DJ Times May 2017, Vol 30 No 5 by DJ Times Magazine

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AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988 MAY 2017

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HOW SOME DJS BEAT FATHER TIME

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MIAMI MUSIC WEEK WORDS & PICTURES

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NOTABLES…MILESTONES

aLIVE Coverage

Ultra Fest: Carl Cox rocks it.

Fan-Friendly: Martin Garrix in Miami.

That”) loosened up the soggy fans, then Ice Cube hit the stage with a simulated fusillade of gunshots. After a video tribute to the late Lench Mob DJ Crazy Toones, who passed away this past January at the age 45, Cube delivered a first-round KO. His first three numbers: N.W.A throwdowns “Straight Outta Compton,” “Gangsta, Gangsta” and “Fuck tha Police.” Fans young and old—certainly many who got hip to N.W.A via the hit 2015 bio pic—surged forward, heads bobbing, arms thrusting, unbowed by the downpour. Anybody wanna follow that? Not long after, over on the mainstage, trance trio Above & Beyond— with its delicate, gorgeous melodies, euphoric peaks and relentless posi-

vibes—served as a perfect counterpoint. (In fact, the instant the London-based group hit the stage, the rain slacked up, then stopped entirely—hmmm…) Playing before a video display of typed-out text messages offering reassuring, warm welcomes and friendship-building epigrams, A&B brought the hits old (OceanLab’s “Another Chance” and their mix of Moby’s “Porcelain”) and new (“Blue Sky Action” and “Balearic Balls”). As usual, their wildly dedicated fans reacted ecstatically, hugging each other with each new tune, some with tears in their eyes, loved-up and thrilled with each new musical moment. No gunshots from this stage. For pictures from Miami Music Week, please see Pages 22-25.

MAY 2017

San Diego – At Omnia Nightclub this past March 16, Claude VonStroke poses with the Golden Pioneer DJ DJM900NXS2 mixer, the symbol of being voted America’s Best DJ 2016. After the presentation by Pioneer, VonStroke graciously greeted fans, then rocked Omnia late into the night. Stay tuned for details on America’s Best DJ 2017 and its Summer Tour.

Remix Awards: Joe Duveen, Steve Aoki & Lodato.

DJ TIMES

Photo: Ryan Campbell

ABDJ ’16: A Reprise

daylight revelers with 90 minutes of tough techno—rolling beats, rumbling basslines, soulful vocals and a few classics (including Derrick May’s “Strings of Life”). As the sun began to set, Marco Carola followed by ramping up the vibe with chuggy rhythms, thunderous kicks and buzzbomb effects—the massive hangar seemed to pulse with ever y modulation. Meanwhile, on the Ultra Worldwide stage nearby, Netsky’s brand of melodic drum-n-bass had liquid-funk fans gyrating to the propulsive rhythms and rubbery drops. On the massive mainstage, Alesso’s string of hits — “Under Control,” “Heroes (We Could Be)” and “Cool” – saw legions of fans singing every word, then agape at the stunning stage production. At the Resistance Stage/Arcadia Spider, acrobats performed in-air routines to a frenetic d-n-b soundtrack, while hanging upside-down from the impressive structure—flumes of fire belching menacingly close to the performers. Afterward, Hot Since 82 settled things down with a 60-minute set of big, rolling, delicious grooves. Apparently, deep house soothes all. Saturday Highlights: Day-Two festivities were affected by a steady rain which resulted in nasty accumulations of mud and water around the park. But a pair of disparate performances managed to transcend the sloppy atmosphere. On the Live Stage, rough-tough, old-school, L.A. hip-hop defined much of the evening. Cypress Hill’s gloomy, bong-inspired hits (“Insane in the Brain,” “I Ain’t Going Out Like

Gustavo Caballero

By Jim Tremayne Miami Beach, Fla. – Thousands of DJs, dance-industry types and music fans headed to South Florida this past March 21-26 for Miami Music Week, which was highlighted by Winter Music Conference, Ultra Music Festival and a massive variety of parties (club, pool, warehouse). As usual, DJ Times took in the festivities, which included an exhibition booth at WMC, which ran March 21-24 at the Royal Palm South Beach Hotel. Additionally, DJ Times moderated two keynote Q&A sessions (with Paul Oakenfold and Nicole Moudaber) and two seminar panels (“Social Media & PR” and “Jetsetters: The Artistry & Business of the Global DJ,” which included Sleepy & Boo, REBOOT, and Pablo Ceballos of Chus & Ceballos.) Onto Ultra Music Festival: Once again, Bayfront Park got lit up by three days of electronic-music craziness in the form of Ultra Music Festival. With more than 165,000 fans descending upon downtown Miami this past March 24-26, UMF delivered 31 hours of music over 13 branded stages with some of the world’s top DJs, MCs, vocalists and electronic musicians. As usual, DJ Times was in the house… Friday Highlights: On UMF’s Live Stage, KSHMR’s Middle-Eastern-flavored EDM, which featured cinematic interludes and traditional instrumentation (horns, strings, sitar, etc.), had fans at the jumping and shouting at the breaks and drops. Over at the Carl Cox Megastructure, Joseph Capriati rocked the

Michael Gloria

MIAMI MUSIC WEEK: WMC, ULTRA FEST & DJ-DRIVEN PARTIES

VOLUME 30

NUMBER 5

12 Invasion of the Body-Jacker

In the Midst of a Genre Resurgence, Berlin’s Ellen Allien Gets Back to Basics & Takes the “Techno Bros” Back to School BY CHRIS CARUSO

20 The Art of Staying Young

As the Years Fly By, DJs Adopt Different Tactics to Keep Father Time Away BY JEFF STILES

22 Miami Music Week Photo Highlights from WMC, Ultra Fest & More BY DJ TIMES PHOTOGRAPHERS

DEPARTMENTS 7 Feedback

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

26 Making Tracks New Apple MacBook Pro

28 Sounding Off

Peavey RBN Loudspeakers

30 Mobile Profile

Minnesota DJ Pushes Play

32 Business Line

Wedding Tips from the DJ Expo Future

34 Gear

New Products from Akai, BASSBOSS & More

38 Grooves

41 Club Play Chart

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

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

SAMPLINGS 8 Sleep & Boo Beyond Basic NYC

10 In the Studio With… JSTJR

Cover & Contents Images by Crystalmafia/Kieran Behan

Phat Tracks from Paul van Dyk, Hot Since 82 & More

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FROM THE EDITOR

Greetings from Miami Beach… This may be the first time that DJ Times has splashed Ellen Allien on its cover, but that’s not to say that she hasn’t been on our radar for quite awhile – she definitely has. As the founder of the BPitch Control label, the Berlin-based DJ/producer has brought us the music of other German faves like Modeselektor, Paul Kalkbrenner and Apparat. But her DJ sets have always been a sight to see. Whirling, dancing, gyrating, often spinning old-school vinyl, Allien’s performances have combined her engaging persona with the most upfront techno you’ll hear. Now that she’s released Nost, her terrific new full-length, our Chris Caruso recently connected with her on Miami Beach’s Ocean Avenue. More Fun in the Sun (and the Dark): Of course, much of this issue is devoted to Miami Music Week, which included Winter Music Conference, Ultra Music Festival and scads of parties that seemed to run around the clock this past March 21-26. On the news page, you’ll find a quick rundown of WMC and a review of Ultra fest. Fast-forward to Page 22 and you’ll come across a pair of photo spreads from our manic week in South Florida. Thanks to our photographers for such great shots, to the PR people for sorting the guest lists and, especially, to the service people at The Betsy Hotel for making such strong coffee. In Samplings, our L.A. correspondent Lily Moayeri engages in some studio talk with JSTJR (pronounced “gesture,” but known to his parents and law enforcement as James S. Tomaszewski, Jr.). In a short amount of time, he’s quickly made a name for himself as a producer in a variety of underground genres on a slew of respected labels. Also, Mr. Caruso connects with Sleepy & Boo (aka Begoña and Mike Gwertzman), a married DJ/production duo that has also promoted events for years here in New York City. From our review columns, Bay Area scribes Mike Klasco and Tony Russell put the Peavey RBN Series of loudspeakers (RBN 112 tops and RBN 215 Sub) through their paces. Additionally, in Making Tracks, Denver-based DJ/producer Wesley Bryant-King reviews Apple’s new MacBook Pro and examines the relative merits of laptop-vs.-desktop computers for music-studio work. In the world of the mobile entertainer, our Iowa-based writer Jeff Stiles asks a panel of jocks how they stay young and relevant in this ever-evolving business. In Mobile Profile, we visit with Rob Anderson, a small-town Minnesota DJ who’s fulfilling his lifelong dream. For the Business Line column, Pennsylvania mobile Mick Uranko previews his upcoming tutorial at DJ Expo. Among many other seminars, Uranko’s “Increase Your Current Rates – And Get Paid More for the Services You Offer” will help bolster your bottom line. Of course, stay tuned for more announcements on DJ Expo, which is set for Aug. 14-17 at the Atlantic City Convention Center. For the latest, please visit thedjexpo.com. Comings & Goings: We say au revoir to a pair of fellow Testa Communications editorial contributors. After more than a decade at the helm of fellow in-house title Sound & Communications, David Silverman has announced his retirement. It’s been a pleasure to work with such a pro and we wish Dave the best of luck and the easiest of transitions. Additionally, this is the last issue with fellow University of Georgia grad Chris Caruso as DJ Times assistant editor – he’ll be moving onto the tech world. In addition to helming Club World magazine, Chris offered invaluable contributions to DJ Times, its variety of digital platforms, DJ Expo and the America’s Best DJ promotion. Again, it’s been wonderful to work with you both and I wish you the best.

editor-in-chief Jim Tremayne jtremayne@testa.com

art director Janice Pupelis jpupelis@testa.com

editor-at-large Brian O’Connor boconnor@testa.com

production manager Steve Thorakos sthorakos@testa.com

assistant editor Chris Caruso ccaruso@testa.com chart coordinator Dan Miller dmiller@testa.com contributors Wesley Bryant-King Shawn Christopher Matt Clark Paul Dailey Reed Dailey Chris Davis Tony Fernandez Tommy D Funk Michelle Fetky Jennifer Harmon Josh Harris Greg Hollmann Mike Klasco Michelle Loeb Duanny Medrano Lily Moayeri Phil Moffa Natalie Raben Deanna Rilling Tony Russell Jeff Stiles Emily Tan 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

Cheers,

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

Jim Tremayne Editor, DJ Times

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

digital art director Fred Gumm fgumm@testa.com social media coordinator Matt Van Dyke mvandyke@testa.com

advertising manager Tom McCarty tmccarty@testa.com marketplace advertising sales manager Ricky Pimentel rpimentel@testa.com art/production assistant Ricky Pimentel rpimentel@testa.com Circulation circulation@testa.com Classifieds classifiedsales@testa.com operations manager Robin Hazan rhazan@testa.com Editorial and Sales Office: DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, New York, USA 11050-3779. (516) 767-2500 • FAX (Editorial): (516) 944-8372 • FAX (Sales/all other business): (516) 767-9335 • DJTIMES@TESTA. COM Editorial contributions should be addressed to The Editor, DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Avenue, Port Washington, NY, USA, 110503779. Unsolicited manuscripts will be treated with care an d should be accompanied by return postage. DJ Times (ISSN 1045-9693) (USPS 0004-153) is published monthly for $19.40 (US), $39.99 (Canada), and $59.99 (all other countries), by DJ Publishing, Inc., 25 Willowdale Ave., Port Washington, NY 110503779. Periodicals postage paid at Port Washington, NY, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DJ Times, PO BOX 1767, LOWELL MA 01853-1767 Design and contents are copyright © 2017 by DJ Publishing, Inc., and must not be reproduced in any manner except by permission of the publisher. Websites: www. May 2017

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FEEDBACK PLUS: n Miami Music Week/Winter Music Conference n Steinberg’s UR22mkII Recording Pack n PLAYdifferently MODEL 1 n Supernova n Lenzman AMERICA’S FIRST MAGAZINE FOR PROFESSIONAL DJs ESTABLISHED 1988

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CUSTOMER FEEDBACK HOW MOBILES RESPOND STUDIO WORKFLOW SOLUTIONS

mixing for DJs of all stripes. Among many other topics, the Virginia-based DJ vet will discuss the following ques‑ tions: What’s the best way for a DJ to read the crowd? How do you rotate the dancefloor? How do you choose the track with the correct energy level? Is mixing in key important? Are you a part-time DJ looking to go full-time? Jerry Bazata, DJ Times’ An‑ swer Man, will explain the best prac‑ tices with “Successful Small-Busi-

ness Owners Do These 5 Things.” The Maine-based owner of DJ Jaz Music & Entertainment will reveal the proven steps that successful DJ/en‑ trepreneurs need to take to secure a bright future. Having trouble getting your mobile par‑ ty started? Fox Feltman of BTA Enter‑ tainment will show you how with “Get ’Em to the Dancefloor.” The North Carolina-based DJ vet promises that, with his tactics, 99-percent of your

guests will come to the dancefloor dur‑ ing that first dance set. For DJs looking to maximize the value of their services, Pennsylvania mobile Mick Uranko will present “Increase Your Current Rates — And Get Paid More for Your Services.” Uranko will walk Expo attendees through a process that will generate new inquiries and new business. For the very latest on DJ Expo, please visit thedjexpo.com.

3/13/2017 4:52:57 PM

This is Feedback, a monthly feature that fields questions from you, our readers, and funnels them out to in‑ dustry professionals. If you have any questions about DJing – marketing, mixing, equipment or insurance, any at all – drop us a letter at DJ Times, 25 Willowdale Ave, Port Washington, NY 11050, fax us at (516) 944‑8372 or e‑mail us at djtimes@testa.com. If we do use your question, you’ll receive a free DJ Times T‑shirt. And remember, the only dumb question is the question that is not asked.

DJ Expo Update DJ Expo is set to run Aug. 14-17 at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, N.J. Produced since its 1990 inception by DJ Times and its publisher Testa Communications, DJ Expo will present an exhibit hall full of the latest DJ-related technologies, nearly 30 seminars covering the most pressing industry topics, and three evenings of sponsored parties and events featuring top talents. While the Atlantic City Convention Center will house DJ Expo seminars and exhibits, The Tropicana on Atlan‑ tic City’s famed Boardwalk will serve as the host hotel for attendees – free shuttles will run back and forth all day. Additionally, The Trop’s nightclub ven‑ ues will host sponsored Expo evening events, like “The Entertainer of the Year” competition, which will take place Aug. 16 at Boogie Nights – “The Ultimate ’70s and ’80s Dance Club.” Hosted by new MC Darryl “Jake” Jacobsen of Affair 2 Remember in Hazlet, N.J., the newly branded event will be‑ stow awards in a variety of categories to the best of the best from America’s Mo‑ bile Nation. In addition to its new name, new host and new venue, this year’s competition will feature a new perfor‑ mance format, a new judging panel and new prizes for the winners. Onto the daytime schedule: For jocks looking to sharpen their sets, Tony Fernandez’s “Next Phase: Advanced Mixing Seminar” will reveal the most modern techniques of set-building and

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Sleepy & Boo: (from left) Begoña & Mike Gwertzman.

SAMPLINGS

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

SLEEPY & BOO: BEYOND BASIC NYC

No one throws a party in New York like DJ duo/promotion masterminds Sleepy & Boo. As founders of Basic NYC, the husband-and-wife team of Mike (“Sleepy”) and Begoña (“Boo”) Gwer tzman has been a driving force in the Manhattan and Brooklyn nightlife for years, keeping the ever-capricious city ravers satisfied and fired up with nuanced offerings boasting some of the best techno, house, and techhouse you’ll find in any of the five boroughs. With a cavalcade of EPs on labels like Savoir Faire Musique, Moulton Music, and 3Bridge records, 2016 saw the duo exploring their production ventures even further than before. Particularly, the sexy, spooky techhouse slinks on their Thought

Forms three-tracker are not to be missed. We caught up with the duo to chat about the challenges of keeping things fresh in New York’s ever-shuffling clubland, as well as their recent forays into production over the past two years. DJ Times: You’ve thrown parties at many different venues around NYC over the years. What qualities make for a successful venue? Sleepy: Sound. Vibe . How does the room feel throughout the night? Can people get to the place without a hassle? It’s a whole mix of ingredients, but those are kind of the key factors to consider if you’re trying to do a dance-music night. If it doesn’t sound good, people won’t

be able to get into the music and the DJs won’t have a good time. But if the place isn’t comfortable for the crowd, if the vibe is off, then the sound can be amazing and it won’t make for a fun night. DJ Times: Describe New York’s scene now. Boo: So many different venues to choose from. Of course, we think Cielo has one of the best combinations of all of these factors, and we love TBA Brooklyn and the Bushwick A/V afterhours. Output, Flash Factory, Schimanski, House of Yes, Space, Analog BKNY—these are all great places for music right now, all offering something different from one another. And then, of course, there’s the warehouse parties and non-traditional events that bring their own unique vibes. DJ Times: What are some of the challenges of booking a regular party in a town like New York? Sleepy: Every night there are tons of nightlife options. It’s really diverse and spread out. Right now, the nights we are doing are mostly our own headlining residencies. So, that’s a lot of fun for us because we get to focus really on our music, picking the right guests to join us, creating our own artwork and visual representation. It’s still a lot of work, though; you can’t just put your party out there and assume people will show up. You have to do the promotion, spend time on social media, do your outreach, and then follow through to make sure you’re presenting a quality experience for your guests. DJ Times: You’ve got your Illusion party at Cielo and your Frequencies party at TBA Brooklyn— what defines the vibe and concept of each? Boo: These parties both represent a kind of philosophical evolution for us as DJs and artists. We believe that music has a transformative power, and each night reflects this differently. Illusion comes from the concept that we are responsible for creating our own reality, so therefore what we think we experience in life is really an illusion of the mind. Music and dancing and the physical and mental release that comes from a night out can be a vehicle to manifest that understanding, and we see Cielo’s sound system and (continued on page 40)

LEGENDARY SOUND

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IN THE STUDIO Wake up, get a coffee, climb a mountain, work on music for rest of the day. Back in 2013, that’s what the schedule looked like for James S. Tomaszewski, Jr., when he was attending college in a small New England suburb. This was a prolific time for Tomaszewski who squashed his full name together into an acronym of sorts, JSTJR, under which he flooded his SoundCloud stream with original prod u c t i o n s . T h a t ’s w h e re Diplo found Tomaszewski’s bootleg of Major Lazer’s “Bubble Butt,” and the following year, tasked him to create the drum track for “Light It Up” off Major Lazer’s smash album, Peace Is The Mission. This was the catapult for JSTJR, whose contemporary electronic-dance take on indigenous sounds, specifically baile funk, zouk bass, and moombahton, has seen releases on Fool’s Gold, Mad Decent and its Jeffrees and Good Enuff imprints, Nest HQ, Smog Records, La Clinica, Fania, as well as on numerous compilations, not to mention a host of remixes. For his latest release, the three-track Never Squad Down EP, Tomaszewski joins the Insomniac Records family, including representing them at their famed festivals on their label-specific stage. “For this EP, the setting is dancefloor-club music, and I’m importing global-bass sounds into it,” explains Tomaszewski, sitting in a trendy café in Los Angeles, his adopted hometown of the last year and a half. “Until now, I would use a snare from a dubstep song, for instance, in this crazy baile funk or slow zouk bass track, trying to create the club setting inside that music.” The EP’s three tracks represent JSTJR three ways, as Tomaszewski puts it, including a three-part video series. The title track is his take on house music with a bumping beat and a snarling vocal courtesy of Uniiqu3. “Break It Down” is a collage-style trap number that incorporates many aspects of Tomaszewski’s multiple musical leanings. “Shake

JSTJR: BRINGING THE BASS

Diplo Discovery: A bootleg jumpstarted JSTJR’s career.

That” is as Brazilian a rumpshaker as he can make with Orlando’s Ma-less tethering it with her vocals. Since moving to L.A. from Nashua, N.H., Tomaszewski has made the shift in his home studio from FL Studio to Ableton Live. Staying in the box, his only external piece, other than his Yamaha HS8 monitors, is a small MIDI keyboard. On Ableton, Tomaszewski sticks with the stock plug-ins, not programming MIDI, but rather manipulating vocal samples as sound sources. “I’ll take a vocal and rhythmically chop it,” he says, “continuously

saturate and distort it until it’s pretty much not a vocal anymore.” Remembering his FL Studio days, Tomaszewski says, “I miss how I was as a producer back then. When I was younger, I was in a different space. I made my music way louder, I would blast it for eight hours, which is bad for you and bad for your music. But it made the music what it was, which was this saturated, loud thing, and people enjoy that. Now it’s like I’m grown up with a more refined sound.” Much of these refined sounds are from acoustic

samples, primarily found in Brazilian music, others from producer packs. With all the influence Tomaszewski has taken from this region, when playing in Sao Paolo he was met with responses from the locals like, “It’s so cool to have you out here,” or “We don’t have this often,” or “We don’t get a lot of global bass music.” Yet, his best audience has been in Los Angeles, so far, where in 2016 he started his monthly party, Plugged In. The event moved from a club to a sporadic, illegal, afterhours warehouse setting, (continued on page 40)

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Steven Pham

INVASION of the

IN THE MIDST OF A GENRE RESURGENCE, BERLIN’S ELLEN ALLIEN

Miami Beach, Fla. – Does techno have an image problem in 2017? For most, the simple mention of techno is sure to conjure up black and white images of nondescript brick walls, with mysterious Eastern European men clad in monotone getups and Warby Parker frames standing pofaced in front of them. It’s a phenomenon that’s most recently swept across the United States thanks to the relatively mainstream resurgence of the genre, which has also ushered in its own new wave of clubland denizens (appropriately dubbed “Techno Bros”). Obviously drawn to the sound being sold by the stars of the genre that have been donning the lineups of the country’s larger festivals, the zeitgeist has shifted toward what’s now considered the traditional image of it. Enter one Ellen Allien. Seemingly beamed into the electronic music sphere

GETS BACK TO BASICS & TAKES THE “TECHNO BROS” BACK TO SCHOOL

with supernatural sounds from outer space, the Berliner has been a stalwart of her hometown’s infallible nightlife scene since the early 1990s, constantly challenging that notion of just what techno should be. For Allien, DJing is just as much of a full-body workout as the dancing the sold-out club crowds around the globe are doing to her genre-defying sets. In between combing through her crates for her next record, it’s not uncommon to see the venerable German jock with her hands in the air and flipping her hair back and forth as she drops immaculately selected cuts that project more than two decades of electronic music knowhow. Most memorably, she turned the audience inside out during her electrifying set at Detroit’s Movement Electronic Music Festival this past May. Dropping through Acid House belters (Emmanuel Top’s “Acid Phase”), rave classics (Spectrum’s “Brazil”), and even 1980s synthpop (Trans-X’s “Living on Video”), the BPitch Control label founder delivered one of the riskiest sets of the weekend. As an enraptured crowd fell under her sonic spell, she dropped record after record onto the platters and proved that DJs play a much bigger role in creating experiences than simply beat-matching 125-BPM tracks. Now, she’s on the cusp of releasing her seventh solo album, entitled Nost (via her own BPitch Control label). The nine-track LP calls on much of Allien’s 20-some year electronic odyssey and history, thankfully all infused with her trademark charm and personality. Upon listening to her first dancefloor-ready full-length since 2010, it’s clear she is ready to reclaim the 2017 techno narrative in her signature flamboyant style. In person, Allien’s energy is just as animated and even more infectious than her performances, always full of smiles, laughs, and an optimism not often seen amongst artists. Bucking the stereotype of the jaded music veteran, it’s evident that years spent in the clubs have made her love them all even more. We caught up with the woman herself—aka Ellen Fraatz, 48—in between her slammed Miami Music Week gig schedule. Here’s how it went: DJ Times: The new record is called Nost. What’s behind the title? Ellen Allien: I’m second generation of female DJs, I think. I have all these classics, and I mix my DJ sets between new stuff and classics. Every time I play a classic, I just feel so good. I get hot, you know, sweaty, smiling

DJ TIMES

BODY-JACKER

Crystalmafia/Kieran Behan

DJ TIMES 14

because it’s like a flashback to the past. It’s so fantastic, and I’m very happy I have this history because I enjoy that. I realized two years ago how passionate it is for me to play old tracks and mix it up with new stuff. In the past, I had that always with new tracks. I didn’t know. I’d play new tunes and be like, “Wow, it sounds so new!” Now I have that with the classics because the new stuff is a copy of a copy of the classic. There is some good music outside that mixes up styles—I try to catch those tracks—but I felt like the most important thing for me at the moment is playing some classics, mixing with new stuff. It’s so important. That’s why I called it Nostalgie, or Nost. It’s the next chapter in my life. DJ Times: One huge moment that stood out to me last year was when you played “Living On Video” by Trans-X at Movement, which was a very big throwback. Does the album try to mimic the journey of your DJ sets? Allien: Not specifically. Not so extremely. I wasn’t focused on producing electro or that ’80s pop stuff, but it has some influences for sure: Detroit, Chicago, U.K. maybe, Berlin—everything. I kept it not quite so poppy. It was more for the dancefloor and how I play now. DJ Times: When did you start working on the album? Allien: I started working in my head like three years ago [laughs]. In my brain, I can make everything in my fantasies very fast, but mostly it’s not possible. The brain is always faster [laughs]. I worked in the studio in the summer, but very slowly. I did two or three singles last year, too. When I properly started the album, it was about two months in the studio. DJ Times: How was work on this album different from your past ones? Allien: It’s different because I worked with some different equipment. I never had a [Dave Smith Instruments] Prophet [synth] before. I worked with a Prophet and we had a modular system from Moog that they produced after its 50th anniversary. They produced all the analog modular systems again, and only 150 pieces of the Model 15. I have one of those at home, and we also worked with the Model 35. It’s huge, almost like a wall. DJ Times: Anything else? Allien: My last few albums, I had concepts. This album is very much based on club music and the way I play since I’ve been listening to mostly club music at home. Years before, I listened to a lot of pop and a lot of indie and a lot of abstract stuff. I haven’t done that over the last two years. They were studio sessions that made you dance. Body music. It’s a very minimalistic drum style, I would say. I dance all over home now—nonstop dance music. DJ Times: So this one is meant for the dancefloor? Allien: It’s a club-focused record, I would say that. DJ Times: Your voice appears on a lot of the record. Is that something you put there to leave your mark on a record? Allien: I try to use my vocal like a synthesizer. I want to give it a human touch, but in a very electronic way, like a robot or something. That’s in many tracks I play in my sets. I like that futuristic thing. DJ Times: Is it inspired by the nightlife scene in Berlin right now? Allien: I think it’s the way we feel in a Berlin club, or what we would play in Berlin versus what I would play [in the rest of the world]. Sometimes here in Miami, I can’t go so dark. I mean, look at the sunshine and openair! It changes my feelings. If I were to play in Berlin in a club, it would sound like this album. DJ Times: How is the clubbing scene over in Berlin? Allien: There are many clubs that aren’t very active on Facebook or other social media and press, but they

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DJ TIMES 16

are completely full. There’s IPSE, an open-air location by the river where we run parties. There’s a big outdoor floor and then a warehouse, which opens in the evening around 10 p.m. or something in the summer—it’s amazing. It’s fantastic. There’s SchwuZ, a gay club where I play twice a year. It’s a social center. There’s three floors. DJ Times: Sounds amazing. Allien: I think it’s a very healthy scene. Berghain has really strong door politics because it’s originally a gay club. Watergate is great—not so big, not so stressful. Griessmühle has an open-air floor, and it also has a little inside floor. There’s so many clubs. When I play in Berlin, I mix it up with gay parties and our own parties. I played twice with a first-generation DJ Tanith—he’s more breakbeats and a very radical sound—at Globus [Tresor’s house floor] on Sundays. It was amazing. I want to run parties in the winter again at Tresor because it’s amazing. The location is fantastic and it’s not so commercial in a way, you know? It’s a very, very good crowd and the location is so, so good. I have to say: I love it there again. I think it’s really coming back, and the lineups are so intense, so good. The booker’s doing a really good job. Berlin’s [clicking]. It’s 100-percent there. DJ Times: It’s pretty interesting that you play gay clubs in Berlin. Allien: I like gay clubs – they’re always very mixed with a lot of [different] people. It’s funny, when I play in gay clubs, I’ll have fans from other countries arriving there. They’ll be like, “Ellen, is this a gay club?” Yes, it’s a gay club! And then my gay friends will be like, “This guy is cute!” but he’s not gay! [laughs] I like gay clubs because they’re very sexual, and for me clubbing is something very sexual and very body-based. I like to flirt in clubs. I also like to flirt with gays, but [I do not] have sex with them. It’s very uplifting, I think. I also like that the gays have space there, and the idiots can’t enter. If they were there they might see them kissing and stand in the corner laughing at them—they cannot enter these clubs and that’s amazing. It’s a safe place. DJ Times: You mentioned clubbing being very sexual. Is that what the track “Call Me” is alluding to on the album? Allien: You are very clever. It’s actually about Grindr and all the things happening on your mobile phone. You’re checking photos: dicks, asses, whatever. This guy is too big, this guy is too small. It’s insane! I like to have that attraction when you see a person from afar and then talk. I like to go up to the person that I like, you know? I don’t need to see it on my mobile. I have many friends that [use their phones for that]. That’s why I created the song because of how they Beep! Let’s meet. Press button, that corner in 10 minutes. It’s fast sex, choosing the person you want. I keep it more open because sometimes I meet people that are very sexy, but you have to talk to the person to get their character, which can be very sexy. If I see only the face, the person could be [making themselves look better for their profile]. DJ Times: The underground queer dance scene’s been thriving in the United States in the past few years. Have you seen that? Allien: I played with Kim Ann Foxman and DISCWOMAN [at Good Room]. There were many gay people this past Friday. Fantastic. In the morning, there were guys with no shirts dancing—the way I like it! Girls kissing on the tables in front of me. Those moments I love. For me, gender does not exist, in a way. It’s a lie. There’s one track on Planningtorock’s last album All Love’s Legal where she sings about it, and she’s so right. That’s how I feel. DJ Times: The subject of female representation—or lack thereof—on festival and club lineups is a hot topic in the dance-music scene right now. As a woman who’s (continued onpage 40)

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In being careful to remain relevant and appealing to younger generations, mobile jock Kevin Porter in Rock Hill, S.C., says he stays in shape by regularly walking and watching what he eats, and also subscribing to Top Hits USA to stay current with new music. “I try to stay away from a lot of fried foods,” he says, “and I’ve quit eating wedding cake at every event.” Beyond those healthy aspects, Porter says he’s also keeping up with young people by training his 11-year-old son Braden to become a DJ, taking him to events whenever kids are present. Leading up to the upcoming graduation ceremonies and parties, we’ve asked today’s mobile DJs how they continue to appeal to younger audiences. As we age, what ways have we found to continue drinking from the fountain of youth to maintain both our physical and professional relevance? What types of music do we listen to in order to stay current? What publications or blogs do we regularly read in order to keep up with the younger generation? Do we color our hair, or are we careful to keep aware of fashion changes? “Most DJs tend to stick with what they know and what they’re comfortable with,” says Jay Friese of Signature Sounds in Bristol, R.I. “If you want to do events geared toward a younger clientele or want to keep floors packed at any event, you really need to have your finger on the pulse of the music industry.” In keeping up with the latest music trends, Friese says he’s a member of four record pools, plus he gets serviced directly through the Def Jam label. “On top of that, I’m constantly listening to other DJs’ sets to hear what tracks they’re playing that I may have missed,” he adds. “And I always try to incorporate new music in my sets at most type of events—unless, of course, my client only wants a specific genre.” Besides keeping up with tunes, Friese says he also regularly peruses online sources such as Facebook along with DMS and DJCity. “I also try to go to the gym three to five days a week to train, mainly doing CrossFit,” he says. “I also stay in top of fashion trends and hairstyles, though I don’t watch the reality shows.”

Over in the Midwest, mobiles tell us that mixing it up with the youth and surrounding themselves with young people works best in order to stay current, at least for school dances. “I try to have young people be the lead for our kids events,” says Keith “K.C.” KoKoruz of The Keith Christopher Entertainment Group in Chicago, Ill. “At my age, I have the confidence that the school needs to know that we’re all professional, insured, well-managed, etc.” Besides subscribing to Promo Only’s Pool digital service to stay current with music, KoKoruz says he relies on his younger staff to take the lead as he maintains the role of manager and administer. “Personally, I think the majority of the [older DJs] who do things like color their hair look fake, and I think that most clients and their guests can tell the difference,” he says. “Unless you have ‘celebrity’ money to hire the best people, I just choose to be my own age. “Again, I choose to not be a performer for the younger crowd. I choose to represent myself as the boss who cares for the client by overseeing my people on the job. For example, if we’re at a large homecoming dance, I may have 10 people working the event doing various things, from those who do set-up to the lighting techs to photo-booth operators to the strike crew.” Blake “DJ Sticky Boots” Eckelbarger in South Bend, Ind., says his late father was a master at maintaining relevance as a DJ, by constantly staying engaged and active with both new music and youth-oriented events. “When I was still in high school and DJing more and more all the time, my dad was in his mid-50s, but still rocking homecomings, proms and other school events every weekend—not to mention buying new music every week,” he recalls. “He always had the local Top-40 station playing in the car to keep up with tunes and he truly enjoyed the music—even though he also loved Big Band and the ’50s and ’60s oldies of his own high school and young adult years. “My dad continued to DJ high-school and middle-school events until his early 70s, and was the only senior citizen I’ve ever known who could sing along to ‘Get Low’ or the latest Katy Perry record – definitely an inspiration.” Now, at age 42, Sticky Boots says he tries to emulate what his dad did by constantly staying in touch with whatever new music is current. “Of course, as a producer of a nationally syndicated Top-40 radio mix show, The HyperMiXx, that’s kind of my job, too,” he adds with a chuckle. “Every week I’m analyzing airplay, sales and streaming data for new music; watching for trends; and seeing what records are breaking and what songs are gaining strength or falling. “I’m talking with all the major record label reps every week to find out about new music, new artists and what’s in the pipeline. I’m constantly discussing new music with my fellow radio DJs and programmers, to see what people in other parts of the country are buzzing about.” Probably most importantly, Sticky Boots says he goes out into schools and colleges every weekend, playing the hits, testing new music, and getting requests and feedback from kids about what they really want to hear. “It’s in these places I’m hearing about brand-new records that are exploding out of YouTube as the next viral dance sensation or the next artist to watch,” he says. Sticky Boots subscribes to several online music services to help get the latest music, but explains that even the best of those songs tend to be behind the curve of what the kids are actually enjoying. “So the best information comes from the streets themselves and from the label’s A&R people who are signing and developing these new artists,” he explains. “Pools are fine for a typical wedding or private event, but for schools you need to be more proactive and you may have to download a record occasionally from iTunes or SoundCloud before it even appears in a mainstream pool.” The same concept can apply to fashion, Sticky Boots says, though he says he’s not trying to look or act like he’s 18-years

old again. “I think it’s important to stay on trend with your fashion, lingo, and music, but at the same time kids are smart,” he explains. “You’re not going to fool them into believing you’re 20 or 30 years younger, and if anything you’ll come off looking like a douche if you try to completely emulate their style and slang. “You’ll also probably be behind the curve anyway… which is never a good look. Just be yourself, and if you’re in touch with what’s happening, kids will still respect you and simply consider you a cool older person.” Of course, when it comes to remaining relevant in this industry, he adds that it’s important to stay healthy just in order to stay alive. “Being a DJ,” he says, “is such a physical thing—especially if you don’t have roadies to do the lifting for you—so staying strong with good flexibility is the key to not getting injured and having the stamina to do your job. “I maintain an active lifestyle with lots of walking, biking and daily training with P90X3 [workout], which is awesome because it works not just on strength but flexibility and balance, too. A good fitness program goes a long way in making long days and nights on the road easy, especially when you can’t always eat healthy or at regular times.” Eckelbarger says he also takes breaks, leaves the office on time most days, and generally just takes time to enjoy his life, his family and his downtime. “At least for me, life is about more than bragging about crushing my 80-hour-weeks at the office or taking every single event I can get,” he says. “Balance keeps us feeling and looking young.” Down in Goodyear, Ariz., Ray Martinez of Ray Mar Productions says staying young mostly means keeping current with the latest music. “Just look at Tony Bennett,” Martinez says. “Tony is 90-years old and beloved by so many younger artists, because he keeps up to date with the artists and their music. When young 20- or 30-year olds meet me they don’t ask my age, but I do tell them that I have over 40 years’ experience in the music industry. That makes me an expert in my field, so they respect the knowledge I have that most younger DJs may not have received. “The key is doing your homework and being prepared for the job regardless of a DJ’s age.” Martinez says a legend in the sports world—Hall of Fame baseball broadcaster Vin Scully—is another example of someone who has stayed relevant in his career by behaving young, yet utilizing his experience to maintain prominence. “Vin broadcasted Dodger baseball for 66 years until his retirement this past year, and he’s served several generations of baseball fans,” says Martinez. “Even today, Scully serves as an inspiration to broadcasters and DJs alike. If you know what you’re talking about and come across as knowledgeable, age doesn’t matter. Experience matters. “I personally have worked with both Tony Bennett and Vin Scully, and have learned a

lot from their expertise, the love of their respective fields, music, sports and finally their passion for their work.” Up in Seattle, Wash., Adam Tiegs of Adam’s DJ Service, is inspired by his own two children—5- and 10-years old—to keep the edge as the younger generation comes more and more into play, and he continues entertaining for grade-school children. “I really don’t care about fashion,” he says. “I don’t color my hair or wear Abercrombie & Fitch, but what keeps me current is keeping up with what songs are in kids’ movies, reading the Billboard and Beatport charts, especially the charts in DJ Times, and simply listening to and writing down requests at events.” By downloading music through a subscription to Promo Only (or ERG or BPM or Prime Cuts), Tiegs says

he keeps music in his collection that younger people want to hear. “I also subscribe to a few record labels on YouTube, follow some artists on SoundCloud and Pandora,” he says, “and I listen to specific channels on SiriusXM and Music Choice by Comcast. “A DJ secret, though maybe not anymore, is BarBangerz. It’s a site started by a local DJ here in the Northwest who supplies DJs with mixable edits, loops and transitions. I love the content—articles, blogs, videos—that’s shared on the site to keep me current with DJ, production and music news. “But having kids myself—seeing what they’re into and being able to put together playlists with my kids for the events I perform at that require newer, family-friendly music—is the key.” For years, Scott Goldoor of Signature DJs in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., says he’s been subscribing to Promo Only’s Mainstream and Rhythm Radio music service. “They hit on 90-percent of anything that younger kids or that the Z-Generation/Millennials are looking for,” Goldoor says. “With so much new music coming out seemingly every day, I also check out Billboard Top 100 from time to time, listen to XM radio every day, and do try to stay on top of current events on television shows, series and the like. “It also is nice that my girlfriend’s daughter just turned 18, so that helps a little with the pulse on music. In addition, I’m currently in the process of training three new DJ candidates—ages 19, 20 and 22—and I’ve DJed some college and campus parties. “The trickiest and most difficult to stay up with seems to be the Mitzvah ages and Sweet 16s. We perform at dozens of these events each year, even though we’re wedding specialists.” When it comes to keeping in shape and maintaining a younger look, Goldoor says he’s fortunate to have a high metabolism. “I try to stay active, ski in the winter, golf in the summer—walking the course whenever possible, though golf isn’t really a highly aerobic and heart-pumping activity—play some tennis, do mountain and bike-rides, and take part in 5K runs and Spartan & Mud Races here and there. “I actually think of this whole topic and situation often, as most of my DJs—currently eight on roster now—have been with me for at least 10 to 15 years. We were all in our 20s and 30s, but are now mostly in our 40s with a couple 50s-plus... “Though my girlfriend does want to do a little coloring of the sides of my hair—especially when it’s n short—as my grays are starting to come through a little more and more!”

WITH WMC, ULTRA FEST & CLUB EVENTS, DJS DOMINATED MIAMI Miami Beach, Fla. – This past March 21-26, the DJ and dancemusic world descended on South Florida for a variety of events – Winter Music Conference, Ultra Music Festival and a variety of club events and private parties, including the SiriusXM Music Lounge and the Remix Awards, which was presented by Digital Music Pool and Remix Top30 Countdown as a part of The Music Lounge by BMF Media + iHeartMedia. It all looked like this:

MIAMI MUSIC WEEK 2

1 Arcadia Spider: Ultraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Resistance Stage. aLIVE Coverage 2 Anjunabeats: Andrew Bayer & Ilan Bluestone. Nathan Navarro 3 Strike a Pose: Eats Everything at ME Miami. Alexander Tamargo 4 Hardwell at SiriusXM Lounge. Gustavo Caballero 5 Legend: Grandmaster Flash at Basement. Carolina Fernandez 6 Paradise: Jamie Jones at Basement. Carolina Fernandez 7 Music Lounge: Nervo rocks the Remix Awards. Michael Gloria 8 Remix Award: Fenix accepts from Armin vanBuuren. Michael Gloria 9 ASOT Stage: Armin van Buuren at Ultra. aLIVE Coverage 10 Tritonal at SiriusXM Lounge. Gustavo Caballero 11 MoodDay: Martin Buttrich at Raleigh. aLIVE Coverage 12 Ultra Scene: Future & DJ Snake. Rukes.com

13 Big Bang: Ultra fest confetti. aLIVE Coverage 14 The Trophies: Remix Awards at W Hotel. Michael Gloria 15 Lauren Lane & Guy Gerber at ME Miami. Alexander Tamargo

16 Megastructure: Carl Cox in the mix. aLIVE Coverage 17 MoodDay: Dubfire at The Raleigh. aLIVE Coverage 18 Fedde Le Grand on Ultraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mainstage. EDMkevin.com 19 Cosmic Gate at Anjunabeats party. Nathan Navarro 20 Ka-Boom: Fireworks over Ultra fest. Rudgr.com 21 Wigged Out: Carl Cox at Basement. Carolina Fernandez 22 Homeboy: Cedric Gervais at Music Lounge. Gustavo Caballero 23 CafĂŠ Mambo Ibiza: La Fleur at ME Miami. Alexander Tamargo 24 ME Miami: Hot Since 82 in the Mix. Alexander Tamargo 25 In the Mood Radio: Nicole Moudaber & Sasha. aLIVE Coverage

MAKING TRACKS STUDIO…HARDWARE…SOFTWARE…

NEW MACBOOK PRO: APPLE’S UPDATE By Wesley Bryant-King

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a two-part review that takes a look at new additions to the Apple’s music ecosystem. In this entry, Wesley Bryant-King reviews the new MacBook Pro, and investigates whether desktop computers or laptops/notebooks are the better choice for studio computing. The annual trek I make to Anaheim, Calif., with DJ Times editor Jim Tremayne for the Winter NAMM Show has in recent years taken on a predictable cadence: There are multiple halls filled with the latest in music gear from across the spectrum; there are multiple meetings with some of the biggest (and smallest) names in DJ and pro audio; and often I’ll return home with the promise of getting some new gear (for review) in the near future. This year, I returned with Apple’s new MacBook Pro installed with Logic Pro X software. The timing couldn’t possibly have been better. My old studio computer was starting to get a little long in the tooth, and I was on the horns of the decision about whether to invest in a new MacBook Pro myself, or opt instead for a new iMac. This would give me a chance to try it hands-on for an extended trial. But I’ll come back to the “this-vs.-that” question in a bit. The New MacBook Pro: It’s been several months now since Apple introduced the new update to the MacBook Pro (MBP in Apple-head speak), and it’s clear the company is proud of what they’ve come up with. Frankly, I’m suitably impressed as well. What the company loaned for review was for all intents and purposes an off-the-shelf configuration for one of its latest 15-inch versions. Sporting the innovative Touch Bar (which replaces the standard function keys), Touch ID (as found on the company’s iPhones and iPads), a 2.7 GHz quad core Core i7 processor, 16 Gig of memory, a 1 TB SSD drive leveraging the latest ultra-high-performance NVMe technology, a stunningly

New MBP: Top performance, cutting-edge tech.

gorgeous 2880x1800 Retina display with wide color gamut, and a Radeon Pro graphics subsystem — along with the company’s updated (and larger) touchpad — it is, putting it mildly, a really, really nice computer. Apple’s reputation for producing high-performance, cutting-edge products is arguably well-deserved. Using the loaner MBP, I quickly fell in lust with it, and the primary reason is that it’s blazingly fast. Perceived (and actual) performance of a computer for studio use is a complex and not always clear combination of disk performance, memory capacity, and processor specs. I’ll leave the technical deep dive to the tech press, but I will say a few things about the MBP on this front. First, let’s look at the SSD — solid state drive — that forms the storage subsystem of the machine; Apple is using cutting-edge memory and interface technologies that provide incredible read and write speeds, which will make itself apparent for loading and saving projects — but also in using sample-heavy synth plug-ins, and projects with lots of audio tracks. But this technology is not cheap; as tested, this MBP would set you back a whopping $3,200. One potential drawback of the MBP is that its maximum memory configuration is 16 Gig. Whether or not this is a problem is probably a question of what sort of projects you work on. I’ve frequently run into memory constraints with certain relatively modest music projects in Ableton Live on my existing 8-Gig-capacity MacBook, so I still believe that 16 Gig seems too constrained a limit at a time when, relatively speaking, memory is cheap. That being said, I wasn’t able to throw anything at the eval MBP that it couldn’t handle. One of the major changes in the new MacBook Pro is the switch to USB-C ports for all connections, including power. USB-C is the latest USB technology, which offers high-performance data transfer, and the flexibility to use the same plug configuration for all uses: power, external hard disks, and other peripherals (sound cards, Ethernet, keyboards, monitors, etc.). Apple is a bit ahead of the curve here; comparatively expensive USB-C adapters are required to connect legacy USB hardware, and not a whole lot of peripherals come in a USB-C configuration yet. Another difference is that Apple dispensed with its nifty MagSafe connector for power; using USB-C removed the MagSafe safety feature of the power cord easily popping off if you trip on a cord. Going USB-C means a return to potentially watching your expensive laptop go right off the tabletop if you have the occasional clown-foot problem around your power cord.

MAY 2017

what you need today, or replace the computer earlier than you’d hoped tomorrow. Since I’d not used the portability of my current system that much, I next looked at an iMac. One advantage of this route is that the system can be configured to hold as much as 32 Gig of RAM, addressing that memory availability issue mentioned earlier for the foreseeable future. Considering that the memory itself can be changed out in the field, I could configure it from Apple with limited memory, and save a considerable amount of money by upgrading it myself post-purchase. The price? About $2,800, for a system with considerably more processor horsepower, more memory, and just as large of a hard disk as the MacBook Pro. One problem is that updated iMacs have been expected by Apple fans for a long time now, and as of this writing, are still not forthcoming. So no USB-C, and no latest-generation Intel processors. I decided for the spend, I’d rather wait until Apple gets around to a new iMac. In the meantime? I discovered that my existing MacBook Pro — which Apple insists supports only 8 Gig of RAM maximum — actually supports 16 Gig of RAM if you install it. Finding the right memory was easy; one Amazon order later, and sure enough, it worked great. Which left only the storage capacity problem; I was out of space for more music software installs and continuing project work. The local computer store had a great deal on a 1 TB SSD that fit my system perfectly, and the Time Machine backup capabilities of Apple’s operating system made the disk upgrade incredibly simple in terms of my data. Final spend? About $300. Sometimes a little tweaking to what you have ends up being the right answer for the budget. Conclusions: Apple’s new MacBook Pro is a phenomenal piece of engineering, offering extremely high performance, sexy good looks, and cutting-edge technologies throughout. It impresses from its specs to its aesthetics, and represents by many accounts the fastest notebook computers currently available. As with all things Apple, you will pay a premium. While that’s always been true of the MacBook Pro line, the premium has gone up in this latest update. Is it worth it? For some, likely so, but you may save money and have even more horsepower if you forfeit portability and opt for a desktop computer. That’s probably the route I’ll take in the next 12 to 18 months, once Apple gives the iMac line a facelift. Until then? It appears I’ve managed to make my nearly five-year-old MBP deliver a little more utility, for a little while longer.

DJ TIMES

Finally, the Touch Bar interface of the new MBP has been the subject of some pretty blasé coverage in the broader press. Most reviews I’ve seen have expressed doubts about the utility and value of the approach. My reaction was completely different, and I’ll explain why in part two of this review. All in all, the new MacBook Pro is a heck of a computer, with the latest technology, offering incredible performance across the board. I found it to be a great choice for studio work, but the high cost may hold a lot of potential users back from considering it seriously… which is a great segue to the next section. Desktops vs. Laptops/Notebooks for Studio Use: As I said at the outset, my existing studio computer (an older MacBook Pro) was feeling a bit long in the tooth, and I’d already set about comparing options for upgrades. The choices, for me, were between a new MacBook Pro (as reviewed above), or a new iMac desktop computer. Apple has certainly proven (to me, anyway) that a laptop configuration has plenty of power to do what’s needed in the studio. Much of the question of desktop vs. laptop/notebook comes down to how you use your computer, and your budget. A few years back, I first decided to use a MacBook Pro — a 13-inch, mid-2012 model — as my studio machine. While it was limited to 8 Gig of RAM, I fieldupgraded the hard disk from a conventional one to an SSD drive, and found it had decent performance for my needs. Indeed, it’s served me well for over four years. One of the main reasons I decided to use a MacBook for my studio is the flexibility to take the machine with me on the road to work on music projects whenever, wherever. I love that flexibility, even though I’ve not used it much; most of my musicmaking happens in the studio. Still, I wanted to retain that flexibility going forward if possible. The main issue with that plan was that in my desired configuration (which included an upgrade to a 2 TB SSD) brought the price tag of a new MacBook Pro (like the one I reviewed) to $4,300. (Also, $1,200 of that price is an upgrade from the standard 512 Gig SSD to the 2 TB SSD.) Quite frankly, that’s a price point I just couldn’t swallow. But neither was I willing to compromise on the capabilities; if I’m spending that much money, I want to make sure that the specs are going to do what I need today — and provide some room to grow. All my music software, plus all my music projects, requires a lot of space already. Roll the clock forward a few years? That 2 TB will be essential, and considering that the storage capacity cannot be field upgraded in the new MacBooks? Well, order

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PORTABLE, POWERFUL: PEAVEY RBN SYSTEM

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

By Mike Klasco & Tony Russell

For nearly a generation now, powered portable loudspeakers have remained a popular product category for mobile DJs. Compared to most traditional passive speaker/ amp systems, many of these active systems generally reflect value for the dollar over excellence in sound quality. Yet, no matter how skillful and artful the DJ’s talents, it is the speaker system that “has the last word.” As we all wish for having our cake and eating it, too, we would want the precision and sonic quality of a studio monitor with the dynamic range and robustness of permanent-install club speakers – all in a transportable speaker. Of course, if you throw enough money at most challenges, you can often get what you wish for – and this is the case of Peavey’s RBN 112 self-powered speakers and its powered RBN 215 Sub. The units from the RBN series are competitively priced – a pair of RBN 112s costs about $1,600 (MAP) and an RBN 215 Sub runs about $1,100 (MAP). Let’s start with the bi-amped RBN 112 full-range speakers. The bass drivers are top-grade with a 12-inch dual-voice coil neodymium woofer with cast aluminum, field-replaceable basket. The high frequencies are handled by a 120-mm (5-inch) ribbon tweeter driving a waveguide (horn flare). Ribbon tweeters are used in critical applications from studio monitors and to Dolby Atmos surround-sound first-run theaters. The typical compression driver/horn is no match for a ribbon’s clarity and definition. The Tops: The RBN 112’s molded enclosure has side and top handles for easy transportation, multiple fly points, and a bottom pole-mount receptacle. Each unit weighs in at 39 pounds with the following dimensions – 24-inches high, 14-inches wide, and 14-inches deep. The electronics are equally wellequipped with XLR/¼-inch combo inputs, mic/line inputs and even a 3.5-mm input jack. On-board advanced digital signal processing includes compression/limiting, sub-sonic filters, 9-band EQ, and bass enhancement. The rear-panel setup wizard features an LCD

RBN 112: Ribbon drivers, on-board DSP.

Plenty of Boom: Peavey’s RBN 215 Sub.

screen and built-in VU meter. The power amp boasts 1,500 watts of (combined bi-amp) peak power output. The Subwoofer: Now we get to the RBN 215 Sub… like the RBN 112, it features two XLR/¼inch combo inputs, a 3.5-mm input, and a mic/line level selection and 2,000 watts (peak). Each input has sub-sonic filters, a 9-band graphic EQ and delay. Outputs include compressor/limiter and fast high-pass/low-pass filters for crossover function and external subwoofers. Internal temperature monitors plus level and clip indicators and forced fan cooling – a bit noisy when at full tilt fan speed, I would mention. (Editor’s Note: According to Peavey, it’s an issue that “has been addressed” in the most recent editions of the unit.) The dual 15-inch subwoofer enclosure is constructed of braced 18-mm (5/8-inch) birch plywood, locking casters and heavy-duty steel perforated grille. This subwoofer is tuned down to 36 Hz and deliver’s profuse deep bass. At about 150 pounds and dimensions of 27.5-inches width, 35-inches height and 24-inches depth, you may require some help moving this guy around. But, again, the unit’s heavy-duty casters certainly help. And now I pass the system onto Tony “DJ Tonyroxxx” Russell for his field review… The DJ Test: I was excited to have the chance to test the new Peavey RBN system, and right off the bat the equipment looked like quality stuff. The system has heavy-duty construction and, when you power up the RBN 112 speakers, they look tricked out with the blue light inside highlighting Peaveys ribbon technology. I also received two of the RBN 215 subs. Let’s start with the 112s. Set up was easy, like it is with most powered PA speakers – you mount them, plug them in and turn them on. There are some nice features on the RBN 112 units, including a bass-boost feature which I used when I took them out for a small gig I had where I used them without the subs. The amount of sound that comes out of these smallish units is impressive both in the clarity and the amount of bass. There is a built-in EQ, crossover and limiting, so you have a complete package here for many applications. The RBN 112s worked really nice without the subs – they sim-

ply sound great. My only thing I didn’t like (and it’s being very nit-picky) is when there is no sound or a break in the music, the fans on the ribbon units are very loud. (Editor’s Note: Again, Peavey says it’s an issue that’s been corrected.) But then, they aren’t meant to be studio monitors. These speakers can get really loud. On the initial gigs, I wasn’t able to push it anywhere near its full capacity. Moving to the RBN 215 subwoof-

er… wow. These things have some serious boom. I took them to a New Year’s party and this is what it’s all about – great lows, and I couldn’t push them to their max on this night. It was just too much power for this particular gig, but I could tell I had plenty of overhead to spare. This does not happen often when testing DJ gear! Both speakers and subs come with two channels inputs, the EQ, thru

outputs and most everything you would expect to see on these type of speakers. What I liked about them was the rock-solid construction and the combination of great sound with plenty of power. The verdict? With this RBN system, Peavey has a winning set-up here in my book. If you have any questions for Sounding Off, please send them to djtimes@ testa.com.

MOBILE PROFILE CAREERS…INNOVATIONS…SUCCESS STORIES

“Now I am doing

MINNESOTA DJ PUSHES PLAY

what I wanted to do when I was a kid and not many people can

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

By Stu Kearns

Marshall, Minn. — Ask Rob Anderson about his first time and he’ll tell you he was fairly young—14, to be exact. “I was in the 8th grade and they needed a DJ for the 7 th-grade school dance,” he says. “The one they had booked cancelled on them, so I told them I would do it.” Accordingly, he lugged the home-stereo system and CD player along with all his CDs—about 200 at the time, in the days before you could burn your own with all the hit songs on one disc. “So, each CD had maybe two or three good songs on them,” he says. “It was a lot of CDs to carry. I ran the whole show and played songs for around two hours. I had a blast taking requests and playing songs and being the head of entertainment.” After telling you about this, his first time, Anderson will then retract that, and say, “I was even younger, actually, when this all started, around 7-years old. I would get a blank cassette tape and record songs off the radio, and pretend I was the radio DJ and record my voice announcing the songs, the weather, and sports.” Sound familiar? “I think back on that and I think of all the people that wanted to be something when they were a kid,” he recalls. “Some wanted to be a baseball player, some a police officer, some an astronaut. I always wanted to be a DJ. I always wanted to be in entertainment and in music. I guess you could say that now I am doing what I wanted to do when I was a kid and not many people can really say that.” True indeed, and Anderson credits his mother for supporting his endeavors. “My mother has always supported me in my life, no matter what it was,” he says. “If she agreed with what I was doing, she encouraged me to follow my dreams and my heart. Now there was one time that a childhood friend of mine and I made one of those cassette tapes and we said some things on there that kids our age shouldn’t have said. Needless to say, she wasn’t too happy about that at all. But she has always encouraged me, because it is what I love doing.” Anyway, it wasn’t long after Anderson’s 7th-grade debut that he bought his first DJ system and started doing small parties. As he got older, those parties began occur-

really say that.”

Rob Anderson: “I always wanted to be a DJ.”

ring at local bars, along with karaoke. About 10 years ago, he started to see he could make decent money as a part-time endeavor. “I always knew there was money to be made at it,” he says, a realization that came in handy six years ago when Anderson lost his regular job, a food-sales gig. “That’s when I really started pushing it harder, doing it more and growing as a business,” he says. “The money was good and the more I did it the more my reputation grew and the more my phone rang. Right now, I have this set-up that, if I needed to, I could turn this into a full-time job. It has gotten that busy – every week I get two to five phone calls or emails from people asking about my services.” The biggest challenge was promoting his company name—Push Play Entertainment—and getting established. Social media and a web page helped that along. “They’ve been huge for me,” he says. “Nowadays, I believe that if you want to have a business you need to be online in some way. The first thing that potential brides do when looking for a DJ is they Google it, or ask for suggestions on Facebook. The wedding shows were also a huge help for me. That was a springboard to get me in front of 150 brides right away.” In his southwest Minnesota market, which is nearly three hours west of the Twin Cities, but only 80 minutes from Sioux Falls, S.D., Anderson says most of his bookings come from people who were at one of his gigs, or through a referral. “My reputation has gotten to be very good and people trust the opinion of their peers,” he says. “Also, Weddingwire.com has helped a lot, too.” Although primarily a single operator, Anderson does enlist the help of some DJ friends at times, if he needs it. “And the more and more I am growing with lighting, activities, and possibly a photo booth this year, I am considering having someone come along with me to every show to help out.” His current gear set-up is a diverse one. The PA consists of a Bose loudspeaker system (Panaray 802 III tops with a 502B subwoofer) powered by QSC Audio PLX 2402 and PLX 3402 amplifiers. Playback is executed with PCDJ software and a Mackie 1202-VLZ Pro Micro Mixer. His lighting includes a mixture of ADJ and Chauvet pieces. ADJ units include Inno Pocket Spot moving heads, Inno Pocket Scan effects and Inno Pocket Roll effects. Chauvet units include EZGobo projectors and various SlimPAR uplights. For video, he uses an Epson projector-and-screen combo. Anderson says the one lesson the transformed his performances was stagecraft—in other words, do not be afraid to talk in the mic. “It’s the one thing that separates the good DJs from the bad—the ability to talk on the microphone and keep the crowd engaged. Once you have them, you have them. But once you lose them, it is hard to get them back.” He also learned to keep everyone involved, from the kids to the grandparents. “Do something to get them involved in the fun, and the sooner you do that, the better. The last thing I want is for someone to say they did not have a good time.” Anderson sees the business growing, not just in volume but in performance. “I want to be constantly adding more to it,” he says. “I believe in doing more than just playing music. I want to add more in lighting, games, activities. I want people to enjoy the night and I want to be the guy to help them with that. How many people can say they do that?”

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BUSINESS LINE SALES…MARKETING…SOLUTIONS…

WEDDING-GIG TIPS FROM THE EXPO FUTURE By Mick Uranko

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

Mick Uranko is the owner of Uranko Productions, a mobile-entertainment company in Pottsville, Pa. At the upcoming DJ Expo this Aug. 14-17 in Atlantic City, N.J., he’ll helm a seminar, “Increase Your Current rates—and Get Paid More for the Services You Offer.” Here are some of the highlights:

Magazines like The Knot are filled with amazing ideas on how to pick out the perfect dress, honeymoon location, flowers, and lots of money-saving ideas for your wedding. The one thing lacking is information on how to book the perfect wedding DJ, which as we all know is one of the most important vendors on a wedding day. In order to demonstrate our value as DJs, we should come up with a campaign on educating our clients. I do include my prices with my first response to their inquiry. This is important because I want to pre-qualify my clients before just throwing out a number. My current client education campaign includes an email that details everything that’s included in my price quote. My first reply back to potential brides includes a statement where I define who my perfect bride is—so not only am I prequalifying my client financially, I am also prequalifying them socially and making sure they have a personality that fits my brand. Doing something similar will allow you to work with the best brides. I encourage you to develop an education campaign/program for your new inquiries. Do not just send out your prices and hope for the best. If you take my approach you will come across to the bride as the expert since you are sending her more information than a typical “yes, your date is available, this is how much I charge, would you like to reserve the date.” The next step that I typically follow is setting up a time to discuss details about their wedding reception. I ask them in the first email about setting this up and to make sure that we are the perfect fit for

each other. My best advice I have for you when having this first conversation is listening to what their idea of a perfect wedding reception is. Ask them what would they would like to happen to consider their wedding a huge success. They are basically telling you how can you win them over. I sell a lot of my services because I can relate them back to the bride’s idea of a perfect wedding. Providing your brides and grooms with different options and new ideas on how you can make their wedding the best will make you stand out. Here is a real-world example on how I sell my services: The bride tells me that she is the last of her friends to be married and that she wants her wedding to be memorable and romantic. I replied with, “So what you’re telling me is you want to beat all of your friends.” She laughed. I said, “OK, let’s take a look at the first five minutes of your wedding reception to set the tone for the day. What if we had all the lights off prior to your entrance and, as I announce you to come into the room, the uplights are turned to your colors as you pass by? During your first dance, we stage a cloud to appear as a surprise from your fiancé to you that your guests will think was actually a surprise. As you all are dancing in the clouds on the TVs, I am going to have a slideshow of your photos and during the second verse, instead of hearing your song, it is going to be a recording of personal messages to each other. “Since you are going with TVs, I can actually set up a time to video-record your messages, so not only will everyone hear them, they will see you all on TV. So, what do you think—does that just beat all of your friend’s wedding receptions? That was just the first five minutes of your wedding – think about what I can do for the other four hours!” I just sold $2,500 in additional services for the first five minutes of her wedding. The average bride has no idea that we can provide this experience for them unless you paint the picture and sell the experience. Your Current State & Tracking Progress: In order to determine where your company stands, you need to understand your current state. In other words, why are brides booking your services? Every time you book a bride you should be sending them an email, which includes three simple questions: 1) Why did you book our company compared to others? 2) How did we compare price-wise to other companies? 3) Is there anything we can do to improve your experience with us so far? Answers to these questions will provide you with excellent insight on your current state. Even though we all like to think we win bookings because we can mix better than the other DJ, my clients book me because of all the info I send to them. They trust me that I will be able to give them an amazing experience; probably the most eye-opening reason I found they booked me was because I returned their emails in a timely manner. This process will also help you define your brand and also change the direction. When Brides say to me, “Thank you for all of your info – we will take it into consideration and compare your price to others,” I politely reply with, “I don’t want you to book me based on my price.” I want to be booked by the bride that is so excited she found my company that she shares my name and what experience I can provide to all of her friends. On the other hand, I do take a similar approach to the brides that don’t book my services. I ask if they wouldn’t mind filling out a survey; using this style of tracking progress will allow you to improve your brand. I was recently told I was not booked because the other company was more familiar with the venue. I made the mistake of not reaching out to the venue when the inquiry came in to introduce my services and at least make the first connection with the venue. Since I “lost” this client after I have sent all of my info and we had a conversation about how I can improve everything, I should have reached out to the venue prior to our conversation so at the very least I could connect. We all, including myself, like to think that if a bride books someone else, her wedding will be ruined! That may or may not be the case, but what you can do to reconnect is send her a congratulations card or email a week after her wedding. You would be surprised the amount of work she will send your way if her experience was less than spectacular.

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

SV8 is Enough BASSBOSS 9501 Cargo Ave, Ste. 600 Austin TX 78719 (855) 822-7770 www.bassboss.com

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

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

Pioneer’s DJM-250MK2 is a two-channel mixer that comes with free license keys for rekordbox dj and rekordbox dvs. Features include three-band isolators, a Magvel crossfader, ¼-inch stereo and 3.5-mm mini headphone jacks, and filters on each channel. The unit comes with a built-in sound card that allows users to connect the mixer to a PC/Mac with a single USB cable and use the bundled rekordbox dj application to mix music files stored on your computer via Pioneer DJ multi players.

B ASSBOSS’ SV8 Powered MicroMain is designed with a rubber surround on the 8-inch woofer, as well as a large port in the cabinet above the woofer grill for enhanced low-frequency performance. It offers 117dB of sustained output in satellite mode and maximum output of 120dB. The SV8 includes a comprehensive digital signal processor built into the 700watt Powersoft amp, as well as four presets that allow the speaker to be used either as a full-range system, a satellite for a small subwoofer, or as a main speaker with a larger subwoofer.

All Hands on Dekker

Come On, Get Appy

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

Akai Professional 200 Scenic View Drive Suite 201 Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-4032 www.akaipro.com

The Mini Dekker LZR from ADJ is a 2-in-1 combo effect that consumes a maximum of 33 watts of power and can run for up to 50,000 hours. The moonflower effect is created using two 10-watt RGBW quadcolor LEDs, focused through 48 separate angled lenses, while the laser effect is positioned between two sets of the derby moonflower lenses on the front of the unit and powered by a potent combination of a 30mW (532nm) green laser diode and a 100mW (650nm) red laser diode.

Akai’s iMPC app, which had previously been an iOS exclusive, is now also available as an exclusive to Samsung phones and tablets as an in-app purchase inside Samsung’s Soundcamp. The app features 1,200 samples, 50 editable programs, 80 editable sequences and MPC workflow. It comes with a variety of built-in effects—including delay, bit crusher and master compressor/limiter—and features a 16 Levels mode and Note Variation slider.

Hustle and Headland Flow

Leave Your Numark

Native Instruments 6725 Sunset Boulevard, 5th Floor Los Angeles, CA 90028 (866) 556-6487 www.native-instruments.com

inMusic/Numark Industries 200 Scenic View Drive Cumberland, RI 02864 (401) 658-3131 www.numark.com

Native Instruments’ HEADLAND FLOW is a new MASCHINE Expansion that features a Southern R&B-flavored sound palette. It features vintage drum sets recorded by more than a dozen different microphones running from an analog mixing board to a stereo bus compressor. There are bass and electric guitars, as well as vintage keyboards, in the toolkit, which the company describes as “soulful keys, bluesy bass lines and funky breaks played by live musicians on top of traditional drum machine programming.” Tracks can be exported to MASCHINE STUDIO, MASCHINE JAM, MASCHINE and MASCHINE MIKRO for completion.

Numark’s NS6II is a 4-channel DJ controller with dual USB ports, two built-in 2-inch high-res display screens and the full version of Serato DJ. The NS6II contains a standalone mixer that lets users connect two turntables or external media devices o the RCA line/phono inputs and instantly switch between them. The unit features capacitive-touch technology in the platters and knobs. Additional features include 24-bit sound quality and two microphone inputs with independent EQ.

Overbridge the Gap

Drag & Beatdrop

Elektron Music Machines 1340 E 6th St #632 Los Angeles, CA 90021 (213) 935-8521 www.elektronmusicmachines.com

Beatdrop Box www.beatdropbox.com

Elektron announced version 1.15 of its Overbridge software suite. Overbridge 1.15 adds support for the stereo analog sound processor Analog Heat, as well as macOS Sierra support. In addition, the upgrade offers other fixes for the Analog Rytm and Analog Keys/Four software, such as Dark and Light GUI themes and MIDI keyboard/pad for note triggering integrated in GUI. Overbridge 1.15 requires OS upgrades for all Elektron machines.

Beatdrop Box is an app designed to help amateur DJs and producers find relevant record labels. DJs are able to upload tracks and choose from more than 250 electronic music genres, and then once a song is “played, liked and favorited relatively often, labels in that genre automatically receive a link to the track,” according to the company. The app is free and, the company states, “producers stay 100-percent owner of all their rights, always.”

MAY 2017

GEAR

DJ TIMES

AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

GEAR AUDIO…LIGHTING…STUFF

Picture Perfect DNP Imagingcomm America Corporation 4524 Enterprise Dr NW Concord, NC 28027 (704) 784-8100 www.dnpphoto.com The WPS Pro allows event photographers to print directly from Wi-Fi enabled capture devices without the need for cables, memory cards, or an internet connection – ideal for photographers that require on-demand wireless printing workflows. WPS Pro allows photographers to roam, capture and wirelessly print candid shots. The WPS Pro Wireless Print Server works with DNP’s DS40, DS80, DS620A, DS-RX1HS and DS820A dyesublimation printers to print directly from Wi-Fi enabled capture devices. The device prints in both glossy and matte in a variety of sizes, including photo strips, square prints, 4x6, 5x7, 6x8, 8x10 and panoramic.

Pixel Sticks

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

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

The PixelStorm COB Mini from Blizzard Lighting uses six 25-watt RGBAW COB LEDs to create a wash with pixel mapping effect capabilities. It comes with wiCICLE-enabled DMX jacks, three separate pixel group RGBAW intensity levels, strobe effects, 33 built-in auto programs, two sound active modes and up to 10 custom static colors. The unit operates in sound active mode via master/slave and offers flexible pixel control with 5/6/11/18/23/30 or 38-channel DMX modes.

ETHRA Or Zero-G www.zero-g.co.uk ETHERA Soul Edition from Zero-G is a Soul & Gospel vocal instrument for Kontakt featuring the voice of Clara Sorace. The Phrases section includes 12 patches full of soul and gospel vocal phrases that can be mixed, combined and manipulated using the GUI controls. In addition, there is a Choir Legato instrument that features a choir and a Phrase Builder that is available in Solo Legato and Polyphonic modes. ETHERA Soul Edition features a complete FX section that includes chorus, flanger and phaser, compressor, EQ, filter, convolution reverb, overdrive, delay, amp simulator and cabinet simulator.

Make the Upgrade Serato Private Bag 92015, AMSC Auckland 1142 New Zealand +64 9 379 4944 www.serato.com Serato DJ 1.9.6 is now available to download. The new update offers a variety of what the company calls stability and performance improvements, as well as official support for the Reloop RMX-90 DVS four-channel mixer. Feature improvements including Favorite FX Banks, Chronological Loops, Reordering Loops and Enable/Disable Hot Cues as an option. Pitch Play mappings are now available for supported hardware and the upgrade features such DVS improvements as an Anti-Drift option to stabilize BPM, Smart Sync and improvements to needle drop sensitivity.

Sponsored By

TRACKS…MIXES…COMPILATIONS

“THE ANSWER” (OLIVER HELDENS EDIT) u HI-LO u Heldeep Heldens, here using his deep-house alias, samples up Danny Tenaglia’s Celedafronted classic (1998’s “Music is the Answer”) to great effect. With its feel-good, catchy vocals matched with a retro, robotic melody and a perfect future-house bassline, this one will work your dancefloor. Irresistible.

– Matt Clark “TOUCHED BY HEAVEN” u Paul van Dyk u Vandit With this thundering new single to support his ongoing U.S. tour, PVD’s back in a big way. Launching with a heart-pounding kick drum and a sizzling synth riff, this one gets the blood moving from the jump. Before too long, however, the track takes a melodic turn with a breakdown that’s, well, heavenly. If this doesn’t brighten your day, nothing will.

– Jennifer Harmon “RESIST” u Josh Wink u Ovum On this tight, nervy, acid/techno groover, Wink drops a stern, but trippy vocal loop (“Resist!”) that builds in resonance. Simple, but effective – a mantra for the moment.

– Jim Tremayne “DANCING TOGETHER” (EXTENDED MIX) u Fedde Le Grand u Darklight/Armada A bit of a departure from some of Fedde’s work, this anthemic groover drops a soulful reminder: “People of all nations… dancing together.” More along the lines of a progressive-house tune, piano and all, yet this one’s equipped with a techy drum line that gives it a fresh vibe.

– Jennifer Harmon “FOLLOW ME” (REMIXES) u Aly-Us u Strictly Rhythm The 1992 master-classic house track has been reworked by Erik Hagleton, who maintains the original flavor, but keeps it contemporary by adding a thudding, underground bassline and a dope, percussive break. Love it!

– Tommy D Funk “RENEGADE” u Hot Since 82 u Knee Deep in Sound Though it opens with a simple, but memorable bass pattern and a whopping kick, this moody/groovy house track’s really furthered by its atmospherics. When the beat’s introduced, we also get a gated synth loop, as well as a melody that’s delayed to thicken the sound. Great for late-night action.

Fedde Le Grand

– Matt Clark “LEVITATE” u Richard Lowe u Vandit Exuding an air of triumph, this uplifting, catchy track delivers all the classic trance accompaniments – but most crucially, its housey kick and clap allow it to really stand out. Still, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine, as it concludes on a darker note with a nice, dirty bassline.

– Jennifer Harmon

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

MIND SIGH u zenxienz u zenxienz Music

Experimental electronic producer Cameron Williamson (aka zenxienz) drops a bold, new take on trip hop, broken beat and so much more. Fresh and raw, the sound gets jazzy, futuristic and positively psychedelic. Check the bewildering title track, the heady “On Fire” and ultraquirky “The Divide.” Great chillout room material.

Anthony El Mejor

– Phil Turnipseed GLITTERBOX: LOVE IS THE MESSAGE u Various Artists u Glitterbox Another great disco-house EP that delivers some great dancefloor moments – stylish and sexy as hell. Faves include: Soul Rebels’ “I’ll Be

Oliver Heldens

Josh Wink

Hot Since 82

Joe Claussell

Oscar P

Guest Reviewer: Oscar P

“THE IDEA” (FRANKEY & SANDRINO REMIX)

u Hyenah feat. Lazarusman u Freerange Paul van Dyk

Mihai Popoviciu

When Afro meets techno, only good things can happen. The original made the rounds in 2016, but the remix (initially available on the Buddha-Bar Clubbing 2 CD) has given “The Idea” new life. Hyenah delivers cuttingedge, raw and African-inspired sounds, seemingly custom-made for DJs like Dixon, Âme, etc., but Frankey & Sandrino follow suit and devise a remix that aspires to top the original. Unstoppable, an essential track of the afro-tech genre.

Good” (Dr. Packer Remix); Kings of Tomorrow’s “Tear It Up”; and King Unique’s “Love Is What You Need” (Dr. Packer Remix). Top-notch.

– Tommy D Funk “HIGHER HIGHER” u Anthony El Mejor u Sirup This track brings a classic-house feel with its sole 4/4 kick, vibey keys and distorted vocal loop. With the introduction of white noise and a deephouse bassline, the build develops well and the drop really delivers with the hypnotic vocal carrying the day. All groove, all the time.

– Matt Clark “FICTION” EP u Mihai Popoviciu u Poker Flat

IP1 u HundredMillion Thousand u Thousand Records Using traditional Middle-Eastern sounds, producer Noel Jon combines thick hip-hop vibes with rappers to create an adventurous journey that’s both pleasing and refreshing. Top cuts include “Yalta,” “Rescue” feat. Cab’ral, “Serbians” and “Exalted.” Way left, but way cool! Terrific full-length.

– Phil Turnipseed

DJ TIMES

– Tommy D Funk

MAY 2017

Popoviciu, one of Romania’s best-kept secrets, delivers a terrific, silkysmooth four-tracker. The title cut, “Twisted” and “Interconnection” all offer sensual vibes, slinky grooves and a touch of Chicago acid house – a must for tech-house jocks.

Sleepy & Boo

(continued from page 8) dancefloor as the vehicle to transmit this message. DJ Times: And Frequencies? Boo: Frequencies looks at the idea of transformation from a different perspective. It’s been proven that sound waves themselves have power, both to heal and to disrupt. In particular, the 440 Hz tuning scale that is currently in use as the worldwide standard, is not the natural scale of 432 Hz. By changing these frequencies, you can change a lot of things in the world around you. Music can be so much more than just fun and entertainment – and to us, that’s a very powerful idea. Vibe-wise and musicwise, both of these parties are about underground sounds, deep house, techno—and we play a lot of our own productions at each of these parties, many that we have made with that 432 Hz tuning. DJ Times: You launched a weekly Illusion Radio show on Pioneer DJ Radio. What’s the inspiration there? Sleepy: It’s a lot of fun to do this

show, because there’s just such a huge amount of great music and tracks out there right now. Not all of them fit into a club set. So, we launched it in conjunction with our Illusion night at Cielo, and the radio show is another platform to showcase music we like and support. Each show is an hour long, and we try to vary up the vibe throughout it, typically starting off very deep and then heading to more of a driving, techno finish. It’s also another outlet for our own productions. You can listen live on the Pioneer DJ Radio site, on their app, and all the shows are archived on Mixcloud. We tweet during the broadcast, too, so everyone listening can know who is this track, who is the artist, what label, etc. DJ Times: Last year, 2016, was a very big year for you production-wise. What were some of the biggest moments/releases for you? Boo: The biggest release for us was having our two tracks “Skyway” and “Signal Crossing” included on

the Yoshitoshi Deep End compilation. We’ve been huge fans of Yoshitoshi for years now and it feels great to have your music be a part of such a pioneering label. We also put our four EPs on 3Bridge Records, which is a label from New York that our friends run. So being able to collaborate with people you’re close with is always a lot of fun. DJ Times: Has the increase in production changed the way you DJ at all? Sleepy: The more time you spend working on productions, it definitely changes the way you look at music overall. We get inspired by so many different producers and labels, and now, instead of just liking a track, we’ll say to ourselves, “That sounds really cool, what if we tried doing something like that?” Having our own tracks out, we always make sure to include them in our sets when we are DJing. And, of course, we use our sets as a way to fine-tune tracks that we’re currently working on. It’s definitely a feedback loop, because when we’re

DJing we’re thinking about our tracks, and what we should try in a production. And when we’re working on music, we’re thinking about how this track will go over on the dancefloor. And it’s inspiring and encouraging when you play out an original track and see the crowd connect with it. DJ Times: What’s in store releasewise in 2017? Boo: Our first release will be on Cenote Records, which is a label that is run up in Burlington, Vt. And we’re working on a remix for Where the Heart Is Records, a label here in New York. We’re talking with Yoshitoshi about more releases this year. We have plans to start our own label and get that going. One of our goals is to do a lot more production this year and just get better and better with our own music. It’s a lot of fun and very rewarding and also a lot of work and patience. Creation is power, and we’re striving every day to tap into that source and energy. – Chris Caruso

hopefully move it around the world. “What I sought in moving to Los Angeles is different to what I gained,” he continues. “I was searching for the center of the EDM world, running into people and building face-to-face relationships. What I found was an audience for what I like to do in a big way, which I never really had.” At these parties is where Tomaszewski can really let loose in his DJ

sets, experimenting with styles, pulling from songs he sorts by BPM, with a crowd that is receptive to all sounds. As he graduates to festival stages, his USB has playlist folders created based on vibe, organized by transitions he feels work well, in order to be better organized. “As a DJ in a club, you can get kind of weird and caught up in something, but it’s easy to get yourself out of

there,” says Tomaszewski. “On the bigger stages, I find myself getting caught up, and sometimes things aren’t working, I’m stressed and I don’t have a goto to get back on track. That’s where the playlists are rising from, being more prepared as a DJ – and then I have to remember to play my own songs. I’m always forgetting to do that because I’m so into what I’m doing.” – Lily Moayeri

more inclusive of women and queer identities? Allien: In Berlin, it was always like this, and for me as a woman I never felt strange because I am a woman. There weren’t so many, of course. There are so many women in music now – promoters, bookers, publicists, singers, who sell more than the men! In techno, maybe DJ life is complicated because you travel a lot. Even many men can’t deal with that because they take too many drugs and fuck it up. It’s not an easy life, touring and DJing in the night. Maybe that’s why the girls are a little slow [to take to it]. I heard at Beatport that 95-percent of their sets are from men, 5-percent from women. It’s unbelievable. It’s insane. I don’t know if it’s true; I have to ask our digital distributor FineTunes again for the numbers. But I said that’s why I DJ: to show the girls you can do it! Look how many years I’ve been here and I’m not fucked up or whatever. I’m happy, I have a boyfriend, I can live my life even as a DJ. OK, I have no baby, but it’s my choice.

DJ Times: What about the crowds when you play? Allien: When I play, I’m very happy because many girls are coming. In the past, guys would say, “With two girl DJs, no girls are going to come to the club.” When I play? I have more girls than boys, much more. I think DJ girls bring back the girls [to the club]. It’s very important! That’s why the promoters have to book the girls primetime: to bring the girls! If there are only men on the dancefloor, the men are bored. They don’t look good; they’re not happy. DJ Times: You book the girls, the girls come out to the club, and then even the men are happy. Allien: Yes [laughs]! DJ Times: On the album, “Jack My Ass” and “Stormy Memories” have some very key acid elements. It feels like acid house has been having a revival recently. Allien: It’s been there forever! DJ Times: Well, it just seems like it’s everywhere in the past year or two. Why is that?

Allien: It’s because many producers found acid tracks again. It’s there again, but it was always there, people and the media just talk more about it. There’s an acid movement [happening], but I think with acid it’s very important in how it’s mixed up because it can be very boring. There’s so many old tracks [played] again and again; I don’t need another Phuture track. It’s up to how the people use it. Also, acid lines are in house music and people don’t realize that it’s a 303. DJ Times: “Jack My Ass” is quite a title. How did that track come to be? Allien: “Jack My Ass” is a little bit like move my ass. I tried to create a track that’s very groovy and has acid lines inside, but not so clearly acid. It’s all about the beat structure, actually. If you listen to it on not-so-good speakers, you don’t hear it, but in the club it’s grooving your ass off. It’s so, so, so, so groovy. It was a body-jack track for me, which makes me dance. It’s all about the arrangement of speeds, the basslines—it’s very important. DJ Times: What are some of your

JSTJR

(continued from page 10) which has worked out to the benefit of the music. “The audience on the internet that’s loving this music is huge,” says Tomaszewski. “If you got all of them at a venue, it would be the biggest thing, but there is no concentrated spot for it physically. That’s what we’re trying to do with Plugged In, bring this club music that was born on the internet into the actual club—first in L.A., then

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

Allien

(continued from page 12) DJed since the 1990s, what are your thoughts on the current state? Allien: When I look at festival lineups, they’ll book only one woman maybe. Why don’t they book the two together to play with each other? It’s always me, or Nina [Kraviz], or Monika Kruse, or Nicole Moudaber. Why don’t they book us together and then two men? DJ Times: At Amsterdam Dance Event last year, you threw your We Are Not Alone party with an all-female lineup. Is that something you’re looking to do when throwing parties? Allien: Yeah. I started running BPitch Control parties with a gay guy before I started the label, and we booked only women. It was 1998 when some clubs closed, and we had no clubs, which is when I started running the parties with only female DJ lineups. I don’t do that all the time anymore, but sometimes. It’s really hard to book the girls together because there aren’t so many and you have to bring them together. DJ Times: Is clubbing becoming

MP3s in 6

Compiled As April 13, 2017

NATIONAL CROSSOVER POOL CHART

NATIONAL URBAN POOL CHART

1 Katy Perry Chained To The Rhythm 2 The Weeknd F/ Daft Punk Feel It Coming 3 Clean Bandit F/Sean Paul & Anne-Marie Rockabye 4 Bebe Rexha I Got You 5 Brian Justin Grum F/ Toy Armada & DJ Grind Show Me Love 6 Ed Sheeran Shape Of You 7 Zayn F/ Taylor Swift I Don’t Wanna Live Forever 8 The Chainsmokers F/ XYLO Paris 9 Pavlova Burn Bright 10 Sia Move You Body 11 Vali Ain’t No Friend Of Mine 12 Rihanna Sex With Me 13 Robin Schulz & David Guetta F/ Cheat Codes Shed A Light 14 Zedd F/ Alessia Cara Stay 15 Tony Moran & Dani Toro F/ Zhana Roiya Lick Me Up 16 Alessandro Coli I Betcha 17 Sander Kleinenberg F/ Dyson Feel Like Home 18 Maroon 5 F/ Future Cold 19 Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Vs. Diplo Hey Baby 20 Dan Slater & JimJam F/ Nalaya Brown Minute Of You 21 Martin Garrix Scared To Be Lonely 22 Axwell ^ Ingrosso F/ Kid Ink I Love You 23 Marian Hill Down 24 Bruno Mars That’s What I Like 25 Alan Walker Alone 26 Rod Carrillo Alegre 27 Tony Valor Up & Away 28 Calvin Harris F/ Frank Ocean & Migo Slide 29 Alesso Falling 30 Salt Ashes Save It - UK Mixes 31 Blondie Fun 32 The Chainsmokers & Coldplay Something Just Like This 33 Sigma F/ Birdy Find Me 34 Brooke Candy F/ Sia Living Out Loud 35 Nevada F/ Mark Morrison & Fetty Wap The Mack 36 Bright Light Bright Light Running Back To You 37 Gia 7 Live And Shine 38 Lady Gaga John Wayne 39 Jonas Blue By Your Side 40 Goldfrapp Anymore

1 Drake 2 Chris Brown F/ Usher & Gucci Mane 3 J. Cole 4 Khalid 5 Gucci Mane F/ Drake 6 Dj Khaled F/Beyonce & Jay-Z 7 Fat Joe & Remy Ma F/ Ty Dolla $ign 8 Big Sean 9 Migos F/ Lil Uzi Vert 10 Kehlani 11 Travis Scott F/ Kendrick Lamar 12 Bibi Bourelly 13 6lack 14 Jeremih F/ Chris Brown & Big Sean 15 PartyNextDoor 16 Future 17 2 Chains F/ Quavo & Gucci Mane 18 Rae Sremmurd 19 Rick Ross F/ Ty Dolla $ign 20 Omarion

Most Added Tracks

1 Calvin Harris F/ Frank Ocean and Migos 2 Lorde 3 Gia 7 4 Zedd F/ Alessia Cara 5 Zayn F/ PartyNextDoor 6 Machine Gun Kelly F/ Hailee Steinfeld 7 Dave Audé F/ JVME 8 Axwell ^ Ingrosso 9 Goldfrapp 10 Marian Hill F/ Big Sean

Slide Green Light Live And Shine Stay Still Got Time At My Best Back 2 Love I Love You / F Kid Ink Anymore Down

Capitol Republic RRP Warner Brothers Prop D Atlantic RCA Columbia Republic RCA Rostrum Roc Nation Warner Brothers Interscope Swishcraft IP One Armada Interscope Mad Decent Swishcraft RCA Def Jam Republic Atlantic RCA Carrillo TVI Columbia Def Jam Radikal BMG Columbia Astralwerks RCA Capitol Selfrising Stiletto 7 Interscope Capitol Mute

Columbia Republic Stiletto 7 Interscope RCA Republic Audacious Def Jam Mute Republic

Fake Love Party Deja Vu Location Both Shining Money Showers Moves Bad And Boujee Distraction Goosebumps Ballin Prblms I Think Of You Not Nice Mask Off Good Drink Swag I Think She Like Me Distance

Most Added Tracks 1 2 3 4 5

Wale F/ G-Eazy Russ Future Kendrick Lamar Drake

Fashion Week Losin Control Mask Off Humble Free Smoke

1. Grupomania Si Me Quieres No Me Quieres 2. Luis Fonsi feat Daddy Yankee Despacito 3. Prince Royce feat Shakira Deja Vu 4. 24 Horas Por Favor 5. La Banda Pegadita de Los Hombres 6. Prince Royce feat G Ortiz Moneda 7. Jose Alberto “El Canario” Ese Tipo Soy Yo 8. Juanes Fuego 9. Hector Acosta Amorcito Enfermito 10. Grupo Niche El Coco 11. Hector “Pichie” Perez Cada Dia Te Quiero Mas 12. Don Omar feat Sharlene Taute Encanto 13. Toño Rosario Dale Vieja 14. Carlos Vives Al Filo De Tu Amor 15 Aymee Nuviola Rumba De La Buena 16. Don & Peter Perignon Ahi Na’ Ma’ 17. Sebastian Yatra Traicionera 18. Farruko Don’t Let Go 19. Jaycob Duque Mal De Amores 20. Florangel Ay Amor

Music Pool - Los Angeles, CA; Bob Ketcher n Soundworks - San Francisco, CA; Sam

REPORTING LATIN POOLS

- San Diego, CA; DJ Drew n Dj Stickyboots - Goshen, NJ; Blake Eckelbarger n Nexus

Labelle n New York Music Pool - New York, NY; Jackie McCloy n Dixie Dance Kings Alpharetta, GA; Dan Miller n Mixxmasters - Lithonia, GA; Brian Stephens n DJ Laszlo - Las Vegas, NV; Laszlo Szenasi n Pacific Coast - Long Beach, CA; Steve Tsepelis

Mania Music Universal Sony La Oreja Media Group Merenhits Sony Los Canarios Music Latin Hits Dam Music Select O Hits SBD Prod. Latin hits Ent. Cerro Music Summa Ent. Top Stop music Andujar Music Universal Latin hits Mayimba music Latin Best Music

Most Added Tracks

Radio - Chicago, IL; Manny Esparza n Kahoots - Columbus, OH; Ilan Fong n Next

Peter K. Productions n Masspool - Saugus, MA; Gary Canavo n Dirty Pop Productions

Atlantic Columbia Epic Interscope Republic

NATIONAL LATIN DANCE POOL CHART

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

REPORTING POOLS

Republic RCA Interscope RCA Atlantic Epic Empire Def Jam Quality Control Atlantic Epic Def Jam Interscope Def Jam Warner Brothers Epic Def Jam Interscope Epic Atlantic

Deorro feat Pitbull & Elvis Crespo Rolf Sanchez Edgar joel V.I.P feat Tazz, Areli,LProfeta, J miguelo Becky G feat Cnco

Bailar Paso a Paso Hacha y machete Toketeo Todo Cambio

Mr. 305 Sony Promo V.I.P Music Summa Ent.

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.

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

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

favorite tracks off the new album? Allien: “Stormy Memories” is very beautiful. I think it’s a very Ellen Allien track. “Physical,” I also like a lot. I love that track so much. It’s so good in the club. It’s a bit trippy, groovy. The structures are very beautiful, I think. It’s very beautiful to dance to it. DJ Times: I assume you’re going to tour even more after the album’s out? Allien: I don’t think I can tour more than I do now! DJ Times: What are some your favorite clubs to play and what are your favorite clubs to dance at? Allien: I like to play at DC 10 a lot in the summer because it’s very special to me. I live in Ibiza in the summer, and I have a lot of energy. I always go out, and I go there even if I’m free. Even if I’ve played four times that week, I go to hear the DJs. I meet so many people there from all over the world. To play there and to dance there is fantastic. The sound system is not the best, that’s why sometimes it’s difficult if the DJ is pushing the sound system too much. It can be a nightmare. DJ Times: I bet. Allien: I love to dance at IPSE a lot because the sound is very good. SchwuZ is lovely. Berghain is great if you want to have a techno kick; you can dance there for many hours. It’s great. I love to dance at Fabric because the dancefloor is hanging so you feel all the basslines go through your body. It’s fantastic . It feels so good to dance there. I have to say the level of clubbing these days is so, so, so, so good. DJ Times: You just played at the massive new London venue Printworks. How was it? Allien: Oh my God... Printworks.

So good. It’s a 3,000-person club and you have these high ceilings—very industrial. Sound system is good, and for techno it’s fantastic. DJ Times: Does techno work better in that sort of industrial environment? Allien: I think that techno works everywhere if the people go with you. I mean, you can play techno anywhere; it’s up to the techno you play. If you play strong, very industrial techno, it’s better in places like that, but you can play hypnotic techno everywhere—it’s just how much time you have. DJ Times: You’ll dip into a lot of different genres when you play: techno, house, acid, breaks, etc. Do you know where you’re going to take that set when you start? Allien: I never think about what the DJ before me is playing; it’s more about the sound system. Here [in Miami] I couldn’t play [vinyl] records at all, so I have my hard drive today. It’s always about the sound system. In Detroit, for example, I took many risks. I said to myself, “I can make a very sure set,” but I listened to some DJs and I said, “No, I don’t want to do that here.” It’s fucking Detroit! This is where a lot of music I grew up with came from. I have so much respect for Detroit and the U.S.A.—there was a big line between Berlin and Detroit, you know? I said, “Here I take risks.” Where else? The needles were jumping, but I said I’m playing records, and I’m doing it! DJ Times: It was a big moment. Allien: It’s always up to what kind of possibilities I have. Sometimes if I go too far, people don’t want to follow because they’re coming from radio music or whatever. They’ve never listened to a real DJ, only safe DJs.

DJ Times: So are places like Berlin and Detroit places where you can go further? Allien: And London, Tokyo, also. Italy, Spain. Many countries! My booker is trying to not book me in places where I can’t go deep, but sometimes I have to do it: like in Miami sometimes for [Winter Music Conference]. Even yesterday [at Crosstown Rebels’ Get Lost party], there was a lot of deep house and normal house nonstop. I can’t get crazy there, so I have to try and find the balance. I can do it, though—it doesn’t hurt me because I’m flexible. Not very flexible, but flexible! Flexible for friends [laughs], like Damian Lazarus. For [him] I can deal. If there’s a good vibe, I can do anything. DJ Times: Do you always travel with vinyl? Allien: All the time. DJ Times: What are the challenges of that? Allien: I switched from vinyl to digital because it felt good to find everything on the internet. It was a dream for me. [I’d spend] 30 hours on the internet doing research for everything. Then one moment I’d find out that I could only find a track as a MP3—I don’t play any MP3s because it doesn’t sound good in the club—so I had to buy some records they didn’t put out digitally. I started buying records to get the music to digitalize them, and then at the end I asked, “Why am I digitalizing them?” I also digitalized my record collection because some records are nearly [worn out]. I still do it—I have 10,000 records, you know! I started buying records again, and then I said, “Let’s take the records to play them!” I started to play a few of them, and then I fell in love again. For example, I played in

Argentina in Buenos Aires. I took my heavy records, and I could play two hours on vinyl! People are so happy to listen to records. For me, it’s a different kind of mixing—more elegant. If there’s the possibility [to play vinyl], everyone’s happy. So I carry them most of the time, just to have the possibility to play them. DJ Times: You mentioned playing in South America. What’s it like to play there? Allien: In the cooler areas, you have to do many things to make the people woo and get crazy. In the hotspots, they are really fun. It’s great. The people are very into it and lovely! I meet many girls and have a bunch of girls around me; they take care of me, I take care of them. They’re very warm people, so it’s very good for clubbing. Clubbing means groups: taking friends, meeting new friends, having an open mind, talking to each other, and smiling. There are many, many beach clubs down there that are very beautiful. DJ Times: Is it part of a DJ’s responsibility to play so clubbers can make these connections and experiences together? Allien: I think it’s a very important chapter of clubbing. There are some DJs that go to club, play, and go home. That’s also possible. Why not if your set was very good? I prefer to stay in the club to feel the crowd better. I’m a raver! I like to meet people. Alright, sometimes if you’re tired, it’s not possible—I have to sleep. I’m always running out of time sleeping. I want to look good, so many times I have to leave because my plane is five hours and I need to sleep three. But if I have the time, I stay or I go out by myself. I think the DJs that are more connected are better DJs. n

Mad Villains: Up in Smoke…

DJ TIMES

MAY 2017

Ummm…

You know, weed is practically legal in 28 states now…

What was I just talking about? Mad Villains, Next Month in DJ Times

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