DJ Times April 2017, Vol 30 No 4

PLUS: n Miami Music Week/Winter Music Conference n Steinberg’s UR22mkII Recording Pack n PLAYdifferently MODEL 1 n Supernova n Lenzman AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

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Nicole Moudaber: A big week in Miami.

NOTABLES…MILESTONES

MIAMI MUSIC WEEK: WMC, ULTRA FEST & PARTIES GALORE

By Jim Tremayne Miami Beach, Fla. – Much of the DJ and dance-music world will descend on South Florida this March 21-26 for Miami Music Week, which will include the 19th annual Ultra Music Festival, the 33 rd annual Winter Music Conference, plus scads of club and pool parties that will run ’round the clock.

Set to run March 21-24 at the Royal Palm South Beach, Winter Music Conference will present two days of exhibits and four days of industryrelated seminars. On its showfloor, WMC will present the annual DJ Spinoff and VJ Challenge. Additionally, WMC-related music events will run day and night March 21-16.

As always, DJ Times will be in full effect at WMC with a dedicated exhibition booth, handing out the latest issues and networking with the industry. Additionally, reps from the magazine will moderate two WMC panel discussions (“Social Media & PR” on March 22 and “Jetsetters: The Artistry & Business of the Global DJ” on March 23) and a pair of Featured Q&As (Paul Oakenfold on March 21 and Nicole Moudaber on March 22).

DJ Times will also serve as media sponsor to the Remix Awards on March 23-24 at the W Hotel South Beach. Presented by Digital Music Pool and the Remix Top30 Countdown, the awards event will be a part of the IHeartRadio Lounge and will feature DJ sets from top acts like Nervo and presentations from genre stars like Afrojack, David Guetta, Martin Garrix and Steve Aoki. The Remix Awards will be hosted by Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton.

On March 24-26, Ultra Music Festival will hit downtown Miami’s Bayfront Park. Delivering 31 hours of music over 13 stages, Ultra’s lineup will run the gamut with the biggest artists in all the electronic subgenres.

Top DJs include Above & Beyond, Adam Beyer, Afrojack, Armin van

Buuren, Alesso, Axwell & Ingrosso, Carl Cox, David Guetta, DJ Snake, Dubfire, Galantis, Jamie Jones, Maceo Plex, Marco Carola, Martin Garrix, Sasha & Digweed, Steve Aoki, Tale of Us, Tiësto and Zedd.

Top live acts include Chase & Status, Ice Cube, Cypress Hill, Justice, Major Lazer, The Prodigy, Underworld, and Rabbit in the Moon.

With parties running throughout the week, Miami Music Week visitors

Nervo: Will play Remix Awards.

Paul Oakenfold: WMC Featured Q&A.

will have dozens of choices to see DJ sets at nightclubs or hotel swimming pools all over South Beach or downtown Miami. Among the Recommended Events: Nicole Moudaber presents Moodday at the Raleigh Hotel with sets from Josh Wink, Martin Buttrich, Sasha and Nicole Moudaber B2B with an unannounced special guest.

Also: On March 25, Crosstown Rebels presents Get Lost Miami at TBA location with sets from Art Department, Behrouz, Damian Lazarus, DJ Three, Doc Martin, Guy Gerber, Lee Foss, Mr. C, Pan-Pot, Soul Clap and Tiga.

Wrapping Up WMC Week: On March 26, Ovum Miami 2017 Closing Party at Heart nightclub with sets from Josh Wink, Ellen Allien and Manik.

Josh Wink: Ovum party closes week.

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VOLUME 30

NUMBER 4

12 The Big Stage

From Ultra to Coachella, Galantis Gears Up for Another Massive Festival Season

BY CHRIS CARUSO

20 Feedback Loop Mobile Entertainers Explain How Customer Response, Pro & Con, Impacts Their Businesses

BY JEFF STILES

22 Go with the Flow

Looking to Sharpen Your Studio Efficiency? Here Some Simple Solutions for Improving Workflow & Productivity

BY WESLEY BRYANT-KING

DEPARTMENTS 7 Feedback

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

26 Making Tracks

Steinberg UR22mkII Recording Pack

28 Sounding Off

PLAYdifferently MODEL 1 mixer

30 Mobile Profile

Underground DJ Goes Multi-Op

32 Business Line

Adding a Big Upsell to Your Service

34 Gear

New Products from Reloop, KRK & More

41 Club Play Chart

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

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

SAMPLINGS

4

8 Supernova

Tuscan Housemasters

10 In the Studio With… Lenzman

Cover Image by Rukes.com

Phat Tracks from Chris Schweizer, deadmau5 & more

Contents Image by Dalton Campbell.

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FROM THE EDITOR

Festival Favorites & More

If you ask America’s festival-goers about Galantis, they’ll probably mention the Swedish duo’s EDM mega-hits like “Runaway (U & I),” “Peanut Butter Jelly” or “No Money.” But before Galantis became a mainstay at enormo-gatherings like Coachella or Ultra Music Festival, its two members – Linus Eklöw and Christian Karlsson – had plenty going on already.

As one half of Bloodshy & Avant, Karlsson worked with top acts like Madonna and co-produced Britney Spears’ Grammy-winning hit “Toxic.” Additionally, since 2007, he’s been a main engine behind indie-pop act Miike Snow. Eklöw (aka Style of Eye) has worked with a number of notable acts (Usher, Lily Allen, Zedd, Rebecca & Fiona), but more notably, he also co-wrote “I Love It,” the international pop hit for Icona Pop feat. Charli XCX. So, as festival season beckons, there’s a lot to talk about and our Chris Caruso caught up with Christian Karlsson to discuss all that is Galantis.

In Samplings, our L.A. correspondent Lily Moayeri goes into the studio with liquid drum-n-bass DJ/artist Lenzman to discuss his process. Also, in anticipation of their appearances during Miami Music Week/Winter Music Conference, I connect with Supernova—the Italian DJ/studio duo (Emiliano Nencioni and Giacomo Godi) that’s been cranking out quality house music for 15 years.

On the gear front, our longtime Boston contributor Paul Dailey takes on PLAYdifferently’s MODEL 1 mixer in the Sounding Off pro-audio review column. Unsurprisingly, Paul loves the unit, which was co-designed by longtime Allen & Heath developer Andy Rigby-Jones and DJ/legend Richie Hawtin. In Making Tracks, Denver’s Wesley Bryant-King reviews Steinberg’s UR22mkII Recording Pack, which includes an interface, a vocal microphone and a set of headphones. Plus, he gives a sidebar-sized rundown on Steinberg’s Cubase 9, an upgrade to the DAW that includes three versions. In a standalone tech feature, Wes offers some solutions on improving studio efficiency and workflow—and he recommends some products to help facilitate that process.

In the world of the mobile entertainer, Iowa’s Jeff Stiles surveys some of the country’s top jocks and finds out how customer responses, whether pro or con, impact their approaches to business.

In Business Line, Maryland mobile Steve Moody explains how he and his wife Lori took on a potentially lucrative upsell. And for Mobile Profile, we meet with Jason Tokita, an underground DJ/ promoter who found traction in the mobile market a decade ago and now operates companies in both Seattle and San Diego.

On the convention and trade-show front, we preview our doings at Winter Music Conference/ Miami Music Week, which will include Ultra Music Festival. At WMC, DJ Times has graciously accepted opportunities to moderate two seminars (“Social Media & PR” and “Jetsetters: The Artistry & Business of the Global DJ”) and two keynote Q&As (Paul Oakenfold and Nicole Moudaber)— we’ll maintain a dedicated WMC exhibition booth there as well. In addition to serving as media sponsor to the Remix Awards at the W Hotel—presented by Digital Music Pool and the Remix Top30 Countdown—we’ll hit Ultra fest on the weekend. Whew.

And don’t sleep on the latest info on DJ Expo. Sitting on the opposite page, the details include new seminars and evening events. Set for Aug. 14-17 at the Atlantic City Convention Center, DJ Expo will present more than 100 exhibitors, nearly 30 seminars/sessions and three nights of evening events. We hope to see you all there.

On a Sad Note: At presstime, we were deeply shaken to hear of the passing of longtime Connecticut DJ Mark “Markie Gee” Greenland. A genuine friend of the magazine and a regular attendee at DJ Expo and other industry events, Greenland was a great guy, a terrific house DJ and always a fountain of positivity. He was a deep soul, someone who could discuss a variety of topics in and out of the DJ world, and he’ll genuinely be missed. Condolences are extended to his partner Michele Sensale, all his friends and family.

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

Best,

6

Jim Tremayne Editor, DJ Times

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

art director Janice Pupelis jpupelis@testa.com

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

production manager Steve Thorakos sthorakos@testa.com

assistant editor Chris Caruso ccaruso@testa.com chart coordinator Dan Miller dmiller@testa.com contributors Joe Bermudez Wesley Bryant-King Shawn Christopher Paul Dailey Reed Dailey Chris Davis Tony Fernandez Tommy D Funk Michelle Fetky Jennifer Harmon Josh Harris Greg Hollmann Mike Klasco Michelle Loeb Evan Maag Duanny Medrano Lily Moayeri Phil Moffa Natalie Raben Deanna Rilling Jeff Stiles Emily Tan 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

digital art director Fred Gumm fgumm@testa.com social media coordinator Matt Van Dyke mvandyke@testa.com

advertising manager Tom McCarty tmccarty@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) (USPS 0004-153) is published monthly for $19.40 (US), $39.99 (Canada), and $59.99 (all other countries), by DJ Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 110503779. Periodicals postage paid at Port Washington, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DJ Times, PO BOX 1767, LOWELL MA 01853-1767 Design and contents are copyright © 2017 by DJ Publishing, Inc., and must not be reproduced in any manner except by permission of the publisher. Websites: www.

April 2017

visit our website: www.djtimes.com

FEEDBACK MARCJ 2017

DJ Expo ’17: Details Inside

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Playing & Producing.” For DJs tired of playing the same Top-40 and classic tracks found on radio at every gig, this session will demonstrate how mashup live performance and production can provide multiple benefits for DJs and producers. They can help bring new life to older tracks and provide audiences with a fresh taste of creativity with incor‑ porating new material.

Helmed by mashup artist/DJ Adam Dutch, the session will discuss how to utilize pre-existing mashups into sets,

as well as live mashups using differ‑ ent material. For advanced mashups, there will be a discussion on music production techniques and where to find source material for creation. Rec‑ ommended for DJs and producers with intermediate-to-advanced mixing and production skills, this seminar will also discuss music theory and song construction concepts.

DJ Expo 2017 also will present “DJ Wellness: Posture & Prevention.”

In this unique hands-on session, New

York-based exercise physiologist Claudia Godi will demonstrate preven‑ tion techniques for DJ-related health issues and explain the best ways for DJs to achieve maximum wellness.

For DJs lifting and carrying heavy gear, for jocks experiencing that alltoo-familiar shoulder-and-neck pains or for any pro jock looking to minimize pain and maximize longevity, this ses‑ sion is for you.

For the very latest on DJ Expo, please visit thedjexpo.com.

2/22/2017 10:45:34 AM

This is Feedback, a monthly feature that fields questions from you, our readers, and funnels them out to in‑ dustry professionals. If you have any questions about DJing – marketing, mixing, equipment or insurance, any at all – drop us a letter at DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Ave, Port Washington, NY 11050, fax us at (516) 944‑8372 or e‑mail us at djtimes@testa.com.

If we do use your question, you’ll receive a free DJ Times T‑shirt. And remember, the only dumb question is the question that is not asked.

DJ Expo Update DJ Expo is set to run Aug. 14-17 at the Atlantic City (N.J.) Convention Center. Produced since its 1990 in‑ ception by DJ Times and its publisher Testa Communications, DJ Expo will present an exhibit hall full of the lat‑ est DJ-related technologies, nearly 30 seminars covering the most vital industry topics and three evenings of sponsored parties and events featur‑ ing top talents.

While the AC Convention Center will house Expo seminars and exhibits, The Tropicana on Atlantic City’s famed Boardwalk will serve as the host hotel for attendees. Additionally, The Trop’s nightclub venues will host sponsored Expo evening events, like “The Entertainer of the Year” competition, which will take place Aug. 16 at Boogie Nights – “The Ultimate ’70s and ’80s Dance Club.”

After 15 years with host Mike Walter of Elite Entertainment, the event now has been turned over to new MC Darryl “Jake” Jacobsen of Affair 2 Remember Entertainment. Newly branded as “Entertainer of the Year,” the event will bestow awards in a variety of categories to the best of the best from America’s Mobile Nation. In addition to its new name, new host and new venue, this year’s competition will feature a new performance format, a new judging panel and new prizes for the winners.

Onto the daytime schedule, Expo attend‑ ees will find some new topics among its schedule. One of them is “Mashups:

I am an innovative thinker with a flavor of fresh thoughts that lead to ideas that stick.

Atlantic City Convention Center New Venue, Same Mission AUGUST 14-17, 2017 w w w.thedjexpo.com

For exhibition/sponsorship information, please contact Tom McCarty at 516-767-2500 Ext.507 or tmccarty@testa.com

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2/21/2017 4:58:34 PM

Supernova: (from left) Giacomo Godi & Emiliano Nencioni.

SAMPLINGS

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

SUPERNOVA: TUSCAN HOUSEMASTERS

8

For Supernova, it all came naturally.

In fact, Giacomo Godi says that when he first collaborated with Emiliano Nencioni on a one-off project in 2002, it felt as if the two DJ/producers had already been working together for years. And now 15 years later, as Supernova, they’re still making tracks and traveling the world as DJs/electronicmusic performers.

Over that time, the Florence, Italy-based team has released music on a variety of top labels – Defected, Get Physical, Noir Music – and done remixes for classic tracks like Frankie Knuckles’ “The Whistle Song” and Derrick May’s “Strings of Life.” Since 2009, the duo has run its Lapsus Music imprint.

Among its more recent releases come the crunchy tech-house “City Lights” EP (Elrow), the sample-happy “Revelation” EP (Lapsus), the grooving “The Wild Weekend” EP (8bit), and look for the April release of its remix for “Do It Well” by Roger Sanchez and Mike Vale.

And now as we arrive at Miami Music Week, the duo has several appearances on tap, including a gig at the Stereo Productions showcase at Heart on March 25. Also, at Winter Music Conference, Supernova will participate in the “Jetsetters: The Artistry & Business of the Global DJ” panel on March 23. DJ Times recently caught up with the Tuscan housemasters – Supernova’s Giacomo Godi and Emiliano Nencioni.

DJ Times: What are your musical backgrounds?

Emiliano Nencioni: I studied piano in my early days and then turned into a DJ. Giacomo started DJing at private parties and then began to study piano.

DJ Times: What was the music scene like in Florence when you were starting?

Nencioni: The scene in Florence and Tuscany has always been a good one, even when we were growing up. We started DJing when the first house music from Chicago was coming out.We were immediately influenced by this new musical wave that was totally different from the past.

DJ Times: The discotheque/nightclub has always been a big part of Italian culture. Why? Giacomo Godi: Italians love to party and make noise everywhere, and they have a really strong passion and culture for music. House music is still the hottest genre in the electronic industry for sure, and Italians are very hot crowd. Latin people will never disappoint.

DJ Times: Between you two, is there a breakdown of duties when it comes to DJing, studio work, running the Lapsus Music label, etc.?

Godi: We like to be involved in every aspect of our work. We try to work together both in the studio and the DJ booth as much as we can, even if we have to work separately sometimes. There are millions of things to do every day… DJing, producing, label promos selection, research music, growing new

artists, building new events, parties or showcases, meetings…

DJ Times: What studio DAW do you use and why?

Nencioni: We use Ableton Live as production software. It’s fast and versatile—love the “drag-and-drop” conception.

DJ Times: What else? Hardware?

What’s your process?

Godi: We love to mix up vinyl samples with sounds pulled out from our hardware analog synths, like the [Sequential Circuits] Prophet-5, [Moog] Minimoog Voyager, [Roland] Juno-60 or [Dave Smith Instruments] Pro 2 just to name a few.We use most of the UAD plug-ins to mix and master the tracks, but always going through some analog summing mixers from API or Dangerous Music.

DJ Times: Anything you cannot live without?

Nencioni: Our Audio Scope audiomeasuring instrument is a must-have to find out the right balance between frequencies every time.

DJ Times: On the “Revelation” EP, you really have some tension-filled, tech-house tunes with choice samples, like Public Enemy and Orbital, going on there…

Godi: Yes, our main inspirations on that EP were some good samples coming from our vinyl collection. We had the use of samples in mind for a long time and wanted to build the

whole EP around them to give it a nice, old-school flavor.

DJ Times: In the DJ booth, what gear do you prefer?

Nencioni: We just request two [Pioneer] DJM-900 mixers, as we both play with laptop and controllers. At the moment, we are doing a DJ set mixed with some live elements, playing with [Native Instruments] Traktor and Ableton Live at same time on two separate laptops, synched manually.

We started with vinyl, of course, and played with them for a long time. We still love them and have a big vinyl collection in the studio.

DJ Times: What are your favorite venues or parties to play?

Nencioni: Elrow because it’s the best party in the world and we’ve been playing with them since their first sold-out parties in Barcelona.

Heart in Miami because it’s the new spot in one of the funnest cities of the world—it’s the place to be for the past two years. Also, our Lapsus Music Showcase around the world because we have the opportunity to share our concept of clubbing with a lot friends and fans of the label.

DJ Times: Running a label these days isn’t easy – what’s the secret for keeping it going?

Nencioni: A real passion and feeling for people and music, the desire to help colleagues and friends share what you have and what you know… and lots of work every day!

DJ Times: Any advice for young DJs? Godi: Work hard, work hard and work hard. Do your thing trying to find your own sound and never give up!

DJ Times: What’s the best part of your job? What keeps you going?

Godi: Wake up in the morning doing what you like and share your music with all the people of the world.

That’s super.

– Jim Tremayne

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IN THE STUDIO

LENZMAN: LIQUID D-N-B

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

It’s best not to give Teije van Vliet too many options, otherwise the Dutch producer (aka Lenzman) will end up not making any choices at all.

This applies to him in every aspect of life, particularly in making music. Limitations are, in part, why van Vliet has been quick to release two lengthy EPs on his label, The North Quarter. His most recent, Earth Tones is 10 primarily collaborative tracks, both vocal and instrumental.

This follows the 10-track All For You EP, which marked the launch of The North Quarter late summer 2016.

The establishment of The North Quarter—which follows a fruitful time as a longstanding artist on Goldie’s Metalheadz for van Vliet—

10

allows him to explore a broader scope of music , while staying tethered to his drum-n-bass roots. Earth Tones takes the already soulful vibes of All For You even deeper, with slight references to van Vliet’s hip-hop upbringing. Steo hum-sings over the moody shuffles of “Tender Love” while “Park Hill,” the collaboration with Jubei, harkens to the start of the liquid sound with a chest-rattling sub-bass, and IAMDDB’s smooth tones slide over the slick rhythms of “In My Mind.”

“To me , it’s not really a genre thing, it’s a sound thing,” says van Vliet from his home in Amsterdam. “It’s not about tempo so much as it is about what kinds of emotions it evokes. I’m try-

ing to do soul music at a different tempo to what the standard is.”

As expressive and emotive as van Vliet’s productions are, his set-up, which is in his home, is very basic.

His MacBook runs Propellerhead Reason 8, the DAW he has been using for many years. He has a MIDI keyboard and a microKorg that he uses for writing. Mackie monitors and a SubPac M2 wearable sound system— his favorite piece at the moment—round out his sound-treated studio room.

“I enjoy the writing of the music, but not the technical side of it as much,” van Vliet admits. “Collaborating with people in the same room, I feel so selfconscious. I’ve worked with

super-technical guys in the studio. I get bored really quickly with previewing hihats and snares and tweaking and endless processing.

For me, it’s more about the musicality and what the music makes me feel when I listen to it, not so much how good it sounds. I understand and appreciate music has to be well-produced to be able to compete. Especially in today’s landscape, drumn-bass is very competitive in terms of production values.

I’ve just about managed to keep up, but it’s not where my interests are.”

Even with his limitations, van Vliet gets a wonderfully warm sound from the crosssection of vocals he uses in his songs. EQing takes care of clicks and pops and deessing is essential, as he presses all his releases to vinyl and the sibilants can cause problems with that.

The vocals are compressed, particularly as his vocalists, most of whom are recording remotely, have a difficult time keeping the same volume all the way through.

Additionally, van Vliet makes two layers of the same vocal, panning one slightly left and the other right to get a wider vocal in order to get it broader in the mix, all the while keeping the frequencies of the vocal clear.

“I’d like to get into the plug-in game,” says van Vliet, who either samples his sound sources and chops

them to bits or plays them himself. “Reason doesn’t allow any non-native plugins and there is so much to gain from being able to manipulate samples—I have seriously thought about switching over to Ableton.

But then, the plug-in thing is endless. When you have 15 screwdrivers, you’re spending all your time deciding which one to use . When you’re painting, if all you have is blue, red, yellow, mix them up and come up with a nice shade with what you have.

Sometimes when you’re limited in your choices, it allows you to really write and get down to something. With music, if you have too many plug-ins, which one’s going to be the best delay? With Reason, you’ve only got one, so I use that.”

This applies to the music van Vliet loads onto his USB as well. Although he is known for the liquid side of drum-n-bass, that hasn’t restricted his DJ bookings.

He could be playing in between two jocks that play a lot harder, or he could be headlining a party where he is the gentlest of the selectors. Even so, he keeps his choices to 200 or so tracks, organized in key, and based on research he has done on the audience to whom he is playing.

“I can’t cope with endless choices, sometimes if you have much, it makes everything less important,” he says. “I try to represent the music I like and make and release as much as I can, but at the same time, you have to be a little flexible with reading the crowd. I was DJing a long time before I was making music so to me, it’s definitely important, and an art form. You’re dialing a frequency and trying to connect. Sometimes it’s really fuzzy and sometimes you get clear reception. I’m always dialing; sometimes I get that clarity right at the start and keep it all the way through, sometimes all night long. It’s can be a real struggle. The challenge of that is something I enjoy from DJing.”

– Lily Moayeri

Lenzman: Soulful vibes, drum-n-bass roots.

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APRIL 2017

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Rukes.com

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Sno n t h e b l a n d hing t s.” Tha nks to a o p f S m f t r e O ile ,” the tha hal clu ble an “ us E Pus the ing eb uelc n a of sq ” and “ w him escapa o p “Sm efine e-hous g their from onymo shes th solidify e e y d o d n n P b irls o kn tic , i to ressiv braci scade ing ep r sma 2014, na r tes e g a y cou like “G ame t mbas by I c o na fide pro fter em ickly c mpan n larg chella o c o s o ve Coa u A ple most the b ve I t ” ng a b c e q c a s e , n i at hit an ob said ork o h “ I L o ecom and ” and oved t ebuted b w s , a s i u r X d m XC h “Yo hich p nally 2s i fi 2 0 1 Charl of w was . w fe a t o h s

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come known as “Year of the Seafox.”

DJ Times: How did you two first get acquainted?

Christian Karlsson: We were in the same circles in Sweden, but we didn’t know each other. I was a big fan of Style of Eye and, at the moment, I was just starting my new project Miike Snow. I reached out to Linus to see if he was up for remixing the first single “Animal” from the Miike Snow album. He was, and somewhere [in that] we met in the studio and we felt that we have the same creative flow, high-energy vibe in the studio. I think the birth of Galantis was

DJ TIMES

right there even though it took a while before we continued exploring that and collaborating. We knew from then that we were going to work together.

DJ Times: The Swedish EDM scene obviously seems a bit close-knit. Is it as small as it seems like it is?

Karlsson: We don’t have much to compare it to. There’s a few areas in Stockholm.

[There are] so many studios in one area; it’s ridiculous and it’s really cool. Everyone is friends, and if you’re not, you pretty much know each other. As you know, the dance scene has so many big acts [from Sweden].

We keep on meeting each other on tour and at festivals, so there’s a thing. Normally, you get really surprised if there’s someone (continued on page 40)

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Galantis: (from left) Linus Eklöw & Christian Karlsson

Dalton Campbell

of the hottest acts both in and out of the dance-music sphere.

With the momentum of two years of skyrocketing to the top of the pack behind them, the boys unleashed their first full-length effort Pharmacy in 2015, with singles “Runaway (U & I)” tearing up the festival circuit, while “Peanut Butter Jelly” took boogying glitter-tinged disco stylings to radio waves across the world.

Now, the boys stand on the verge of a new phase in their careers. With the pressure of the pair’s debut LP out of the way and a fanbase established, they seem intent on pushing the Galantis project further creatively, while maintaining the unique magic that’s differentiated them from the seas of DJs hitting play.

This outlook has manifested itself by seeing the duo keeping the hyper-melodic Galantis approach to songwriting intact, while taking things in a lighter emotional direction with 2016 releases “Love On Me” and “No Money,” as well as their latest single “Rich Boy.” We caught up with Eklöw, 37, and Karlsson, 40, via telephone ahead of their returns to Coachella, Ultra Music Festival and several other mainstages in 2017, a time that might be-

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DJ TIMES 20

It’s every mobile DJ’s nightmare, but suddenly Mike Mahoney realized he was not dreaming.

The father of a bride for whose reception he had recently performed was afterwards claiming to have been embarrassed by the way the DJ had introduced him. And the bride’s mother was concerned that he hadn’t played all the songs on their dinner playlist.

These are the types of responses mobile DJs sometimes receive when they request customer feedback—and sometimes even when such feedback has not even been requested.

We requested input from mobile DJs all over the country about how they’ve responded to customer concerns after an event.

How did they actually respond? How did the client respond in turn? And how did that customer feedback transform how the mobile DJ conducts his performances?

In Mahoney’s case above, the feedback he directly received from the parents of his particular bride caused him to change some things he now does for every event on his calendar.

“That earlier customer feedback I received was huge,” reports the owner of M&M Entertainment in Portland, Maine. “It led to me now contacting the parents two weeks prior to the event for every wedding I do, talking to them a bit about their toast, and reaffirming with them the relationship they have with their son or daughter.

“It really gives me the chance to ask them for their input on what they would like to hear for music.”

Mahoney says this topic is actually an important one, especially with the advent and popularity of online testimonials (“reviews”) on sites such as WeddingWire, The Knot, and Thumbtack.

“While testimonials certainly have their place as sales tools, real reviews are so much more helpful to me and my business from an operations perspective,” says Mahoney. “I still send a separate ‘How did I do?’ questionnaire, and ask them to be as candid as possible as the constructive criticism they offer will help our company grow. But I then send them links to The Knot and WeddingWire, with instructions to share their positive thoughts on our services at their wedding reception.

“Using this system, I retain the growth benefits of real reviews along with the promotional power of online testimonials, while improving the repertoire with my clients no matter how good or bad my review may be. While this doesn’t always work as planned, this system has helped my business

tremendously.”

In another corner of the nation, Adam Tiegs of Adam’s DJ Service in Seattle, Wash., says he uses feedback a little differently as a solo-op than he previously did as a multi-op. Rather than keeping an eye on employees or a subcontractor, he’s now only monitoring his show performances.

Tiegs, however, is quick to admit that the feedback he receives from customers is not always legitimate.

“The only ‘negative’ review I’ve received in the past four years was complete BS,” he recalls, “and the only thing I learned from it was to be more cautious with certain clients—and especially those who rely on out-of-town family members to change the plans he made with his clients, without any communication, making him look like a fool on the wedding day.” (Not that he has a particular client in mind, of course.)

Tiegs continues: “I also learned that people can lie and essentially get away with it. But then again, having one negative review is OK, as it shows I’m human and things don’t always go perfectly.

“Besides that, I’ve had people say they saw the review, but nonetheless booked me because of the way I handled it, and because they are more likely to share feelings with my positive-reviewing clients, especially after meeting with me personally.”

When Steve Croce of Silver Sound DJs in Philadelphia first began entertaining for wedding receptions, he said he obsessively read DJ Times magazine, combing throughout every article to learn about lighting and audio, determined to invest time finding out as much as possible about dazzling sound and lighting effects.

“I would also consume as much as I could from every music chart I could find, determined to play the newest and hottest tracks,” he recalls. “The internet was still a baby bird, so the quest for information became an active compulsion. I was convinced that surging forward in technology and popular tracks was the key to becoming the very best DJ around.

“With the continuous stream of knowledge pointed at my eyes and brain, I carried myself as a confident and well-informed authority on DJing, doling out regurgitated information to anyone who would listen. It was a lot like being a fledgling member of a religion, consumed with proselytizing my newfound faith to the world. I had absolutely no idea—and wouldn’t realize until much later—that I was repelling everyone around me.”

When Croce once asked a reception hall server what she thought of his performance, she responded by saying, “I didn’t think you were any different than any other DJs that come here.”

Recalls Croce: “I was genuinely stunned. When I asked her to say more, she followed up with, ‘You had loud speakers and blinding lights. I didn’t recognize

anything you played and thought I was going to have a seizure from your strobe lights.’

“In three years of DJing receptions, I had not even attended one myself, so I had been merely bringing a pre-manufactured show to every wedding. Sure, I was playing the special songs they requested for their entrance—the first dance, and the like— but once the cake was cut, it became The Really Awesome DJ Show.”

Croce says that this little bit of feedback completely changed how he approached each reception after that. He started asking his clients beforehand questions that no one was asking at the time—such as, ‘Where did the bride and groom meet?’

“I began to make a personal connection with each of my clients, long before the day of their wedding arrived. I started customizing their song choices more intimately and inspired the bride and groom to consider a unique entrance into the room or a way to recognize the grandparents who had been married for 70 years… to name a few.

“I believe when we stop deciding what people want—without ever asking—and begin to really listen to our clients, we not only unlock the potential for an outstanding party, but we roll out the red carpet to many future clients who may have never noticed the true difference our service might offer to them.

“I truly believe it was this difference that has kept me entertaining weddings for more than 23 years.”

According to Artem Lomaz of NinetyThree Entertainment in Roxbury, N.J., customer feedback is not only a valuable resource—as it provides an analysis of a DJ’s performance through another person’s eyes—but it also allows a DJ to collect a consensus.

“It’s really impossible to see yourself performing in the moment—even when reviewing event footage afterward,” says Lomaz. “So it’s always nice to get feedback from a variety of people, especially if they had different goals and expectations and mind.

“The expectations of your guests of honor—essentially your clients—will differ slightly from their guests. Thus, I find that I enjoy receiving feedback from not only the clients themselves, but also the immediate, in-the-moment feedback from guests.”

If everyone praises the results, despite different expectations, Lomaz says an entertainer can feel they’ve accomplished their goal—creating a celebration that makes everyone feel included.

“Personally, the best bit of customer feedback comes in the form of a post-event video testimonial,” he says. “It captures the clients’ initial reactions to the production, as well as it can include new phrases, words, or positions that you can utilize for marketing. Aspirational quotes or phrases from your clients can help shape your brand as you include them into your marketing.

“My team and I have been fortunate enough to be recognized by our clientele for our emphasis on personalization and in-depth, detail-oriented approach to celebrations. When searching for the best ways to express what you and your team have to offer, your clients’ feedback often has great insight as to how to position your brand.”

Back over in the Midwest, K.C. KoKoruz of The Keith Christopher Entertainment Group in Chicago says the biggest mistake that companies make is not asking for real customer feedback.

“In speaking with DJs across the country, I find that independent DJs tend to be the most guilty of not sending out service evaluations after their events,” says KoKoruz. “When I ask them about that fact, they simply explain that they were at the event, so they know how it went.

“I’ve tried to explain to them that I understand that view, but the client may have a different opinion on the services they provided. The DJ, of course, thinks they rocked the wedding, while the client may have wished that the DJ was a little louder or quieter during the evening—but was too consumed in enjoying their reception to say anything that night.”

A good evaluation request, according to KoKoruz, should ask more than if the DJ had showed up on time, or if the DJ was pleasant and friendly.

“Here are some questions that I seldom see on a DJ’s evaluation form, but should be included: ‘How were the MCing skills of the DJ/MC?’ Or ‘Did the DJ create moments that they will look fondly back on for years to come?’ Or ‘Was the DJ available to them easily throughout the planning process?’

“There’s a large difference. People may have had a great time, but the DJ was a not-so-amazing MC. Did the MC create a loving moment that stopped everyone from doing anything other than watching the bride and groom share their first dance? Or did they simply make the same generic announcement about the bride and groom’s first dance?

“If you want changes to better your client experience, you have to ask for actual critical feedback and not only for praise.”

Having been a mobile jock since 1974, Ray Martinez of Ray Mar Productions in Goodyear, Ariz., says that customer feedback is extremely important for DJs who wish to keep their business going for decades.

“You have to have thick skin in order to receive client comments,” he says, “especially if they’re offering constructive criticism, but I believe that advice always help you improve in the long run.”

Martinez says he has over 230 reviews posted on WeddingWire and The Knot, but the one review that was negative was one that almost caused him to quit the business.

“In her review, the bride had typed in all caps, demonstrating she was not very happy with me, and she

wrote things that were not true, which really hurt me professionally,” he says. “Because I take personal pride and responsibility for my work and actions, I took it very personally, and I almost made the decision to retire from the industry.

“I read the review to my fellow DJs and, thanks to the great advice from my trusted colleagues, they convinced me not to let one performance talk me into retirement. And the great part about this story is I viewed the photos from the reception, which showed everyone on the dancefloor—including the priest from the church.”

Martinez’s DJ friends automatically read right through this bride, and knew that what she wrote was a total fabrication of the facts of what actually happened that evening.

“I’ve always believed that you cannot be responsible for what other people say, do or think,” he says. “You can only be responsible and be held accountable for your own actions.”

After 43 years of experience, the best advice Martinez offers DJs is to read every card, letter, email and review they receive.

“If you know you did your very best that performance and can lay your head on your pillow that night with the highest integrity, you have nothing to worry about,” he says. “But, if at your performance, you merely went through the motions and as a result received less than stellar reviews or complaints, then it’s time to make some changes to your business and attitude of how you work.” n

I’ve had a home studio for several years. But it was the process of building a new semi-custom home a couple of years back that enabled me for the first time to have a fully dedicated studio space, rather than carving out a corner of a shared space as I’d done in the past.

Since moving in, I’ve found myself constantly revisiting the optimal way to configure and equip the space to maximize workflow efficiency and productivity. While not everyone might enjoy the luxury of a dedicated studio space, I’ve collected a grab bag of ideas for this article that I think will be worth considering for any producer working in a home studio of any shape or size.

These ideas have been helpful for me — hopefully, they will be for you as well.

Monitor Controller

If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years about ensuring a decent mix, it’s listening to my work in a variety of settings, across a range of output methods.

When I think I’ve got it about right in the studio, I listen in multiple cars, with cheap headphones, with high-end headphones — in short, across everything I can.

But getting it right in the studio is the first challenge, and it’s essential to start your work there by having not

just a single set of studio monitors, but either a second set of them, or perhaps a decent set of computer speakers as a secondary option. But the only way to make such a set-up truly viable is with a monitor controller.

A monitor controller lets you easily cable-up multiple monitors, headphones, etc., and easily do A/B comparisons with the touch of a button. In my own studio, I have a set of JBL LSR2328P 8-inch, two-way studio monitors (since discontinued), as well as a set of KRK Systems Rokit 4 G3 monitors (reviewed previously for the magazine) that are paired with a studio subwoofer, an old Behringer Truth B2092A. While I would describe both sets as accurately rendering sound, the character of each is different, and I do find myself tweaking my mix to achieve a good balance of sound that’s more optimized than relying solely on one or the other.

I also always check my mixes using a pair of Ultimate Ears Pro Reference Remastered in-ear monitors (reviewed previously for the magazine). These amazingly flat IEMs give yet another perspective on any given mix, and again, I find myself making tweaks based on what I hear.

I think my mixing is getting better with three checkpoints as part of my process, and it’s made possible by the monitor controller I chose: The PreSonus Monitor Station V2. On the input side, I can connect two pairs of inputs, and I chose both the master outs and a secondary set of outs from my Steinberg UR44 audio interface (reviewed previously for the magazine). This allows me to switch back and forth between two profiles from the UR44—one for mixing, one for vocal recording—and switch the choice easily with the Monitor Station. When listening back, I can choose between any of four headphones (I use three; one for the IEMs, and two pairs of studio headphones), either for monitor recording, or checking mixes. The big volume control on the Monitor Station makes it easy and convenient to adjust levels, and I like the LED segment style VU meter as well. The unit is compact, and doesn’t take much valuable studio desk space.

While some features of the Monitor Station V2 are not of use—such as a talk feature that would be used to communicate with musicians in a traditional studio— I did find the signal-routing flexibility to more than justify the roughly $300 street price of the unit.

Studio Monitors: KRK Rokit 4 G3.

Studio Controller: PreSonus Monitor Station V2

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Patch Editor/Librarian

This one is for the hardware-synth guys and gals among you — from all appearances a growing group of folks.

Back in late 2015, I purchased a Dave Smith Instruments Sequential Prophet-6 synth after reviewing it for the magazine, and I’ve been having a blast with it. But not surprisingly, editing sounds on the hardware can be a bit cumbersome and extremely time-consuming sometimes, and analyzing how the DSI team and others programmed the factory and add-on sounds can be all but impossible. That’s where a patch editor and librarian comes into play.

If you’re not familiar, patch editor/librarians are computer applications that enable you to deal with patches, including creating libraries of them, from your computer vs. hands-on with the hardware synth.

Dave Smith Instruments doesn’t make the software itself, but directs its customers to another company, SoundTower, who has made a business of figuring out these things for a range of synths not only from DSI, but from Korg, Moog, Roland and several others. In their editor for the Prophet-6, not only can you load and analyze (and use) the programming of the factory sounds, but you can tinker with settings interactively. It even goes beyond that.While the names and sound types of patches aren’t shown on the display of the hardware, the software knows them, and they’re displayed within the application, making it easier than ever to find sounds by category (e.g., organs, keys, bright lead, etc.) – really slick.

The librarian aspect comes into play by making it simple to save sound collections off to the disk of the computer, and retrieve them later when desired. This allows you to essentially configure the instrument as you might want it for a particular gig, save it off, and be able to bring it back any time you need it.

SoundTower’s Prophet-6 sound-editing software is powerful, but it requires a bit of ramp-up time to figure out how best to use it, and what all it’s capable of. A manual is not provided for the Prophet-6 editor specifically, but the company does provide them for some of the other editors offered, and the major capabilities can be learned by examining one of them; the general capability set and approach is virtually the same between their various editors it would appear. I did find the user interface to be a bit cumbersome and dated looking as well, making that learning process just that much more

difficult. But for the investment of $69 and that learning curve, you get you a powerful workflow enhancement in exchange.

Even if you don’t own a Prophet-6 specifically, exploring editor/librarian options for your own hardware synths will pay dividends in both sound design efficiency and bringing order to your synth configurations.

Portable Audio Interfaces

In recent years, laptop computers have become powerful enough and reliable enough, and can be equipped with enough storage, to make them viable choices as studio computers. I’ll be covering the issues of laptopsvs.-desktops for the studio in a review scheduled for DJ Times in the months ahead, but currently, I still use a MacBook Pro laptop as my studio computer, and have found it to be more than up for the job. Using a laptop also gives me the advantage of working on projects on the go.

What I can’t take with me, however, is my usual audio interface, the aforementioned Steinberg UR44. You can, of course, just use the built-in audio capabilities of the laptop, but it can involve sacrificing audio quality, as well as providing non-optimal ways of connecting

Synth: Dave Smith Instruments Sequential Prophet-6.

Reference Remastered: Ultimate Ears Pro in-ear monitors.

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

Audio Interface: Steinberg UR44.

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to external speakers when needed, or doing things like recording a vocalist or instrumentalist remotely. To solve those problems, I recently researched more portable pro audio interfaces, and decided to take the affordable iRig Pro Duo from IK Multimedia for a spin after seeing its little brother (iRig Pro I/O) debuted at the NAMM Show earlier this year.

That “little brother” unit has a single mono input and headphone output, and is even more compact and portable. But the iRig Pro Duo is slightly bigger, delivers even more capability and, for me, is sort of the minimum entry point. It sports dual Neutrik inputs for ¼-inch and XLR connections, and a pair of balanced ¼-inch outputs, along with a headphone jack. MIDI input and output is also provided, as is the ability to enable 48V phantom power on the inputs to drive typical studio condenser mics.

In short, it provides two ins, two outs, headphone monitoring, and all the stuff you need for pro recording or mixing on the go. Roughly the size of a couple of standard decks of playing cards, and maybe weighing about the same

Desktop USB Mic: Neat Microphones Beecaster.

USB Microphones

In my home studio, I have a vocal recording set-up with a conventional condenser mic on a stand, appropriate sound control apparatus, and even a set of headphones that rest on a hook on the mic stand when not in use. The mic is, in turn, connected to an old-school channel strip, and into my audio interface. It’s a great set-up when I need to record serious vocals, but it’s always been cumbersome if I just need to record a quick scratch vocal for the real vocalist, or perhaps hum or sing a melody into Ableton Live (the DAW I used for many of my projects) specifically for conversion to MIDI. Firing everything up for those utilitarian needs always seems a bit tedious, when what I’d prefer to do is just sit in my chair, at the computer, and do the deed. It seemed that a desktop USB mic might suit the purpose — without taking-up too much desk space in the process.

Enter the Neat Microphones Beecaster desktop USB microphone.

The Beecaster has a sturdy base about the size of a small paperback book, and sports an arm that connects the business end of the unit to that base. The arm lets you raise and lower the mic height, while rotating it side to side as well. It seemed like the perfect solution, and indeed it’s proven itself to be.

The Beecaster is a versatile little mic and, as the name suggests, it’s targeted primarily to podcasters and voiceover users. While not of value in my particular use of the mic so far, there is a headphone jack and volume control in the Neat Beecaster for real-time monitoring during recording. But with its switchable sound pickup pattern (mono, stereo, wide and focused), it seems to fill several different potential needs. Indeed, the manual — which cleverly and amusingly amplifies the bee theme — gives specific suggestions on how to configure the mic for everything from that primary use (podcasting/VO) to lead vocal recording to instrument recording of various flavors.

Tempted to see how well it’d work for lead vocals, I tried a few takes for a project I’m working on, and the results were surprisingly good.

Obviously, without the channel strip inline to perform some compression and EQ, it was necessary to do more signal processing in the DAW, but that’s not atypical to begin with. With the desktop design, setting it up for a proper vocal or instrument recording would involve some jury-rigging since there’s not a way to put it on a mic stand. And given its street price of about $350, it might be a little steep for my primary use. But given the extra utility it brings to the table, I’ve grown rather fond of having it in my toolkit.

Conclusions

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

Productivity and workflow enhancements come in various shapes and sizes, and occasionally in unexpected places.With the wide range of music products available today, sometimes it just takes a little broader thinking to find ways to apply what’s out there to the specific workflow challenges you might experience in your own home studio. Hopefully, these ideas have sparked a few of your own. n

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amount, the iRig Pro Duo provides not only connectivity to your computer, but to your iOS or Android device as well, delivering even more utility and flexibility — and workflow benefit.

The two AA batteries that power the unit provided extremely long life (well, the first set still hasn’t worn out), and I loved the freedom to work on pretty much anything I wanted to, pretty much anywhere my laptop will take me. I used the iRig Pro Duo to do some mix work during a recent airline flight, captured some found sounds in the field, and recorded vocals in one of my friend’s clothes closets. I also tinkered around a bit with GarageBand on my iPad Pro with the iRig Pro Duo connected, and as expected, it worked great. And with a price point of just around $200, it was an affordable way to be more productive on the go, and proved — to me, anyway — that having a decent portable audio interface to throw in my laptop bag is a must-have item.

Portable Interface: IK Multimedia iRig Pro Duo.

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MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

By Wesley Bryant-King Back in 2014, I took a look at what was then the new UR44 audio interface from Yamaha’s Steinberg. I was impressed enough with it to purchase one for my home studio. So when the opportunity arose to take a peek at the company’s new UR22mkII Recording Pack, I couldn’t pass it up.

The UR22mkII Recording Pack continues Steinberg’s pattern of offering a full range of musicrelated software and hardware products, crossleveraging both in what I’m sure is an effort to expand market share and customer loyalty.

At the core of the Recording Pack is the UR22mkII audio interface — also available separately — and which itself is relatively new to market. The UR22mkII is an iteration on the previous UR22, and outwardly, the two units look nearly identical. Same inputs and outputs, same connectors, same knobs, same everything… almost. The crucial, single difference is on the back panel, and I’ll cover that in a moment.

What the Recording Pack adds to the UR22mkII audio interface package alone is pretty much everything you’d need for recording, including a studio condenser microphone (including a mic stand bracket and XLR cable), a pair of studio

monitor headphones, and even an extra software goodie, Steinberg’s WaveLab LE, a bundled version of their WaveLab audio editing software. (This is in addition to Cubase AI for the desktop, and Cubasis LE for iPad.) So let’s dig into the box and take a closer look.

The Basics: On the front of the UR22mkII, you’ll find dual Neutrik input sockets, providing both ¼-inch and XLR support, along with a gain knob for both. There are knobs for mix, phones and output, along with a ¼-inch headphone socket. There’s also a switch to toggle the No. 2 input to Hi-Z mode. On the back side, there are 5-pin DIN MIDI in/out connectors, and dual ¼-inch line outs. You’ll also find a phantom power switch there as well.

This is also where you’ll find the one change from the older UR22 to the new UR22mkII. On that panel, in addition to the standard USB 2.0 “B” socket, Steinberg has added a micro-USB socket as well. Audio connectivity is solely through the USB “B” socket; the micro-USB socket is provided as a convenient means of providing external power to the UR22mkII, primarily for situations where the device is used with an iPad. (More on that later.)

Why micro-USB for external power? That’s easy — it’s ubiquitous. A standard micro-USB cable, and virtually any standard USB power adapter (like the one you might use for your iPhone or iPad) can power the unit. You can even use a USB battery when AC power is not available, making the UR22mkII and an iPad a perfect mobile field recording set-up.

The included ST-M01 condenser mic outwardly seemed to be pretty decent, with a nice build quality and sturdy feel. The ST-H01 headphones, on the other hand, seemed very lightweight, and to be candid, struck me initially as pretty “budget” grade, which they probably are. However, both surprised me in the studio, so this is probably a good jump point to see how everything performed.

Operation: Testing the UR22mkII on the desktop was a pretty simple affair for me, since I use Steinberg’s UR44 already… Basically, unplug the UR44, and plug in the UR22mkII. (They use the same driver.) New users will find the process straightforward; you can easily download the (continued on page 40)

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

STEINBERG’S NEW RECORDING PACK

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UR22mkII: Interface, headphones, mic & more.

Upgrade: Steinberg’s Cubase 9 DAW

The UR22mkII Recording Pack comes with Cubase AI as the bundled DAW (digital audio workstation) software. Most users will probably want to upgrade to one of the three “full” versions of Cubase. In order of most powerful and capable to least, that’s Cubase Pro, Cubase Artist, and Cubase Elements. I won’t cover the differences here; Steinberg has a very detailed side-by-side

SOUNDS SO GOOD! Cubase 9: A trio of new versions.

comparison chart on their web site. But if you like Cubase AI, and want to continue to grow, definitely consider the upgrade.

These three core versions of Cubase were all recently incremented to Version 9. It seems like only yesterday that I reviewed Cubase 8.5 (it was Summer 2016), and the company seems committed to regular refreshes of their flagship software. All versions got some user interface spit-and-polish, and ease-ofuse enhancements. Other enhancements common to all three include: Sampler Track, a feature that lets you play sound designer with audio samples.

Maximizer, a mastering “punch” plug-in that has a refreshed algorithm and UI. Production Grooves, a collection of production-ready, crossgenre beats.

The Pro and Artist versions have a smattering of new goodies on offer as well. The new Frequency EQ plug-in (Pro version only) has some really impressive EQ tricks up its sleeve, that quite frankly blew me away during a demonstration at the recent Winter NAMM. (Take a peek at the video introduction offered on Steinberg’s web site, and see if you agree.) Pro and Artist both get MixConsole History, providing multi-step undo and redo making A/B comparisons easy, and saving you against those “oops” moments, too. And both also received some improvements to Steinberg’s cloud collaboration platform.

As was the case with my prior review of Cubase, I find it disappointing that Steinberg clings to archaic, dongle-based copy protection via the USB eLicenser technology. Using it requires memory-resident software to be active on the computer even when Cubase is not in use, and it’s a hardware-based point of failure that’s inconvenient and disappointing — especially considering that Cubase won’t run even in a limited mode without it. Others have moved-on; why not Steinberg?

But on a positive note, I continue to be impressed with the incredibly comprehensive documentation that accompanies Cubase. Between that, and myriad YouTube videos produced by its vibrant user community that cover the product from all angles, a new user won’t find it difficult to master the software in short order.

Upgrades to Cubase 9 range from $29.99 to $449.99, depending on the version and level (e.g., Pro, Artist, Elements) you’re upgrading from, and the level you’re upgrading to. Full details and ordering are available from the Steinberg web site.

– W. B-K

www.rcf-usa.com

SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

MODEL 1: HOW TO PLAY DIFFERENTLY

By Paul Dailey

In my estimation, the DJ world has three levels of gear.

For starters, we have the day-to-day pieces that are generally affordable and are designed and marketed to any number of working DJs. The second group I consider professional-level, and those units are installed in larger clubs and built to withstand the rigors of touring DJs. Finally, there are the aspirational products which are unique to a set of DJs and performers (think Allen & Heath’s XONE: V6 mixer) – pieces that are very expensive and have elements that cater to specific styles and work modes and performers pushing the bounds and blurring the lines between DJ and live PA. Way at the head of this list is the one and only Richie Hawtin, so it’s no surprise that the PLAYdifferently MODEL 1 mixer is his baby.

The culmination of years of R&D, MODEL 1 is the longawaited collaboration between Hawtin and Andy Rigby-Jones, the former lead designer for

Allen & Heath. And this marriage between creative performer and audio snob—and I mean that in the best possible way— has resulted in a truly singular achievement. Part DJ mixer, part studio mixer, the MODEL 1 is a remarkable piece of gear, one that has reconsidered key parts of the current DJ-mixer paradigm.

Feature Set: The MODEL 1 mixer offers six full-featured stereo channels, two stereo send-and-return channels, two mix outputs, and Master & Booth EQ. One feature I loved (and can attest to its working very well) is the three phono inputs with enhanced preamps that present vinyl with much more clarity and power – allowing you to mix from vinyl to digital and back without having to do much gain adjustment. Very cool.

You will also find a simple, yet long overdue concept of a dual headphone-cue system, so two performers can work independently on the same board – or the next DJ can begin his cue process without interfering with the end of the current DJ’s set.

For manipulating your sound, you find analog tools per channel including Hybrid Filter EQ and Input Overdrive control, Master Resonant Filter (with both HPF and LPF controls), and a ton of ways to manipulate your sound. It is clear this mixer was designed by a performance DJ, as even with the myriad controls on offer, each has enough space to allow you to dig in and get down to twisting and tweaking each knob.

Audio & Experience: The sound is warm and thick and analog, with a ton of depth, so it probably goes without saying, but I’ll say it: This is a very well-designed and well-built mixer. The complexity of this instrument leaves me wary of using the term “intuitive,” but after a few hours on the MODEL 1, I experienced some remarkable results and was continually making mental notes of my favorite ways to influence elements in my music.

The only real “issue” is not a fault of the unit, but a fault of the environment. And much like driving a Ferrari in midtown Manhattan, most of what makes this mixer special will be lost on all, but the upper-tier, one-percent of DJs. First off, the price (approximately $2,700 including international shipping via playdifferently.org) makes it cost prohibitive to most jocks.

After playing with it, I can honestly say it is not overpriced in terms of bang for the buck. But 2,550 Euros is still lot of dosh for most DJs to afford.

The second Catch 22, in a sense, is that the mixer only shines after you understand the capabilities and what each knob and button does. For big-name, touring DJs, this isn’t such an issue, as they will have their MODEL 1 for study and practice on the road. But in a setting where you arrive to play a two-hour set in a dark nightclub and then and pass off to the next DJ, I can see lots of mistakes and underutilization of the features of the MODEL 1.

Conclusions: At the end of the day, however, I must say that I loved PLAYdifferently’s MODEL 1. It is a beautiful-looking, beautiful-sounding mixer that is fun aesthetically and amazing acoustically. My music never sounded so good, and I when I had to box it up, I was sad to see it go. Quality for sure.

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

Analog Tools: Strong EQ/filtering highlight MODEL 1.

“Part DJ mixer, part studio mixer, the MODEL 1 is a

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

remarkable piece

28

of gear, one that has reconsidered key parts of the current DJ-mixer paradigm.”

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

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MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

UNDERGROUND DJ GOES MULTI-OP MOBILE

By Stu Kearns

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

Dual Markets: Tokita works in Seattle & San Diego.

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San Diego—Jason Tokita is one those guys who wants to inhale life. That’s why he’s a touring nightclub DJ who also juggles a multi-op, mobile-entertainment company in two different cities. Additionally, he’s making a name for himself as a recording artist.

From a young age, it was clear to see where Tokita would be going: His mom was a professional lounge singer and toured across the United States with her band. So you can say that the exposure to the backstage lifestyle started early.

Wasn’t strange at all that he’d be singing Michael Jackson tunes as a child, learning his every dance move with his dad’s Aviator hand-me-downs and Mom’s homemade sequined glove that never came off.

But the obsession really didn’t begin until later. “It wasn’t until my teens,” he says, “when I discovered underground warehouse parties and electronic music.”

He bought his first pair of turntables at 17, messed around in his bedroom and for friends at house parties. But it wasn’t until his college years when he got a real taste of “DJ life.”

That’s when he got one of his first gigs—on MTV. Let him explain: “I sent out a bunch of demos to my favorite record labels at the time. Sadly, no one wanted to sign me—insert laughter. Months later, I received an email from the casting director from MTV Canada who somehow managed to get a hold of my mix tape. I thought it was a scam, so I deleted the email and never responded. The following week the casting director called me direct and offered to fly me up to Vancouver to perform for MTV Canada’s version of ‘Total Request Live’ as their set-break DJ. I was blown away and, of course, I agreed to the gig.”

Tokita still suspected it was some sort of joke until he actually stepped onto the plane and into the first-class cabin.

“During that same time, I was gearing to launch my very first nightclub event in my local college town, so I asked a friend at the school newspaper to see if they’d be interested in a feature story in hopes they’d plug my event.”

Tokita says he got a lot more than a simple plug for his event—a front-page feature story, and he set the record for bar sales on his first night and had a line around the corner. “At that point,” he recalls, “I knew I had found my calling.”

After graduating from college, Tokita moved back home to San Diego and started playing a small weekly event with an old friend, Chad Fortin. “Fresh out of college, filling out job applications and researching career opportunities were beside me,” he says. “I just wanted to be a rock star.”

Who doesn’t? Fortunately, Tokita had a lot of friends supporting his shows—Fortin was already an established local DJ, so they were able to leverage opportunities because of who he was—and so they moved up the ranks in the underground scene quickly. A couple residencies gave them the opportunity to open and play alongside many the biggest DJs in the world at the time—talents like Paul Oakenfold, DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ A.M., Kaskade, Marcus Schulz, Roger Sanchez, Eric Morillo and Doc Martin.

“Life was great,” he says. “We’d play records all day during the week and then rock the clubs from Thursday to Sunday, and do it all over again.”

That’s when two of their fans, who had met at one of their DJ events, got engaged and asked Tokita and Fortin to be the DJs for the wedding. “We thought she was joking,” says Tokita.

“Mind you, we only played underground house music and techno at the time, but she didn’t care and plucked on our heartstrings until we caved.”

They did the gig, but didn’t revisit the idea of doing any more wedding gigs until the recession hit in 2008. “At the time, we had no idea what we got ourselves into and as we started researching wedding DJs, we found the horrors and stereotypes of ‘The Cheesy Wedding DJ.’ This was definitely

Aside from DJing, Tokita releases club music.

system will include Native Instruments Traktor DJ software, a Native Instruments S4 mk2 controller, QSC Audio K12 loudspeakers and QSC Audio KSub subwoofer. On the lighting end, Tokita uses lots of Chauvet products, including Q-Spot 360-LED moving head fixtures, the 4BAR LED wash-light system, the new Rotosphere Q3 mirror-ball simulator and ShowXpress control software.

For years, Tokita promoted club shows at venues like Seattle’s Monkey Loft, bringing in underground favorites like Carl Craig. But these days, aside from his mobile operations, he’s been focused on opportunities as a recording artist. Billed as Tokita, he’s been making underground house and techno music for the past two years—his tracks can be found on Beatport and other EDM-download sites. “I am finally starting to release original music,” he says, “and this is helping me acquire gigs overseas, which is really where I’d like to be DJing full-time.”

Still, on the home front in the near future, he plans to expand his wedding brands into the Phoenix, Ariz., market, teaming up with his friends Dave and Drea Strickler of Desert House Productions, another pair of underground jocks-turned-mobile entertainers.

Tokita’s optimistic. “People love our approach: ‘Rock dancefloors with no cheese.’”

the biggest challenge: How to play the cheesy stuff while trying to keep it classy.”

When asked what advice he would give to up and comers, Tokita emphasized relationship-building. “I was very fortunate to have a great mentor who taught me the value of relationships, but I do have some great advice to all of all jocks out there trying to build your business.” * “Delete ‘The Chicken Dance’ from your music library. If you get asked to play it, say it’s against company policy and you cannot afford to tarnish your company reputation.”

He’s currently operating Injoy and Illeet, his two entertainment brands in San Diego and Seattle, while still maintaining a full-time wedding and special-event DJ schedule.

On the gear front, Tokita has personal rigs in both Seattle and San Diego locations and his jocks for his two operations generally supply their own equipment. A typical Tokita audio

DJ TIMES

* “Deliver what you advertise and follow up after the event to collect feedback and hopefully a good review. Referrals will come hand over fist if you do this consistently.”

APRIL 2017

* “Pick up the phone and call your prospects. Don’t rely on electronic mail, newsletters or social media. It’s hard to make someone feel good through e-mail.”

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BUSINESS LINE SALES…MARKETING…SOLUTIONS…

HOW ONE DJ ADDED A BIG UPSELL TO HIS SERVICE

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

By Stu Kearns

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Steve Moody has owned his own DJ business in the greater Baltimore area for more than a decade.With the help of his wife Lori, he’s grown the business from a home-based single-operator to a storefront multi-op.

At the DJ Expo in 2015, during a seminar about selling honeymoons to recently married couples, Lori saw an opportunity. Why not, she asked her husband, take on this particular service as an upsell to their couples?

Steve agreed, and Lori, whose responsibilities for the DJ business include payroll and routing equipment, deputized herself to assume the role of president, working exclusively with Beaches/Sandals Resorts.

So Steve, alongside Lori, has embarked on an educational journey, and realized that there are plenty of new takeaways he can apply to his DJ business.

We asked him about it.

DJ Times: What was the first thing Lori had to do to get started?

Steve Moody: We needed to get our license. There are several options for this.We chose to go through CLIA [Cruise Line International Association].

Though Sandals and Beaches do not offer cruises, the CLIA membership does cover selling Sandals vacations as a travel agent. Just as with any other license, there is required training in order to keep the license active. Once we got our membership to CLIA, our next step was really hard. We actually had to go enjoy the Sandals experience!

DJ Times: So how was that?

Moody: This past November we visited six Sandals and Beaches Properties in five days. It was a whirlwind tour. We had read so much about the resorts ahead of time and thought we knew it all. Boy, were we mistaken. Nothing beats actually being on property and seeing with your own eyes, taking the tours and learning how each resort is totally unique and different.

DJ Times: Were there any marketing tactics or business management practices from your DJ business that you could immediately apply to selling honeymoons?

Moody: We took on the name “Travel Hand In Hand” and found that this service was a great complement to our DJ company, as we primarily perform at weddings. Couples come into the office to talk about their weddings. They see the Sandals and Beaches marketing materials and they have tons of questions. We never even have to say anything about it. Sandals and Beaches provide lots of great marketing tools to their agents free of charge—magazines, booklets, cardboard stand displays. Through our time at the DJ Expo, we have learned how to set up a successful bridal show and follow-up campaign for our DJ service, which was easily transferred to this business, which has been a great way to get out in front of our clientele.

DJ Times: So DJ Expo helped?

Moody: Just as we did with our DJ service, we applied so many marketing techniques we learned at the Expo to this new business. We immediately created a page for “Travel Hand In Hand” on our website and, of course, we were quick to set up a Facebook Business Page, as well. Lori has done a great job of populating the page with great pics and articles about the resorts – everything from helpful planning tips for while they are there to what to pack for the trip. With our DJ service, our clients receive quite a few automated emails during their planning stages and we have added several Travel Hand In Hand emails into that automated group reminding people that we are now offering honeymoons. In addition to the automated emails that we set up for our current DJ clients, we also made a series of automated emails for the travel clients. These emails contain everything from info on getting passports, to booking special activities at the resorts and what to expect on travel days at the airport.

DJ Times: What are the challenges to the business?

Moody: The most challenging thing about working with Sandals/Beaches is that each resort is so unique in what they offer. There are a dozen resorts and they all have different offerings. Additionally, each resort has different level

accommodations. With our service, we basically have three packages for our clients to choose from. With Sandals and Beaches, there are dozens of room categories and services. To make it more fun, it seems as if they are all constantly evolving and changing as the resorts are always upgrading and making improvements. They never become stale or stagnant. That is one of the things that impressed me the most. They are always pushing forward even though they could get by just doing the same old same old. In fact, I have been inspired yet again to continue to take our services to the next level.

DJ Times: So far, what have you learned through this experience that you can apply to your DJ business?

Moody: Many of Lori’s consultations are done over the phone. In fact, even after they book their honeymoon, Lori spends countless hours with the clients.

This is one area where I am personally lacking with my DJ service. I love to have clients come into the office and talk. I could sit and talk for hours face-to-face, but for some reason, even since childhood I have disliked spending time on the phone. My initial phone consultations are nowhere near as long and as detailed as the in-person consultations that I have. Lori reminds me of this constantly.

Even though we are on the phone I need to still have that same drive and passion as I do when we are in the office. It’s tricky for me without being able to read people’s faces and see their smiles. Lori excels in this.

DJ Times: What are the similarities between the two businesses?

Moody: As the years progress, it seems to me that my business in not really about playing music. It’s about connecting with people and helping them create memories. My music and performance on the microphone are just tools that I use to achieve the end goal. Well, it’s the same thing with Lori. It’s all about making connections, helping people to have a great experience—and then having them pass our name along so that we can begin that whole process all over again. It’s a constant cycle.

DJ Times: Two self-employed people. One home. How do you balance schedules?

Moody: One of the greatest things that I learned from a seminar at the Expo was the need to separate work from my private life. It’s really tricky. There is a constant battle in every industry: “How late is too late to return emails?” It will be debated until the end of time. My takeaway was this: You set the precedent from your first communication. If you return an email at 11 p.m., that particular client will think that it’s always OK to email you that late. It’s great until the first time you instead respond at 11 a.m.—now you’ve given them a reason to be disappointed in the service you provide. Our office hours are on our website, and at the bottom of all of our emails.

DJ Times: Are those hours flexible?

Moody: If something huge were to come in late at night, I am willing to bend my rule and write, “Thanks for your email. I am out of the office for the night, but wanted to let you know that I received it and will follow up with you first thing in the morning.” In this way, I have answered them, showing that I care but have still made them aware that it is not normally the time I answer emails.

When working alone, this was not such a huge issue, but now having as many employees as we do and doing the number of events that we do there just has to be a limit. I think that most couples can appreciate that a professional service does have its standard office hours.You don’t call any other store that closes at 9 p.m. and expect them to answer at 11 p.m.

DJ Times: How’s the new business shaping up?

Moody: We are both so excited about this new adventure. Lori already has several couples on the books for 2017 and 2018, and we’ll continue to learn as we grow. Most anything that we have learned in DJ Expo’s sales and/or marketing seminars can easily be applied to both of our businesses. It’s all about making connections with people.

DJ Expo, presented by DJ Times and Testa Communications, will run Aug. 14-17 in Atlantic City, N.J. For more on DJ Expo, please visit www.thedjexpo.com.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Prime of Your Life

Rekordbox Step

Denon DJ 200 Scenic View Drive Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-5766 www.denondj.com

Pioneer DJ Americas 2050 W. 190th Street Suite 109 Torrance, CA 90504 (424) 488-0480 www.pioneerdj.com

Denon DJ’s VL12 Prime direct-drive professional DJ turntable is designed with a heavy-duty, all-metal construction and features four special isolation feet underneath the turntable, allowing the unit to resist vibration. The VL12 offers adjustable torque that has a high setting of 5kgf/cm, while pitch is adjustable from plus/minus-8-percent to plus/minus-50-percent. Additional features include an S-shaped tone arm, built-in RGB lighting and operation in two speeds—33-1/3 and 45 RPM, with a 45-RPM adapter included.

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

Thrown for a Reloop

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American Music & Sound 925 Broadbeck Dr. #220 Newbury Park, CA 91320 (800) 431-2609 www.AmericanMusicAndSound.com The RMX-90 DVS is a Serato DJ- and DVS-enabled club mixer that features four channels with an integrated eight-in/eight-out audio interface. The unit sports a deep black metallic finish and features an on-board Serato sound card for native DVS control, as well as 12 individually assignable Beat FX and three-band EQ with classic and isolator modes. The plug-and-play device has a 24-bit USB interface for low latency playback, and it comes with two Serato NoiseMap control vinyl records.

Pioneer DJ released a new RMX EFFECTS Plus Pack for rekordbox dj, as well as the new rekordbox version 4.2.1. The new version uses audio analysis technology to detect the silence between tracks and create a separate file for each so users can record a whole album from an analog source to individual tracks without resetting the recording in between songs. Additionally, there is a new Matching feature, as well as a new Normalize function that standardizes the volume on recorded tracks.

As Far as the Eye Can V Gibson Pro Audio 309 Plus Park Boulevard Nashville, TN 37217 (800) 444-2766 www.gibson.com The V-Series from KRK Systems is comprised of 4-, 6- and 8-inch active studio monitor models. The V4, V6 and V8 are designed with biamped Class D amplification, a custom-designed woofer and a customdesigned 1-inch tweeter made with a Kevlar dome and ferrite magnet.

Additional features include mid-and high-frequency EQs, an EVA foam pad for non-skid and acoustic isolation, an input level attenuation switch, LED selectors and a front-ported bass reflex enclosure design.

AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Natural Predator

Cover Girl

Time+Space Unit 7A-B Cranmere Road Exeter Road Industrial Estate Okehampton, Devon EX20 1UE, UK +44 (0)1837 55200 www.timespace.com

Mixware, LLC 11070 Fleetwood St, Unit F Sun Valley, CA 91352 (818) 578-4030 www.mixware.net

A new version of Rob Papen’s Predator virtual synth has been released a decade after the original. Predator 2 features four envelopes and LFOs, 20 modulation steps, and more than 5,000 presets. The new version offers an improved preset manager screen, as well as an improved unison mode that allows up to six unison sub-voices for each full voice. Additional features include voice level distortion, dual 16-step arpeggiators and an EQ mixing section powered by the RP-EQ effects plug-in.

GEAR

Decksaver released new covers for the Roland TR-09 and TB-03, Maschine Jam, Native Instruments Kontrol S61 and Arturia Drumbrute.

The covers are made out of polycarbonate, a transparent plastic that is designed to protect gear from dust, liquids and other environmental elements, as well as impacts from travel. Each cover is precision molded to fit each piece of gear, including cables, knobs, faders, and power supplies.

OWN The WOrld’s

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DJ TIMES

Mixfader and Numark have partnered to create the new Mixfader Dock, which is specially designed to fit the Numark PT01 Scratch portable turntable. Users are able to unscrew the switch and replace it with the Mixfader Dock, allowing them to “find the feel and grip of a crossfader when scratching on the Numark PT01 Scratch,” according to the company.

APRIL 2017

Mixfader www.themixfader.com

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GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Prim & ProPar

Stuffed Mushrooms

Blizzard Lighting N16 W23390 Stoneridge Dr. Suite E Waukesha, WI 53188 (414) 395-8365 www.blizzardlighting.com

Polyverse Music 10757 Wellworth Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024 www.polyversemusic.com

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

The ProPar I7 is the latest addition to Blizzard Lighting’s Propar family.

The LED wash/beam and effect par fixture comes equipped with seven 15-watt RGBW 4-in-1 LEDs. It has built-in static/dynamic effects that can be run in auto, sound active, or via 23/51-channel DMX. Features include a zoomable four- to 60-degree beam angle, an infinite bidirectional rotating lens plate, three-pin DMX input and output connections, and dual mounting brackets with secure locking knobs.

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Electronic duo Infected Mushroom released its first effects plug-in through Polyverse Music. Called I Wish, the plug-in features a processing technique called “pitch freezing,” which allows users to impose pitch on any audio clip, as well as vocal mutations and glitch effects. It can also be used as a real-time wavetable synthesizer. The plug-in is available in VST, AU, and AAX formats, making it compatible with a variety of host applications, including Ableton Live, Logic, Pro Tools, Cubase, and Studio One.

Laser Tag

3 is the Magic Number

X-Laser USA 9125A Whiskey Bottom Road Laurel, MD 20723 (866)-702-7768 www.x-laser.com

Image Line Software Franklin Rooseveltlaan 348 D B-9000 Gent Belgium +32 9 281 15 33 www.image-line.com

X-Laser USA announced four new Aurora Series projectors—the Aurora Crimson, Aurora Emerald, Aurora Cobalt and Aurora Saber— which the company says are brighter and safer than other entry-level laser effects thanks to horizontal-only scanning. The Aurora Crimson offers 800mW of radiant red beams, while the Aurora Cobalt had with 1200mW of bold blue and the Aurora Emerald projects 280mW of gleaming green. The Aurora Saber creates 7-color TTL effects that are “three times thicker than those of any previous Aurora model.” All four models feature nine-channel DMX control, as well as automatic and sound-active modes.

FL Studio Mobile 3 is now available for Android, iOS and Windows devices. FL Studio Mobile 3 is described by the company as “a complete ground-up re-write of our mobile platform,” including the user interface, internal architecture and a feature-set similar to those found “on a modern desktop DAW.” The new application works as a FL studio plug-in, which means that users are able to start projects on the desktop and move to their mobile device and back again without having to make any translations.

AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

GEAR

Cerwin Some, Lose Some Gibson Pro Audio 309 Plus Park Boulevard Nashville, TN 37217 (800) 444-2766 www.gibson.com Cerwin Vega’s CV Series powered PA line includes three loudspeaker groups: CVE, CVX and CVXL. There are four CVE models— single 10-, 12- and 15inch tops that can server as monitors as well as PAs, and one 18-inch subwoofer—all of which come with hang points and accessory wall brackets. CVX models include single 10- and 15-inch tops, as well as 18- and 21-inch subwoofers. Finally, the CVXL family includes single 12-, 15-, and dual 15inch tops, and single 18- or dual 21-inch subwoofer s. CVX and CVXL subwoofers feature the company’s exclusive “Tour Shield” finish.

Living in Synth Roland Corporation 5100 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 890-3700 www.rolandus.com The SYSTEM-8 PLUG-OUT Synthesizer from Roland can host and control up to three Roland PLUG-OUT software synthesizers, including the new JUPITER-8 and JUNO-106 PLUG-OUTs, which are included with purchase. The synth functions as a USB audio/ MIDI interface for a DAW. It features 49 full-size keys with velocity, as well as CV/GATE outputs, which the company says allow a user to send note/pitch data from the synth engine and step sequencer to trigger modular synths and vintage analog gear.

A-O-Kado

DJ TIMES

Kado is a desktop application designed to help DJs come up with the perfect live set. Created by two former Google and Twitter employees, Kado analyzes data from more than 200,000 DJ sets and filters them based on the user’s taste in order to offer personalized suggestions based on what similar DJs have played. Kado will then link the user directly to purchase tracks within the app.

APRIL 2017

Kado 52 Washburn St San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 857-4358 www.getkado.com

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TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS

“Mind Body & Soul” u Route 94 u Crosstown Rebels Go right to Joe Claussell’s hypnotic “Body Rhythm Soul Version.” Tribal rhythms, sexy keys, jazzy sax, an uplifting vocal riff and an epic breakdown combine for a deep-house winner.

– Shawn Christopher “Stoned Love” b/w “Larry” u Dossa & Locuzzed u Viper The A-side melds a soulful Angie Stone vocal sample with jazzy chords and a percolating d-n-b beat for a simple, but effective result. The flip-side, the more hectic “Larry,” kicks more of a buzzy vibe, but retains a hooky flavor.

ing, funky and instantly likeable, this is destined for plenty of play in the clubs.

The crunchy, funky bassline and old-school percussion take you back to the classic days of acid house. And check the hot “Iban Montoro & Jazzman Wax” remix of “1989” – it’s jackin’!

– Curtis Zack

– Tommy D Funk “Long Walk Off a Short Pier” u deadmau5 u mau5trap With its organ-derived melody, turntable scratches and whopping breakbeats, this newly unveiled track from the rodent’s vault certainly recalls more mid-’90s Beastie Boys or Fatboy Slim than the proggy sounds we’ve come to know from the mau5. Still, its dirty electro bassline and retro flavor makes this irresistible.

– Phil Turnipseed

– Jim Tremayne

– Jennifer Harmon

“Spectrum” u James Dymond & Chris Schweizer u Future Sound of Egypt This glorious pairing of London’s Dymond and Argentina’s Schweizer caters to all flavors – techno, psy- and even melodic trance. Starting off with a tough industrial sound, then swirling into an uplifting piano melody sprinkled with angelic vocal accompaniment, this track a future classic indeed. Two thumbs all the way up!

“In the Morning” (Rhemi Remix) u Louie Vega feat. Adeva u Vega Records Having produced the standout full-length of 2016 (the Grammy-nominated Louie Vega Starring… XXVIII), Vega enlists the help of Rhemi for a fresh take on this hot Adeva track from the album. The end result is pure house heaven with Adeva’s vocals being complemented by sublime and uplifting music. Pure Class.

– Jennifer Harmon “I Miss You” (Remixes) u Full Intention u Full Intention Records Once again, the U.K. duo shows all the young pretenders how it’s done. Kicking all the way with serious drums, a chuggy rhythm and a great piano hook, this is classic Full Intention and shows the boys are still top of the tree.

– Curtis Zack “Can U Feel It” u Jay Vegas u Hot Stuff The current king of the sample, Jay Vegas, returns… this time looting the Gwen McCrae back catalog (1981’s “Funky Sensation”). Uplift5prite

– Curtis Zack

“Titan” u Fairchild u Arkade Buoyed by classical chords, this killer ramps the drama with heavy, tech-house grooves. A real banger – hot!

“Unity” (Remixes) u Guri Guri Boys feat. Carolyn Harding u King Street Harding’s unmistakable vocals get support in the shape of mixes from DJ Spen, Gary Hudgins and Namy. Spen takes it in a soulful direction, while Namy heads down the piano route with an uplifting interpretation.

– Curtis Zack “Call Him Up” u David Anthony & Michael Procter u Universe Media The U.K.-based Anthony is making serious waves in the underground, and this latest collaboration is simply devastating. A killer bassline, organ and piano combine with Procter’s commanding gospel vocal to provide dancefloor destruction.

– Curtis Zack Trail of the Contortionist u Logwitch u Logwitch Recordings On this eight-track full-length, Logwitch (aka producer Garrett Arnhold) brings a definitely chilled post-club vibe with this deep fusion of styles – ambient, d-n-b, dubstep and beyond. Think future-sounding Portishead. Listen and love.

– Phil Turnipseed “Raise Your Glass” u Florian Kruse & Hendrik Burkhard u Suara This five-cut EP includes killer rerubs on the title track from David Morales and Coyu & Bastian Bux. All the mixes are hot, and don’t sleep on the nervy original mix—love the vocals and the deep tech-house drama. A definite floor-filler!

deadmau5

– Phil Turnipseed “The Trout” u Brad Ashwell u Intimate Venues Ashwell delivers a fine ’80s-style house bomb that’s pure underground. Fusing jazz, tech and Afro-house elements, this one’s a real stomper.

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017 APRIL 2017

– Tommy D Funk

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“The First Time” u Bontan u Hot Creations This heavy, but emotive house piece offers peaktime energy with its driving bassline, dynamic keys, funky flow and a dope vocal hook. Check it out.

– Shawn Christopher “1989” b/w “1990” u 5prite u My Little Dog Both tracks from this talented Bulgarian producer offer a distinctive Chicago-house sound.

Dossa & Locuzzed

Lenny Fontana

Joe Claussell

“Lithium” (Extended Mix) u Chris Schweizer u Who’s Afraid of 138?!

In this superb tech-trance track, Chris Schweizer does a great job of blending two similar, yet distinct genres – the pounding kicks with thumping bassline for the tech fans, and a melodic breakdown that will have trance-acholics swooning. A mischievous, melodic mashup – devilishly danceable.

– Jennifer Harmon “The High Rhodes” u Prefix One u Coffey Cuts Prefix One is clearly not sleeping, as there is a plethora of new cuts coming from the stable. But “The High Rhodes” is the pick of the recent crop, with its driving chords and those Rhodes hooks.

Groovy and bumpin’.

– Curtis Zack “When You Feel What Love Has” (Remixes) u Lenny Fontana & D-Train u Karmic Records Huge in its original format, this soulful stomper is taken to a new level with a host of strong remixes.

DJ Spen, Daniel Troha and PachangaStorm all offer worthy interpretations, but the fave here is from Marc Tasio. His uplifting rework offers ecstatic piano chords, tight beats and a hands-in-the-air vibe.

– Curtis Zack

Chris Schweizer

APRIL 2017

Full Intention

Louie Vega

Carolyn Harding

39

Making Tracks

(continued from page 26) latest software from Steinberg’s web site, along with digital (PDF) owner’s manuals, and more.

I attached the ST-M01 mic to a stand using the supplied bracket, and connected the included XLR cable to the mic, and the UR22mkII. Next, I plugged-in the ST-H01 headphones, and proceeded to fire up my usual DAW. (I chose not to install Steinberg’s Cubase AI for this review, since I already have the full Cubase 9 software installed. More on that in the sidebar that accompanies this review.)

I’d been working on a project recently where I’d been recording my own vocals, so it seemed a good foundation on which to see how everything performed. After configuring the DAW for the different number and configuration of inputs and outputs vs. my usual UR44, I armed a new track, and set about laying down a couple of vocal takes. Everything worked as expected.

The ST-H01 headphones surprised me at this point with their sound quality, and their comfort. The closedback design helps suppress monitor bleed into the vocal, and they did an admirable job in reproducing all the music tracks for the project that at that point I was painfully familiar with

— and familiar with how they should sound. While I still question the build quality and potential long-term durability, these headphones did prove themselves capable and appropriate for the job.

As for the ST-M01 mic, comparing the vocal takes to previous takes recorded with my usual condenser, I found that the mic had a lower noise level than my usual microphone. Reproduction was crisp and clean, and the frequency characteristics were very much in line with the mic I regularly use. If I’m being honest, I think I preferred the character of the ST-M01 slightly more than my old stand-by, but regardless, it was a decent mic, and again, it strikes me as capable and appropriate for the intended audience.

As for the UR22mkII itself, well, what can I say? I’m as impressed with it as the UR44 I decided to buy for my regular use back in 2014. As suggested earlier, it’s a 2x2 interface, which will limit its appeal to those with pretty basic needs, but will still cover a wide range of situations and production types. The dual “D-PRE” mic preamps from Yamaha do an admirable job, and the ability to support up to 24-bit, 192 kHz audio will satisfy even audio purists.

Finally, I tested the UR22mkII on

my iPad Pro, using the iOS standard GarageBand app (rather than the Cubasis LE app, which is free in the Apple App Store, and works with select audio interfaces, including the UR22mkII). For iPad, external power is required (see my notes above), so I grabbed a micro-USB cable and an inexpensive power adapter for that job. The other USB connection goes to the iPad — through an Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter, which you’ll need to purchase from an Apple Store or other Apple retailer. There are two versions of that adapter now available; one provides only a USB connector, and the other — called the “Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter” — provides both USB, and a Lightning socket. I chose that one, because it allows you to power the iPad itself while the USB connector is in use to connect, in this case, the UR22mkII. (Yes, the adapter is intended for cameras, but in point of fact, the USB socket provided can be used for many purposes with compatible hardware — including the UR22mkII to provide audio I/O for the iPad.) Once I fired up GarageBand and tried to record something, all heck broke loose . The audio playback sounded horrible. I investigated everything I could think of for nearly half an

hour, then finally resorted to Google, which with little effort revealed the issue: Firmware issues in the UR22mkII with iOS 10 devices. One quick download and a firmware update (via my desktop computer) later, it performed quite well with the iPad Pro and GarageBand, and I can easily see the value in having a decent interface for users on iPads and using GarageBand, or Steinberg’s own Cubasis LE, to get the job done. Cool stuff.

Conclusions: Steinberg’s UR22mkII audio interface has a street price of just under $150, making it a pretty solid value for many home-studio users, including EDM producers and DJs, in my view. But for users who are just starting out, and have a need to do vocal recording or field recording, and want a kit that has everything they need, the UR22mkII Recording Pack might be just the ticket. The extra goodies in the Recording Pack add just $100 to the total— making it just under $250 street price — and that slight extra spend gets you a nice quality condenser mic and a pair of nice-sounding headphones along with everything else. That’s a pretty stellar value for home studio users of all stripes to get themselves kitted-out with all the hardware and software one needs.

different possibilities – beats and whatever. We instantly found there’s so much good in that vein [of beatdriven EDM] already, so let’s use everything in our toolbox. We’ve been writing songs for very long, so let’s keep one foot right here with the beats for dancefloor and one foot out of it where we can be open-minded and thinking back to more classic songwriting. The start of a song was always a piano or guitar with no beats because we felt like we already knew how to do those, so let’s focus on the songwriting first. “Smile” became the first one.

DJ Times: Is the way you start a song in the studio the same now as it was back then?

Karlsson: It might be more in pieces now. Before you have a band or project rolling, you’re only in the studio. You can be like, “We’re just going to focus on this song every day when we’re in the studio.” That changes. Now we’re always on tour, so everything happens more in pieces.

There are all these puzzle pieces, and you try to go back and listen through to see what the strongest parts are and then build from there. It’s a little bit more split up now. We’ve also been off tour for a little bit [recently], so we’ve been in the studio, which is something we’d been missing.

DJ Times: When you first started Galantis, did you know you wanted to release an album? Or did it start as a string of singles and roll from there?

Karlsson: Always album. We felt really early we had too much material that we really liked, so let’s not wait too long. The EP is basically the first songs of Pharmacy.

DJ Times: When you were recording tracks like “You” and “Runaway (U & I),” did you expect them to be accepted by the EDM-festival circuit? Were you writing for yourselves or them?

Karlsson: We were writing for ourselves. When you’re so close to your own music, it’s very hard to put them in a scenario, especially at that point [in the process] like that: to imagine it would be something that other DJs would play. Our minds were never even there.

DJ Times: Did that kind of success add pressure or affect the creation of future tracks?

Karlsson: It adds a lot of pressure because from there on you always want to come out with something fresh and new that has the same impact. In the creative process, you don’t want to be thinking that, though, because then you’re not going to do it. It’s a little tricky of a situation: you don’t want to look back, but also you

want to make sure you do something that’s as strong.

DJ Times: For Pharmacy, how long were you working and how did it take shape over time?

Linus Eklöw: Two, two and a half years if you count the EP as part of that process.

Karlsson: There were a lot of songs written.

DJ Times: What’s particularly notable is how little material is on both—the album was almost entirely new tracks. Did you encounter any resistance wanting to create an album from the label or managers that wanted you to tour consistently?

Karlsson: No, the album format is something that is really appealing to us because it tells the journey of Galantis, and we can show a much wider part. Everything doesn’t have to be the biggest drop or whatever. You can explore more and take people on a journey. I totally get it, and I don’t hate on any other way of releasing music. I can see upsides of only doing singles, but it’s very appealing with the album format. Also, we can remember where we came from and what was important when we were kids. It was all about albums.

DJ Times: Your latest singles have been particularly bright and sunny.

What’s been inspiring you for the lat-

Galantis

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

(continued from page 16)

40

along the line that you haven’t met before.

DJ Times: Music seems to be a high-quality export of Sweden. Why does so much talent come from there? Is it the weather that forces you to stay in the studio?

Karlsson: That is the No. 1 question we get from us being Swedish and in music since we’ve started in the industry. I don’t think there’s a real straight answer to that, but I do believe that the weather has something [to do with it]. When it’s so cold and dark, you tend to be inside. It’s not only music: video gaming or shit like that is huge. For me and Linus, we both grew up being in rehearsal spaces and playing guitar or drums.

It was a place you went to every day after school. Music and trying to be creative was an outlet when it was cold and dark.

DJ Times: The Galantis project started with you two doing a collaborating with A-Trak, as well as releasing a single “Raveheart” that ended up sounding nothing like what your sound is today. How did “Smile” come to be and how did it set the base for what you’re doing?

Karlsson: We were exploring. At the time, we were loving the scene, and there was so much cool shit coming out. We were starting to explore

MP3s in 6

Compiled As March 9, 2017

NATIONAL CROSSOVER POOL CHART

NATIONAL URBAN POOL CHART

1 Ed Sheeran 2 Britney Spears 3 Clean Bandit F/Sean Paul & Anne-Marie 4 LeAnne Rimes 5 The Weeknd F/ Daft Punk 6 The Chainsmokers F/ XYLO 7 Sia 8 Donna Summer & Barbara Streisand 9 Zayn F/ Taylor Swift 10 Luciana & Dave Aude 11 Niall Horan 12 Arianna Grande F/ Nicki Minaj 13 Axwell ^ Ingrosso / Kid Ink 14 Bebe Rexha 15 B. Crum F/ Toy Armada & DJ Grind 16 Katy Perry 17 Robin Schulz & D. Guetta F/ Cheat Codes 18 Lady Gaga 19 Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Vs. Diplo 20 Alessia Cara 21 Bruno Mars 22 Rihanna 23 Rod Carrillo 24 Salt Ashes 25 Hailee Steinfeld & Greg F/ Zedd 26 Martin Solveig 27 Machine Gun Kelly F/ Camila Cabello 28 Pavlova 29 X-Ambassadors 30 Dua Lipa 31 Kaat 32 Tony Moran & Dani Toro F/ Zhana Roy 33 Tony Moran F/ Jason Walker 34 DNCE 35 John Legend 36 Glovibes F/ Gary Caos 37 Nevada F/ Mark Morrison & Fetty Wap 38 Starley 39 Kygo & Selena Gomez 40 Vassy

1 Drake 2 Big Sean 3 Amine 4 Dj Luke Nasty 5 Migos F/ Lil Uzi Vert 6 Chris Brown F/ Usher & Gucci Mane 7 Future F/ Drake 8 Rob $tone F/ J.Davis & Spooks 9 Mila J 10 Khalid 11 J. Cole 12 Partynextdoor 13 Dj Khaled F/Beyonce & Jay-Z 14 Migos 15 Gucci Mane F/ Drake 16 Trey Songz 17 Bibi Bourelly 18 Fat Joe & Remy Ma F/ Ty Dolla $ign 19 Kehlani 20 Big Sean

Most Added Tracks

Shape Of You Atlantic Slumber Party Jive Rockabye RRP Long Live Love Audacious Feel It Coming Republic Paris Columbia Move You Body RCA Enough Is Enough 2017 Casablanca I Don’t Wanna Live Forever RCA Yeah Yeah 2017 Audacious This Town Capitol Side To Side Republic I Love You Def Jam I Got You Warner Brothers Show Me Love Popsicle Chained To The Rhythm Capitol Shed A Light Warner Brothers Million Reasons Interscope Hey Baby Mad Decent Scars To Your Beautiful Def Jam 24K Magic Atlantic Sew With Me Roc Nation Alegre Carrillo Save It - UK Mixes Radikal Starving Republic Places Republic Bad Things Interscope Burn Bright Republic Unsteady Interscope Blow Your Mind Warner Brothers Unbeautiful BMAB Lick Me Up Swishcraft Say Yes Sugar House Body Moves Universal Republic Love Me Now Columbia Watch Out Casa Rossa The Mack Capitol Call On Me Epic It Ain’t Me Interscope Nothing To Lose Mushroom

1 Pavlova Burn Bright 2 Axwell ^ Ingrosso / Ft. Kid Ink I Love You 3 Bruno Mars That’s What I Like 4 Martin Garrix Scared To Be Lonely 5 The Chainsmokers & Coldplay Something Just Like This 6 Katy Perry Chained To The Rhythm 7 Kim Cameron It Starts Raining 8 Dan Slater & JimJam Ft. Nalaya Brown Minute Of You 9 Kygo & Selena Gomez It Ain’t Me 10 Rod Carrillo Alegre

Republic Def Jam Atlantic RCA Columbia Capitol Side FX Swishcraft Interscope Carrillo

REPORTING POOLS

n Peter K. Productions n Masspool - Saugus, MA; Gary Canavo n OMAP - Washington, DC; Al Chasen n Dirty Pop Productions - San Diego, CA; DJ Drew n Dj Stickyboots - Goshen, NJ; Blake Eckelbarger n Victors - Milwaukee, WI; Chris Egner n Nexus Radio - Chicago, IL; Manny Esparza n Next Music Pool - Los Angeles, CA; Bob Ketcher n Soundworks - San Francisco, CA; Sam Labelle n DJ Dark Intensity - Los Angeles, CA; Manny Martinez n Klubjumpers - San Antonio, TX; Dan Mathews n New York Music Pool - New York, NY; Jackie McCloy n Dixie Dance Kings R - Atlanta, GA; Dan Miller n C-89.5 - Seattle, WA; Randy Schlager n Mixxmasters - Lithonia, GA; Brian Stephens n DJ Laszlo - Las Vegas, NV; Laszlo Szenasi n Pacific Coast - Long Beach, CA; Steve

Tsepelis

LOOKING FOR THESE TITLES? YOU CAN HEAR THEM AND BUY THEM AT WWW.DANCEKINGS. COM. JUST CLICK ON THE LINKS IN THE CHART. DDK HAS LIMITED MEMBERSHIPS AVAILABLE

Fake Love Bounce Back Caroline OTW Bad And Boujee Party Used To This Chill Bill Kickin’ Back Location Deja Vu Not Nice Shining T-Shirt Both Push It On Me Ballin Money Showers Distraction Moves

Republic Def Jam Republic OTHAZ Quality Control RCA Epic RCA Capitol RCA Interscope Warner Brothers Epic Quality Control Atlantic Capitol Def Jam Empire Atlantic Def Jam

Most Added Tracks 1 Omarion 2 Dj Khaled F/Beyonce 3 Migos 4 Jeremih F/ Chris Brown 5 Mariah Carey F/ YG

Distance Shining T-Shirt I Think Of You I Don’t

Atlantic Epic Quality Control Def Jam Epic

NATIONAL LATIN DANCE POOL CHART 1. Grupomania 2. Luis Fonsi feat Daddy Yankee 3. Prince Royce ft G Ortiz 4. 24 Horas 5. Grupo Niche 6. Juanes 7. Hector Acosta 8. Toño Rosario 9. Adassa feat Ayrin 10. Kinito Mendez 11. Shakira feat Malumac 12. Rolf Sanchez 13. Johnny Ray 14. Don Omar feat Zion & Lennox 15 Ozuna feat Aecangel 16. Edgar Joel 17. Johnny Rivera 18. Tito Rojas 19. Magia Caribeña 20. Carlos Vives

Si Me Quieres No Me Quieres Despacito Moneda Por Favor El Coco Fuego Amorcito Enfermito Dale Vieja Tu Complice Las Mujeres HANTAJE Paso A Paso Fistes Tu Te Quiero Para Mi Yo Te Quiero Hacha & Machete Si Se Enamora De Mi Esa Clase De Mujer Besos Usados Al Filo De Tu Amor

Mania Music Universal Sony La Oreja Media Group Select O Hits Latin Hits Dam Music Cerro Music Warner/Vale/Kult J&N sONY Music Sony Music JZ Prod Machete Making Money Promo Lluvia Ent. TR MC Summa Ent.

Most Added Tracks 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Forangel Sebastian Yatra Rafu Warner El Gran Combo Johnny Ventura

Ay Amor Traicionera Sin Hablarte Seguira Tu Chupa

Latin Best Music Universal Rammy Sony Chantiao Music

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

est run of songs?

Karlsson: I think we had it from the beginning, but there was also a lot of emotional stuff. There was a mix. I think what’s been inspiring is just the feel-good vibe, and it’s a soulful thing that we’ve been on the train for a little bit. We also released “Pillow Fight” just to show our fans that we haven’t left any of the other parts of Galantis; you can play it next to “You,” and it’s kind of the same type of song.

DJ Times: “Rich Boy” just came out. How did that song come to be?

Karlsson: “No Money” is [sung by] a 10-year-old boy singing, right?

“Rich Boy” is actually a 7-year-old girl singing! We started with that vocal and it was like… oh my God. Something in her performance was instantly catching out attention, and we took it from there and played around trying to figure out how to make it into a Galantis track, basically.

DJ Times: Is there a second album on the way?

Both: Yes! DJ Times: How’s work on it coming along?

Karlsson: Great! We always feel like, “We’re done writing the songs – let’s focus on the production.” But we’re never done writing the songs!

We can’t stop writing the songs. They keep on changing a bit. We’re not scared of that. Part of it is always precious to you because you spent so much time on a track, and obviously we can’t have 30 songs on the album. The hardest part is to choose what the journey of the album is going to be about and what it’s going to be like. But it’s been amazing, I’ve got to say.

DJ Times: How’s work on this one different than Pharmacy?

Karlsson: The biggest change is

that when we did the first one, we weren’t on tour. We didn’t have a sound, really, and we didn’t have a fanbase and platform. We didn’t have anything, so you’re completely free and you have a shitload of time to just be in the studio. There’s something interesting about what we’re having now. It’s the opposite: we’re always on tour, we have a sound, we have the fans and the platform. It’s a different challenge, but it’s also great to know exactly what the project is about because in the beginning you don’t really know—you’re exploring. Also, you have to change and push things forward, so I guess that’s where we’ve been at.

DJ Times: We’re approaching the three-year anniversary of the launch of the Galantis live show at Coachella and you’re playing at Coachella again this year.What went into the creation of a live component for the project?

Why did you decide to make it more than just a DJ set?

Karlsson: A couple of things. One, I think that’s just where we come from. We’re both from being in bands, and I think we like the energy and having a creative flow on stage and having a lot of options and alternatives—like how to change a set or do something a little bit different.

We love DJing, though, so we didn’t want to leave that and be completely live. We wanted it to be one foot in and one foot in something else.

Of course, we’re from the studio, so bringing a lot of things from the studio is important to us. We feel like that’s where we are from, and when and how we started this thing is that creative space. It’s trying to recreate that in a live scenario. I brought some tricks that I’ve been using in Miike Snow for the live show. Linus is a drummer, so that came natural to

bring more drums.

DJ Times: What is the full setup for the Galantis live show? You’ve got Pioneer CDJs up there—what else?

Karlsson: The Roland SPD-SX [sampling percussion pads] are really important for us. We got crashes and big drums. It keeps on changing a little bit if we have synths and what synths—it’s more about filters and stuff, actually. We might do a little bit of synth work, it’s not a big portion at all. Triggering samples and treating samples [is a bigger part]. The way we trigger samples is with drum sticks—it’s just something that feels natural to us. We also like to be able to control the dynamic of the song: swooshes and uplifters and build-ups and stuff. In that way, we’re sending something out from the SPD that goes into the mixer, so sometimes one of us is triggering stuff and the other one is treating it. Sometimes if it’s a longer sample, you can trigger it and then move over and treat it yourself.

DJ Times: You mentioned having one foot in the door and one foot out when it comes to playing live and DJing. For a set like Coachella, how much is planned and how much can you improvise?

Karlsson: The whole thing isn’t improvised because, of course, we rehearse a lot. There are always moments where you’re like, “We don’t want to go here, we want to take it elsewhere!” We might have a couple of options—we’ve already rehearsed so we know we can take it somewhere else. The more touring you do, you have other moments that you’ve done previously and you can be, like, let’s go to that if it fits for that night—that we might do on the fly.

If we’re doing big changes, like really spontaneous ones, we need to talk

to each other so we know. That’s it!

Otherwise we’re open.

DJ Times: You’ve got Coachella coming up. What’s it like to come back to the festival that launched the live show three years later after so much success has come your way?

Karlsson: It’s big. It was such a big moment for us. It was like two weeks after we released out first piece of music, basically, and Coachella is such a special festival. We felt it went amazing, so it feels really great to go back. We’re already starting to prep.

DJ Times: At the end of the day, Galantis is just one project of yours.

How do you compartmentalize the Galantis success and creative process so it doesn’t bleed into Miike Snow or solo projects?

Karlsson: This is the focus. It’s fun to sometimes have other vehicles, but this takes up so much of our time—because of the success of Galantis there’s just so much to do.

I think both me and Linus creatively, we don’t think about what we’re doing; we just do. If we do something, we may go, “This isn’t Galantis,” and either give it away to someone else or we have our other side projects.

It’s just good to have options. I don’t think we’re thinking much about what exactly it is when we’re creating it.

DJ Times: What else do you have planned for the year? Is there more touring coming up? Is the album coming out this year?

Karlsson: There’s a lot of touring.

We already announced some stuff, and we’re going to keep on announcing. It’s going to be our biggest year in terms of touring, and it’s definitely going to be our biggest year in terms of releasing stuff. We’re going to release more music than we’ve done previous years. It’s all happening in n 2017!

Sleepy & Boo: Beyond Basics

We’re a married-couple DJ team.

And in our house, I’m the boss!

DJ TIMES

APRIL 2017

My wife is just the decision maker.

42

Sleepy & Boo, Next Month in DJ Times

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