DJ Times 2019, Vol 32 No 4 by DJ Times Magazine

1988 2018

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988 FESTIVAL 2019 ISSUE

VOLUME 32 NUMBER 4

House Music… in Jamaica Snapshots of EDC Vegas Will Photo Booths Save Your DJ Business?

Plus: West Coast Weekender Svdden Death PhaseOne QSC’s CP Series KRK ROKIT 7 G4 Monitors MWM’s Phase

RIDING THE WAVE

30 YEARS STRONG

THE LATEST

1988 2018

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988 FESTIVAL 2019 ISSUE

VOLUME 32 NUMBER 3

The Music App That DJs Can't Stop Talking About Stream HQ audio, exclusive edits,

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DJ TIMES PODCAST PRESENTED BY SOUNDCLOUD FEATURES ICE-T & MR. X Hello, folks! DJ Times announces the second entry of the DJ Times Podcast – this time featuring Ice-T & Mr. X. Going forward with the DJ Times Podcast, we’ll give you the stories from the studio and DJ booths for the working and aspiring jocks out there, but we’ll also bring the broader music stories for the general fans. We believe that the DJ Times Podcast will be the place that you visit on a regular basis for info on your favorite DJ-related talents and personalities. Presented by SoundCloud & DJ Expo, our second episode of the DJ Times Podcast features two hip-hop legends – Ice-T and Mr. X (aka Afrika Islam), who discuss their trail-blazing hip-hop past and their immediate electronic future, which includes their new label, Electronic Beat Empire. www.djtimes.com/podcasts/

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NOTABLES…MILESTONES NEWS

Masked Man: Claptone on the mainstage. Javier Luna

WEST COAST WEEKENDER: STEPPING IT UP IN SD

Day Party: Purple Disco Machine. Javier Luna

By Jim Tremayne

Late-Night: J.Phlip gets grooving. Darrell Alonzi

Turntablism Panel: Rich Medina on-point. Javier Luna

Crate Digging: WCW’s Vinyl Fair. Javier Luna

DJ TIMES

FESTIVAL 2019

Alpine, Calif. – West Coast Weekender, now in its fourth incarnation, grew with style this past May 2-6. Held at Viejas Casino & Resort in suburban San Diego, the annual festival/ conference delivered a sharp schedule of music-industry seminars, a diverse group of exhibitors and a DJ-led music lineup that fired up hundreds of SoCal music fans. With headliners that included Claptone, Carl Craig, Lee Foss, and The Pharcyde playing three different casino venues, West Coast Weekender really stepped up its game this year. Call it a mini-Winter Music Conference, LeftCoast style. For upstart DJ/producers, WCW provided a pair of suites that offered hands-on tutorials – Ableton demoed its legendary Live software and Roland showed off its considerable range of drum machines, keyboards and MIDI controllers. Additionally, for crate-digging wax junkies, WCW presented its annual Vinyl Fair with vendors from all over Cali. Also, each day, WCW offered yoga sessions and dance workshops. On the educational tip, WCW delivered some deep knowledge with an engaging schedule of seminars. Along with San Diego-based DJ/producer Chris Manik, DJ Times co-moderated “Art & House Music: As We Know It!” During (continued on page 42)

1988 2018

DEPARTMENTS VOLUME 32 NUMBER 4

FEATURES

14 Ride Waves

After Taking a Year Off for Reflection & Recording, GRiZ Returns in a Big Way BY RYAN HAYES

20 Reaction Time

How to Manage Your Client’s Reaction — and Boost Your Referral Rate BY STU KEARNS

22 Jamaica Frenzy

House in the Home of Reggae? You Bet. House Music’s Heroes Get Groovin’ in Jamaica BY JIM TREMAYNE

24 Las Vegas, Baby!

DJ TIMES

FESTIVAL 2019

Snapshots from Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, America’s Biggest EDM Festival BY ARIELLE FEINSTEIN

Cover Image by Jason Siegel. Contents Image by Paulina Drucker.

9 Feedback

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

26 Making Tracks KRK’s ROKIT 7 G4

28 Sounding Off

QSC Audio’s CP Series & MWM’s Phase

30 Mobile Profile

Xplosive DJ Mixes the Jersey Melting Pot

32 Business Line

Market Study: The Photo-Booth Q&A

34 Gear

New Products from Yamaha, Pioneer DJ & More

38 Grooves

Phat Tracks from MK, John Digweed & More

41 Club Play Chart

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

SAMPLINGS 10 Svdden Death Festival Fave

12 In the Studio With… PhaseOne

FROM THE EDITOR

Into Festival Season

In the past several years, we’ve seen the impressive rise of Grant Kwiecinski, the Detroit-born/ Denver-based DJ/multi-instrumentalist known professionally as GRiZ. As we’ve caught has act at a variety of festivals across the country, we’ve seen his fanbase grow and grow. At huge gatherings like Detroit’s Movement, Chicago’s Spring Awakening and Denver’s Global Dance Fest, kids have a ball dancing to his funky jams that are spiced up with snippets of screaming saxophone, which GRiZ also plays. Now he’s in the middle of a national theater tour, which finds GRiZ playing with a full band in support of Ride Waves, his latest, free-download full-length, and Ryan Hayes, our Canadian correspondent, connects with the social conscious artist to discuss his career, his causes and his recent downtime. In our Samplings section, we delve into some harder-edged electronic music. L.A-based scribe Amanda Chavez goes into the studio with DJ/producer PhaseOne, who explains how he fuses metal with dubstep. Also, our Brian Bonavoglia connects with festival-fave bass artist Svdden Death, a 2019 America’s Best DJ nominee, who will be gracing plenty of summer stages in the coming months. For our gear-review sections, Denver’s Wesley Bryant-King takes a pair of KRK ROKIT 7 G4 monitors into the studio for the Making Tracks column. And, for Sounding Off, we have a pair of reviews: Minneapolis-based DJ Deets runs the QSC Audio CP Series of active loudspeakers through its paces, while Boston’s Paul Dailey tests out MWM’s Phase, a wireless DVS timecode solution that’s already greatly impacted the market. For the mobile entertainer, in a feature story, we visit with North Carolina’s Fox Feltman, who explains several methods on eliciting positive reactions from clients, so that you can boost your referral rates. In Business Line, we discuss the future of photo booths for the mobile entertainer with Pennsylvania jock Dave Stephenson, who will also helm a similarly themed seminar at DJ Expo. And in Mobile Profile, we meet with Jordan Marshall of Xplosive Entertainment in Manalapan, N.J. – he explains how he survives in his ultra-competitive market and previews his DJ Expo seminar, “The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Buzz.” In this issue also we venture to a few faraway places. In the News section, we bring you our experience from San Diego’s West Coast Weekender, a mini-Winter Music Conference that’s ascended incrementally since its 2016 inception – great music, good networking, terrific vibes. We also visit Negril, Jamaica, for the inaugural Jamaica Frenzy festival. Amazingly, almost every deep-house legend in the game – from David Morales to Body & Soul to Ultra Naté – played the beachfront event, and DJ Times was there to take it all in. Of course, we also report from Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, where approximately 145,000 fans a day visited the massive festival that brought all the top acts in EDM. In this issue, we also launch our annual America’s Best DJ promotion, where fans can vote for their favorite U.S.-based jock. For the very latest, please visit americasbestdj.us. Plus, in this Summer Festival edition, we offer a few more nuggets to expect at DJ Expo, which is set to run Aug. 12-15 at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. With over 100 exhibitors, 30 seminars and a halfdozen sponsored parties on tap, we hope to see you there.

DJ TIMES

FESTIVAL 2019

Cheers,

Jim Tremayne Editor, DJ Times

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

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director of integrated advertising Paul Bozikis pbozikis@testa.com art director Janice Pupelis jpupelis@testa.com production manager Steve Thorakos sthorakos@testa.com digital art director Fred Gumm fgumm@testa.com social media coordinator Amanda Mullen amullen@testa.com traffic manager art production assistant Jeannemarie Graziano jgraziano@testa.com Circulation circulation@testa.com Classifieds classifiedsales@testa.com operations manager Robin Hazan rhazan@testa.com Editorial and Sales Office: DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York, USA 11050-3779. (516) 767-2500 • FAX (Editorial): (516) 944-8372 • FAX (Sales/all other business): (516) 767-9335 • DJTIMES@TESTA. COM Editorial contributions should be addressed to The Editor, DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, NY, USA, 110503779. Unsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care an d should be accompanied by return postage. DJ Times (ISSN 1045-9693) is published monthly except for February, July, September and December for $19.40 (US), $39.99 (Canada), and $59.99 (all other countries), by DJ Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 11050-3779. Periodicals Postage Paid at Port Washington, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DJ Times, PO BOX 1767, LOWELL MA 01853-1767 Design and contents are copyright © 2019 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 Festival 2019

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FEEDBACK

30 YEARS STRONG

THE LATEST 1988 2018

AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988 SPRING 2019 ISSUE VOLUME 32 NUMBER 3

New Tax Laws How Did DJs Do? Miami Music Week WMC, Ultra & More

m, Discover

Js downloading HQ tracks, nd video – all in one place.

usic. One Source. bpmsupreme.com

INSIDE New Orleans’ BUKU San Diego’s CRSSD Fest

Plus: Native Instruments Controllers Matrix & Futurebound Whipped Cream Audio Interfaces Dr. D: Gospel DJ 048MY19_p001-044.indd 3

GENRE-BENDER

BOYS NOIZE 4/23/2019 1:53:12 PM

This is Feedback, a monthly feature that fields questions from you, our readers, and funnels them out to in‑ dustry professionals. If you have any questions about DJing – marketing, mixing, equipment or insurance, any at all – drop us a letter at DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Ave, Port Washington, NY 11050, fax us at (516) 944‑8372 or e‑mail us at djtimes@testa.com. If we do use your question, you’ll receive a free DJ Times T‑shirt. And remember, the only dumb question is the ques‑ tion that is not asked. DJ Expo ’19: What’s New? Atlantic City, N.J. – Now in its 30 th year, DJ Expo is set to run Aug. 1215 at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. Presented by DJ Times and Testa Communications, DJ Expo will present its popular slate of DJ-related exhibi‑ tions, educational seminars/panels/ keynotes, and sponsored evening events, like the Opening Night Pool Party (Aug. 12), Bose Pizza Party (Aug. 13), the annual “Entertainer of the Year” competition (Aug. 14) and The Official DJ Expo Afterparty with DJ Skribble (Aug. 14). Also, you can be a winner at DJ Expo! In addition to daily giveaways on the showfloor, one lucky attendee will win the “Ultimate DJ Giveaway” – a full DJ sound-and-lighting system pro‑ vided by major manufacturers. As America’s longest-running and most-successful DJ conference/ex‑ hibition, DJ Expo draws more than 5,000 attendees. Just-announced DJ Expo sessions for the mobile enter‑ tainer include: The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Buzz. The bar/ bat mitzvah market is constantly evolving, and Adam Hirschhorn from AJH Entertainment and Jordan Mar‑ shall from Xplosive Entertainment in New Jersey have combined forces to present an all-new addition to the Expo seminar roster. Learn how to keep on the radar of the kids, tools of the trade to stay fresh, and how to ensure that parents buy in for your vi‑

sion of the event. Making Money During the Week with Your Photo Booth. Do you own a pho‑ to booth – but you’re only booking it a few days a week? Dave Stephenson from Ismile Pod Photo Booths will provide ideas to make money during the week with your booth and how to make new connections with new ven‑ dors to drum up new business. This is your chance to grow your booth business and bring in new streams of revenue.

Word Up! Tips for Creating a Sexy DJ Brand. Do you believe that you can you do better DJ business thru your website/socials? Thru The Knot/ Wedding Wire? Thru your follow-up emails? Then, you must create a clear, concise and compelling message for your brand! If you struggle with what to write on your homepage or on‑ line profiles, San Diego’s DJ Staci has the answers for you. In her fresh, new DJ Expo tutorial, she’ll show you how to write winning online profiles

and attractive homepage content. In her fast-paced, info-filled session, DJ Staci will help you: communicate your brand message in a way that pops; appeal to prospective clients’ buying instincts (vs. just pushing “selling features”); and master copywriting basics – including identifying words that can attract or repel potential cli‑ ents. Plus, Staci will deliver a simple DJ-specific writing formula that you can put into action – and start getting results today!

SAMPLINGS

SVDDEN DEATH: DUBSTEP FESTIVAL FAVE

DJ TIMES

FESTIVAL 2019

In a time when some bass-music fans say their scene has become somewhat stagnant, Svdden Death’s relentless and unique sound design sets him apart from much of the pack. In just a couple years, he’s become one of the most promising talents in the world of American dubstep. On tracks like 2017’s “Take Ya Head Off,” 2018’s “Behemoth” (from the “Voyd” EP) and 2019’s “Ichor” (feat. Ace Savage), the Bay Area native delivers guttural, but sophisticated soundscapes that he accompanies with bone-rattling basslines for maximum effect. This year, he’s even teamed up with Marshmello for their frenetic, sub-wrecking collab, “Sell Out.” Additionally, he’s become a festival favorite with big-stage performances in early 2019 at San Francisco’s Wobbleland and Miami’s Ultra Music Festival. So, as he prepped for another massive show – Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas – we caught up with Svdden Death. DJ Times: When were you first introduced you to the world of bass music? Howland: It was 2009 when I really got into dubstep, listening to people like Skream, Rusko, and Excision. DJ Times: What was so appealing about the dubstep sound that you wanted to produce it yourself? Howland: When I heard new stuff from people like Phiso, Samplifire, Ubur, Getter, etc., I wanted to make music like it because it reminded me so much of metal. No one was moshing to dubstep really back then, so my friends and I would also just go to super-underground shows and beat each other up. I had already been producing for years, but it wasn’t until I found the heavier/tearout/riddim styles of dubstep that I created Svdden Death and started making it. DJ Times: Since first popping onto the scene, what are some changes you’ve noticed in the realm of dubstep over the years? Howland: Dubstep used to be club music kinda, where you would have pop/house/dubstep/ trap all in the same sets and regulars at clubs would dance to it. Dubstep became extremely unpopular and they stopped playing it at clubs, and it started separating itself and becoming more focused on pure, heavy energy. This style became popular and it’s why you see headbanging and moshing. DJ Times: What advice do you have for up(continued on page 42)

Guttural Game: Svdden Death (aka Danny Howland).

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IN THE STUDIO

DJ TIMES

FESTIVAL 2019

PHASEONE: MAKING TRANCENDENCY

Since jumping headfirst into electronic dance music back in 2013, PhaseOne seems to have found his niche in the hardline dubstep landscape. After years of grinding and several EPs later, Trancendency arrives, his first album – and it’s pure headbanger heaven, uniting the two worlds of metal and dubstep. This fusion is not out of the ordinary, as PhaseOne made his musical start working in bands. The natural progression from rehearsal halls to recordings studios has resulted in unique material like “Rot,” his 2015 collab with Australian metalcore band Northlane, plus “Crash & Burn,” their collab for the new record. The versatility of Trancendency (Disciple) stands out and boasts a wide spectrum of styles like “Lost,” drum-n-bass-tinged team-up with Koven, and “Ultima,” his collaboration with iconic hip-hop group, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. We caught up with the Australianborn DJ/producer (aka Graeme Duffy) at his Los Angeles abode to learn more about the making of Trancendency.

Metal Meets Dubstep: PhaseOne aka Graeme Duffy.

DJ Times: So, you grew up listening to metal? Duffy: Indeed, listening to the classics like Zeppelin, Deep Purple and old-school progressive rock like Pink Floyd. In high school, I started getting into the heavy stuff and going to shows and played guitar in multiple bands. DJ Times: How did you get into electronic music? Duffy: My proper introduction was dubstep. When I first heard it around 2010-11, I was so intrigued and had never thought of electronic music as “heavy.” So, having a production/ engineering background, I immediately started trying to mess around with this sound. DJ Times: What was your first studio set-up like? Duffy: When I was about 14, I had a copy of this whack DAW called Cubasis – not Cubase. It was super clunky, but I was able to make it work to my best ability. I would mostly record my bands and my friends’ bands. I then studied audio engineering and upgraded to Pro Tools, which changed my life. The studio was a super-basic bedroom studio. My friends and I would set up mattresses on the walls, trying to treat the room and soundproof it to our best ability [laughs]. I had an 8-channel preamp going into Pro Tools and a bunch of OK mics, typical studio stuff – Shure SM57 and SM58 and a Rode NT2-A – all of which I still use. DJ Times: Which came first – production or DJing? Duffy: It’s always been about composition and engineering/ production first for me. Once I had delved into the EDM world, I had a bunch of – let’s be honest – terrible songs, which I had uploaded on SoundCloud. The next minute, people were trying to book me to play shows, so then I bought some decks and taught myself how to DJ. I went all-in and got two Pioneer DJ CDJ-2000s because I wanted to try to do things properly. DJ Times: Any tips on mixing metal guitars with electronic music? Duffy: Firstly, EDM is much louder and brighter and overcompressed, so you need to get your metal sections to match in loudness and brightness to make it sound cohesive. I mix the guitars with a lot more high-end than what you normally would on a metal record and even adding OTT and extra distortion to really bring out some of those high-end harmonics. DJ Times: And? Duffy: The other thing that’s different is adding a sub to the low-end, mimicking the bass guitar. Bass music is given that name due to the heavy emphasis on the low frequencies. It relies on 30-60 Hz – that is something metal lacks. Bass-guitar frequencies do hit low, but don’t have the same oomf that a sine wave can give you. So, I end up high-passing my bass guitar at around 100 Hz and just try to capture the more mid-range metallic sounds it creates and let the sub rein the low frequencies. DJ Times: For guitars, what plug-in do use? Duffy: One that I’ve started using just recently is called Heavier7Strings. I end up layering it with my recorded guitars just to add they extra oomph. DJ Times: You’ve got an epic guitar solo on the intro track. Duffy: The whole point of this album as a whole was to just get back to my roots as a musician and merge all the styles that I enjoy and was brought up on, so for the intro and outro I wanted to just keep it out of the EDM realm and just do some instrumental metal tracks to really switch up the vibes and keep the album diverse as possible. DJ Times: Which model guitar did you use? Duffy: Jackson B7. DJ Times: How did you end up linking with Northlane? Duffy: The Northlane guys are friends since the band days – our bands used to play together before they blew up. I did a remix for them back in 2014, which they enjoyed and we spoke about doing a proper collab for years. After a few failed attempts, I tried to revisit the idea once we decided to do the album. I send Marcus about three or four demos and gave him the choice of which song he’d prefer to work on and he smashed out the vocals in only a day or two, and the results were amazing. I think (continued on page 40)

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WAVES

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A F T E R TA K I N G A Y E A R

OFF FOR REFLECTION &

RECORDING,

GRIZ

R E T U R N S I N A B I G WAY

FESTIVAL 2019

DJ TIMES

Paulina Drucker

B Y

R Y A N

H A Y E S

Laine Kelly Paulina Drucker

After building a profile since 2011 that saw him release five albums and headline festival stages all over America, GRiZ had an intentionally reclusive 2018. In mid-2017, the Detroit-born/ Denver-based artist – aka Grant Kwiecinski, 29 – came out as gay in a heart-tugging op-ed in Huffington Post, so a year away from social-media attention allowed him to find peace and a new center. But it also allowed him to get down to the also-serious business of making music. Thankfully for the dance-music community, he is back in full force with a newly inspired sense of creative energy. His recently released sixth album, Ride Waves – with its signature blend of saxophone-infused Motown soul, future funk, and dubstep/bass – cracked both the Billboard Top 200 and the Top 10 vinyl sales charts. To support the album, he’s currently touring theaters and larger venues with a fully immersive show, complete with a coterie of musicians and dazzling video/lighting/stage production. Over recent years, GRiZ has cultivated a fervent following of die-hards who remain loyal to his artistic evolution. His popularity has spread from

coast to coast, as he’s sold out impressive venues like Denver’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Chicago’s fabled Navy Pier and, most recently, Brooklyn’s rustic Kings Theatre. Fostering a community of talented contemporaries, GRiZ started his own label in 2011. Originally known as Liberated Music, his All Good Records has been the platform that’s released the six GRiZ albums (all free downloads), plus music from other acts like Muzzy Bearr, who also plays guitar for GRiZ onstage and in the studio. In addition to the recording and touring, GRiZ makes a point to give back to his community. Through his

FESTIVAL 2019

DJ TIMES 16

annual GRiZMAS celebrations, a 12day event series in Detroit, GRiZ has raised over $100,000 for music education in public schools. Recently, he partnered with Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project, a foundation aimed at preventing suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, for one of the organization’s most successful campaigns. In fact, the cause resonated so much with GRiZ that Ride Waves includes an ultra-positive/sing-along tune, in collaboration with DRAM, by the same name as Savage’s foundation. Easily his most realized body of work to date, Ride Waves features a slew of top-tier talent, including Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, and Matisyahu, and delivers tasteful dose of musical diversity, booty-shaking rhythms and heartfelt emotions. With so much on the horizon, Kwiecinski seems to be entering a creative renaissance for his GRiZ project, and we could not resist taking the time to sit down with him to delve all the way back to the beginning. DJ Times: How did glitch, drumn-bass, and IDM introduce you to electronic music? GRiZ: I was 14, and I was in a band. I was really interested in music, but at the same time, there wasn’t really a ton of music that was blowing my mind. But I was introduced to marijuana, electronic music, and strobe lights all at the same time – and that blew my mind to pieces. We would just listen to music and smoke weed in my buddy’s bedroom; sit there in darkness, put on the strobes, and just lose our fucking minds. DJ Times: So, it was really more about the whole musical experience? GRiZ: Yeah, I was just so young, and it sounded so different. It was the coolest thing I had ever experienced

Laine Kelly

a word that inspires a larger idea. I love thinking about how the song will play out live, too – like what is the intention of each part of the song. DJ Times: If we were to sneak a peek at your studio set-up, what would we see you working with? GRiZ: I rock with two Kii Audio Three monitors, Universal Audio Apollo Twin mkII interface, Universal 4-710d preamps, Neumann U67 microphone, Mesa Boogie and Fender Deluxe amplifiers, two saxophones, Fender Precision bass guitar and a Fender Stratocaster guitar. I love the Native Instruments Kontakt stuff, Waves plug-ins, Universal Audio plugins – the FabFilter plug-ins are amazing. Serum, Massive, the Goodhertz plug-ins are awesome – and iZotope’s Ozone, of course. DJ Times: Lately, it seems like you have focused on condensing nineminute explorations of sound into more traditional three-minute tracks. GRiZ: I wasonly younger up to that point.When I may have been and reallyschool, into abstract music, my I was a in middle but it changed curmudgeon for pop-style writing. path in life. What some electronic Any timedoing I heard a repeating part in artists were with sound was a song, I was like... man, that’s lazy! I just so limitless. young, though, and really DJwas Times: Which artists stood ignoof writing a out torant youto at the the poetic time asimpact doing somesong that had a general thesis to it. If thing especially unique? you pair that with clever writing GRiZ: I was listening to Apex Twin, and great harmonic structured chords Squarepusher, Plug, Caspa and Rusko. that leave space for powerful The dubstep scene was secondary tomeloit’s something else.I wanted I don’t think glitchdies, and IDM – back then, the point is to make a song to be Squarepusher. That was short, just the idea ismusic. to express an emotion the coolest It felt like not one and in something you can drumpackage pattern it repeated for thethat entire take with you anywhere… a small resong... and for me, that was so cool. peating idea that you can hum when DJ Times: Delving even furare the hiking, or singanimated in the shower. ther you back, Disney DJ Times: How does that idea film, “Fantasia,” sculpted your initial translate to Ride Waves? understanding of what musical arGRiZ: For Ride Waves, wanted to rangement meant. How are Ithose take the philosophy and reallyinwrite rudimental concepts represented songs that I today? could play on the saxoyour productions phone, sing live, GRiZ: I think you and hearplay the piano “Fan- with. I just started a new live band, and tasia” influence mostly in the longer you electronic GRiZwhen tunes. Youhear haveanthese songstrack performed thatA way, it justThey becomes that kind of go from to infinity. clear how powerful the song is. are seven-minute movements within DJ Times: So, your evolution electronic music. They don’t follow as a live performer reallyonfollows a repeating pattern or rely hooks your growth as an individual. – they take you on a journey. “FantaGRiZ: Yeah, I think whenand you are sia” introduced me to watching younger, maybe you feel like listening to music simultaneously. you In are alwaysmusic right created because the youworld, form your “Fantasia,” around and I identity liked that. Therethe wasfirst this thing idea that you found interesting – and of placing music as the driving force,that’s always you buy a a vehicle to narrow. take youIt’sonlike… a journey Sumthe41visual record instantly through sideand of your imagi-carve

DJ TIMES

Laine Kelly

FESTIVAL 2019

Chris Lazzaro

nation; thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what those sprawling GRiZ tracks are about. DJ Times: Having just released Ride Waves, it seems like the perfect time to look back. What has been the biggest change in your creative process since the Mad Liberation days? GRiZ: I think back then I was looking to use samples as pieces of inspiration to grow my ideas. With Ride Waves, it was more about relying on personal life experiences. I was also inspired by other mediums, like visual and poetic art. In the Mad Liberation days [2012], it was about finding a cool record that sounded really dope, and then chopping it up. I followed the DJ Premier and J Dilla theology of sampling music. DJ Times: From a production standpoint, how do you go about starting a new track? GRiZ: I mostly star t with a strong idea for drums and chords/ bassline. Sometimes, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a vocal melody that is sitting in my head, or just

FESTIVAL 2019

DJ TIMES 18

Joshua Hanford

out your identity based on that one choice. Luckily, I think that I will always be someone that finds new things interesting. I will always love finding new sounds, and with them, new ways to do things. I will disregard the blatant path over just messing around on Ableton in my studio, because that will always be where my heart is—creating new music. DJ Times: If you were to curate a stage at a festival who would be on the bill and why? GRiZ: I would bring J Dilla back from the dead because it’s my music festival and I have infinite money and power to do whatever I want [laughs], and that’s how that shit works, right? I’d also have Zomby and Caravan Palace. I would have to throw Squarepusher in, but I would have him play Burningn’n Tree. I’d have Bassnectar play Mesmerizing the Ultra, Parts 1 and 2 because I would love to go and dance to that – that would be so dope. Air would play “Casanova 70” [from Premiers Symptômes] and Daft Punk would spin all of Homework. DJ Times: What about current artists? Who is producing music now that you take inspiration from? GRiZ: I’m really excited to hear J-Wright’s new album. I think his next record is highly anticipated because he really changed the game for a lot of electronic producers. Everybody, including me, is excited for the new Skrillex album. When he drops music, he sets the tone for the whole year. Also, I was really stoked on the new Flume project. It was really dope because he was under a lot of pressure from people blatantly copying his style; and I think his recent release is the most Flume-Flume self-actualized shit he has ever done. DJ Times: Some of the tracks on Ride Waves – specifically “A New Day” – delve deeper than most electronic music. What was that experience like for you? Do you think electronic music is lacking a voice for advocacy? GRiZ: I think everything is valid, and it is important to give people an outlet to shut their brain off. That being said, it is important for me – and everyone – to understand what they are doing, and how it might affect other people. This is especially important for me because I have a platform. I don’t think that it is necessary to be constantly spitting a socially concise message. But it is important to use your platform to put out an important, socially sensitive message from time to time. We need that. DJ Times: There really isn’t much of that in electronic music. GRiZ: You’re right. I would definitely agree electronic music lacks that in a big way. A lot of artists talk about the community around their music. You see DJs tweet a basic socially concise message; something

like, dudes shouldn’t be dicks to girls. Messages like that allow people to feel concise and will succeed in keeping a community about being fun. But an outlet for real change? I just don’t see it. DJ Times: So, artists could do more? GRiZ: Yeah, I’m trying to not just tweet about some shit... but actually back it up with a fucking song where we are going to talk about an issue. I think you can take some pretty heavy issues and turn it in to good dance music. It’s good to have straight-up party music, but if you are going to say shit on Twitter, I think that it is really important to use your platform to tell your story. What’s important to you, and what needs to change? That’s the Bob Dylan way. But I’m not requiring people to change – that’s just my heart. I am going to continue to follow the things that inspire me in life, and that’s what GRiZ is. DJ Times: What’s your regular touring DJ booth look like and why do you use that set-up? GRiZ: In the past, I’ve gone in to shows with two computers. One’s controlling the launching of tracks in Ableton Live, with an Akai MPD32 loaded with mixing effects and sample-launching, and the other with all of my saxophone and vocal processing. They both get mixed by our touring Front of House engineer. That way I can blend reverb, delay, octave, phaser, and auto filter effects on my sax myself. It’s a functional way to be an Ableton DJ, and not get stuck into a set list. DJ Times: How about for the Ride Waves tour? What will anything be different? (continued on page 40)

“IT IS IMPORTANT TO USE YOUR PLATFORM TO PUT O U T A S O C I A L LY S E N S I TIVE MESSAGE FROM TIME

DJ TIMES

Joshua Hanford

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TO TIME. WE NEED THAT.”

DJ TIMES

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By Stu Kearns

“If you implement reaction management, guests will constantly go to the client and tell them this was the best reception they have ever been to. ”

Most people believe that being a “mobile DJ” or “entertainer” is all about creating a particular atmosphere for the couple and their guests — and, of course, to provide great dance music. Do they want a Western theme, beach, hip-hop, shabby chic, military, etc.? Although we want to always follow the theme the client wants, that isn’t the goal. The goal is to make the event enjoyable and memorable for the hosts and the guests. Fox Feltman, owner of BTA Entertainment in Greenville, N.C., has been thinking about this a lot. “How,” he asks, “do we know if we reached the goal? We know, by their reactions. So how do we facilitate the reactions we want?” Feltman says you must create a clear path that leads the client from start-to-finish, creating the reactions you want every step of the way for the couple and guests – and for the entertainer. “DJs play music, they don’t manage reactions,” he says. “But we can be taught how to create reactions, so clients and guests have a magical event.” Feltman is a huge fan of Jon Taffer from the reality TV show “Bar Rescue.” Says Feltman: “He actually came up with the term ‘Reaction Management,’ relating it to restaurants, bars and clubs. But I took it to heart and really looked at it from a mobile-DJ-enter tainer’s point of view.” One of the first things DJs should ask themselves is: Are you getting the reactions you want as you explain your brand to potential clients? “Sitting in a sales meeting, you need to listen first and find out what the bride and groom want out of their day,” says Feltman. “If you can’t or do not want to provide that specific picture, it’s OK to say, ‘We aren’t for you.’ But for our company, 99.9-percent of our guests say, ‘I want fun. I want everyone walking away having a great time.’

“I feel that going over how our brand works, what we provide and explaining step-by-step how we create so many reactions… we see smiles, we hear laughter, we see intrigue, we see excitement, we see tears, we can see and feel the connection — just by putting this movie into the client’s head. If we can emotionally connect, we can hook them.” How do you paint the picture? During the sales meeting, Feltman says he “tells the story.” How? “A good storyteller,” he says, “will be painting a picture in the client’s head, so the client can visualize the moments and activities. We do a 15-minute grand finale which brings everything together at the end of the event, finale slow dance, a gathering of all guests, last dance song together with everyone on the floor. Seeing brides faces light up is really something. Remember, the bride is only knowledgeable on what she has seen or heard about — many DJs are very cookie-cutter with no emotion.” Once you book the gig, the first reaction your client will register is when they see the presentation the day of the event — before any music has been played. “Amateurs and hobbyists just throw gear on a table, wires everywhere and go,” says Feltman. “Always remember, we are not only representing the client but the client’s family as well. I require our team to have a very ‘clean’ look — a professional facade. We light them up to the client’s color choices. Any wires that can be seen are taped down. Anything in the table is concealed to the guests. “If we’re using up lighting, we darken the room somewhat for the guests’ first look so the lighting effect takes place, any monograms are on and in place. The music is matching the emotions of the day. Fun, happy…” The next reaction moment is the dinner. Do you want to create a fun

them respect the moment.” To get guests on to the dancefloor, Feltman’s company uses several standbys: the anniversary dance; The Shoe Game, offering several options with garter

actions, the anniversary dance, the special moment with bride and dad, the grand finale. These will all be a surprise because many guests think they’re walking into a boring event.” Feltman says that most of his DJs have been doing things such as The Shoe Game for years now, but in his experience many brides and their guests have never seen it nor heard of it. “It’s a fun way to take five minutes to allow the guest to get a breath or a drink and laugh,” he says. “Asking questions to the bride and groom, and also allowing the guests to interact by answering as well, by screaming out the bride or groom’s name.” Has Feltman’s business been impacted by this attention to reaction m a n a g e m e n t ? “ We ’ve seen a skyrocket in our bookings — and other DJs will, too,” he says. “If

and bouquet; the 15-minute grand finale, which includes the final slow dance; Circle of Love; and final song of the night. Says Feltman: “It’s about using different people, versus the same 10 people.” Going into a wedding, clients, family members and guests all have expectat i o n s . “ N o r m a l ly, t h a t ’s boredom,” says Feltman. “Everything you do should be special, from the way you do the grand entrance, the variety of music, the inter-

you implement this way of thinking, guests will constantly go to the client and tell them this was the best reception they have ever been to. The referrals will continue to come from other vendors. Photographers will love you because you’ve made their job easy by creating fun pictures with d i f fe re n t p e o p l e . T h e venue will love you because it’s always a party. The wedding planner will love it because they don’t have to babysit the DJ, they know you will make them shine. They know you show up, are professional and do one hell of a job. They know you’re creating reactions that translate into moments and memories to last a lifetime.” Fox Feltman will present his “Reaction Management” at DJ Expo Aug. 1215 at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. n

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laughter. Some examples of this would be bride and groom trivia, a scavenger hunt, ‘Name That Tune.’ Our company does TV trivia. Everyone gets to play, compete, sing and smile.” Next is the father-daughter dance, perhaps the biggest reaction potential of the evening. “Of course this depends a lot on the bride’s relationship with her father. In my experience, most brides are very close with their dad. The average DJ just calls the

bride and dad to the floor, makes no emotional connection, no moment.” What you need to do, says Feltman, is two things at once: “I feel the fatherdaughter dance is for dad, not the bride,” he says. “I want him to feel that she thought of him, that it’s important. I want him to feel appreciated and loved. Secondly, I don’t want the guests to clap and then just talk to each other, disrespecting the moment. I want to evoke an emotion in the guests, making

DJ TIMES

reaction-turning dinn e r, s o m e t h i n g g u e s t s a r e n ’t u s e d t o s e e i n g ? Something to make them excited and entertained? Feltman says you should be. “Many DJs are just calling table numbers, leaving guests sitting there bored and just remembering they aren’t eating yet,” he says. “Finding a fun way to interact with the guests is simple, easy and a way to create reactions of smiles and

DJ TIMES

1 Hey, You! DJ Kemit throws down. Joe Berinato 2 ATL DJ: Salah Ananse in the mix. Mark Blagrove 3 Body & Soul: Krivit, Claussell & FK. REDness Hayes 4 Gorgeous: Sunset in Negril. Joe Berinato 5 Goodies: Fans line up for t-shirt giveaway. Salah Ananse 6 Feelin’ Free: The groove takes over. REDness Hayes 7 Beach Bums: Organizer Joe B & the author. Joe Berinato 8 Chilling: DJ Spinna & Pete Rock. Mark Blagrove 9 House Queen: Ultra Naté before her set. REDness Hayes 10 Tourist Board: Welcome to Jamaica Joe Berinato 11 Big Youth: DJ Ameer gets groovin’. Salah Ananse

Negril, Jamaica – The inaugural edition of Jamaica Frenzy touched down on the western end of the famed Caribbean-island nation this past March 26-31, and it made quite a splash. Organized and founded by New York-based promoter liL Ray, the festival delivered a DJ lineup that amounted to a House Music Hall of Fame.Talent included David Morales, Body & Soul (François K, Joe Claussell and Danny Krivit), Timmy Regisford, DJ Spinna, Ultra Naté, DJ Spen, Jamie 3:26, Kemit, Kai Alce, David Harness, Gigi Testa, Salah Ananse, DJ Ameer, and Del from Philly. Attendees of the festival enjoyed all-inclusive amenities at a pair of Negril hotels, plus four days and nights of deep-house music held at the Wavz beach club and The Jungle Hut nightclub. In addition to the deep grooves that the DJs brought, attendees enjoyed a unique camaraderie that’s only shared by true lovers of the genre. It seems that Jamaica Frenzy – a house festival in the home of reggae – is the start of something new and ultimately fruitful. Says organizer liL Ray: “Jamaica Frenzy will concentrate on quality over quantity and we’ll gradually grow the event with this in mind. We consider Jamaica Frenzy to be a boutique music festival that will always have the very best house music. “In the right DJ’s hands and mind, house music can program emotions. House music just speaks to your spirit and your soul. That’s the beauty of it and what makes it ultimately so attractive.” It all looked like this:

Las Vegas – This past M ay 1 7 - 1 9 , m o re t h a n 450,000 EDM fans made their way to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for another massive Electric Daisy Carnival festival. The 23rd annual event delivered a slew of stages full of electronic music’s biggest stars. The weekend music marathon included a bevy of memorable moments, including a special house set from Alison Wonderland at the parliamentARTC AR, Skrillex popping up as a special Saturday-night guest, and Seven Lions joining Above & Beyond on stage to debut their new collaboration (“See the End”). It all looked like this:

Camp EDC: Kaskade rocks the joint. Andrew Kinder

Bundled Up: Diplo drops a beat. Demian Becerra

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Awake: Alison Wonderland in the mix. Marc Van der Aa

Big Love: A jubilant Steve Aoki. Virisa Young

Aerial View: Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Graham John Bell

Fan Frenzy: Madness of EDC. Christopher Pearce

Dancin’ Sonny: Skrillex gets loose. aLive Coverage

Big Room: Illenium before the masses. Alex Perez

Strike A Pose: Martin Garrix in the booth. Calder Wilson

Mass Manipulation: Rezz gets busy. Chris Lazzaro

All Lit Up: Deadmau5 gets groovin’. Virisa Young

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Blast Off: Big stage goes boom. Marc Van der Aa

MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

MAD MONITORS: KRK’S ROKIT 7 G4

By Wesley Bryant-King

It wasn’t that long ago — just last year, actually — that you would have been forgiven for thinking that Gibson Brands might not survive. Their absence from Winter NAMM 2018 raised some eyebrows, and just months later, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Rumors flew rapidly, and it was anyone’s guess what might happen next. Earlier this year, however, Gibson returned to The Winter NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif., and with new leadership at the helm, the company seems to have regained its footing after restructuring and divesting some operations to focus on its guitar brands (Gibson, Epiphone, Kramer and Steinberger), along with KRK, Cerwin-Vega and Stanton DJ. (I have to confess it was sad to see them shut down Cakewalk, but business is business, I suppose.) At NAMM, Stanton DJ debuted the SDH line of headphones (including the 800, 400 and 6000 models). But over at the KRK division, the company’s rolling out new product in the form of the latest iteration of the popular ROKIT series of studio monitors. The last time I looked at the ROKIT series —

back in 2015 — I was pretty impressed, especially with the tiny ROKIT 4. After taking a pair of new ROKIT 7 G4s for a spin, I have to confess I have a certain fondness for the ROKIT line. The Basics I have to also confess that after reviewing tons of studio monitors for these pages over the years, it’s pretty tough to wax poetic about speakers. It’s true, a decent set of studio monitors is a critical part of any music studio — home or professional. And while some readers may accuse me of sacrilege, after a certain price point (which for me is roughly $700 to $1,000 for a pair), pretty much any pair of properly set-up, properly tuned monitors with decent frequency response are going to enable you to make a good mix. To me, it’s a point-of-diminishing-returns game; paying double isn’t going to double the quality of your mixes. At roughly $239 a pop, retail, the ROKIT 7 G4 sits at a really affordable price point — so much so that I might not have taken it that seriously at first, to

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LCD Screen: One-knob EQ control for G4 units.

ROKIT 7 G4: Awesome & affordable monitor.

be honest. Let’s start with the size.While the specs vary, I’ve historically considered an 8-inch main driver to be the smallest I’d generally want to go with, primarily because it’s usually got the right combination of low-end frequency response, price point and overall cabinet size.The ROKIT 7 G4 has a published response down to 42 Hz. If you think you need lower, the ROKIT 8 G4 will take you down a further 6 Hz to 36 Hz, while the biggest of the series — the ROKIT 10-3 G4 goes all the way to 26 Hz thanks to its 10-inch main driver. All the series go up to 40 kHz on the high end. What’s New? In addition to re-engineering the series, KRK has added a unique, DSP-based EQ setup to the ROKIT G4 family. Instead of the usual three or four position “high” EQ and “low” EQ knobs, you have an LCD screen on the back with a simple one-knob control that you can use to set-up the monitors for your environment. The system KRK came up with is easy and relatively intuitive to use, despite the single-knob interface. That knob enables you to adjust gain by default. If you press down on (“click”) the knob, you can enter the interface that allows you to adjust the EQ. The EQ settings are not infinite; the adjustability is divided into two sections, low and high, and within each, you can choose between flat and four other pre-defined options within each range, resulting in a selectable total of 25 combinations. (There are peak EQ settings, as well as usual shelving EQ, which, according to the company, is unique at this price point.) To make the setup easier, KRK is also working on a new smartphone app, which unfortunately wasn’t yet available at press time. The KRK website promises that the app will help with placement, level-matching, EQ, etc. According to the company, the app is “very close” to reality and “it will suggest the best EQ settings based on the environment of the room, among other features.” The room-tuning system I currently use — which I reviewed previously for the magazine — is the amazing Sonarworks Reference 4 Studio Edition with Mic. Given the advanced software, and (continued on page 40)

All the Music. One Source. Now in an App. Introducing the BPM Supreme Mobile App – the new app that is redefining the way DJs discover music. Stream high quality audio, add to your crate, get inspired with curated sets, create custom playlists, read the latest industry new, and much more. www.bpmsupreme.com/app

Bose S1 Pro Multi-position PA Sound great anywhere with the ultra-portable Bose S1 Pro Multiposition PA. Designed for musicians, DJs and general PA use, the S1 Pro is the ultimate all-in-one PA, floor monitor and practice amplifier that’s ready to be your go-anywhere Bluetooth® music system. www.professional.bose.com

Add Prints to Your Playlist DNP's flagship DS620A dye-sublimation printer is the world’s most compact professional digital photo printer. With its wide range of print size options, quick output, and innovative print technology, the DS620A is an extremely valuable revenue-generating asset for professional photographers and retail store operators offering photo-printing services. www.dnpphoto.com/en-us/Products/Printers/DS620A

QSC CP Series The CP Series delivers stunning performance in an incredibly compact package making it easy to load, carry, lift and set up for a wide range of DJ applications. www.qsc.com/live-sound/products/loudspeakers/powered-loudspeakers/cp-series/

SOUNDING OFF PLAYBACK…PRO AUDIO…PROCESSING

By DJ Deets

CP SERIES: QSC AUDIO’S COMPACT PA

QSC Audio’s new CP Series of compact, powered loudspeakers comes in two flavors: an 8-inch CP8 and a 12-inch CP12. Both models have a 1,000-watt, Class-D amplifier. Weight and portability were big considerations during the design process, so it’s no wonder that the CP8 weighs only 21 pounds, and the CP12 weighs 30 pounds. They are designed for mobile and event DJs, corporate-event producers, bands, and venue installation. Given that a pair of speakers – in either size – costs under $1,000, these seem like really attractive options for those seeking a first-PA system, a secondary setup, or booth monitors. (CP8 is $399 MAP, C12 is $499 MAP.) Unboxing my CP12s was a breeze. They each arrived with a really handy soft-shell carrying tote (sold separately), which really emphasizes the portable nature of these speakers. The tote was a welcome touch, and I’m sure everyone who’s had to awkwardly carry loudspeakers long distances will appreciate them. The tote zips all around and can easily be fitted around the speaker, and there’s even a small pouch for storing extra cables. In this pouch, you’ll find the standard IEC power cable that ships with the unit. There’s also a pass-through on

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QSC’s CP Series: CP8 & CP12 models.

the side of the case, which gives you access to the speaker’s grab-handle. The speakers themselves feel good. The cabinets are plastic, which cuts down on weight, and they feature a metal grille on the front. One thing I would’ve liked to have seen is some sort of “on indicator” on the front; other QSC speakers have a blue light that lets you know that they’re on. The speakers are asymmetrical in their design to allow them to be easily placed as floor monitors. There is a grab-handle on the top of the speaker, and there is a molded grab area on the side of the CP12. On the bottom, there is a hole to accommodate a speaker pole and three feet. There are also rubberized feet on the side which support it when mounted sideways as a floor monitor. But, the back is where things get interesting. There are three separate input channels. Two are Neutrik XLR/ TRS combo jacks, which accommodate either XLR or ¼-inch TRS cables. The third is a stereo headphone jack, which is nice to see. I could see this functionality being used in rental fleets or at events, where someone could plug in a smartphone, MP3 player, or tablet, and provide background music. There are gain controls for all three inputs and a mix out

on XLR, which can be routed to an external subwoofer or additional speakers. The killer feature of the CP speakers is the Contour Control. This allows the user to shape the sound quality by selecting from six presets: Default, Default Ext Sub, Dance, Dance Ext Sub, Floor Monitor, and Speech. The difference between each of the modes is pronounced. Dance has a punching bass that steals the show; Speech highlights the mids and provides vocal clarity; and Default is a one-size-fits-all contour that produces a well-rounded sound. Modes with Ext Sub are meant for applications where there is already a subwoofer, meaning that much of the low-end work is already being taken care of. This flexibility allows the CP to suit a wide range of applications and means that setup times can be cut. The sound quality was impressive in a variety of different atmospheres and while listening to different genres. In a large room, the music could be heard and felt on the dance floor, but wasn’t intrusive farther away. The CP8 has a 90-degree coverage angle and generates 124 dB one meter away, while the CP12 has a 75-degree coverage angle and can

push 126 dB at one meter. When I took things outside, I found that the sound still had the same presence and wasn’t at risk of being carried away. They also shone when I used them as monitors. Despite being in a loud DJ booth, I could hear them distinctly from the main house sound system, and I could fine-tune my mix based on what I was hearing. Once the fun had wrapped up, I just unplugged the cables, put them in their bags, and single-handedly carried them outside, where they fit in the trunk of my car. DJs in the market for a lightweight and portable loudspeaker should seriously shortlist QSC Audio’s CP Series. The Costa Mesa, Calif.-based company packages the sound quality and performance of much-bigger setups into a deceptively easy-to-use form factor. That being said, the series enters a category that features competition from several well-established ranges, including the Electro Voice’s ZLX, Mackie’s Thump, and JBL Pro’s EON. Nonetheless, QSC’s CP speakers definitely stack up well, especially when you consider their ease of use and portability. I could see both ranges – CP8 and CP12 – being purchased by DJs who need a portable PA system, but might not need or want the bulk of larger and heavier set-ups. I could also see music venues being interested in these, adding them as booth monitors. Additionally, they’ll work in bars or restaurants. They would also work well installed at houses of worship or used for corporate events – however, I would just make sure that the contour control isn’t set to “Dance.” Thumbs up, QSC!

Dialed In: Six presets offer flexibility.

SOUNDING OFF

S2 MK3: Ultra-portable, entry-level model.

By Paul Dailey

PHASE: GAME-CHANGER FOR DVS JOCKS

MWM’s Phase: Bye-bye control vinyl & more.

Attention-getter: Sleek, minimalist, cool design.

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Fact No. 1: DJs like shiny new things. They like new gear, they like new technology, they like to be the first on their block to have that new toy that Jazzy Jeff or Carl Cox was playing with last weekend. To that end, if you follow any DJ social channels over the last year or so, you have likely heard about the hottest new piece of technology – the Phase wireless DJ controller from MWM. Small and sleek with a minimalist design and a cool customizable LED light, this bluetooth controller is hot. I have not had my DJ friends asking to stop by to demo a new piece of gear in years. But, this one had my phone ringing, nonstop. What is it, exactly? Phase is a wireless DVS timecode solution that replaces your control vinyl with a pair of remote transmitters and a receiver – and that means you no longer have to use traditional needles and cartridges, nor do you need DVS control vinyl. Phase replaces all of those elements with a single solution that’s easy to set-up and has many benefits over the aforementioned “traditional” solutions. It’s made up of two components: a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter has a sensor that detects tiny platter position movements and sends that information to the receiver, which then turns it into timecode data that can be read by your DJ app. Phase works with any brand of DVS from Serato DJ and Pioneer DJ’s rekordbox, to Native Instruments’ Traktor and Virtual DJ. So why is Phase so groundbreaking? First off, goodbye variables. No more vibrations, wind, people bumping your table. No more dead turntables due to bad tonearms, fried RCA cables, missing ground wires. Basically, every problem you can think of – minus a bad motor or pitch issues – have been rendered moot. And because there are no more vibrations and Phase is a “linelevel” input, you can turn up DVS noise sensitivity to the max and vastly improve tracking. Set-up is easy. Simply pick a spot on your record of choice (more on this later), add the magnetic adhesive strip, drop your Phase units over the spindle and connect the receiver to your DVS box or mixer’s channel inputs. Fire up your DJ software, and you are good to go. Because of the lack of physical contact with the “record surface,” your old, worn-out scratch records/control vinyl that has long since been rendered unreadable, can be brought back to life. As a turntablist friend noted, this is a big deal, as finding the right record to cut with and then having to give it up after the timecode is worn out, is a thing of the past. From a mixing-DJ standpoint, Phase is a bit less “groundbreaking,” but certainly still fun and adds some visual panache to your tried and trusted 1200s. Be warned – people will come up to stare. There are some issues that need mentioning, but most won’t affect your ability to perform – and are likely things that will be fixed in future software updates. First off, these are not officially certified by major DVS providers and so the “red bar” indicating a tracking issue shows up in both Traktor and Serato. This is a false positive, as it will not switch to internal mode as you might expect, but still gives an uneasy feeling as you perform in front of a crowd with this “error message” flashing from time to time. But the biggest issue is mostly left to scratch DJs to face – the inability of Phase to account for “Sticker Lock.” Because there is no “0” point or “true north” on the device, there is no way for Serato (and Traktor) to identify where the beginning of the tone actually is. Sticker Lock has a devout fan base, and means scratch routines with Phase need to be adjusted accordingly. Having said that, for most DJs, these things are amazing. Phase ($399 street) is fun, intuitive, rock-solid, responsive and something that will have friend and fans wondering what you are doing up there in the booth. On a boat, an outdoor deck, or even just a bouncy dancefloor, these are game changers, and they look super-cool as well. Big fan.

Rock-Solid: Fun, intuitive, responsive.

MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

Mitzvah Tips: Jordan Marshall will speak at DJ Expo.

XPLOSIVE DJ MIXES THE JERSEY MELTING POT By Stu Kearns

Jordan Marshall thinks New Jersey is a “melting pot for

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exciting and

Manalapan, N.J. – Jordan Marshall has been entertaining for 15 years – he started as a dance motivator for bar/bat mitzvahs and Sweet 16s. Lucky for him, the proprietor of Xplosive Entertainment, the mitzvah market responded, and today he’s recognized as one of the more innovative DJs in the always-competitive region of New Jersey. At DJ Expo – set for Aug. 12-15 at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. – Marshall and Adam Hirschhorn from AJH Entertainment will moderate “The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Buzz,” introducing some of their latest techniques in capturing this often-lucrative market. So the give you a taste of what to expect at his DJ Expo presentation, we asked Marshall for his thoughts about the competitive mitzvah market in New Jersey, among other things:

trendsetting

I loved the whole culture of the entertainment industry so much that shortly after I got my feet wet as an event host I began to study and learn the art of beat-matching and programming a room musically.

mitzvah

I did learn the “substance” of creating and executing a high-end event from another industry leader in my area – Lonny Narson.

entertainment.”

Once I caught the “entertainment bug” and realized that I was producing and performing events that were truly special and unique, I knew I could be successful making this my profession. New Jersey is a melting pot for exciting and trend-setting mitzvah entertainment. If it’s not the most competitive, it’s certainly up there on “the list.” I’m very fortunate to have grown up in the “mitzvah mecca” of groundbreaking entertainment companies such as Jeffrey Craig Entertainment, Music Express, Unique Musique – just to name a few – and these companies were literally cor-

nerstones for the “do’s and dont’s” in the mitzvah world. Their owners – Jeffrey Craig, Richie Vulpis, and Larry Gold – are all considered “founding fathers” of where mitzvah entertainment has evolved to now in 2019. At Xplosive, we are huge listeners to our clients and their wants/needs and literally become what we like to call a “chameleon,” so that we can take our energy, event creativity, and genuine “want” to be a part of this epic day and blend ourselves to fit the family vibe perfectly. Mitzvahs can be broken down into two separate time slots – a family can have an afternoon mitzvah or can also select to have their mitzvah in the evening. So, for instance, we handle all different types of events but, this past May we put out seven high-end mitzvah events. There was a total of 17 events that entire weekend for us. I used to think that a great business in entertainment could solely be created on performance alone. But after years of “behind the wheel time” running a full-fledged event-development company with my partner Mike Langsner, we have found that it really needs to be an even spread of “in-your-face” mind-blowing entertainment paired with a great sense for ideas, concept, event prep, marketing, P&L sheets, etc. The biggest difference maker between running a single-op vs. a multi-op is that the single-op can survive on talent alone; whereas a multi-op really needs to understand how to manage business, delegate responsibility,

“At Xplosive, we are huge listeners to our clients and their wants and needs and literally become what we like to call a ‘chameleon.’”

etc. That’s why having Mike and I at the helm of Xplosive guarantees an epic experience for our clients, event vendors, and anyone else we team up with to make these events truly stand alone in the mitzvah world. We are firm believers that if you’re “out of sight,” you are “out of mind.” So our future growth will most certainly be fueled by top-level marketing, a team effort in social-media advertising, branding, etc., and “gold old” sweat equity and hard work. We recently took over another mitzvah-based company out of the Pennsylvania area with plans to expand again this summer. Talented people will always find other like-minded and talented individuals. We keep to our “Xplosive credo” of hard work, ground-breaking ideas and event concept, and we’ve found that other people want to be a part of our culture. It’s very organic and natural. As long as the industry keeps evolving with fresh ideas and ways to level up your mitzvah, we will forever have lots of work to do! In five years, I see having a huge East-Coast presence – obviously, because that’s our home base – but also expanding the brand to regularly travel the country/world to build amazing mitzvah events for amazing mitzvah clientele. Hear Jordan Marshall speak on “The Bar/Bat Mitzvah Buzz” at DJ Expo, set for Aug. 12-15 at Harrah’s Resort Atlantic City.

BUSINESS LINE

SALES… MARKETING…SOLUTIONS…

MARKET STUDY: THE PHOTO-BOOTH Q&A By Stu Kearns

Dave Stephenson has been a DJ for over 30 years. In addition to running his DJ company, A Time for Music & Memories, he’s transitioned into a full-service photobooth provider with Ismile Pod Photo Booths. The Douglassville, Pa.-based DJ knows more about photo booths than most people, which is why he’ll be delivering a seminar at this August’s DJ Expo on the subject. We asked him about the state of the photobooth industry, whether it’s “old news” or still relevant, and how much money one can make. Do you have any stats on the size of the photo booth market? How many machines are out there? Dave Stephenson: I have been studying the industry since I started and there are over 20,000 systems around the world. They range from the arcade style – old-fashioned type – to multi-camera array systems and beyond.

Is it a part-time thing for you? It is a full time job – I still DJ and run my booths. I have a great CRM that helps me digitize everything for my customers and allow them to have one place for their entire event to plan and keep track of their event. How do you market your services? I never had luck with the “wedding sites,” so I have learned how to expand my marketing to digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and others. I have attended many seminars and have learned so much from attending DJ Expo also. I have taken bits and pieces from all of them to help me out there in this cyber shopping mall. How much money can one make? I know quite a few companies that are doing $200,000 or more a year. Now, they are not just doing this by weddings, but rather expanding in to social events, concerts, and advertising/brand marketing.

Is it mostly DJs using the machines as add-ons? There a lot of DJs that have added photo booths to expand their service offerings. This has been a nice add-on to what they can do and it has taken them from being just a DJ to an entertainment company. There are a lot of DJs that, by adding a photo booth, have changed their companies and staff. It is a nice one stop add-on for events.

How can one differentiate themselves in a crowded market? Find what works for you, look at your area and your competition. See what they have done and create your own road. I tell people all the time when they complain that XYZ Company charges a cheaper price. I tell them that’s not your customer base. There are all levels of companies from the “let’sgive-it-away” to “you’re- paying-me-formy-knowledge-in-making-sure-yourevent-is-awesome.”

Is the market saturated? It’s becoming saturated with companies that are buying photo booths and not knowing how to run a business. You need to understand your market and have a business plan. People think photo booths are free money and they don’t charge their true worth. They almost give it away and complain they can’t book it. The industry has really grown and there are several training groups out there that have helped new photo-booth owners open their minds and grow their offerings. Where are the “hottest” regions? The hottest areas are still the major markets for DJs. New York City, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles are probably the hottest markets in the U.S. There are still hot markets around the country and the world.

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FESTIVAL 2019

Are photo booths plateauing, culturally? It’s not plateauing yet, but it is evolving to smaller and portable. I believe our industry is still in its beginning phase of growth. People have added iPad booths to their systems so you don’t need big expensive camera-type booths. As the iPad’s cameras get better, you’ll see that side grow – iPads have grown to a whole new subset of photo booths.You can now share your photo instantly to social media and email directly. There are now digital props that add to the fun experience by adding funny overlays to your pictures. We are in a digital world and this really appeals to the younger crowd. This also has a lower entry point to start, which makes it appealing to DJs to add it to their business.

How did you get into the business? I was DJing a wedding and saw this company setting up this tent-like thing in the corner. Upon talking to the owner, he explained everything and invited me in to take a picture. I still have it on my desk. I was like, “Wow, I can get crazy in here and then show my friends how much fun I had.” I saw how much fun everyone was having and thought this is very cool. I researched different options and finally bought a booth after pre-selling it to a friend for her wedding. I hired and trained a team and I was off. After seeing how easy it was I decided to keep it going. I was trying to learn everything I could about the software and hardware out there. There were not a lot of places to go and I created a group to help other people with problems. I believe in paying it forward and spent many hours helping people learn and troubleshoot issues.

Will photo booths evolve? They already have and I strongly believe it will keep growing. What’s on the horizon, techwise? As tech gets b e t t e r, y o u ’ l l see easier and more costeffective and higherresolution photos. There really are some cutting-edge companies out there already doing amazing VR and immersive photo experiences.

Dave Stephenson runs A Time for Music & Memories out of Douglassville, Pa. At DJ Expo – Aug. 12-15 at Harrah’s Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. – he’ll be speaking on “The State of Photo Booths.”

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Pioneer DJ Mixware

DJ TIMES

FESTIVAL 2019

Hercules

Easy as Pioneer

Party Animal

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

Guillemot Corporation BP 2 56204 La Gacilly Cedex France +33 (0) 2 99 08 08 80 www.hercules.com

The DDJ-800 from Pioneer is a two-channel DJ performance controller designed for use with the rekordbox dj application via connection to both Mac and PC. The controller comes with high-definition LCD screens that display such information as playback time, BPM, and waveforms in the center of each jog wheel. The DDJ-800 is compatible with rekordbox dj’s Feedback Reducer feature and it comes with 16 tactile illuminated rubber pads that trigger Hot Cues, Pad FX, Beat Jump, Sampler, Keyboard mode and more.

T h e D J S p e a ke r 3 2 P a r t y speakers from Hercules are a two-in-one solution for parties, offering both high-quality sound of 2 x 15 watts RMS and a peak power of 60 watts, and synchronized lighting via a light dome on top, with LED spotlights that react to the beat of the music. The unit includes four lighting modes, including rapid flash and strobe effects. The speakers can be plugged into the user’s DJ controller of choice or to the user’s smartphone, and an infrared remote is also included.

Mixed In Key

All Hands on Decksaver Mixware, LLC 11070 Fleetwood St, Unit F Sun Valley, CA 91352 (818) 578-4030 www.mixware.net Decksaver released its Novation Bass Station 2 Cover, which is designed to protect the unit from dust, liquid and accidental impact. Made of a smoked clear Polycarbonate, the Novation Bass Station 2 Cover shields the controls and internal components from damage at home, on the road and on stage. Utilizing the cover, users can slide their Novation Bass Station straight into a flight or soft case for maximum protection during transportation.

Spare Key Mixed In Key 3250 NE 1st Ave #305 Miami, FL 33137 www.mixedinkey.com Mixed In Key Studio Edition is now available as a VST/AU plugin, allowing producers to analyze sounds and samples inside a DAW and match them to a production or DJ mix. The note percentage tells users how closely notes match the samples; visualizes a sample analysis by flats, sharps or Camelot Wheel notation; and provides advanced key and notation data. Mixed In Key Studio Edition is available for Mac OS and Windows, and is officially supported for Ableton Live, FL Studio and Apple Logic.

AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

GEAR

Roland Corporation

Mission Workshop

Yamaha Corporation of America

Yamaha Corporation of America 6600 Orangethorpe Ave Buena Park, CA 90620 (714) 522-9011 www.yamahaproaudio.com T h e D X R m k I I s e r i e s f ro m Yamaha includes four powered loudspeakers – the DXR15mkII, DXR12mkII, DXR10mkII and DXR8mkII. All models in the line feature a 1.75-inch voice coil HF compression driver and precise amp tuning designed to help DXRmkII models reach a higher SPL than the previous series. All models feature Yamaha’s FIR-X tuning, as well as D-CONTOUR dynamic multi-band processing, which offers more detailed tuning of sound with two settings – F O H / M A I N o r M O N I TO R mode. Additional features include a three-channel onboard mixer and flexible IN/OUT connectivity.

The Forge Awakens

Leader of the Pack

MAGIX Software GmbH Quedlinburger Strasse 1 10589 Berlin Germany +49 30 293 92 -200 www.magix.net

Mission Workshop 541 Valencia Street San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 864-7225 www.missionworkshop. com

SOUND FORGE Audio Studio 365 is a subscription program that offers all the features from SOUND FORGE Audio Studio 13, but delivers future u p d a te s , p a tche s , upgrad e s , and new features as they are released. Users get dozens of plug-ins—including Bitmachine, Chorus, Analog Delay, Distortion, Filter and Flanger—as well as VST3 support. Six channels of audio processing are included to handle a new Surround 5.1 editing function and an Event Tool is included for creating non-destructive audio edits and editable crossfades between audio files.

The Radian Travel Pack from Mission Workshop features dimensions that are within the carry-on guidelines for many airlines for easy travel. The bag features an adjustable-height shoulder strap and harness system with a hidden zippered panel designed for concealing the shoulder straps. Made from HT500 textile and sporting what the company calls a clean minimalist silhouette and weatherproof construction, the bag also comes with an Arkiv six rail attachment system for the addition of front and side accessories.

Stream of Consciousness Roland Corporation 5100 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 890-3700 www.roland.com Roland’s VR-1HD AV Streaming Mixer is designed for streaming media creators. The unit has three HDMI inputs that each accept HD and computer video resolutions up to 1080p. Two studio-quality XLR microphone inputs and an analog line input are included for mixing the HDMI-embedded audio. The unit features three auto-switching modes, an auto mixing function to balance sound levels and Voice Transformer technology for real-time effects ranging from gender transformation to radical stylized vocal character. Additional audio processing capabilities include equalizers, compressors, gates and reverbs.

FESTIVAL 2019

Loudspeaker of the House

DJ TIMES

MAGIX Software

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AIR Music Technology Steinberg

DJ TIMES

FESTIVAL 2019

Waves Audio

Moog Music

Ride Waves

Love is in the AIR

Absolute-ly Fabulous

Mother Knows Best

Waves Audio 2800 Merchant Dr. Knoxville, TN 37912 965-909-9200 www.waves.com

inMusic Brands 200 Scenic View Drive Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-5771 www.airmusictech.com

Yamaha Corporation of America 6600 Orangethorpe Ave Buena Park, CA 90620 (714) 522-9011 www.yamahaproaudio.com

Moog Music 160 Broadway St Asheville, NC 28801 (828) 251-0090 www.moogmusic.com

Waves Audio has introduced Waves Submarine, a two-octave subharmonic generator plug-in. Submarine adds bigger, deeper sub bass to your tracks with clarity and low-end accuracy. Powered by Waves’ Organic ReSynthesis technology, the plug-in’s two subharmonic generators deliver wellbalanced subsonic results on any large sound system. The sub generators process your source – kicks, bass, even full mixdowns – and cleanly add new subharmonic frequencies up to a full two octaves below the precise frequency range you’ve selected.

AIR Music Technolog y released Drum Synth 500, a virtual instrument of electronic drum sounds that can be used with any DAW or as a standalone application for both PC and Mac in a live performance setting. The eightchannel electronic drum synthesizer includes more than 500 drum sounds, 500 drum samples, 50 drum kits and 500 MIDI drum loops from an exclusive vault of Akai Pro, Alesis eDrums and Air Music Tech sounds. Individual channels are included for Kick, Snare, Hats, Clap, Toms and Percussion, as well as two Sampler channels for any mono or stereo .wav audio file.

Steinberg’s Absolute 4 instrument collection includes more than 100 GB of sounds and virtual instruments, including 10 synthesizers and workstations, as well as thousands of presets and samples. Users get HiDPI support and AAX support for all plug-ins, as well as the Rock Essentials Style Expansion for Groove Agent, the Prime Cuts expansion for Groove Agent and the Granular Guitars expansion for Padshop Pro. Absolute 4 includes high-end synthesizers like Retrologue 2, Groove Agent 5 electronic and acoustic drums, and the HALion 6 virtual sampling and sound design system, which includes a Macro Page Designer for building your own instruments.

Moog Matriarch is a patchable four-note paraphonic analog synthesizer with a built-in Sequencer, Arpeggiator, stereo Ladder Filters and stereo Analog Delay. Matriarch comes with 90 modular patch points that are accessible throughout the panel via the included 3.5mm patch cables. Its four analog VCOs can be split into four notes of paraphony that can be sequenced, shifted, and stored with the instrument’s 256 step sequencer, or stacked in unison to create a four-oscillator mono synth.

AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

GEAR

ROKIT Man Gibson Pro Audio 309 Plus Park Boulevard Nashville, TN 37217 1-800-444-2766 www.gibson.com KRK’s ROKIT G4 monitors come with a Class-D power amplifier that works with the KRK Brick Wall Limiter to “balance sound, protect the system, and deliver improved and wider dynamics,” according to the company. Housed in a systematically designed, low-resonance enclosure, the unit is made with a matching woofer and tweeter made with Kevlar. Additional features include a high-density Iso-foam pad for minimizing vibration transmission; a front firing port for low-end extension, punch and flexible room-positioning; and DSP Room Tuning with 25 visual room-correction EQ combinations.

Give ’em the Switch inMusic Brands 200 Scenic View Dr. Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-3131 www.soundswitch.com SoundSwitch, the newest member of the inMusic family, has introduced SoundSwitch 1.9 DJ-lighting control software. This release includes StagelinQ support for the Denon DJ Prime Series (including Prime 4), along with updates for SoundSwitch’s Digital Lighting Workstation (DLW). Support for the Prime Series enables users to connect the desktop software directly to their DJ setup running in standalone mode. DJs will be able to create light shows for songs stored on their USB drive or SD card, as well as with the SoundSwitch Autoloop feature. The onboard analysis provided by Engine Prime allows for accurate Beatgrids, which help sync lighting effects in SoundSwitch on the fly without needing to enter the software’s Edit Mode.

UnFazed ADJ 6122 S. Eastern Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90040 (323) 582-2650 www.adj.com ADJ has released the Entour Faze Jr., a compact version of the Entour Faze atmospheric generator. The unit generates a thin, hazy mist that’s ideal for accentuating the beams of a lightshow and can either be installed permanently in a venue or used portably for one-off event productions. A hybrid between a fogger and a hazer, the 200-watt machine can be run remotely and features ADJ’s patent-pending rapid heater technology and can be ready to produce haze in just 70 seconds. It has a 1.5-liter tank capacity and a fluid consumption rate of just 2.2 ml. per minute, which means that it can run for over 11 hours from a single tank of fluid. The tank is also removable, which makes for convenient refilling, especially if the machine is permanently installed high up in a venue.

TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS LAST NIGHT AT OUTPUT u John Digweed u Bedrock As the title implies, this is Diggers’ last set at the late Brooklyn venue and with six CDs – yup, 71 tracks – there’s plenty of prog-house goodness. From the hypnotic, gradual launch – Martin Buttrich’s “Southwest” – to semi-levitation – Pig & Dan’s “Crazy” – to full-on ascent – Layo & Bushwacka’s “Now Is the Time” (2020 Soundsystem Remix) and Laurent Garnier’s “Swinging @ Da Suga!” – this one’s a helluva ride. – Jim Tremayne WHAT IT IS u Kapote u Toy Tonics The Toy Tonics boss presents a fitting summary of the label’s jazzy house ethos with a 10-tracker jam-packed with live instrumentation, funky synth licks and clever samples. Our favorites include the anthemic disco of “Delirio Italiano,” the floor-destroyer “Salva Tion,” and the quirky jazz breakbeat of “Spacedrum.”

– Chris Davis “POSITIVE VIBES” EP u Orlando Voorn u NICEPEOPLE The veteran DJ/producer Voorn jumps backs into the fray with a delicious new release that will surely win him a whole new crop of fans. DJs get four very capable house tracks, including the rugged techno/progressive vibe of the title track and the piano-driven “Matta.” We’re loving the retro vibe of “One Day,” a midtempo house cut that’s plenty soulful and groovy.

– Phil Turnipseed “FIND A FRIEND” (REMIXES) u John Julius Knight u Soulfuric This anthem of yesteryear from the Soulfuric stable gets an overhaul for 2019. Dr Packer keeps closest to the Sylvester-sampling original. Meanwhile, on their mixes, Babert and Angelo Ferrari add a little bit more kick into proceedings. Righteous.

“BODY 2 BODY” u MK u Area 10/Ultra Hooky and soulful, MK’s latest slinks and grooves with style and grace. Catchy vocal pop to be sure, but somehow still dark and intimate, as the title suggests, “Body 2 Body” could be another MK crossover.

– Jim Tremayne “WEIRDO CUTS, VOL. 1” EP

u Jason Herd, Lisa Millet, dAVOS & Tom Da Lips u Weirdo After a brief hiatus, the UK’s Jason Herd is back with more peak-time offerings. Both tracks – vocal-driven “On My Mind” and the jazzy-sax workout “Running” – drop supple grooves and will stand out from the current crop of house tracks.

– Curtis Zack “WORKS” u Dimitri from Paris & DJ Rocca u Toy Tonics A three-track EP from Germany that revisits a couple of earlier releases and remixes a couple of newer cuts, this is fundamental fodder for any disco lovers, new or old. In particular, check out the remix of Hard Ton’s “In this Moment” – sleek and classy, it could easily be out of the Ten City back catalog.

– Curtis Zack “TOO LATE TO CRY” (J GABRIEL REMIX)

u David Marston & No Regular Play u Eyedyllic Music Marston links up with No Regular Play for a trumpet-heavy, deep, acidhouse reinterpretation of Marston’s original mix. Deconstructing their 2019 mix, J Gabriel polishes out the acidic abrasions for his dub mix. Finally, in case you missed it, the 2012 mix of “Too Late to Cry” is thrown in for reference. It still holds up well for club play.

– Chris Davis

– Curtis Zack REJOICING u Jasper Street Company u Nervous The legendary gospel outfit lets loose on this 11-track full-length. After kicking off with a cover of Change’s “Paradise,” the album really delivers, as every track is a winner – with guest appearances from Byron Stingily and Norma Jean, plus a slamming remix from David Morales on “Smile.” This one’s essential for soul heads.

– Curtis Zack WHAT ABOUT THE PEOPLE u Rockers Revenge u Baked Recordings The new Rockers Revenge single gets a nice bump up in the form of some high-quality remixes from Full Intention. Featuring a wicked vocal hook and a deep soulful bass line, all remixes bring the right ingredients for dancefloor success.

– Phil Turnipseed

“NATURAL HIGH” u Richard Earnshaw & Steve Taylor u Duffnote If one thing is certain, it’s that every Duffnote release is quality, and the latest offering – a sleek groover with R&B and jazz leanings – maintains the pace. Teaming up with Soul II Soul songstress, Rose Windross, Earnshaw and Taylor offer more funk than you can shake a stick at. – Curtis Zack “COEO EDITS” EP u COEO u Razor-N-Tape Our favorite funky-disco vinyl edits cut in Brooklyn are back again, just in time for the summer season. The upbeat vocals of “Express Lane” and the sunset groove of “Libyan Sun” are guaranteed to get the most reluctant wall-flowers up and groovin’. On the flipside, peep the islandfriendly Afro-disco of “Don’t Oho” and the ’80s boogie melody of “Move Your Body” – it’s guaranteed to make revelers reminisce of Prince. – Chris Davis

GUEST REVIEWER:

DJ TIMES

FESTIVAL 2019

DANCIN’ MARK

Mateo Markams

Alex Kenji

Mateo Makams Corners of My Moods Sound Vessel Records Sound Vessel is heating up music lovers as summer arrives with the latest from Makams. Mateo has conveyed his inner mood with an album set of compelling deep-house tracks that combine powerful spokenword entries, soulful vocals, colorful chords, and distinctly deep basslines. Pure listening pleasure. Fave track: Dancin’ Mark (aka Mark Smith) “Chocolate & Coffee.”

John Julius Knight

COEO

John Digweed

“TIRED” u Francis Overcast u Masterworks Music After 74 releases, could “Tired” be the best Masterworks release to date? It’s certainly up there as a devastating disco groove grabs you from the outset. Mixes from Dr Packer and Ruff Diamond only add to the excitement. Aces.

– Curtis Zack “THE TIME IS COMING” u The Power of Three feat. Vanessa Freeman u Expressive

Orlando Voorn

A high-class package here to launch the Expressive label. Superb remixes from Soulworks and Atjazz and the original version that really highlight the Freeman vocal. The jewel in the crown is the “Atjazz Love Soul Dub” with its wicked groove and Afro vibe.

– Curtis Zack “THE PLACE” u Alex Kenji feat. Dacia Bridges u Sirup Kenji has been doing terrific work lately and his new single is a testament to that. With an absolutely gorgeous and deeply hypnotic groove that pulls you in, this one has hit potential. Bridges’ vocal playing off the chord hook gives the track the right stuff to move a crowd.

– Phil Turnipseed “SO GLAD” B/W “FEEL HIM MOVING” u Floorplan u M-Plant

Francis Overcast

The father-daughter duo returns with two new fiery peak-hour tracks. “So Glad” is a classic Floorplan blend of soulful vocals and disco house, while B-side “I Feel Him Moving” samples a preacher in the depths of a deep spiritual moment. Don’t skip either of these dancefloor weapons.

– Chris Davis “MORE THAN EVER” u DLMT & Schutzer feat. Garrett Raff u Future House Music DLMT & Schutzer’s new single brings a nice blend of ambient chord work with a smooth, chunky bassline that’s highlighted by some angelic vocals from Raff. It all adds up to a catchy house track that doesn’t get too crazy at about 122 BPM. But its simplicity is what makes this a terrific track.

– Phil Turnipseed MK

PhaseOne

(continued from page 12) [“Crash & Burn”] is my personal favorite song off the album. DJ Times: The collab with Periphery, “Digital,” is a nice crossover bit… Duffy: That song is probably my second favorite off the album. The electronic section of the song is something a little different to what I normally do with EDM. It’s at 100 BPM, as opposed to the usual 140-150 dubstep tempos I usually work with. It was very experimental from my

Making Tracks

(continued from page 26) individually-calibrated mic, I tend to think it might give a better tuning result than a smartphone app and mic, especially given the limited adjustability of the ROKIT G4’s on-board EQ, but time will tell when KRK releases to app. Until then, I kept the ROKIT 7 G4 EQ at flat, and used the Sonarworks tools to tune them to my room. How They Work As in past studio-monitor reviews, I provide the disclaimer that without a lab full of diagnostic equipment, I can provide only my subjective point of view on the performance of the ROKIT 7 G4, but as was the case with prior ROKIT reviews, I was impressed. Even with a tuning solution like Sonarworks, studio monitors all have their own subtleties and character.

perspective. DJ Times: What led you to “Lost,” the nice little drum-n-bass collab between you and Koven? Duffy: I’ve been a fan of their stuff for a long time, even when it was just Max and he was called Koven. I had a rough drum-n-bass tune written and it really called for a female vocal. My manager suggested Katie and said he could probably hook it up because he’s friends with their manager, then… boom. DJ Times: What about Bone

Thugs-N-Harmony? Duffy: Same kind of story with Bone Thugs. My good mate DJ Afterthought is super-connected in the hip-hop world, so he connected us. He’s also the one that connected us with Young Buck from G-Unit who I collaborated with on my last EP. DJ Times: Obviously, the album title has meaning to you, can you tell us about it? Duffy: The album title is Transcendency. The definition of being tran-

scendent is going beyond/surpassing ordinary limits, which is like a metaphor for what I was trying to achieve with this album. The goal was to exceed everyone’s – and my own – expectations. The moth on the cover is symbolic of this. Moths evolve and go through metamorphosis, different stages of life. In a nutshell this album is super-personal. All the songs, the art and meaning reflects me growing as a human and also as a musical artist. – Amanda Chavez

The point is to be able to reveal to the producer or engineer where a track needs work — where there are overlaps, holes or other flaws in the mix. Back in 2015, I asked a KRK product manager about this, and he said, “There are a number of engineering decisions that go into making [studio monitors] do that well.” Clearly there are — hence the character of any given studio monitor compared to another. But the engineers are KRK seem to know what they’re doing if both past experience and the new ROKIT G4 is any indication. I used the ROKIT 7 G4s to listen back to both completed (fully mixed and mastered) projects, as well as some unfinished ones with incomplete mixes — along with an array of other peoples’ music I know like the back of my hand.

I was pleased to find that my finished mixes sounded as I expected them to. As I would expect (and want of a decent studio monitor), it was clearly evident in the unfinished tracks where work was still required, revealing areas of overlap or other bad mixing choices. I enjoyed playing with those mixes while comparing the results to my usual studio monitors (which include my standard 8-inch pair, as well as a 4-inch pair matched with a subwoofer that I use for A/B testing). About the only complaint I had with the ROKIT 7 G4s is the noise floor: it’s pretty evident and audible. My usual monitors all have no detectable noise floor whatever when no signal is driving them. The ROKITs, on the only hand, produce an evident hiss when idle. While disappointing, it’s not uncommon, and the level is not as bad as

some monitors I’ve tested. According to the company, “they have twice the watts of the previous ROKIT units and are much louder. This is going to give you more of a noise floor. The clarity that Kevlar brings to the tweeter also lets the noise floor be perceived more clearly.” Conclusions The result of working with the KRKs is that, honestly, I’d be pleased to have a pair of ROKIT 7 G4s as my standard monitor pair here in the studio. They’re a great size, they sound awesome, they look awesome, and at under $250 a piece, they’re quite affordable. And with the specs indicating they put out 145 watts and a maximum SPL of 110 db? Well, it’s more than enough sound for virtually any home studio, and definitely worthy of consideration if you’re in the market.

music. So much goes into the show compared to past tours. It’s like forming a new super-group with talented musicians who should all be individually highlighted. DJ Times: So, in your mind, there’s still a time and place for more traditional DJ sets? GRiZ: I can, and I love DJing on [Pioneer DJ] CDJs, but it’s not my favorite thing for big audiences. I learned how to use CDJs by setting them up in fans’ houses after tour dates. If you had speakers and a sub, GRiZ would come to your house and DJ your party. I did that for three tours and had a goddamn blast. Now we do after-parties, and that’s really where I want to DJ – it’s freeing, a noncommittal dance party. But for Ride Waves, I just wanted this big-ass show, like what I felt with “Fantasia” – I want it to be an entire moving visual piece that blows peoples freaking minds. DJ Times: Outside of playing big venues and festivals, how do you approach your performances? GRiZ: I definitely construct those sets a little differently. For the fan that knows my entire back catalog, I want to be able to create a space for them

and celebrate that. But, at the same time, I want to play my unreleased tunes that I think are a little more hype and the new singles. But the biggest thing is I don’t want to get stuck in one mode for too long. With festival sets, I don’t want to stick in one tempo for too long. I want to make sure that the audience gets all the different vibes I like to play in a short-and-sweet hour. Like a buffet of music, I want to keep them moving. Keep it interesting. DJ Times: For aspiring producers attempting to break into the industry, what are some pitfalls to be aware of when first trying to make a living as an artist? GRiZ: You have to be prepared to be broke for a long time, like years, with hopes that money will come. The next big thing is… it’s important to develop a passion that you think will become profitable. We live in a society that requires us to have money to live. Outside of North America, you can make a lot less money and have a higher quality of life. But, if you want to be a DJ in America, you’ve got to become profitable... unfortunately, these things cost money to do. DJ Times: Almost conversely,

you’ve always released your music for free. GRiZ: Releasing music for free is really important because it gives people an easy way to commit to you. Also, I don’t want to force people to pay money for this thing I’ve created. A show? Yes, because I have to pay other people to set up the whole thing. But even then, I’ve done smaller shows all over Detroit for free. As your career progresses, it’s important to give back. If you are honest and you really want to build a community, it is important that you do something for your local scene. From a creative standpoint, releasing music for free is a great way to keep people off your back and from telling you what to do. DJ Times: So, traditional releases through labels can be confining? GRiZ: Exactly, once money becomes involved – I’ll tell ya what – the major thing that happens... whatever your making becomes less cool. The coolest way to do something is for free within your community of people. Just make it rad. If you really put yourself into it fully and commit, you’ll just get cool shit. DJ Times: Should fans expect a Ride Waves remix album similar to

DJ TIMES

FESTIVAL 2019

GRiZ

(continued from page 19) GRiZ: For this tour, I’m changing the game up. We spent months creating short films for each track, and fully pre-programming a light show. The show is an entire performance piece. We have two horn players, two vocalists, a guitar player, and myself. I wanted to perform these new songs and be intricately involved with the music – even if that means singing/ rapping. I think it’s really important for people to see the Ride Waves show as a performance, and not have them get too analytical about what’s going on on-stage. It’s about feeling the songs, having them be fire live, and having a good time. For this particular tour, I don’t see myself as an electronicmusic performer. That being said, the show modulates between a mini-band vibe and a DJ-leaning vibe – I added a customized touch-control surface that controls my Ableton session and launches stems and samples so I can interact with the music at every turn. I want to put my whole spirit into every performance. DJ Times: It sounds like you’re really stretching out… GRiZ: Yes, there will be new dubstep tunes, new 130-half time tunes, new house tunes – live electronic

Digital Launch

2 Grupomania

Tocaito

3 Ely Holguin

Desilusion

Cookie Empire

4 Chacal & Srta. Dayana

Apagame La Luz

La Corp. Music

5 Daddy Yakee feat Snow

Con Calma

El Cartel

Dame Tu Cosita

Juston

7 Karol G

Punto G

Universal

6 Pitbull feat El Chombo,

Karol G,

8 Edwin

Que Te Lo Crea

Tu Madre

9 Domenic Marte

Todo Tiene Su Fin J&N

10 Prince Royce & Marc Anthony

Adicto

LMM Sony

11 Charlie Cruz

Tu Con El

12 Jehu El Rey

Despues Te Perdi

Unlick Music

13 Hector Acosta

Antes Del Lunes

El Torito Ent.

14 Luis Fonsi y Ozuna

Imposible

Universal

15 G. Santarosa & Segarra

Yo Llevo La Salsa NS

16 Amarfis & La Banda Atakke

Calma

Amarfika

17 Juan L. Guerra

Kitipun

Universal

18 DJ Snake ft. S Gomez, Taki Taki

Interscope

19 Ilegales

Ozuna, Cardi B

La Botella

LOM Group

20 Mambo Lebron

Las Piedras Cantas Mambiche

Most Added Tracks 1.

Romeo & Aventura

Inmortal

Sony

Marc Anthony

Tu Vida En La Mia

Sony

Lunay

Soltera

Star Island Inc.

Maluma

HP Sony

Romeo & Anuel

Ella Quiere Beber

Sony

REPORTING LATIN POOLS n Latinos Unidos Record Pool n Salsamania Latin Record Pool n Lobo/Bass Record Pool n Urban Tropics Music Pool n North East Record Pool n Mixx Hitts Record Pool n Ritmo Camacho Record Pool n Ritmo Internacional Record Pool n DJ Latinos Record Pool n Mass Pool n Record Pool Latino n V.I.P. Chicago Record Pool.

ATTENTION DJ TIMES READERS: DJ Times is currently looking for DJs that are interested in reporting to the DJ National Dance/Crossover chart and the DJ Times National Urban Dance chart. Reporterships are open to Record Pools and individual DJs. For more information contact: Dan Miller, dmiller@testa.com

NATIONAL CROSSOVER POOL 1 Ariana Grande Break Up With Your Girlfriend 2 Jonas Brothers Sucker 3 Jade Starling Fired Up 4 Lil Nas X F/ Billy Ray Cyrus Old Town Road 5 Ariana Grande 7 Rings 6 Zedd And Katy Perry 365 7 DJs From Mars Gam Gam 8 Meduza Piece Of Your Heart 9 Calvin Harris Rag’N’Bones Giant 10 Sean Finn & Corona The Rhythm Of The Night 11 Halsey Without Me 12 Panic At The Disco Look Ma I Made It 13 Pink Walk Me Home 14 Ava Max Sweet But Psycho 15 Low Steppa You’re My Life 16 Jack Back Put Your Phone Down 17 Sam Smith And Norman Dancing With A Stranger 18 Vassy Concrete Heart 19 Marshmello F/ Chvrches Here With Me 20 Lil Peep F/ Fall Out Boy I’ve Been Waiting 21 Madonna & Maluma Medelin 22 Fletcher Undrunk 23 Robin Schulz F Erika Sirola Speechless 24 Post Malone Wow 25 Spanish Fly F/ Aki Starr Voices In My Head 26 Mabel Don’t Call Me Up 27 Kelly Clarkson Heat 28 Ally Brooke Low Key 29 Oliver Heldens F/ Shungudzo Fire In My Soul 30 Khalid Talk 31 Diana Ross The Boss 2019 32 Christine And The Qu 5 Dollars 33 Lee Dagger & Courtney Harrell So Lost Hearted 34 Klaas & Londonbeat I’ve Been Thinking About You 35 Rob Thomas One Less Day 36 Audien & Echosmith Favorite Sound 37 Gesaffelstein/ The Weeknd Lost In The Fire 38 Maggie Rogers Light On 39 Lizzo Juice 40 Taylor Swift / Brendon Urie Me!

Republic Republic Tazmania Columbia Republic Interscope Radikal Capitol Columbia Sony Capitol Big Beat RCA Atlantic Defected Defected Capitol KMV Republic Columbia Interscope Capitol Atlantic Republic Renegade Capitol Atlantic Atlantic RCA RCA Motown Capitol Tazmania Radikal Atlantic Red Columbia Capitol Atlantic Republic

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

Meduza Klaas & Londonbeat Ally Brooke Oliver Heldens F/ Shungudzo Madonna & Maluma Robin Schulz F/ Erika Sirola Vassy Jaguar Grace Low Steppa Daddy Yankee & Katy Perry

REPORTING POOLS Gary Canavo Blake Eckelbarger n The Dance Environment n Manny Esparza n Howard HK Kessler n Sam Labelle n Dan Mathews n Brian Stephens n Peter K. Productions n Steve Tsepelis n Randy Schlager n Jackie McCloy n Al Chasen n n

Piece Of Your Heart I’ve Been Thinking About Low Key Fire In My Soul Medellin Speechless Concrete Heart After All You’re My Life Con Calma

Masspool Dj Stickyboots Powered By Spectrio Nexus Radio In The Mix With HK Soundworks Klubjumpers / RHYTHM 105.9 FM KRYC Mixxmasters Peter K Pacific Coast DJs Music Manager NA / Soundtrack Your Band New York Music Pool OMAP

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 Looking forSERVICE these titles? QUALIFIED DJS IN THE US. WE CDS AND YouMP3S can hear them and buy them at www.dancekings.com. IN DANCE AND URBAN FORMATS. FEEDBACK Just click on the links in the chart. AND MEMBERSHIP DUES REQUIRED. 770-740-0356 s limited memberships available for qualified DJs in the US. We service CDs and MP3s in ance and urban formats. Feedback and membership dues required. 770-740-0356

Capitol Radikal Atlantic RCA Interscope Atlantic KMV Jaguar Defected Capitol

Saugus,MA Goshen,NJ Chicago,IL Minneapolis,MN San Francisco,CA Sacramento, CA Lithonia,GA Long Beach,CA Seattle,WA New York,NY Washington, DC

Compiled As May 30, 2019

NATIONAL LATIN DANCE POOL

1 Diego Val feat Domino Saints Feeling Real High

Good Will Continue? GRiZ: I definitely would love to hear some re-interpretations of Ride Waves. I think that would be really dope. I approach projects like that by looking for people who are either friends or someone whose tracks I love. I want to be stoked on the project and not just do what might be the most popular. DJ Times: Looking to the future,

Svdden Death

(continued from page 10) and-coming producers looking to break into the scene? Howland: Best thing to do is cut out all noise and just work. Meet people who work on similar music online and try and learn from as many people as possible! DJ Times: Who are a couple of rising producers you appreciate at the moment? Howland: Aweminus, Digitist, Executioner, Neonix, Arcrux, Akeos, Yari, and Bvssic. DJ Times: When it comes to pro-

WCW

(continued from page 5)

the session, a distinguished panel of DJs and event promoters explained how to maintain a fulfilling career of artistry, while maintaining authenticity and integrity. Panelists included DJ/producers Osunlade, Gene Farris, Mr. V, Harvard Bass, and Oscar P, plus Mexican event producer Erik Fernandez of Who’s Who. Mr. V, who worked for years under Masters At Work’s Louie Vega and Kenny Dope Gonzalez, implored DJs in the audience to learn as many aspects of the music game as possible. “When I went to work for Kenny and Louie,” recalled Mr. V, “the first

where are we in your musical evolution? GRiZ: For a long time while I was working on the album, I felt certain that this was going to be the last LP that I released as GRiZ. I just thought I was over it, and at the time I didn’t want to do this shit anymore. At that point, I decided to put my everything in to one last album. I was honestly preparing to sign off as GRiZ for the foreseeable forever. But as the

journey progressed, I became so inspired, and when I handed the album into my management, I was already halfway done writing another album. I still don’t know how long GRiZ is going to last, or where it is going to take me. All I know is that I am currently enjoying the shit out of every moment. DJ Times: Would it be fair to say no one can every truly know when

GRiZ is going to come to an end? GRiZ: Like my friend Mike Posner said: “This moment I have today, right now, that’s it. Nothing is promised.” It’s a little morbid, but to be honest, it’s true. So, let’s make this shit count, let’s connect, and make what we do real. With this perspective, everything in life becomes so much more important, and vivid. That’s how I want to n live my life.

duction, where do you find inspiration? Howland: I work with my friends a lot and it helps me. DJ Times: Speaking of producing, what gear and programs do you use? Howland: I use Ableton Live and Ableton Stock Plug-Ins. I also use Propellerhead Reason and FL Studio for more sound design. DJ Times: It’s been made clear that metal and dubstep do go hand in hand – what’s your personal opinion of the fusion of the two? Howland: It’s the next evolution in heavy music and it’s only going to

come closer together. DJ Times: You’ve quickly become one of the hotter names in dubstep. Will there ever be a time that you venture outside of bass music and experiment with new sounds? Howland: Absolutely. I make all kinds of music. For every dubstep song I probably have two non-dubstep songs. I just am looking for the right avenues to release them. DJ Times: Your name is popping all over the festival circuit this year. Are you more of a festival performer or do you prefer playing for the club

crowds? Howland: I love both – they are very different. Playing in front of large crowds is undeniably epic, but smaller shows – less than 1,000 people – are also great because you can see everyone so clearly in the crowd. DJ Times: What can bass lover expect from you for the rest of the year? Howland: I have so much new stuff coming out. I have a new project as well as my follow up Voyd EP, Voyd Vol. 2. It’s going to be an interesting year! – Brian Bonavoglia

thing they told me was, ‘Don’t ever forget that this is a business first.’ I was really happy to work for them, but they made sure I understood what always came first. “The more you know – whether it’s about publishing, booking, production, numbers, taxes, whatever – the better you’ll be prepared for any situation in your career. If you have a mentor or mentors, pay attention! If you want to join the music business, do it for the love; but if you want to stay in the music business, you must learn the business part.” Later that Saturday, BPM Supreme presented “Talking Turntablism,” which included a rich panel of scratch

jocks that included Z-Trip, Shortee and Rich Medina. Moderated by BPM Supreme’s Raj Thomas, the session tackled a number of topics, including the state of turntablism’s popularity and the amount of turntable wizardry a DJ should pursue during a club gig. “Not everybody cares that you can do this scratch or that scratch,” asserted Z-Trip. “Other DJs might, but you can lose people if you do too much and forget to rock the room. It’s a fine line.” As evidenced by its parties, WCW’s talent lineup was deep. Playing at the casino’s pool, an indoor event hall and an outdoor festival stage, WCW DJs kept the groove going all weekend.

Opening night saw Mr. V throw down to early-arriving attendees. Friday saw pool sessions highlighted by Marshall Jones, then the evening party included hot sets from J.Phlip, Oscar P, Gene Farris and Doc Martin, who delivered a Sublevel Live set. Saturday drew the biggest outdoor crowd, as the festival stage saw energetic sets from Miguel Migs, Purple Disco Machine, Lee Foss and Claptone. Back inside, WCW revelers were entertained by Carl Craig late into the evening. On Sunday, Rich Medina, Mark Farina, Osunlade and Po-Lar-I-Ty rocked the decks, while The Pharcyde broke out a set of conscious, old-school hip hop. n

DJ TIMES

FESTIVAL 2019

America’s Best DJ 2019: The Next Champ?

Who’ll take this year’s hardware?

The voting has begun, so…

The question becomes: America’s Best DJ Summer Tour, in the next DJ Times

0432/03272019

Dedicated to performers everywhere.

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