Rob Swift Rocs for Raida

Posted by DJ Times on May 16, 2012 in All, Products | Comments Off

Anthony Williams (aka Roc Raida)

On Sept. 19, 2009, one of our great DJ/turntablists passed away. Anthony Williams (aka Roc Raida) was only 37 when he succumbed to a cardiac arrest due to complications that arose from a physical-training accident. He left a wife and three daughters.

Rob Swift, one of his colleagues from the legendary X-Men/X-Ecutioners scratch-DJ crew, has a special project that commemorates his dear friend and helps support Raida’s surviving family. Here’s Rob:

This May 17th marks what would have been Roc Raida’s 40th birthday. Unfortunately Raida isn’t here to rejoice with us, but it doesn’t mean we can’t. Thus, I ask YOU, Raida’s fans, not to mourn his death on his birthday. Instead, celebrate his life by supporting this project.

Although Raida only lived to be 37, he accomplished more in those 37 years than some people do in a lifetime. The odds were stacked against Raida from childhood. The odds say a young man who drops out of school will never make it out of the projects. But Raida not only left Harlem’s Foster Projects as an adult, he left New York and made a home for his wife and kids in Maryland. The odds say an aspiring DJ without turntables will never be able to perfect his skills. But Raida initially developed his style by going to other people’s homes and practicing on sets that didn’t belong to him. The odds say once you retire from battling you’ve given up your chance to win a world DJ title. But Raida came out of a three-year retirement and won the 1995 World DMC Title. The odds say once you die, the world moves on without you. But through the support of many of YOU for my mixtape “Roc For Raida,” the memory of Anthony Williams (aka Grandmaster Roc Raida) continues to live on. The odds have always been stacked against Raida and even in death, he continues to defy those odds.

So for those of you who’ve purchased “Roc For Raida,” on behalf of Tyeasha Williams (Raida’s wife) and their three kids, Tia, Nyra and Asia, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart. To those who haven’t bought a copy of “Roc For Raida,” I urge you to please support. Proceeds from the sales will be donated to Tye and the kids. But if that isn’t enough incentive, I hope my latest “Roc For Raida” video trailer will move you to Roc For Raida!

Here’s a description of the video: Members of the X-Men and X-Ecutioners recently reunited to celebrate the life of Roc Raida at the “Roc for Raida” Listening Party at Scratch DJ Academy in New York City. DJs Sean C, DJ Diamond (Diamond Jay), Mista Sinista, DJ Precision, Rob Swift, and Boogie Blind gathered to reminisce about Roc Raida and showcase routines for an intimate crowd.

Check out the video from the event here.

Purchase ROC FOR RAIDA on CD at http://www.djrobswift.com/music or for download on http://djrobswift.bandcamp.com

Honorable mention to Rane and Scratch DJ Academy for helping me Roc For Raida this year!

Peace,

DJ Rob Swift

A Psybient Soiree: A Look Back

Posted by DJ Times on Apr 17, 2012 in All, Products | Comments Off

Monticello, N.Y.—“Rock n Roll Resort v2: A Psybient Soiree” took over Kutcher’s Resort and kept the place raging from Friday March 30th all the way through Monday morning. The beats pounded and the bass rumbled across four stages with dancefloors radiating full of smiles and energy.

Day 1 highlights included Phutureprimitive, Simon Postford’s Hallucinogen project and a late night Shpongle DJ set accompanied by live painting with Alex and Allyson Grey. Fans dressed up as video-game characters.

Aside from the “Masquerade Ball,” the Day 2 highlight, and potentially the most extraordinary set of the whole weekend, came from OTT who blew the crowd away with a spacey electronic extravaganza.

Day 3 concluded with a “Pajamas Party” and performances by LeSpecial, Jeff Bujak and an array of DJs spinning at the Fractaltribe Pool Party.

– Words & Images by Ashley Suszczynski

Here’s what it looked like:

Diplo & AXE Keep Athens Well-Fed, Smelling Fresh—For “One Night Only”

Posted by DJ Times on Apr 11, 2012 in All, Products | Comments Off

40 Watt Night: Diplo turned on the college crowd.

Athens, Ga. – This past Friday the genre-defying DJ and producer known as Diplo transformed the 40 Watt Club, Athens’ historic indie-rock stomping ground, into an EDM madhouse. With Lunice and Chiddy Bang in tow, he tore the roof off one final time to conclude AXE “One Night Only”, a seven-date headlining tour of college campuses across the U.S.

Tickets were free, but only for those worthy enough. Specific dates and locations were announced via AXE’s Twitter and Facebook pages just days before each event, and the only way for hungry college students to nab tickets was to chase down the AXE bus and demonstrate their undying love for all things Diplo.

Up in Charlotte, UNCC students could be seen stripping down to their underwear in the pouring rain, performing their best “worm” dance to please the almighty AXE ticket-bearers. For University of Georgia students in Athens, a simple “Go Dawgs!” and some boisterous barking seemed to suffice.

For those with no shame, begging via Twitter might have gotten your name on the list. One crafty fan even threatened to fill the 40 Watt with Old Spice deodorant spray if AXE didn’t cough up some tickets!

Following solid opening sets by Lunice and Chiddy Bang, a multitude of foam glowsticks were distributed, and the man of the hour walked onstage, sporting a Liturgy Aesthethica t-shirt. In trademark goofy Diplo fashion, the first thing he said to the screaming mob, some 500-strong, was, “Who wants some fruit?” He then proceeded to toss oranges and tomatoes into the crowd, continuing this ridiculousness throughout his set.

Never bound by genre, Diplo expertly intertwined his own sassy beats with hip-hop hits such as Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Niggas in Paris,” A$AP Rocky’s “Peso,” and Tyler The Creator’s “Yonkers.” We never figured out what set him off mid-set when he played Darude’s “Sandstorm”—maybe someone wasn’t getting their daily intake of vitamin C?—but luckily, we were only punished momentarily.

Crowd favorites included “Que Que” (a collaboration with Dillon Francis, featuring Maluca), “C’mon” (a collaboration with Tiësto), “Paper Planes” (the hit he produced for M.I.A.), the venerable “Pon De Floor” (released as Major Lazer), “Express Yourself” (his latest single from his upcoming EP, complete with a much-appreciated front-row champagne shower), and an unreleased Major Lazer track.

Diplo treated us to at least seven “last songs” to close the night out,  the anticipation growing each time as he shouted, “This is my last track, guys!” Of course, this was shortly followed by, “Oh, you want one more?”

Alas, the night did eventually come to an end, though the exhausted crowd was clearly satisfied with the pandemonium that had just occurred. Thanks, Mr. Diplo.

– Chris Davis

Ultra Music Fest: A Look Back in Pictures

Posted by DJ Times on Apr 10, 2012 in All, Products | Comments Off

Miami, Fla.—EDM festivals are bigger than ever and, now that the dust is well-settled (and all the pictures are in), here’s a look back at one of America’s biggest—Ultra Music Festival—held this past March 23-25 at Miami’s Bayfront Park.

Drawing over 165,000 fans, UMF presented the very best DJ/artists from the global EDM community, including Kraftwerk, Laidback Luke, Skrillex, Carl Cox, Ritchie Hawtin, Afrojack, Avicii (with a very special guest), Zeds Dead and more. Maintaining a dedicated exhibit booth, DJ Times was proud to serve as a media sponsor for the three-day event.

Here’s what it looked like:

CT in the House: Tiësto at Mohegan Sun

Posted by DJ Times on Apr 6, 2012 in All, Products | Comments Off

No Fluff: Tiësto dropped tougher tunes.

Uncasville, Conn.—Believe it or not, Connecticut is no stranger to dance music.

With the growing proliferation of electronic music on Top-40 radio, some of the biggest names in house are coming to the state and drawing huge crowds—Avicii, Kaskade, Max Vangeli, Laidback Luke, etc.

But, has the scene reached a point where “the biggest DJ of all time” can fill a 10,000-seat venue? Apparently, Tiësto thought so and that’s exactly what he did this past week at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville.

The evening started with the Dutch duo, Bingo Players, who looked like they just hit the lotto jackpot—which I suppose is almost as good as the opening slot on the Tiësto tour. They eased us into the vibe with a low-volume set feature largely vanilla electro and mainstream dance hits from the likes of Guetta, Daft Punk, and remixes of radio staples. With little in the way of stage production and lighting, I struggled to stay awake, but the crowd on the floor was too amped to stay still. And by the end of their set the lighting tech pressed a button, the engineer boosted the fader and the energy really picked up—perfectly setting us up for the big show.

Anticipation built with a small pause between the sets. Lights began to move, the volume swelled and the 50-foot LED wall came to life. The sheer size of the stage production was awe-inspiring, even before the man of the hour hit the DJ booth.

Just then, Tiësto strolled onto the stage with a wave and a coy smile like he knew what was coming, and you wished you did. He wasted no time and began a total onslaught of energy, but not the typical fluffiness of trance. It was a mosh of aggressive, distorted basslines, stabbing synthesizers, and soaring female vocals, all mixed with aplomb. The festival-level production was complete with pyrotechnics, futuristic motion graphics, and confetti canyons, which got the floor jumping in unison with hands in the air and spirits just as high. Even the people on the upper levels were dancing on their seats.

Over a full two and half hours, Tiësto achieved the full ebb and flow of a seasoned, professional DJ set, perfectly timed to manipulate emotions and senses like a Broadway spectacle or Vegas magic show. He interspersed hits by Calvin Harris, Gotye, and Avicii with unrecognizable bangers and even some breakbeats. The highlight came when he dropped the new single from Cedric Gervias—the acid-laced “Have You Seen Molly?”

I’d be surprised if he got over 129 BPM, but that just proves that there is more to trance than simply speed. In fact, Tiësto and Swedish House Mafia may be indistinguishable at this point, except Tiësto does what SHM wished they could do with two less employees on the payroll. Ultimately, a great night for CT and a great night for dance music.

– Robert LaFrance

Miami Report: DJ Science & Champagne Splashes

Posted by DJ Times on Mar 22, 2012 in All, Products | Comments Off

Dim Mak Miami: Aoki & friends at Mansion. By Declan O'Driscoll

Miami Beach, Fla.—We’re less than halfway home, but three days into our annual South Beach extravaganza there’s plenty to report.

Winter Music Conference at the new Beachplex on 21^st Street has seen a good share of foot traffic for its exhibits, seminars and stage performances. Of course, DJ Times—along with manufacturers like Pioneer DJ, IK Multimedia and DJ Tech—is here with an exhibit booth, giving away magazines and talking up The DJ Expo (Aug. 13-16 in Atlantic City, N.J.). On the gear side, Pioneer broke out the RMX-1000 remix station, while IK showed its iRig Mix, a DJ mixer for iOS devices, like iPad. DJ Tech displayed its Dragon Two, 4-channel, DJ mixer/controller.

DJ Times has been participating in the panel discussions as well. After sitting on the “Social Media & PR” panel, which saw an overflow room learn some basics on promotion and creating sizzle, we became audience members for some other sessions.

One panel that dropped a lot of DJ knowledge was Wednesday’s “Dynamic DJs” session. Moderated by Joe Claussell (of Body & Soul fame), the sit-down featured jocks like house legend Todd Terry and German DJ/producer Moguai discussing new technologies and how it’s made DJing almost too easy anymore.
“I go to gigs and see some guys and I know they’re not really mixing, not really DJing sometimes,” said Terry. “How do I know? They’re having a conversation with me when the tracks mix! But, I can’t hate on them because they audience was going along with it, the party was happening.”

Added Yousef of Liverpool, England’s popular Circus parties: “At the end of the day, DJing is still about playing the right track at the right time, no matter the technology.”

Lee Dagger of UK electronic group Bimbo Jones admitted that the interaction with a great audience is worth more than anything. “When I’m DJing,” he said, “if I can get just one magic moment in a night, where I’ve really connected with the crowd, then I’m satisfied. It’s what I live for.”

Discussing breaking new tunes, Miami radio jock/turntablist DJ Fingaprintz offered this advice: “I go by the ‘Sandwich Theory,’ and that means that you sandwich your new tune between two proven, familiar tunes. You won’t lose anyone that way.”

On the topic of transitioning from the DJ booth to the studio to create your own music, Terry and Dagger offered up the technical advice—learn Ableton if you’re starting out, perhaps venture into Pro Tools and Logic if you want to explore deeper elements of songwriting.

But Claussell, ever the philosopher, dropped this on the room. “I believe it’s important to know why you want to make music before you get down to doing it,” he offered. “I believe that you should make music that reflects who you are. Dig deep inside and find your own voice and then you can make beautiful music, no matter what platform you use.” Right on.

Some evening highlights: On Monday night at Wall in the W Hotel, Seth Troxler and Guy Gerber turned a fairly hoity-toity room into a deep, dark, groove-laden cavern of tech-house delights. True underground vibes in the world of bottle service and bruising bouncers—who knew?

Then on Tuesday night at Mansion for the Dim Mak Miami party, it was a typical Steve Aoki throwdown—this time with an extra-fat lineup that included Datsik, Nervo, John Dahlbäck and Joachim Garraud. Of course, there were special appearances from the likes of Lil’ Jon and Afrojack—and, yes, those brave enough to crowd the stage got a big splash of sticky champagne, courtesy Mr. Aoki. Towel, please!

Next up: Ovum Recordings Party at Shine and Ultra Music Festival from Bayfront Park.

-Jim Tremayne

Mad for Miami: DJ Times’ Busy Week

Posted by DJ Times on Mar 19, 2012 in All, Products | Comments Off

April 2012 Cover

Miami Beach, Fla.—After a year of separation, the Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival, which highlights Miami Music Week, have found some common ground in 2012. Or at least, their events will overlap enough for participants to enjoy both.

Their past differences aside for the moment, this week will see a more concentrated schedule of DJ- and dance-industry events—and it seems to be a welcome change for many. As always, DJ Times will be there, taking in all the action.

First up, the 27^th Annual Winter Music Conference will run through March 25 with many of the events housed at The Beachplex, a new, custom-designed, air-conditioned tent complex. Stationed on the beach at 21^st Street and Collins Avenue, The Beachplex is the result of a partnership between WMC and the 10^th Annual Funkshion Fashion Week and Eventstar.

WMC 2012 will include a week of industry seminars and panel discussions, the 27^th Annual International Dance Music Awards, official poolside events, South Beach Sessions, the Record Collectors Show, WMC Rocks, trade show and exhibits, DJ Spin-Offs and the VJ Challenge.

As usual, DJ Times will have a major presence at WMC. The magazine will maintain a dedicated exhibition booth on March 19-20 and on Friday, March 23, DJ Times Editor Jim Tremayne will moderate a “Featured Q&A” with legendary producer BT (aka Brian Transeau). Additionally, on Tuesday, March 20, he will participate in the “PR & Social Media” panel.

Miami Music Week (aka non-WMC-specific events) will see dozens of round-the-clock events featuring dance music’s biggest stars. On Wednesday, March 21, DJ Times—along with many others—will walk the red carpet at Bayfront Park’s Klipsch Amphitheater for the world premiere of “Can You Feel It—The UMF Experience,” a film that documents the rise of Ultra Music Festival and the rising global phenomenon that is EDM. The film will be released nationwide to 500 theaters the following day for a special one-night-only showing.

Then on Thursday night, March 22, DJ Times will serve as media sponsor for the week’s main bass-music bash, The 3^rd Annual SMOG vs. Basshead Party (presented by Embrace). Held at Mekka in downtown Miami, the event will feature five separate, branded environments with talent that includes: 12^th Planet (plus “special guest TBA”); Pendulum (DJ set); Dirtyphonics (DJ set); Zeds Dead; Goldie & Bailey; Dieselboy; Toddla T; and Trouble & Bass crew’s Drop the Lime, AC Slater, Star Eyes and The Captain.

Miami 2012 Preview: Chuckie

Posted by DJ Times on Mar 16, 2012 in All, Products | Comments Off

Known to clubbers for his Dirty Dutch sound, Chuckie has taken his hard-edged house vibes worldwide—and his travels continue March 22-23 when he touches down in Miami Beach for a pair of events.

Since breaking out big in 2009, the Amsterdam-based DJ/producer has gigged clubs and festivals in countless countries and remixed artists like David Guetta, Sidney Samson and Robbie Rivera. He’s also dropped major party-starting tracks like “Mutfakta” (with Gregori Klosman) and “Let the Bass Kick.” DJ Times caught up with him in Boston, as he prepped for the Miami madness.

DJ Times: I recently got to see you DJ live, and I really liked the range of your set. You were playing everything Blur to Wynter Gordon…

Chuckie: Yeah, it’s not about, “Look at me! Look at my music and whatever I’m doing and what I stand for.” Of course, I give them who I am, but I try and mix it up with whatever is needed on the dancefloor. I try to be that guy on the dancefloor who’s just trying to have a good time.

DJ Times: Do you feel that a lot of local DJs forget to play for the crowd and try to be too cool and not play popular records like that?

Chuckie: Let me put it like this: At a festival with 12,000 people, you gotta find the right barriers between entertainment and education. If you’re in a smaller club, you can go way deeper and tell the story even better. So if I have one hour to do my thing, I try to give [the audience] the best of everything.

DJ Times: I discovered you with a bootleg with LMFAO over “Let the Bass Kick.” Did that record change your life?

Chuckie: I would say that record changed a lot of lives for people. We’ve been doing this Dutch sound for many years; at a certain point, we even got tired of it because it was local and just the noise we knew. Then that record came out and kind of crossed over and it was like the biggest record in Miami. We had the music conference and I was like, “Whoa! This is really good!” Then a lot of Dutch DJs crossed over with their sound. I must say that I feel blessed that we got this little opportunity for everybody—if I can speak on behalf of DJs and producers from Holland. We are grinding like crazy, worldwide.

DJ Times: What is it about Holland? Why so many world-class DJs?

Chuckie: That’s really simple. You have to imagine that Holland is just a small country. We have like 17 million people and Amsterdam only is like one million people, and we have a lot of clubs, a lot of big festivals, but the competition is so big that automatically the standard is high. So, everybody’s stepping his game up no matter if you’re known or unknown. Everybody knows “this is at least what I have to do to make it.” I would say Holland is a really good warm-up territory to finally cross over to the rest of the world.

DJ Times: You have so many records out that destroy dancefloors around the world. I can’t even pick one, so I’m going to let you. If you only had one you could play for your fans, what would it be?

Chuckie: It’s really hard to say what I would have to play for my fans, but I would always say just play “Let The Bass Kick” one more time because that’s the record that did it for me.

– Joe Bermudez & Angela Bray

Miami 2012 Preview: Axwell

Posted by DJ Times on Mar 13, 2012 in All, Products | Comments Off

Axwell: Four Miami gigs on tap.

In preparation for Winter Music Conference (March 16-25) and Miami Music Week (March 20-25), including Ultra Music Fest (March 23-25), we give you the next entry in a series of DJ profiles—Axwell.

Have times ever been this good for Axwell?

That seems doubtful. As one-third of Swedish House Mafia, Axwell last winter saw the group sell out Madison Square Garden on the strength of a string of global hits that included “One,” “Miami 2 Ibiza” and “Save the World.” It was a first for a DJ act.

And just this past February, his “Cosmic Opera”—a show that includes DJs, aerialists, effects and, yes, an opera singer—sold out three nights at Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom. It was a massive party, not unlike SHM’s Masquerade Motel events.

With several Miami gigs approaching—including two Masquerade Motel events and two parties for his Axtone label—DJ Times connected with Axwell as he made a stop in Boston.

DJ Times: A lot has happened over the past several months. What is the biggest difference between when you go out on the road as Axwell versus when you go out with Swedish House Mafia?

Axwell: The biggest difference is that I’m by myself, except for my tour manager. That’s a big difference because when I travel with Swedish House Mafia—it’s a lot more people most of the time. We do big shows, so we have a lot of people traveling with us for the production stuff. But I like to do about 50-percent of each because sometimes it’s nice to travel with a lot of people; it’s always a great party. Sometimes it’s nice to travel low-key by yourself and your tour management. It’s nice to mix and match.

DJ Times: Do you ever get bored when you’re playing [with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello] as Swedish House Mafia? I feel like one of you is always waiting to get in there and work the mixer.

Axwell: Not bored, but we do think about new stuff all the time… about how we can be more and more busy. We figure we’re three people—we should do more of the show. Maybe we should do the lights; maybe we should do the visuals. We’re trying to figure out more things to do, basically—but not bored. We have a blast all the time and there is always stuff to do on stage.

DJ Times: Tell me about Madison Square Garden. A DJ act to sell out an arena that big and that quickly is unheard of here in the States.

Axwell: That was insane. We were so nervous about that whole thing. First of all, it’s so expensive to rent that place and nobody as a DJ has played there—so I wasn’t sure if it was even the right place to do it or if it was possible to create a vibe there. Then it’s a lot of people—it’s a lot of tickets to sell. It went too fast and we were pretty overwhelmed. The night of the show, it was just insane.

DJ Times: What stands out in your memory?

Axwell: The energy in there was really electric. It was so big and amazing and, to look at it from where we were standing, it was something we will always remember. It won’t be one of those gigs where you’re like, “It’s a bit hazy.” It was pretty crystal-clear the whole night for me.

– Joe Bermudez & Angela Bray

Miami 2012 Preview: NERVO

Posted by DJ Times on Mar 9, 2012 in All, Products | Comments Off

Miami Bound: Mim & Liv Nervo

In preparation for Winter Music Conference (March 16-25) and Miami Music Week (March 20-25), including Ultra Music Fest (March 23-25), we give you the first in a series of DJ profiles—NERVO.

NERVO is back in the U.S., hitting the road with a slew of shows—17 gigs in three weeks—that’ll straddle a week of Miami madness. We’ll find the DJ/producer duo behind the decks March 24 at Ultra Music Fest, along with four other club dates in the 305.

Why the fuss? The Australian twins—aka Mim and Liv—co-wrote and handled vocals on the Tomorrowland Festival’s anthem, “The Way We See The World.” They also co-wrote David Guetta and Kelly Rowland’s smash, “When Love Takes Over.” They’ve collaborated with top DJ/producers Steve Aoki and Afrojack on their “We’re All No One” single. They’ve written and produced records for other major artists like Ke$ha, Britney Spears and the Pussycat Dolls. Enough for you?

DJ Times recently caught up with Mim and Liv Nervo, as they prepped for their latest American adventure.

DJ Times: What’s the dynamic of working together?

Liv: We’re like night and day. Mim and I do have our differences, but ultimately, I think we have the same kind of endpoint goals and tastes, which is really important when we are working together, especially creatively.

Mim: Don’t get her wrong, we fight like animals in the studio and people have been known to walk away as we fight it out. But then we’re always over it the next second and it’s always for the greater good of the song.

Liv: If we’re both loving something, we feel like it’s good and we go for it. We love working together. This business is crazy; there is a lot of traveling, a lot of moving parts that need to be looked at constantly and it’s just great to have your best friend, family, partner there with you that you can trust. So we’re very lucky. We wouldn’t do this if we weren’t with each other. Would you do it on your own, Mim?

Mim: No way.

DJ Times: You girls had a monster vocal with Afrojack, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike on “The Way We See the World.” How did that one come together?

Mim: That was a really weird record for us. We did it in literally two weeks. We met the boys [Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike] and later sent some vocals and there were some chords under the vocals that were really cool—very simple, though. Then we sent it all across and they said Afrojack’s onboard.

DJ Times: What changed?

Mim: Afrojack gets these great hands on it and it turns into some other monster that it is today. Actually, there was a little bit of back and forth because [Afrojack] really liked the old chords as well, but he did that gnarly drop. When we got that back, it was just like, we salute. It was really interesting because some records you work on for like a year and you sweat over them, but I gotta say this one came together so easily.

DJ Times: Dance music seems to have a lack for a lot of vocal hooks. When you’re songwriting, what’s a good tip for some of the DJs who don’t really have it down yet?

Mim: We’re vocal girls. For us, it changes. Sometimes we start with a bassline; sometimes we start with a vocal. It’s just whatever talks to you. If you haven’t started from vocals or you’re not great with vocals, a great way to work them into your track is to get a cappellas and see how you can make great mash-ups.

Liv: I think there’s a lot of segregation between the two: “Oh, I do beats. Oh, I do chords. Oh, I do top line.” It’s like, if you feel melody, it doesn’t matter whether it’s in a vocal or a piano chord or a riff. Just go with it, have the confidence. Put it down, keep trying, and it will come. Just keep trying. Practice makes perfect.

– Joe Bermudez & Angela Bray