In the Studio With

DJ SPEN’S SOULFUL STORM

Now in his fifth decade of producing music, Sean Spencer (aka DJ Spen) has had quite a journey. From making ’80s music in an early hip-hop act, Numarx, and cowriting “Girl You Know It’s True,” which became an international hit for Milli Vanilli, to becoming one of deep-house’s great DJ/producers, Spen has grown and evolved into one of the genre’s most respected talents.

Like many, however, the pandemic posed its challenges, which included a halt to money-making gigs. Still, Spen pivoted by cultivating a newfound appreciation for live-streaming, re-focusing on his Quantize Recordings label, and creating a terrific new album, Soulful Storm. Featuring collabs with Crystal Waters and Micfreak (“Party People”) and Monique Bingham (“The End of It All” feat. Roland Clark) and more, Soulful Storm deftly fuses house, nu-disco, R&B and gospel into one satisfying collection. We recently caught up with the B’more-based DJ Spen.

DJ Times: How have you spent most of the pandemic?

Spen: Mostly, running my label, Quantize Recordings, producing music, and doing some live-streaming. I am at home with my family, so there has been a lot of family time, as well. I live just outside of Baltimore and we’ve had some form of restrictions in place since March.

DJ Times: Rough year for everyone…

Spen: I lost all my gigs. My spring/ summer touring schedule included regular festivals like Southport Weekender, Suncebeat Festival, Defected Croatia, Bolbeats, and Groove Odyssey Ibiza. Then, I had a lot of individual events scheduled in various locations – U.K., Brazil, Portugal, Bermuda, Guatemala, etc. Luckily, people still want to buy music, so my label is doing fairly well – all things considered – and I have really had a lot of time to focus on some of the details of running the label that I usually just don’t have time to focus on.

DJ Times: What have you learned during this time?

Spen: I think the biggest thing I learned during the “downtime” is live-streaming. It’s definitely a world I never considered being heavily involved in, but it’s the reality at the moment. I have been doing regular live-streams since the beginning of the pandemic.

DJ Times: Tell us about it.

Spen: At the moment, I am streaming a gospel-house session every Sunday on Twitch, Mixcloud and YouTube. I started doing First Fridays in November and that has been fun, as it’s kind of an unplugged-type thing, taking requests, etc. There are a lot of really good streamers right now and we have seen streams getting better and better. I really like DJ Spinna – you never know what he’s going to play and he has some really dope visuals. David Morales is one of my favorites to listen to – his music selection is really good.

DJ Times: Tell us about your studio work during this time.

Spen: Early in the pandemic, I released a project with Crystal Waters and Micfreak, who is an associate producer at my label. The song, “Party People,” was pretty successful. I have just finished a full album, Soulful Storm, which is set to release soon. I have released a couple singles from it already, like “The End of It All” [with Monique Bingham featuring Roland Clark]. I actually have a lot more material, so I am looking at the possibility of releasing a second album in 2021.

DJ Times: What’s in your studio?

Spen: My set-up these days is very portable, and it has been that way for quite some time due to my travel.Yes, I have a DAW set-up. My favorite programs are [Steinberg] Cubase and Ableton Live. I also use Millennia HV-3D pre-amp, which is my favorite tool for recording vocals, live instrumentation, etc. Unlike a lot of my peers who love using Mac products, I am a PC guy all the way.

DJ Times: What’s your creation process?

Spen: I always start with beats first, with drums as a foundation. I usually then get into where a song is going musically.That usually involves a regular roster of musicians I use, including Gary Hudgins from Baltimore, Reelsoul in L.A., or Michele Chiavarini in Italy. From that, we go to the songwriting process, which is usually the hardest part – coming up with memorable hooks and good lyrics.

DJ Times: Your typical DJ set-up?

Spen: When touring, it includes a minimum of three Pioneer CDJ2000NXS2 players and a DJM900NXS2 mixer. I prefer four CDJs to allow me to think ahead and get creative with loops, layers, etc. That is my basic no-nonsense setup. For festivals and large events with a budget for superior sound system, I will request a UREI, Rane or Bozak rotary mixer because the sound quality is second to none. With those mixers, an engineer really has to know what they are doing to get the set-up right. At home, I am using four CDJs and, of course, I have access to my vinyl collection – so that has been fun during live streams.

DJ Times: Any advice on getting thru this time?

Spen: We know things won’t be like this forever. It’s actually a good time to re-set, break a bad habit, or pick up a new, good habit – like exercise or healthier eating. Also, I think staying positive is really dependent on your outlook. I believe everyone has something to be grateful for – even if it’s just breathing, which we know a lot of people are struggling with. So we definitely have to keep things in perspective. Yes, this situation can be annoying and frustrating, but people are really sick and we can’t become de-sensitized because we want to go out and party or socialize. We get one life and everyone has to figure out what they can do to make the most of it during these times.

WE WANT TO HELP YOU GET HEARD, GET BOOKED & GET PAID.

The new Skrachy platform offers DJs an all‑in‑one management platform to mon‑ etize their business, with tools geared just for them. Skrachy invites DJs to join & sign up for the Skrachy Featured DJ Contest for a chance to win up to $3K and become the fi rst featured DJ.

www.skrachy.com

SIR IVAN'S AWARD-WINNING MUSIC VIDEO - OUT NOW!

Sir Ivan's "Get Together" fi nds new life in video form and the message could not be more relevant, given current times. His award‑winning depiction, which groups together the most renowned peace leaders in history, is one of Sir Ivan's best works yet. Watch and share with everyone you know!

www.vimeo.com/437678918 HERCULES DG400BB LAPTOP STAND

The Laptop is the hub of the modern DJ rig. You’ve spent considerable time and money fi nding the right one for you, so now the question is:

What do you put it on?

The Hercules DG400BB laptop stand is a heavy duty steel stand that goes beyond the usual “U” shaped stand and can hold up to 22 pounds. The DG400BB provides a level of safety, stability and adjustability far beyond most others.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwRtpVLThAY

Luka Kase

With a Variety of Unique Projects, Techno Master Umek Avoided Some of 2020’s Ravages & Maintained His Profile By Jim Tremayne

No matter the circumstances, Uroš Umek is not a man who ever fully slows down. It’s true that the COVID situation has made the popular Slovenian DJ/ producer ease up on his global travels, but, unlike many, he’s managed to pivot gracefully toward several other career-enhancing endeavors.

As one of the world’s top techno talents, Umek (as he’s known professionally) has built a brand most DJs would envy. Deeply involved in music since the early ‘90s, Umek learned DJing and production the old-school way – with vinyl and hardware, respectively. Over time, he unleashed his talents to Europe’s technoloving masses, ultimately cultivating a dark, driving, peak-hour techno sound. In addition to achieving his dream as an in-demand DJ at major clubs and festivals, Umek became a top label owner with his 1605 imprint, and one of the scene’s most-downloaded techno artists.

The discography is daunting, but its highlights remain thrilling. They include techno bombs like 2002’s cinematic spine-tingler “Gatex,” 2011’s warped banger “Beograd,” and 2018’s dark monster “Amnesiac.” More recent winners from 2020, like “Predator” and “Evolution” (a menacing collab with France’s Cosmic Boys), are joined by worthy remixes of a pair of 1995 rave classics – Union Jack’s acid-trance “Red Herring” and Yves DeRuyter’s anthemic “Calling Earth.”

Apart from his 2020 studio work and label A&R duties, Umek worked

through the lockdown by live-streaming, creating sample packs and helping up-and-coming DJ/producers with one-on-one online production classes. We recently caught up with Umek from his home in Central Europe – Ljubljana, Slovenia, in the former Yugoslavia, to be exact – to get some of his unique history and find out how he pivoted through the pandemic.

DJ Times: When you began your musical journey, what were your principal inspirations?

Umek: As a young teenager, I noticed there are guys who play music at school dances, and over the years I’ve started noticing them more and more. I watched what they did and how they did it, and became more and more intrigued in doing the same myself.

DJ Times: Beyond the school-party scene, what else were you experiencing? How did you get into DJing?

Umek: I became a high-school freshman when the rave wave hit Slovenia in the early ’90s. I got instantly hooked on this new electronic music and wanted to present it to others. It took some time for me to learn how to mix music on turntables and get a chance to perform in a proper club. But once I did it, I decided I was in it for real. Shortly after this, I went to a big indoor rave in Munich, where Carl Cox was playing, and that is when I got inspired to try and become an international DJ.

DJ Times: So how did you go about it?

Umek: I grew up in a one-parent household and made a deal with my mother to take a year off school to try DJing professionally. I dropped out of school and ditched a promising career as a basketball player in order to dedicate all efforts into achieving my goal of becoming a DJ. I had just been called up for Slovenia’s national team – a couple of guys from that team actually became NBA and Euro League champions. Anyway, after one year, I had made it to the point where I earned enough, as a DJ, to cover all my living expenses.

DJ Times: And then you transitioned into actually making music?

Umek: Yes, shortly after that I started producing. I wanted to know how music was made, and I wanted to play some of my own music in my DJ sets. I guess that’s something most DJs try at some point in their careers. I got in touch with a guy who had the equipment and he taught me the basics of music production. From that point on, I started accumulating knowledge and focused more on producing. It took me quite some time to get signed on Slovenian labels, but not long after that [in 199697], I got picked up by a couple of very influential techno labels that really liked my sound.

DJ Times: What made the difference?

Umek: I guess I had quite an original style, because I learnt everything from scratch, with scarce knowledge and very basic equipment. But making all the mistakes along the way made me stand out and apparently DJs wanted to play my music.

DJ Times: What reflections do you have of that time?

Umek: Looking back, it was a slow progress, as Slovenia was a post-communist country. There was no internet, no music infrastructure and all resources for information were very limited. But I would never trade that in for the current situation, when everything is available to anyone.

DJ Times: Back then, the rave scene almost felt like you were in a secret community. Plus, DJs had to learn the basics of spinning vinyl and, in the studio, working with hardware. DJs had to be hands-on in very different ways.

Umek: It was fun doing something new on our own and helping build the scene as we went along. Looking at instantly famous young artists of today and their lives, I am not sure it’s healthy to break through overnight. Progressing step-by-step might be frustrating sometimes, but that makes you a stronger, better, and tougher artist/person. When I look back over my personal journey, I’m happy I did it my way, as I have a lot to show, and I can see how I’ve influenced the audience, including new generations of artists, especially in my home region.

DJ Times: In Slovenia, what’s the DJ/club scene like during normal times?

Umek: Let’s say it is very boutique. Slovenia used to be a trend-setter in the region, but that got lost over the last couple of years. With the closing of our iconic Ambasada Gavioli [in Izola], we have completely lost the super-club scene. The legendary Klub K4 and a couple of promoters are still trying to keep pace with international underground electronic movements, though. DJ Times: And festivals? Umek: We also have two major electronic music festivals called Smile and StellarBeat that host top international DJs for crowds of up to 20,000. We also have a strong series of major indoor pop-up events called Kurzschluss that often host up to 4,000 people – they’re now running for half of a decade. But, to be honest, other areas such as Zagreb and Belgrade have completely outrun Ljubljana in the last couple of years, and the Croatian seaside is one of the hottest international festival playgrounds during the summer. A lot of Slovenian companies, artists, and other professionals are now involved in putting together major festivals in Croatia. DJ Times: What’s your DJ set-up? Umek: After performing on a laptop set-up for almost a decade, I’ve turned back to Pioneer CDJs at the end of last year. Now I play on Pioneer CDJ-2000NXS2 units and a DJM mixer setup. Mostly, it’s because it’s way easier to travel around the world with less equipment. At the same time, the progress in CDJs and mixer technology in the last couple of years means they now cater sufficiently to my creative needs. DJ Times: And in the studio, what’s the main set-up? Umek: I’ve actually sold most of my hardware a while ago, and only kept a couple of pieces because of their sentimental value. My studio set-up is based on a laptop, RME sound card and a quality Quested monitoring system in a soundproofed room located at the basement of my home. My current sound was developed in Logic with heaps of soft synths, other plug-ins and samples.

DJ Times: Anything special that helps you get unique sounds?

Umek: My weapons of choice are FabFilter’s Saturn and Soundtoys‘ Decapitator, as they are great for distortion and saturation, and I used them to add the final touch to all my tracks released in least last two years, including about a dozen of Beatport top-sellers and chart-toppers. I use saturation on almost all my sounds, everything from synths and samples to hi-hats. That‘s what I do to help get a thick and chunky sound.

DJ Times: What’s the past year it been like in Ljubljana?

Umek: Like in most countries, public life stopped in Slovenia in early March. Since then, the clubs here have been closed. During the summer months, there was only some heavily regulated concerts with no more than 500 capacity allowed. At the peak of the first wave, we were limited to only stay in our local area, which meant, in my case, I could not move outside of Ljubljana city limits. Slovenia is a very green country, so at least there are plenty of parks, woods

and fields to walk in and get fresh air. To be honest, apart from gigs and traveling, my life did not actually change that much. A lot of DJs are quite introverted, and happily spent a lot of time locked in our studios… often it is somewhat of a self-imposed quarantine.

DJ Times: How did you cope?

Umek: By the fall, things were getting better, but then we stopped public life again. Traveling around the country was limited and all the restaurants, bars, fitness studios, etc., began closing again. But it wasn’t all bad, because for the first time in my life I got to spend three months off, and spent that time on the beautiful isle of Hvar in Croatia, as my wife, Senka, runs a popular beach bar there.

DJ Times: How did the pandemic affect your gig schedule and other work?

Umek: We had a nice summer tour planned with lots of big festival appearances, but due to the pandemic I have not performed live since early March. I have been busy in the studio, but the income from selling music has fallen also – clubs not being open means DJs are buying less music.

DJ Times: Nonetheless, it seems like you were very busy in the studio.

Umek: Yes, with lots of releases. I recently released my remix of Union Jack’s “Red Herring.” In the last few months, I put out my remix of Yves DeRuyter’s classic anthem “Calling Earth” and that finally came out. That is one of the tracks from my DJ sets that people have been going wild for and many have been asking me when it’s coming out for almost a year now. That finally arrived! I’ve also released my own EP on 1605, plus two new EPs from Cosmic Boys and Space 92 together with the fourth instalment of “1605 Desiderati” VA series, this time with contributions by Loco & Jam, rising Australian artist Mha Iri, Teenage Mutants and Space 92.

DJ Times: Given the constraints of the pandemic, were you happy with your musical output in 2020?

Umek: I’m actually quite satisfied with my own music, and the tracks signed to my label, 1605. I’ve worked really hard to get the label noticed by the industry, and it’s had quite an output of releases during 2020. It looks like gigs are not happening in the near future, so there certainly won’t be any shortage of releases, as I’m filling my time listening to demos and making my own tracks.

DJ Times: How else have you constructively filled your time?

Umek: I’ve started doing one-on-one online courses [for SonicAcademy.com] with young producers, where I’m sharing my knowledge and production skills. I quickly realized this is something I really like doing, so I’ll continue even when life gets back on track. When I am playing gigs again, I probably won’t have the time to tutor as many artists as I am now, but I’ll keep doing it to some extent. It’s rewarding to see how talented artists are advancing through this process of coaching. As their sound becomes better, it’s great to see them become satisfied with their newly obtained skills and confidence. I’m linked to helping others with their music.

DJ Times: What’s the main hurdle for younger DJs who want to make music?

Umek: I tutor producers with very different levels of knowledge, experience, and skills. With newbies, we have to start at the basics, which nowadays everybody should be able to conquer. Students start working at very different levels and I try to guide them on their path. We talk a lot about their career goals and how to create their own sound. Even when a young artist knows what he wants, and he can deliver an interesting sound, it’s hard to get noticed by the scene. However, that’s a different struggle, I’m here to teach them mostly about production and how to create quality music. On the other hand, I also work with artists who’ve already made their name in the scene and would like to fine-tune some elements in their sound. Working with them is a different experience, as they are much more skilful. Thus, we work on the tiniest details in their production, which gets much more technical.

DJ Times: You’ve also gotten back into making sample packs…

Umek: I have finally had time to put together my new sample pack – “Techno Foundations” for Loopmasters. It has got a load of parts that I use as the foundation of tracks, and it’s great for beginners or experienced producers who are looking for some new inspiration. There are other things I’m working on that I can’t share in detail yet, but I was recently approached by somebody from the automotive industry for a very innovative project. This could be a very original and creative challenge for me.

DJ Times: You’ve also embraced live-streaming this past year, right? What have you seen that’s impressed you?

Umek: I’ve done a couple of streams myself, mostly for Slovenian event promoters, but also for Beatport Live, plus some others, including Burning Man’s Playground Project (continued on page 35)

“Looking at instantly famous young artists of today and their lives, I am not sure it’s healthy to break through overnight.”

How do you keep good people working for your company?

You know that scene in “Jerry McGuire,” where Tom Cruise’s Jerry enthusiastically asks, “Who’s coming with me?” as he leaves the company that he has been so successful with? If you know the scene, you’ll also know that “I was successful, I thought I was Renee Zellweger’s character is the only person who leaves with him. Jerry is super-cool pretty cool and I had the brains that kept and very successful, so why didn’t more than just one person follow him? the business going, but people didn’t

As an owner of a multi-op DJ company, I often felt like Jerry McGuire in the beginning of follow me.” my journey. I was successful, I thought I was pretty cool, and I had the brains that kept the business going, but people didn’t follow me. I learned this the hard way, as I walked away from one company to start another. I found myself alone. No one came with me, even though the opportunity was open for them to do so.

Leadership expert, John Maxwell, says, “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.” That one quote has made such a difference in my career, especially when I first read it at that moment in time. How do you develop your leadership in a way that people will want to follow you as DJ multi-op company any owner? How do you avoid being a Jerry McGuire?

In this series on leadership, I’m going to share three of the most vital leadership qualities that followers (your DJs) look for in their leader. I could state the obvious – vision, passion, influence and positivity – but I want to address a few qualities that aren’t so evident at first glance.

The first leadership quality is connection.

My wife worked a job where the assistant CEO would come into the store and chide his employees if they greeted him. Ironically, he wanted you to greet customers while pretending that he hadn’t even walked into the store when he, in fact, had. Morale at the store was low, employees were frustrated and hard-working people quit under this assistant CEO. There was no connection.

So how do you intentionally create a connection between your DJs and yourself?

Listen to what they aren’t saying. When you ask how someone is doing and they answer with, “Pretty good,” follow up with, “What does ‘pretty good’ mean?” And then listen. If they hesitate on their initial answer, tell them you heard their hesitation and ask if there’s something else going on. This shows you truly want to know how they are doing, instead of it just being a greeting. Know what’s close to their heart.

I had a DJ create coloring books for children as his personal passion project. He put so much time, effort and heart into these. I sent him a check from the business and included a note telling him the money was for him to buy a box of these to distribute to whatever school he wanted. I missed his phone call when he reached out to thank the business, but I’ll never forget his words on that voicemail. You could just tell by his voice that this simple action by the business was super impactful to him. He knew we cared about what was close to his heart.

Visit memories often. I was MCing a wedding one time and I accidentally said “toastes” (add a hard ES) instead of “toasts.” It sounded outrageously stupid in front of wedding guests (over 200), and my DJ couldn’t stop laughing that day. Almost every time we’re around each other, that MC blunder gets brought up and it still creates laughs and stories long after that wedding ended. Visiting memories helps build a bond. Check in. If a DJ goes a couple weeks without having a gig with me, I will often send a message and simply ask, “How’s life?” I want them to know that I’m thinking about them. If you go too long without connecting with someone on your team, the wheels in their brains start spinning and they may wonder what it might be like if they worked someplace else.

“You can’t coast your way into connecting with people. It has to be intentional. It requires energy. It is work.”

You can’t coast your way into connecting with people. It has to be intentional. It requires energy. It is work. A quality of a great leader is his or her ability to connect with people on a personal level.

In Part 2, I’ll reveal the next leadership quality that will cause your DJs to not look at you as the boss, but look at you as a leader they want to follow. n

Travis Wackerly is a speaker and coach for the John Maxwell Team and is the owner/operator of FCM Entertainment, a multi-op fusion-based wedding company in Norman, Okla.

The nation might’ve shut down for the much of the pandemic, but Detroit’s DJ Godfather has kept the beats coming.

After surviving a bout with COVID himself, the ghettotech pioneer dropped Electro Beats for Freaks on his Databass label – and it’s a 44-track monster full of all the high-BPM nastiness that’s made the Motor City genre so infamous. Booty-shaking trash talk from MCs like Parkhouse and Goodmoney G100 color a variety of saucy cuts more suited for strip joints than, say, terrestrial radio. But if you’re looking for a frenetic instrumental, look no further than sledgehammer single, “Godzilla 2020.” Available as a continuousmix album or via separate EP releases as separate tracks, Electro Beats for Freaks offers quite a ride.

And it must be said that if you’ve never see DJ Godfather throw down on the ones and twos, you’re really missing something. Each year, his set at the Movement festival in Detroit’s Hart Plaza is a must-see event – not just for the stage show, but for the manic footwork in the audience. It’s Detroit through and through, and it’s one helluva party. We recently caught up with DJ Godfather (aka Brian Jeffries) to talk album, pandemic and ghettotech.

DJ Times: How would you describe ghettotech to someone who’s never heard it?

Godfather: To me, it’s not just a genre, it’s a culture. It’s the only type of dance music I know that requires a DJ to have some kind of beat-juggling and scratch skills while keeping the dancefloor. It’s also one of the only genres that has a dedicated dance to it called The Jit. The ghettotech sound itself is a blend of a few genres such as Detroit techno, Miami bass, electro, funk and more.

DJ Times: When you began your musical journey, what were your principal inspirations?

Godfather: At first, I just wanted to be a hip-hop DJ in a group so bad. Anytime I would watch MTV in the late ’80s, I was always focused on the DJ such as Jam Master Jay, Jazzy Jeff, and others. Then I saw some DMC battles and I got hooked immediately. At the same time, I always loved early electro and Detroit techno. I wanted to take what a battle DJ can do and apply it to dance music to do something that no one else was doing that I knew of at the time.

DJ Times: Why an album now? What was your approach, in terms of theme or inspiration?

Godfather: The album is a continuous mix. You can skip through the tracks, but the beginning and end of the tracks are blended into each other. I wanted to create an album that will put all attention on me. I don’t want other DJs playing the tracks yet, until the album is out there and the masses that like this music know I made these tracks. That’s why I made it continuous. I’ll be releasing seven EPs from the album with the full-length tracks, instrumentals, a cappellas, dub versions, etc., after the album is already out – for the DJs. It’s crazy, but you can’t expect people to know and follow every single project you do, especially with so much easy access to tons of new tracks daily. This is my way to stand out from everyone… to release an almost two-hour-long album with nothing but my production. I think if anyone did that it’s impressive and it would stand out.

DJ Times: What’s your typical DJ set-up?

Godfather: I’m always on two Technics 1210 turntables and a Pioneer DJM-S9 battle mixer. I will always be a turntable DJ. You can only use tables to rock a proper ghettotech set anyway!

DJ Times: What’s your studio set-up?

Godfather: Oh man, I’m a gear junkie. I use Ableton Live for my DAW. I just got a couple new plug-ins to try out that I really love. One is a reverb/delay plug-in called Drip by Kyle Beats. It has some effects on there I really like and they sound a little different than a normal reverb. The other is OVox [Vocal Resynthesis] by Waves. You can come up with endless vocal effects on it.

DJ Times: Hardware? Anything vintage?

Godfather: For vintage and outboard gear, I just got six semi-modules from Behringer – I got the CAT, WASP, MODEL D, PRO-1, NEUTRON and the K-2. These semi-modules are so cheap and sound identical to the original synths, in my opinion. Plus, they are all USB, which is great because they pop right up on a MIDI track in Ableton. I used to have 18 vintage synths including a [Sequential Circuits] Pro One and a

After Surviving COVID, Detroit’s DJ Godfather Unleashes a Ghettotech Monster

Minimoog. I got rid of all of them and bought all new stuff, just to come up with different ideas. I started to miss them a little, so I bought these semi-modules to twist some knobs again.

DJ Times: Any “secret studio weapons” that help create your favorite sounds?

Godfather: Hmm, I like to sample some drum sounds off vinyl and stack them with sounds from my Maschine by Native Instruments. It makes the drums sound dirtier and warmer. I’ll run the samples though my Avalon VT-737 tube compressor to make it sound even warmer – don’t tell anyone [laughs]. A recent production I did this on would be my “Godzilla 2020” remix. It’s off the new album and already released as a single.

DJ Times: What’s next for you?

Godfather: Well, I’m already almost done with another album of 45 tracks to follow up this one. I’m also doing some projects with Gettoblaster and an electro series called “Street Beatz” with Keith Tucker – aka DJ K1. I have a few other projects as well, but I can’t let the cat out of the bag yet. Sorry!

DJ Times: What’s it been like where you’re living?

Godfather: Detroit is staying strong. Yeah, we were locked down for a few months. During that time, I got COVID, and had to quarantine as well – but I’m good now. All I did was work in the studio, hung out at my pool and learned how to play “Call of Duty” with my boys. [laughs]

DJ Times: Did you lose important gigs, or income-producing work?

Godfather: Oh yeah, lost out on a lot. I own a couple of nightclubs in downtown Detroit and we had to shut one down temporarily and the other was left with a strict-and-limited capacity. It pretty much wasn’t worth being open, but we got through it. I also lost out on a bunch of international gigs in Italy, Belgium, Ireland, the Lente Kabinet festival in Holland, and a few more. Nightmare!

DJ Times: Seems like you managed to stay busy, right?

Godfather: Since March, I’ve produced, mixed and mastered almost 100 tracks that I will be releasing on Databass Records, Casa Voyager and Lapsus Music.

DJ Times: What’s the most surprising thing you’ve realized during this period?

Godfather: That I actually like the downtime. I’m 10-times more productive in the studio with nothing else on my mind. I love it!

DJ Times: What have you done anything online during this period?

Godfather: I’ve done multiple online streams from my Facebook page... every Wednesday night. I called it: “We Had to Sterilize the Population Series.” It did great – every video did over 100,000 impressions with zero promo. I also did a livestream for Movement Festival/Beatport that did really well, along with some other streams for the City of Detroit and more. But I got sick of doing them after a while. Everybody was doing one and, to me, they didn’t seem special anymore because it was flooded. DJ Times: Any theme tunes recommended for the moment?

Godfather: Puff Daddy & The Family’s “Victory” – we will beat this!

DJ Times: Any advice on getting through this situation?

Godfather: Engulf yourself in something you love. You won’t think about all the crap going on in the world if you truly do. It really worked for me and, in a strange way, I’ve never been happier! I’m beyond excited to unleash all of these tracks I have.

Genre Pioneer: DJ Godfather aka Brian Jeffries.