Keeping Your Head Together
One of the most difficult challenges in a situation as unusual as this is keeping your head together. I’ve had some challenging days and weeks in the last couple of months, and I know I’m not alone in that. DJs are in a particularly difficult set of circumstances at the moment, but there are ways […]
DJ Tech News – May 2020!
This has been a relatively slow time lately for tech news, for pretty obvious reasons, but there’s some pretty cool new bits of kit and tech to report on! Up first – Numark have launched a pair of budget controllers, the two-channel ProFX and the four-channel Platinum FX. Both feature 6-inch jog wheels, 2 FX […]
Logic Pro X 10.5 – huge update for Logic!
Logic has long been a serious studio favourite, but in recent years (since Apple took ownership) has seemed a little neglected, and seemed to slip behind rivals like Ableton, with few exciting new ideas, and some relics of an old world such as the horribly dated EXS24 sampler holding it back. But huge news this […]
Bookworms in the Booth
With the enforced time out of venues, this time is a great opportunity for DJs to learn more about the culture and history we are a part of. I already posted about the multitude of online music documentaries about all aspects of music history. And there are a growing number of music-led podcasts, including some […]
Rob Pursey – Hip Hop Karaoke/Southern Hospitality
Can you tell us a bit about your background, and how you got started in music and DJing, and putting on your own events? I really got started in events just by virtue of having more records than most people, being a total music obsessive and working as a music journalist for Hip Hop Connection […]
DJs – the most versatile workers in the world!
We DJs face an even more uncertain year than we are used to, and that’s working in an already unusually flaky industry! So, I thought I’d explore what transferable skills we might be able to bring to the table if we need to find a way to make ends meet in the time before clubs […]
DJ Tech News Update – Rekordbox 6 and Mixcloud Live
There’s been a couple of recent updates to the world of DJ Tech which are worth covering in the blog. First up, a brand new version of Pioneer Rekordbox is out, version 6. It looks a lot better, with far improved waveforms, but beyond that, this does seem to be a genuinely major update, and […]
Doing Good in a Bad Situation
In the last few years, I have got really into Stoicism – the ancient philosophy of the Stoics, such as Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus. One of the themes in their teachings is that adversity is a chance to show character, and develop your good attributes through right action. Well… I didn’t really expect the […]
Martin 2 Smoove
It was my pleasure to get to ask today’s guest a few questions – Eve’s tour DJ, Gumball Rally resident, winner of Best DJ at the London Bar & Club Awards in 2017, and the man who Rihanna called “London’s hottest DJ” – high praise indeed! He’s played all over the world, alongside some of […]
Mixing & Snacking
There are few things that unite the DJ community. But one that definitely does is a love of snacks. Whether in the booth during a long set, or on a journey to a city far away, DJs feel passionate about their snacks of choice. I spoke to a selection to find out what gets their mouths salivating! […]