DJ Times October 2014, Vol 27 No 10

PLUS: ANDY C / FREEMASONS / UA APOLLO TWIN PEAVEY TRIFLEX II / CAD AUDIO

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

OCTOBER 2014

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AC ’14: DJ EXPO HIGHLIGHTS BARN DJs: OUT IN THE COUNTRY

APART

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www.djtimes.com

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INDUSTRY EVENTS…NOTABLES…MILESTONES gear (Arch System); Mackie PA system (Thump system); Pioneer DJ gear (HDJ-2000 headphones, CDJ-2000 Nexus players, DJM-900SRT mixer); and Virtual DJ software (all-in-one DJ solution).

“On behalf of everyone at DJ Expo and DJ Times, we want to thank our

I’ve seen a tremendous increase in website sales and an even more tremendous increase in Amazon.com sales. I’d never been to a DJ Expo and I must say this was hands-down one of the best times I’ve had at a convention.”

George F. Sutherland III of EventChitChat in Hackensack, N.J., was especially

Photos By ArtChick

Atlantic City, N.J. – The 2014 DJ Expo returned to the Boardwalk with a sold-out exhibit hall, a record 6,500 attendees and plenty of good vibes for the still-exploding DJ industry.

Produced by DJ Times and its publisher Testa Communications at AC’s Trump Taj Mahal this past Aug. 11-

NEWS

The Gear: Attendees on the showfloor.

14, DJ Expo offered attendees more than 200 exhibitor booths from nearly 100 companies, showing hardware, software and specialty DJ products.

With its 29th show in 24 years, DJ Expo presented a full schedule of exhibits, seminars and parties that saw participation from exhibitor/sponsors like ADJ, Chauvet, inMusic Brands, Mackie, Peavey, Pioneer DJ, Rane, Serato, QSC Audio and Yamaha, among many others.

Musical legends (hitmaker Lil Jon and global jock Skribble) and industry insiders (NYC DJ/promoters Sleepy & Boo and NYC radio jock DJ Creme) offered useful information to attendees during Expo keynotes and seminar panels, while sponsored events entertained Expo-goers. They included topnotch performances from: Adventure Club, 3lau, Cole Plante, GTA, Syn Cole and others (during the Summer Sessions Finale at Borgata’s Mixx); Public Enemy’s Keith Shockley (spinning on the exhibit hall’s stage); Jade Starling (performing at the Black Box Cabaret in Scores during the Mobile Kick-Off Party); and America’s Best DJ nominee Skribble (at Ego Lounge during the Expo’s annual afterparty).

The Winners: Vinny Liotta of Events by Cool Cat in Clifton Park, N.Y., took the top prize in the “DJ of the Year” competition. Hosted by Mike Walter, the annual event bestowed awards in a variety of categories to the best of America’s mobile entertainers.

Other winners included: Elisa Burg for Best Game; Betsy Fisher for Best Choreorgraphy; and Liotta and Eric Whiteman tied for Best Dance.

Also, Jeiris Ferrer of Teaneck, N.J., won the annual Ultimate DJ Giveaway.

Her haul included: ADJ lighting (Mega Flat TRI Pak); Fastset gear (The Fastset musicians/DJ utility table); Global Truss

The Action: A turntablist gets busy.

exhibitors, panelists and attendees for making this year’s show so memorable,” said Vinny Testa, Publisher/ President of Testa Communications.

“It’s true that we’ve been producing DJ Expo for 24 years now, so expect to hear some exciting developments in the near future about how we will celebrate the show’s Silver Anniversary in 2015.”

Response from Expo exhibitors was upbeat as well. “I’ve been attending DJ Expo now for 19 years,” said Chris Roman of inMusic Brands in Cumberland, R.I. “Some years there’s a big push on the panels, and in other years it seems the products lead the conversation.

This year it seemed to be a powerful and effective mix of both. Attendance, in my opinion, was active and up. As a manufacturer, I can say DJ Expo is one of the most important shows our industry has to offer for the DJ community. I’m quite excited about how this show went and can guarantee our brands—Numark, Akai, M-Audio, Alto and Denon—will return next bigger and better with more new innovative products to move the needle.”

Mark Ravenhill of GLP German Light Products in Sun Valley, Calif., agreed: “I’ll happily say that we had a great experience at the show. We were able to meet a great number of professional DJs and entertainers, which was really encouraging. We’ll be back!”

“To say the Expo went awesomely for us would be a gross understatement,” added Kirk Abrigo of The Fray Fix in Brooklyn, N.Y. “As an exhibitor, I made so much money that I had to check the numbers twice to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake! The connections I made and the media attention I received were stellar. Since I got back,

but the most value can be found in networking with my colleagues and peers.”

Attendee Derrick “DJ Primary Instinct” Cram of Killington, Vt., spoke from experience. “The DJ Expo never disappoints,” he said. “It has provided me with new opportunities to advance

DJ EXPO ’14: GOOD VIBES & A STILLBOOMING MARKET

effusive. “As they say, ‘Anything worth doing is worth doing right.’ The crew at DJ Times fully encompasses this mantra,” he said. “We are all in the entertainment industry. We all recognize the intense commitment required to organize a successful event. But imagine your audience being a collection of critical event professionals from around the United States... for the DJ Times team, it’s another day at the office. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences, both personally and professionally, during my five years exhibiting at the DJ Expo. We are given a fantastic platform to grow our businesses,

The Knowledge: Keynoter Lil Jon.

my career, and let me help others take theirs to the next level. Each year I come looking to network and further my business relationships, but I find so much more and always leave feeling more like part of a big family.”

Boston-based DJ Joshua Carl summed it up thusly: “Every year I wonder: How will the DJ Expo improve on the prior year’s show? And every year I think the same thing: They did it again, seemingly effortlessly. The networking opportunities are endless, new friendships are made, and I leave every year looking forward to next year’s event.”

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NUMBER 10

12 Worlds Apart

With His Improbable Musical Beginnings, Seven Lions Makes Genre-Mixing Look Easy

BY CHRIS CARUSO

20 Down the Stretch

22 Hee-Haw

Highlights from America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer DJ & DJ Times

BY DJ TIMES PHOTOGRAPHERS

With Tight Spaces, Little Electricity & Limited Line-ofSight, Working Barn Weddings Can Post Extreme Challenges for Mobile DJs

BY JEFF STILES

SAMPLINGS

DEPARTMENTS 7 Feedback

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

24 Making Tracks

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

4

Universal Audio Apollo Twin

26 Sounding Off

Peavey TriFlexII & CAD Audio

28 Mobile Profile

Jersey Jock Makes “Nice”

30 Business Line

Great Takeaways from DJ Expo

Cover Image By Kyle Hendrix/We Are Night Owls

VOLUME 28

32 Gear

New Products from ADJ, JBL Pro & More

38 Grooves

Phat Tracks from Above & Beyond, Joe Bermudez & More

40 DJ Times Marketplace

Shop Here for All Your DJ-Related Supplies

41 Club Play Chart

The Hottest Records, As Reported

by Our Top U.S. Record Pools

8 Andy C

D-n-B Pioneer

10 In the Studio With…

Freemasons

FROM THE EDITOR

Genre-Bending Jock & Reports from DJ Expo Seven Lions didn’t exactly come out of nowhere, but it almost seems like he did. After winning a Beatport remix contest in 2012, his career has enjoyed a swift ascension, which has included him remixing top acts like Above & Beyond, producing popular tracks like “Strangers” (his collab with Tov Lo, Myon & Shane 54) and playing the country’s top clubs and festivals.

In fact, during the 2013 America’s Best DJ Tour Presented by Pioneer DJ & DJ Times, I must’ve seen Seven Lions (aka Jeff Montalvo) play a half-dozen times and what struck me was how little he seemed tethered to a specific genre. You’d hear melodic elements of trance, but you’d also get bass-leaning drops, punchy house grooves, techno squiggles and ethereal moments—all very heady stuff that a festival crowd could dig into. So after he released his Worlds Apart EP, our Chris Caruso caught up with him to discuss genres, gear and his heavy-metal background.

For the Samplings entries, Caruso connected with the Freemasons, the longtime U.K. hitmakers who offer studio details on how they created their latest release, Shakedown 3. Additionally, Lily Moayeri—our longtime L.A.-based correspondent—caught up with British drum-n-bass legend Andy C, who recently released Ram Drum & Bass USA Volumes 1, 2, and 3, his multiple-disc label retrospective. Also, in a colorful photo spread, we offer plenty of images of the stretch drive of America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer DJ & DJ Times. From Vegas to Georgia, San Francisco to New York, from Denver to Los Angeles, we bring you America’s Best DJs. In our review columns, new tech writer Jon Jay heads into his studio for the Making Tracks entry and runs the Universal Audio Apollo Twin desktop interface through its paces. In Sounding Off, Jody Amos tests a slew of CAD Audio gear, while Mike Klasco and Tony Russell crank up Peavey’s TriFlex II active speaker system.

In the mobile-entertainer world, Iowa-based scribe Jeff Stiles takes us out to the country and asks DJs the pros and cons of playing “barn weddings,” a trend that’s on the upswing. We also showcase New Jersey’s DJ Greg Nice, who explains how he’s managed to thrive in an exceedingly competitive market. And in Business Line, Gregg Hollmann reports from DJ Expo—presented

by DJ Times and Testa Communications this past Aug. 11-14 in Atlantic City, N.J.—and offers up some useful seminar takeaways.

Speaking of DJ Expo, in our News section we give you a quick rewind of our time there.

From the “Keynote Q&A” session with Lil Jon to the packed exhibit floor to Skribble’s amazing closing-party set, this year’s DJ Expo was another winner. We’d like to thank the show’s exhibitors, attendees, presenters and performers—and we look forward to the 2015 edition, which will be our 25th year of presenting the show. Also, look forward to next month’s issue, which will present a nice photo spread from our Expo photographers. Until then…

Cheers,

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

chart coordinator Dan Miller dmiller@testa.com contributors Jody Amos Tom Banham Joe Bermudez Wesley Bryant-King Ally Byers Chris Caruso Shawn Christopher Paul Dailey Reed Dailey Chris Davis Josh Harris Robert LaFrance Michelle Loeb Lily Moayeri Phil Moffa Natalie Raben Scott Rubin Julia Sachs Jennifer Shapiro Jeff Stiles Emily Tan Phil Turnipseed Curtis Zack Ashley Zlatopolsky President/Publisher Vincent P. Testa FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO ORDER SUBSCRIPTIONS, CALL 800-937-7678 VISIT OUR WEBSITE www.djtimes.com

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

Jim Tremayne Editor, DJ Times

6

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

brand design & web development manager Fred Gumm fgumm@testa.com assistant editor Chris Caruso ccaruso@testa.com advertising manager Tom McCarty tmccarty@testa.com art/production assistant Vito Gelo vgelo@testa.com Circulation circulation@testa.com Classifieds classifiedsales@testa.com operations manager Robin Hazan rhazan@testa.com Editorial and Sales Office: DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York, USA 11050-3779. (516) 767-2500 • FAX (Editorial): (516) 944-8372 • FAX (Sales/all other business): (516) 767-9335 • DJTIMES@TESTA. COM Editorial contributions should be addressed to The Editor, DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, NY, USA, 110503779. Unsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care an d should be accompanied by return postage.

DJ Times (ISSN 1045-9693) (USPS 0004-153) is published monthly for $19.40 (US), $39.99 (Canada), and $59.99 (all other countries), by DJ Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 110503779. Periodicals postage paid at Port Washington, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DJ Times, PO BOX 1767, LOWELL MA 01853-1767 Design and contents are copyright © 2014 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 October 2014

visit our website: www.djtimes.com

FEEDBACK 2014 DJ Expo Issue

America’s Best DJ Award Ceremony/Closing Party

S N A I O N WI T

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OE

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

SEPTEMBER 2014

$4.95 US

$6.95 CANADA

The following is correspondence we received after the completion of DJ Expo, which DJ Times and Testa Com‑ munications produced this past Aug. 11-14 in Atlantic City, N.J.:

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Huckaby MOTOWN VINYLIST, MENTOR & MORE

MOBILES & VENDORS: A LOVE STORY? MASTERING THE SAME-SEX WEDDING MARKET

PLUS: ADVENTURE CLUB n DBX DRIVERACK PA2 n RCF ACTIVE SYSTEM n COLE PLANTE n J.PHLIP n SAMSON GRAPHITE CONTROLLERS n

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048AU14_p001-052.indd 3

7/30/2014 11:09:31 AM

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

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

After 20 years of going to the DJ Expo, I can tell you that I always learn at least 10 new things that help me in my job of training DJs—and the network‑ ing possibilities are endless. Thank you, DJ Expo!

– Danny Williams, Electric Cowboy, Ringgold, Ga.

This was my first Atlantic City DJ Expo and I couldn’t be happier with my ex‑ perience. Attending on behalf of Rane, the response I received, not only for the products, but for me personally, was outstanding. I love helping peo‑ ple, so being a part of the Expo and especially the “Performance Video” seminar panel presented me with the opportunity to do just that. Operation 2014 DJ Expo was a huge success!

I’m pumped for next year.

– Charles “DJ Eyecon” Seaton, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

I couldn’t be more pleased or grateful for this wonderful DJ Expo—great crowd, great vibes, great to connect with so many people that make the industry run. Thank you, DJ Times!

– DJ Nutritious, SpinSpinNYC, NYC

Having attended the very first DJ Expo in 1990, trust me when I say that DJ Expo is still the No. 1 show in North America, both in attendance size and networking opportunities. Kudos to the organizers—Testa Communica‑ tions and the gang at DJ Times.

– Frank Garcia, Mainline Lighting & Sound, NYC

This year’s DJ Expo was another pleasure—a great week. It’s always a nugget-filled education week for me.

– Sean “Big Daddy” McKee, Stamford, Conn.

DJ Expo is the ultimate networking event for anyone serious about grow‑ ing their DJ career. And when it comes to its video panels, it’s obvious that they have the full support of the DJ community by seeing how many es‑

Marquee Las Vegas Oct. 12 tablished talents participate and share their knowledge with their peers. As a panelist for the past two years, I have found that not only am I shar‑ ing knowledge, but I am also gaining a great deal from everyone else. The value of the experience has helped me expand my skill set, my business, and my knowledge base.

– DJ Dini, Hollywood, Calif.

I think the biggest benefit to attending any conference is the opportunity of getting to know your fellow attend‑ ees—and DJ Expo offers that. Also, hats off to DJ Expo and Josh Carl for organizing the panels that concen‑ trated on video DJing.

– DJ Al-Ski Love, Raleigh, N.C.

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SAMPLINGS

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

Andy C has run his Ram label since he was 16.

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ANDY C: PIONEERING D-N-B

Andy C is inarguably the world’s most popular drum-n-bass DJ. Holding this position for the last two decades, he is also one of the most genial fellows in electronic-dance music with very few gaps in his gigging schedule. The multi-tasking DJ/producer/label owner (aka Andrew John Clarke) is filling any free time he may have had with the triple release of Ram Drum & Bass USA Volumes 1, 2, and 3, one a month over the course of summer 2014.

The compilations, each an hour in length, give a relatively comprehensive overview of Andy C’s 22-year-strong label, Ram Records, established when he was only 16.

From his own “Mind Rise” circa 1992 to the soft and funky “Now It’s Time” circa 2012 from Mind Vortex, the upfront “Timewarp” and electro “Rock It” from Sub Focus, Volume 1 runs the gamut, proving Ram’s staying power in the process. Volume 2 likewise represents Ram’s unerring quality with Wilkinson’s chainsaw bassline “Moonwalker,” Hamilton’s melodic and sweet “Echoes,” and Noisia’s beefy and textured “Façade.”

Rounding off the triple threat, Volume 3 maintains the theme of putting old releases next to new ones by slotting the classic “Body Rock” from Shimon and Andy C alongside the rolling “Thunderball” from Moving Fusion.

“There’s a great line you can draw through the ages of drumn-bass,” says Andy C the morning after a San Francisco club show, which followed his festival set at Chicago’s Spring Awakening the day before. “We tried to make the compilations through the timescale of what we’ve gone through.

If you pick the tracks right, then it doesn’t sound dated. With the artists we’ve had and the tracks they’ve made, the tunes pick themselves.”

Andy C’s DJing traverses a similar path through drum-n-bass.

While he has access to absolutely everyone’s music far ahead of their releases, he makes his selections based on the vibe, maintaining that whether it is something from the baby stages of the sound or some next-level thing. Known for using three turntables, Andy two years ago introduced Native Instruments’ Traktor with Timecode MK2 Vinyl into his Technics set-up, which includes an Allen & Heath Xone:02 mixer. His switch to Traktor, he says, happened circumstantially, although he had the software downloaded to experiment with at home when he was working on the digital interface for his ALIVE tour in 2012.

“The first time I used Traktor was completely bizarre,” he says.

“I was in Denmark for a festival and my records never turned up.

The only way I could perform was to borrow somebody’s Traktor box. I had the software on my computer, and downloaded the drivers backstage with five minutes to go, tethering on the iPhone. I had 30 records in my iTunes folder, loaded them into Traktor and played the set. The sound quality was incredible and it was a fantastic set. The irony was, I flew to Portugal the next day for another festival and my records did turn up and the set was horrible. The needles were skipping and it was an absolute nightmare. I thought, ‘That’s the message, right there,’ and I haven’t looked back since.

“I don’t use Traktor in the box,” he continues. “I figure if I’m flying halfway across the world to DJ, I might as well bust my balls doing it. There might be a few mistakes, but that contributes to the performance. I like the feel of putting the needle on the record, the weight of the platter, when you’re speeding up or slowing down, the way the pitch feels, nice and solid, and how you have to chase the BPM to get the tunes in time. There’s something very satisfying to it, especially with three turntables. That’s how I’ve always done it and I wouldn’t want to change it.”

The Ram USA compilations aren’t mixed—although there is a 15-minute mini-mix previewing each one, done by various Ram artists. The idea is to refresh American audiences to Ram’s history with an eye to establishing the label further with pending full-length albums from DC Breaks and Rene LaVice. Ram’s presence in the States is already quite established, as evidenced by the label hosting a stage at this past summer’s EDC Vegas with some of the heaviest hitters in d-n-b genre.

“When something like this electronic-dance-music explosion happens, it sends down a lot of rope ladders that pull up a lot of things,” says Andy, who spent nearly his entire summer Stateside. “This year is the most gigs I’ve ever done in America. People’s ears are more receptive to drumn-bass than maybe they would have been 10 years ago. Drum-nbass has an incredibly passionate following. When people get it, they really do, and the past four or five years, the way people are enjoying and expressing themselves is a beautiful thing.”

– Lily Moayeri

IN THE STUDIO WITH

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

Divas, drama, and disco moments: These are just a few of the essential ingredients of the Freemasons.

The Brighton, Englandbased DJ/production duo—Russell Small and James Wiltshire—achieved club ubiquity with a series of seminal reworks of pop smashes from Beyoncé, Kylie Minogue, and Kelly Rowland. Additionally, the pair enjoyed their own crossover smashes, including 2007’s “Uninvited” and “Heartbreak Me a Dancer,” a collaboration with Sophie Ellis-Bextor.

With their penchant for euphoric melodies, gorgeous strings, and huge vocals, it’s no wonder the boys continue to turn out clubs worldwide year after year.

Now, the Freemasons’ focus is locked on Shake-

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down 3, their new threedisc release featuring two full-length DJ mixes and an album’s worth of new material. We connected with the duo to talk about the upcoming release, their Pegasus alter ego, and their seminal remixes.

DJ Times: Shakedown 2 came out in ’09. When did you decide to create a follow-up?

Russell Small: We have been stockpiling a body of work for some time now, probably around three years.

We decided the best way to get it all out there was to do a third Shakedown, as the other two had been so successful for us. This time we wanted to give a little bit more. We’ve been working together for 10 years now, so we wanted to make it

a bit more special, a true reflection of what we both are about musically both in terms of production and remixes. It contains influences from different genres, eras and styles of house music.

We are very proud of what we have created.

DJ Times: The new album contains reworks of your hits, including “Uninvited” and “Believer.” Why did you decide to revisit these tracks?

James Wiltshire: We always wanted to feature them on the album. “Believer” was not on any of our previous albums. Times have changed and the sonics of dance music are very different from the time we released “Uninvited.” We made a careful plan to revisit them and bring them up to date, added a few things that we missed the first time around, and—most importantly— made sure they can be played in today’s house sets.

These revisits are as much for the DJs as for the fans.

DJ Times: What went into the creation of Shakedown 3?

Small: Although it was a very intense period to get it all together, we have used a new stem mastering system from the geniuses at Wired Masters in London.

This made the end part of compiling it all and getting all the different versions so much easier than normal.

DJ Times: “Bring It Back” saw you explore a funkhouse sound, while “Dirty Organ” was a much dirtier club record. Are there any particular artists or styles that are particularly inspiring

you now?

Wiltshire: We have always been influenced by different genres of music, but the resurgence of ’90sinfused house music in the U.K. is really inspiring at the moment. We also have some great singer/songwriters coming through and we’re hearing some great tracks on mainstream radio, so it’s all very positive.

DJ Times: There’s no shortage of larger-than-life diva moments throughout your work. What goes into deciding which vocalists to work with?

Small: We’ve always been attracted to voices that have something beyond the norm.

We’ve never been ones for “diva by numbers” and we enjoy creating an atmosphere that lets a singer feel comfortable enough to enjoy the whole process. Also, we have to get on with them; all of our vocalists have become friends and it’s a point of pride with us.

DJ Times: What was your studio approach for this album?

Small: I’d say 95-percent of the album was made in Ableton and we have a very much hybrid approach to equipment with hardware and software playing equal parts.

DJ Times: How do you generally approach remixing a track?

Wiltshire: We always work out what is staying from the original. Often that can mean nothing at all, but sometimes—the remix of John Newman’s “Cheating,” for example—we end up keeping the chord structures and parts. The brass on that track was always going to be a keeper. Then we rebuild the music until we hit the sweet spot where you know it’s going to work. From then on, it’s just a mission to get to the track that’s in your head, which in the past has been weeks!

DJ Times: With production credits for Sophie EllisBextor and Kylie Minogue in the past, do you have any plans to produce for others in the future?

Small: Probably at some stage, but our focus has been our own material for the last six months. It’s a very different industry than even a few years back, so you have to be aware of what every job can bring to you.

DJ Times: What else do you have planned for the rest of 2014?

Wiltshire: DJ gigs, promotion for the album, and some much needed rest.

– Chris Caruso

FREEMASONS: SHAKEDOWN 3 Freemasons: James Wiltshire & Russell Small.

By Chris Caruso Las Vegas — With his dedication to stunning melodies and intricate soundscapes, it’s hard to believe that Seven Lions’ musical beginnings lie in extrememetal and punk-rock bands.

With a dizzying ascent to electronic-music stardom spurred on by a contestwinning remix of Above & Beyond’s “You Got To Go” in 2012, Seven Lions— aka Jeff Montalvo, 27—has sewn together an unmistakable sonic identity amongst endless walls of bass and noise in just a few years’ time. Since his upward launch, he’s performed at high-profile festivals including TomorrowWorld and Ultra, toured both as a headliner and alongside Krewella, and released the radio smash “Strangers” with producers Myon & Shane 54.

This year has seen the Santa Barbara, Calif., native release Worlds Apart, an experimental five-track EP that defies any attempts of categorization through its lush fusion of trance, dubstep, and progressive sounds with otherworldly vocal collaborations.

While in the midst of his summer-long “Worlds Apart” tour, which wrapped up at New York City’s Electric Zoo festival, we caught up with Seven Lions to talk about his new EP, rock origins, and meticulous studio approach.

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

DJ Times: Your venture into music production began when you were seven.

Did you grow up in a particularly musical family?

Seven Lions: Yeah, my dad was a musician, and he brought home a Mac computer with a MIDI keyboard. He showed me what MIDI was early on—and I kind of knew about it, but I was really young so I didn’t know how to really use it. But yeah, my dad also taught me how to play drums and how to play bass guitar and acoustic guitar. He also tried to teach me piano, but I wasn’t very good at it.

DJ Times: What sort of music scenes were you around while growing up in Santa Barbara?

Seven Lions: I was an outsider, as far as I liked really all heavy kinds of metal—a lot of Swedish stuff. The people I was hanging out with were all really into punk rock because that was the closest thing to metal locally. I played in punkrock bands. It wasn’t exactly metal, but it was the closest thing you could get.

DJ Times: Was there any sort of electronic music scene at the time?

Seven Lions: Not that I know of. I remember being in high school and hearing some friends talk about, “Oh, I went to this rave and it was super crazy,” but that was some far off thing I knew nothing about. There was this time my cousin was getting into DJing, and he was actually the one who gave me the first mix album I’d ever heard. Tiësto’s Darkside was the one that he gave me, and that was what got me into trance. I didn’t actually get into electronic music until college. I was kind of messing around with electronic music in high school just because I liked the idea of making music by myself, but at the time I wasn’t listening to electronic music of any kind.

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“When I used to go to a rave and heard a song I’d never heard before and liked it, I’d be stoked. Now when people hear new music, they’re just confused.”

IMPROBABLE MUSICAL MAKES GENRE-MIXING

BEGINNINGS, LOOK EASY. OCTOBER 2014

HIS LIONS

DJ TIMES

WITH SEVEN

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“As much as I like my fans and being socially interactive, I feel like when I didn’t have to deal with that it was a lot easier for me to focus.”

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

DJ Times: How did you start DJing?

Seven Lions: That wasn’t until well after I’d started producing. I think I was producing music for a long time, and then toward the end of college I thought it would be cool to DJ because some friend of mine had invited me to a mountain party up in Santa Barbara. Actually, I probably shouldn’t say that—he had invited me to an underground party and I saw a DJ spinning psy-trance and I was like, “Whoa, this is amazing!” And then I started getting into the whole idea of DJing.

DJ Times: Were there any artists that inspired your move into creating electronic music?

Seven Lions: Well, I started producing electronic music before I was listening to electronic music. A friend gave me Fruity Loops before and I was just messing around with it and crafting horrible songs. That’s how I got into it. But as far as the first time I heard a song and was like, “Whoa! This is what I want to do,” that was definitely Above & Beyond’s “Can’t Sleep.” That song changed it all for me, for sure.

DJ Times: You won a Beatport remix contest back in 2012 for Above & Beyond’s “You Got To Go.” What led you to enter the contest?

Seven Lions: I was on Beatport

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looking for music and then I saw the competition on the front page. I was like, “No way! A chance to get vocal stems from Above & Beyond?” I didn’t even actually plan on entering it because the contest had already been going on for a week; I just wanted to get Zoë Johnston’s vocals and make a song around it.

About a week in, I thought maybe I should try to finish this and get it in because I thought it was turning out to be a pretty cool song. I finished it and got it in within the last few hours of the competition closing.

DJ Times: How did that experience open doors for you?

Seven Lions: That was huge for me; that really started everything, to be honest. It got me in contact with Myon & Shane 54, who then asked me to do the remix for “Velvetine” which pushed things further. It also got me in contact with Tritonal, who asked me to do the remix for “Still Looking.” Those things happened very quickly after the Above & Beyond remix competition. It basically gave me enough of a profile to start working with artists that I had a lot of respect for. I got a manager and signed with a booking agency after that. It changed my life 100-percent. I’ll never forget when I read the news that I won. I didn’t know how much it was going to change my life. I knew it was important, but now I’m playing events like EDC. It’s pretty trippy.

DJ Times: Your second EP was released on OWSLA. How did your music get in the hands of Skrillex?

Seven Lions: The manager I was with at the time was at a rock festival in Germany that Skrillex was playing at. He met Sonny somehow and gave him my finished EP to check out. He really liked it and got

back to us, and that’s how it happened.

DJ Times: The EP merges elements of trance, progressive, and dubstep. From where do you pull your influences?

Seven Lions: As far as songwriting goes, Above & Beyond are always the people that I think of first when I get inspiration for things like breakdowns and textures. I don’t really listen to a whole lot of electronic music. As far as the dubstep stuff goes, I’d say a lot of influences are quite metal as far as drumming goes—especially on “Keep It Close,” where the melodies are extremely inspired by metal. The fact that it has a 3/4 timing, too. It’s a perfect circle; that’s what inspires me to write a song, because it’s a very rock kind of thing. When I’m writing a song, I’ll usually start with the drum and make a cool rhythm, and then I’ll work a melody around it. It’s always different, though.

DJ Times: Did you expect for “Strangers” with Myon & Shane 54 and Tove Lo to be as big of a crossover hit as it became?

Seven Lions: Definitely not. That’s the kind of thing you never really know. When you have a song and are done with it, I don’t think many people think, “Oh hey, this is going to be really successful.” Usually when I’m done with a song, I’m like, “I fucking hate this song because I’ve heard it too many times.”

I never know what’s going to happen it with it and I don’t really care; I just don’t want

to work on it anymore. We actually worked on that one for quite a while. Collabs are always very interesting. I’m very meticulous so sometimes I’ll be working with someone who’s not as meticulous who says, “Oh, we’ll just get it out there,” when I’m thinking we have to keep working on it because it’s not absolutely perfect yet.

DJ Times: Did that collaboration come about following your remix of Myon & Shane 54’s “Velvetine”?

Seven Lions: Yeah, exactly. I did the “Velvetine” remix and I formed a relationship with Mario from Myon & Shane 54. We were always talking on Skype. He’s actually been a big influence on me in terms of production because there’s a lot of stuff about making four-on-the-floor music that I didn’t know, like tuning kick drums and other things that I didn’t pay attention to, because in dubstep it’s not nearly as important. He taught me quite a bit about production, honestly.

DJ Times: Ellie Goulding sings on the EP’s opening track. How did you two collaborate?

Seven Lions: She actually hit me up on Twitter and was like, “Hey dude, do you want to remix a song?” I said, “Of course!”

She sent it to me and I thought it was really cool, but I asked her what she thought about doing an original together. She said yes, which was really surprising to me be-

cause I was just thinking I’d try it out and see what she says! So she sent me a vocal that she had, and then I wrote the song around that vocal. I sent it back to her and she re-did the vocal and lyrics, and changed the melody up a little bit. She sent it back and I finished it from there.

DJ Times: Kerli features on two tracks, including the title track. What was working with her like?

Seven Lions: Kerli and I work together really, really well. She’s amazing as far as melody goes and she does all of her own vocal production, which is so awesome. She sends me the vocal files and they’re basically ready to go; I have to do very little to make them sit right in the song. My manager hooked that one up; he introduced me to her and then we got in the studio together to work on “Worlds Apart.” I wasn’t planning on having her on “Keep It Close” because I know a lot of artists don’t like to have the same vocalist on two separate tracks on the same release. We were just going to have her write for that song and then have someone else sing it, but she did such a good that job that we decided that she should be the one singing it. I don’t think anyone else could have done what she did; she just sounds so amazing on that track.

DJ Times: The EP is definitely heavy on vocals, particularly female ones. Was there a reason behind this?

Seven Lions: I think it just goes back to the trance that I really got into back in the day was all really female vocal driven. I like Delerium quite

a bit, too, and generally they feature mostly female vocals, although they have some male vocalists too. I just like the female voice; there’s something about it that tugs at my heartstrings and I really like working with and manipulating female vocals. Some of the stuff I’m working on now features male vocalists, though. I’m always doing different things.

DJ Times: You cite fantasy and metal as inspiration on your work, from sounds to artwork. Are you ever producing with specific visuals in mind?

Seven Lions: Yeah, I guess more in like colors and textures as opposed to actual landscapes and scenes. It depends. When I’m doing sound design and picking out synths and things like that, I definitely picture moods. Is this more of a snowy, winter kind of a song or is this more of a summer, desert-like track? I definitely do think of that kind of stuff, but it has to do with melody and track elements.

DJ Times: Which came first when creating Worlds Apart— the instrumentals or the lyrics?

Seven Lions: I’m not into lyrics at all. When I work with a vocalist, I tell them what I want to stay away from. Other than that, it’s up to them.

As far as words go, I’m pretty inept, so I leave that up to professionals. [laughs] Most of the songs’ instru-

mentals were written and the vocals came after.

DJ Times: What’s your studio setup like?

Seven Lions: It’s a home studio.

I spent a lot of time on it, actually. I have 10 bass traps: two of them for corner and two of them right behind me. They’re those big 3x4’s, so they’re pretty big bass traps. I have Dynaudio BM5A monitors that I absolutely love.

I have a KRK Ergo to tune the room a bit, but I don’t try and rely on it too heavily, even though it’s pretty cool. I have MacBook Retina 15-inch that I run Bootcamp on with FruityLoops and I use a lot of Voxengo plug-ins. I use a lot of Sylenth ones, as well as Massive. There’s this new synth that I’ve really started getting into called Spire by Reveal Sound, and I use Nexus and Omnisphere quite a bit, too.

DJ Times: Are you all-digital when it comes to synths?

Seven Lions: I’m 100-percent in the box now. There was one time I bought a DSI Mopho that was a cool little analog synth that was MIDIcontrolled. I liked it, but their sound quality in comparison to an in-thebox synth wasn’t enough to make me go, “Oh my god, that’s totally worth all the extra steps I have to go through!”

A lot of my sound design comes through layering and reversing and a lot of other things. I’m not super

worried about having that fat analog sound when I can just get a plug-in that can fatten up any sound.

DJ Times: What is your general creative process? Do you begin things on the road and clean up in the studio? Or go into studio hibernation for long periods of time?

Seven Lions: It’s always been studio hibernation mode and that’s really how I like to work, but since I’ve been traveling so much this year I have started to work on stuff from the road. It’s exactly what you said: I’ll work on something, get a rough sketch, and then I’ll stem it all out and bring it home to mix it a bit and keep working on it. It’s hard being away from home so much because I feel like if I’m not writing music then I’m kind of losing my mind in a way. That’s why I had to make changes for it and start working on the road. It’s not as fulfilling; I really miss being at home and not having fucking emails all the time and not having to check Twitter and Facebook. As much as I like my fans and being socially interactive, I feel like when I didn’t have to deal with that it was a lot easier for me to focus. It was just different back then.

DJ Times: Have you carved out any time exclusively for studio work this year?

Seven Lions: September/October is going to be my studio time. But

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then again, when I say it’s studio time, I mean I go to my booking agency and say that I’m not going to be taking shows for a certain amount of time.

They’ll say, “That’s cool… but what about this really cool festival?” and I’ll think, “That is a really cool festival, maybe I should take that!” As soon as I say I’m not going to be on the road, they’ll tell me about a really cool offer and I’ll take one. Before I know it, all of the weekends are full. It’s really hard to take off time, especially because my booking agency [AM Only] does a great job.

DJ Times: Growing up a drummer, are drum patterns particularly important to you when producing?

Seven Lions: Yeah, definitely. Some tracks you can tell more than others, especially during drum fills and stuff like that. I think that the remix I did for Röyksopp’s “Running To The Sea” has a lot of drumming that I would particularly do myself. It’s a lot of the more subtle stuff—I’ll make snare rolls that I try to make more natural.

DJ Times: Is there a particular element that usually forms the base of your tracks when producing?

Seven Lions: It’s always different.

A lot of my favorite songs start with a melody, but it always depends, for sure. For “Worlds Apart,” I started with just that melody that you first hear. Sometimes I write very linear,

but other times it’s not like that at all and I’ll start with the breakdown melody or a drum track. It definitely always changes.

DJ Times: How do you approach remixes?

Seven Lions: I’ll listen to the song and I’ll try and not pay attention to the music at all, instead focusing solely on the vocal. I don’t want to be influenced by the music at all. When I remix stuff, I really like to change the melody and make something completely different. I think remixes that use the same melody aren’t really remixes—cool, you put a new drum track behind it, fantastic. So I’ll take a vocal and then treat it in cool ways; I have a lot of fun doing that. Then I’ll write the melody underneath the vocal and think about what that vocal needs to really make it shine. I think the “Still With Me” turned out so well because I had listened to a cappella vocal about 100 times and wrote the melody and built the song around it in order to make it have a big impact on what she says.

DJ Times: What’s your live setup?

Seven Lions: Now it’s just a Pioneer DJM-900 mixer, my MacBook Retina 13-inch, and a Traktor Control X1, two USB cables, Ultrasone Signature Pro headphones. It’s pretty simple. I was traveling around with this big-ass MIDI controller for a while,

but it just became too much overtime.

So I moved down to the X1, which I really like.

DJ Times: Do you prefer producing or DJing?

Seven Lions: Producing by a mile— by so much. It’s so much more fulfilling for me. I do enjoy DJing because I get to connect with people and actually see them enjoy the music. Sometimes I have fun making sets and putting stuff together, but I don’t think there’s much in the world I like more than producing.

DJ Times: Does DJing affect your production output at all?

Seven Lions: It definitely influences it. I noticed after the Krewella tour that I was making my kicks and my basslines much heavier. I had been on the road for so long and saw what was going over well.

DJ Times: What do you look for in tracks for your sets?

Seven Lions: There’s a lot of different things about that. I get a lot of music: some that I really like and some that I think will go over really well that still have some melody (i.e., it might not be my favorite thing ever, but I can use it in a very effective way). Those are the two basic kinds of songs I’ll get into my collection. I’ll go from there and think, “How does this fit into my songs and where can I put this that makes sense?”

I never play anything that I don’t like—I don’t do that.

Continued on page 42

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DOWN THE S T R E T C H

OCTOBER 2014

Highlights From America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer DJ & DJ Times

The last leg of America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer DJ & DJ Times saw us hit several U.S. markets, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Denver, New York City, Atlantic City, N.J., and Columbus, Ga. The events included: Carnage at Tao Beach and Marquee Dayclub in Vegas; Roger Sanchez at Avalon in L.A.; Robbie Rivera at Ruby Skye in San Fran; Global Dance Festival at Red Rocks in Denver (with four America’s Best DJ Nominees, including Alvin Risk, Carnage, Gabriel & Dresden and Wolfgang Gartner); Wolf + Lamb and Sleepy & Boo at Marquee New York; DJ Skribble at Ego Lounge in the Trump Taj Mahal in AC during DJ Expo; and DJ Roonie G at Mix Ultra Lounge in Columbus, Ga. As always, DJ Times was there, collecting ballots for the DJs and giving fans chances to win plenty of prizes—like Pioneer gear and a trip for two to Las Vegas for the ABDJ Closing Party/Award Ceremony at Marquee Nightclub on Oct. 12. It all looked like this:

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Uplifting: A scene at Red Rocks.

Simon Alexander Big: Wolfgang Gartner at Red Rocks Simon Alexander In the Mix: Roger Sanchez in L.A. Avalon Ruby Skye: DJ Times in the house.

Javier Ovalles Georgia Voter: Mix Ultra Lounge Mix Vegas Scene: Marquee Dayclubbers.

Karl Larson Ego Lounge: Skribble at DJ Expo.

MetroMix Media Splashing: Tao Beach pool party.

Rockbear Killin’ It: Carnage at Marquee Vegas.

Karl Larson Denver: Furry Voter at Red Rocks.

Simon Alexander SF Scene: Robbie Rivera at Ruby Skye Javier Ovalles Space Booty Model: Nikki Smith at Red Rocks.

Simon Alexander Georgia Jams: Roonie G at Mix Ultra Lounge.

Mix Marquee NYC: Sleepy & Boo with Wolf + Lamb.

Pearcy Proper L.A. Story: Roger Sanchez at Avalon Avalon NYC Street Scene: Marquee @ Marquee.

Pearcy Proper

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OCTOBER 2014

DJ TIMES 22

Sarah and Tim’s wedding reception in the coastal town of Wiscasset, Maine, was set in a storybook location: Fresh-cut flowers, a colorful venue that overlooks a river, a manicured lawn where guests could enjoy cocktails before dinner, and an expansive ballroom-sized dancefloor for guests to party the night away.

And it was all on a farm, especially designed for a rustic wedding, with Jerry Bazata of Jaz Music & Entertainment of Ogunquit on the microphone as he controlled the volume and pace of the event.

“The typical barn wedding that one might envision in Maine—with cows in the background and chickens running around on the dancefloor—is completely fictional,” says Bazata. “In fact, many of these ‘barns’ today are no longer used as ‘working farms,’ but have been completely renovated and updated to accommodate weddings and other social events.

“To further capture revenue, a farmhouse which may exist on the property can often be renovated into an inn to accommodate the wedding party and family, since lodging for out-of-state guests may not be readily available in some areas.”

In its 2014 Wedding Survey, The Knot wrote that Maine was one of the top destination wedding locations in the Northeast, particularly for its coastline and rustic settings.

It reports that rustic-themed weddings have been the driving force behind hundreds of thousands of dollars being invested by entrepreneurs in the renovation of barns across Maine the past few years.

We talked with DJs from across the country about their experiences performing at receptions located in barns and in other rural settings. What season of the year is best for these types of events? And what special advance planning should a DJ keep in mind while preparing for these types of events?

Up in Maine, Bazata says that barn weddings have increased in popularity so much that there’s actually been a sudden surge in new barn buildings being custom-built for the purpose of hosting receptions and other social events.

“The new barns are often built in locations that offer a view of the scenic coastline of Maine or breathtaking views of the mountains and lakes in Maine,” he says. “For the mobile DJs of our state, this has increasingly become the venue of choice for several reasons: “First of all, load-in and -out and set-up are one of the easiest to work with, as you can literally pull right up to the location—often within feet of where you’re going to set up. Secondly, with the upgrades to the infrastructure of the barn, having enough power is never a problem and the need for external generators has all but been eliminated. And thirdly, if you’re creative and sell up-lighting, this is a great enhancement to the wedding package: literally working with a blank canvas to showcase your talents.”

Bazata adds that brides with a desire to have a rustic wedding in a barn are also looking for a level of elegance and sophistication to the wedding. He says they come to Maine because they love the outdoors, but also dream of that grand-ballroom wedding—and a barn setting provides them the best of both worlds.

“As a DJ, we need to incorporate both concepts into our sales pitch to the bride and groom,” he says. “Determine ways to create a grand entrance, blending in your set-up with the decor of the room and, more importantly,

OCTOBER 2014

Over on the west coast, Mark Haggerty of Denon & Doyle Entertainment in the San Francisco Bay Area says their DJs are typically asked to wear something a little more casual than a tuxedo or suit for these events, which he says can be a nice change-up.

“I typically start with just a shirt and tie— then I loosen the tie after a while,” he says.

“If they have a Western theme, maybe even wear jeans and boots.

This past Saturday was a casual wedding. Even the groom didn’t wear a tie, despite the fact some of the guests did.

The town was Cotati, about 50 miles north of San Francisco, near the wine country of Napa/ Sonoma.”

Haggerty says that recent ceremony took place on the edge of the property, in a field that was cleared, with seating in an arbor. The guests had signs directing guests to the ceremony site on the side of a cornfield.

“The cocktail hour was in the backyard of the main house, and during that hour I moved my secondary sound system from the ceremony area to the dinner area inside a very long barn,” he says.

“This historic-looking building was obviously

part of a bigger ranch back in the old days that has since been subdivided with housing tracts.

“The only animals in sight were two dogs that seemed to wander anywhere they wanted,” he says.

“This was a wedding with about 60 guests all told, and the barn contained one super-long King’s table at which everyone was seated. I used my second sound system for dinner music and a wireless mic for toasts. The barn was so long, I had to use a wireless link to a speaker at the far end to ensure that everyone could hear.”

A few challenges for Haggerty included the fact that power sources for the three different areas where music was required each were 50-100 feet away from the closest outlet, the dancefloor was not very level, an umbrella was required to provide shade for this DJ’s sensitive and expensive electronics (until the sun went down) and, while he was constantly shooing away flies and yellow-jacket bees during the day, at night he was visited by numerous gnats, mosquitoes and even a spider that climbed onto his laptop.

Back up in Maine, Mike Mahoney of M&M Entertainment in South Portland says he performs for about a dozen different rural weddings every year, in all sorts of shapes and sizes of barns. Recently he played for a wedding ceremony and reception at Caswell Farm in Gray.

“They had the ceremony in one space, the cocktail hour in another, the first dance and parent dances just outside the barn during cocktail hour just before dinner, dinner under a tent and then dancing in the barn,” he recalls.

“I had to go out and walk around randomly to see when they might be finishing dinner. As dinner was wrapping up, I began playing some good-ole Motown, and people began coming into the barn and dancing.

I kept moving up to newer music, and the sweet spot turned out to be a mix of early-’80s and newer music in the 120-130 BPM range.”

Mahoney says the ceremony started at 3 p.m. and the entire event was scheduled to wrap up at 9 p.m., but by 8:30 the bride and groom had already asked him to extend the reception for an hour.

“At about 9:30, the uncle of the bride came up to me, put his arm around me, and said, ‘See this here, these are my family. They’re having a great time, and I want you to keep going until they’re done.’

“We ended at 2 a.m.!”

Mahoney says several special considerations come to mind when it comes to planning a barn wedding.

“In terms of lighting, a smaller barn will probably be fun and easy to decorate with icicle lights or strings of single bulbs draped across the beams, but a larger barn may need architectural lighting,” he says. “And the lighting of choice for barns tends to be an amber hue, to highlight the classic nature of the space.

“Also, depending on the location, you’re generally on private property in a sparsely populated area, which means you could literally party until long after the cows come home—my latest party went until 3:30 a.m.

“Have a power regulator—not just a power strip, but a regulator. They cost about $400, but are well worth it. Many barns are extensively renovated, but some are not, so be prepared—and save yourself, and your client, a lot of potential grief.”

Mahoney says a DJ will likely need to have at least two systems for a typical barn wedding. “Not necessarily two complete systems, but as an example, I had one this past June where the ceremony was in one place, cocktail hour in another, dinner in (continued on page 42)

DJ TIMES

sound management for the guests. It doesn’t take much to fill these wide-open structures with music.”

Fo r t h e re c e p t i o n m e n t i o n e d a b ove , a t Marianmade Farms in Wiscasset, Bazata recalls that a butcher-block t a b l e h a d b e e n p ro vided for him to set his laptop on and he even had a dedicated outlet on a separate circuit for power.

“A large window was located to my right so I could open it up for air circulation during the heat of the afternoon,” he says. “The venue was equipped with ceiling fans and the cool river breeze kept the barn at a comfortable temperature during the day and into the night.

“The cocktail hour was on the patio outside the barn, and for the DJ that meant simply placing a speaker outside the window, so the music would be provided in the same in all areas of the venue. For the bridal party, there was an adjacent building in which they could view their guests enjoying the cocktail hour while they had a few minutes to prepare for the introductions.

“Unlike most barns

that require quests to use temporary bathroom facilities, Marianmade Farm has a dedicated building with several private bathrooms for guests. The place has a rustic feel with a real touch of elegance.”

Down in Alabama, Geoff Carlisle of JAMM Entertainment Services in Birmingham says receptions held in barns also seem to be the current hot style of venue in his part of the nation.

“Some are small and some are larger,” he says of rustic weddings. “Either way, the secret is to make sure that the guest count will fit in the actual barn.”

Carlisle says some barns remove any horses normally in residence during the receptions, probably due to the noise level and guests being around.

“The staff typically cleans the stalls and removes anything that would cause an odor,” he says. “But then again, some barns allow the horses to stay in the stalls and allow guests to pet them as part of the experience.”

The best barn wedding Carlisle’s company recently provided music for had the DJ set up in the courtyard area with café-lighting over the dancefloor, which was surrounded by tables for the guests.

“A fireplace on one side was lit for guests to create their own s’mores dessert,” he says. “The caterer was set up on the opposite side, with a cloverleaf arrangement for the casual BBQ-style food.

The horses were in the stalls for guests to see and pet. The barn itself was large H-shaped with couple dozen stalls.

“The manager’s room was then reserved for the bride to get ready and for the couple to enjoy private dining before they were introduced. It was intimate and warm, but classy and Southern.”

Blake Eckelbarger of The Music Place in South Bend, Ind., says his company does an assortment of barn weddings every year, located at venues ranging from pole barns to gorgeous turn-of-the-century antique barns.

“Being located in northern Indiana, this is the heart of Amish country,” says Eckelbarger (aka DJ Sticky Boots). “My staff and I have done everything from a simple reception to elaborate Pinterestworthy ceremonies and receptions on commercial properties with vintage century barns. I’ve also had the opportunity to spin several proms and other school-related events in various barns, including a fundraiser event called #BarnProm2014.”

So far, Sticky Boots says none of these events have been held in barns that had animals actually in them—“Unless you count the party-goers!” he jokes—so that any animal-related smells or health concerns were not applicable.

“However, these types of properties—especially the vintage, 125-year-old barn—have unique challenges. Everything from tight spaces, limited electricity, no air conditioning and limited line-ofsight with the bridal party and/or head table and/or dancefloor can be very challenging.

“In one case, our DJ was required to set up in a hayloft, which made it difficult to see the dancefloor, difficult to move gear up a narrow set of steps and incredibly hot on a humid July night. Several of the vintage barns are not really weather-proof, so there’s the risk of water damage if there happens to be a storm.

“The upside is each venue is truly unique and the owners take tremendous pride in creating the perfect backdrop for a vintage, rustic event. Many of the weddings I’ve been a part of in these barns literally look like the center spread of a bridal magazine come to life.”

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MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

Twin Tones: Access to classic analog sounds.

By Jon Jay

DESKTOP SOLUTION: UA’S APOLLO TWIN

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

Apollo Twin: Runs UAD Powered Plug-ins & more.

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For nearly 50 years, Universal Audio has been a pioneer of world-class analog audio gear. When the Scotts Valley, Calif.-based company decided to venture into the digital realm, it is by no surprise that their Universal Audio Digital (UAD) Powered Plugins have earned the reputation for being some of the most accurate emulations of analog equipment to date.

With a team of highly skilled Digital Signal Processing (DSP) engineers meticulously remodeling analog circuitry, UAD plug-ins have garnered the support from engineers and producers from the likes of Fab Dupont, Just Blaze, Diplo, and many more.

It’s also been my experience that, when you include UA’s great customer service and artist relations, you’ve got quite a company.

Onto the Review: The Twin is UA’s latest release in the Apollo series. The Apollo series is collection of UA’s DSP sound cards, which function as both an audio interface and a platform to run their UAD Powered Plugins. With success already from the Apollo Duo and Quad, UA has created a miniature stand-alone version in the Twin, perfect for small studio den-

izens with an emphasis on mobility.

First Impressions: The twin measures roughly 6-by-6-inches and weighs less than 2.5 pounds. It’s lightweight and can easily fit in any backpack, giving you the power to create a mobile studio virtually anywhere with a power supply.

On the back are two preamp mic/ line inputs, two line outs, outs for your monitors, and an optical input for up to eight additional digital channels. The front end has a Hi-Z input, headphone input, and a digitally controlled monitor output. Overall, the Twin has a bold image and a sleek finish that gives users the feeling of solidly built construction quality even for its small size and weight.

Setup & Use: Setting up the Twin for use took roughly 10 minutes.

Downloading the software, registering the hardware, and configuring the Twin were relatively simple. After installation, the Apollo software installs a console program and a meter/control panel that allows users to run the Twin in two different ways. The Twin works either as a stand-alone unit running UAD plug-ins in realtime through the console program or

through VST/AU plug-ins in a DAW. On UA’s website you’ll find easyto-follow instructions, along with a video tutorial on getting the Apollo series to work seamlessly with your major DAW programs such as Logic Pro X, Ableton Live 9, Sonar, Cubase, Reason, etc.

Performance: The Twin is fast!

Working via Thunderbolt, the unit boasts a near zero (below 2ms) latency operating its plug-ins. The UAD plug-ins work through its own DSP card allowing users to allocate CPU processing towards other plug-ins such as soft synths and the DAW itself. UAD’s plug-in collection is, in the simplest of words, absolutely crazy.

In its collection, you get the 1176 LN, Teletronix LA-2A, Lexicon 224, Studer A800, the FATSO, and the list goes on and on. Working with the plug-ins in Ableton, it was very easy to create eight audio drum tracks, arm each with an SSL channel strip and bus them to an SSL G Compressor to digitally recreate an SSL mix board.

It’s important to mention that UA has faithfully remodeled each piece of gear to the exact circuitry possible, calling for the most accurate emulation. This can be seen in a few of their plug-ins like the Studer A800 Tape Plug, which recreates the hum and hiss noises from the original tape machine.

Along with a trove of powerhouse plug-ins, the Twin also functions as a brilliant sound card. The A/D and D/A (digital/analog) converters do a great job in creating a warm, analog front-end sound, giving reason for any audio nerd to drool when hearing the rich clarity and punch delivered through their monitors. The two mic/ line inputs have the ability to be stereo linked with options for a low cut filter, 48V phantom power, 20 db pad, and polarity inversion. These inputs each come equipped with a high-

resolution, ultra-transparent, digitally controlled analog mic preamp. Simply put, the Twin has a really warm and clean sounding preamp that boosts levels without adding much distortion.

Support: A great reason to buy into the UAD brand is the support found on UA’s website. Each plug-in comes with instructions and an impressive collection of user presets from some of the world’s most renowned engineers. Also, on UA’s website you’ll find FAQs, reviews, features and specs, and related blog posts on using a particular plug-in of interest. UA also has a blog, the WebZine, where articles and videos are posted on plug-ins to help new users navigate through some of the tips of tricks of using respective plug-ins. Lastly, for even more support, a vibrant forum is available where new and experienced users can post Q/A as well as tips/ tricks on using plug-ins.

Conclusion: The Twin comes in two different versions—the Twin Solo ($699 MSRP) or the Twin Duo ($899 MSRP). The Duo has just a little bit more DSP power, allowing users to actively run more plug-ins at once compared with the Solo (exact specifications can be found on UA’s website).

Although the Twin is bit pricier than other sound cards out on the market, the ability to run such a vast array of high-quality plug-ins makes the unit stand out. The only downside to the Twin, in my view, is that it is only available for Mac users running OSX with a Thunderbolt port. Overall, at a fair price point, the Twin is very attractive not only to experienced studio heads, but also those bedroom producers looking for a great sound card with excellent sonic quality.

Well-done, Universal Audio!

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

SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

PEAVEY PA & CAD AUDIO GEAR

By Mike Klasco, Tony Russell & Jody Amos

In this edition of Sounding Off, it’s an all-San Francisco Bay Area show. Mike Klasco (from Richmond) and Tony Russell (aka Tony Roxx from Redwood City) test out the Peavey TriFlex II PA system. Then, Jody Amos (from Livermore) takes on CAD Audio’s GXL-U dual UHF wireless mic system, plus its WX1600 wireless handheld system and a Sessions MH510GD headphone set. Let’s just hope this doesn’t mean another Giants-A’s World Series.

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

CAD Audio Gear

26

The CAD Audio GXL-U is a dual UHF wireless microphone system with a single receiver, available for under $200. The GXL-U systems come in a variety of combinations of your choice—two handhelds or two condenser headworns, or one of each. These systems are great for casual to professional DJs, KJs or coffee-shop performers.

I will have to admit that I did not know much about CAD Audio before I received their products. After researching their company a bit, I see that they have a long history of microphone innovations and a variety of products on the market with great reviews. In addition, I know their lead engineer had a long term on the wireless design team with a world-renowned microphone company. These people are no strangers to microphones or wireless technologies.

When I first opened the GXL-U box, my first impression was that they looked and felt like a Shure wireless PGX style microphone. It’s the same size, and a similar plastic body and metal headshell, but all black. The power and mute switch on the side is pretty nice and easy to use. The microphone itself is a Moving Coil Dynamic mic with a Super-Cardioid pickup pattern.

Running on two AA alkaline batteries, the frequency response ranges from 80Hz to 16KHz. The receiver on the other hand is a little different from what I’m accustomed. The receiver body is plastic with two short telescoping aluminum antennas. The front is pretty straight forward—you have a power switch and five lights. Each channel has an AF and RF light that indicates the presence of connectivity and an audio source, plus a light for power.

The back is where it gets interesting. First of all, you have separate volume controls for Mic A and Mic B. Then you have two balanced XLR-M outputs—one for Mic A, and a second combined-output for Mics A and B, then a separate unbalanced ¼-inch output for Mic B.This gives you a variety of convenient options for various setup scenarios.

With options like this, you can now have two microphones connected to a DJ mixer with just one microphone input, or you can have two microphones plugged directly into a powered speaker with only one input. This has been pretty convenient for me at wedding ceremonies and for small karaoke systems.

It’s very typical for a product in this price range to suffer from lack of dynamics and flexibility, but not this system. With a dynamic range of 105dBA, the sound quality outperforms just about everything else I have tested in its price range, and it’s up there with some of the mid-range systems offered by the top manufacturers. I was very happy with the sound that this microphone produced and it had plenty of wireless range.

Unfortunately, I did experience a couple of unwanted noises while handling the mic. Any little adjustment with my hand and you can hear it thru the speakers. Also, the battery case rattles a little bit if you are shaking the mic or if you are very active on stage. Not sure if that specific issue was isolated to the product I have, or if it’s across the board for all of them. However, I was able to wrap it up with a little electrical tape, and that seemed to cure the problem.

More From CAD: The fine folks at CAD Audio also sent me a couple other products to try out. They sent along a WX1600 wireless handheld system and a set of their Sessions MH510GD headphones. The WX1600 handheld is a 100-channel UHF diversity microphone system that is a step up from the GXL-U system. For $299, this system has ScanLink technology which will scan for a clear channel then automatically sync up with the transmitter. It also features a frequency response of 40Hz to 15kHz and a dynamic range of 109dB. On the back of the unit, you have a balanced XLR output and a ¼-inch unbalanced output with adjustable volume control, and an adjustable squelch setting. The receiver has metal construction and comes with rack ears.

The Session MH510GD headphones come in a variety of color combinations to suit your style for under $99. Boasting a 50mm Neodymium drivers, these headphones are designed for the accomplished DJ, recording studios, live sound, as well as for music listening. The Sessions MH510s have been tailored to offer great isolation and to produce an articulate frequency response with extended lows, smooth mids and clean highs.

True to CAD Audio’s style, they package their products with more features than most products on the market. In the box, you will find a detachable coiled cable and a straight one, as well as two pair of ear pads. With a set of CAD Audio Sessions, you will look sharp while mixing some beats, and you won’t break the bank. CAD Audio, check them out.

25th Anniversary Moments

Kaskade: This Is My Tribe “[EDM] has been bubbling in the underground for 20-some years. This is our moment and nobody is going to take this away from us!

“With the so-called RAVE Act [in 2003],

cat’s out of the bag. This is the largest subculture going on right now, but my life has been revolving around this for years.”

– Kaskade, 2-Time America’s Best DJ winner, June 2012

MER TOUR SUM 201 2

DJ

EP Y-S MA TEMBER

PR

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TI

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ES

Peavey Electronics’ TriFlex II is one choice for mobile DJs who want a transportable audio system for small- to medium-sized gigs while delivering strong bass. Considering its MAP of $899, this is the total package that should get some attention.

The TriFlex II is compact and will fit most SUVs or minivans, but the weight could be an issue for some—more on that later. The TriFlex is three separate speakers: the single, 15-inch, low-end subwoofer fills out the bottom, below a pair of 10-inch speakers. Each of the 10-inch satellites has a 1.4-inch compression driver tweeter.

The three enclosures fit together for transportation with the twin 10-inch driver enclosures dropping into recesses on the front of the sub’s speaker grille. The amplifiers are integrated into the main subwoofer enclosure.

The system weighs 146 pounds and, while one person can push the TriFlex system on casters, I don’t envy a lone DJ at the end of the night trying to disassemble and drag this package home. The sub is constructed from 18-mm MDF with a black acrylic paint coating.

The full-range 10-inch boxes have a 45-degree angle (for PA floor-monitor use) or at the juncture of the ceiling and wall for installs. Built-in adaptors allow the satellites to mount on standard 13/8-inch speaker poles.

The sub houses the system’s electronics—its amps deliver 500 watts peak for the sub and 250 watts peak to each satellite. The DDT limiter works well and should keep overly enthusiastic users of the level controls out of trouble. The Peavey TriFlex II is powerful enough to comfortably amplify the typical party with serious bass.

We handed the system over to DJ Tony Roxx for his in-the-field evaluation.

Field Test: In my view, TriFlex II is plenty big for weddings or house parties, but not quite big enough for duty at a larger venue. The satellite speakers are also powered by the sub, so you can’t use them without it. Also, the sub is heavy for lifting in and out of a van or truck. Bring a cohort for co-transport.

That said, this system is built to bump. I pushed it hard at a larger gig I had—I did need to add additional speakers to fill the room—and it definitely is a loud system and I like the way the two smaller speakers fit into the sub like a puzzle for transporting. I would say a smaller bar or venue that wanted a system with some big bass and a few small satellites (but was on a budget) would like the TriFlex.

Depending on your application—and maybe the number of people you have to load and unload the system—TriFlex II could be an affordable PA solution for you.

they tried to make it unlawful to dance, but it’s not going to happen this time. The

AMERICA ’S B ES T

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BY

DJ PIONEER DJ &

AmericA’s First mAgAzine For ProFessionAl DJs estAblisheD 1988 JUNE 2012

$6.95 CANADA

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AmericA’s best dj 2011

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miami music week visions of ultra fest & more

how business gurus help mobiles $4.95 US

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5/1/2012 5:28:52 PM

READ ENTIRE INTERVIEW ONLINE djtimes.com

MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

By William H. White

DJ MIXES DECK SAVVY

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

“You can learn from everyone. You take tidbits to make your business stronger and keep things moving.”

–DJ Greg Nice

28

Howell, N.J.—DJ Greg’s career epiphany occurred while at college—and not in the classroom, but at parties.

It’s where he found his vocation. “During my second year of college, I was always being asked to DJ at parties and at friends’ weddings,” he recalls. “That’s when it first hit me: ‘Hey, I think I might be able to make a living from DJing, and it’s something that I really love doing.’”

Greg Lambiase (aka DJ Greg Nice) was born in Manhattan, and had developed a passion for music at an early age—sound familiar? By the time he was in the 8th grade he had purchased his first pair of decks and learned to mix vinyl.

When friends and family saw his talent, they encouraged him to pursue music, and Lambiase eventually started working as a mobile DJ for several multi-system DJ operators. That’s when he found he could MC and dance, too.

But it was in college in 2005 when he took the bold step of cofounding Alpha-Omega Entertainment. It lasted until 2009. The following year he went solo, founding GSL Entertainment. It wasn’t easy.

To the public, GSL Entertainment was a new company and brand. With a glut of DJ companies in his home market of Central New Jersey, it would take time to stand out in a crowded field. “Initially, I spent too much money with an outside web designer on a website that did not live up to expectations,” he says. “Eventually, I took down this site and re-did it myself.”

The key to his new website’s success? “Photos,” says Lambiase. “People use their senses and they like to see things. My photos are important to me because they let me share fun, excitement and special moments, while visitors to the website can also indulge their other senses by viewing our video gig logs and listening to our online mixes and mash-ups.”

And then DJ Greg pursued three paths to generate gigs for his new company. He kept in contact with old clients and introduced them to his new company. “That’s really important, keeping in touch,” he says. “Even if your original clients don’t have any future events, they always know someone who is and they refer you to their family and friends.”

He decided where to place advertising based on the types of gigs he wanted to book. “For print, I selected Celebrations Magazine, a Central Jersey magazine geared

WITH “NICE”

towards teen events and weddings,” he says. “And for online I opted for WeddingWire and EventWire.”

He deployed the power of Social Media to spread awareness about GSL Entertainment. “Social media has also helped me to gain valuable networking contacts,” says DJ Greg, whose preferred platforms are Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. “Twitter has helped me to connect with other professionals in the events industry. These online relationships can be converted into business relationships by taking the next step to get together for a cup of coffee. Before long, you are referring each other’s services and doing real business.”

Eventually, Lambiase began to scale his business, which required vigilance when it came to training new DJs. “I believe strongly in on-the-job training,” he says. “I take new DJs to gigs and walk them through the process of setting up, and I show them the proper way to interact with catering staff at venues. I have them work with me side-by -side in the DJ booth, where I can give them some hands-on experience.”

DJ Greg also trains them at the office, where they can practice beat matching and microphone skills. To his DJ newbies he espouses the four principles of DJing: n Watch for people’s expressions n Observe carefully what’s going on n Keep your eye on the dancefloor n Stay connected to your client and crowd One thing that he can offer newbie DJs is a chance to watch him work with DJ Frankie. Together, they book themselves as The Duo, a package geared toward specialty events like Sweet 16s, Mitzvahs and club engagements. “Clients get two DJs that can both MC and DJ,” says Lambiase. “Frankie and I play off each other, which takes the music and interaction to a whole other level.”

One other pursuit that has yielded benefit for DJ Greg is membership in the New Jersey Disc Jockey Network.

“You can learn from everyone,” he says. “The guys who have been around a long time—they have experience, and they share how they’ve made it in the business for so long. The new guys, they have fresh ideas to share about technology or different thoughts on marketing. You take tidbits from everyone to make your business stronger and keep things moving. I enjoy the networking opportunities and variety of perspectives.”

When I asked DJ Greg where he saw his business in five years—he currently employs 10 DJs—he was unhesitating in his reply. “I foresee performing at more events, and more high-end events that take full advantage of my experience and talent,” he says. “On the wedding side of the business, I am currently developing a unique, high-end package that will be ready for market soon.”

As we close our conversation, Lambiase tells me that he’d also love to expand his tutorials in his DJ Academy.

“Teaching the art of the DJ to others is important,” he says, recalling that the words of encouragement he had received from people as a young DJ were a big part of his inspiration. “In addition to keeping the art form alive, my DJ academy will be a great place to recruit GSL Entertainment’s next great DJ!”

BUSINESS LINE SALES…MARKETING…SOLUTIONS…

SECRETS & SCIENCE: DJ EXPO TAKEAWAYS ALL-STAR MC SECRETS REVEALED This seminar, in its fourth annual installment, has evolved into one of the most popular Expo offerings. Chaired by Maryland mobile Steve Moody, the panelists vary from year to year, and this time the lineup included Jason Klock (Klock Entertainment), Jimmie Malone (Exceptional Receptions), Mike Kindlick (Jam on Sound Productions), Vinny Liotta (Events by Cool Cat) and Adam Weitz (A Sharp Production).

By Gregg Hollman Atlantic City, N.J. – The DJ industry’s sharpest business minds—from the ranks of veterans and to the up-and-comers—flock to the seminar halls of the DJ Expo in AC each August to broaden their knowledge with actionable ideas. This year’s show—presented

by DJ Times and Testa Communications—did not disappoint, offering an exceptional menu of content. Here’s a spin through the Expo’s more mobile-DJ-oriented seminars.

Klock spoke about THE SCIENCE OF MARKETING the importance about Marketing is a huge passion of Chicago-based DJ and Bridal knocking a wedding Show Producer Keith “K.C.” KoKoruz, owner of Keith Christopher grand entrance out m Entertainment. Some useful takeaways from his seminar included: In of the park. To sustain marketing, we should keep in mind that all decisions are made in the context energy, KLOCK, FROM of pleasure versus pain. For example, those who attended the seminars at the HARRISBURG, PA., DJ Expo believed that the educational benefits of attending exceed the time comrecommends. mitment and financial costs. m Interjecting rhythmic m Statistically, the best time to send an email is Monday after lunch. People have cleaned hype phrases. out their inbox from the weekend and mentally they still have the week in front of them m Have you and your so they have a higher likelihood of reading it and clicking through to your website. staff introduce yourm A common mistake made by marketers is to sell the same way that they buy. selves to various tables. m Through effective marketing, the mind can be manipulated to make it believe what you It makes the reception want it to.

KINDLICK FROM READING, PA., more personal. m Be cognizant of whether you are marketing to left-side-brain individuals who are organized presents variations on normal and logical, or to right-side-brain individuals who are passionate and creative. Once you underwedding traditions. He presented stand how the brain processes information, you can adjust your marketing to cater to both. three creative, alternative cakem Wedding DJs are wise to study the advertisements of global fashion and cosmetics comcutting ceremony methods, one panies who spend millions of dollars on ads targeted to women. of which was. m Color says a great deal about your brand, so select it carefully. Dark color VINNY LIOTTA OF CLIFTON m The “trust factor” variation, schemes with photos of gear are not generally appropriate for marketing PARK, N.Y.—the Expo’s newly crowned where guests determine by a round to brides.

“DJ of the Year” competition winner—ofof applause whether the bride or m Marketing is a conversation. Not every post needs to be about fered a wealth of great advice to be a successful groom will feed the other first. If the your DJ company or even about DJing. Keep people’s interest by wedding MC. bride receives the loudest round of talking about music, wedding-related topics, inspiration, etc. m Deal hands of Blackjack during cocktail hour. Winapplause, then she feeds her husband m Customer testimonials have the highest effectiveners receive a chance to win a prize later (a scratch-off first—with his eyes closed! Then the ness rating for all types of content marketing, with lottery ticket). Interacting with guests early on helps trust factor reverses with the groom a rating of 89-percent. him to bond with them and dissolve any pre-party jitters. feeding the bride, with her eyes

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

closed.

30

Espouse a culture of caring at your DJ company. Liotta genuinely cares about his couples, allowing him to earn their trust and friendship. If ever there are problems at an event, clients are more forgiving to a friend than to a mere wedding vendor. Other simple, but fundamental practices that Liotta recommends: Be nice when fielding requests, be kind all the time, go the extra mile, and smile.

m

BINGHAMTON, N.Y.-BASED MALONE incorporates humor into his wedding programs. This humor, he says, should be accessible to all guests and not represent inside jokes. He advises MCs to develop a MOODY, OWNER OF STEVE MOODY’S script with multiple laugh lines and revise ENTERTAINMENT CONNECTION IN STEVENSand edit. In the world of stand-up comedy, VILLE, MD., SHARED SEVERAL TERRIFIC IDEAS. only 10-percent of jokes are winners, so m For those DJs who have difficulty smiling: Get it’s important to make sure that your into character by thinking of somebody who you humorous script is tight—test it on love and adore. your spouse—so that you don’t m Enhance a typical introduction of the father of the bomb at the reception. bride with advance preparation. For example, at consultations Moody learns about the bride’s relationship with her father and incorporates these findings into his event. Personalized introductions like this help portray Moody as a family friend, not just a wedding DJ. Wedding guests routinely send Moody personal Facebook friend requests after an event, thinking of him more as a friend.

PHILADELPHIA-BASED ADAM WEITZ encouraged DJs to think of themselves as professional speakers. He spoke about the importance for our words to look and sound great when shot on video. As an example, he showed a Whitney Houston music video. At first, her face was static, but huge emotion was imparted when her lips moved. Your public speaking style should be different and distinct from how you speak at home.

Stay tuned next issue as I continue to offer more takeaways from the 2014 DJ Expo.

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

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Inno the Answer ADJ Products 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 582-2650 www.americandj.com ADJ has released two Inno Color Beams, utilizing the latest quad-color Osram Ostar LEDs with motorized zoom to create both intense shafts of light and wide-reaching

wash effects. The Inno Color Beam Z7 features seven 10W quad-color LEDs, 64 built-in color macros, 0-100-percent digital dimming as well as variable speed strobing and strobe pulse effects. The Inno Color Beam Z19 features 19 quadcolor LEDs, both three-pin and five-pin XLR in/out sockets, and PowerCON input/output sockets that lock into place to ensure cables aren’t accidentally pulled out.

EON-Off Switch Harman International 400 Atlantic Street Stamford, CT 06901 (203) 328-3500 www.jblpro.com JBL Professional has expanded its EON600 Portable PA Series with the EON610 10-inch, two-way loudspeaker and the EON612 12-inch, two-way loudspeaker. Both models offer built-in,

1,000-watt power amplification, as well as custom JBL high- and low-frequency transducers that are designed to deliver massive sound pressure levels with lower distortion throughout the frequency range. Additional features include five-way parametric EQ and an onboard 32-bit, 130 mHz, ultra-low power, audio DSP subsystem. Both models come housed in “extra-strong enclosures” that feature four handles and indexed feet for secure stacking, transportation and storage.

ProX

Live Performance Gear

Jack in the rekordbox Pioneer Electronics 1925 E. Dominguez Street Long Beach, CA 90810 (310) 952-2000 www.pioneerdjusa.com Pioneer’s rekordbox digital music management software is now available in version 3.0, offering more music access functionality. The software update includes a preview function and My Tag, which lets users add key words to music files. Playlist Palette displays up to five playlists, letting the user move music while checking the destination playlists. Additional playback features include: Match, which adds mix information to each track; Beat Jump, which enables movement by specified numbers of beats and bars; and Related Tracks, which automatically selects and lists related music.

AIR Supply ...with our

BLACK on BLACK

hardware option!

AIR Music Technology 200 Scenic View Drive Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-5771 www.airmusictech.com The Advance Music Production Suite is a 500GB hard drive pre-loaded with a carefully-selected mix of more than 25 virtual instruments, 15 effect plug-in processors and 15 sample packs that musicians can compose, produce, mix, and master music with using their DAW of choice. Created as an “all-in-one solution for contemporary music production,” according to the company, Advance Music Production Suite includes titles from Waves, Prime Loops, Akai Professional and more. It also includes subscriptions to Sonic Academy and Gobbler.

Anabel Englund Talks New Hot Natured Sessions, Solo Album, & Favorite DJs

WATCH IT NOW! http://djtim.es/DJTTV

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Mano a Mono American Music & Sound 22020 Clarendon St, Suite 305 Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (800) 431-2609 www.AmericanMusicAndSound.com The RHP-10 Mono is Reloop’s first headphone model designed for one-ear monitoring. It features a flat comfort construction, complete with compact and light ear cup housing, and is designed with a swivel-mounted ear cup, padded handle and water-resistant ear pad made of artificial leather. The RHP-10 Mono comes equipped with a 50mm neodymium driver and 90-degree angle adapter for optimized cable routing. It comes with a large artificial leather bag for headphones and accessories and cables. Additional features include a frequency range of 3 Hz – 30 kHz and an impedance of 24 ohms.

Gaining Tracktion Tracktion Music Production Software www.tracktion.com Tracktion V5.3 Music Production Software features a variety of new functions designed to streamline user workflow and expand the functionality of the program’s tools. This version comes with a new plug-in browser that allows users to tag, search and find plug-ins, as well as drag and drop them directly from the browser. There is also a comp tool that can merge MIDI clips and audio clips, as well as turn multiple unrelated clips into a single editable file.

Safe and Sound of Techno CR2 Records PO BOX 718 Richmond Upon Thames Surrey TW9 4XR www.cr2records.com Sample Tools by CR2 released its fourth pack, Sound of Techno, exclusively on Beatport and Sounds to Sample. The pack includes more than 700 MB of content, including 41 basslines, 96 drum hits, 52 key-labeled kicks, 24 drum loops with stem variants, 44 FX sounds, 35 synth loops and 30 synth shots. Users also get three of the company’s Prod-Cast videos, 76 MIDI files and eight keylabeled songstarters construction kits.

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

Flip to be Square

34

Serato Private Bag 92015, AMSC Auckland 1142 New Zealand +64 9 379 4944 www.serato.com Serato Flip is a new expansion pack for Serato DJ 1.7. With this update, users are able to record cue point and censor actions that can be saved and looped. Up to six flips can be saved per track and, according to the company, the flips are saved without editing the audio so they can remain even if cue points are deleted. Serato Flip can be used without the user’s hardware being connected, allowing them to prepare and edit tracks in offline mode.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

25th Anniversary Moments

Scorpion King Chauvet 5200 NW 108th Ave. Sunrise, FL 33351 (800) 762-1084 www.chauvetlighting.com Chauvet’s Scorpion Dual is a wirelessly-controlled aerial green laser that features a unique dual mirror output. There are 32 built-in patterns, including dual FATBEAM and crisscrossing patterns. The fully FDA compliant, variance-free unit comes equipped with 10 DMX channels, programmable pan, tilt, and zoom with separate X,Y, and Z rolling effects and scan speed adjustment. The Scorpion Dual comes with an IR remote and works in a variety of operating moves, including automatic, Master/Slave, manual, sound-activated and DMX.

Breakthrough Product: JBL Pro EON G2 “Released in 1995, JBL’s original EON powered enclosure was a godsend for mobile DJs looking to ditch their boat-anchor-heavy power amps, while still maintaining sonic performance. The EON G2 is the second generation of the 15-inch, 2-way loudspeaker, and it’s just as revolutionary.

“An improvement over the original EON is the extended low-frequency, which delivers powerful bass down to 39 Hz. In testing these speakers at a wedding reception, there was plenty of bass. The sound was very clean and the high/low separation was very apparent. The system sounded like there was a sub in the room. I’ve simply never heard a powered speaker like this.”

Paul Binder, Sounding Off, March 2001

WEDJ EX ST PO ISS UE

Win a Studio! EntEr our rEmix ContESt, PagE 64

Angel of the Morning Native Instruments North America 6725 Sunset Boulevard, 5th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90028 (866) 556-6487 www.native-instruments.com Circuit Halo from Native Instruments is a new Maschine Expansion that includes multi-sampled synths, classic drum machines, custom glitch modulation effects, and new presets for the Massive and Reaktor Prism synths. It runs exclusively in the Maschine 2 software Shop and runs exclusively in the MASCHINE 2 software on Maschine Studio, Maschine, or Maschine Mikro. A compact version for iMASCHINE is also available through the in-app store. This compact version offers two projects, four drum kits, and two multi-sampled instruments.

THE INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE FOR THE PROFESSIONAL MOBILE & CLUB DJ

March 2001

$3.00

$4.00 CANADA

THE

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DJ Garth PolywoG Phoenix DJ Cue

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how Marques wyatt Pulls strinGs www.djtimes.com 0 3>

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74470 78543

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Can KutMasta Kurt Corral Kool Keith?

MP3 sPinninG in a Post-naPster worlD the low-enD theory of PowereD sPeaKers

READ STORY ONLINE djtimes.com

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Algoriddim of the Night algoriddim GmbH Königinstr. 33 80539 Munich, Germany www.algoriddim.com Algoriddim and Griffin Technology partnered to create DJ Connect for iPhone, iPad and Mac. By plugging headphones into the headphone port in the front of DJ Connect and connecting external speakers to the RCA stereo outputs in the back, DJs can play, cue and beat-mix music directly from their iOS or Mac music libraries. DJ Connect allows DJs to pre-cue and beat-mix music using tools including separate dual stereo outputs and tactile headphone volume control. It features a yellow glow underneath the control knob that provides ambient light for DJs spinning in the dark.

Ahead of the PAK Epsilon-Pro 1550 S. Maple Ave. Montebello, CA 90640 (800) 832-4647 www.epsilon-pro.com Epsilon-Pro has released INNOPROPAK, a complete DJ turntable package—available in black or white—consisting of two DJT-1300 USB turntables and the INNO-MIX 2, a 2-channel DJ mixer. The DJT-1300 USB is a direct-drive, multi-speed digital quartz-driven turntable that allows playback speed of 33, 45 and 78 RPM and adjustable pitch control (+/-50-percent). INNO-MIX 2 features iNNO-FADER crossfader, an isolated 3-band EQ with 100-percent kill features and balance TRS ¼-inch jacks for master output.

Clarke Bar

DJ TIMES

OCTOBER 2014

Waves 2800 Merchants Drive Knoxville, TN 37912 (865) 909-9200 www.waves.com

36

The Dave Clarke EMP Toolbox plug-in collection from Waves is the third bundle created in collaboration with DJ/producer Dave Clarke, whose credits include Depeche Mode, The Chemical Brothers, John Foxx, I am Kloot, and Louisahhh!!! & Maelstrom. The Dave Clarke EMP Toolbox contains seven processors that Clarke uses regularly in his mixing and mastering sessions. These include: API 560, Scheps 73, Aphex Vintage Aural Exciter, LoAir, MetaFlanger, Kramer Master Tape and Dorrough Stereo.

[COMING IN FALL 2014]

TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS

YOU’RE DEAD! u Flying Lotus u Warp The 19 tracks on this terrific full-length CD blend seamlessly, yet they still maintain their identities. It’s a wondrous, complex and eclectic journey through hypnotic waves of hip-hop, jazz, and electronic rhythms. Also, cameos by the likes of Herbie Hancock, Kendrick Lamar and Thundercat help make this album a monster.

– Shawn Christopher “LEMONADE” B/W “HARD” u SOPHIE u Numbers The Brit producer delivers an absolutely bonkers twotrack experience. “Lemonade” is an incomparable ride of bubbling synths, K-Pop-influenced bridges, and roaring bass, while “Hard” is a clanking assortment of unnerving drum patterns and computerized rapping. Wrong in all of the right ways, the EP is a noisy trip that proves insanely addictive.

– Chris Caruso NEW GINZA AT NIGHT

u Joe Bermudez u 617 Records Bermudez drops an album full of big choruses and radio-ready dance tracks. Lead single “Nintendo” is the standout, with 8-bit sound effects wrapped around vocalist April Efff’s clever, cheeky lyrics and sung-rapped delivery. The bombastic dance-rock of “Room Service” and “Shadows” are Flying Lotus also highlights.

– Chris Caruso “JACUZZI” EP

u Croquet Club u Anjunadeep

Paul Ursin

Infectious and feel-good, this EP’s perfect for a laidback lounge or poolside—simple, but effective melodies form pleasing webs of sound.The title track starts off low and slow, easing you into a deep groove around the two-minute mark. His vocal work on the meandering “Rush” is sublime, as is his use of guitar on “Breath.”

– Evan Maag “WALK WITH ME”

u Jetlag u Anjunadeep Tender Games

OCTOBER 2014

Groove Armada

– Evan Maag

DJ TIMES Anna Lunoe

38

Organic instruments mixed with a lush bass synth, strippedback percussion, and longing vocals make the original mix one to put on repeat. Martin Roth’s floor-warming remix and Celsius’s high-energy effort round out this excellent debut release.

“BELIEVE” EP

u Airhead u 1-800 Dinosaur SOPHIE

Skip over the overly dissonant

“Shirin” and “Shekure” and load up “Believe” into your DJ gear of choice. The church organ and soulful “you’ve got to believe” vocal sample make for a massive, bigroom-techno bomb, and that bassline—most subwoofers can only dream of such punch! Also, note the introspective “Hundred Years.”

– Chris Davis “28 DRUMS” u Paul Ursin u Kraftek The Italian DJ/producer’s delivers hypnotic grooves for his debut on Pleasurekraft’s imprint. Opening with a mesmerizing hi-hat loop, the track builds to a tribal-drum pattern that underscores a sliding bassline. A reverbed vocal sample of a commanding zealot pairs with synth sirens for a track primed for peak-hour play.

– Chris Caruso “ADVANCING MAN”

u Groove Armada & Brodanse feat. Kevin Knapp u Danse Club The second in a planned trilogy of collaborations, this menacing slice of glitchy tech-house comes complete with pulsing basslines, smoky soundscapes and commanding vocal samples. Peak-hour clubbers are sure to the love the shot of adrenaline provided by the “Danse Club Mix.” The “GA Advancing Dub” is possibly the best of the bunch, refining the dirty vibe of the original into a slinky, hypnotic cut that recalls early ’90s house.

– Chris Caruso TENDER GAMES u Tender Games u Suol Here, Tender Games drops a debut LP steeped in house, soul, garage, and R&B influences. Comparisons to Disclosure are inevitable, but Tender Games creates its own identity through dancefloor-ready cuts “Make Believe” and “Want It All” and even torch ballads like “In Her Bed.” This is dance as smooth as it comes.

– Chris Caruso “KIRK” EP

u Thomas Schwartz & Fausto Fanizza u Anjunadeep Pleasing melodic synth leads and beautiful soundscapes combine with an ever-building percussion line on this smooth combo of deep and progressive house sounds.These tracks are equally comfortable at home or in the club.

– Evan Maag “ALL OUT” EP u Anna Lunoe u Ultra Music The Australian DJ/producer drops a tight package of four killer vocal-house productions. “Heartbreak In Motion” is a highlight and channels both Disclosure and the best of ’90s house with piano chords and a throbbing low-end, while lead single “All Out” is radio-ready with Lunoe’s sleek vocals fitted to a slinky midtempo beat.

– Chris Caruso “ANJUNABEACH”

u Above & Beyond (Genix and Las Salinas Remixes) u Anjunabeats This wonderful remix is a premier example of progressive trance. Starting off with a good groove and building into a mesmerizing climax, Genix and Las Salinas do the original justice.

– Evan Maag

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DOUBLE

DEBUT 12/5/13 10:23 AM

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OCTOBER 2014

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MP3s in 6

Compiled As September 5, 2014

NATIONAL CROSSOVER POOL CHART

NATIONAL URBAN POOL CHART

1 Beyonce 2 Kiesza 3 Bello Boys F/ Kat DeLuna 4 Amy Grant F/ Dave Aude 5 Sia 6 Coldplay F/ Avicii 7 Rita Ora 8 Iggy Azalea F/ Charli XCX 9 Bimbo Jones And Beverley Knight 10 Ariana Grande F/ Iggy Azalea 11 Demi Lovato 12 Nico & Vinz 13 Clean Bandit F/ Jess Glynn 14 Martha Wash 15 Chron 16 Jennifer Lopez 17 David Guetta F/ Sam Martin 18 Kylie Minogue 19 Calvin Harris 20 Duke Dumont 21 Bingo Players 22 Neon Trees 23 Cascada 24 Chromeo 25 Shakira 26 Dave Aude F/ Andy Bell 27 Dj Snake & Lil’ John 28 Iggy Azalea F/ Rita Ora 29 Anything But Monday 30 Gali 31 Ariana Grande 32 Kim Cameron 33 Sir Ivan 34 SilverLand And Stix F/ Lankee 35 Daft Punk 36 Cedric Gervais F/ Coco 37 Tiesto F/ Matthew Koma 38 Jade Starling 39 Irina 40 Enrique Iglesias F/ Sean Paul

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Pretty Hurts Hideaway Last Call Baby Baby Chandelier Sky Full Of Stars I Will Never Let You Down Fancy I Found Out Problem Really Don’t Care Am I Wrong Rather Be I’m Not Comming Down Bass In Me First Love Lovers On The Sun I Was Gonna Cancel Summer I Got You Knock You Out Sleeping With A Friend Blink Jealous (I Ain’t With It) Dare (La La) Aftermath Turn Down For What Black Widow Sweat Tomorrow Never Dies Break Free Let’s Fall In Love Here Comes The Sun Golden Derezzed 2K14 Through The Night Wasted Think About U Believe Bailando

Columbia Island Radikal Capitol RCA Parlophone Sony 19 Recordings Radikal Republic Hollywood Warner Brothers Warner Brothers Purple Rose Global Groove Capitol Atlantic Warner Brothers Columbia Astralwerks Priority Island/Def Jam Robbins Warner Brothers RCA Audacious Columbia Def Jam ABM Ryal Republic Side FX Peaceman Ryal Walt Disney Robbins Casablanca Tazmania Diamond Universal

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

Vincent Tomas Burn This Down Jennifer Lopez First Love Gali Tomorrow Never Dies Lee Dagger F/ Inaya Day Shelter Me Elena F/ Glance Mamma Mia (He’s Italino) Iggy Azalea F/ Rita Ora Black Widow David Guetta F/ Sam Martin Lovers On The Sun Dirty South F/ Sam Martin Unbreakable Nico & Vinz Am I Wrong Charli XCX Boom Clap

REPORTING POOLS

BMAB Capitol Ryal Radikal Robbins Def Jam Atlantic Astralwerks Warner Brothers Atlantic

n Dixie Dance Kings - Alpharetta, GA; Dan Miller n Masspool - Saugus, MA; Gary Canavo n OMAP - Washington, DC; Al Chasen n NW Dance Music - Shoreline, WA; John England n Pittsburgh DJ - Pittsburgh, PA; Jim Kolich n Soundworks - San Francisco, CA; Sam Labelle n New York Music Pool - Levittown, NY; Jackie McCloy n Northeast Record Pool - Revere, MA; Justin Testa n DJ Rafy Nieves - San Juan, PR; Rafy Nieves n MOOD Spins - Seattle, WA; Randy Schlager n Fusion Radio - Chicago, IL; Kyle Popek n MetroMix - Pittsburgh, PA; John Hohman n DeeJay Creativity - Los Angeles, CA; KSXY KPAT n Dirty Pop Productions - San Diego, CA; Drew Montalvo n DJ Laszlo - Las Vegas, NV; Laszlo Szenasi n Pacific Coast - Long Beach, CA; Steve Tsepelis Looking for these titles? You can hear them and buy them at www.dancekings.com. Just click on the links in the chart.

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

770-740-0356

Tinashe F/ School Boy Q Iggy Azalea F/ Charli XCX Jeremih F/ YG Schoolboy Q F/ BJ The Chicago Kid Young Money F/ Drake Dj Snake & Lil’ John Lil Wayne F/ Drake Ne-YO F/ JEEZY Nicki Minaj T.I. F/ Iggy Azalea Rae Sremmurd Chris Brown F/Usher & Rick Ross Rich Gang F/Young Thug & Rich Homie Q Jeezy F/ Jay Z Drake Beyonce F/Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche Songz Trey TI F/ Young Thug Bobby Shmurda Dj Khaled F/ Chris Brown

2 On Fancy Don’t Tell Em Studio Trophies Turn Down For What Believe Me Money Can’t Buy Pills & Potions No Mediocre No Flex Zone New Flame Lifestyle Seen It All 0 To 100/The Catch Up Flawless SmartPhones About The Money Hot Boy Hold You Down

RCA 19 Recordings Def Jam Interscope Republic Columbia Cash Money Capitol Republic Columbia Interscope RCA Republic Def Jam Republic Columbia Atlantic Columbia Epic Republic

Most Added Tracks 1 Dj Khaled F/ Chris Brown 2 Wiz Khalifa F/ Snoop Dogg 3 Beyonce F/Chimamanda 4 Weeknd 5 Bobby Shmurda

Hold You Down You And Your Friends Flawless Often Hot Boy

Republic Atlantic Columbia Republic Epic

NEW NATIONAL LATIN DANCE POOL CHART 1. David Bisbal No Amanece (Remix) 2. Gabriel Coronel Yo Te Ame (Remix) 3. Enrique Iglesias feat Gente de Zona Bailando 4. Don Omar Pura Vida 5. Froilan Jay La Suegra 6. Kalimete Interesada/El V.I.P. 7. DJ Cubanito feat Oba Frank lords La Casa De Pepe 8. Ruina Nueva Salsa Coño 9. Zawezo Dirnk Up 10. Toby Love El Aire Que REspiro 11. Adassa Vs Don Candiani Young Love 12. Yunel Cruz Ay Amiga 13. Prince Royce Te Robare 14. Benavides Tu principe Azul 15. Angelucho Copacabana Soy Latino 16. Johnny Sky One More Night 17. Tarzana Chipilin 18. Ricky Martin Vida 19. Farruko feat J Balvin 6 AM 20. J Balvin La Venganza

Universal Warner Universal Universal Bungalo/Universal Sueños Toy Robot Fama Mundial Digital Launch Sony Kult Latino Music Machete Top Stop Music Benavides Mr. Yuca Premium Latin Demand Sony Universal Universal

Most Added Tracks 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Henry Santos feat Maffio NG2 Grupo Karis DJ samuel Vs Adassa Alberto Barros

La Vida Y Ahora Me Voy La Persona Ideal Ole Ola Un Monton De Estrellas

Venevision 360 group Grupo 360 Kult Records Barros

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.

Seven Lions

(continued from page 16) DJ Times: Do you have a preference between clubs or festivals?

Seven Lions: They both have their ups and their downs. I’d say small clubs are my favorite because there’s usually just a ton of people who really love the music. They know exactly what they’re going for and can sing all the songs. Festivals are really cool because it feels like you’re with a whole team of people: you know all of your friends backstage and can see people you haven’t seen in a while. You get back together with them and it’s awesome. You also get to share your music to a lot of people who might not have heard it otherwise.

DJ Times: Following your collaborations with Ellie Goulding, Tove Lo, and Kerli, do you ever see yourself moving toward producing pop music?

Seven Lions: It’s come my way. At this point, I’ve had to say that since I take so long to write music and the Seven Lions thing is going so well, I have to focus all of my energy on this project. I know eventually I’ll get into writing pop music because if I want to be a studio musician and be at home producing then I’ll definitely have to get into the pop world. That would be the logical next step. It’s on the radar, but as of right now I don’t see much reason to get off the road and put my project on hold.

DJ Times: Is there any specific thing you’ve noticed has changed at dance-music events over the past few years?

Seven Lions: The thing that I notice most is that people don’t dance— they jump up and down. When I used

to go to raves, we were just dancing.

Now everyone’s going to that glory moment where everyone has their hands up in the air and they’re jumping up and down. That’s not what it used to be about for me at all. One of the things that really bugs me a lot is that when I used to go to a rave and heard a song I’d never heard before and liked it, I’d be stoked. Now when people hear new music, they’re just confused.

DJ Times: What’s your take on dance-music-genre distinctions today?

Seven Lions: I think they’re dissolving. Even if you look at one festival stage, it has tons of different kinds of music on it now. It’s really cool. I don’t think people can get away with playing a single-genre set anymore.

Even Tiësto has been playing “Worlds

ever, there has always been a flying insects issue with the food. I find that many folks really don’t want to spend their time in hot and humid surroundings, where flies like the food as much as hungry guests.”

Williams says that sometimes the bride envisions a unique affair when they plan for a barn wedding, but might not take into consideration that her guests had other expectations.

“When the ladies find their heels sinking into mud because it rained the day before,” he says, “it doesn’t make it easy for the DJ to entertain them later in the night.”

Still, in the right environment, with proper planning and equipment (and sometimes a lot of luck in terms of

the weather) many DJs are finding lots of work with rural weddings and receptions.

“We perform at various bed-andbreakfast locations—inns, mansions, manors and such,” says Scott Goldoor of Signature DJs in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. “Many of them have a barn that’s either restored or has been updated and renovated, so it’s not always your typical or classic vintage-type barn.

“I feel locations like this have some charm to them and give our clients a different option or feel. Many want a more rustic or country feel, versus the typical wedding factory or standard country club ballroom, where you go and sit in a square room for five or six hours. Oftentimes, loca-

Apart,” which is a melodic dubstep song. Going and hearing one type of music all night gets really boring. Being a producer, it’s important to show that you’re capable of making all kinds of music and not a one-trick pony.

DJ Times: What else do you have in the pipeline for the rest of the year?

Seven Lions: I have a lot of new music that I’m getting wrapped up soon. Now that I’m working with Casablanca/Universal, I have access to a lot of really great vocalists and instrumentalists that I never had before.

I’m making a lot of stuff that I’ve really wanted to make for a while and I’m really stoked on. Whether it’ll be out end of this year or early next year, I’m not totally sure yet, but I have a lot of new music coming for sure. n

Hee Haw

(continued from page 23)

another, and dancing in yet another,” he says. “Many of these so-called barn weddings are actually ‘farm’ weddings, where they make full use of the property; therefore you’ll be doing a bit more work.”

Of course, not all DJs have found these rural experiences to be a cakewalk. Celebrity DJ Carl Williams in New York says he’s performed for several barn weddings—though obviously never for one in New York City.

“I just flew to Orlando earlier this year to perform at a barn wedding,” he says. “They are not easy events because load-ins are bumpy and hard within rural areas. There’s always dirt and sometimes mud.

“The guests and I have never had to deal with negative aromas; how-

tions like these have multiple areas in which you can use for the various parts of the event.”

Goldoor’s most recent rural wedding ceremony was located 300 yards from the rest of the party, and nestled away under some trees and overlooking a creek. “Cocktails were then located in a grassy area with a wrap-around patio/deck, just outside of the barn, and then the rest of the reception was located in the twostory barn,” he says.

“Of course, locations like this are very heavily weather-dependent. You must plan for the worst and hope for the best. If the weather is inclement, then any rain, cold, heat or humidity really throws a wrinkle into the plans.” n

Basement Jaxx: Back in the Game Now we can ask our eternal question:

DJ TIMES

Photos by Verboten

OCTOBER 2014

We’ve returned from a long break, so…

“Where’s your head at?”

42

Basement Jaxx, Next Month in DJ Times