DJ Times November 2014, Vol 27 No 11

PLUS: JUSTIN PRIME AMINE EDGE & DANCE B I T W I G S T U D I O E - V ’ S E T X S E R I E S ALL-STAR BUSINESS ADVICE

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

NOVEMBER 2014

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AMERICA’S BEST DJ 2014: MARKUS SCHULZ

DJ EXPO ’14: HIGHLIGHTS & TOP TAKEAWAYS POWER TO THE PEOPLE

INDUSTRY EVENTS…NOTABLES…MILESTONES

NEWS

The Champ: Schulz also took the 2012 title.

MARKUS SCHULZ VOTED AMERICA’S BEST DJ—AGAIN

The Voters: Lucky fans won a slew of prizes.

The Tour: Pioneer DJ sponsored 20+ events. Photo: Doug Van Sant/Insomniac

tions at Cosmopolitan, plus VIP treatment at the America’s Best DJ Closing Party/Award Ceremony.

Other winners included: Jonathan Baker of Fishers, Ind., Timothy Stewart-Brown of Arlington, Mass., Alan Tong of Bedford, Texas, and Lee Fuller of Lynnwood, Wash., who won Pioneer HDJ-2000 headphones; Alex Ksenjack of Los Angeles, Calif., Tony Chang of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Trevor Corso of Biloxi, Miss., who won G-Shock GA110TS-1A4 watches; Joey Berrios of New York City, who won passes to the 2014 DJ Expo; and Anthony Falbo of Buffalo, N.Y., who won a Pioneer DDJ-SX

controller.

“With his second title in three years, Markus has further solidified his place in the realm of U.S.-based DJs,” said Jim Tremayne, Editor of DJ Times. “As a longtime global jock, Markus has taken his music around the world and, now with the skyrocketing popularity of dance music in America, his home country has offered even more support than ever.

He’s a DJ with old-school skills in the booth and the studio, but, crucially, he’s adept enough to know how to move the new-school audiences that are filling America’s nightclubs and festivals. Congratulations, Markus!”

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Your DirecT Source For

NOVEMBER 2014

festivals throughout North America, those who sacrifice in helping me achieve my dreams, and most of all, the fans, because without you, none of this is possible. Forever grateful for your love and support, and I look forward on our continued journey into the future.”

Schulz, who is touring the world in support of his latest artist album Scream 2 (Armada Music), will be honored October 12 at Marquee Nightclub in Las Vegas at the America’s Best DJ Award Ceremony/Closing Party.

For his achievement, Schulz will be presented with a special trophy—personalized, gold-plated Pioneer DJM900nexus mixer—in addition to a plaque commemorating the title.

“Once again, Pioneer DJ is proud to honor Markus Schulz, who was voted America’s Best DJ for 2014,” said David “Davey Dave” Arevalo, Director - Marketing/Artist Relations, Pioneer Electronics (USA), Inc. “As a two-time winner, Markus has achieved something special. Markus represents the best of the U.S. DJ culture, and we congratulate him for his well-deserved win.”

Additionally, a slew of prize winners related to the America’s Best DJ promotion have been announced.

Zach Jacobsen of Denver, Col., is the Grand Prize Winner of the ABDJ fan-voting contest. Jacobsen and one friend will receive flight to and from Las Vegas, two nights accommoda-

2014 AMERICA’S BEST DJ FINAL TOP 10 1. MARKUS SCHULZ 2. DIPLO 3. A-TRAK 4. BASSNECTAR 5. SKRILLEX

6. STEVE AOKI 7. DILLON FRANCIS 8. CLAUDE VONSTROKE 9. DJ DAN 10. TRITONAL

Sound BeTTer. Save Money. Sound ProducTions.

DJ TIMES

Port Washington, N.Y. – The fans’ votes have all been counted and it’s official: DJ Times magazine and Pioneer DJ are proud to announce that Markus Schulz has been voted America’s Best DJ for 2014. This is the second time the Miami-based DJ/producer has taken home the award—he also won in 2012—and he’ll be taking over the honor from 2013 winner, Kaskade, himself a two-time winner.

While most of the fan votes were cast online at the America’s Best DJ website, the America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer DJ & DJ Times supported the contest by allowing fans to vote in-person at 20+ club and festival events, which included Las Vegas’ Electric Daisy Carnival, Detroit’s Movement Festival and Chicago’s Spring Awakening Festival, plus venues like Marquee Las Vegas, Marquee New York and Avalon in Los Angeles. The summer-long tour also enjoyed sponsorship from Marquee Las Vegas and G-Shock watches.

“Receiving this news is such an incredible honor,” said Schulz. “I have never been in this industry for the sole purpose of winning awards, and my biggest accomplishment in life is having the ability to connect and entertain those who believe in me and it’s what I do on a daily basis. I’d like to thank everyone at DJ Times and Pioneer DJ for their continued support, all of the promoters who facilitate my passion in the clubs and

3

Cover Image By Emma Blau

VOLUME 28

NUMBER 11

12 Jump & Shout

Basement Jaxx Return with Junto, a CD Informed by a New DJing Approach, Clubland’s Return to Posi-Vibes & a UFO Sighting

BY BRUCE TANTUM

DEPARTMENTS 7 Feedback

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

20 Another Winner!

26 Making Tracks Bitwig Studio DAW

Photo Highlights from DJ Expo in Atlantic City, N.J.

BY ARTCHICK PHOTOGRAPHY & METROMIX MEDIA

28 Sounding Off

Electro-Voice ETX-12P Speaker

24 It’s a Wrap!

30 Mobile Profile

Vinny Liotta, DJ Expo Champ

Once Again, DJ Expo in Atlantic City Drew Thousands—And Dished Plenty of Takeaways

BY JEFF STILES

32 Business Line

All-Star Advice from DJ Expo

34 Gear

DJ TIMES

NOVEMBER 2014

SAMPLINGS

4

New Products from Mackie, Chauvet & More

8 Justin Prime

38 Grooves

10 In the Studio With…

40 DJ Times Marketplace

Phat Tracks from Joris Voorn, Marco Bailey & More

Life After “Cannonball” Amine Edge & DANCE

Shop Here for All Your DJ-Related Supplies

41 Club Play Chart 8

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

FROM THE EDITOR

Where’s Your Head At?

The guys of Basement Jaxx (Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton) have graced our cover on several occasions and, now that they’ve returned with another terrific album, it’s that time again. It’s not surprising that, with Junto, Basement Jaxx has released a strong album; what’s a little surprising is the elder-statesmen status that has been foisted upon them from newer dance-music stars like Disclosure and Rudimental, which also have mixed new and old club sounds to great effect on the dancefloor.

Since making its mark in the mid-’90s with evergreen underground cuts like “Fly Life,” Basement Jaxx has always pursued a wildly eclectic approach with a canon that includes dancefloor slayers, pop gems, tribal rumblers, even cuts with acoustic guitars—and they’re still cranking out great tunes. The quality remains and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by current clubland’s top producers.

Longtime NYC-based writer Bruce Tantum connected with the duo before its banging DJ set at Brooklyn’s Verboten club and discussed Junto, the revival of ’90s sounds, its new DJing approach, and… UFOs. For the Sampling departments, Assistant Editor Chris Caruso connects with Amine Edge & DANCE to discuss the G House movement, while new writer Michelle Fetky talks to Justin Prime about life after “Cannonball,” his hit collaboration with Showtek.

In our review columns, Denver-based DJ/producer Wesley Bryant-King tests out the unique new Bitwig Studio for Making Tracks. Also, Boston jock Paul Dailey cranks up Electro-Voice’s ETX-12P powered loudspeakers. Of course, our Gear column breaks out a good dozen new DJ-related products.

A large part of this issue is also devoted to looking back at the most recent DJ Expo, which was presented by DJ Times and its publisher Testa Communications this past Aug. 11-14 in Atlantic City, N.J. The Expo presented 30 seminar panels and tutorials, an exhibit hall full of DJ-related products, and lots of evening entertainment. In his feature, our Iowa-based mobile scribe Jeff Stiles connects with some Expo veterans who detail their unique seminar takeaways. In Business Line, Expo attendee Gregg Hollmann finds his takeaways, but digs deeper for them within two particular business-related seminars. Mobile Profile spotlights Vinny Liotta, who won the Expo’s annual “DJ of the Year” competition—let’s see if 2015 gives his business an “Expo Bounce.” Also, Expo photographers John Hohman (of Pittsburgh’s MetroMix Media) and Kristine Di Grigoli (of Philadelphia’s ArtChick Photography) present a pair of DJ Expo photo spreads for your visual pleasure.

As we ease toward year’s end, we know it’s time to honor the jock voted America’s Best DJ— and once again, it’s Markus Schulz. After the conclusion of America’s Best DJ Summer Tour Presented by Pioneer DJ & DJ Times, we counted up all the ballots cast at the tour stops and online via the ABDJ website and found that the Miami-based trance jock had taken his second title in three years. Stay tuned for the December issue, as we report from Las Vegas for the America’s Best DJ Award Ceremony/Closing Party. In the meantime, congrats, Markus!

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 Michelle Fetky 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

NOVEMBER 2014

Jim Tremayne Editor, DJ Times

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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 November 2014

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ing on a stand, as it really doesn’t fit in with that particular space.

But, I can say that handling these other challenges with a good attitude has secured me more business. The venue loves me and the clients appreciate my expertise and advice when it comes to dealing with these challenges. In fact, I will be auditioning to be a cast member on their upcoming realty series that will be filmed at their venue.

Thanks again, DJ Times!

HE STRE

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9/11/2014 4:24:56 PM

This is Feedback, a monthly feature that fields questions from you, our readers, and funnels them out to in‑ dustry professionals. If you have any questions about DJing – marketing, mixing, equipment or insurance, any at all – drop us a letter at DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Ave, Port Washington,

POWER COUPLE.

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.

DEAR DJ TIMES, I’m writing you about Jeff Stiles’ “Barn Weddings” story from the recent Oc‑ tober issue, and I just wanted to con‑ gratulate you on a great article!

While most of our clients live in At‑ lanta, they often plan their weddings at rustic barn locations that are located around an hour away from the city. Ac‑ cess to electricity, inclement weather and deciding what kind of dancefloor lighting to bring have all been things to consider.

One particular venue we use runs its ceremonies under a tree, about 150 feet away from the closest power source. We usually provide music and a lapel mic for the officiant. Most don’t know that running over 100 feet can lead to serious power issues. So, I went to Home Depot and had a spe‑ cial 12-gauge (extra thick), 150-foot power cable cut just for that venue so that our mics or power never cut out. The result is a happy venue and happy clients saying, “I do,” while still being heard!

I would also say I disagree with of‑ fering up lighting, as Jerry Bazata suggests in the article. I think that would look tacky down here in Dawg Country, but that’s just me. For this particular venue, the owners ask that DJs don’t bring any dancefloor light‑

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SAMPLINGS

After scoring his career’s biggest hit earlier this year, Justin Prime has continued to enjoy a momentous 2014.

“Cannonball (Earthquake)”—his ultracatchy collab with Showtek featuring Matthew Koma—put him on the map for most of the EDM world, and it’s afforded plenty of other opportunities in the studio and the DJ booth. He’s continued to tour the world and he recently released “Striker” and “Fairchild,” a pair of rattling, electro-house bombs on Dim Mak, plus his soaring remix of Iggy Azalea’s “Black Widow.”

As he made a late-summer gig stop in New York City, we caught up with the 28-year-old Dutch DJ/producer (aka Justin Putuhena) and discussed his latest bigtime moves.

DJ Times: When you started producing music, you began with hardstyle. But you’ve moved on from that sound…

Prime: At the end of 2011, I stopped producing hardstyle after eight years. I then made “Cannonball” with Showtek, which is what blew up my career on a worldwide scale. I do still like to play one or two hardstyle tracks within my sets, though. I am still very much influenced by hardstyle. I actually just did this new remix for Iggy Azalea and I used a hardstyle kick.

DJ Times: Did you have any expectations with “Cannonball” when you sent it to Showtek?

Prime: I didn’t and I’m not quite sure that they did either. The funny thing is, I made this song for fun. I sent it over to Showtek and they played it for the first time at EDC New York—and social media just blew up. From that moment on, Showtek and I knew we

DJ TIMES

NOVEMBER 2014

JUSTIN PRIME: BIGTIME MOVES

8

had a really good club song ready for release, but we never expected it to get signed at Universal, get played on the radio, get us two Gold records and even get us a Platinum record. It’s cool, though, because now I can call myself a Platinum recording artist. We had a feeling it could become a good club song, but we never imagined it would become a radio song.

DJ Times: How was it working with Showtek?

Prime: Fun, as usual. I was working a lot with them before “Cannonball.” We’ve been ghost-producing for some major EDM artists, so the three of us were a production team for a little while. Next to “Cannonball,” I worked with them on other projects, which I can’t say anything about. That’s why it’s called ghost-producing. But I only ghost-produce for one person now because I don’t have a lot of time anymore.

DJ Times: Your main studio gear?

Prime: Cubase 7.5 on the Macbook Pro

combined with the Universal Audio UAD-2 OCTO Ultimate 2 plug-in bundle. I use a Bomb Factory compressor—it gets you those really rich, warm and crisp sounds.

DJ Times: And in the DJ booth?

Prime: To DJ, I use Pioneer’s CDJs and the DJM-900 mixer. As long as I have my USB sticks with me, my headphones and earplugs, I’m all set to go.

DJ Times: In your view, how is the U.S. scene different from Europe?

Prime: Well, the funny thing is, all those years Europe was watching America, and now America is watching Europe. It has turned around. I came to America and you guys still wanted hardstyle, which I prefer, but in Europe they were already busy with new developments, making the music softer and taking the music back to progressive house. We are already busy with the next thing in Europe and it’s really funny, because normally you guys would be on this already, but now you are following Europe.

DJ Times: Do you expect to collaborate again with Showtek?

Prime: Not at the moment because we are both focusing on our own careers, which is a good thing.

But never say never because we actually could. So, that’s a no for now, but maybe a yes for later.

– Michelle Fetky

IN THE STUDIO WITH

AMINE EDGE & samples—it’s the base of everything. Sometimes I’ll hear a track in a taxi that I like, so I’ll Shazam it and then sample it. It’s easy. With our experience in music, we know which tracks are good to sample.

DJ Times: Your basslines are particularly unique. What software and hardware are you using to create them?

Amine Edge: I think we just have good taste!

That’s our best tool. We use exactly the same plug-ins as everyone else—from [Arturia’s] Minimoog to [LennarDigital’s] Sylenth and [reFX’s] Nexus. We don’t have any secrets.

DANCE: Yeah we don’t use anything special.

We just know exactly what people expect on a dancefloor, so we only use those important elements. We never use more than two different melodies—less is the best. We also create smart structures to make a track bangin’!

DJ Times: How would you describe the average Amine Edge & DANCE DJ set?

DANCE: I would say energetic, aggressive, and technical.

DJ Times: Are you playing back-to-back?

DANCE: We always play B2B—one track each—in our sets, but sometimes I let him play two tracks because I’m a nice guy!

DJ Times: You record and release more of your live sets than most other acts. Is there a reason behind it?

DANCE: We’re probably the only ones recording and sharing all our sets, and the reason why we are the only ones—and we’re going to have enemies now by saying this—is because 99-percent of the DJs do the same set for three months. All of our sets are different. We listen to a thousand promo tracks a week because doing the same set is so boring and we would rather end our DJ careers than play the same thing over and over.

DJ Times: What’s your DJ setup?

Amine Edge: Any Pioneer mixer,Traktor and two [Kontrol] X1controllers, and a laptop. We dream about traveling with just headphones and USBs like some DJs—they are so lucky. We’ve chosen to

DJ TIMES

NOVEMBER 2014

DANCE’S G-HOUSE

10

“It Ain’t Nuthin’ but a G Thang” for DJ/production duo Amine Edge & DANCE. With a friendship running 15 years deep stemming from their teenage years in Marseille, France, the pair finally came together officially a few years ago after first forging solo careers.

After a series of big releases—including remixes of Adana Twins’ “Everyday” and Frank Ocean’s “Lost”— the boys are on the forefront of the G House movement, a subgenre combining the basslines and BPM of underground dance with the swagger of hip hop.

This sonic innovation hasn’t gone unnoticed. This year alone, they’ve thrown a full season of parties for CUFF Records—their new label—regularly packing out their Sankeys Ibiza residency, and Pete Tong enlisted them to provide an Essential Mix for his Radio 1 program.

We connected with Amine Edge & DANCE shortly after a performance at a secret Brooklyn party thrown

by Sankeys New York.

DJ Times: Your signature G-House sound pulls from hip-hop influences. What sort of artists did you two grow up listening to in France?

Amine Edge: All the hip-hop bands from the ’90s that everyone knows, from Warren G and Snoop Dogg to Biggie, Jadakiss, Cypress Hill, and Wu-Tang.

DANCE: Also, 2Pac, ATCQ, J.Dilla, Dr. Dre and a lot of old-school R&B like R.Kelly, Jodeci, and New Edition.

DJ Times: Your tracks feature a lot of sample work.

What goes into the process of selecting samples to use?

DANCE: Because I’ve been a producer for a while, I always like to use some samples. I’m from a hiphop background and all the hip-hop producers use

carry heavy Rimowa Luggage with our cables and stuff to make sets more surgical, and the effects of Traktor are much more amazing than with just a CDJ. DJ Times: What was it like to be asked to contribute an Essential Mix and what was your approach to making it?

Amine Edge: It’s probably the most important DJ show in the world, so it was a dream come true. It was also really stressful because we only had two hours to showcase some innovative house from our label, a few of our exclusive tracks, some hip hop, some classic, some techno, some tech-house, and some deep house.

It was hell, but we made it and had amazing feedback about the mix.

DJ Times: How do you balance such a hectic touring schedule with producing?

Amine Edge: We produce every time we travel. After all these years we have learned to produce everywhere—on a flight, in an airport, on a train, at a hotel, etc. I recently finished a mix and mastered it only using Ableton’s plug-in and some a-JAYS earphones, and we played it at Ministry Of Sound for our CUFF night and it sounded massive. Nothing can stop us.

When you want, you can; you don’t need a studio. Everybody is DJ and everybody is a producer, so we work harder than everyone and don’t find any shoddy excuses.

DANCE: It’s hard, but when you really want something, you find the time and you do it. I’m an Ableton Live junkie. If I haven’t been producing for more than two or three days, I can feel that something is missing in my life.

– Chris Caruso

DI

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Meet

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wall.martin.com

BY BRUCE TANTUM

BASEMENT JAXX RETURN WITH JUNTO, A CD INFORMED

BY A NEW DJING APPROACH, CLUBLAND’S RETURN TO

DJ TIMES

NOVEMBER 2014

POSI-VIBES & A UFO SIGHTING

12

New York City – It’s been five long years since the release of Basement Jaxx’s last long-playing excursions into aural adventurism, Scars, and its experimental adjunct LP, Zephyr. But don’t ask Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton why they’ve been slacking.

“Well, we did have that orchestral album a few years ago,” says Ratcliffe with an exasperated sigh, referring to Basement Jaxx vs Metropole Orkest— their 2011 collaboration with the renowned Dutch pop and jazz orchestra.

“And we had two film soundtracks [2011’s Attack the Block and this year’s The Hooping Life],” Burton adds. “That took a little time, you know. Between those things, the live shows and DJing, we were actually busy—quite busy!”

Fair enough, but a half-decade in the hyperactive world of Basement Jaxx feels like an eternity, particularly to fans of the duo’s idiosyncratic, pop-infused, anything-goes dance music. Still, the gregarious Buxton and the more reserved Ratcliffe neglected to mention the effort that’s probably kept them the busiest at all, at least for the past two years: The London-based DJ-producers have been toiling away in their new studio, working their latest set of dance-meets-pop tunes, Junto, released on their rejuvenated Atlantic Jaxx label in association with PIAS. It’s an album that’s a bit more pared down than some of their maximum-overdrive past work—they’re not aiming to recreate the gleeful adrenaline rush of “Where’s Your Head At” or “Twerk”—but it’s not exactly chin-stroke music, either, with the pair’ stylistic exploration, humor and sense of abandon running through the set.

For instance, there’s “Power to the People,” a triumphant clarion call that

Basement Jaxx: (from left) Felix Buxton & Simon Ratcliffe.

boasts vocal contributions from the until-now unknown Niara, a children’s chorus and 5,000 or so of the Jaxx masters’ fans (recorded on the pair’s last tour); the almost cartoonishly sinister trap-meets-jungle excursion “Buffalo,” featuring a great, guttural growl of a vocal from the sexually ambiguous Mykki Blanco; the bouncy, Technicolor “Unicorn,” evoking memories of prime-time Inner City; and the beautiful and emotive, ETML–voiced “Never Say Never,” featuring a sleek, festival-ready remix from Tiësto and MOTi. (In true Jaxx out-there fashion, the sci-fi video for that last cut stars a twerking automaton, created to rekindle man’s love of dancing… and sex.)

DJ Times recently had the pleasure of a sit-down with Burton and Ratcliffe in New York City, as the pair prepared for a back-to-basics DJ set at Brooklyn club Verboten.

DJ Times: I’m guessing that when you released “EP 1” back in 1994, you weren’t thinking that, 20 years down the road, you’d still be at it.

Buxton: How about you, looking back at your life? Twenty years ago, would you have had any idea what you’d be doing now?

DJ Times: Definitely not.

Ratcliffe: I think that’s the same with any of us, isn’t it? We had no idea that we’d still be doing this, but I don’t think that puts us in a unique position.

Buxton: But the fact that music has come around—and what we’re doing seems to match what’s fashionable again—is interesting. We never would have seen that coming, either.

DJ Times: Do you feel as though a lot of the music that you were making helped pave the way for the Rudimentals and Disclosures of the world?

Buxton: Well, they say so. Rudimental update_new_rp8000pg.pdf actually were the gorillas in1our 10/2/14 live show 5:58 PM

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a couple of months ago. They’re big fans, and asked if they could dress up in the gorilla suits for “Where’s You Head At.” That was really fun, and we really like their attitude. They’re from the same background as we are, in a way. They love jungle, they love deep house… it’s really because they come from London. It’s in the culture to be into lots of different things.

DJ Times: That’s one thing that people have always liked about Basement Jaxx. They could tell you were in all kinds of different music, and your productions always refused to hew to one sound.

Buxton: That’s because we come from an island, I think. Musical society—and society in general—is a lot more ghettoized in the States, and it has been for years.

I would hope that changes someday, and maybe with EDM, it is—I mean, Avicii did that country thing, right? That’s two cultures coming together, which I think is great.

DJ Times: You’ve always been proponents of that sort of thing, right?

Ratcliffe: We’ve always been about being inclusive, rather than exclusive.

Buxton: Being exclusive always seems to be a very old-fashioned notion. I’ve felt that was since I was a teenager. To me, that’s why the typical rock-n-roll band seemed stupid—it was about some egotistical character going, “Look at me!”

That’s nonsense.

DJ Times: And you felt club culture offered something else?

Buxton: Yeah. That was about all of us being in a room, with just a flashing light and everybody together, just letting go. I found that a lot more exciting.

DJ Times: But wouldn’t you say that your live shows have a bit of rock-n-roll to them?

Buxton: Well, there’s definitely a bit of spectacle to them! [Laughs] But I would say what we do is more in line with theater than with a typical rock show. We’re

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DJ TIMES

NOVEMBER 2014

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Tom Martin

giving you something to look at, but it’s not about an ego; it’s about our whole thing.

DJ Times: What do you think about the brand of spectacle that EDM shows give their audience?

Buxton: The EDM shows seem to be a mix of going to a fairground, going to an aerobics class and going to a dance party, which is fine. It’s a… new thing, I guess.

Ratcliffe: Musically, it’s obviously not what we do. But sometimes I’ll hear a bit and think, “Hmm— that’s really inventive.” It’s futuristic. And it will hopefully lead people to check out other kinds of dance music.

Buxton: Exactly—it’s a gateway drug!

DJ Times: You’re in town for a DJ gig. What is your DJing methodology nowadays?

Ratcliffe: It’s simple: USB key with rekordbox [and Pioneer CDJ media players].

Buxton: It’s pretty much the opposite of our live shows.

DJ Times: And how about musically? The last time I caught you—which was admittedly years ago—you were gleefully bashing one great track into the next for the duration of your set.

Buxton: I think we’ve been slightly affected by DJs like, say, Luciano. He’s got a great way of mixing, with three loops going at the same time. It’s a kind of a techno mindset, so it’s probably less a mix of different styles. It’s definitely less R&B and hip-hop, which always used to play a part on our sets. R&B and hiphop became mainstream pop music, so it’s become less appealing to us. We try to stay away from corporate music. But we still mix things up a bit.

DJ Times: You’re new album, Junto, has just come out. Was there any overarching plan for this LP? Ratcliffe: We wanted to be quite simple, and stay away from getting too clever. We didn’t want to overdo or overthink anything.

DJ Times: It does sound a bit more strippeddown and direct than some of your more recent work.

Buxton: I think that comes from seeing what works as DJs over the past few years. Things had gotten more minimal, and kind of stayed that way to some extent. Like, the songs that work the best in Ibiza are the ones that have one noise, a kick drum and a crackle sound. When we first started hearing that kind of music, we were thinking, “Well, what are we gonna do? Our stuff will never fit in with that.” We always have so much stuff in our music. So this album is an attempt to meet people halfway. We consciously tried to not put too much in there, so that people can deal with it.

DJ Times: The sound of Junto is still a long way from that of minimal techno, though.

Buxton: Yeah, that’s run its course a bit, hasn’t it? I think that now it’s kind of circled back to the way things were when we started. You can play a Latin tune next to a drum-n-bass tune into a house track—which is exactly what we used to do back in the Remedy days.

DJ Times: Which must make you very happy.

Buxton: It’s like, “Phew—what just happened?” [Laughs] We’re back to the same point where we were!

DJ Times: The album title has a pretty strong significance for you, right?

Buxton: Junto is Spanish for “together.” It’s taken from the song “Power to the People,” which is about togetherness and the fact that everything is connected. The whole theme of the album is about seeing those connections between people, and breaking down the barriers between people.

DJ Times: That’s been a common Basement Jaxx theme, hasn’t it?

Buxton: I think so. It’s very much what we were thinking about with Remedy, for instance—music to heal, and to give you good, positive vibrations… which is actually the opposite of what a lot of dance music has been like over the past few years.

DJ Times: In what way?

Buxton: A lot of it has gotten so noisy and twisted, like, grrrrr! And we’re more like, well, that’s not very appealing. It doesn’t seem to make sense in 2014.

We’re just trying to say something positive, and not be ashamed by it. I’m al(continued on page 42)

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have an extremely lucrative and prosperous career, and it was great to see such young roots who understand this as a massively growing industry.”

Artem Lomaz, founder and principal event host for NinetyThree Entertainment in Morris County, N.J., says the DJ Expo annually provides a variety of jocks with a wealth of knowledge for all experience levels.

“It also features the latest and greatest in equipment and technology, which appeals to the mobile entertainer, the club DJ and the producer DJ,” he says.

“Personally, I attend the Expo

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held this past Aug. 11-14 in Atlantic City, N.J.—we asked attendees about the seminars and parties they attended, and the purchases they made.

Weitz, for one, could go on and on with praise for DJ Expo.

“DJs have been taught at seminars and online,” he says, “about the abilities of doing full-event management with something as simple as a photo booth, or as complex as dealing with the four facets of room design and entertainment combined.

“The hustle and bustle of the convention floor this year seemed very exciting. [It’s] filled by newly created vendors looking to sell their goods and services and help our fellow DJs.” Weitz says the number of young attendees was especially striking. “It was evident that there were a lot of young folk out there who were not only wanting to get into the industry, but were truly gifted in entrepreneurship,” he says. “We could tell this very plainly, by the way they conducted themselves and by their interest in wanting to learn this industry as a science—not just a subsidiary to earn extra income. These kids realize they have the ability to

m “I th u c t ne pr ey h w ve os lov e r o pe e l o cc ct us v e ur iv d e ur o u r ed cl in r ie g c to nt in l i e m s.” it n e ia t s to lc a m on n d en su h tio lta o w n tio m ho ns u w wi c h th

As someone who has attended the all the DJ Expos in Atlantic City since its 1990 inception, Adam Weitz of A Sharp Production in Philadelphia is not hesitant to opine that the 2014 show was one of the best ever.

“I felt very much in harmony with most of the DJs this year at the convention simply because it was a time of celebration,” recalls Weitz. “You could truly see that the economy was getting much better by the way the DJs were behaving.

“The industry has not only been healing itself, but also has been rebranding itself. It’s easier than ever to run much larger and sophisticated productions with a much smaller and technologically advanced system, which makes it much easier for a DJ to operate and make more money.”

When polling DJs for our annual wrap-up of the DJ Expo—

O D NC PL RE E EN W AG TY TH AIN O OU , D F SA J TA N E KE DS XP AW — O I AY A N N A S D D TL IS AN H T ED IC

By Jeff Stiles

end of his talk.”

Probably no one was more excited about DJ Expo 2014 than Steve Moody of Ridgely, Md. “To be serious, I took more notes at the Expo this year than in the past few years combined,” says the owner of Steve Moody’s Entertainment Connection. “In fact, I’ve been very vocal in expressing to several other company owners that I was very happy with so much of the education portion of the DJ Expo experience this year.”

For attendees who have been coming to Atlantic City for any number of years, Moody says, the feeling may be that there’s not as much for them as they’ve “already seen and learned it all.”

“However, the truth is there are golden nuggets to be taken away all over the place—and possibly, even in seminars that they never ever considered attending,” he says. “I was able to get some great takeaways on both the business side of things, as well as new performance techniques this year.

“One of my favorite seminars of the week was presented

by Doug Sandler, entitled ‘Nice Guys Finish First.’ His whole presentation was on creating better connections with our clients. It became evident very quickly that the benefits of giving and getting love from our clients is priceless.

“Up until seeing Doug’s presentation, I felt that we had an A+ in this particular area, but the truth is that we can always do better. One of the key concepts in the seminar was to ‘xoxoxoxo’ them to death. In fact, we can never show them enough love.”

When it comes to tiny gold nuggets, Moody says that for DJs who think they’ve already mastered social media and mastered their sales presentations, going above and beyond for our clients can be crucial.

“It never occurred to me to mention how much we love our clients and how much they love

us during initial consultations with prospective clients,” he explains. “I just figured they’d see it for themselves once they book with us. It honestly never crossed my mind that, for certain couples, this type of relationship could play a huge part in their decision-making process.

“We are all normally so focused on ‘selling’ that we go fullspeed-ahead in that direction.

However, there are so many couples that do want to work with ‘the nice guy’—the one who will love and take care of them. And that’s exactly the kind of folks we want to work with!”

In fact, Moody says he’s already started putting this idea into practice during his company’s initial consultations, and he cannot believe the doors that it’s opened up for conversation and creating special connections with people.

“Our conversations have veered in a whole different direction,” he says, “to the point where we are staring to develop a different level of friendship during that consultation—always nice to work with a friend.

“And this concept is now actually a good part of my Power Point presentation. I’ve started using our Facebook friendships with our previous clients as a glowing example of the love we give to and get from our clients. For example, every time we post a video log from a new event on Facebook, we generally get 10 to12 comments from other previous brides.

“I’ve actually screen-captured their comments and put them in the Power Point, so we can share their outstanding comments during consultations, and it’s a real-world example of how we connect with our couples and keep that connection well beyond the wedding day. We regularly get comments from clients from 10 to 12 years ago and beyond.We do love our clients, and I plan on giving them more Xo Xo Xo than ever before. Thank n you, Doug Sandler.”

NOVEMBER 2014

every year for the seminars and the education that it provides.”

Lomaz says that this year he especially enjoyed Randy Bartlett’s “1% Solution” seminars. “Although I own the DVD series and have been fortunate enough to speak with Randy outside of his seminars,” Lomaz says, “he offered up some new tips that I can’t wait to implement during future events.

He talked with us about little subtleties—thus the 1% in the title—that will show my clients my appreciation of them.

“Also, Big Daddy’s ‘Mitzvah Madness’ and Jake Jacobsen’s ‘Games’ seminar showcased a masterful display of interactive dances and games, and overall brought the energy level of the entire Expo up a few notches. I always look forward to seeing those types of seminars, as well as the talented performers who contribute to them.”

Lomaz was one of several 2014 attendees who praised the seminar hosted by Mike Walter.

“Walter’s ‘Let the Music Play, Part 2’ offered up entertaining anecdotes about the professional music industry, various artists and songs, that not only were amusing, but can also help when chatting with clients about their favorite artists, and helps create a client and service/provider bond—through the knowledge that Mike shared with us.

“Johnny K’s presentation [during the ‘New Jersey Disc Jockey Network Meeting’] ended in a well-deserved standing

ovation. I think it’ll be very exciting witnessing Johnny transition into the role of educator and industry mentor, and I’m very happy for him.”

Lomaz adds that Lil Jon’s “Keynote Q&A” address was also fun, as the hitmaking artist offered up examples of his expertise on hard work, persistence and negotiation.

“The part about negotiation during the Lil Jon session provided especially useful skills for any area of life,” he says. “And then of course there was the Expo’s unofficial finale—the DJ Times ‘DJ of the Year’ competition, a contest that has the mobile entertainment industry’s best presenting a variety of techniques, games, styles, ideas and routines, all in an effort to gain the highest score from the judges—which, of course, are comprised of mobile industry titans.

“I’d like to congratulate Vinny Liotta of Events by Cool Cat for his big win during this year’s contest!”

For this Lomaz, DJ Expo is always one of the best weeks of his year, every summer. “I’m already looking forward to the 2015 Expo!” he says.

Outside of the mobile industry, DJ Carl Williams in New York City says that he was glad to see lots of familiar faces along with plenty of new people.

“It appeared that many DJs were there to buy new audio and lighting equipment, which is great for many of the exhibitors who have invested quite a bit of money for these shows,” says Williams. “And, of course, I bought new equipment, too— the Denon 6000MKII controller, which I couldn’t resist because it also included the full version of Serato DJ software.

“Lil Jon’s Q&A session was great. It was really super to hear all the behind-the-scenes information on how he got started in the music business and how he came up with his hit song, ‘Turn Down For What.’ I would have paid $10-$20 to get an autograph or picture with him at the

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1 Autograph time for keynoter Lil Jon. ArtChick

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2 Public Enemy’s Keith Shockley gets busy.

3 inMusic: Double duty for Akai.

5 Thunder & Lightning: Denon DJs in the mix.

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6 DJ Kai Song pumps up the JBL jams.

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7 Expo Champ Vinny Liotta, flanked by Dom Sestito & Mike Walter.

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9 Reloop: A DJ spins on RP-8000 decks.

ArtChick 10 Big Beams: Chauvet’s Expo booth.

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11 Catch Me: Jade Starling dazzles at Scores.

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Photo Highlights from DJ Expo—Aug. 11-14 in Atlantic City, N.J.

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4 4 RCF’s jock rocks the HD32A speakers.

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8 8 Great GUI: Smithson-Martin’s Emulator.

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12 12 I’m Here: Attendee scores his Expo badge.

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By ArtChick Photography & MetroMix Media

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13 Late-Night Action: DJ Skribble at Ego Lounge.

MetroMix Media 14 Scratchin’: Jock gets busy at the Numark booth.

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15 Pioneer’s DJ Jay preaches rekordbox.

MetroMix Media 16 DJ Times Square: Ladies & gents… #horsenipple.

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17 Elite Speaker: Mike Walter makes a point.

MetroMix Media 18 Spinnin’: Youthful Evan Clark on the showfloor.

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19 Country Seminar: Danny Williams breaks it down.

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20 Action at the American Music & Sound booth.

ArtChick 21 All Lit Up: ADJ brightens the day.

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22 Randy Bartlett presents “The 1% Solution.”

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24 Showfloor DJ bangs the Bose system.

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23 Say Cheese: Open Air Photobooth scene.

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25 Go-DJ Monster jock goes micro.

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26 Ulimate DJ Giveaway: Winner Jeiris Ferrer with her loot.

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MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

By Wesley Bryant-King So what happens when a few employees of a company that produces one of the industry’s leading DAWs decide that they can do it better? Perhaps one answer is Bitwig Studio—the latest entrant in the increasingly crowded Digital Audio Workstation marketplace.

Hailing from Berlin, Germany, Bitwig (the company) is at present a handful of people, including some ex-

BITWIG STUDIO: MUSIC CREATION & MORE

Bitwig Studio: A DAW with enhanced workflow.

Ableton employees, who recently shipped the long awaited Bitwig (the software)—its full name being Bitwig Studio. Announced and in beta since 2012, Bitwig has created a lot of pre-release buzz in its two-plus years. This was due in no small part to the fact that Ableton was fairly quiet with its own Ableton Live, slowing its historically rapid release cadence considerably between Live 8 (released Spring 2009) and Live 9 (released Spring 2013). That four-year lag arguably created some frustration in the Ableton Live user community, leaving an opening for users to wonder aloud whether Bitwig was an “Ableton killer” that would ultimately steal the latter product’s thunder.

I’ll leave most of the qualitative comparisons to others, but comparisons between the two products are in fact inevitable, given the personnel involved, and a user BITWIG STUDIO LOGO Word and figurative trade mark

NOVEMBER 2014

O LOGO Word and figurative trade mark

Bitwig Studio includes all the functionality to make music happen, along with sufficient support for outside “stuff” that can 60 mm

enhance the options further.

DJ TIMES

BITWIG STUDIO LOGO Word and figurative trade mark

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30 mm

60 mm 20 mm

15 mm

not smaller than 10 mm!!

interface that has more in common than mere aesthetics; for example, both the location and the general design ethos of the device panel.

But that’s not to say that Bitwig is an Ableton clone—it most certainly is not. And while an Ableton Live user like myself may get tricked into feeling more at home than they really are, Bitwig (the company) did try and instill Bitwig (the software) with plenty of new tricks, including an innovative way of drawing automation curves and architectural things like multi-platform support that extends even to Linux (from the expected Windows and Mac).

Impressions: As already noted, the UI of Bitwig will make most Ableton Live users—and, in fact,

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the users of many DAWs—immediately at home. Like Ableton, Bitwig has two basic UI views: Arrangement and Mix (what Ableton would call “Session” view), and the purpose of each is roughly the same as Ableton. From there, things begin to diverge, and Bitwig comes into its own.

As with virtually all DAWs, Bitwig supports audio and MIDI tracks, and lets you easily use both one-shot and longer-form samples on the audio side, as well as record and manipulate audio—while supporting a variety “stuff” via MIDI, including off-board instruments, virtual instruments via plug-ins (VSTs, etc.), and so forth.

The product comes equipped with a range of native instruments, including a sampling synth (Sampler), polysynth, and various percussion-making tools, as well as what the product calls “containers” such as the Drum Machine (analogous to Ableton’s Drum Rack), which provides for a flexible, straightforward method of assembling and triggering percussion loops or instruments.

The provided instruments as well as available sample libraries and the like are managed via “packages,” which are reminiscent of software installation on Linux machines, using an integrated Package Manager. Installing or uninstalling a package is as easy as clicking, and while included packages are installed through downloads, there are provisions for locally stored packages as well.

Once installed, browsing the available content is straightforward; you can browse by category, and there’s a search interface for finding what you need from available presets, for example. With the included synths, however, I found that previewing presets was a bit clunky; you can use the keyboard’s arrow keys to move up and down the list, and press Enter to load. But once pressed, you have to click the mouse in 60 the list to get the arrows to work again in order to navigate to the next preset. mm It’s the smaller things, such as that, which make Bitwig a little less than fully satisfying for me to use, and which give the impression of it being a “1.0” product. Usability in general seems wanting in other areas, too, such as when editing MIDI clips. It feels like there’s far too much switching of modes and tools just to get a simple edit done. While I appreciate the dedicated note panel for making value-perfect 30 mm making the edits visually seems far more difficult than it should. edits to any note, Unfortunately, the manual doesn’t help the usability situation much. For example, the manual refers to a “Clip Launcher Panel,” which in the software is referred to as the “Mix Panel.” No doubt things 20 mm evolved during design, but it’s a bit troublesome for new users to have the disparity. The manual itself seems a bit Spartan; perhaps it’s assumed that many people don’t read them anymore?

Of course, 15asmmwith any unfamiliar DAW, getting acclimated to the hows and wheres always takes time and initially feels clumsy—no matter how good the manual is. And while the visual appearance is striknot smaller than that 10 mm!! Bitwig’s developers went to some effort on the layout of things, and polish is likely ing, it’s obvious to come incrementally.

Bundled Content: As mentioned before, Bitwig ships with a nice collection of instruments and other content with which to make music. On the instrument side, a collection of digital percussion

instruments gives a solid base for various types of electronica. Four synths—FM-4, Organ, Polysynth and Sampler—round things out, and cover the basics with finesse.

Polysynth impressed me the most.

It’s a traditional, subtractive, dualoscillator synthesizer that impresses both with its simplicity and creative potential, but also with its sound. It was easy to burn hours just tinkering with it, primarily due to its low intimidation factor. (For many of us, myself included, sound design is both intimidating and inordinately timeconsuming and difficult; not so much with Polysynth.)

Bitwig offers a number of what it calls “container” devices, all of which are used to house other devices for special effects. The Drum Machine is one of them, but the choices include several others, such as Replacer, that allow for some interesting creative options.

On the effects side, Bitwig has all the expected bases covered, including EQ, flanger, reverb, etc. There are various modulators, routers (to support external hardware), and the like as well.

Finally, a range of sample libraries and presets are offered through the Package Manager in three “collections”—Essential, Extended, and Partner. The Essential Collection includes the factory device presets, while the Extended Collection offers acoustic percussion, acoustic bass, random goodies like vibraphones and clavinets, and much more. The Partner Collection is primarily composed of teaser collections designed to whet your appetite to buy full versions, but there’s still useful “no extra charge” stuff here for the taking.

Hits & Misses: There’s no question that Bitwig impresses, hitting the ground running surprisingly strongly for a freshman, Version 1.0 effort. But as I’ve alluded to previously, it seems that at least some of its potential is yet to be realized.

While I have no idea what the underlying technology used might be (Java, perhaps?), it seems obvious that Bitwig uses a sort of universal runtime system that allowed the company to introduce versions that work on Windows, Mac and Linux in the same manner. As a Mac user, it’s tough not to notice that it doesn’t use the system’s own menuing system, but rather, its own, located inside the product’s window, making it a bit unMac-like—especially given where the Preferences is located. Presumably also as a result of its architecture, Bitwig has no support for Audio Unit plug-ins that many Mac users might otherwise prefer (though it does support VST). Whether this is a problem or not is likely subjective.

On the upside, however, and speaking of VSTs, Bitwig’s support is unique;

both 32- and 64-bit plug-ins can be used without specialized solutions, and the product boasts of its “sandboxing” capabilities that ostensibly protect against a crashing VST from bringing down your entire Bitwig session. (While rare, I’ve had this happen in other DAWs—usually at the worst possible moment.)

Another item that Bitwig got right is the ability to open multiple projects at the same time. I rather constantly want to borrow this MIDI clip or that audio mix-down from another earlier

project, and with this simple, but obvious capability, that gets far easier.

Conclusions: One of my fundamental beliefs is that competition is always a good thing, and while the DAW marketplace may be crowded with options, there should be ample room for one more entrant—especially one that, like Bitwig, hits the ground running so strongly.

It seems clear the product will benefit from continued improvement, and whatever the company has in mind for the next major version, it seems

poised to impress. (It’s worth noting that Bitwig has already pushed out 14 incremental updates at this writing that continue to add refinement across the board.)

Still, Bitwig Studio includes all the functionality virtually any producer or remixer might need to make music happen, along with sufficient support for outside “stuff ” that can enhance the options further. And with its $399 price tag, it strikes me as a good value all around—and a choice I’m excited to tinker with further in future projects.

[COMING IN 2015] [COMING 2014] IN FALL

ETX-12P: Solid, powerful, dependable.

SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

BIG OUTPUT: E-V’S POWERED RANGE ByFounded Paul Dailey in 1927, Burnsville,

DJ TIMES

NOVEMBER 2014

Minn.-based Electro-Voice— or E-V as many product users know the company—is one of the most respected and well-known names in the professional-audio business.

E-V’s market penetration is wide-ranging beyond loudspeakers for mobile and club applications, and it includes larger-format systems for concert/tour sound, plus the networked systems heard in the world’s largest stadiums. The innovative technologies proven at these levels of sound reinforcement can be adapted to E-V’s more compact systems—and that’s where the latest addition to their portable sound stable (ETX powered loudspeakers) comes into play.

ETX powered loudspeakers are a state-of-the-art, high-end series designed, tested, and assembled in the U.S.A.—complete with class-leading builtin DSP and beefy 2,000-watt class D power amplifiers—all beautifully housed in a birch plywood enclosure. The family features: 10-, 12- and 15-inch, two-way models; a 15-inch, three-way model; and matching 15- and 18-inch subwoofers. I was sent a pair of the ETX-12P 12-inch, two-way

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models ($1,199 MAP) and I tested them in a variety of settings and under various conditions—with truly spectacular results.

Initial Thoughts: From the moment I cracked open the box, the first thing that struck me about the ETX-12P was its attractive design. The front grille looks great, and the ergonomically correct handles and dual pole-mounting positions make it easier to angle the speakers down if you are set up on a stage or raised platform.

ETX powered loudspeakers are sturdy and well built, and they feature all-new components—custom-designed and engineered in-house by E-V. The tour-grade equipment under the hood might add a few extra pounds in the name of pro-quality durability and reliability—each unit weighs 52 pounds—but most users will find this a fair trade for a speaker that is one of the most powerful, allaround performers in its class.

Spin the speaker around and you will find all the connectors you need, including two line/mic level inputs with multiple volume controls, and an easy-to-read LED display and cutting-edge DSP that al-

lows for an amazing level of customization—all with the touch of a single knob. Parameters include speaker location (tripod, monitor, array, wall, suspend), program material (music, live, speech), 3-band parametric EQ, and a customizable crossover point for your sub (and specific ones for use with ETX-15SP and ETX-18SP subs) that eliminates the need for an external crossover and optimizes the sound perfectly.

The scene shows levels for inputs 1 and 2, and makes it easy to see when you are overdriving the signal and the speaker has reached its limit (which is not easy to do) and is clearly visible, even with your speakers high up on stands.

Another feature that helps ETX powered loudspeakers rise above much of the competition is called Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter technology, which optimizes component performance and offers a level of audio quality that is usually not possible without extensive external processing and deep audioengineering experience. In addition, E-V’s FIR-Drive system utilizes proprietary TEMP limiting and peak anticipation limiting—technologies derived

from E-V’s touring/concert sound systems—which protect against thermal shutdown and mechanical failure. In simple terms, they ensure bulletproof performance. Add to that 135 dB peak SPL, and you have a speaker that is not just powerful, but smart—quite a winning combination.

In the Field: I spent a good amount of time with the manual and got to that first gig early. I set my system up to achieve unity gain, spread out the speakers, selected fullrange mode, and dropped my first track.

F r o m t h e g e t - g o, t h e y sounded really good. I wanted to test the bass response, so I switched to some reggae and gave it a bit more bass. The mids and highs continued to hold together well, and the bass was as rich and thick as any 12-inch you will find. For smaller shows, the ETX-12P would be more than enough, but for larger parties and music styles where bass is important, you might want to pair them with a sub or two.

As I pushed the volume a bit, the ETX-12Ps proved to be absolute monsters. They sounded crisp and clear, and

the amount of SPLs available was simply stunning—so much so that I can’t see too many situations (other than school dances and proms) where the vast majority of DJs would even come close to hitting any limits. But, like driving a Ferrari on Main Street, there is real comfort in knowing that you have more than you need under the hood.

And it is that peace of mind where I see the real value of the ETX powered loudspeaker line and where they could make a big mark in the mobileDJ world. Sure, there are lots of less-expensive speakers, but the rock-solid build, cuttingedge DSP, powerful amps— plus E-V’s product support/ service—make the ETX Powered Loudspeakers a serious contender for best powered speakers in their price range.

If you are looking for your next PA system and are looking for speakers with serious volume, great fidelity, strong construction, and you are willing to invest accordingly, there are few options out there that can compare.

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

MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

MEET VINNY LIOTTA, DJ EXPO CHAMP

DJ TIMES

NOVEMBER 2014

By Stu Kearns

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Clifton Park, N.Y. – Vinny Liotta had been attending the DJ Expo for 10 years, during which time he’d noticed something Liotta’s title was 10 missing from the “DJ years in the making. of the Year” competition—the Expo’s annual competition show for mobile entertainers.

So, this year he entered—and won. “It was an amazing experience,” he says. “The night was electric.”

His secret?

“I think I won because I didn’t create a routine just for the competition,” he says.

“I was told by many of the judges afterwards that my performance was ver y organic and real. I also believe that starting with a love song really blew some minds.

I have been attending for about 10 years and have talked to some friends that see the competition every year and they’d never seen a love song.

I believe that was a huge part of the victory.”

Liotta says he treated the competition like a wedding or any other event he’s booked. “I felt really great, well rested and was ready to give it all I had. I “After every event, showed everyone a fabulous way to close out any type of party: Jason when the couple, Mraz’s ‘I Won’t Give Up’ to pack the dancefloor into The Dynatones’ verMitzvah kid or guest sion of ‘Shout,’ then into the highof honor give me that energy last 45 seconds of ‘The Time (Dirty Bit)’ by The Black Eyed Peas.” big, huge hug and Liotta thinks the victory will bring recognition to his company, Events tell me how magical

by Cool Cat. “My entire staff is very excited and proud to be a part of their night was, this,” says Liotta of his Clifton Park, N.Y.-based crew. “And that will transthat’s what keeps me late into them bringing their attitude motivated.” to another level and creating better

experiences for all of our clients, which will help the business.”

Other winners of the “DJ of the Year” competition have had a similar “Expo Bump.” It’s a hard-earned and coveted peer approval.

His business is an outgrowth of Liotta’s experience DJing in Florida for eight years for a multi-system operator. When he moved to Upstate New York in 2001, Events by Cool Cat was born. To get gigs, he “literally talked to everyone I could about the business, spent money on online advertising and put business cards everywhere I could.”

Still, despite his experience DJing, challenges existed—namely, gaining the trust of venues. “It’s one thing to tell them about yourself, but gaining their trust is not as easy,” he says. “They are needed for a huge referral base. Proving to clients that you are what you say you are, being from another state was difficult, especially back then, when video and an online presence with testimonials were not as developed as they are today.”

So, whenever Liotta had the chance to work in some of the bigger and more popular venues, he emphasized being a team player. “Always,” he says, “I followed house rules—load in, location of set-up, etc.—with a smile, and, of course, I delivered a great event for our mutual clients.”

Naturally. In a relatively short amount of time, he says, he was being referred quite a bit.

“And as far as proving my value to potential clients, the key was meeting them in person and sharing my knowledge and expertise,” he says. “The more events I did, I created a great reference list. Between the venues and very happy clients, it became no problem at all to gain trust and have people start to give us a chance.”

It helps that Liotta’s team of DJs and MCs remain motivated, which is made easier because he’s got a knack for finding Alpha talent.

“We find most of our staff at events,” he says. “I find that person who is the life of the party, and then talk to them at the end of the event and give them my card. If they are truly interested, they call and that gives us the chance to start with a new employee. Also, friends of our team have been a great addition to the company.”

Liotta says the most important traits in a team member are reliability, kindness, little to no ego at all, and “a true love for making people smile.”

He spends a lot of time and energy working with his team, and says he has little problem keeping them motivated. “After every event, when the couple, Mitzvah kid or guest of honor give me that big, huge hug, with a big smile, and tell me how magical their night was, that’s what keeps me motivated.”

But, realizing that employees have different motivations, he tries to share all that he knows. “And I’m kind to them, I pay them fair and I encourage them all,” he says.

“It’s been working so far.”

When it comes to learning, Liotta says there are “so many things we learn on a regular basis—we love going to seminars whenever we can.”

But the biggest lesson he’s absorbed was expanding to more than only a DJ business. In the last year, his good friend and business mentor, Mike Walter of New Jersey’s Elite Entertainment, encouraged him to expand into photo booths, photography and videography. His bottom line reflects the fact that it was a wise choice. “This,” he says, “has been a life changer.”

Oh, yeah, and how did he ever come up with the name Events by Cool Cat, anyway?

“When we moved here from Florida, our kids came up with the name Cool Cat and we’ve since added Events to reflect that we are a full-service company. It’s unusual, and it’s a great conversation starter.”

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BUSINESS LINE SALES…MARKETING…SOLUTIONS…

The premise of “The C.S.I. of Customers” seminar was that just as every student is not educated the same way, not every individual is entertained the same way.

DJ EXPO ’14—BUSINESS ALL-STARS ADVICE

By Gregg Hollmann

The DJ industry flocks to the seminar halls of the DJ Expo each August to broaden their knowledge, make connections and take ideas home to their market. Just learning one dance, game or marketing idea can make a difference to any DJ’s bottom line, and they often do.

This year’s edition did not disappoint, as it offered an exceptional selection of seminars. Two of them, “Business All Stars” and “The CSI of Customers,” I cover here.

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NOVEMBER 2014

Business All-Stars

32

This information-packed seminar highlighted business diversification, and was chaired by “Money Man” Jerry Bazata of DJ Jaz Entertainment.

Gregg Hollmann of Ambient DJ Service (that’s me!) encouraged DJs to identify their individual strengths—from a superior fashion sense, to a great sense of humor, to web-design skills, to good looks, to video-editing skills—and then leverage these strengths to achieve superior results. As an example, I discussed how my love of writing has enabled me to book more events using blogs, playlists and a published book. I also encouraged DJs to share online mixes with clients and networking partners using sites like Mixcloud and Soundcloud.

In addition, for a personal touch, I suggested passing mix-CDs hand-to-hand in order to attempt to “get inside somebody’s head.” Finally, I described my success in introducing a twist on karaoke called “Video Fusion Karaoke” to the nightlife and corporate markets. Video Fusion Karaoke is a flexible format that offers guests a mix of singing, music videos and traditional DJ-dance sets.

Shani Barnett of Carey Smolensky Productions in Chicago described how her group provides sound, video, lighting and DJ entertainment services to big-budget conferences held across the United States. For example, guests pay $10,000 a ticket to attend an Anthony Robbins training seminar. These conferences are big business and include formidable budgets for sound and lighting.

According to Barnett, she is able to utilize reliable local A/V companies across the country to provide the equipment. She flies with just a laptop. Those DJs who target this segment should prepare to work long and hard hours.

Rob Peters (aka “The Bubble Man”) is the owner of Rob Peters Entertainment in Braintree, Mass. His “bubble parties” are targeted to children aged 3 to 6 years old and generate powerful mid-week cash flow to supplement his weekend wedding work. To be a successful children’s entertainer, Rob recommends: • Having a “kid-friendly personality.”

• Dressing the part.

• Using appropriate kid-friendly colors in marketing pieces.

• Being personable with the kids; that is, talking to kids, not at kids.

Just as 75-percent of Disney visitors return the following year after a visit, so, too, do 75-percent of Peters’ clients return the following year.

Jodi Duston of DJ Jodi Entertainment in Portsmouth, N.H., specializes in same-sex weddings and celebrations. Some years ago, Duston discovered a knack for programming music for same-sex events. While Duston may know the same-sex demographic better than most as a lesbian DJ, she asserts that any DJ can book more same-sex events by following these tips: • Don’t use the term “commitment ceremony” in states where same-sex marriage is legal.

• Incorporate photos and service descriptions related to same-sex events on your website.

• Change paperwork from “bride and groom” to “bride and bride” or “groom and groom.”

• Modify wedding traditions for gay and lesbian couples.

• Advertise on websites geared towards LGBT couples. Duston specifically mentioned the Pink Pages (pinkweb.com), gayweddings.com and samelovesamerights.com.

Steve Moody of Steve Moody’s Entertainment Connection in Ridgely, Md., encouraged to DJs to seek out work in local senior centers. These jobs can be special events (dances) or regular dance instruction classes. Most senior centers have budgets for entertainment and some even receive grants. In other words, there is budgeted money waiting to be spent. Moody recounted a story of booking an event at a senior center during which only seven guests attended. Yet, Moody was still compensated $1,300 for the session.

The C.S.I. of Customers: Customer. Service. Intelligence.

Mike Kindlick of Jam on Sound Productions in Reading, Pa., has a Masters Degree in Education and taught school for 10 years before transitioning to DJ entertainment full-time. In the education world, students are assessed individually. Based on the assessment, the teacher develops an individual education program (“IEP”). The premise of Kindlick’s seminar was that just as every student is not educated the same way, not every individual is entertained the same way.

At sales consultations, using a mixture of personal and event-specific questions, Kindlick is able to “profile” and then present an individualized entertainment program (i.e., DJ package) to the prospective client. Kindlick is able to maximize his company’s revenue-generating power by presenting a wide array of packages and options.

Kindlick emphasized:

• The importance of developing “rapport” with prospective clients to gain their trust.

• Using questionnaires that help to identify inconsistencies between a client’s perception of the importance of DJ entertainment and their allocated budget thereto.

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, N.J.

2014 WINNER CONGRATULATIONS MARKUS SCHULZ

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS

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GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Give ’Em the Slip-On JBL Cases 18922 N. Dale Mabry Hwy Lutz, FL 33548 (813) 995-6030 www.jblbags.com JBL Bags introduced the EON615 series of slip-on speaker covers, the only official protective cover for the JBL EON615. The line includes two models, both of which come with a printed JBL Professional logo on the front panel. The EON615-CVR is made of a tear-resistant nylon with 5mm of thick foam padding and cut-outs designed for accessing carry handles. The EON615-CVR-WX features a dual-layered waterproof Nylon front panel with zippers for full access to the speaker, as well as rear panel inputs and side carry handles.

HEX Marks the Spot ADJ Products 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 582-2650 www.americandj.com The HEX Par 3 from ADJ is an LED Par fixture equipped with three 10W 6-in-1 HEX LEDs—featuring red, green, blue, amber, white, and UV in one diode—and 63 built-in color macros. The unit features a 40-degree beam angle and 0-100-percent dimming, as well as pulse and strobe effects. The HEX Par 3 operates in five modes—Static Color, Dimmer, Auto Run, Sound Active and DMX Controlled. While in DMX-controlled mode, users have a choice of 6, 7, 8, 11, and 12-channel modes.

ProX

Live Performance Gear

Launch Control Substance American Music & Sound 22020 Clarendon St, Suite 305 Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (800) 431-2609 www.AmericanMusicAndSound.com Novation’s Launch Control XL provides hands-on control for Ableton Live. The controller is outfitted with 24 knobs with multicolored indicators, eight faders and 16 multi-color buttons for immediate track focus and key mixer controls. These can be integrated with Ableton or can be re-assigned to any other parameter. The Launch Control XL works with Mac, PC or iPad and it can control all MIDI-compatible iOS software via Camera Connection Kit.

...with our

DJ TIMES

NOVEMBER 2014

BLACK on BLACK

34

hardware option!

Recorder in the Court VocoPro 1728 Curtiss Court La Verne, CA 91750 (800) 678-5348 www.vocopro.com The SDR-4000 Dual Digital USB/SD Audio Recorder is a dual recorder that the company says “operates just like two cassette decks but with the benefit of all digital recording.” The unit is compatible with SD/SDHC cards and USB drives up to 32GB and it utilizes line-in and XLR jacks to record 192 kbps audio files directly onto the SD cards and USB drives. Features include individual record level controls, single and repeat playback modes, and a ¼-inch headphone jack with volume control.

AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF GEAR

Don’t Worry Be Appy

Chauvet 5200 NW 108th Ave. Sunrise, FL 33351 (800) 762-1084 www.chauvetlighting.com The Chauvet DJ Swarm 5 FX combines an RGBAW rotating derby with red, green, blue, amber and white LEDs; a red and green laser that creates spinning wheels and star effects; and a white strobe that features eight one-watt white 300 mA LEDS with a 0 to 20 Hz strobe rate and a 35-degree beam angle. The unit can operate in each of those modes individually or in two or three modes simultaneously. The Swarm 5 FX can be controlled via nine DMX channels or through automated and sound-activated programs, as well as Master/Slave mode.

Mackie the Knife

Stand Corrected

LOUD Technologies 16220 Wood-Red Road NE Woodinville, WA 98072 (425) 892-6500 www.mackie.com

Arriba Products 15308 East Valley Blvd.

City of Industry, CA 91746 (626)330-6118 www.affordablestands.com

Mackie’s Creative Reference Multimedia Monitor Series includes two models, the CR3 and CR4, which come with three- and four-inch woofers, respectively. Models in the line come housed in all-wood cabinets and feature custom-tuned rear ports that the company says provide “natural warmth to the sound.” Features include ¾-inch silk-dome tweeters, a curved high-frequency waveguide, a left/right speaker placement switch, and an angled design that allows users to tilt the monitors slightly up or down as necessary.

The Afford-A-Stand AP360 is a portable DJ stand designed for small trade show booths. It measures 36 inches high by 18 inches deep by 39 inches wide. According to the company, the stand can be assembled in two minutes. The stand comes with a carry bag and three different wrap-a-round covers—including white, black and grey options—that are made of high-quality carpet.This allows DJs to fasten their own signs and banners to the stand using Velcro rather than be limited to pre-printed stands.

NOVEMBER 2014

Akai’s iMPC Pro app is now available for iPad. The app comes with a new multi-touch interface for the editing, slicing and auditioning of sample. Features include inter-app audio support, flux mode, 3D performance mode, and 64 tracks of multi-track music creation, mixing and automation.

Users get an extensive sound library with more than 1,400 samples, as well as a new effects suite that includes Turbo Duck side-chain compressor and Boom Room reverb. Audio from the app can be directly uploaded to a computer, SoundCloud, Twitter and more.

Safe & Swarm

DJ TIMES

Akai Professional 200 Scenic View Drive Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-4032 www.akaipro.com

35

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Power Packed Yamaha 6600 Orangethorpe Ave. Buena Park, CA, 90620 (714) 522-9011 www.yamahaproaudio.com The DBR Series is Yamaha’s follow-up to its DSR and DXR lines and it represents the company’s most portable powered loudspeakers. Comprised of the DBR10, DBR12, and DBR15, the line features state-of-theart Digital Signal Processing inherited from its predecessors. The speakers utilize FIR-X tuning that uses linear phase FIR filters for the crossover to achieve more accurate and smooth response for improved clarity. Additionally, D-Contour dynamic multi-band processing applies optimized settings for either front-of-house or floor monitoring applications. The DBR’s Class-D amplifies are capable of delivering up to 1,000W of power and maximum SPL of up to 132 dB without reduction in sound quality or performance.

Heath Bar American Music & Sound 22020 Clarendon St, Suite 305 Woodland Hills, CA 91367 (800) 431-2609 www.AmericanMusicAndSound.com The Allen & Heath Xone DJ line has been expanded to include the Xone:K1. The USB-powered Xone:K1 works with all leading DJ software. It features a total of 52 assignable hardware controls, including six endless rotary encoders with push switch, 12 analogue pots, four linear faders, and 30 backlit performance switches with three-color illumination. The unit comes with a steel front panel and a black padded case is available as an accessory.

Think Outside the Sync Box Roland Corporation 5100 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 890-3700 www.rolandus.com Roland’s SBX-1 Sync Box is a universal synchronization hub that lets computers and electronic instruments from different eras communicate and synchronize with each other. The unit comes equipped with USB-MIDI, standard MIDI, and DIN sync ports, and it includes CV/Gate outputs for triggering old-school instruments such as the SH-101, TB-303, and TR-808. Additional features include Tempo and Fine knobs, a Tap button, and a Shuffle function for adding variable swing to patterns generated by external sequencers and rhythm machines.

Sing a Different Tune

DJ TIMES

NOVEMBER 2014

Aniyaq 45 Hemlock Dr Marlborough, CT 06447 (860) 531 2835 www.kroonr.com

36

Kroonr is a free karaoke hoster that eliminates the need for printed song books. Instead, Kroonr builds a songbook from karaoke DJ software and uploads it to the cloud for easy access via smartphone. The song queue divides the songs into four color-coded categories—queued for play, parked, requested but not queued, and already played.

Singers can see the song queue on their phones, while the DJ is in control of the queue and every song.

RADIO

JUST PRESS PLAY Featuring exclusive DJ mixes from • DJ Dan • PeaceTreaty • Coyu

• Bright Light Bright Light • Dirty Vegas • Destructo

and more!

http://djtim.es/DJTRadio

GROOVES TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS “SPACE NOIR” EP u Zeros u Sotto Voce The Chicago-based act debuts on Feed Me’s imprint with an eclectic EP that’s primarily rooted in electro, from the piano-bass funk of “Red Panda” to the rock-inspired title track.

The upbeat disco flavor of “Tibet” is a particular triumph, and the cinematic ambiance of “Adaption (See You Later)” even draws some stylistic similarities to Nero.

– Chris Caruso “THE MAGIC ROCK”

u Just Be u When You Play It, Say It Just Be (formerly known as Bushwacka!) bangs out this emotive, driving, unforgettable hardhouse piece with haunting, tribal drums, earthshattering effects and mind-boggling pads. This is a magically simplistic, but awesome, late-night crowd-killer, for sure!

– Shawn Christopher “MY MISTAKE” EP u NINA u Aztec NOBODY KNOWS u Joris Voorn u Green

Kill Frenzy

While a handful of the tracks would go over well on a Balearic boat party—“The Wild”, “Ringo” and “Mugged,” say—few songs on Voorn’s latest CD are aimed at the club. In fact, his ethereal electronica is often beatless, instead opting for buoyant melodies that lift the soul and spirit. Be sure to check the incredible vocal collaborations of “A House” ft. Kid A and “Homeland” ft. Matthew Dear.

– Chris Davis “TALKING TO YOU” u Josh Wink u Ovum The master is back with a slamming acid house track centered around the squelches of a rising and falling TB-303. “I’m talking to you!” shouts the psyche-bulldozing vocal sample that demands attention. Also included are a smoothed-out “Groove” mix, which flattens out the peaks and valleys, as well as an a cappella and a radio edit.

The British singer drops an EP with a pair of moody, synthpop midtempo cuts and their accompanying remixes. “My Mistake” channels shimmering ’80s New Wave, while “Dark Rider” throbs with pulsing synths and reverbed vocals.

Bright Light Bright Light’s “Dark Rider” remix is a stunning piece of vocal dance, with Future House elements adding a unique twist on its ’90s club-diva aesthetic.

– Chris Caruso “ULTRAVIOLENCE (HOOK N SLING REMIX)”

u Lana Del Rey u Armada Trice

The Aussie DJ/producer transforms the normcore siren into a spacey electro-vixen for a hyper-melodic, stadium-slamming remix. Lana Del Rey dance remixes are a dime a dozen, but Hook N Sling sets himself apart by maintaining her cinema noir aesthetic amidst crashing prog-house synths and punching bass blasts.

– Chris Caruso

– Chris Davis TAYLR SWFT u Kill Frenzy u dirtybird NINA

For his first full-length CD, the Belgian-born DJ/producer pulls no punches. Loaded with off-kilter club thumpers from start to finish, the album is a prime example of the mantra “All Killer, No Filler.” Lead single “No Panties” features a signature dirtybird bounce, while the pitch-bending “XVI” is a throbbing exploration of trippy house. This is one of the finest releases from the label yet.

– Chris Caruso

DJ TIMES 38

u Aidan Lavelle & Robbie Akbal feat. Shawni u Culprit This tight, heavy houser gets your attention with a vigorous kick and a stunningly melodic key riff.

Also, check the captivating vocals and epic piano stabs. As for the mixes, Andre Hommen steps in with a bassline-driven take and Inex takes a more techy, wistful approach.

— Shawn Christopher

25 YEARS (THE REWORKS)

u Marco Bailey u MB Elektronics

A tingling mixture of ethereal head tunes and fearsome techno delights, this artist album wafts melodic one moment, goes Pink Floyd the next, and dives deep Detroit after that. While it’s more a listening experience than sheer dancefloor fodder, “Factory Music,” “Catacoustics” and “Rotary” stand out as genuine techy thumpers.

Bailey showcases his 25 prolific years of production with remixes from new- and old-school techno legends including Adam Beyer, Gary Beck, Joseph Capriati, Pig & Dan, Nic Fanciulli, Umek, Carlo Lio, Mark Reeve and many more. There are too many greats to list them all, but be sure to check the reworks of “Intense Substance,” “The Falcon,” “Platinium,” “Capture” and “Muzika.”

– Jim Tremayne

– Chris Davis

REVERSE PROCEED u Slam u Soma

Slam

“STARS”

Joris Voorn

Just Be

“INFINITE WAYS”

u Fernando u International Feel Exquisite sound design, pumping kicks, throbbing guitar licks, retro-funk basslines—it’s all here. And check the tenacious vocals (courtesy of All Dom Wrong) and a climactic bridge that explodes into ethereal chants and rolling rhythms. Don’t sleep on this mid-tempo Nu-Disco/funk treasure.

— Shawn Christopher “WIDE SOUL” u Ibellini u RebelLion This tough, tight tech-houser offers a thick, gripping kick, some fluttering keys, a riveting bassline and majestic effects that wash over you and take hold. Don’t sleep on this.

– Shawn Christopher

Marco Bailey

WHO AM I u Mike Steva u Yoruba Records

“EY YO” u MK vs. Kant u One More Tune

Steva hits us with a smooth and elegant 11-track album of deep-house delights. Loaded with soulful moments, this one has plenty of graceful keys, pleasing pads and sultry saxophones to go along with its vibrant, muted trumpets, inviting vocals and seductive grooves.

MK has done it again, this time with a big-room, peak-hour house track that samples Busta Rhymes’ “Dangerous.” Energy levels stay sky-high throughout as Busta’s acrobatic vocals dodge the booty-kidnapping bass and classic MK synth sounds.

– Shawn Christopher

– Chris Davis

“WE FOUND A PLACE” u Josh Butler & Bontan

IN MY CITY u Ralf GUM u GOGO

Josh Barry’s soulful vocal glides over a sleek garage beat and, with light elements of loungehouse fitted throughout, both the original mix and its dub are subdued floor-fillers that are as fresh as they are nostalgic.

Ralf GUM tears it up on this superb, soulful fulllength. Deep, moving keys, Afro-house percussion and gripping rhythms get you moving; then, the elegant, heartfelt vocals from the likes of Monique Bingham, Hugh Masekela and Kafele lift the spirits high. Solid music from top to bottom.

u MTA Records

– Chris Caruso

– Shawn Christopher

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AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

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MP3s in 6

Compiled As September 29, 2014

NATIONAL CROSSOVER POOL CHART

NATIONAL URBAN POOL CHART

1 Bello Boys F/ Kat DeLuna 2 Kiesza 3 Amy Grant F/ Dave Aude 4 Nico & Vinz 5 Ariana Grande 6 Iggy Azalea F/ Rita Ora 7 David Guetta F/ Sam Martin 8 Chron 9 Clean Bandit F/ Jess Glynn 10 Charli XCX 11 Royksopp & Robin 12 Jennifer Lopez 13 Basement Jaxx 14 Demi Lovato 15 Bimbo Jones And Beverly Knight 16 Gali 17 Beyonce F/Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche 18 Sia 19 Lee Dagger F/ Inaya Day 20 Ariana Grande/ Iggy Azalea 21 Magic 22 Enrique Iglesias F/ Sean Paul 23 Annie Baltic 24 Kim Cameron 25 Josh Harris F/ Kristin Dennis 26 Jade Starling 27 Natasha Ashworth 28 Cedric Gervais F/ Coco 29 Alina Artts 30 Martha Wash 31 Scarlette Fever 32 Tiesto F/ Matthew Koma 33 Maroon 5 34 Vincent Tomas 35 Erasure 36 Sir Ivan 37 Radio Killer 38 Anything But Monday 39 Katy Perry 40 Trinity Maxx

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

Most Added Tracks 1 Natasha Ashworth 2 Annie Baltic 3 Alina Artts 4 Iggy Azalea F/ Rita Ora 5 Anything But Monday 6 Lee Dagger F/ Inaya Day 7 Elena F/ Glance 8 Bastille 9 Erasure 10 Ariana Grande

Last Call Radikal Hideaway Island Baby Baby Capitol Am I Wrong Warner Brothers Break Free Republic Black Widow Def Jam Lovers On The Sun Atlantic Bass In Me Global Groove Rather Be Warner Brothers Boom Clap Atlantic Do It Again Interscope First Love Capitol Never Say Never Pias American Really Don’t Care Hollywood I Found Out Radikal Tomorrow Never Dies Ryal Flawless Columbia Chandelier RCA Shelter Me Radikal Problem Republic Rude RCA Bailando Universal Low Key Global Groove Let’s Fall In Love Side FX You Make Me Dance Amathus Think About U Tazmania Back To You Global Groove Through The Night Robbins High Enough REC I’m Not Comming Down Purple Rose P.S. I Hate You Starfisch Wasted Casablanca Maps Interscope Burn This Down BMAB Elevation Mute Here Comes The Sun Peaceman Calling You Tazmania I’m Still Standing ABM This Is How We Do Capitol Something About You Amathus

Back To You Low Key High Enough Black Widow I’m Still Standing Shelter Me Mamma Mia (He’s Italino) Bad Blood Elevation Break Free

REPORTING POOLS

Global Groove Global Groove REC Def Jam ABM Radikal Robbins Virgin Mute Republic

n Dixie Dance Kings - Alpharetta, GA; Dan Mille n DJ Mike D Adachi - Honolulu, HI; Michael Adachi n Masspool - Saugus, MA; Gary Canavo n OMAP - Washington, DC; Al Chasen n Dj Stickyboots - Goshen, NJ; Blake Eckelbarger n NW Dance Music Shoreline, WA; John England n DeeJay Creativity - Los Angeles, CA; KSXY KPAT n Next Music Pool - Los Angeles, CA; Bob Ketcher n Pittsburgh DJ - Pittsburgh, PA; Jim Kolich n Soundworks - San Francisco, CA; Sam Labelle n Klubjumpers - San Antonio, TX; Dan Mathews n New York Music Pool - Levittown, NY; Jackie McCloy n Dirty Pop Productions - San Diego, CA; DJ Drew n DJ Rafy Nieves - San Juan, PR; Rafy Nieves n Fusion Radio - Chicago, IL; Manny Esparza n WPTV-Prty 105FM Frd MdMx - New York, NY; Mike Rizzo n MOOD Spins - Seattle, WA; Randy Schlager n DJ Laszlo - Las Vegas, NV; Laszlo Szenasi n Northeast Record Pool - Revere, MA; Justin Testa n Pacific Coast - Long Beach, CA; Steve Tsepelis 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

Jeremih F/ YG Lil Wayne F/ Drake Schoolboy Q F/ BJ The Chicago Kid Chris Brown F/Usher & Rick Ross T.I. F/ Iggy Azalea Rae Sremmurd Rich Gang F/Young Thugv&vRich Homie Q Ca$h Out Drake Beyonce F/Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche Jeezy F/ Jay Z Migos Bobby Shmurda Dj Khaled F/ Chris Brown & August Alsina Kirko Bangz F/ August Alsina Teeflii F/ 2 Chainz Migos Mike Will Made It F/ Future/Lil Wayne Snootie Wild F/ K Camp Trey Songz F/ Nicki Minaj

Don’t Tell Em Believe Me Studio New Flame No Mediocre No Flex Zone Lifestyle She Twerkin 0 To 100/The Catch Up Flawless Seen It All Fight Night Hot Boy Hold You Down Rich 24 Hours Handsome And Wealthy Buy The World Made Me Touchin, Lovin

Def Jam Cash Money Interscope RCA Columbia Interscope Republic EOne Republic Columbia Def Jam Quality Control Epic Republic Atlantic Epic Quality Control Interscope Epic Atlantic

Most Added Tracks 1 2 3 4 5

Bobby Shmurda Trey Songz F/ Nicki Minaj French Montana Migos Drake

Hot Boy Touchin, Lovin Don’t Panic Handsome And Wealthy 0 To 100/The Catch Up

Epic Atlantic Interscope Quality Control Republic

NEW NATIONAL LATIN DANCE POOL CHART 1. Froilan Jay 2. Enrique Iglesias feat Gente de Zona 3. Zawezo 4. J Balvin 5. Yunel Cruz 6. Johnny Sky 7. Dasoul feat Maffio 8. DJ samuel Vs Adassa 9. The Bello Boys feat Kat Deluna 10. David Bisbal 11. Vein feat J Balvin & Belinda 12. Joe Santos 13. Rigu 14. Prince Royce 15. Marlow Rosado 16. Toby Love 17. Adassa Vs Don Candiani 18. Gabriel Coronel 19. Don Omar 20. Tarzana

La Suegra Bailando Drink Up Ay Vamos Ay Amiga One More Night Vamos Pa’ La Calle Ole Ola Last Call No Amanece (Remix) Translation El Diablo Dame Una Oportunidad Te Robare Quiero Que me El Aire Que REspiro Young Love Yo Te Ame (Remix) Pura Vida Chipilin

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La Vida Y Ahora Me Voy La Persona Ideal Un Monton De Estrellas Yo La Quiero

Venevision 360 group Grupo 360 Barros Universal

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

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Basement Jaxx (continued from page 16)

lowed to say that I want to be happy!

DJ Times: Felix, did I hear that you had an epiphany of sorts that was inspired by the sighting of a UFO? Buxton: Yeah! Though I don’t know if Simon wants to hear about it again…

Ratcliffe: It’s so boring! [Laughs] Buxton: But here goes. We had moved into our new studio about two years ago. We had been there maybe a month, and out the window, me and a singer who was there saw a metallic, shiny flying saucer kind of thing. It was just kind of still. We were like, “What is this thing?” We both took out our phones and took pictures; but unfortunately, the evidence was a bit splodgy.

After that, I spent a lot of time trawling the internet, finding out everything I could about UFOs. This was also 2012, around the end of the Mayan calendar, when a lot of New Age people and spiritualists were talking about the Age of Aquarius and the duality of society, like how male-dominated society was begin to feel the female influence.

I was reading about all of this—and how, in higher dimensions, Krishna and Jesus and Mohammad all exist—and definitely saw crossways and pathways between a lot of things. I was actually quite relieved. There seemed to be some kind of semblance of order. But the main thing that I got was the letting go of understanding. I think I’ve learned that the reality out there is the reality we create, rather than that reality creating us. We always feel like we’re victims of reality, but we have it in our power to create reality.

DJ Times: Did all that have any influence on the creation of Junto?

Buxton: Well, because of all this, we were originally going to call the album make.believe. But then we found out that Sony already had that!

[Laughs] But the whole idea of “if you believe something, you can make it happen” was very much a part of Basement Jaxx. Maybe it got a bit lost along the way, but it’s a big part of us again. But about the UFO… friends have told me not to bang on about that too much, or else people with think you’re crazy.

DJ Times: But obviously you don’t care.

Buxton: Not at all! But I have learned that there are so many people who don’t have opened minds.

People can be very cynical.

DJ Times: I think one of the reasons that people like Basement Jaxx is your lack of cynicism.

Buxton: And that’s even though we operate in a cynical world. Hip culture has always been about being cynical, and it’s hard to battle against that. For me, it’s a real love-hate thing—I love fashion, for instance, but I also hate all the nonsense that goes along with it.

DJ Times: You mentioned “Power to the People” earlier. You have a special project revolving around that song, right?

Buxton: Yeah, we have a project called Powertothepeople.fm. That’s where people will be able to contribute their own version of the song— whatever style, whatever language.

The thought behind it is to show that we really are all connected. There’ll be a player that allows you to have four elements playing; there might be the verse sung in Turkish, the chorus sung in Indian, the beats will be from a Detroit trap producer and the music from… I don’t know…. maybe a whistler in Venezuela?

DJ Times: And you’ll be releasing an all-new version of the song using all these components?

Buxton: We’ll be taking what-

ever’s in the player, mashing them all together, and then doing a charity release on the International Day of Peace, which is on the 21st of September. This all ties in with the idea of making your own reality; it’s putting it into practice on some level. It’s a way of letting people all over the world—people who aren’t part of the pumped-up Rihanna-style commercial-music world—and connecting them, and letting them show what they can do.

DJ Times: You’ve always used a lot of interesting characters for vocals on your albums, but one of the most interesting music must be the multi-sexual artist Mykki Blanco, who raps her way through the trap-jungle hybrid, “Buffalo.”

Buxton: Mykki came about through our friend Sinden. He’s been working with Mykki a bit, and told us, “Hey, she’s great—I think you should check her out.” He sends us a link, and there’s this video of a guy—very confusing! But it was a very cool video, that one with the face on the head [“The Initiation”]. Mykki just seemed like a really cool, interesting character, expressing another kind of perspective on things. He actually never gave us a second verse; apparently, according to his manager, he disappeared in the desert! I thought that was very biblical.

DJ Times: And there’s ETML on “Never Say Never”.…

Buxton: He’s new meat! He’s just left school, really DJ Times: But you can tell already that he’s going to be a star.

Ratcliffe: He sounds sincere, not overproduced at all. He’s not singing at you, if you know what I mean. He’s got a fragility and an innocence that’s hard to fake.

Buxton: We actually originally

envisioned a tougher voice for that song, and his voice has this gentleness to it—it really ended up working well.

DJ Times: When you work with vocalists, is it a fully collaborative process? Or do you always have something specific in mind?

Buxton: For “Never Say Never,” we just gave him the song, he sang it, and we said, “Yeah, that sounds good!”

Ratcliffe: It was one of the most straightforward processes of anything on the album. Some of the other songs could have gone in so many ways that it was kind of difficult to figure them out.

Buxton: Really, there’s always some collaboration going on, even if you think you know exactly what you want. If you ask someone to sing a song in a certain way, they’ll say, “Well, I can’t really sing it that way” or “I can’t hit that note,” so you’ll change the melody a bit.That’s just an example. Our work process is quite organic—we’ll go in a certain direction, and if that’s not working, we’ll go a bit to the left or a bit to the right. That’s the truest way to work.

DJ Times: This was all recorded in your new London studio, right?

Ratcliffe: Yeah, and it’s nice. We have a kitchen area, which is lovely. And a shower, which is also lovely! We have a mix room with an SSL desk in it. We have a really spacious, proper vocal booth. It’s all properly soundproofed, with floating floors and everything— and there’s a writing room! It was a concrete shell, and it was designed to our specifications. It’s a proper studio— which you would think we’d be used to.

But we’ve never had one before.

Buxton: Don’t forget the windows.

Ratcliffe: Yeah, we have a great view of the city—you can see St. Paul’s Cathedral and The Shard [skyscraper]. n Buxton: And UFOs!

Porter Robinson: Beyond Worlds I’m on fire!

But when I do still spin…

DJ TIMES

NOVEMBER 2014

These days, I’m more musician than DJ…

42

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