DJ Times May 2016, Vol 29 No 5

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Family DJ Biz: Like Father, Like Son The Madness: Miami Music Week ’16

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Plus: Moderat >> Delta Heavy Ableton Push 2 >> Hercules Controller Booking & Referral Tips for Mobiles

On the Horizon: DJ Expo ’16

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MIAMI MUSIC WEEK ’16: ULTRA FEST & A CAVALCADE OF PARTIES

Fiery Spider: Ultra’s Resistance Stage.

genres in a way that kept that floor absolutely packed until 5 a.m.

March 17: We headed over to Jamie Jones’ annual 12-hour party gauntlet: Paradise Miami.

The main stage feaGet Lost: Guy Gerber at the 24-hour party. tured the usual suspects, with killer sets March 16: A day into MMW, we from Jamie Jones B2B The Martientered the doors of South Beach’s nez Brothers, Stacey Pullen, and Bob Treehouse for Dusky’s showcase in Moses packing the house start to the 2 a.m. hour. The party boasted finish. Over in Room 2, Lee Foss’ one of the early week’s strongest chunky house cuts (namely, DJ Deeon lineups, with Dusky being joined and Lee Walker’s smashing Defected in the main room of the club by track “Freak Like Me”) proved to be Jackathon matriarch Heidi and San the highlight.

Francisco-based collective Honey March 19: Get Lost was the place Soundsystem. The latter provided to be on Saturday. The annual 24one of the most surprising sets of the hour party is the baby of Damian entire of the week, with member Ja- Lazarus and his Crosstown Rebels lason Kendig throwing down a furious bel, bringing over 50 artists to a highBerghain-ready techno set that also concept, fully rounded experience managed to channel the euphoric that challenges the simple notion of spirit of early ’90s house. a party. This year’s installment—the Over in the darker second room, 11th session—was a four-room exJackmaster went back-to-back with travaganza that spanned from 5 a.m.

Chicago’s own The Black Madonna. It Saturday morning to 5 a.m. Sunday. was a pretty unique set sonically, as We headed over to the secret both artists are well-known for be- Little Haiti location right at the drop ing wild cards with their unexpected of 5 a.m. to catch Sasha’s opening set. selections. Brought together, the pair The Last Night on Earth head honbended soundscapes, rhythms, and cho got things grooving from the get-

Rukes.com

go, with a thumping house vibe that got the revelers moving. However, it was David Morales’ sunrise set that stole the show—he schooled

the decidedly heady crowd of Get Lost. Deftly transitioning from house classics (Alison Limerick’s “Where Love Lives”) to present-day bangers (Carl Craig’s Brainy Grimlin remix of Aphrohead’s “Grown Man Cryy”), he brought The Nest to its knees amongst the pumping fog machine and rising sunrays.

For the evening shift, Heidi kicked the proceedings into high gear, dropping Denney’s “Acid (You’re Free),” as well as a massively slowed-down mix of Lil Louis’ classic “French Kiss” over in the outdoor Alley stage. Other highlights included masterful sets (continued on page 42)

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Miami Beach, Fla. – Like moths to a flame, thousands of dance-music fans, DJs and industry types once again flocked to South Florida for the annual party pilgrimage of Miami Music Week, Ultra Music Festival, and Winter Music Conference this past March 15-24, partaking in enough late nights Ultra: Hardwell and all-day beach parties on the mainstage. to get their fill for a full year. The DJ Times staff was no exception, as we spent a full week amid the Miami shuffle to take in as much music as possible.

As expected, the week offered some of the best music and vibes of the year. Here’s a taste of what we experienced:

Philippe Wuyts

By Chris Caruso

3

VOLUME 29

NUMBER 5

12 20 24

Let the Music Play

By Crushing It Old-School & Spinning a Variety of Dancefloor Genres, Scotland’s Jackmaster Proves That a DJ Can Still Make Big Noise Beyond the Studio

BY CHRIS CARUSO

Miami Music Week ’16 With WMC, Ultra Fest & Parties Galore, Miami Again Was Overrun with DJs & Industry Types. It All Looked Like This.

BY DJ TIMES PHOTOGRAPHERS

A Family Affair The DJ Industry Isn’t Immune to Nepotism—Just Ask These Proud Pops & Their Sons

BY JEFF STILES

DEPARTMENTS 7 Feedback

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

26 Making Tracks

Ableton Push 2

28 Sounding Off

Hercules DJControl Jogvision

30 Mobile Profile

Cali Jock Finds the Sweet Spot

32 Business Line

How to Turn Fun, Different & Unique into Cash

34 Gear

New Products from Reloop, Grundorf & More

38 Grooves

Phat Tracks from Tim Deluxe, Sin Morera & More

41 Club Play Chart

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

SAMPLINGS 8 Moderat

4

Killer Collab Returns

10 In the Studio With…

Delta Heavy

Contents Image by Zoe Lower

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

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FROM THE EDITOR

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

Jackmaster: Superior Selector

6

When I’m out on the town at a music convention, there’s this phrase I usually go by: “Never leave a party to go to a party.” To me, it means, “When things are going well at one place, don’t expect things to be any better at another one. Disappointment usually awaits.” Of course, there are times when I don’t follow my own advice.

Case in point: This past October’s Amsterdam Dance Event. We were out one night at the Air nightclub, the cash-free super-club in the Rembrandtplein, for a solid evening of music—Kolsch, Pete Tong, etc. I had it in my mind that, eventually, I had to cut out early to visit Studio 80, a favorite techno club of mine not too far away. The night at Air was going fine and, just as I began to leave, I heard the tone of the party ramp up and change for the better—the music got funkier, spicier. The next DJ—Scotland’s Jackmaster—had certainly come on. Still moving to the door, I heard him drop Prince’s “Controversy”—not some edit or remix, but the album version and it sounded great. I was mere steps away from the door, but I didn’t want to leave. I struggled over it, but stupidly, I left… and, probably predictably, the Studio 80 event turned out to be underwhelming.

The next day I asked my colleague Chris Caruso how the rest of the set was and, trying not to rub it in, he said, “Best set I’ve heard all week.” I wasn’t surprised. Anyone with the confidence to play a Prince song from 1981 in that venue in the midst of a big industry conference is alright by me.

Luckily, since then, we’ve caught a couple more wildly diverse Jackmaster sets and we figured it was time to give him his due Stateside. So here it is, Jack Revill’s first U.S. cover story, wherein he tells Chris about the Glasgow scene, his approach to the craft and how he manages to avoid the studio, surviving exclusively as a superior selector.

In Samplings, we stay focused on European acts, as our L.A.-based reporter Lily Moayeri connects with London drum-n-bass duo, Delta Heavy, and they discuss the studio techniques that went into making the group’s recent album, Paradise Lost. Additionally, I connected with Moderat, the Berlinbased project involving electronic maestros Apparat (Sascha Ring) and Modeselektor (Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary), who were in New York doing some pre-promotion on their third full-length, appropriately titled III. Look for Moderat’s eight-city North American tour, which will run May 19-27, and look for an exclusive DJ Times blog entry as the Moderat guys discuss their individual DJing approaches and histories. Danke, fellas.

This month, our Denver-based gear maven Wesley Bryant-King handles both equipment-review columns. In Sounding Off, he tests the Hercules DJControl Jogvision and finds that it’s a fine starter kit for beginners. Of course, that wasn’t the case with the Making Tracks review unit – Ableton’s Push 2 controller – a piece that dramatically improves on the original and serves as an outstanding complement to Ableton Live software. Also, keep an eye out for Wes’ video reviews on DJ Times TV – his five minutes with the Ableton Push 2 should give users further insight on this swell product.

On the mobile tip, our Iowa-based scribe Jeff Stiles features several entertainment companies that have benefitted by keeping the business in the family—so, does nepotism work? For Mobile Profile, we visit with Anaheim, Calif.-based jock Mike Sanchez, who made the decision almost 24 years ago to go full-time and now books some of the West Coast’s top corporate events in the area’s most spectacular venues—seems like things have worked out. In Business Line, we meet with North Carolina mobile entrepreneur Fox Feltman, who will moderate the “Gain More Bookings, Referrals & Money” seminar at DJ Expo, this August in Atlantic City, N.J. For the column, Feltman explains how a DJ can turn fun, different and unique into cash.

Of course, a big portion of this issue is devoted to Miami Music Week, which included Ultra Music Festival, Winter Music Conference, plus a slew of club events and pool parties. As always, DJ Times was there, supporting WMC with a dedicated exhibition booth, participating at Ultra and staying up past our regular bedtimes to take in as much music as we could. In the News section, our Mr. Caruso offers his look at the music-related events, and in a pair of photo spreads, we see how Miami Music Week looked from the stage, the DJ booth and the dancefloor.

One more thing: Don’t forget that DJ Expo is on the horizon. Set for Aug. 15-18 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J., DJ Expo will bring the latest gear in its exhibit hall, the latest topics discussed in its seminar sessions and the greatest talent with its sponsored evening events. And, with the “Ultimate DJ System” Giveaway, one lucky Expo attendee can take home quite a prize. Take a look at the opposite page for some of the seminar sessions attendees can expect at this year’s Expo. Remember, no matter what you do in life, you’re never done learning about your craft—and at DJ Expo, expect to learn a lot. Please visit thedjexpo.com for the latest show updates and we hope to see you in AC. Cheers,

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 Jody Amos Joe Bermudez Wesley Bryant-King Shawn Christopher Paul Dailey Reed Dailey Chris Davis Tony Fernandez Tommy D Funk Michelle Fetky Greg Hollmann Mike Klasco Michelle Loeb Evan Maag Duanny Medrano Lily Moayeri Phil Moffa Natalie Raben Scott Rubin Deanna Rilling Jeff Stiles Reisa Shanaman Emily Tan 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 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 © 2016 by DJ Publishing, Inc., and must not be reproduced in any manner except by permission of the publisher. Websites: www. djtimes.com and www.testa.com May 2016

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Preview: Miami Music Week

this seminar, 28-year DJ vet Fox Felt‑ man will explain how he went from having a full-time day job with 20 wed‑ dings a year at the average market rate, to taking his entertainment company to a full-time multi-system operation, av‑ eraging 140 weddings a year and dou‑ bling the market average rate. Learn how to stay in demand, how to raise your rates, get you more vendor and client referrals and allow your clients and guests to have the most success‑

ful events.

“How to Steal the Show – Every Time!” Maryland multi-op owner Steve Moody will help you to master the skills of master MCs like Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark—from their use of the microphone, to their body language, vocal technique, the way in which they prepare, the thought process leading into performances and their ability to adjust during that live performance. Make your perfor‑

mances unlike anyone else.

“Advanced Mixing Seminar: Creativity & The New Technology.” OK, you understand the basics of beatmix‑ ing—it’s now part of your DJ arsenal.

What’s the next step? How do you incorporate the new digital technolo‑ gies that offer more options? How can sharpen your mix & make it more creative? Longtime DJ Tony Fernandez will take you through a brave new world of beatmixing.

3/11/2016 2:11:52 PM

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

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

DJ Expo: On the Horizon DJ Expo is set to run Aug. 15-18 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, N.J. First produced by DJ Times and Testa Communications in 1990, DJ Expo remains America’s longest-running and most-successful DJ conference.

The show features: an exhibit hall full of the latest DJ-related gear; seminars offering solutions for dozens of topics; and sponsored evening events featur‑ ing top talent.

At presstime, the Expo seminar sched‑ ule included the following: “More Keys to a Great DJ & MC Performance.” Last year, Mike Walter sought to improve every DJ’s perfor‑ mance with his “Keys” seminar and DVD release. His emphasis this year is the same, but in this brand-new semi‑ nar, he will offer fresh and exciting ways to take your events to the next level. Improve performance, throw better parties, generate stronger refer‑ rals, create rabid fans and make more money. That’s the formula for success in our industry and Mike Walter is here to show you how.

“What Would You Do? Solutions to Situations.” A panel of mobile-DJ professionals led by Jam on Sound’s Mike Kindlick will answer hypothetical questions about gear, sales, problem‑ atic situations, management, music programming and more. Since the panelists won’t know the questions in advance, this session will feature answers and reactions in “real time.”

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SAMPLINGS

MODERAT: MAKING III

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

Moderat: (from left) Szary, Bronsert & Ring.

8

There was a time when Apparat and Modeselektor might not have seemed to be obvious collab partners.

Apparat’s Sascha Ring had always been a master at creating ultra-melodic, often-gorgeous, generally otherworldly electronic sounds. Check his terrific 2011 CD, The Devil’s Walk—it’s more EM than EDM, for sure. Meanwhile, the output from Modeselektor’s Sebastian Szar y and Gernot Bronsert leaned more dancefloor-friendly, but certainly never in a genre-specific way. For example, Monkeytown (also from 2011), offers a wildly dynamic range of grooves, textures and beats— quirkier than Apparat, perhaps, but no less appealing.

But now, 14 years and 10 releases later, the Berlin-based trio known as Moderat remains one of electronic music’s most distinctive acts. As again evidenced on its latest full-length (III on Monkeytown Records), Moderat brings a kaleidoscopic mixture of melody (murky or direct), percussion (glitchy or breakbeat), sounds (icy or harrowing) and vocals (haunting or emotional).

Add it all up and III’s a pretty addictive serving. We caught up with the Szary, Bronsert and Ring when they visited Manhattan this past winter.

DJ Times: What do you like about the Modeselektor sound that made you want to collaborate?

Sascha Ring: I know that Modeselektor have a certain image—

they’ve been called “techno hooligans.” [laughs] But I know that they have a completely different side.

They’ve make quite melodic records as well—maybe people don’t know those records quite so much. It might seem that we’re far away from each other musically, but in reality we’re not that far. Back in the day, I was playing hard techno and, even today when I DJ, I have my moments when I really like the noisy, distorted stuff, so this is still inside me. So just like I have this side, they also have a melodic side.

DJ Times: And what did Modeselektor like about Sascha’s Apparat music?

Sebastian Szary: We liked his emotional side to his music. I felt some similarity to his music. It’s emotional music—it’s not meant to just please someone or to feed some genre. It tells you something without having lyrics. It’s like a transmitter for emotions.

DJ Times: Moderat music defies the genres—there’s no easy place to put it. How would you describe it?

Gernot Bronsert: I see it as a perfect soundtrack for a movie that’s not done yet.

DJ Times: In the studio, what gear or software can you not live without?

Bronsert: The studio is always changing—gear is coming and going. We have machines, things like analog synths, that we will never sell because we love them. But, more

and more, we are using software synths. I think Szary is using a lot of outboard equipment like the AIRA machines, guitar pedal effects and MPCs. But it changes always. We recorded a lot with the modular system with constantly changing patches.

DJ Times: What’s your platform?

Szary: Basically, we use Logic and Ableton, but we use all the usual software, like Native Instruments Reaktor 5 is standard, basic. But if there’s something new that we like, we’ll use it.

Bronsert: Since 2011, a very important synthesizer from Native Instruments, Razor, has delivered our bass sounds. That’s very important—it’s one of our favorite soft synths.

DJ Times: Sascha, you’re known for your unique sounds. How do you make them?

Ring: I got tired of synthesizers about 10 years ago. So, the main sounds on my records are sounds that are heavily effected.Very often, I will use just a guitar or a piano or a mandolin, and I will use lots of guitar patches. I really like the fact that there’s still dirt in there. Like when I play the guitar, I don’t do it very well, so when there’s strumming I hit something I’m not supposed to hit—that makes it a little more interesting and dirty. So, they’re acoustic sounds—they’re just effected.

DJ Times: And specifically when working as Moderat…

Ring: For the synthesizers with Moderat, I’m always searching for something else. For our second record, I discovered the world of the iPad and I was using lots of apps. For the last record, I bought a modular system and I was just patching around. But I didn’t use any analog sounds—like I was using a sampling module and was modulating it heavily and using effects.

DJ Times: What’s the process for making a Moderat record?

Ring: We all try to come up with as many ideas as possible. We have months and months where we go to the studio separately and try to come up with ideas. Then, at some point, we have a huge folder of ideas and then we start developing them together.

Bronsert: The listener really cannot tell who is bringing which sounds and which beats. This changes from time to time, but the songs themselves and the lyrics… that’s Sascha.

DJ Times: How’s the Moderat recording process different for Modeselektor?

Bronsert: It is a democracy and it is way harder to make three people happy than two. A lot of work is about understanding each other and what the other person wants to say with the idea, the song or the beat.

We don’t always all know what we want to do, but we definitely know what we don’t want to do.

– Jim Tremayne

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Delta Heavy: (from left) Ben Hall & Simon James.

IN THE STUDIO

DELTA HEAVY: CREATING PARADISE LOST

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

Delta Heavy’s Ben Hall doesn’t live anywhere. It’s not as dire as it sounds or as unusual as it may seem for a musician who spends more time on the road than at home. But, at the moment, Hall is slumming it in Los Angeles after completing a North American tour with Calyx & TeeBee. Meanwhile, his other half, the London-residing Simon James, is putting the Delta Heavy stamp on a bunch of European cities with his own DJ tour.

It’s a particularly busy time for the British duo, whose long-awaited debut album, Paradise Lost, is finally out on drum-n-bass powerhouse, Ram Records. While Delta Heavy has been releasing tracks from Paradise Lost for the last 18 months, hearing the 14 tracks collected together generates a deeper appreciation for the breadth of the duo’s multi-genre production abilities. Finally, fans get almost

10

everything in one package.

Delta Heavy, who co-opted its name from the long-defunct Sasha and Digweed tour, formed its official partnership in 2008. The unifying force was, and is, drum-n-bass, but the two have never been locked down to a particular BPM. The track that got Delta Heavy the most attention was its 110-BPM remix of Nero’s “Must Be the Feeling,” which they followed with their own dubstep-y track, “Empire.” But, as Hall says, “We got bored of that sound.” This is not unexpected from Delta Heavy and releasing an album rather than just EPs or singles allows the duo to experiment with not only styles, but speeds.

Paradise Lost still has its share of dn-b dancefloor tracks, many of which fall into the harder-hitting, headstrong variety, such as “Pathways” and “Oscillator.” On others, like “City of Dreams”5 and “Event Horizon,” a mesh of trance is constructed

through the robust d-n-b scaffolding.

With its creepy spoken-word intro, “Tremors” harkens back to Vincent Price’s similar bit on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” before it kicks into a ripping banger. Elsewhere, soulful vocals accompany the breaks-meetfuture-house of “Punish My Love” and the electro-bounce of “Reborn.”

“If you’re an artist who does a range of styles, it’s hard to please everyone,” says Hall, who minds most of the group’s engineering needs, while James handles its melody/ chord-progression tasks. “There are people who like one style and want you to keep doing the same thing.

They want you to do music for them, not for yourself, not for others, just for them. The album gives us a chance to cater to everyone—not that that was our intention, but I think we’ve ended up catering to most of our fans.”

Work on Paradise Lost began at

the duo’s Central London studio, which moved location a few times and has since been closed. Here they did the writing and recording, including the vocals, which are tracked on a Neumann U 87 microphone through an API preamp into Elysia Mpressor compressor into a Prism Sound Orpheus interface. It was finished and mixed at home on laptops. Although they had access to outboard gear, like the Access Virus TI, software synths like Native Instruments Massive and Spectrasonics Omnisphere 2—“That would be our desert island thing,” says Hall—figured largely in Paradise Lost’s sound.

For mixing, the duo used Soundtoys, Fab Filter, and iZotope Ozone plug-ins. Delta Heavy gets its mastering done at the shrine of drum-n-bass mastering, Ten Eight Seven Mastering with the famed Beau Thomas, but Hall does much of it at home.

“We send [Thomas] the pre-masters

with 2 dB of headroom reduction,” explains Hall. “The way everyone produces these days is quite loud and when you’re going to the loud, clean sound everyone is aiming for, it’s quicker and easier for [Thomas] to keep it in software—even in his amazing analog room.”

Their DJing is similarly clean, as they employ USB sticks, along with four Pioneer CDJ-2000NXS CDJs and a DJM-900NXS mixer. “We use them properly,” says Hall. “We mix two tunes to drop together live. A lot of people pre-record edits that are one tune and another tune is dropping in so they can go on the mic or jump up on the table. We don’t do anything. It’s quite hard to hype the crowd on the mic, take Snapchats of your set, while mixing on three decks. When I try to do that, I drop my phone. I need two interns for that.

“We come from vinyl and turntables,” he continues. “I used to have DJ nightmares where I’d be looking for the next track and couldn’t find it in my record bag. Those nightmares have been replaced by technical ones where I press play and there are no tracks on my USB, and the other one doesn’t work.”

– Lily Moayeri

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DJ TIMES 12

DJ Only: Jackmaster remains happy rocking the party.

L

By Crushing

It Old-School & Spinning a Variety of Dancefloor Genres,

Scotland’s

Jackmaster

Proves That a DJ Can Still Make Big

Noise Beyond the Studio

For anyone who’s ever stepped foot into a nightclub in the past three decades, you’ve no doubt heard Chuck Roberts’ iconic proclamation on Rhythm Controll’s 1987 staple “My House”: “In the beginning there was Jack, and Jack had a groove…”

While Jack Revill was just a wee lad crawling around Scotland at the time of the track’s release, he might as well have served as the titular subject as the song.

Donning the name Jackmaster when he took to the decks in his early teens, the young Glaswegian found a home—and his encyclopedic knowledge of music— while working amongst the stacks in the city’s Rubadub record/gear shop.

You see, Revill is a true selector—the oft-revered “DJ’s DJ,” if you will. You won’t find his name slapped on any record sleeves, perhaps next to a ghost producer’s—no, Jackmaster is entirely dedicated to the art of the mix. Armed with a seemingly bottomless record bag and an innate sense of how a party should flow (thanks to his formative years running not-quite-legal events at the bar owned by a friend’s father), the jock is unafraid to incorporate slammers of all genres into his sets with a signature high-speed mixing style. Whether he’s deftly taking clubbers from tech-house blazers to classics like Prince’s “Controversy” in mere seconds or crate-digging to bring forgotten gems back to the surface, Jackmaster is a sight to behold as he rips into crowds with ease.

Despite a nonstop touring schedule that keeps him up most nights of the week, the man keeps a firm finger on the pulse of clubland as co-founder of the

LET THE MUSIC PLAY

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

By Chris Caruso

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Jackmaster’s Record Bag: 3 Tracks That Never Leave

Cratebug – “Acid Train” [Bug Records, 2015]: “I think I was the first person Cratebug sent this to, and I’ve literally played it in every set since. It kills the floor every time I play it.”

Butch – “Dope” [Play It Say It, 2015]: “Out on Seth Troxler’s label, it’s disco-sampling house with a huge crescendo that brings the roof down on any dancefloor.”

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

Davina – “Don’t You Want It” [Happy Records, 1992]: “A Mad Mike-produced deephouse screamer that’s a big classic in Glasgow. I’ve seen it bring girls to tears before.”

– C.C.

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label Numbers. Taking its name from the party Revill ran in Glasgow in his teens and run in conjunction with five of his associates (Bobby Cleaver, Goodhand, Nelson, Spencer and Simply Richard), the imprint and party series has become a seminal figure in the world’s musical landscape. With Numbers having been the home to pivotal releases from illustrious artists like Jamie XX and SBTRKT, Revill has helped shape the taste of clubgoers far and wide with his placement at the heart of the brand.

Now, Jackmaster is about to reach another career milestone by entering

the hallowed halls of the DJ-Kicks compilation series. We caught up with 30-year-old Scotsman during his packed Miami Music Week schedule, where he broke down his path to the top of the mixing pack.

DJ Times: What sort of musical upbringing did you have? Was your family particularly musical?

Jack Revill: My family was very mu s i c a l , e s p e c i a l ly my d a d . H e brought us up on black music—soul, funk—and some popular stuff like Prince. He was playing music all the time, and I used to sit in front of his hi-fi with headphones on. You know

how you used to have lyric sheets with CDs? I’d be singing along to all the tracks. If it wasn’t for my dad that played me music and got me involved and interested in high-quality music when I was so young, I probably wouldn’t be doing this. Or I’d be a shit EDM DJ. DJ Times: You started out in a record store, correct?

Revill: Yeah.

DJ Times: Is that how you picked up DJing?

Revill: No, I’d actually been DJing before that. I was about 13-years old and my friend Calum [Morton] had a

bag full of records. I went, “Oh, you’re a DJ?” I wanted to try that. At the time the pop charts in Scotland and England were very dance-oriented, so I was like, “Can you teach me how to DJ?” He took me up to his bedroom and—on some crap belt-drive decks—taught me to DJ. Then, after my work experience at Rubadub— it’s like an internship from school— gave me a job right away.

DJ Times: When did you start throwing parties? Your friend’s dad had a bar— Revill: You’ve done your research!

Calum—the guy who taught me how

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ART 745-A SUB 8004-AS

to DJ—his dad owned a bar/restaurant, which is where we could do our illegal parties when we were, like, 16.

DJ Times: Was that Seismic or Numbers?

Revill: Both. Numbers came from Seismic.

DJ Times: How did it Numbers grow from Seismic? How was it different?

Revill: Seismic was very electro— good electro like Kraftwerk, not like what they call electro now. Whereas Numbers was anything goes—you could play anything you want from hip-hop to R&B to techno, IDM.

DJ Times: This was in Glasgow.

There’s a pretty interesting party scene there. What makes it different over there?

Revill: Part of the thing is that the clubs in Glasgow close at 3 a.m., because we have really strict license laws. That kind of makes it special, in that the club kind of ends on its peak when everyone just wants more, more. There’s a very strong afterparty scene in Glasgow. I don’t mean “go to a warehouse and have a rave.”

I mean, go to someone’s house and just chill out and fucking get to know each other and have a few drinks or

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whatever else.

DJ Times: You’ve mentioned that, because the night ends earlier, you have to play a different way. What did you mean by that?

Revill: Yeah, you have to play fast.

DJ Times: So you have to mix in more tracks?

Revill: Yeah. I still mix fast, but not as fast as I used to. I’ve got some recordings of me DJing when I was a kid and it was like the first set of the night. I’m warming up, and I’m playing fucking “Windowlicker” by Aphex Twin. That’s how short of a timespan.

You don’t have time to warm up— you just have to go for it.

DJ Times: How important to a

good party is that opening DJ? Revill: Very, very important, I’d say.

The opener and the closer are the most important things because they really set the tone. The opener sets the tone for your whole mix, and the outro is going to leave with in their heads. I always try to plan what I’m going to play first and last—everything else is kind of like a freestyle journey.

DJ Times: How tight-knit is the DJ community in Glasgow?

Revill: Very tight. There used to be a slight element of competition, but now everyone works together. Everyone’s pals, that’s what is so great about it.

DJing with Jackmaster…

DJ Times: It seems like with Hudson Mohawke, Rustie, and you all coming out of Glasgow that it’s now become a bit of a hotspot for talent.

What do you think the reason for that is?

Revill: I think Rubadub served as my education. I don’t know what it is about those guys that makes them so good. I wish I did; I’d be doing it.

For a lot of kids in Glasgow, there’s not a lot to do, so you either go out fighting and drinking or—in the case of Hudson Mohawke—you hammer yourself up in the studio and make music because there’s fuck all else to do.

DJ Times: Numbers was a party before it became a label, but that wasn’t your first label, right?

Revill: Oh man, I’ve had like six labels or something.

DJ Times: So how did it come to be?

Revill: There’s two crews in Numbers: the older guys and the younger guys [us]. We were finding we were constantly arguing with each other about who could book who for their night and who could sign a demo off whoever for their labels. One day, someone came up with the idea: instead of arguing, why don’t we come together and do one as Numbers?

DJ Times: How many years ago was that?

Revill: Six or seven.

DJ Times: What kind of identity do you think it’s crafted for itself in that time?

Revill: Identity-wise, it’s a tough one. We just try to put out good music. That’s such a cliché answer, isn’t it? I think actually a lot of the identity comes from our personalities.

There’s six of us, and we’re all different guys. Basically, every decision for the label is done through committee

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MAY 2016

On his preferred setup: “I went from all-vinyl when I was a kid to Serato on turntables, and then switched to Pioneer CDJs. It’s easiest for traveling. I was quite a staunch vinyl supporter and enthusiast, but as soon as I tried CDJs it was like a switch went off and seemed to really work for me. What I basically do is search Discogs and Youtube every day and buy new records, and once they arrive, I record them using a program called iZotope Ozone. I basically record the tracks and remaster them so they sound good in a club, and then play them off my USB sticks. “

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and democracy, and it’s definitely our identities that shape it.

DJ Times: Do you think your experience running labels gave you a leg up when establishing your own career?

Revill: Definitely. Me and Ben UFO are the same because he has his label. Oneman is the only other DJ’s DJ who doesn’t have a label. It completely helps you. If you put out a good record on Numbers, as the poster boy of Numbers, I’m going to get kickback on that record and get more shows.

DJ Times: Your solo career is interesting because you only DJ; you don’t produce. Did that make it more difficult getting your name out there?

Revill: It did, but then it became quite trendy to just be a DJ. So we’re riding the wave just now, so to speak.

I think nowadays it would be much harder for a kid to make it like that.

When I was starting out and uploading mixes to Napster or wherever, there was not much competition.

Nobody was really uploading mix CDs to the internet; they would just burn them on CDs or tapes and give them out. I guess [the time and place was] where I had an advantage, you know? Technology was good.

DJ Times: Do you have any opinion on DJs who hire ghost producers to create productions under their names?

Revill: I have absolutely no problem with ghost producing, right, but I have a problem when that person doesn’t get fully credited. If I ever eventually got into [releasing music] and I have a ghostwriter, I will be giving that guy full credit. It’s just not right, man. How could you live with that on your conscience—do you know what I mean? Without naming (continued on page 42)

that completely doesn’t work, but I think that’s quite rare. It’s very unlikely that I would segue from a Jeff Mills track to hip hop, you know. It’s mainly switching things into disco for a bit and then back, for me. I do like to layer vocals over house and techno tracks. Maybe if I’m playing an instrumental techno song, I might run a Miami Bass track with the bass cut, so you’re only getting the vocals with it or a hip-hop track that’s at the same tempo, so you’re getting the vocals. That’s why sometimes on the rider there’s three Pioneer CDJs on there instead of two, so I can do that at the same time. “

On mixers: “I own an Allen & Heath Xone:DB2, which pretty On his DJing philosophy: “It’s instinct for me, really. Withmuch no club uses. It’s like a Xone:92, but it has effects on it. I don’t really use the effects much, but I do use them when I’m out even having to look up, you should be able to feel what’s gorecording a mix, so I can echo out tracks and stuff. I also own the ing on, what’s going down, [and] what people are reacting to and getting into. Now, I’m getting comfy enough to actually look out quite new Rane MP2015—that’s the rotary mixer.” into the crowd. It used to be that I would never ever look up—I’d On his sets: “I tend to not think about [songs] in terms still be able to read them just by the energy in the room. I don’t of genres—I tend to think about it in terms of energy levels. I know if that’s something everyone has or if I’m just lucky enough think I have an instinct for when the energy in the crowd needs to be able to do that.”

– C.C. switching up. Sometimes I do drop in something quite random

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MAY 2016

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With WMC, Ultra Fest & Parties Galore, Miami Again Was Overrun with DJs, Fans & Industry Types. It All Looked Like This.

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Boom! The scene at Ultra fest â&#x20AC;&#x2122;16.

EDMkevin.co8

By DJ Times Photographers

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Mood Party: Nicole Moudaber in the mix.

AGPfoto

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Winner: Audien with his Remix Award.

Digital Music Pool

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Three: Hallucienda jock rocks Get Lost.

EDMkevin.com

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Get Lost: Felix Da Housecat spreads out.

Khris Cowley/Here&Now

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Daylight: Dash Berlin on main stage.

Philippe Wuyts

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Play It, Say It: Seth Troxler at Get Lost.

Khris Cowley/Here&Now

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On Mic: Steve Aoki at STORY club.

World RedEye

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MAY 2016

Fire Starts: Disclosure at STORY. World RedEye

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Ultra Scene: Hardwell with Craig David.

Rukes.com

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Born to Rage: Dada Lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stefan Engblom.

Oh Dag Yo

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Just Be: Tiësto at Spinnin’ Hotel.

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Some Chords: Deadmau5 at Ultra fest.

EDMkevin.com

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Feel So Close: Calvin Harris at LIV. World RedEye

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Revolutionary Art: Carl Craig at Get Lost.

Khris Cowley/Here&Now

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Mic Check: Lil’ Wayne at LIV. World RedEye

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Take Over: Afrojack at SiriusXM soiree.

Gustavo Caballero

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Ringmaster: Damian Lazarus at Get Lost.

Khris Cowley/Here&Now

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Yeyah: Cassy at the Paradise party.

Khris Cowley/Here&Now

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MAY 2016

Packed: Ultra Worldwide Stage.

Philippe Wuyts

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MAY 2016

Michigan-based DJ Corey Rusch has a familiar story. His dad, a member of a band, saw the popularity of live acts declining, so he turned to DJing to keep working paying events. Along the way, the son got into the DJ act, too.

“My dad, Dean, started Rusch Entertainment with his band [Ceyx] in the late ’60s and early ’70s,” explains Corey of Freeland, Mich. “Now in his sixties, he still plays with the band— which to this day is still very popular for weddings all over Michigan— though whenever the band wants a weekend off, he still DJs.” As for Corey, he recalls DJing for his own first gig when he was just 12-years old, following right along in his dad’s footsteps. “My dad’s band was playing a New Year’s Eve event for adults while I was the DJ for the kid party in the other room,” he recalls.

“I’m now 34-years old and entertain at close to 150 events a year on average, while my dad performs at that many as well, and my brother Casey has even been involved with DJ work.”

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Many parents complain about the next generation of kids, and as mobile jocks many of us might wonder if the next generation of DJs will maintain the standards we’ve developed ourselves.

So, we polled DJs to ask if their children are planning to eventually take over their DJ business. And, if so, who’s choice is it? And how are we grooming them?

Similar to what happened with Rusch’s dad, Dave Dionee got his start with DJing as a way to supplement his income as a radio announcer.

By the fall of this year, the owner of Dionee Entertainment in Gorham, Maine, will have been involved the DJ industry for 40 years.

And along the way, Dave’s sons Joe and James have joined their dad in the business. “In 2000, my oldest son Joe

“My reminders and advice to the two of them have become less necessary and pretty much unneeded—and unwanted, of course,” Dave says with a chuckle. “I have no plans on slowing down or retiring anytime soon or in the foreseeable future, but Joe and James will eventually take over the family business. They both take a great deal of pride in being a part of Dionne Entertainment. They’ve put in the time it takes to improve and gain experience, by being out in the field and practicing the art of being an excellent wedding DJ. “I’m proud of Joe and James, and I’ll have complete confidence in handing over the business to them when the time comes.”

Over in the Midwest, K.C. Kokoruz of The Keith Christopher Entertainment Group in Chicago has been helping his 15-year-old nephew Will get started in the mobile DJ business.

So far, he says Will is in love with the thought of someday having his own DJ business, though he says he’s not quite ready to call this a career path.

“It may end up being my future career, but who knows right now,” says Will. “You could say that DJing is a family thing, though. My father Kurt worked for my uncle in high school and in college, DJing parties all the way up until he and my mom got married, when he hung up his headphones.”

For Will, DJing started when his dad was organizing an Easter-egg hunt at their church when he was only 11 years old, and his uncle was asked to supply music for the event.

“Before it even began, my Uncle Keith was teaching me how everything worked and asked me if I wanted to DJ it,” recalls Will.

“I was hesitant on saying yes because I was scared I’d make a mistake. I had no previous knowledge going into it, but my uncle let me pick out the music and do the basic mixing.

“After the Easter-egg hunt I thought it was really fun and wanted to practice, so I saved up my Christmas, birthday and other random

MAY 2016

BY JEFF STILES

money. My uncle and I went to Guitar Center and I got my first glimpse of that glorious DJ section at Guitar Center. I messed with all the controllers and ended up purchasing a Pioneer DDJ-WeGO-K.” For Will’s next birthday he ended up getting a laptop, a hard drive and headphones, and he says he was off, “messing around, thinking I was the best DJ ever. I kept DJing the Easter-egg hunt at my church for the next two or three years, and I DJed my sister’s Girl Scout dances as well as other various events for my church.”

In order to acquire more knowledge of the industry, last year Will attended Randy Bartlett’s “1% Solutions Microphone Training.”

“At first, I was shy because since I was the youngest person there, but it really helped me get on a microphone and boosted my confidence to be able to MC parties and events in the future.

“I also attended DJ Times’ DJ Expo in Atlantic City with my uncle, and met so many really nice people and learned so much.”

By the end of last summer Will had purchased a Pioneer DDJ-SX2 controller, and earlier this year he had saved up enough cash to buy his own set of JBL EON 615 active loudspeakers, and now he says he’s ready to start doing parties and events near his home for kids his age. So… will Uncle Keith now have some competition for DJ events throughout the Chicago market?

As a 37-year veteran in the DJ industry, Mark Ashe in Enfield, Conn., has experienced his son Nick becoming integrated into the family business, MARX Entertainment & Events.

“Whether it’s spinning at an event, on social media or introducing a new product to the market, Nick has his hands in it,” Mark says. “At MARX, we have two different divisions. On the entertainment side, he’s the vice-president of operation, and in our events division he’s our creative director. At 23-years old, he’s even involved in spending and marketing decisions.

“Nick was never intentionally groomed for this, as I have always pushed my kids to simply follow their dreams. But his interest started when he was 17, and has progressively grown leaps and bounds over the past six years.”

As much as MARX Entertainment is an advanced and successful entertainment company, Mark says that much of their success actually stems from his son’s vision and connection to the younger generation.

“He’s very open to some of our ‘old-school’ stanT H E D J dards that’ve been successfully developed over the years, but he also brings crucial input and execution of his own ideas, allowing his creativity to shine and our company to continually grow and prosper.

INDUSTRY “I feel that any parent that owns a business would love to see their children become involved and eventually take over, but I also feel that doesn’t always I S N ’ T happen. Fortunately for me, my son is young and ambitious, very knowledgeable of this industry and eager to continue learning.”

Mark doesn’t yet have any plans to eventually I M M U N E T O retire from the DJ industry, so he has yet to investigate the inheritance-tax angle of passing his business down to his son. And as far as worrying about Nick N E P O T I S M — someday rebranding the company or carrying the business along the way his father always has, he’s not concerned at all.

“In fact, we just went through a major rebranding J U S T A S K and he contributed significantly,” Mark reports. “The resources and connections I’ve established over the years will always be available to him, and I have trust in his decisions.

T H E S E 100-percent “And for that, I am blessed.”

While his sons are only 13 and 10, Gregg Hollmann of Ambient DJ Service in East Windsor, N.J., P R O U D says he’s already inviting both Zackary and Max to help out their dad, and at the same time learn about the DJ business.

“My goal is to ignite their entrepreneurial spirit,” P O P S & explains Gregg. “Zachary, my 13-year-old, has assisted at community events in packing the SUV, unloading, setting up equipment and even participating T H E I R in group line dances, and I hope to get him on the mixing board soon.

“Max, the 10-year-old, has helped in the office and assists with filing and preparing client playlists on my S O N S (continued on page 40)

DJ TIMES

started working on the college radio station at The University Of Southern Maine, WMPG,” Dave says. “Shortly after that, he indicated to me that he had an interest in becoming a wedding DJ. And 10 years later, my other son, James, joined the family wedding DJ business.

“Both my boys have maintained the standards I’ve developed over my decades as a wedding DJ here in Maine. They show up at least two hours prior to our contracted time. They use only top-notch equipment. They’re properly dressed. They respond to inquiries by clients quickly by email or phone. They are both 100-percent dedicated to making our brides and grooms happy leading up to and on the day of their weddings, and they maintain a professional approach and attitude towards the wedding DJ business in every way possible.”

Between Dave and Joe and James, the family members do a combined 150-plus weddings every year.

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MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

By Wesley Bryant-King It was back in Spring 2013 when I first had a chance to play with Ableton’s initial foray into hardware: Push. While initially skeptical that the world needed another controller for Live (Ableton’s popular DAW), using the unit for a while quickly won me over.

However, I never did end up opening my wallet to bring one permanently into my studio environment—something kept holding me back. It was cool—I just wasn’t convinced that it would bring enough value to my musical workflows.

That hesitation recently vanished after tinkering with Ableton’s latest hardware offering, named logically enough, Push 2. Released at the end of 2015 alongside the 9.5 update to Live, Push 2 seems to finally realize the vision that Ableton surely had back in 2013, but didn’t quite completely attain.

A lot has not actually changed between the two iterations. Ableton continues to insist that the Push is an “instrument” (which it surely can be, but still seems a bit of a stretch as a product descriptor). Both are dominated by an 8x8 grid of pads surrounded by other buttons and knobs.

And both have a quartet of basic operating modes (or interface paradigms): What I call a “creative mode” (the unit’s default), drum-machine mode, melodic mode, and a mode designed to map to Live’s Session View as a remote controller.

But a lot has changed. For starters, Ableton decided to go it alone. While the original Push was a collaboration between Akai and Ableton, the Push 2 is the result of bringing the project fully in-house.

Whatever

the reasons or basis, the overall quality of the product has markedly improved, the aesthetics have improved as well, and at least for me, the Push finally proves its worth as a solid, useful, and powerful tool for music production alongside Live.

Set-up & Use: As was the case with the original Push, setup is dirt simple. On my Mac, no drivers or any actual setup are even required. Plug-in the USB cable, connect the AC adapter, turn it on, load Ableton Live, and you’re done. You do need to ensure that you’re running the 9.5 update (or later).

Like the original Push, and as I noted above, the unit will start-up in a mode I like to refer to as its “creative mode.” It’s designed for effortless stream-of-consciousness creative capture, where you can create tracks, program drums, record clips, and generally have a great time without worrying much about structure or setup or anything else. Ableton’s done a terrific job of giving the Push enough functionality to enable you to focus your attention on the controller, without bouncing back and forth between controller and computer screen. Once I got used to how it works (which is not difficult), I found it to be a truly liberating way to develop musical ideas, and it’s easy to lose yourself for hours with it.

Two distinct “sub modes” of this would be the unit’s drum-machine and melodic modes—two things I loved about the original Push, and which are still just as compelling. Drum-machine mode comes up automatically when you create a drum track, and provides both a step sequencer and direct-playable pads. If you’ve not used a step sequencer to make percussion tracks before, it’s a relatively easy and fun way to lay down basic drums (or even more complex ones), especially

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

ABLETON’S PUSH 2: A BIG STEP UP

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Push 2: Improved Live control for stage & studio.

when you’re working in electronic genres. Given the array of percussion content in Live (especially the Suite edition), there’s a lot to play with here.

The melodic mode, however, remains a favorite of mine. On non-drum tracks like bass and leads, the unit pops into this mode. Using the song key you’ve selected (e.g., C major, D minor, etc.), the unit maps the notes of the corresponding scale to the pads, highlighting the pads that correspond to the root note of the scale. In short, this approach means that it’s not possible to play a wrong note (if by “wrong” you mean outside the current scale; jazz purists, for one, might argue whether such a note is “wrong,” but for most of us crafting EDM, pop, rock, etc., the definition will suffice). If you don’t know how to play conventional keyboards, or your proficiency isn’t that great, you can still be productive and creative with the Push in this mode. Even though I do play keyboards, I still think this approach is both fun and incredibly useful.

Onstage: Performers who use Live will love Push, too. Its Session View control mode lets you freely trigger sounds or clips (or rows of them) without resorting to mouse clicks. And of course, you still have access to things like mix levels and such—only with the Push 2, it’s even better. Why? Well, Ableton replaced the old-school, orangeon-black, dot-matrix display of the old Push with a beautiful new color high-res graphical display that’s just plain sexy. But looks aren’t the full story; the resulting control approach greatly improves both usability and the speed of getting to and controlling what you want. It’s one of the best new additions to the unit.

It’s not the only one, however. One of my biggest complaints about the original Push is that the text-labeled buttons were virtually unreadable.

In the Push 2, those buttons are bright, clear and visible even in bright room light. (This is likely due to the inclusion of an AC adapter with Push 2, and casting that AC adapter as required— (continued on page 40)

SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

DJControl Jogvision: A terrific DJ’s starter kit.

HERCULES: AFFORDABLE SERATO CONTROL

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

By Wesley Bryant-King

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The first review I ever wrote for DJ Times was for a DJ controller from Hercules, the brand name in front of a range of products from France’s Guillemot. In the years since, Hercules has continued to introduce DJ controllers at price points that make them attractive to up-and-comers, mobile jocks, and anyone who needs decent functionality without breaking the bank.

A recent addition to the family is the DJControl Jogvision, which caught my eye primarily because it is the first Hercules controller to be targeted for use with and to include Serato’s DJ software—in this case, it’s bundled with Serato DJ Intro, Serato’s entry-level software. At a street price of around $250, however, it stays firmly in the affordable category. So, how does it stack-up?

First Impressions: The overall design of the DJControl Jogvision follows the basic template of most Hercules controllers I’ve looked at over the years. In terms of layout, the type of buttons and knobs, etc., it’s very much one with a strong family resemblance. While many of the earlier controllers the company produced sported metal housings, this unit—like its other recent siblings—uses a lighter-weight, all-plastic construction that improves portability, and doesn’t seem to forfeit much in ruggedness judging by the still-solid overall feel.

Like many controllers, the DJControl Jogvision includes a few drum-controller-like pads for control of certain functions, while there’s the usual array of EQ knobs, sliders, crossfader, etc. On the front panel, headphone and mic jacks are on offer, and on the rear, both booth and master outputs—although solely (and unfortunately) RCA-only in both cases.

Set-Up & Use: Getting the unit up and running was pretty trivial, frankly. I evaluated the DJControl Jogvision using a Mac notebook, so no drivers were required. The only necessary step was downloading and installing the latest Serato DJ Intro from Serato’s web site. Connect the controller, start the software, and off you go. Well, almost.

It was immediately obvious that the unit is not capable of running from USB port power alone. The included AC adapter (a diminutive power brick) was required before the unit would function. Not a huge issue, but a bit surprising in some ways for an otherwise basic controller and audio interface combo like this. (Purely a guess, but the array of illumination in the unit probably simply draws more juice than many USB ports can reliably deliver.)

Once that issue was addressed, I connected a couple of small monitors to the booth outputs, plugged in a pair of headphones, loaded some tunes into Serato, and within minutes of opening the box, I was knocking out a capable DJ mix with some of my favorite tunes.

One immediate shortcoming was the monitoring (cueing) capabilities of the DJControl Jogvision. There are a pair of cue buttons and a volume control, and that’s the end of it. There’s no ability to mix the audio of what’s being cued with what’s going out the master, necessitating both tracks to be in cue mode to hear and mix them. Not ideal, but probably not a show-stopper necessarily, either.

Adjusting output volume seemed a tad strange, too.To adjust the master out, it’s necessary to press a “shift” button on the controller and turn a knob—vs. having a dedicated master gain available. Not being able to see its position and confirm the level when hooking the unit up risks inadvertently delivering excessively high volume audio to monitors or the house system, so definitely something to be a little cognizant of in a new environment.

These issues aside, however, the DJControl Jogvision delivers everything you’d expect for a controller at this price point, plus some nice extras. The extras include jog wheels that both feel nice, and are a generous size to boot. They delivered accurate, responsive control in my testing. Inside each one are rings of LEDs showing track position and (continued on page 40)

DJ EXPO 16: THE PLACE YOU WANT TO BE

AUGUST 15-18, 2016 TRUMP TAJ MAHAL | ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY In 1990, DJ Times first presented DJ Expo and 26 years later, it remains the industry's longest-running and best-attended trade show.

Each August, DJ Expo presents more than two dozen educational seminars, an exhibit hall jammed with the latest DJ-related gear, and three evenings of sponsored events. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show will bring all of this and more!

FOR MORE INFO OR TO REGISTER ONLINE thedjexpo.com | 1.800.YES.7678 For exhibit and sponsorship information, contact Tom McCarty at 516-767-2500 Ext.507 or email tmccarty@testa.com

# D JEXPO 2016 /THEDJEXPO

@TheDJExpo_

MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

ANAHEIM DJ FINDS THE SWEET SPOT

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

By Stu Kearns

30

have given me a vast following, and thanks to my Anaheim, Calif.—After 10 years DJing at a videos I have traveled with my equipment and staff club—Lechuga’s Hacienda, back in the day when to places I had never been before,” says Sanchez, DJs had their own parking spots—and then makwho now owns a Canon EOS Rebel T5i. ing inroads as a mobile, Mike Sanchez had to make These “gig logs” have gotten him to places like a decision. the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba In addition to his DJing, he was also employed Linda, where he books a recurring gig every Christas a driver. This was back when there were no cell mas for NBTY, a New York-based vitamin/supplephones, so it wasn’t unusual for him to get home ment manufacturer; The Californian at Disneyland, and play the messages on his answering machine, an event center he’s re-booked consistently; and which was often loaded with requests or questhe Hayes Mansion resort hotel in San Jose. “It’s a tions from DJ clients. good gig,” he says of the Hayes venue, “because of “It was frustrating not being able to take care the distance and the fanciness of it.” of my customers the way they deserved,” says If Sanchez were to give advice to a young upSanchez, whose first mobile gig was the Vietnamand-coming DJ, he would say that in order to make ese wedding of a co-worker. “So I had a decision money you have to spend money. “Get on the roto make: I was either going to drive or take care deo only if you are mentally and physically and ecoof my customers full-time.” nomically prepared,” he says. “This is not a hobby.”

Sanchez took the plunge, and in July of 1992 Being based in Anaheim, with its huge Latin combecame a full-time DJ, owner of DJ Mike Events.

“It was something that I knew that I was going to do for a long time,” he says, “and now the business takes care of my whole household.”

It wasn’t seamless, of course. Sanchez knew early on that there was a difference between DJs in his market. “It has been my firm belief that to survive in this industry, you need to be absolutely different,” he says. “I saw that a DJ with two speakers on a stick makes different money than a guy with truss and a kick-ass lighting system. I am also a firm believer that we ourselves create the levels that we work in.

And since the customer will always decide who they are going to hire, it is up to us to give the best option possible. There is always a customer willing to pay for bigger, stronger, and harder.”

The problem was that bigger, stronger and harder costs more than smaller, weaker and softer. So, in the summer of 1993, Sanchez put two credit cards together to get his first set of intelligent lights—the Martin RoboScan 812.

“It was the first time in my life that I saw a ‘microphone’ cable hooked up to a lighting fixture,” he says. “That was my initiation to DMX.” His recognition of the power of visual elements explains his early adoption of YouTube. An earlier poster of “gig logs,” using a flip camera, Sanchez had no idea it would evolve into a powerful marketing tool. “At first, I didn’t even know these client testimonials were going to evolve into what they did, but when one of my videos got adopted for the marketing campaign for a European DJ store, I Gear-Happy: Mike Sanchez likes big productions. knew I was on to something. Gig logs

munity, Sanchez’ company specializes in quinceañeras and high-end weddings. “We pretty much sell the whole year,” says Sanchez, who also does volunteer work for the Boys and Girls Club of America. “I do have some corporate events that we do every year, but weddings and quinceañeras are our main target.”

But Sanchez doesn’t consider DJ Mike Events a DJ company at all. “We are a medium-sized production company,” he says. “I enjoy the challenges of the set-up, trussing, lighting, audio, staging, planning. Music comes easy. Production is where the brains are at.”

Indeed, it’s with plenty of pride that Sanchez recounts his approach to gear. “I cannot with certainty say I was the first, but I was one of the earliest domestic truss users in Orange County,” he says. “Intelligent lighting has always been a part of our set-up. I was the earliest user of beams, and a pioneer in the use of powered speakers. I started with all the original powered speakers… but NAMM 2016 was a game-changer for me. I saw something there that no one had: FBT. I fell in love, with a hefty amount of bass and the crispest mids and highs I’d heard.”

So what’s a DJ Mike party look and sound like? “The FBT system I’m using includes four Q118SA subs and four Muse 210LA line-array speakers— that’s enough to do a small concert,” he says.

“That means that no matter what kind of hall I work, I’ll never be short on sound.

My DJ software, we use Serato and Virtual DJ, depending on the event. My controller is the Numark NS7II. We love this thing because of the moving platters and the ‘wow factor’ when brides pose with it.

“For lighting, I use the ADJ Vizi Beam Hybrid 2R—this is the coolest eye candy we could get.

For washes, we use the ADJ Inno Color Beam Quad 7—a beautiful, powerful, small fixture.

We are also adding the Epsilon Pro FlexCube 25 to add a touch of concert feeling. We also use the Chauvet Pro COLORbar SMD to add a huge punch to the EDM sets. All of that is controlled by a professional light jockey at the board at the time, and Disco by Mega-Lite is my software.”

So where does he see himself in five years?

“I see myself using FBT as my main provider of audio, and I’ll use the best lighting I can buy,” he says. “I see myself doing many, many weddings and quinceañeras, and maybe the occasional celebrity party, which is always a cool feeling. But my weddings and quinceañeras are impressive types of events, for a different type of customer.

We work different. We light different. We sound different.”

I couldn’t imagine not coming to this show, we have at least 20 people here: buyers, sales management, marketing—including people creating web content. And I love Nashville.

At this show, I spend quality time with products and vendors, really getting to talk with people, friends.

Chuck Surack • Sweetwater Sound • Fort Wayne, Indiana

To learn more and register, visit namm.org/summer/2016

JUNE 23-25, 2016 • MUSIC CITY CENTER • NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE • NAMM.ORG/SUMMER

BUSINESS LINE SALES…MARKETING…SOLUTIONS…

HOW TO TURN FUN, DIFFERENT & UNIQUE…

they can get more referrals.

We get more referrals then we did six years ago, simply because our theory is to entertain all the guests, take them all into consideration, as opposed to focusing on one person, the bride. When you have a guest walking out saying they’ve never been so impressed by a wedding reception, you have not only the client referring you, but the guests and vendors refer you as well.

How can DJs get more and better reviews?

Number one, you have to ask for the reviews. The brides today are not the brides of yesterday—when they sent thank-you cards after their event, and they move on. Asking them gives them the chance to thank you via email or phone. After they have heard over and over how fun their wedding was, they want to give you props, they want to say such great things about what you as the DJ were able to bring to the success of their day. It’s almost like they’re re-living it.

How can a DJ increase the amount of leads they’re getting?

Every day, I hear DJs saying their phone doesn’t ring, they don’t know how to do better, they can’t grow their business into a full-time thing, they can’t raise rates, they can’t get more than 10 weddings a year.

Brides want one of two things, they want Cheap or they want Trust. We build trust with our clients, and through that there are several ways to generate leads: 1. Your brides should be you friends on social media, so they are always seeing and hearing from you. They’ll give you leads.

2. Create a Facebook group of previous clients and ask their input on things you’re doing, or thinking of doing, or just ask for information. So, even after the wedding or event, you can continue to make them feel like family.

3. Start a local wedding association and those members will recommend each other.

4. We do bridal shows several times a year. We do not bring equipment— our set-up makes us stand out where leads walk right up. I’ll explain our set-up at the seminar. It gives us the opportunity to explain Fun, Different and Unique.

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

By Stu Kearns

32

We all want to be fun, different and unique entertainers. But what if you heard of one DJ who applied that theory and it spurred his company’s growth from being a part-timer doing 10-15 weddings a year to a multi-op (three DJs) doing 140-150 weddings a year?

That’s Fox Feltman’s story, one that he will share at the DJ Expo in August at his seminar, “Gain More Bookings, Referrals & Money.” Feldman, owner of BTA Entertainment in New Bern, N.C., has constantly raised rates by creating an aura of being indispensable, creating desire for his services which has eased his company into top-of-mind status in the market and the top entertainment choice on vendors’ lists.

He says his plan can be adopted by anyone, as long as they’re willing to “take the ball and run with it.” We asked Feltman about his process and how other DJs can begin applying his tactics for their benefit.

At your DJ Expo seminar, you’ll be taking the attendees on a journey to explain how they can get more referrals, reviews, leads, bookings and money. Let’s start with how

5. The vendors you work with should be sending you leads. They should love working with you because you take control and make everyone shine. Venues love working with us because we run our own timeline and they can sit back and take care of their bride and not worry about holding the DJ’s hand—you’d be surprised how many times you hear that complaint from venues and coordinators. Photographers and videographers will send leads because you keep them in the loop about what’s happening at the event, what’s up coming. Also, give them the set-up for great party photos that are not just people dancing and they’ll send you leads forever. Officiants will send leads because you want to help them, you want them to sound good. In a word, they should know you are “Professionals.”

The Golden Question: How can DJs make more money?

When a potential client calls and says, “I have heard so much about your company.You performed at my friend Sarah’s wedding, my baker said you’re the best, my photographer said to book you if I want fun, my videographer said you make it so easy to get great footage, my venue says you get everyone involved and can run the show. If all these people are telling me to get you, how do we make that happen?”

That’s the time to raise rates. When you are meeting, talking or taking reservations from 90-percent of clients, you raise rates. When you have a service or product that is in-demand, people will pay for it. Be better, deliver something different, have previous clients walking away saying the words “The Best.” Be worth something and believe in your worth. If you are the status quo, if you do the same thing everyone else in your market does, there is no worth.

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

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

XS and Ohs

MIXTOUR Guide

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

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

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

The XS series from ADJ is comprised of three compact moving heads that are powered by 10-watt LEDs and provide a 5-degree bean angle. The XS 200, a single-axis moving-head with nine built-in lightshows, while the XS 400 adds two additional lenses to provide dual-axis movement. The XS 600 has two rotating heads that are each fitted with three 10-watt LEDs. All three models are capable of 360-degree continuous rotation. In addition, they all feature DMX control, as well as Sound Active and Show modes.

34

The Reloop MIXTOUR is a portable cross-platform DJ controller designed for iOS, Android and Mac. The controller is used with the DJAY2 app from Algoriddim, allowing access to millions of tracks on Spotify. It features a 2-channel layout and includes transport, remix and FX sections. Users are able to manage a queue playlist for their current mix.

Additional features include full-size control knobs, 45mm pro-faders, 3-band EQ, gain trim pots, bipolar filters and VU meter.

Active Lifestyle

Game Set Match

Pioneer Electronics 1925 E. Dominguez Street Long Beach, CA 90810 (310) 952-2000 www.pioneerproaudio.com

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

Pioneer Pro Audio’s XPRS Series of high-powered active speakers includes the XPRS15 and XPRS12 two-way full range speakers, and the XPRS215S dual 15-inch subwoofer. These Powersoft Class D amps deliver a 2,400W output and feature an auto-ranging power supply that detects and adapts to the voltage. All three come housed in a 15mm birch plywood construction. The XPRS15 and XPRS12 are wedge-shaped, which means they can be placed on the floor or pole mounted at an angle between zero and seven degrees.

Roland’s SYSTEM-500 Complete Set is a fully analog modular synthesizer made for Eurorack format. The SYSTEM-500 Complete Set includes the 512 module with two voltage-controlled oscillators featuring saw, sine and square waves; the 521 module with two voltage-controlled filters featuring selectable high-pass filters; the 530 module with two voltage-controlled amplifiers, each featuring multiple CV inputs; the 540 module with two ADSR envelopes and invertible LFO; and the 572 module with classic phase shifter, delay, gate delay and LFO.

GEAR

App Time MixVibes 4 rue de la sablière 92230 Gennevilliers France +33 (0)1 58 37 33 61 www.mixvibes.com

What I Lycra Bout You Grundorf Corp.

721 9th Avenue Council Bluffs, IA 51501 (712) 322-3900 www.grundorf.com

The Cross DJ for iOS app has undergone a redesign. The app now features a re-engineered audio engine that the company says has improved battery consumption and audio quality, as well as optimized recordings. In addition, the color of each deck has changed, the buttons have been made easier to tap and the app can now be viewed in portrait mode. Users now get a notification when a loop, an FX, a sample or an EQ is active.

Grundorf expanded its G-Series line of DJ façade products to include the GS-LS4872TB Lycra Façade. Designed for use with standard 6-foot tables, the façade measures 48.25 x 73 x 19 inches and comes in both black and white versions. According to the company, the “Lycra material diffuses the audience’s ability to see the light fixtures behind the material” when used with LED lighting. The black Lycra façade, when used without LED lights, presents a solid black appearance.

That’s My JAM

DJ TIMES

Chauvet DJ’s JAM Pack Gold lighting package includes four lighting effects—an LED derby effect, a red and green laser, a combo UV/strobe effect, and a Chauvet DJ Hurricane 700 fog machine—as well as a variety of accessories, including external power supplies and mounting hardware.

The effects can be controlled in Sound or Auto Mode or wirelessly using the company’s IRC-6 remote controller, which also comes in the package.

The entire package can fit into a Chauvet DJ CHS-40 VIP Gear Bag.

MAY 2016

Chauvet 5200 NW 108th Ave. Sunrise, FL 33351 (800) 762-1084 www.chauvetlighting.com

35

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Planet Earth is Blue

Heel the World

Blue Microphones 5706 Corsa Ave Ste 102 Westlake Village, CA 91362 (818) 879-5200 www.bluemic.com

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

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

Lola is a sealed over-ear high-fidelity headphone from Blue Microphones. The headphones sport custom 50mm drivers and precision acoustic cabinets are located behind the drivers to maximize the volume of air around the drivers. The slim-fit headband features a four-point multi-jointed linkage system and pivoting arms. Available in charcoal black and pearl white, Lola comes with a soft travel case, a three-meter audio cable, 1.5-meter audio cable with built-in mic and Apple iPhone/ iPad controls, and a 3.5mm to ¼-inch adapter.

36

Blizzard Lighting’s Stiletto Z6 mini-moving head utilizes built-in automated and sound-activated programs via master/slave to create brightlycolored lighting displays. The unit features six ultra-bright, 4-in-1 (RGBW), 15W LEDs and four selectable dimming curve modes that are selectable via DMX. Additional features include 8/16-bit pan and tilt (360°/540° pan, 270° tilt), a four-button menu with LCD display, and a 6.5- to 60-degree zoomable beam angle. The Stiletto Z6 is flicker free and PowerCon compatible.

Do the Voco Motion

Bose & Arrows

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

Bose Professional The Mountain Framingham, MA 01701 (508) 766-4590 www.pro.bose.com

VocoPro’s UHF-5816 is a wireless microphone and transmitter package with four available microphone channels. There are 16 adjustable frequencies on each channel, which can be changed using an onboard dial. Housed in a rugged 1RU metal receiver chassis, the package features one mixed ¼-inch unbalanced output and four independent balanced XLR outputs.

The system operates in the 900Mhz band and it is designed for high RF area and multichannel applications, according to the company.

Bose expanded its F1 Flexible Array Loudspeaker line to include a new passive loudspeaker, the F1 Model 812 Loudspeaker. The unit features FLEX array technology, which lets installers focus sound to target listening areas with four different patterns. It comes with M8 top and rear hang points along with three dedicated brackets. Pan and tilt, yoke and U bracket options are available. Additional features include eight proprietary 2.25-inch drivers, 100-degree horizontal waveguides, and a high-powered 12-inch woofer.

TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS

The DangerFeel Newbies

Roger Sanchez Sin Morera

“MOVE YOUR SOUL” u Soul Avengerz feat. Roland Clark u Milk & Sugar The Soul Avengerz boys hit up M&S for what is destined to be one of their biggest tracks to date. Kicking a sassy bottom end and an inspirational preach-it vocal, the remixes are all of equal stature, so don’t be surprised to hear them all out on a floor near you soon.

– Curtis Zack “HOLDING ON” u Capulet feat. Robert Owens u Stealth U.K.-based producers, Capulet, get started on Roger Sanchez’s Stealth imprint – and what a debut! A huge piano lick and old-school drums combine to devastating effect. Additional mixes come from the S-Man himself, but it’s the original that does the real damage.

Oscar P

– Curtis Zack

Magit Cacoon

STRICTLY ROGER SANCHEZ u Roger Sanchez u Strictly Rhythm Classic house-heads, rejoice because, with this 3-CD comp, Strictly delivers some of Roger’s classic remixes. So many inspirational underground entries to mention, but the faves here include: Drizabone’s “Pressure” (Soul Sensation Mix); Incognito’s “Givin’ It Up” (Uplifting Club Mix); Aly-us’ “Follow Me” (Can You Feel the Dub); and The S-Man’s “Time to Stop” (9 to 5 Mix).

A must-have.

– Tommy D Funk “A SUBTERRANEAN FICTION” EP u Magit Cacoon u Rebellion Cacoon, who’s been doing great work over the last couple of years, continues to show why she’s one of our more gifted DJ/producers—and her new EP features some serious deep-tech tracks. Bringing a deep, thick, dirty vibe, all five cuts also possess a genuine funkiness to them. Make sure you check “Mostly Translucent” with its perky chord hook. We also like “Endless” and “Journey to Venus.” Very hot!

– Phil Turnipseed

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

“WHAT AM I HERE FOR?” u The DangerFeel Newbies u DFTD

38

On this warm and sumptuous underground-house EP, check the main track’s exquisite, velvety vocals and its layers of jazz percussion. As the name suggests, “Swingin’ With the New Jacks” has more of a big-band swing feel and plenty of sax. Super cool tunes from this Atlanta-based group.

– Tommy D Funk “PADRE NUESTRO” u Sin Morera u Tumbata Records “Moonstruck” lays a tight, but hypnotic groove – perfect for transitioning

GUEST REVIEWER:

IBAN MONTORO & JAZZMAN WAX “Feelings” u Tim Deluxe

Louie Vega

Demarkus Lewis

into deeper fare, like “Padre Nuestro.” Trance-y, techy & tribal, “Sin’s Tec Mix” of that track wafts and grinds to great hip-swinging effect, then it gets deep, dark and dirty. Looking for a nasty, techy, late-night bomb? Here it is.

Strictly Rhythm Still playing this one. When we heard “Feelings” for the first time, we soon realized that it was a real masterpiece. The influence of St. Germain and the good work of Tim Deluxe and his collaborators make for a perfect jazz-house combo. You get voice, piano, trumpet, sax and beats—all mixed with great skill. This one will make you feel its delicious groove to the very end.

remix for today’s dancefloors. With a soulful groove and those unbelievable vocals, this one shows maximum respect to the original, while giving it a new life.

– Jim Tremayne

– Curtis Zack

LOUIE VEGA STARRING… XXVIII u Louie Vega u Vega Records

“NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO” u Ryle u Sedsoul

For this full-length, solo effort loaded with jazzy rhythms and Afro-Cuban flavor, Vega has assembled a brilliant group of vocalists that brings his unique fusion of musical styles to life. Our picks include “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Love” with Byron Stingily, “A New Day” with Caron Wheeler and “Magical Ride” with N’Dea Davenport. Excellent from top to bottom.

Yet more quality house music from the Sedsoul stable and Cool Million’s Frank Ryle. DJs get a killer baseline and crisp vocal, with additional mixes from John Morales—what more could you ask for?

– Phil Turnipseed “CATCH THE LIGHT” u Demarkus Lewis feat. Martha Wash u Grin Music Lewis takes the vocal from the 1998 original release and crafts a sublime

– Curtis Zack “WILD ORCHID” u Spiritchaser feat. Angie Brown u Guess With the powerful pipes of Angie Brown out front, this first-rate house production will work your dancefloor. And don’t sleep on the pumpin’ dub either.

– Curtis Zack

IMPRESS YOUR CLIENTS WITH A PROFESSIONAL DJ BOOTH ASSEMBLES IN UNDER 5 MINUTES NO TOOLS REQUIRED AVAILABLE IN 2 SIZES INCLUDES CARRYING BAGS The Opti Control Stations are flexible and adaptable consoles for mobile DJ’s. Utilizing an aluminum truss frame, this mobile rig is assembled without tools in under 5 minutes. A panel attached to the front of the consoles add a blank canvas to project creative effects lighting, or customize with a logo.

Exclusive US distributor

VISIT MIXWARE.NET FOR MORE DETAILS

A Family Affair

(continued from page 25) DJ software. I’ve also brought my sons along to a DJ association meeting so that they can learn more about the industry, and I’m sure it won’t be long before I introduce them to DJ Times’ DJ Expo in Atlantic City.”

As Zach and Max move into their teen and college years, Gregg says he would love to give them the opportunity to work as DJs and MCs at his company. If nothing else, though, he says it would be a great opportunity for his boys to earn and save far more money than they’d ever make working at the typical minimum-wage job.

“My hope for my sons is that they either attend college or enter a fulltime career that makes them happy,” he says. “Should that career be as a mobile DJ entertainer, I’d welcome them into my company with open arms.

“But the life of a mobile DJ—working on the weekends and living in a surreal non-stop world of parties—is an alternative lifestyle of sorts that I would never want to impose on my boys. Secretly, though, I hope for them to become entrepreneurs and someday run their own companies.

“Corporate America is a cruel and unreliable employer. The most empowering aspects of owning one’s own business are the job security and unlimited income potential. I’ve also watched with concern today’s youth racking up huge college loans, and then failing to find meaningful employment after dutifully obtaining their degree.”

When Kevin Porter’s son Braden was only three-years old, the owner of Elite Entertainment in Rock Hill, S.C., started calling him the “vicepresident of operations,” hoping to begin instilling within him a passion for mobile DJing. Kevin’s happy to report that the DJ bug is finally starting to hit him.

“He’s 10-years old now and he wants to take over my business when he gets old enough,” he says. “Even at 10-years old, whenever it’s possible he comes and helps me set up. He has his own DJ system here at the house, he wants to come to our business meetings—though I don’t allow him to as of yet—and he’ll even come on occasion with me to sign a contract.

“Even at his young age, he’s already learning about different types of music. In fact, earlier this month while watching The Grammys on TV when they were honoring Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire, all of a sudden my boy said, ‘I hope they do ‘September,’ and I suddenly had a proud-father moment.”

Back over in the Midwest, Dean Goninen, formerly of Ultimate Entertainment in Dickeyville, Wis., is likewise wondering if his son Adam might eventually choose DJing as a future career. Dean owned Ultimate Entertainment from 1984 through 2008, when Adam was only eightyears old, yet his boy does remember tagging along during quite a few setups and events.

“Because of my current full-time

job in the audio/video integration industry, he is still around this type of equipment,” Dean says. “Technology and computers are his interest, and when he was 13 or 14, he starting asking more questions about my former company and how that all works.

“I told him if he really wanted to learn about it, I would reach out to a couple of my friends who have DJ companies to see if he could help them out to find out for himself what it’s like. For two years, he either worked as a ‘roadie’ for the DJ side or assisted with a photo-booth.

“The photo-booth ended up being the best experience for him, as it had less pressure than DJing a wedding, yet still required him to talk with guests and assist them through the process. At the end of the gigs he saw the result of his hard work through the awesome photos in the photomemories book.”

When Adam was 15 and a freshman in high school, he heard someone in his class talking about a school dance and how they couldn’t afford a DJ. He talked with his dad about borrowing equipment, and suddenly he had his first gig.

Of course, Adam soon found out it’s good to have a father who can be around to give helpful advice—and to be around when things don’t go as expected. “At one gig, he was running music from his laptop, but I had assembled for him a group of current music CDs to use as a Plan B,” recalls Dean. “As we were leaving the house,

I asked again if he wanted them and he said that he’d be fine. I knew it was a bad idea, but the best lessons are learned firsthand.

“Sure enough, his software glitched with 45 minutes remaining in the dance and while the gymnasium was hopping. He waved me over, and I suggested he throw a CD in the player, so he could buy some time to reboot the computer.

“Of course, he didn’t have anything with him, but I had two CDs in my backpack, so I handed him one… while I was smiling. Not another word was said until the drive home, when I asked how things had gone. He said that he’d take me up on the collection of CDs next time.”

Dean says his boy has done about a half-dozen school dances over the past year and really enjoys it. “I believe he’s reached the point where he realizes it’s not a super-easy gig and he’ll need to get better in some areas, and in particular his microphone skills,” he says. “I’ve now offered to set some equipment in our warehouse and do some training on mic skills and equipment troubleshooting.

Dean says the life skills Adam is acquiring by speaking in front of his peers, being well-prepared, managing an event and handling equipment are invaluable at his son’s age.

“And for me, there’s also something very satisfying seeing my son follow through with a passion that was a part of my own life for so many n years.”

ably, this provides for more intuitive control, especially while getting used to the unit.

When it comes to effects, the unit offers basic control of Serato’s builtin effects, plus a little “extra” of its own: Air Control. It’s basically a sensor in the middle-back area of the top of the controller that can sense the proximity of your hands. Once enabled, the closer your hand is to the sensor, the more “dialed-in” the effect is. Honestly, while perhaps a tad novel, it’s both cool and highly effective. Perhaps the only drawback is that the only effect that can be controlled this way is a low-pass filter; more

interesting might have been the ability to patch Air Control to any of the effects. But even with the LPF alone, you can coax some interesting effects out of it simply through the use of rolling motions with your hand. One downside? Don’t try and adjust the rearpanel-mounted booth gain control with the Air Control enabled—you’ll definitely trigger it when you do.

Finally, while not really a product feature, the choice of Serato DJ Intro to bundle with this unit does provide a nice upgrade path for aspiring DJs who choose the DJControl Jogvision as their DJ “starter kit.” Making the modest investment to move to the

full version provides a range of additional capabilities not found in the Intro version, equipping someone with everything they need to develop and deliver amazing DJ performances on par with the best.

Conclusions: With its roughly $250 price tag, solid feature set, and inclusion of Serato DJ Intro, the Hercules DJControl Jogvision offers a capable “DJ starter kit in a box” for the aspiring, bedroom DJ, while the solid construction, light weight and über-portability will offer appeal to mobile jocks or even club DJs looking for something compact that delivers great bang for the buck.

bluntly, sub-standard. Two buttons ostensibly the same color (according to Live) were often different shades or brightness levels for no clear reason.

That’s completely changed in Push 2; colors are true and consistent, brightness is improved, and it’s much more enjoyable to use them.

Pad improvements extend beyond aesthetics, however. I find the accuracy and playability of the pads to be greatly improved. In the original Push, it seemed like there were three basic response levels—very light, below midpoint, and maximum.While getting the desired result may still require

practice, the response range is broader and more accurate. The pads are just tighter, truer, and just more pleasurable to use. It’s precisely this sort of polish that’s evident throughout the Push 2 over the original iteration.

Ableton has included a number of other “spit-and-polish” type enhance-

Sounding Off

(continued from page 28) rotation. The responsiveness of the jog wheels was excellent, with no perceptible latency. For DJs who incorporate scratch techniques in their performances, the DJControl Jogvision proves itself a capable player. For those with a more laidback style, the textured edges of the wheels deliver great control of the playhead position when cueing up or adjusting the beatmatch of tracks.

Another minor extra includes the aforementioned pad buttons, which offer what Hercules calls “color match,” which simply means that their backlight coloring matches the cue point marker color in Serato. Argu-

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

Making Tracks

40

(continued from page 26) there’s plenty of juice to power all that button backlighting. Push 2 will operate without the AC adapter connected, but the brightness is dramatically affected by the choice to do so.)

Illumination improvement goes for the pads, too. In the original Push, the color trueness and brightness were,

MP3s in 6

Compiled As April 18, 2016

NATIONAL CROSSOVER POOL CHART

NATIONAL URBAN POOL CHART

1 Rihanna F/ Drake Work 2 Justin Bieber Love Yourself 3 WTS F/ Gia One Night 4 The Chainsmokers F/ Rozes Roses 5 Adele When We Were Young 6 Coldplay Adventure Of A Lifetime 7 99 Souls F/Destiny’s Child & Brandy The Girl Is Mine 8 Athena Lithium 9 Troye Sivan Youth 10 Camille You’re So Beautiful 2016 11 Karine Hannah & Dave Aude I’m Burning Up 12 Jonas Blue F/ Dakota Fast Car 13 KC & The Sunshine Band I’m Feeling You 14 Adam Lambert Another Lonely Night 15 Pet Shop Boys Pop Kids 16 Beyonce Formation 17 Primo Cruz Don’t Stop 18 Tori Kelly Hollow 19 DNCE Cake By The Ocean 20 Dillon Francis Kygo F/ James Hersey Coming Over 21 Selena Gomez Hands To Myself 22 Empire Of The Sun Walking On A Dream 23 Philip George & Dragonette Feel This Way 24 Dirty Disco F/ Inay Day Stranded 25 Philip George & Anton Powers Alone No More 26 Lukas Graham 7 Years 27 Kwanza Jones Shatterproof 28 Dj Sun Junkie F/ Ce Ce Peniston Piece Of That 29 David Guetta F/ Sia Bang My Head 30 Dave Aude F/ Andy Bell True Orginal 31 Disclosure F/ Lorde Magnets 32 Sia Alive 33 Sheila Gordhan Smile 34 Melissa Manchester F/ Al Jarreau Big Light 35 Peter K F/ Mariah Simmons Stare Into The Sun 36 Gladys Knight Just A Little 37 Justin Bieber Company 38 Win Marcinak Look Up To The Sky 39 Kim Cameron But You 40 Rihanna Needed Me

1 Beyonce 2 Jeremih 3 Chris Brown 4 Rihanna F/ Drake 5 Bryson Tiller 6 Yo Gotti 7 Bryson Tiller 8 Kevin Gates 9 O. T. Genasis F/ Young Dolph 10 Weeknd 11 Young Thug 12 Drake 13 Ro James 14 Fetty Wap 15 Future F/ Weekend 16 Dj Luke Nasty 17 Kent Jones 18 Tyga F/ Rick Ross & 2 Chainz 19 Belly F/ Weeknd 20 Drake & Future

Most Added Tracks 1 DNCE 2 Win Marcinak 3 Empire Of The Sun 4 Justin Bieber 5 Pet Shop Boys 6 Gwen Stefani 7 Dj Sun Junkie F/ Ce Ce Peniston 8 Sheila Gordhan 9 Beyonce 10 Lukas Graham

Cake By The Ocean Look Up To The Sky Walking On A Dream Company Pop Kids Make Me Like You Piece Of That Smile Formation 7 Years

Roc Nation Island/Def Jam Global Groove Columbia Columbia Atlantic Columbia Dauman Capitol Zarion Republic Capitol Sunshine Warner Brothers X-2 Columbia 4-Power Capitol Republic Columbia Hollywood EMI Motown DRD Motown Warner Brothers Innovation TDG Atlantic Audacious Capitol RCA Reach Dauman VMG ShakeBoodie Island Burning Tyger Side FX Roc Nation Republic Burning Tyger EMI Island X-2 Interscope TDG Reach Columbia Warner Brothers

REPORTING POOLS n Masspool - Saugus, MA; Gary Canavo n OMAP - Washington, DC; Al Chasen n Dj Stickyboots - Goshen, NJ; Blake Eckelbarger n Victors - Milwaukee, WI; Chris Egner n Nexus Radio - Chicago, IL; Manny Esparza n MetroMix - Pittsburgh, PA; John Hohman n Soundworks - San Francisco, CA; Sam Labelle n New York Music Pool - New York, NY; Jackie McCloy n Dixie Dance Kings - Alpharetta, GA; Dan Miller n KNHC - Seattle, WA; Randy Schlager n DJ Laszlo - Las Vegas, NV; Laszlo Szenasi n Northeast Record Pool - Revere, MA; Justin Testa n Pacific Coast - Long Beach, CA; Steve Tsepelis n MAD Promo - Buffalo, NY; Gary Deane n Victors - Milwaukee, WI; Chris Egner

Looking for these titles? You can hear them and buy them at www.dancekings.com. Just click on the links in the chart.

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

770-740-0356

Formation Oui Back To Sleep Work Don’t Down In The DM Exchange 2 Phones Cut It Aquainted Best Friend Summer Sixteen Permission Again Low Life Might Be Don’t Mind Baller Alert Might Noy Jumpman

Columbia Def Jam RCA Roc Nation Trippinout Epic Trippinout Atlantic Atlantic Republic Atlantic Republic RCA RFG Epic Othaz We The Best Last Quarter Roc Nation Republic

Most Added Tracks 1 2 3 4 5

Designer Kayla Brianna F/ Ric Plies T.I. Rihanna

Panda Def Jam Do You Remember Smitty Ran Off On Da Plug Twice Atlantic Money Talk Raunchy Needed Me Roc Nation

NATIONAL LATIN DANCE POOL CHART 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

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Poeta Callejero Kamasutra (RMX) Bajando Fino La Morena Alx Veliz Dancing Kizomba Alfredito Linares Ain’t No Sunsunshine Adassa Caballero (Extended Club Mix) Farruko Obsecionado Silvio Mora Novio Con Dinero Hector Acosta Te Vas Tu O Me Voy Yo Don Omar Te Recordare Bailando Prince Royce Culpa De Corazon Alexandra Estar Sin Ti Gente De Zona ft M. Anthony Traidora Jau D Lady Love 24 Horas Aun Me Perteneces Tito Rojas Caray, Caray Los Jugadores Pasame La Botella Johnny Rivera Nadie Se Muere Por Amor Elvis Crepo ft Farruko Si Tu Novio Maelo Ruiz Amar Nunca Mas Lo Jure Juan Magan ft Luciana Baila Conmigo

Universal Go Latino Universal DJ Gonzo Prod.

DCP Latin Hits Mayimba Venevision Universal Latin Hits J&N Sony Cutting PPE TR Jugadores Music Luvia Music Group Flash Music MR Universal

Most Added Tracks 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Jeloz Zum Zum Karol G Casi Nada Grupo Niche Enamorado Tony Alicea Salsa y Candela Elvis Crespo feat Grupomania Escapate

Jeloz Music UMLE 360 Group Paris Flash 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.

ments in the Push 2. The arrangement of the buttons seems more logical, and has been expanded in terms of the control capabilities offered, as one example.

There are also new capabilities that span the Push and Live, including changes to the way that samples can be managed with Live’s “Simpler” function, most notably, its new slicing mode that enables a single sample

to be chopped into pieces that can be played individually. This can be done “live” and on-the-fly, and easily manipulated via the Push 2, leveraging its new graphical display to make that possible. The net effect is incredibly powerful—and incredibly cool.

Conclusions: When I first reviewed the original Ableton Push back in 2013, it felt very much like a “Version 1.0” product. I expressed

confidence at the time that it would get better over time, and Ableton has done precisely that with the new Push 2. With substantially more polish end-to-end, with improved quality, utility and usability, I’d now consider it a virtual “must-have” tool for Ableton Live users. But beyond these attributes, Push 2 is just plain fun to use, providing a powerful tool for capturing musical ideas, manipulating

Jackmaster

(continued from page 16) any names, but there’s these people getting paid thousands and thousands.

DJ Times: Do you mean giving them named credit on the release or just its cuts from the record?

Revill: Giving them credit on the sleeve.

DJ Times: Sort of how Chris Lorenzo used to produce for a lot of guys?

Revill: Yeah, like how he did it for Hannah Wants.

DJ Times: I recall catching you at Air during Amsterdam Dance Event last year for All Gone Pete Tong.

You were the special unannounced guest. The entire night, Pete Tong and Kolsch were playing extremely melodic— Revill: Shite.

DJ Times: —techno stuff.

Revill: Fucking shite.

D J T i m e s : Yo u c a m e i n a n d dropped Bicep’s edit of “Gotta Let You Go” by Dominica and changed the whole sound of the night. Do you go in with a set goal of where you want that crowd to go?

Revill: I want them to go fucking crazy. I want them to lose their minds, basically. But yeah, the entire time I’m just face-down in it.

DJ Times: The next night, you

those ideas, and performing them for others.

One other change from the original Push to the Push 2: the price has gone up by a third. That makes a street/retail price of just under $800—quite a jump, and it means that Push 2 is even more of an investment for those considering it.

Is it worth it? For me, the answer is an unequivocal yes.

MMW were at Jamie Jones’ Paradise party throwing down vocal tracks when no one else was. What is the place of a vocal track in a set? There are some DJs who completely swear off them.

Revill: I grew up hating them, and now I really like them. If it’s the right vocal, I like it.

DJ Times: What kind of effect do they have on a set?

Revill: It depends on the vocal.

There’s a genre that we at Numbers call “Screamers.” Screamers really get the crowd going. Have you heard “Hit It N Quit It,” the Cratebug edit?

You’ve probably heard it a thousand times. It’s a disco roller, and the vocal just makes people go crazy.

DJ Times: Were there any DJs in particular that inspired you, stylistically?

Revill: Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Derrick May, Andrew Weatherall.

There’s loads, man, but I’m trying to pick the crème de la crème. Even this guy who works in Rubadub is one of the greatest DJs in the world, but he just plays it down. He doesn’t want to be famous, so he knocks back bookings all the time. He plays at his own club on Saturdays.

DJ Times: It feels like the past year has been a very big coming-out moment of sorts for you. Was there

something that really served as a catalyst for it?

Revill: I took on a manager two years ago. He’s really just done such a good job. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.

DJ Times: What caused you to hire one? Were you too busy?

Revill: I was too busy, and I saw a lot of things that were going on around me DJ-wise that me think, “These guys can help me take it to the next level.” Before that, it was always a middle-of-the-road kind of thing.

I was the guy who was always playing warm-ups, so I reached out to Rag—one of the managers at DC10 [in Ibiza]—and they decided to take me on.

DJ Times: Are you going to be back at DC10 this summer?

Revill: Yep, back as a resident at DC10. I’m living out in Ibiza for the summer, God help me. R.I.P. Jacky Boy. Better get that tombstone made up now.

DJ Times: What’s the tombstone going to say?

Revill: Jackmaster: Non-Beloved, Annoying, Piss-Taking Asshole.

DJ Times: What else is lined up for the summer?

Revill: There’s that, and then heading out to the festivals. n

(continued from page 3) from Bedouin and DJ Three in The Studio, perfectly complementing the tight quarters with sinister house offerings.

Ultra Music Festival – March 18-20: As usual, legions of ravers (a reported 170,000) descended upon Downtown Miami’s Bayfront Park for Ultra’s three-day blowout.

Transformed into a giant mechanized spider with a suspended DJ booth in the center, the Resistance Stage was a flame-spewing behemoth that carried some of the weekend’s most inspired bookings.

Friday’s Resistance lineup read like a clubber’s wet dream, with Joris Voorn, Hot Since 82, John Digweed, and Jamie Jones all taking to the decks sequentially for what was possibly the most stacked evening of the weekend.

One of our favorite moments came courtesy of Lee Foss and Skream, who turned their separate slots into a single, extended B2B session that really got feet moving on Sunday. “Freak Like Me” made another appearance, but it was Foss’ drop of MK’s rework of his Hot Natured crossover smash, “Reverse Skydiving” with Anabel Englund, that proved to be the high point of the performance.

DJ TIMES

MAY 2016

America’s Best DJ: Summer Tour Scenes

42

The ABDJ tour isn’t a beauty pageant…

Or a complete freak show.

But the sites are always amazing.

America’s Best DJ, Next Month in DJ Times

M

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