripes, veteran revelers there to hear the headliners, neophytes who’d borrowed their eccentric uncle’s tie-dyed tee or Hawaiian shirt for a splash of color—they all succumbed to the spectacle’s pulsating charms. Even a gaggle of ’roided-up gym addicts who sullenly patrolled the edges of the crowd early in the evening were all glitter-smeared smiles by the end of the night. It felt like an incredibly ambitious, hugely budgeted, and exceedingly freaky high-school prom gone berserk.

The elrow team had brought its traveling circus to the city before—it made its Gotham debut at the Electric Zoo festival this past Labor Day weekend, and has been back a few times since—but the recent Avant Gardner bash marked the official start elrow’s New York residency.

This October, another residency begins in Vegas—fitting, considering elrow and Sin City’s shared affinity for over-the-topness—adding to a full dance card that already takes in locales as far-flung as Dubai and Uruguay, along with its Spanish, home-base throwdowns in Barcelona and Ibiza.

Also, elrow is the force behind the Monegros Festival, a massive desert rave held in northeastern Spain—the fest is currently on hiatus due to land-use issues, but hopes are high to revive it with a year or two.

This all just marks the latest chapter in elrow’s history, a convoluted, music-and-clubbing saga that spans six generations of the Arnau family. We’ll skip that story’s many twists and turns here—it would take a hefty tome to do the tale justice—but suffice it to say that elrow is now in the capable hands of Juan Arnau Lasierra and Cruz Arnau. Juan’s dad – Juan, Sr. – succinctly summed up elrow’s current philosophy in a 2016 interview: “The people have to dance. If they dance, they are happy; if they stop, they are bored. It’s that simple. People don’t want to be quiet; they want to be dancing.”

Toni Varga’s been a big part of the saga since the early days of this decade, both as a resident DJ and one of the main artists the elrow label, helmed by De La Swing. Just a few days after the Avant Gardner gathering, DJ Times caught up with Varga, jet-lagged, but still cheerful and charming, via Skype at his home just outside of Barcelona.

DJ Times: What was your entry into the DJing arts?

Toni Varga: I first was a promoter in my hometown, A Coruña, a town in the northwest of Spain. I was really into the parties and the music, and finally I thought, “Hey, I have to try this.”

I had been fond of electronic music for many years anyway, so one day I started to play. This would have been around 2001 or 2002. In the beginning, I was playing small local clubs, because A Coruña is a small city, which didn’t have big productions. They were really underground clubs, with 200 or 300 people. I wasn’t thinking that this would become my life.

DJ Times: Were there any DJs, producers or labels who you looked up to back then?

Varga: When I started, I was influenced by American house producers like Joeski—he is such a super-legend for me, and I have all of his records—and labels like Siesta and Twisted.

DJ Times: You can hear slight echoes of those labels—that tough, tribal-house sound—in

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SUMMER 2018

DJ TIMES

your sets and productions.

Varga: Yes, but everything changes, of course. Maybe now it’s maybe a bit more tech-house, or even more techno, depending on where I’m playing. Big festivals with big stages in front of 20,000 people… those people are going to want very energetic music, more techno music. But, in the end, everything comes from the same place it always has. I think the roots are still there.

DJ Times: I assume you were playing vinyl back when you started?

Varga: Yes, vinyl—there was nothing else!

DJ Times: And how about now?

Varga: I normally just play with thumb drives and Pioneer CDJ-2000s, and for the mixer it’s a Pioneer DJM-900. I was playing with [Native Instruments] Traktor Scratch software and a laptop – but now the CDJ is almost the same as a laptop, you can do so many things with them. After a while, I felt that the laptop was no longer necessary.

DJ Times: When did you start playing in Ibiza? It was well before you hooked up with elrow, right?

Varga: Very much—I actually was a resident at [Ibiza superclub] Amnesia, starting in 2004 or 2005. I was working with the Amnesia team for around six years. At one point around 2010, I got a call from elrow, and they asked if I wanted to be with them – and here I am.

DJ Times: Was leaving a residency at an iconic club like Amnesia an easy call for you to make?

Varga: Here’s how that happened: After first time I played an elrow party, Juan, Jr.—who is now a really close friend—was really happy with my set. This was around the time that he was starting to really build the brand, to bring it around the world. He said something like, “This is what we are looking to do,” and it sounded really interesting. He didn’t ask me to be a resident right away, but he gave me another show, then another show, then another show… and after five or six shows, he proposed that I become an official part of the team. I really believed in the elrow project, and I was really happy with the whole elrow team, and I realized this was my moment to make a big change in my career. I think I did right! [laughs] DJ Times: What’s it like to work for the Arnau family, which has such a long pedigree in the clubbing business?

Varga: They are such good people, and they’re the most professional people I’ve ever worked with in the industry. They’re so respected by everyone in the business. It is a job for me, of course—but like I said, we are also friends. We have the same vibe.

DJ Times: Sounds like a good situation to be in.

Varga: Yes, having good relations with your boss is a very good thing with any job, I think!

DJ Times: Flash-forward a few years, and you are now a big part of elrow’s worldwide expansion. You’ve played with elrow in the New York before, but was there extra pressure since this was the launch of the New York residency?

Varga: Not really, but playing in New York is still very exciting. When I first played there two (continued on page 50)

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DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

When a guest at a corporate party once asked Michigan mobile DJ Corey Rusch to play Eminem’s explicit song “Chloraseptic,” the mobile DJ—realizing the song’s lyrics wouldn’t be proper for that particular audience—politely told the man he didn’t have the tune, and also that it would be inappropriate.

That’s when things suddenly escalated.

“This guy got in my face , claiming I must be a Trump supporter,” Rusch chuckles. “It got a little awkward for a minute. I had to tell him this wasn’t the time or the place for that argument, and asked him what it matters anyhow? He calmed down after that, but I have no idea how it got to that point over an Eminem song.

“Over the years, I’ve learned that you can’t talk politics with clients, because you have a 5050 chance of causing the clients or guests to not like you right away.”

Since Donald J. Trump was elected President in November, 2016, he’s understandably shaken things up – and that’s an understatement. As an outsider seemingly unable to refrain from speaking or Tweeting whatever’s on his mind – and with verity being a loose notion – Trump has revved up the political debate with political divisiveness at an all-time high.

But politics and personal opinions aside, how has the Trump presidency, in its eventfilled 18 months, impacted the DJ industry? What positives and negatives, if any, can be attributed to any economic or social changes in the White House?

Has Trump’s recent tax cut helped with corporate bookings? In terms of bookings, do customers these days feel more optimistic or more cautious?

What’s the anecdotal evidence?

DJ Corey says the new tax laws have generated a little extra work for his company, but he believes the benefits of the policy change will be worth it once everything gets straightened out.

“I don’t think much is different right now,” Rusch says of

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the DJ economy. “Corporate gigs are still coming in like crazy.

Supposedly, they were going to cut entertainment out of companies, but they’ll just name it something different.”

Although he says this is an interesting topic, DJ Mike Melice in Ithaca, N.Y., says he tries not to let politics affect his business.

“I’m a firm believer that my success is due to my hard work, and that my failures are so I can learn and prosper in the future,” says Melice. “However, with President Obama we were all required to have mandatory health insurance, meaning that if it wasn’t offered by our employer, we’d have to purchase it separately. [Editor’s Note: Employers with less than 50 full-time employees were exempt.] If you went more than three months without health benefits you would get penalized financially.

Being a full-time business owner, this hurt me a lot since I was forced to pay for health insurance for me and my wife out of my pocket, and the price for our health insurance was in the five digits for the year. I’m glad that this is no longer the case – although my wife has now finished school and we’re now both on her insurance policy.

“On the other hand, Obama did legalize gay marriage, which in my opinion has increased the number of weddings that we get to DJ—and most of my same-sex couples spend more on their entertainment.”

This Upstate New York-based DJ says he did see an increase in corporate events this past year, but says he honestly doesn’t believe it had anything to do with tax cuts.

“I’ve been in business for over 15 years,” says Melice, “and the only time I’ve seen a major decline in business was in the mid-2000s under Bush when the stock market completely crashed and many people lost their jobs, homes and savings.”

Politics aside, Adam Tiegs (aka DJ Tgro) says he’s observed

no noticeable changes in the DJ economy over in the Pacific Northwest. Business is still good, he says.

“As a mobile who started a business with a focus on weddings, more than 50-percent of my business is still corporate events,” says Tiegs, “although I’ve since then branched out as a lighting guru and video-projection specialist. I still love DJing, but I do this full-time and try to incorporate all of my skills for my clients in a unique way. That’s what keeps me going and keeps the bills paid.”

However, DJ Tgro has, in fact, noticed that some people in the past couple years have separated themselves at industry-association meetings, which might have something to do with the current occupant of the White House.

“This past election and all the corrupt behavior coming to light,” he says, “has definitely brought out the spotlight on those who aren’t ‘cool.’ Social media has had a big impact on politics, but I wish people educated themselves more, reading more about our history and voting for what’s right instead of wrong.

“But business is great, as are the freedoms that I and my family enjoy in America.”

As a person who majored in finance in college and has always enjoyed studying economics, Gregg Hollmann of New Jersey’s Ambient DJ Services says that the current buoyant state of the economy is merely cyclical.

“I personally believe the macro-economy is controlled by the ‘invisible hand’ described

by Adam Smith, the Father of Modern Economics,” he posits.

“In other words, the current economic situation is a result of economic forces already in place before Trump took office.

“And as a working DJ, the ‘politics of dancing’ trumps the policies of the U.S. president,” he puns.

That said, Hollmann points to a number of positive things happening since November 6, 2016.

“With unemployment low [3.8-percent in May 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics], individuals are more confident about their job security and more likely to throw private parties—and fancier parties at that,” he points out.

“The bullish stock market since Trump’s presidency has also bolstered consumer confidence, with individuals feeling empowered by their higher net worth.”

When it comes to the corporate sector – the segment which suffered the worst after 2008’s economic fallout – Hollmann says that portion of the DJ industry has slowly and steadily been coming back, and continues to progress during the current administration.

“Our company is starting to see the return of more ostentatious company holiday parties,” he reports. “Although the wedding segment is not particularly sensitive to the general economy—people will get married regardless of the economic situations—their purse strings are loose, and it’s been easier to sell high-end wedding packages.

“There is indeed some buzz among small business owners, like myself, that Trump’s proposed tax code for the 2018 tax year will reduce taxes and increase our discretionary income. However, this theory remains speculative, and I don’t yet

“Over the years, I’ve learned that you can’t talk politics with clients, because you have a 50-50 chance of causing the clients or guests to not like you right away.”

– Corey Rusch

have the confidence to change spending based on a prospective change in the tax code.”

Mike Walter of Elite Entertainment in Tinton Falls, N.J., agrees with Hollmann that it’s far too early to tell if Trump’s tax cuts will be making a big difference in the DJ business.

“The cuts only went into effect this year and most people plan weddings a year or more in advance, so it’s probably a better question for 2019 or 2020,” says Walter.

“As far as the president having an impact, I firmly believe the saying that ‘all politics is local.’

Other than getting our nation involved in a war or something like rewriting our healthcare laws, presidents don’t impact me as much as my governor and local municipality.

“The economy is good in New Jersey, but our taxes continue to be high, so I guess it all kind of balances out for me.”

Even though his DJ bookings may be impacted by the national economy, Todd Mofree in Schenectady, N. Y., says his company, Party With Todd, has seen a recent uptick in wedding upsells and extravagance.

“People seem to have more money to spend on things they were cutting back on a few years ago,” says Mofree. “Bigger and fancier venues. Larger center-

pieces. More in the way of favors and giveaways.

“For me, clients are adding more ‘with-its’ to their packages – more up-lighting, fancy DJ booths, fancy moving heads and club-style lighting. We’re seeing extras that, in the past, they didn’t opt for because, back then, these people were more budget-minded.”

As for political discourse, Mofree says it’s never played a part in his events.

“I’ve always thought it best to keep political jokes far away from the entertainment,” he explains. “You just never know who the guests are. At a recent wedding, the groom’s godfather—a retired U.S. congressman—was in attendance!”

Meanwhile, Ray Martinez (DJ Ray Mar) in Goodyear, Ariz., points to the stock market rising to historic levels as proof that our current President is doing “what’s best for our country.”

“He may not be the most eloquent speaker or politically correct politician,” he says, “but I believe he’s speaking for the good of the American people. I believe the economy is so much

better today, and as a result my business has taken tremendous leaps and it’s greatly enhanced my bottom line financially.”

And according to DJ Ray Mar, a lot of the credit also goes to the Bubble Parties he’s now booking during the week. According to Martinez, he booked 18 weekday parties in just four days before contributing to this story.

“Because of the vision of Rob Peters of RPE in Boston to get me signed on as a Bubble Party provider,” he says, “the economy [for me] is much better today.”

As far as any personal impact Trump has made, Mike Walter says the only disruption he’s observed is how much time he finds himself wasting on social media.

“I stupidly get involved in more debates these days than ever and they tend to suck the life out of my day,” he says. “I’m getting better at not doing it, but I still slip up sometimes and

think I can convince someone to change someone’s mind— which literally never happens on Facebook.

“Everyone knows what they know – myself included – and we’re not looking for fresh perspectives. But other than that, I don’t think Trump has helped or hurt our business, just like Obama didn’t have much impact on our bottom line.”

S ay s To dd M o f re e , “ S o i t doesn’t matter who the president is. People still get married, get bar mitzvah’d, graduate and have parties. They still book entertainment. Although how the economy is going will decide how big that party is, how many people are invited, and if dinner n is surf-n-turf or a potluck.”

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H AV E T R U M P P O L I C I E S I M PA C T E D T H E D J I N D U S T R Y ?

MOBILE JOCKS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY OFFER THEIR OPINIONS – PRO & CON

SUMMER 2018

A TR UMP EFFECT? 17

Dirtybird Player: Justin Martin on mainstage.

ArtChick Photography

Kosmic Messenger: Stacey Pullen in the mix. ArtChick Photography

Legend: Laurent Garnier on Red Bull stage. ArtChick Photography

Tech Tent: Recloose & Roland’s gear.

ArtChick Photography

Monday Night DJ: Diplo closes the show. Bryan Mitchell

The D: Silver fan in Hart Plaza.

ArtChick Photography

Pyramid Stage: MANIK on a steamy Saturday. ArtChick Photography

Detroit – The Movement festival ran in Motown’s Hart Plaza this past May 26-28.

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

Presented by Paxahau, the festival

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presented nearly 100 DJs and electronic acts. Also, America’s Best DJ – DJ Times’ annual fan vote – kicked off at Movement, which saw 13 ABDJ nominees perform.

It all looked like this.

All Hail: Claude VonStroke on mainstage.

Joshua Hanford

Mov e me n

ROCKS

Psychedelic: Seth Troxler on Sunday night.

ArtChick Photography

Modeselektor: Berlin techno duo stretches out.

ArtChick Photography

Deep & Dark: Dubfire on Pyramid Stage.

Stephen Bondio

Block Party: Give A Beat gals play Giant Jenga.

ArtChick Photography

Anthony Parasole on the underground stage.

ArtChick Photography

DJ Times Booth: Fans snag mags & vote ABDJ. ArtChick Photography

DJ TIMES

DETROIT

SUMMER 2018

n t F e sti v al

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Returning to the DJ Scene Can Be Easier Than Ever Via Interactive Online Courses – Here’s How I Did It

Lessons Learned

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

By Jennifer Harmon

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Long before I became introduced to online DJ courses, my original interest in DJing began nearly two decades ago during Arizona’s vibrant mid-/late-’90s rave scene. Once I was introduced to that atmosphere and the throbbing beat of electronic music, I was almost instantly hooked.

Soon after, my first experience with DJing came when I was the lucky recipient of a pair of Technics SL-1210 turntables and a Pioneer DJM-3000 4-channel mixer for Christmas, 2002. I began my record collection with a few unmixed album sets (Hybrid’s Wide Angle and Paul van Dyk’s Out There and Back), and I played them for myself and a few friends at my own house parties.

As time passed, my curiosity intensified. Although initially I thought using Pioneer CDJs was “cheating” – silly me – I finally gave in to that platform.

Hey, adapt or get left behind, right? So, I spent time dabbling with CDJ-800s and I found them relatively easy and fun to use… not as fun as turntables, for me, but easy enough. And, let’s face it, the whole crates-of-vinyl situation – cumbersome and labor-intensive – was an idea I didn’t miss.

Granted, I never played a legitimately advertised set at a bar or club, but I casually played in public – at house parties, at a restaurant, etc. I always harbored the thoughts that I’m too old, or even that it’s a man’s DJ world

– until recently.

With the advent of technology, so much more is possible for those who want to begin a DJ career or, for someone like me, just re-ignite an interest in the craft. Not only are the DJ-related products easier to use, but also the internet affords a slew of online courses that can help instruct DJs and producers of any level. So, I opted to begin taking courses with the Musicians Institute Online, specifically its “Intro to DJing,” a 10-week course with esteemed instructor Charles Chemery aka DJ Charlie Sputnik. (Editor’s Note: M.I. Online’s next “Intro to DJing” course kicks off on July 16.)

My Gear: These days I still have those same Technics decks, but I now also have a Native Instruments TRAKTOR KONTROL Z2 mixer, and I use TRAKTOR 2 DJ software on a laptop. For the purposes of this course, however, the gracious folks at inMusic Brands provided me with a Numark MixTrack Platinum controller, and I paired it with Serato DJ Live software, as taught by the “Intro to DJing” course.

I’m no big techie, but I’m happy to report that I took the Numark unit out of the box, simply plugged in my USB and RCA cables, and was all set to play! (Love when that happens.) It was even easier than I had initially imagined.

And off I went with my current library

of music.

I’m a long-time trance fan, but with a serious love for breaks – a bit more melodic and even progressive. I love all things from the Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep labels, but I’m also very much into house and even some electroflavored grooves. So I loaded my laptop up with tunes and got started.

So, with all that in mind, let’s take a look at my experience with M.I. Online’s “Intro to DJing” course: Getting Started: This course, “Intro to DJing,” is designed for anyone with a desire to learn to spin from scratch. You not only learn the craft of DJing, but also its roots and how it evolved to grow into the cultural phenomenon it is today.

“Intro to DJing” is comprised of several different learning components. When studied as they were designed, they blend together to create a well-rounded, informative and interactive learning experience. Once you create your own log-in and profile on the Musicians Institute Online website, you are able to view your respective course materials. Each week, you get links to lesson preview videos and curriculum. There are also weekly assignments/assessments based on the content covered. Each week, there’s also a one-hour live broadcast with the course instructor – Charles Chemery (aka DJ Charlie Sputnik) – and getting connected is as simple as clicking on a link sent in a “reminder” email.

Once logged in, you are directly linked to a virtual classroom, in which you can communicate with your instructor in real-time. I found this to be extremely helpful to clear up any confusion I had on a topic, and not only that, it also made me feel much more connected and involved in the class than your average long-distance correspondence course (of which I have taken many throughout the years).

However, if you are unable to attend the live-lectures, they are recorded and available for review usually within 24-48 hours, and the instructor was not only speedy, but equally thorough whenever I emailed him any questions. The following is my experience with the course: Lesson 1 introduced us to the first known human recording (Phonautograph by Edouard Léon Scott in 1860), to recording and reproducing sound (Phonograph in 1877

by Thomas Edison). Bringing things up to current speed, we learn about the earliest DJs (in 1935, the term disc jockey was coined by radio commentator Walter Winchell). We learn that Jimmy Seville held the first DJ dance parties in London, and claimed that he was the first DJ to use twin turntables (for continuous play) in 1947.

We then move into the begging of the turntable era (1972, and the introduction of the Technics SL-1200). They were highly popularized by early hip-hop turntablists like DJ Kool Herc. In 1975, DJ Grand Wizzard Theodore invented the scratching technique by accident. In 1982, “Planet Rock” by Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force was the first hip-hop song to feature synthesizers, as it was heavily influenced by German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk. Then the late ’80s and ’90s were dominated by the “rave scene,” which created the first real “superstar DJs” like Paul Oakenfold and eventually brought DJing into the mainstream.

The DJ’s medium morphed from vinyl to CDs and, eventually, streaming music options.

The lesson then discusses in greater detail the different options available (vinyl, CDJs, and controllers) and the pros and cons, and evolution of each. It details all the necessary DJ components from turntables to mixers and needles.

I enjoyed the historical aspect of this lesson. Many people may be more eager to jump in and get on the decks, but I believe that it helps tremendously to know the craft’s origins and evolution, especially in an era when DJing is often conflated with mere “button-pushing.” Plus, being wellinformed is never a bad thing.

DJ TIMES

Lesson 3 begins with this notion from the instructor: “Beat-matching by ear is a cornerstone of DJing.” This session discusses why learning to beat-match on vinyl – without the assistance of software programs – is important.

I love that this course highlights the basics – a history lesson, of sorts. Knowing “what came before” digital helps create a better appreciation of today’s modern conveniences, such as beat counters and even the controversial “sync” button now available with most DJ software. Bottom Line: You don’t have to rely solely on electronic crutches. Remember, there are tempo changes mid-song that these devices don’t always reflect. Nothing

SUMMER 2018

Lesson 2 delves more in detail of the components that can (and should eventually) accompany a professional DJ set-up. Mics (like a Shure SM-58, for example), specialeffects hardware (Roland brand was recommended), as well as a bit more in-depth discussion of the schools of thought between vinyl vs. other platforms. There are definite pros and cons to each.

Records are heavy and bulky to haul around, whereas CDs, USB sticks, or hard drives are far easier to transport – especially on long-distance gigs (although easier to lose or have an electronic issue). Of course, many old-school DJs still swear by the warmer sound only delivered by vinyl. Durability is another point; vinyl tends to wear out and is susceptible to damage, especially in a club environment. Plus, digital music is easier and much cheaper to replace than a rare, one-ofa-kind vinyl record.

Also, the affordability of vinyl vs. digital music is a consideration. Vinyl is more expensive to manufacture, making it less widely available. And in this day and age, digital music is released constantly on streaming and download sites that appeal to our desire for instant gratification – it’s also less expensive.

Most importantly, a DJ doesn’t always know what gear a club will be outfitted with, so unless you are bringing your whole set- up everywhere you go, make sure you are wellversed and ready to play on any of the current DJ set-ups.

Another Key Point: It was mentioned that Francis Grasso was the first DJ to develop the idea of “beat-matching” and blending records in New York in the late ’60s. The key point in this development is that by blending one record into another, the DJ was now capable of keeping the dancefloor full at all times.

During his live-lecture, instructor “Charlie Sputnik” demonstrated 30 minutes of live DJing on the turntables set-up. His key points: needle drops; manual beat counts; adjusting tempo via pitch-fader and using hand on the platter to match the beat; and once the beat’s matched, lowering the bass on the upcoming record (via headphone cue) and slowly bringing second record in, swapping the bass and fading out the first track.

I really enjoyed the seasoned viewpoints on all the possible DJ set-ups – the student is given plenty of info to make an informed choice. Also, the history lesson was useful.

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beats having a well-trained ear, there’s a certain prestige to knowing how to beat-match vinyl, and fans don’t always like watching a DJ staring at his laptop.

Lesson 4 gets into the fundamentals of beat-matching and mixing on Pioneer CDJs/ XDJs. It goes into a comparison of vinyl vs.

CDs, pointing out the much larger capacity of a CD and the simplicity to replace should it become damaged. And although you’d likely never convince a native turntablist to switch to scratching on a CDJ, they have become quite accurately developed to emulate the similar sound qualities to scratching on turntables. The jog wheels of the CDJs are meant to serve as controllers, and tend to be more sensitive than vinyl; however, you can’t beat the tactile quality provided by a record.

Benefits Highlighted: With CDJs, you can precisely adjust the jog wheel to the beat/waveform of the track for a more precise mix. You can use the search button for a frame-by-frame movement, and once you find the initial beat, you can hit CUE to set the starting point with precision. Another definitive difference is in the pitch-control fader. On turntables, it’s generally plus/minus-8- or 16-percent, but vastly greater with CDJs. This is far more beneficial if you like to transition between genres with widely differing BPMs, because it cuts the beat-matching time to a minimum. The final point posed is the fact that CDJs tend to have an anti-skip feature, which comes in very handy in a dark, late-night club environment.

Lesson 5 gets into the DVS (aka “Digital Vinyl System.”) These systems include Serato Audio Research’s Serato DJ, Native Instruments’ Traktor and Pioneer DJ’s rekordbox dvs.

With DVS, the actual music originates from your computer, but these software programs allow you to use a time-coded control record that controls the speed and direction of a track. (With this course, we dealt solely with Serato DJ).

“Controllerism” is actually a term coined to describe the art of DJing using an all-in-one controller unit. The controller is much more compact, as it contains the mixer and platters all in one space-friendly, portable device. It’s the most affordable and easiest entry point into DJing. Prior to this course, I’d only ever used turntables, but thanks to the gracious people at inMusic Brands, I was able to work with a nifty Numark Mixtrack Platinum Controller.

Once familiarized with the controller, we dove right into the meat of the Serato DJ program. Without detailing every facet of Serato, a few important lessons included learning the program’s three modes (Absolute, Internal and Relative) and its features (like Waveform and beat-matching displays, Key Detection, Tap Tempo, Key Lock, Censor, Cue Points, Loop/ Auto Loop functions and, of course, Sync.)

Not only are there tons of useful features, but you get five display modes to suit every user’s preference.

This lesson was super-informative for me because I’m new to DVS. Matching Serato with the Numark Mixtrack Platinum unit, with its

hi-res display, performance pads and programfriendly control, I was able to hop on and get going in no time.

Lesson 6 begins the course’s in-depth look at some of the amazing capabilities of Serato DJ. The main topics covered in this lesson are setting cue points and loops. We dive into the finer points of hot cues, loop rolls and auto-looping.

My favorite aspect of this lesson is that, though I may be considered more of an “old-school” DJ, these are new tips and tricks for me. The uses and possibilities are endless. You can either extend a track, or you can use the loop effects to do really cool audio tricks on the fly to help “customize” your mix, or create original, well-crafted mash-ups.

Lesson 7 gets into the world of the sampling, and the sampler effects available in Serato DJ. Its SP-6 Sample Player is an internal sampler allowing you to load and play up to six sources of audio in addition to the two virtual decks. And it’s just as easily loaded – just drag them into the slot of your choosing and they can be played either from the software or the controller – simple.

The lesson explains the SP-6’s three playback modes (Trigger, Hold and On/Off), its variety of advanced controls, plus the Single and Multi-FX modes and the Beat Multiplier function. This function allows the user to shorten or extend the time during which the effect is heard.

The lesson was impressive, although I’m not sure that I, as a DJ, would want to get so intricate.

Nonetheless, there’s no doubt that with enough time to prepare your set in advance, these are

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DJ TIMES

Rane Seventy-Two + Twelve = The Best

MARCH 2018

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once again time- and resource-saving. I have spent countless hours downloading additional software programs in attempts to record sets, and only ended up frustrated in the cumbersome nature of switching between programs and shifting focus. This option makes something so important to the growth of a DJ as easy as opening Serato DJ and getting started! highly creative options that will enable you to add some new twists to your sets. Get the crowd hooked and keep yourself booked.

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

Lesson 8 introduces us to Serato DJ’s very cool file-management feature that helps to keep our never-ending music library organized and allows for the creation of seamless, impromptu sets. You can simply click on the “ADD NEW CRATE” button, located below the left virtual deck, and manually add tracks of your choosing.

But what really impressed me was the Smart Crate feature, which organizes tracks by adding them based on rules defined by the user. When adding a Smart Crate, a drop-down menu will appear and the user can select which criteria will be applied to add tracks to the Smart Crate.

There is a “Live Update” box the user can check which automatically updates the track whenever a tag verifying one of the defined rules is added to a track in the library. In other words, new tracks added will be automatically sorted, saving countless hours of sifting through unorganized tracks. It’s optimal for a DJ’s time management – I love this tool. If you don’t want to create a permanent crate, searching and organizing files is equally as simple. The user can open a drop-down menu with criteria the user can check to restrict the search fields (i.e., artist, BPM, remixer, year, label, etc).

Serato also has a “History” button which stores all the users’ sessions on that machine.

They are organized by date and time, showing the names of each track played which is very helpful if you are just practicing and happen upon a stellar mix – we’ve all had those moments where we were in the groove and once it was over it was difficult to recall what created that magical moment. With this feature in Serato DJ, we no longer have to be a victim to a moment of creative genius forgotten while “in the groove.”

These features were all new to me and I found them to be quite helpful. They’re time-saving, without taking away from what I consider to be the “meat and potatoes” of the DJ experience.

As the saying goes, “work smarter, not harder.”

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Lesson 9 goes into the details of how to create and record your DJ set – which is (thankfully) quite simple. Clicking on the “Record” button opens up the Recording panel. Once it’s open, select the input source from the dropdown menu. Various numbers of channels are available depending on the hardware used. If you are using a controller, such as the Numark Mixtrack Platinum (as I was), open the “REC” tab in Serato DJ and set the input to “MIX.” Once you have adjusted the recording levels to make sure no clipping occurs, press “REC” in Serato DJ and start your mix. Once finished, enter a name for your mix and save it in Serato DJ. I found this to be a very handy feature, and

With the advent of technology, so much more is possible for those who want a DJ career.

Lesson 10 concludes this course with a wealth of information on the business side of DJing. Here are a few of the more useful tips: Practice constantly! It’s very important to build little sets from three records at a time. A performing DJ should have ready 50-60 tracks per hour to prepare his/her set.

Pre-plan, but remain flexible. If you don’t want to take requests you can simply say, “I’ll try to get it on,” or “I don’t have it.” Don’t weaken your confidence and credibility by simply catering to the whims of intoxicated bystanders. It will also set a potentially unwanted precedence of being a “request DJ.” Know your crowd and time slot. If you are an opener, you probably don’t want to play a high-energy, all-out, banging set. You want to build the energy, yes, but respect the headliner (if you aren’t it), and know your “place” if you want to be booked again.

Know your crowd’s age. Try to think about what type of music (depending on event) they liked at age 15-18. Many of our strong opinions are formulate at this age, and by playing important songs from their respective era is likely to earn you fans – and future gigs!

Push and pull. Create drama – don’t just play all one tempo. Build the energy, and for longer sets you can also create the lulls (which bartenders will appreciate) and then reignite, as appropriate.

Watch the volume! Discreetly, go into the crowd and listen. Bass, for example, can become very muddy, which is not always easy to tell from the monitors in the booth.

Check out the venue. Prior to your gig, as a “fan,” take a look around to get a feel for the place.

You can refuse a gig if you do not have enough time to prepare. Image is everything and first impressions are lasting. Don’t do yourself a disservice by being unprepared in the name of money.

Have a good online presence. Try to create a following – connect to Soundcloud, Instagram, Facebook, and when you get a job – promote it!

Do not get wasted! You are often given free drinks, but it’s best to wait until after the gig – if you plan to perform to the best of your ability and want to be invited back!

Have back-up gear. You never know when you may forget something or there is a malfunction or incompatibility.

Always be prepared!

Be selective who you allow in the DJ booth. In the club environment, stuff can easily go missing. Also, you can become distracted and a spilled drink can spell disaster for not only your set, but also for surrounding gear.

Consider using ear plugs. Only if you want to preserve your hearing later in life! And especially if you are a producer – it will protect your creative assets.

DJ insurance/rider/contract. Make sure to include all the specifics to your show – date, time, fee, cancellation policy, per diem, etc.

When I wrapped my final lesson, I felt lucky that I could take these courses in this day and age. Back when I started fooling around with turntables, there were very few DJ schools, certainly none online. Lots of DJs learned via trialand-error, if they weren’t lucky enough to have a mentor.

But now, with Musicians Institute Online’s “Intro to DJing,” I really feel like I made up for lost time. Not only am I aiming to further perfect my skills and eventually play out, but I’m looking forward to realizing some production ideas. Thanks, M.I. Online for rekindling my artistic fire. n

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DJ / CLUBWORLD / elrow

By Jim Tremayne

a l B

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DJ TIMES

aLIVE Coverage

w’ B a y o u ’ l get ne atio ges age gou bricol te elro fabric , it’s s u a n d ld ever ies. that ties rio ls and ecora treme t a i n u l v i a o d x ar th w ab their , dril c ap and w, e ore ds of p r dem full es and s, glues outfit h elro – kin ors o z a s it t ter Lath s, pain ady to nt. W mo ow the nimat avagan eo r e e e a p g tur t the r ival ev ub at thr pired e extr Row ti, t e h t y cl all a or fes ation. ust an pany t ost ins ties ar ts (lik confe w o , j r s b n c o m m a i t t s r ’ u g l o l p h a e n c c ima w is d m s (lig wn e d’s y th row on wild t elro oducti ned b or t, el , theme effect its o worl n Bu nt-pr nvisio n sh rops the ring cial g). I ve nly e uts. I cky p ra-spe , featu me of r ythin e t . k e o a n l ly o h o n a s , w a e: trac nd s ), ex s Ev lrow a usu d psyc stume hicken sound rga) a to Eat like e i n c l u d e o a e c t e y t c t t x a V i o u g h he vo wild conic upbe Toni r l C thing q c e s . T durin ates i h a y n t s ’ i o a C d b n w lrow and ia o ide om ’s n nes ar. our ver e lia, , etc .) ike co nts (fr , there i ve re s at Am York, f s a ye al e l e s f o cr y ents ( nic tal par tie t a i n s urdays a; New ee dat festiv n n i r d t n resi electro f EDM w m a i a – Sa Usuah bai, th its ow L o n d o r u , e z o t i s o p p a t D b r d r I l l n s o t h ill e to d ly, e thly; wor 12 ; an re s e n t w date the u rre n t a mon pecial a year row p e s ( A ar t of lrow w i l C na, two s dates ces, e a n c i t ll be p ct. 6, e r i n d e celo B a r m e r a n r i d , f o u r e s i d e E u r o p ro w w d o n O l n d e e e m a A h , t re su ar ; M ly a. o m i n t h i t i o n a l meric e r f y ) t a A d r ” A p a t o w n m ) . A d South w a o o d t r r l ( “ e A m s t e m Asia and vals fro i fe s t

SUMMER 2018

uite Q g y. n i h ot Part N ’s row e ds r l n e i e Th an he M d. ry worksohtoeprs n w f a c t o b p ro m o their e t Lik eet e Bra kt clu lro e e t few o wor h t M t cde ha w stru – i n s i e m s t ow h o m So ind th p u e e n h a, Spainh–e Sktindsholef sist even kn aterials, allluumpi thepsepcaiaclizewd s e B rcelon l find t ar, muc fi x t s n fo l l o A m tools , EV s ne

27

Khris Cowley debut in Las Vegas, at the Wynn Hotel.

So what goes into these massive productions? ClubWorld caught up with some of the marketing movers and technical shakers from the elrow team: Cruz Arnau (Marketing Director); Francisco Grande (Technical and Operations Director);Víctor De la Serna (Booking Director); and Manuel Sánchez (Tour Director).

What’s the overall concept for elrow parties?

Manuel Sánchez: We always opted for a different concept from the rest of the industry. When elrow was created, the electronic scene was dominated by a certain darkness that always characterized this sector. Since the beginnings of elrow, we were clear that we wanted to differentiate ourselves from the others and create our own new concept. The concept “row” is given by a summer atmosphere, as colorful as it would be in a daytime party. In other words, we try through the daylight to give our clients the emotion and sensation to move into a colorful world.

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

For someone who has never attended an elrow event, what should they expect to see?

Víctor De la Serna: If you’ve never been to an elrow party, you need to come with an open mind and be ready to have a lot of fun. It’s a very uninhibited party, very hedonistic and one where we don’t take ourselves seriously. Expect an immersive experience where decorations, performers, actors, stilt walkers, confetti and other effects all happen around you to the soundtrack of underground house and techno. It’s a great experience!

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Who specifies the audio and why is that system chosen for elrow parties?

Francisco Grande: The decision of which system will be used for the shows is taken by [CEO] Juan Arnau. In large-surfaces festivals, we usually use Funktion-One audio. The purpose is to offer the highest quality to the attendees and reliability to our DJs. Special effects play a big part of the elrow productions – is there a strategy in employing effects like cryo, confetti & more?

Manuel Sánchez: The most important thing for us is the synchronization and timing in which we perform the effects. From our company, we have always thought that more is better… so we try to

improve and innovate every year. This is elrow’s secret, try to improve and surprise the public.The artistic and technical department is always well-coordinated to give our clients an incredible performance of our shows. This team coordination takes time and involves more than 200 staffers in each show. The combination of effects is one of our biggest secrets.

What’s the difference between, say, elrow’s Ibiza parties and the North American events?

Víctor De la Serna: Yes, elrow Ibiza is a very important show for us and is a kind of showroom to the world, as every week different people from all over the world come to Ibiza. Also, we have a warehouse in Ibiza all year ’round and we are a spit away from Barcelona, so we have lots and lots of production stuff in there. That makes it easy to make the show huge and spectacular. It’s also big and spectacular in other places that we go, but obviously, logistics make it harder for us to bring so much decoration, but the essence of the party is there.

How does elrow’s production approach differ between a festival and a club?

Manuel Sánchez: One of the main challenges for the company is to offer the emotions that are created in a club to a festival. It’s a hard research work that we carry out and test in each event. Of course, elrow performs small and large-format events.

In order to carry out these large-format events, we have always relied on our creative team and in different international street-theater companies. Working in large-format shows give us the opportunity to collaborate with international companies which help us to create our shows. The most important thing for us is to wrap the viewer with all the sensations that will not let him forget us.

How closely do the production people and the DJ work together?

Manuel Sánchez: We are working very hard on this. For us, our key thing is the union between the music and the show. This mission led us to work hand by hand with all our DJs in order to prepare some surprises that will be ready for this year’s shows.

It’s exciting to create these songs, that sequences with lights, effects, and animation to make the effect that we call wau! This year, we are working with all of our DJs to prepare specific shows.

Are certain types of DJs better suited for elrow events than others?

Víctor De la Serna: At elrow, we are always looking for fun, energetic music.The show itself is very energetic, so that’s the style of music that works. The main styles – house, tech-house and certain techno acts – work well with the concept, as they don’t play dark. Music is a very important part of the show and, as such, it needs to be on par with the energy of the show.

DJ TIMES

Faris Villena

SUMMER 2018

Where do the themes for the elrow parties come from? (continued on page 48)

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DJ / CLUBWORLD / EDC '18

VIVA LAS VEGAS EDC ’18 Drew the Masses to Sin City

Las Vegas – Electric Daisy Carnival – the annual desert bacchanalia presented

by Insomniac – drew more than 400,000 revelers to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past May 18-20. With more than 200 DJs and electronic acts on tap, DJ Times was there to take in the mad festivities. It all looked like this: n 1 EDC ’18: Welcome to Vegas! Jake West/Insomniac n 2 Full View: EDC’s rockets red glare. Jake West/Insomniac n 3 Dark Scene: Crankdat onstage with Ghastly. n 4 Grounded: Things get positively electric. Jake West/Insomniac n 5 Flags Flying: Kill the Noise’s booming set. Jake West/Insomniac n 6 Stand Up: Mariana Bo takes the stage. aLIVE Coverage/Insomniac n 7 Wiz Khalifa with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. aLIVE Coverage/Insomniac n 8 True Colors: Zedd goes off. The Holy Mountain n 9 Blasting: Zomboy gets fired up. Jake West/Insomniac n 10 Flame On: Kaskade conducts proceedings. aLIVE Coverage/Insomniac n 11 Hyperhouse: Anna Lunoe gets busy. aLIVE Coverage/Insomniac n 12 Crank It: Mija makes moves. n 13 Kenny G & Ookay bid farewell. The Holy Mountain n 14 Meow Mix: Kittens gets frisky. aLIVE Coverage/Insomniac

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DJ / CLUBWORLD / EDC '18

n8 n9

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DJ / CLUBWORLD / GEAR & SWAGG

FUNKTION-ONE F124

DAN-PAK Hydration Packs

Looking to fill your festival or club room with the biggest boom?

Function-One’s F124 bass enclo‑ sure features a 24-inch cone, a FEA-optimized Neodymium mag‑ net and a double six-inch voice coil motor that offers a Bl factor of 50 “to give the necessary mo‑ tive power…[and] ensure excellent transient response and extended depth to below 30Hz.” according to the company. The F124 (750W rms, AES-rated) is designed as a bass partner for the company’s Evolution systems and other Funktion-One mid-high speak‑ ers. The unit uses Speakon NL 4 connectors comes housed in a 18mm Birch Ply construction and it offers a frequency response of 35Hz - 160Hz. Other features on the 227-pound unit include: integral handles; op‑ tional wheels; low center of grav‑ ity for easy handling; and location pucks and recesses for stacking.

Available in ultra-durable black PU coating or classic FunktionOne paint finish and ground stack boards are now available for Evo 6 and 7 units.

Ravers and festival-goers, are you looking for that perfect hydration pack that’s more than a little bit stylish? Look no further than DanPak, with its wildly diverse range of artful solutions. No matter where your adventure takes you, hydrate with style!

Dan-Pak offers six different ranges of product. They include Hydration Packs Series 1 through 4, Flask Fanny Packs and Mini Dan-Paks.

The models include unique styles that include RageWolf, Party Panda, Retro Raver, Bad Monster, Donut Love, Spaceman and Plurmaid.

Dan-Pak Hydration packs are BPAfree and they hold two full liters of liquid. They include: an anti-theft, deep pocket for valuables; a free extra mouthpiece; and an openand-closer lever on each Butterfly mouthpiece for ease of access. DanPak products are perfect for every‑ day use, at raves, at music festivals, camping, hiking or any adventure you chose to embark upon. www.dan-pak.com

RAY-BAN Ray-Ban Studios/The Martinez Bros.

As a part of Ray-Ban’s Feel Your Beat campaign for the its new Ray-Ban Studios concept, the company will release a limited-edition, capsule collection of 500 special Wayfarers, with New York-based DJ/production team, The Martinez Brothers, front‑ ing the campaign.

For the first Ray Ban Studios col‑ laboration, the Martinez Brothers – Chris and Steve – have reinterpreted the classic Ray-Ban Wayfarer in a new and suitably dynamic way with a pair of new designs that reflect each brother’s taste.

The print and video portions of the Feel Your Beat campaign will focus not on the stage personas of the art‑ ists, rather the humans behind the act. The aim of the campaign is to get up close and personal with the creative process and to gain a better understanding of the artists: where they come from and what the music they create means to them. www.ray-ban.com/usa/rayban-studios/clp

PIONEER DJ TRAKTOR Compatibility Pioneer DJ’s CDJ-TOUR1 multi-play‑ er and its latest DJM mixers are now compatible with Native Instruments’ TRAKTOR PRO 2 USB-HID control and TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 DVS control – seamless compat‑ ibility and intuitive performance via PC/Mac–USB connection. The extended support for Pioneer DJ’s latest multi-player and DJM mixers means DJs can use TRAKTOR PRO 2 and TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 anytime, anywhere – from practicing at home, to playing the biggest club and festival gigs.

A newly released CDJ-2000NXS2 firmware update also brings Beat Jump control and enables the dis‑ play of enlarged waveform and beatgrid, significantly improving the player’s usability. Registered users can download the latest version of TRAKTOR PRO 2 to enable USB-HID control with compatible multi players and download the latest version of TRAKTOR SCRATCH PRO 2 to en‑ able DVS control with compatible DJM mixers. www.pioneerdj.com

DJ TIMES

www.function-one.com

33

MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

AKAI’S MPC X: AN EVOLUTION

By Mike Gwertzman

interface for the MPC X. Turn on the MPC X, click the screen, and you can quickly get lost navigating through menus, settings, options and folders.

There’s a lot to get your head around in order to truly unlock all the capabilities of the MPC X. The MPC X touts itself as being a standalone device. But the truth is that “standalone” is only one way to interface with the MPC X. Yes, you can create projects using simply the MPC X itself. But there’s also the MPC software that Akai offers as a download to any registered owner. You can launch the MPC software as a standalone app on your computer and use the MPC X as a controller and interface. You can also use the MPC software as a plug-in in your DAW. Plus, you can use the MPC X as a hub for your other devices, with eight built-in CV ports designed to be used with modular hardware synths.

So that means there’s really no uniform way that artists can use the MPC. If you’re a computer person, you can integrate it into your studio set-up.

If you’d like to just make beats and tracks on the MPC X itself, that’s possible, too.

If you’re familiar with Akai MPCs of the past and recent present, then the MPC X will feel like a nice evolution. Those trademark quality pads are here – only now they’ve got LED lights accompanying them, helping you visualize velocity. There’s also the pad bank selectors, and the same transport controls – nods to the classic MPC design. But now, there’s also the big touchscreen, and 16 Q-link knobs. If you’re new to MPCs entirely, then there’s a pretty steep learning curve that comes with getting your head around this unit.

The best way to dig into the MPC X is to focus on its core features: those lovely pads, and your ability to construct tracks with them. The MPC X

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

Over time, Akai Professional’s MPC line has rightfully earned itself a place in the drum-machine and sampler hall of fame. Originally designed in collaboration with the legendary Roger Linn, MPCs were at the foundation of some of hip-hop’s most iconic and genre-pushing productions. Detroit’s J Dilla, California’s DJ Shadow and New York’s DJ Premier are just a few of the heralded artists who used the MPC to craft their legendary beats and rhythmic textures.

But in recent years, the MPC has been overtaken as the go-to device for beatmakers. Native Instruments’ Maschine, in particular, has become nearly ubiquitous in studios, especially amongst newcomers. Now, with the MPC X – and its sibling, the slimmed-down MPC Live – Akai seems intent on reclaiming its status as an innovative and trusted manufacturer of top-notch production hardware.

“Welcome to the new era of MPC” reads the text on the software-download instructions that come with the device. “The next generation of standalone MPC” is emblazoned on the packaging.

It’s clear that Akai (an inMusic brand) has big ambitions, and a lot riding on this product. And after some time spent working with it, it’s also clear that they’ve packed a lot of features into the MPC X. And that makes sense, considering its hefty price point ($2,199).

Weighing in at 12.5 pounds, the MPC X is a sturdy and, at first glance, a slightly intimidating piece of kit. There are close to 100 separate buttons and knobs laid out in front of you. And then there’s the 10-inch touchscreen that works as the control

Different Approach: A laptop-free workhorse.

34

MPC X: Same quality pads, new LED lights.

comes ready to go, too. The first things you see on the touchscreen when you turn the unit on are a number of ready-to-go projects, covering multiple musical genres: deep house, chilled trap, hip-hop, old-school, and so on. Pick one, and you’ll get a fully-loaded song-starter type of track, with multiple tracks of programmed notes.

From there, you can start padding away. Hitting the pads, you can get a feel for how sensitive and expressive they are. But what is it you’re hearing and playing? The navigation with the MPC X can be a little bit tricky. The touch screen relies heavily on visual icons for navigating, and some of the things you think would be easily accessible – i.e, a visual display of the pads with the sample assigned to them, is not immediately present.

I’d say that navigation is the biggest challenge of the MPC X. It takes a good few days of playing around with the machine to really get into a regular flow where switching between the right screens becomes second nature. And while you are given a number of ways to do the same thing – almost any of the buttons on the touch screen can be pressed using on-board cursor buttons and the selector dial – that method sometimes can be challenging as well. I found myself pressing the touch screen when using the dial was the only way to access the menu I was looking for.

But once you get over the early bumps and come to understand and anticipate the MPC X’s functions, you’ll appreciate that this is a very robust device, with lots of potential to please all kinds of artists. Both hip-hop aficionados and dance-music producers – the two core constituents who originally embraced the early MPCs – will especially be happy with what the MPC X has to offer. Additionally, singer/songwriters and live musicians will ap(continued on page 48)

2018 AMERICA’S BEST DJ NOMINEES A-TRAK CO M I N G TO A C IT Y N EA R AMTRAC VOT E & W IN ST U F F !

ANTHONY PARASOLE AUDIEN BAAUER BASSNECTAR 3LAU BT CARL CRAIG CARNAGE CASH CASH CEDRIC GERVAIS CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE CLAUDE VONSTROKE CRANKDAT DANNY TENAGLIA DAVID MORALES DENNIS FERRER DEORRO DERRICK CARTER DESTRUCTO DIESELBOY DILLON FRANCIS DIPLO DJ BORIS DJ CRAZE DJ CREME DJ DAN DJ GODFATHER DJ SKRIBBLE DR. FRESCH DUBFIRE ENFERNO ERICK MORILLO FLOSSTRADAMUS 4B FRANÇOIS K GABRIEL & DRESDEN GETTER GHASTLY GRANDMASTER FLASH GREEN VELVET GRIZ GRYFFIN P RE S E NT E D B Y HEROBUST HONEY DIJON HONEY SOUNDSYSTEM J.PHLIP JAZZY JEFF JEFF MILLS

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VOTE & WIN A TRIP FOR 2 TO THE CLOSING PARTY /AMERICASBESTDJ

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SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

JBL & UE: LINE-ARRAYS & CIEMS

By Paul Dailey & Wesley Bryant-King

This month’s Sounding Off entry offers two reviews. Boston-based DJ Paul Dailey takes on JBL Professional’s EON One Pro active, line-array PA system, while Denver-based DJ Wesley Bryant-King checks out Ultimate Ears’ 6 PRO custom in-ear monitors.

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

JBL EON ONE PRO

36

The EON series of powered speakers has been at the center of JBL Professional’s portable PA line for years, and the newest additions continue to keep their offerings top of mind for performers and DJs alike.

JBL’s EON One Pro ($1,874 MSRP) brings a new line-array option to the range, and the designers have brought to market an extremely useful product with many applications in mind.

Having spent a bit of time with RCF’s Evox 8 system, for example, I am familiar with the benefits (and limitations) of compact, linear, array setups. The positive, of course, starts with improved dispersion of sound, which in turn equals better room coverage with lower decibel levels – in easy-to-transport packages (this one weighs just 38 pounds). This is especially important in settings where music is part of the environment, as opposed to being the center of attention. It is within that nuanced situation where I see the EON One Pro performing extremely well.

First Impressions: Out of the box, the first thing that strikes you is that EON One Pro provides everything you need in a self-contained package. You get a 4-channel mixer (with selectable mic/line switch), monitor output, pass through, reverb and ability to play via Bluetooth while charging your USB device. And this all comes with a rechargeable battery capable of powering the unit for six hours. You can set up the unit in three configurations, based on how high you want sound to be projected, and the sound quality is what we have come to expect from the pros at JBL. It’s the very definition of working smarter, not harder.

Specifications: Reading the specs, you might be turned off initially. For example, the quoted maximum SPL is “only” 118 dB, which seems, and is, a low number compared to the figures that you see with more traditional active speakers (typically in excess of 128 dB).

But this sort of misses the point of the EON One Pro, as coverage angle is more important when thinking of compact arrays, and the distribution here is exceptional. People at the back of the room will hear your music clearly and those standing in front of the speaker will not have to yell to carry on a conversation.

Having said that, let’s be clear: This is not a loudspeaker that was built to drive a pounding set of electronic, bass-heavy music. In fact, there is no way I could honestly recommend this for your primary, big-party, DJ set-up – even for a night of older, less-demanding dance music. The 8-inch subwoofer adds a nice fill to round out your sound, but will not move a typical dancefloor.

No, this is a rig for acoustic musicians playing on a patio, or as a supplemental system for DJs looking to add sound for a ceremony far from a plug, or a cocktail hour where the music needs to be subtle, airy and play agreeably with the conversations in the room.

Conclusion: As versatile mobile entertainers, we all need systems that sound good, look good and do these unique jobs well. For mobile jocks looking to fit the aforementioned applications, the JBL Professional EON One Pro should be near the top of their to-buy list.

JBL EON One Pro: All-in-one, rechargeable PA.

SOUNDING OFF

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about custom in-ear monitors (CIEMs) for this magazine, but my level of passion about them hasn’t abated since my last review a little over two years ago.

My focus in that piece was on studio use of CIEMs; I’d reviewed Ultimate Ears’ so-called “Remastered” CIEMs at that point (now called simply UE Reference), and I appreciated their accuracy and their ability to let me work when conventional studio monitors might not be practical (say, when you’re trying to mix something in the middle of the night, and neither family nor neighbors would appreciate your thumping bass).

For those unfamiliar, in-ear monitors are, at the end of the day, essentially high-end ear buds. What separates an IEM from a simple ear bud, in my book, is the engineering that went into the product. A true IEM is designed to provide the sort of crisp, purpose-built sound quality that a musician or audio engineer needs in a stage or professional environment — the very applications that they’re typically made for.

A custom IEM takes that experience to a new level by packaging the IEM components in a shell that has been custom-shaped to fit the ear of a specific individual. A custom fit allows the IEM to very effectively provide passive noise reduction, which is essential for live stage use.

Of course, what works for a musician can work for audiophiles, too, and I have to confess that’s been my primary use for the past year of the company’s UE 18+ PRO CIEMs. I’ve been conducting an extended road test of sorts of the product, and while the UE Reference model is designed for flat, accurate reproduction, the UE 18+ PRO colors the sound a bit to provide a stronger low end. With six balanced armature drivers packed into each one that are divided into four frequency bands, I can say that the 18+ provides incredible sound — as one might expect given the roughly $1,500 per pair price point. I carry my pair of 18+ CIEMs with me every-

where I go, and given that I travel frequently, they’re in my ears once I’m past security all the way to when I get in a car at the other end of the trip.

Recently, Ultimate Ears refreshed their entire product line with a new approach to the audio cables they use, and the connection method between the cables and the CIEMs themselves. They refer to it as the “IPX Connection System,” and it represents the company’s third generation solution. Developed in conjunction with a company who has a market-leading offering for hearing aids and medical devices, the cabling is purported to be stronger, longer-lasting, and better able to withstand sweat, makeup, and all the other hazards of being an active performer.

The company also added a new product to the lineup: The UE 6 PRO ($699 a pair). Complementing the company’s new high-end UE Live offering ($2,200 a pair), which is targeted at touring musicians, the more modestly priced UE 6 PRO (like the UE Live) leverages a hybrid driver design that blends the company’s True Tone balanced armatures with a pair of neodymium dynamic drivers. While the spec sheet says that the low-end reach is the same as my UE 18+ PRO pair (frequency response is stated as 5 Hz to 22 kHz), the UE 6 PRO delivers a much more pronounced low-end. As such, it’s targeted for users performing rhythm and beats, including drummers and bass players. But I also believe it might be a turning point for DJs to consider going with CIEMs as well — and there are a number of reasons I say that.

First, let’s face it: The working environment for club (and many other) DJs is not exactly ideal for those who need to be able to hear for a living. A simple Google search for “DJs hearing loss” will reveal that this is a subject of growing concern. While I don’t do any club work these days, when I did, I actually wore high-resolution ear plugs (Etymotic ETY-Plugs, specifically) under my traditional can headphones. Even with the great care I’ve taken, I still suffer from a small amount of tinnitus (ringing in the ears) from loud sound exposure over the years, and generations younger than mine are experiencing hearing loss earlier than ever. The passive noise reduction afforded by properly fitting CIEMs seems like a smart measure to help avoid this particular occupational hazard.

Second, the UE 6 PRO provides enough low-end that beat-matching is easy, even at the modest volume levels you want to be using (again, to prevent hearing loss), and even where the house audio system might be registering thunderous low-end in the very soles of your feet. My method of testing the veracity of that statement was admittedly not in a club environment; I cranked up the bass (and the volume) with my studio’s monitor sub enabled and found the UE 6 PRO to still deliver what I needed to mix accurately. High-latency house sound systems and the proximity of the DJ booth to the subwoofers may cause your mileage to vary, but no more so, in my view, than other monitoring options.

The final reason in my book is this: Price. No CIEM is going to be “cheap,” per se, but the UE 6 PRO checks in at $699 a pair. In the grand scheme of CIEMs, that isn’t a bad price point, and is much more attractive than the $1,500 a pair UE 18+ PRO, which with their low end would serve DJs well, too.

Note that to order CIEMs, you need your ears either molded or scanned.

The 3D digital scanning is available from select Ultimate Ears resellers, and traditional molds can be done by most audiologists at market rate (often under $100). Either option results in a great fit, and Ultimate Ears will make adjustments to fit under warranty in the event things aren’t 100-percent right for any reason. (Good peace of mind, and unfortunately, my UE 6 PROs did end up needing a tweak after the initial fit was a little too tight.)

The final question, however, remains one of style, rather than functionality. I started my DJ career in my own bedroom, so I got used to mixing with both cans over both ears, for the duration of my performance. That classic DJ pose of a single can over one ear that some people deem so essential

to the DJ ethos just wasn’t for me.

Whether wearing CIEMs instead of headphones suits your performance comes down to a matter of image, but for my two cents, I’ll take the CIEMs any day. (One of my contacts at UE has said that some CIEM-using DJs actually use non-connected can style headphones solely for looks, while the nearly invisible CIEMs are inserted. That’s a thought, too.)

As much as I love the new UE 6 PRO — and I do — my only issue is with the new cabling system. It’s a huge improvement to be sure; one of my older pairs of CIEMs suffered a break at a common stress point: the nub molded into the casing where the cable connector is located in the previous design. With the new IPX system, that nub is gone, the stress point is removed, and I’m guessing that’ll prove to be a salient design choice over time.

Unfortunately, that nub, along with a bendable around-the-ear element of the cables, was what made getting earlier UE CIEMs in and out of your ears so easy; you could use it as leverage to rotate the CIEM, and that’s also what made it a stress point (and point of failure). In the new system, that stiff, but bendable part of the cable is gone, so orienting each IEM for insertion, and getting them into your ears — while not rocket science — is not the sort of muscle-memoryautomatic exercise it was in the previous design. With the nub gone, too, there’s no leverage to help rotate them back out. I have to really think about it every time I use them, and thus, they don’t go in or come out quite as fast as they used to. Regardless, I’ll accept that trade-off for the benefits provided by the new design.

My bottom line: Now may well be the time to seriously consider custom in-ear monitors if you’re a performing DJ. Between the functionality, price point, and performance, it’s an investment that makes sense both for the art of DJing — and for taking steps to protect your own hearing (and thus your career) over the long term.

DJ TIMES

ULTIMATE EARS 6 PRO

SUMMER 2018

UE 6 PRO CIEMs: Sharp monitoring, saves hearing.

37

MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

Fast Track: Ariete began DJing at 10.

FLORIDA PHENOM DREAMS BIG

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

By Stu Kearns

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West Palm Beach, Fla. – Seems like Alex Ariete is in a rush.

How else to describe the fact that he completed a two-year Scratch Academy course in just eight months? Or that he’s been spinning DJ gigs since he was 10, and, by age 12, he was taking classes at SAE Institute and Berklee Online. He graduated high school at age 15.

Notice a trend?

Makes sense, then, that he never sat still as a 5-year-old, always dancing, bouncing, jumping to music. “After I started hip-hop and ballroom dancing at the age of 8 and DJing at 10,” he says, “I knew that music was something I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life.”

It’s been a short life, so far. He’s now only 17.

“My parents used to throw parties when I was younger and I loved messing around with the iPod,” he recalls, “so I would watch and learn from them and I would pretend to DJ. That was the first

time I started to develop a taste for music.”

Nonetheless, Ariete says he was always surrounded by music — it’s in his DNA. His grandparents in Serbia were professional musicians, and his mom used to give piano lessons to students and occasionally taught her son simple songs or music theory. Then, came DJing…

“My heart was not in any sports, and I tried a dozen of them by the age of 10,” he says. “Then my mom signed me up for a semester at a local school for a DJmixing class. So, I started a DJ career by pure accident.”

The local DJ school had group lesson once a week. “But I wanted more,” he says. The answer: Scratch DJ Academy.

“Joshua Daniel was my first DJ instructor and he taught me mixing, MCing, how to use the Pioneer DDJ-SX, my first controller, and he still is my mentor ’til this day,” says Ariete, adding that Daniel scored him some gigs early on.

“I’ve learned something new from each one,” he says. “Of course, the experience from the gigs have really made a positive impact on my skills.”

Then, by the age of 12, he began by DJing as many as five times a week, which gave him plenty of reps — but not without a few problems.

“People were skeptical that a 12-year-old could use a controller or get the crowd excited,” he says. “Joshua was the one who was helping me for the first three years of my DJ career, but booking me at the clubs is still somewhat a challenge because of the common belief that minors cannot perform at clubs or bars.

However, most states have entertainment laws that allow minors to perform.”

Over time, Ariete has played quite a variety of events – weddings, fashion shows, cultural festivals, tailgate parties, Christmas parties, and charity events.

Eventually, he began to ease into some club events, started a residency at Palm Beach Internet Radio, spun events during industry festivals like SXSW, and played on the Groove Cruise – a popular cruise ship out of Florida that presents top EDM DJs. On the DJ-gear side, Ariete is adept at using Pioneer DJ CDJ-2000NXS2 players (with flash drives) and a Pioneer DJ DJM-900NXS2 mixer or a Pioneer DJ DDJ-SX controller with Serato DJ software.

As for his musical approach to each gig, Ariete says that if he knows the type of crowd and demographic, he’ll hand-pick the songs and put them on his USB. “For private parties, I will ask for a ‘wish list’ of songs they would like me to mix,” he says. “This makes it easier, so that I don’t have to take too many requests during the actual event. However, I don’t pre-make the list or the order in which I will play at the set. I play what I feel the crowd reacts to.”

Which brings us to Ariete’s original music productions and “triple-house,” a new genre with a ¾-time signature that Ariete has applied to house music. So far he’s released five “triple-house” tracks, with the hopes of putting together a community of genre-friendly producers to create a sort of underground movement.

His most recent entry, appropriately named perhaps, is “Change of Time.”

“This type of timing makes the songs sound faster and it is experienced by having a quick pace and high energy,” he says. “Since I am a ballroom dancer, I thought to myself: What if club music had a ¾-time signature? A few weeks later I was in the studio and gave a crack at it and eventually the track ‘Change of Time’ was born.”

Ariete’s home studio – the birthplace of his musical ideas – includes a MacBook Pro, an iMac, Ableton Live software, Yamaha HS8 monitors, an Akai MPK25 MIDI controller, a Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 audio interface, a Rode NT1-A cardioid condenser microphone, and a Yamaha YPG-535 keyboard. His favorite software plugins include LennarDigital’s Sylenth1, Xfer Records’ Serum, Native Instruments’ Massive, and reFX’s Nexus 2.

While he remains busy at work in his studio, Ariete says that he’s still developing as an artist. “Only now that I have taken about a dozen classes,” he says, “do I realize how much there is to be learned about the music. For instance, music theory and ear training are mandatory classes for my Electronic Music Production and Sound Design major. These courses helped me with creating unique chords and I learned how to apply them to my music production. I cannot wait to see what I will learn next!”

With plans to perform in Ibiza in the near future and an EP release on the horizon, Ariete intends to keep his mad pace to fulfill his lofty ambitions.

“I am looking to become one of the top DJs in the world,” he says. “Years ago I made a sign, ‘The world’s best DJ of 20XX,’ and I posted it on the wall at my home studio. I didn’t give you the year on purpose because I don’t want to upset anyone since that year is very close! I see this poster every day, I read this poster every day and it is the contract that I made with myself — to eventually play my songs at my events.”

SALES… MARKETING…SOLUTIONS…

MORE METHODS TO IMPROVE YOUR DJ BRAND

BUSINESS LINE

By Stu Kearns

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

Last month, we interviewed Mick Uranko, owner of Uranko Productions in Pottsville, Pa., about defining your brand via understanding your local market.

This month, Uranko follows up with ways to track the progress of your brand and to increase brand awareness.

How to Track the Progress of Your Brand Once you reach a point where you have business coming in, you want to make sure that your brand is still progressing.

Uranko says that everyone is familiar with at least one company in their market that has not updated their gear, presentation, appearance, skill level for over a decade. “In fact,” he says, “I can almost guarantee that they are also charging the same prices that they charged over 10 years ago as well!”

After you have business coming in, Uranko says the best way to check the progress of your brand is to ask your recently booked brides why they booked you. What stood out about your company? Also, you

40

can ask how you compared price-wise. “These answers will give you a great indication where your brand is heading in your local market,” he says.

Every business should also be seeking out thirdparty reviews. “Third-party reviews are very important when running a servicebased business,” he says.

“Another great tool to use to check your progress is by comparing reviews from past brides. You will notice that certain words and phrases are repeated, such as ‘attention to detail,’ or ‘smooth transitions,’ or ‘great communication.’ All of those traits can be used to help define your brand and track your progress.”

How to Increase Your Brand’s Awareness What’s the best way to promote your brand in a new market? Uranko advises that you meet with venue managers and introduce your company. “I just did this last week and it has proven to be a great move,” says Uranko, who moved into a new house an hour away. “Not only did I get to meet with new managers and make new connections, but I also got insight on what they typically see at a wedding reception. DJs, especially, have a very unique opportunity to influence over 100 people each time they go out for a private event.

Also, we have the ability to totally transform the venue’s room through uplighting, pipe-and-drape, ceiling washes and other lighting services.”

Uranko says some of the questions he was asked by the new venue managers were quite surprising.

“One of them asked what attire I wear, because she has witnessed DJs come in for a wedding reception and they were in jeans

and a T-shirt,” he recalls.

“This reflects poorly on the venue because the experience that guests receive at a wedding venue, if it’s horrible, chances are they won’t want to have their wedding reception in the same room. The other manager wanted to install a permanent DJ booth because of how horrible the booth looked from previous weddings. This is a brand-new venue in the area and its upscale theme was not meshing with the budget DJ’s set-up.”

Uranko also increases brand awareness by hosting a 5K charity event for Wounded Warriors. He’s currently preparing to helm his eighth such event.

“Even though this is not DJ-related,” he says, “what I did was strengthen my brand of new ideas and new spin on the ordinary, because my 5K event is for dogs. It’s a special charity race for K9s for Warriors where participants walk or run a 5K with their dog.

This is the oldest running dog-related 5K in my local market. Even though it has nothing to do with weddings or DJs, I am getting my brand exposed and out into the local newspaper and social media as a brand that represents new fun ideas.”

In 2016, Uranko spoke w i t h a re p r e s e n t a t i v e from SpeedQuizzing trivia games. “This is probably one of the best business decisions that I have ever made for my company,” he says. “Not only has it increased my mid-week sales, but it gives me more opportunity to talk on a microphone in front of people every single week.

This helps improve my MC skills, as well as interacting with people. Brandingwise, this move was a no brainer.”

Uranko says that every-

thing his company represents is taking a cookiecutter idea and changing the way it’s presented.

How to Improve Your Brand The fastest and most useful way to improve your brand is to network with other companies that you can look up to. “Generally speaking, companies that are extremely successful are more willing to help with your questions because they are on a level where they only compete with themselves for sales,” says Uranko. “Regardless of the success level, we all have started in the same place. Another DJ that we looked up to shared his thoughts, and now it’s our opportunity to pass along these ideas to other companies. I recommend contacting another company that is not in your direct market to gain the most knowledge.”

A great way to meet other entertainment companies not in your market, he says, is to attend DJ Expos and conferences. Attending a conference is a great way to not only learn new ideas, but you will also be able to network with other companies all over the United States.

“An added bonus is you’re going to meet people that will soon become some of your best friends,” says Uranko, who will be speaking at this year’s Expo about branding your DJ business, “and you can count on them to help you out when seconds count.”

DJ Expo, presented by DJ Times, will run Aug. 13-16 at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, N.J.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Parks & REC Pioneer DJ Americas 2050 W. 190th Street Suite 109 Torrance, CA 90504 (424) 488-0480 www.pioneerdj.com Pioneer’s DJM-REC is a new app for iPhone and iPad that lets users record and share high-quality DJ mixes into any DJM mixer which has the digital send/return feature using a single USB cable. DJM-REC is compatible with many Pioneer DJ mixers, including the DJM-TOUR1, DJM-900NXS2, DJM-750MK2 and DJM-450, when users update the mixer’s firmware to the latest version. Mixes can be live streamed mix through YouTube, Facebook Live, Periscope, Instagram and Snapchat via DJM-REC.

Aye, Captain Mixed In Key 3250 NE 1st Ave #305 Miami, FL 33137 www.mixedinkey.com Captain Plugins is a new series of plugins from Mixed in Key that are designed to help music composers and music producers write new music. Captain Chords enables musicians to write new chord progressions; Captain Melody allows the creation of melodies and rhythmic hooks; and Captain Deep enables the creation of rhythmic basslines. Every plug-in in the series comes with its own collection of custom sounds and feature Echo, Reverb and Filter effects. The three plug-ins can communicate with each other when running inside the same DAW.

All in Your Headphones Audio-Technica 1221 Commerce Drive Stow, OH 44224 (330) 686-2600 www.audio-technica.com The ATH-M50xBB Professional Monitor Headphones are a limited-edition version of Audio-Technoca’s ATH-M50x that features feature metallic blue earcups and black accents, such as distinctive trimming, earpads and headband. The headphones feature sound-isolating; 90-degree swiveling earcups; 45 mm large-aperture drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils, and professional-grade earpad and headband material for extra comfort. They sport a collapsible design with detachable cables, including a 1.2m-3m coiled cable, 3m straight cable and 1.2m straight cable.

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

Cheap Thrills

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Harman International 400 Atlantic Street Stamford, CT 06901 (203) 328-3500 www.harman.com Martin Professional has released the THRILL Compact PAR 64 LED, which features 36 preprogrammed colors, four professionally pre-programmed shows, full RGBWA+UV color mixing, a fixed 18-degree beam angle and electronic strobe/dimming. The unit comes equipped with five 12-watt bright RGB, white, amber and UV LEDs, and also includes a wireless remote control. The THRILL Compact PAR 64 LED sports a sit-flat design that makes the light easy to slide under tables, tuck inside a truss or into any tight spot. A multi-function bracket is also included for hanging or surface mounting.

AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

GEAR

Walking on BTAir Chauvet 5200 NW 108th Ave. Sunrise, FL 33351 (800) 762-1084 www.chauvetlighting.com Chauvet’s BTAir is an app that uses Bluetooth wireless technology to control lights directly from a phone or tablet without the need for additional hardware. Users can download the free app from the Apple or Google Play stores and use their iOS and Android devices to create, store and recall scenes, control color fades, chases and more. The app is compatible with Bluetooth wireless technology enabled CHAUVET DJ fixtures such as the SlimPAR T12 BT, SlimPAR Q12 BT and COLORband T3 BT.

The Game Is Rigs Propellerhead Software Hornsbruksgatan 23 SE-117 34 Stockholm Sweden www.propellerheads.se Propellerhead Software released the Rigs 3 series, an update to the company’s Rig Series Rack Extension and ReFill bundles for Reason 10.

Rigs 3 offers a collection of more than 90 hand-picked Reason Rack Extensions made by leading developers such as Propellerhead, Rob Papen, Softube, Korg, McDSP and more. There are hundreds of custom-made patches included, as well as more than 180 of custom tutorial videos from ASK.Audio. The series includes Mix & Mastering Rig 3, Synthetic Rig 3 and Backline Rig 3, which can be downloaded directly from Propellerhead’s website.

Opposites A-Tracktion Tracktion Corporation 10820 NE 108th Street Kirkland, WA 98033 (425) 273-3376 www.tracktion.com Tracktion Corporation’s Waveform DAW is now available in its ninth generation. Waveform 9 Music Production Software includes a host of new features, including a fully-featured Multi Sampler Instrument, as well as a Modular Mixing Tool and a Multi Sampler “one-button” import/slice tool. A library of exclusive 24 track drum loop construction kits is also included. Additional features include a global chord track, a custom plugin faceplate designer, macro parameters and track loops/presets.

The TR-8S Rhythm Performer from Roland comes with an extensive selection of samples from Roland’s library, as well as sounds from TR drum machines, including authentic recreations of the 808, 909, 707, 727 and 606.

The TR-8S also includes percussion-tuned effects and sports an SD card slot for users to import their own sounds. A stereo mix output is provided, plus six assignable audio outputs that allow individual drum sounds to be processed and mixed externally. The TR-8S sequencer is able to store 128 patterns, with eight variations and three fills contained in each.

DJ TIMES

Roland Corporation 5100 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 890-3700 www.roland.com

SUMMER 2018

Rhythm or Against ’Em

43

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Mod Slinger ADJ Products 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 582-2650 www.americandj.com

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

ADJ’s Mod Series consists of four LED par fixtures, each offering a different LED light-source, suitable for a wide variety of applications. The MOD QA60, MOD QW100, MOD HEX100 and MOD TW100 all feature both three-pin and five-pin XLR input and output sockets to allow easy integration into any DMX lighting system. They offer a choice of six operational modes and come with 64 built-in color macros. Each fixture is supplied with three interchangeable frost filters, which can be used to expand the standard beam angle of 17-degrees up to 20, 40 or 60-degrees.

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Begg, Steal and Borrow

Station to Station

Zero-G www.zero-g.co.uk

American Music & Sound 925 Broadbeck Dr. #220 Newbury Park, CA 91320 (800) 431-2609 www.AmericanMusicAndSound.com

Zero-G collaborated with producer/composer Si Begg to release Hauntology, a multiformat collection of organic electronic music samples that the company says is “great for cinematic soundtracks, electronic music and more.” Hauntology includes multiple formats, with 3.2GB of content in each format. Cnotents include abstract, melodic and percussive loops, weird FX, sweeps and tonal textures. The audio is derived from old synths, circuit bent effects units and reel-to-reel tapes.

The Reloop Controller Station is a flexible and universal stand that holds both a controller with a depth of up to 36cm and a laptop of any size. Made with a sturdy aluminum construction that the company says is easy to assemble, the unit offers skip resistance and comes with 24 adapter parts that allow it to be adjusted for height, as well as for a width up to 44cm.

Reach Out & Touch Touch Innovations 11451 NW 36th Avenue Miami, FL 33167 (800) 965-7320 www.touchinnovations.com Touch Innovations released a see-through, allglass, multi-touch control display called XG. The Windows-compatible XG is available in two versions—XG PRO, which comes with an onboard high-power Intel PC with 500 GB storage, and XG LITE, which does not include the onboard PC. Both models sport a 39-inch display and come with all components sited inside the base unit so as to avoid cable clutter, according to the company. XG models are bundled with Emulator 2, the company’s customizable multi-touch controller flagship software designed for use with any MIDI instrument.

AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

GEAR

Rane Supreme Odyssey Innovative Designs 809 W. Santa Anita St. San Gabriel, CA 91776 (626) 588-2528 www.odysseygear.com Odyssey Innovative Designs has released a pair of new flight cases, both made specifically for popular Rane DJ products – the Twelve motorized DJ battle controller and the Seventy-Two Serato DJ mixer. Both ATA cases are designed to have the units sit perfectly inside with plenty of rear space for cable connectivity. Both cases include: an extra-wide, removable, front-access panel; recessed handles and latches; heavy-duty ball corners; a bottom interior ventilation pit; and a limited lifetime warranty.

Wherever UR Steinberg/Yamaha Corporation of America 6600 Orangethorpe Ave Buena Park, CA 90620 (714) 522-9011 www.yamahaproaudio.com Steinberg has collaborated with Rupert Neve Designs to release two new audio interfaces, the UR-RT2 and UR-RT4. The UR-RT2 comes with four inputs and two outputs, while the UR-RT4 boasts six inputs and four outputs. Both sport studio-grade D-PRE preamps by Yamaha and the featured Rupert Neve Designs transformers. Cubase AI software is included with the UR-RT2 and UR-RT4, both of which feature USB 2.0 and MIDI connectivity, DSP-powered effects for zero-latency monitoring and a variety of input and output options for laptop and iPad.

MAX Factor IK Multimedia 1153 Sawgrass Corporate Pkwy Sunrise, FL 33323 (954) 846-9101 www.ikmultimedia.com IK Multimedia has released the Total Studio 2 MAX bundle, which brings together 94 products into one single suite for Mac and PC. Total Studio 2 MAX contains 43 virtual instruments, almost 17,000 sounds and 179 GB of samples, including 7,000 acoustic instrument sounds and 3,000 orchestral sounds. In addition, Total Studio 2 MAX comprises over 4,000 electronic instrument sounds including hybrid sample and modeling synths. All sample-based sounds can be accessed, browsed and combined within the single SampleTank interface, which allows for the creation of quick and easy multitimbral productions.

The DKP-MIX by VocoPro is a rack-mountable digital karaoke player with a built-in mic mixer. The unit works with variety of media file types, including DVD, DivX, VCD, CD+G, Mp3 and CD. The unit comes with a fully-functional remote and sports dual ¼-inch microphone inputs and a headphone jack input, all of which feature individual volume control.

Additional features include a built-in echo effect, USB reader, individual RCA/XLR input/output jacks, and a plus/minus-6 (1/2) step Digital Key Control for changing the key of the music to fit the user’s vocal range.

DJ TIMES

VocoPro 1728 Curtiss Court La Verne, CA 91750 (800) 678-5348 www.vocopro.com

SUMMER 2018

Sing for Your Supper

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TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS

“WALKING ON SUNSHINE”

u Rockers Revenge feat. Donnie Calvin u Full Intention/Streetwise U.K. underground-house kings Full Intention deliver a fabulous re-work of the Arthur Baker-produced classic from 1982. Staying very true to the deep and groovy original, but giving it a new lease on life, the duo drops a percolating promo version that should really be sought out. Don’t sleep on this.

– Tommy D Funk “SELECTA” u Josh Wink u Ovum Another acid slayer from the Philadelphia legend. With a winning mixture of 303 riffs, forceful percussion, echoey MC toastings, and trippy whistles, Wink tickles the synapses again with his signature deft touch. A ripping track.

– Jim Tremayne “GLITTER DISCO (I WANT YOUR SOUL)”

u Justin Essence u Hypnotic House

An undeniable party starter, this track drops the obvious classic disco elements – however, there are some other subtleties that help it stand out. Check the bongo drum that accompanies the house-music piano riffs, not to mention the vocal that goes more gravelly rock diva than disco queen. A groovy jam.

– Jennifer Harmon “ALL DAY” EP

u Daniel T Edits u Razor n Tape On this outstanding set of edits on the superb R’n’T label, check the supremely groovin’ “All Day” for blissful disco-house. Four tracks here, all with more groove than you can shake a stick at – all day disco.

– Curtis Zack “TO FEEL YOUR GRACE”

u Brian Power feat. Michelle John u Soulfulhouse

featuring the soulful vocals of Michelle John.

Mixes come from Mike Delgado and a terrific piano workout from Klevakeys.

– Curtis Zack “DARK” (BENNY CAMARO CLUB MIX)

u Miki Stentella u Sixty8beats

Appropriately titled, this otherworldly rich and intricately layered track creates an audio vision of voyaging through outer space. With a crisp kick, the eerie space soundscape should work hypnotically well for a late-night crowd.

– Jennifer Harmon “DRUMS DROP”

u Pablo Lopera u Juicy Traxx In its initial minute, this stripped-down, tribal-house track gets accented by a gentle, soaring, party-whistle, then it gets plain trippy.

The warped vocals and deep synth hits lend a disorienting vibe that permeates the remainder of the rolling track. Groovy, deep and a tad wacked.

– Jennifer Harmon “LET’S DO IT AGAIN” (NITEC MIX)

u Atilla Cetin & Nicky Louwers u 418 Though it’s another track reminiscent of Robin S’ “Show Me Love,” this one works the dancefloor pretty hard. It gets revamped with a more modern sound, complete with a short piano workout, but clubbers should respond – as they always seem to do for this sound.

– Jennifer Harmon “IN THE AIR” (REMIXES)

u Souldynamic feat. Dawn Tallman u King Street Another fresh set of mixes on a very underrated disco-house track from 2013. Featuring the divine vocals of Dawn Tallman, new remixes come from Masaki Mori, Souldynamic themselves and an absolute screamer of an effort from Kyle Kim.

Fast becoming a U.K. house don, Brian Power supplies another future classic, this time

– Curtis Zack “CLOUDS” EP u Royal-T u DFTD

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

Brit DJ/producer Royal-T proves impressive on his debut for Defected, as the EP maintains his

Josh Wink

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Miki Stentella

Dawn Tallman

Pablo Lopera

TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS

garage and bassline sounds, a direct 4/4 foundation, keyboard hooks and vocal loops. One bloody lovely EP!

– Tommy D Funk “SO SMOOTH”

u Krystal Davis u Glitterbox Originally released in 1985, this disco-boogie number gets a revision courtesy of the mighty Glitterbox. The standout mix comes in the form of Kon’s ultra-sleek “Hit N Run Mix,” which keeps close to the original, but adds a slight nip and tuck, while jacking the BPM to a bumpin’ 118.

Byron Stingily

– Curtis Zack “THEY CAN’T UNDERSTAND IT”

u Bobby & Steve feat. Byron Stingily u Groove Odyssey

Brian Power

The terrific twins hook up with the amazing Byron Stingily for a record of real caliber. Lush Rhodes, uplifting chord changes and Stingily’s affecting falsetto combine to make this groove-laden track a standout.

– Curtis Zack “SUNSET ON IBIZA” (BLR REMIX)

Royal-T

u Three Drives u Armada

BLR’s take on the 2000 classic leans a bit more progressive, but it really highlights the track’s unforgettable music-box-like arpeggio. While the original takes its sweet time with a four-minuteplus build-up, this mix forgoes the foreplay, jumps right in and gets the job done.

– Jennifer Harmon “JUST CAN’T GET ENOUGH” (REMIXES)

u Soulsearcher u Soulfuric Deep

This throbbing deep-house track – the most successful release from Soulfuric – gets re-rubs for 2018 on the re-launched sub-label. Tough new mixes come from Angelo Ferrari, Illyus and Barrientos and Dr. Packer who keeps it true to the Gary’s Gang-sampling original.

Souldynamic

– Curtis Zack “SO AMAZING”

u Collective Souls Project feat. Lazarus u King Street Here’s another vocal cut from King Street that can’t help but move you. The original is a string-laden, gospel-tinged stomper, while the bumpin’ Groove Assassin remix gives it a bit of New York flavor.

– Curtis Zack GUEST REVIEWER: DJ Tabu

DJ Tabu

DJ TIMES

Cee ElAssaad & Jackie Queens Merecumbe Records Brilliant Moroccan Afro-house DJ/ producer Cee ElAssaad drops a lovely gem for the summer with talented songstress Jackie Queens.

With a steady baseline and silkysmooth vocals, “All On You” delivers a deep, soulful groove that will keep the floor going well into the night and beyond. Keep this one in the rotation.

SUMMER 2018

“ALL ON YOU”

47

L-Side

(continued from page 10) J2000NXS or CDJ-2000NXS2 players and Pioneer DJ DJM‑800 DJ mixer or the NXS2 mixer.

DJ Times: What was it like first learning how to spin drum-n-bass?

L-Side: It was difficult. When I started playing, drum-n-bass in Brazil stood firm – we had Marky, Patife, Andy and a lot of DJs playing the style. There were a lot of DJs for few

Making Tracks

(continued from page 34) preciate the MPC X’s accommodations for them. The back panel comes with two XLR and ¼-inch TRS inputs for recording microphones, including ones needing phantom power. Plus, there are two more ¼-inch line inputs on the front, and two more on the back. And vinyl junkies who want to sample beats will appreciate the two RCA phono inputs with a RIAA preamp.

Akai wants you to be able to get started right away, so they’ve included a wealth of content that comes preloaded onto the MPC X. Complementing the 12 demo projects you can load upon startup, there are tons of kits, instruments, clips and samples,

parties. It was very difficult to play at a party. I was able to play parties just after I started to produce.

DJ Times: Who were some of the producers you looked up to when you first started making music?

L-Side: My main influence has always been Marcus Intalex. I also became curious when I heard Mutt’s productions. He did a lot of music with samples of hip-hop, and this

caught my attention because, when I first started to produce, I did hip-hop beats.

DJ Times: Who are some of your favorite up-and-coming producers now?

L-Side: Today we have a lot of people doing good music. I really like the work of my friends Level 2 & DJ Chap aka ALIBI who are working hard on their first album. I also love the

songs from SATL, Macca and Andrezz.

DJ Times: When looking back on your earlier work, where do you see the most growth?

L-Side: I see a more mature sound, a smarter production. I don’t see much evolution in terms of mixdowns, because I’ve always liked to use old samples. I often like the dirty sound, but I think my sound has matured.

– Amanda Chavez

all of very high quality. You can download genre-specific expansion packs to your computer as well. And Akai offers for-purchase Expansions that will keep new content coming your way. You can also use your own samples to build your own kits.

The MPC software is also fairly notable. When loaded on your desktop – it runs as a standalone application, or as a plug-in in your favorite DAW – you’ve got essentially a mirror of the software that runs on the MPC X. If you’ve spent any time programming tracks with the Maschine software, this will look quite familiar to you. It’s not the easiest program to use, but it’s a good way to come at your MPC

projects from another angle.

The early MPCs have developed quite a cult following amongst music producers, in part because of their technical limitations. Their lack of memory, reliance on disks, short sample times, and limited effects – all these required artists to get creative with the limited options available. But this new MPC X generation – with its 16GB of onboard storage (you can also install your own SATA hard drive), easy access to USB drives, instant computer connectivity, changes that equation somewhat. And while the MPC X does tout itself as a standalone, the 10-inch touchscreen, which for all intents and purposes is es-

sentially an iPad, basically functions as a smaller computer and on-board DAW. How does an Akai MPC define itself in a world virtually free of memory constraints and limited content?

If you’re a producer who loves using a computer, then perhaps the MPC X might be priced a bit too steep for some to consider as an addition to the studio. But if you’re looking for a workhorse standalone machine that is fun to play, sounds great, and frees you from a laptop, then it’s definitely worth some serious consideration. Either way, it’s great to see Akai pushing forward with an iconic product line that has contributed so much to the legacy of music production.

pectations set for both myself and the crowd. Every night I give them everything I have and, to a certain extent, I expect the crowd to react the same way – which is awesome when it all works out, but it can be stressful.

I’m not a DJ that can just arrive, play his music, and leave. I need to feel as though I am part of the crowd, and there is mutual respect and energy flowing. With my latest album, I play around 70-percent my own songs in an hour-and-a-half DJ set. Some of the album tracks are not fitted for my high-energy sets, so I skip them or remix them into a club or festival version. For me to play other people’s tracks, they have to be melodic, highenergy and emotional at the same time.

DJ Times: Your approach to play-

ing festivals, as opposed to clubs?

Feldt: On a festival stage, you tend to have a very limited time slot. You have to work to squeeze a lot of your own tracks into a limited amount of time. In a club, you have a little more room to catch your breath and play other people’s songs. A club show is a good place to test out new stuff, and perhaps extend your set, if you feel like it. Also, playing a festival to a massive crowd, for a lot of people it is going to be their first time seeing you play. Maybe their friend dragged them to your stage to introduce them to your music or something. You just don’t know the makeup of your audience as well and, because of that, you have to be on your “A-Game” and really showcase what you are all about in this very short time that you

are given.

DJ Times: How do you balance touring and production?

Feldt: It is difficult. Like I said, there’s a synergy to being a DJ/producer that speeds up the creative process, but there’s also a lot of negative factors to take into account: lack of sleep, no good studio time or space available, difficulty getting in to a creative mood. I like to produce mostly from home from Monday to Friday, and then tour Friday through Sunday—but you don’t always have that luxury. When I’m on the road for weeks in a row, I try to stay creative and productive by producing from my hotel room or renting a studio abroad – it’s important.

– Ryan Hayes

team takes care to launch it. In all this process, all ideas and crazy things are welcome. I think that the whole company needs to be involved and I could say that all the shows have the contribution or the touch of each one of us. The final result of working together as a team is a thing that we call “Bomba!”

Víctor De la Serna: America is a great market for us and so far it has proven very successful. The growth for us has been very organic. Outside of Miami Music Week, where we have been for four years now, we started hosting a small stage at Electric Zoo in NYC, then a small party at a small club in Manhattan, then second main stage at E-Zoo and now we have started or residency at Brooklyn Mirage/Avant Gardner. We are planning shows in Vegas and hopefully soon other U.S. cities. It’s a huge market and there are so many amazing cities

and opportunities we cannot wait to explore!

What’s can fans expect from elrow in the near future?

Cruz Arnau: We always try to avoid falling into monotony and we want to improve our product, in order to impact and surprise fans in every show.

Now, we promise a crazy summer season with incredible Ibiza shows.

Our next step is to develop bigger shows, while we continue creating themes, reaching new continents and creating new surprises for the next n year that I still cannot reveal.

Sam Feldt

(continued from page 8)

that I’m finished with all three, I start mixing down and sound-designing.

DJ Times: How do you switch from the mindset of a performer to a producer?

Feldt: Being both a performer and a producer creates a kind of synergy.

Having the ability to interact with the crowd on a daily basis and see what they respond to, it helps me be more creative and efficient in the studio.

Also, it allows me to test out new ideas in a live set and then head back to the studio to work it... at least in theory. It doesn’t always work that way.

DJ Times: How do you approach playing a set while on tour?

Feldt: Because I have been DJing since I was 11, I have very high ex-

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

elrow

48

(continued from page 29) Cruz Arnau: The themes for the elrow parties come from the brainstormings between my brother [Juan] and me. Once we have the main idea, the process starts to involve all the departments. My [Marketing] team develops the narrative part and the story we want to tell and the Production team begins to create the decoration and the scene. The Animation team starts to develop characters. Marketing and Design teams create the artwork and the image of the shows.

Finally, Communication, where that

After years of prominence in Europe, DJ culture and electronic-dance music are now wildly popular in America. How does elrow view this opportunity?

MP3s in 56

Compiled As June 18, 2018

NATIONAL CROSSOVER POOL CHART

NATIONAL URBAN POOL CHART

1 Calvin Harris F/ Dua Lipa 2 Zedd F/ Maren Morris 3 Marshmello & Anne-Marie 4 Ariana Grande 5 Dua Lipa 6 Troy Sivan 7 Janelle Monáe 8 Joe Bermudez F/ Louise Carver 9 Manuel Riva F/Alexandra Stan 10 Craig David 11 Meghan Trainor 12 Enrique Iglesias F/ Bad Bunny 13 The Perry Twins 14 Cliq F/ Alika 15 Taylor Swift 16 Imagine Dragons 17 Luciana F/ Nytrix 18 Shawn Mendes 19 Sabrina Carpenter & Jonas Blue 20 Arlissa & Jonas Blue 21 Camila Cabello 22 Bruno Mars & Cardi B 23 Dj Snake 24 Halsey 25 Odella F/ Ivory Lee 26 Donna Summer 27 Jena Rose 28 Keala Settle & The GS Ensemble 29 Bazzi 30 Charlie Puth F/ Kehlani 31 Valentino Khan 32 Kendrick Lamar & Sza 33 Armin VanBuuren F/ James Newman 34 Kelly Clarkson 35 Lee Dagger 36 Riddim Travelers 37 Olivia Holt 38 David Guetta, Martin Garrix & Brooks 39 Celine Dion 40 Maroon 5

1 Drake 2 Ella Mai 3 Blockboy JB F/ Drake 4 Migos F/ Drake 5 Drake 6 Jhene Aiko F/ Rae Sremmurd 7 Rich The Kid F/ Kendrick Lamar 8 Nicki Minaj 9 Rae Sremmurd 10 H.E.R. 11 Cardi B 12 Post Malone F/ Ty Dolla $ign 13 Tank 14 Childish Gambino 15 Jaden Smith 16 Lil Dicky F/ Chris B 17 Tory Lanez 18 Lil Pump 19 Plies 20 Migos

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

Jennifer Lopez / DJ Khaled & Cardi B Cardi B / Bad Bunny & J Balvin Armin VanBuuren F/ James Newman Hayley Kiyoko Shawn Mendes Livvia F/ Quavo Troye Sivan Kylie Minogue Moby Donna Summer

REPORTING POOLS n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

Peter K. Productions Gary Canavo Blake Eckelbarger Chris Egner The Dance Environment Manny Esparza Ilan Fong Howard HK Kessler Sam Labelle Dan Mathews Randy Schlager Brian Stephens Laszlo Szenasi Steve Tsepelis Gary Canavo

One Kiss Columbia The Middle Interscope Friends Warner Brothers No Tears Left To Cry Republic IDGAF Warner Brothers My My My! Capitol Make Me Feel Atlantic Crazy Enough 617 Records Miami Radikal I Know You RCA No Excuses Epic El Baño Sony Euphoria Dauman Wavey Columbia Delicate Big Machine Whatever It Takes Interscope Trouble Armada In My Blood Republic Alien Hollywood Hearts Ain’t Gonna Lie Def Jam Never The Same Epic Finesse Atlantic Magenta Riddim Interscope Alone ft. Big Sean, Stefflon Don Capitol Shine Global Groove Hot Stuff 2018 Universal Reasons Ryan Stylez Ent. This Is Me Atlantic Mine Atlantic Done For Me Atlantic Lick It Spinnin’ All The Stars Interscope Therapy Armada I Don’t Think About You Atlantic Music Changed My Life Radikal Get Hot MSM Generous Hollywood Like I Do Atlantic Ashes Columbia Wait Interscope Dinero I Like It Therapy Curious In My Blood Catch A Body Bloom Stop Me From Falling The Wild Darkness Hot Stuff 2018

Carlos Cabrera Masspool Dj Stickyboots Victors Retail Radio Nexus Radio Kahoots In The Mix With HK Soundworks Klubjumpers / RHYTHM 105.9 FM KRYC Music Manager NA / Soundtrack Your Band Mixxmasters DJ Laszlo Pacific Coast DJs Masspool

Epic Atlantic Armada Atlantic Republic Via Entertainment Emandolynn EMI Mute Universal Nashville,TN Saugus,MA Goshen,NJ Milwaukee,WI Powered By Spectrio Chicago,IL Columbus,OH Minneapolis,MN San Francisco,CA Sacramento, CA Seattle,WA Lithonia,GA Las Vegas,NV Long Beach,CA Revere,MA

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

God’s Plan Boo’d Up Look Alive Walk It Talk It Nice For What Sativa New Freezer Chun-Li Powerglide Focus Be Careful Psycho When We This Is America Icon Freaky Friday B.I.D. Esskeetit Rock Stir Fry

Republic Interscope Warner Brothers Capitol Republic Def Jam Interscope Republic Interscope RCA Atlantic Republic Atlantic RCA Roc Nation Commercial Internati Interscope Warner Brothers Atlantic Capitol

I Bet You Won’t Only You I Like It What You Want Guatemala

OTHAZ Republic Atlantic Republic Interscope

Most Added Tracks 1 2 3 4 5

Level F/ Mouse On Da Track Ncredible Gang Cardi B / Bad Bunny & J Balvin Belly F/ The Weekend Swae Lee

NATIONAL LATIN DANCE POOL CHART 1. Pabanor ft Bianca 2. Ely Holguin 3. William Melendez 4. Steve Aoki ft. D Yankee, Elvis C. 5. Tony Marino 6. Soleil J Feat Maffio 7. Charlie Aponte 8. Daddy Yankee 9. Domenic Marte 10. Tito Rojas 11. Raulin Rodriguez 12. Tempo feat Wisin 13. Karol G & Shaggy feat El Capitan 14. Maelo Ruiz 15 Willie Gonzalez 16. Nacho 17. Vinny Rivera 18. Abraham Mateo ft J-Lo & Yandel 19. ozuna,Reik, & wisin 20. Julio Albino

Tu Me Pones Mal Aventura Medley Boogaloo Baby Azukita I Can’t Stop Loving You No Me Arrepiento Pa’ Mi Gente Dura Tu Final El Doctor Corazon Con Candado La Pared Tu Pum Pum Por Volver a Amarte Cuando Estoy Con Ella No Te Vas Te Amo Me Te Extraño Se Acabo El Amor Me Niego Cha Cha Ra Con Cua

Pegasus Cookies Empire Cookita prod.

Ultra Music Enforce Crossover CA El Cartel Direct Balance TR Planet NRE/Panda Ent. Afterclub MR IM Universal EQS Music sony Sony indie

Most Added Tracks 1. Caña Brava/Oro Solido 2. Romeo 3. Fherramy 4. Lilly La Bomba 5. Romeo

Pussycat Sobredosis Al Diablo Lo Que Diga La Gente Me Enamore Centavito

Sunflower Ent. Sony Hi Song Music Corre music Sony

REPORTING LATIN POOLS n Latinos Unidos Record Pool n Salsamania Latin Record Pool n Lobo/Bass

Record Pool n Urban Tropics Music Pool n North East Record Pool n Mixx Hitts Record Pool n Ritmo Camacho Record Pool n Ritmo Internacional Record Pool n DJ Latinos Record Pool n Mass Pool n Record Pool Latino n V.I.P. Chicago Record Pool.

ATTENTION DJ TIMES READERS: DJ Times is currently looking for DJs that are interested in reporting to the DJ National Dance/Crossover chart and the DJ Times National Urban Dance chart.

Reporterships are open to Record Pools and individual DJs. For more information contact: Dan Miller, dmiller@testa.com

Toni Varga

(continued from page 15) or three years ago, it was like a dream come true. New York house is such a big influence for me, and there’s such a clubbing history there—it’s a place that has always been on my mind. I can remember thinking that I would hope to play there someday. And now I will be there often— we’re planning on doing four or five parties a year in the city—so I am very happy.

DJ Times: Beyond New York, what do you think of the club and festival scene in the States in general?

Do you find that people here are into the style of partying that elrow embodies?

Varga: I think so. This is still a new market for us, and we are really just beginning—but the first sensations we’ve been getting have been really, really cool. People at are parties seem really happy. We are thinking that we can make something really big in the States. America is going to be very important for us.

DJ Times: When you add elrow’s U.S. dates, along with its expansion in the rest of the world, to your Barcelona and Ibiza schedules, you’re going to be a pretty busy DJ. Varga: Yes, and it’s not just me, but the rest of the team. For example, the production team is super-busy; they travel around like DJs all over the world.

DJ Times: It’s pretty obvious that there’s a lot of effort involved in putting an elrow event together—and now that there are so many elrow events, the workload must be mind-boggling.

Varga: It’s a lot of work. I think there are now 300 or 400 people working for elrow in total – and we need that many people. Each elrow party is a major production, and it takes so much to put them on. There are lots of jobs to be done.

DJ Times: As the DJ, you have the best job of all.

Varga: Yes, I think so!

DJ Times: With so much happening at an elrow party, is it difficult for you to keep the focus on the music?

Is there a danger that the music becomes subsumed by the rest of the sensory stimulus?

Varga: I know what you are saying. There are a hundred things happening at once at elrow. So yes, it is sometimes a bit difficult to keep the attention on the music. But elrow is actually a team of people working together, and it’s the way that everything works together. When people leave an elrow party, they think about the entire experience. They’re not just talking about the style of music, they’re talking about the whole thing.

But, of course, the music is my part— so I believe the music is the most important thing. [laughs] DJ Times: As a DJ, do you coordinate at all with the lighting people, the performers and all the others, or is it more of an improvisational affair?

Varga: There are only two or three times a night when we really coordinate, and that’s when we make the confetti show. When the production managers are ready for that to happen, they contact the booth and ask the DJ—resident or guest, it doesn’t matter—to play something really special, something with a big break or a big drop or whatever. But that’s the only time. The rest of the night, we just do our thing.

DJ Times: I unknowingly was standing two feet in front of a confetti blasters at one point during the Brooklyn party. I’m still picking pieces of confetti from my clothes.

Varga: Yes, it’s a like a thousand tons of confetti! My bags are always full of confetti when I get home.

DJ Times: Can you see much of the craziness of what’s going on beyond the stage when you spin?

Varga: Yes, you do see lots of funny things. For example, one day I saw someone in a Spiderman outfit climbing up the walls of the club, and I figured it was one of the elrow team.

But then they told me he was just a guy at the party. Everyone is free to do what they want at elrow.

DJ Times: With all the gigging, do you have much time to produce music?

Varga: Sometimes it is difficult, but yes, there is always some time.

I am actually in my studio right now.

Even if I am super-tired, I try to go into the studio three or four hours a day. As much as I love to play for people, making music is my passion.

It gives me almost the same feeling when I am in my studio, doing my own music, as I do when I am DJing.

It’s so exciting when I finish a new track. And then I can try out that new track on the elrow dancefloor, to see how people interact with it.

DJ Times: To see a huge crowd of people reacting to a song you just made must be hugely satisfying.

Varga: It can be really special. It can be one of the best moments for me. But there are other times where it’s more like… OK, I have to go back into the studio and change this.

Things are not always working, but that is part of the process.

DJ Times: What kind of set-up do you have in your studio?

Varga: I use Ableton Live as my sequencer. I really like [Native Instruments] Maschine to make the grooves, and [LennarDigital] Sylenth for the melodies. And I have synths – from Moog, Jupiter, [u-he’s] Diva and a few others. I have the studio in my home. I live in the mountains, and

I can be as loud as I want with no problems.

DJ Times: You had mentioned some influences from your early days, but who are the artists or DJs who you are feeling nowadays?

Varga: For producers, I really like people like Butch, Jamie Jones and Solomun. For DJs, people like Kerri Chandler, Marco Carola and Sven Väth, who I think is one of the best DJs ever.

DJ Times: When you were first starting back in the early ’00s, were you thinking that maybe would be what you were doing as your career?

Varga: No, not at all, not at this level. I wanted to dedicate my life to music because it’s my passion—but I never thought, in my best dreams, that I’d be playing at big festivals around the world. I couldn’t even imagine it.

DJ Times: What’s your next step?

Varga: I have the dream of making an album one day. I’ll need to take some time off, so that I can be in the studio every day—albums take a lot of time!

DJ Times: Do you ever miss the days of playing in little underground clubs, like you did in your early days in A Coruña?

Varga: I actually still get to play smaller clubs sometimes. Like after the New York party, we did an afterparty at [Brooklyn venue] Analog BK where I was playing back-toback with De La Swing for maybe 400 people for hours. It was so much fun, and that’s a part of the industry that I don’t want to miss.

You make so many connections with the people at parties like that. I’ll always do it. But I wouldn’t trade it n for what I have with elrow.

DJ Expo: Atlantic City Massive, Aug. 13-16

50

And people win big!

MetroMix Media

ArtChick Photography

We party late into the night…

ArtChick Photography

DJ TIMES

SUMMER 2018

At DJ Expo in AC, we show the gear…

DJ Expo, Next Month in DJ Times