3 Examples of Livestreaming DJ Set-Ups
DJs love to share their music selections with the world, but circumstances have come together to make this a whole lot trickier in 2020. Today, I’m going to run through my super simple set-up, and speak with two DJs about their approaches to livestreaming, to give an idea of the options.
This isn’t going to be a comprehensive guide – there’s a million ways to livestream, dozens of platforms, and everyone has slightly different set-ups. I’ll link some useful resources at the end of the article, but this is more to show a few working examples, and hopefully inspire you guys to work out a way that works for you!
My set-up
I am not very technically minded, so I have a pretty simple set-up that I have seen streaming with.
I go from the XLR output of my mixer to a Behringer UMC202 soundcard – the key thing here apparently is the Core Audio that this soundcard has. From there, I output a USB cable, which is plugged into an adaptor cable to switch it from USB A to USB C – this is the one I have. From there I go into my phone – a Google Pixel 3XL, which fortunately has an incredible front-facing camera. I use a Joby stand to position it so the decks and me are in shot clearly. From there, I simply head to Instagram, Facebook, whatever. Start a live set, and away I go – a crucial thing is to make sure the master out is not very high, or else you risk distorting the signal, which sounds HORRIBLE at the listener end! I use a Shure SM58 through the mixer to chat to my viewers. I generally ask my audience how it sounds early on to be sure!
I’ve ordered a microphone stand (yet to arrive!), and some simple lights for after-dark sets, to make it all a bit more visually appealing.
So far this set-up is working really well for me – lots of people contacting me, asking how I get the sound so good. I read and respond to comments on my laptop. Speaking plenty helps keep the copyright cops at bay, and people like to get a sense of your personality, and its nice to have that human contact during a lockdown too!
Friends and fans are really enjoying me playing different stuff to the average too – I think this is a great opportunity for DJs to really explore their crates, express their personalities, and stand out from the crowd.
Kevin Kong
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Kevin. I’ve been living and DJing in Philly since 2000. Professionally for maybe the past 6-7 years. I mostly play open format stuff these days. I’ve always been interested in video game stream son twitch, but only been personally streaming since last Monday, March 16th, the day we began our quarantine here in Philadelphia. More deets at kevinthedj.com
So what is your current streaming set-up, and how did that evolve? Why did you settle on that set-up?
I am currently DJing and streaming on a 2018 13″ Macbook Pro i5 with pretty modest specs. All the DJing, encoding, and broadcasting is done on the same MBP. Though I eventually want to do the encoding and broadcasting on a separate PC with a proper GPU. As for the peripherals, I’ve been having trouble outputting digital audio from my Pioneer S9 (the vinyl control tone is being sent to the audio out and I can’t figure out how to mute it), so I am doing the DJing on a Pioneer DDJ-SR2. I have a Shure SM58 on a mic stand, the main camera is just the MBP face cam, and my secondary camera is my iPhone XR connected via USB with the OBS Camera app ($17USD). Everything is sent to OBS Studio (open source freeware) which is available on all operating systems. Some of my interactive on-screen features are browser plug-ins that can be found for free on the interwebz.
We are going into the 24th consecutive day of streaming 16:00-19:00 ET. I’ve done my best to add a new feature and improve quality of the stream every day since we started. But I imagine eventually we will run out of things to add.
I settled on this setup because it is literally what I had laying around when we lost all of our gigs and income due to you-know-what. So I’m making do with what I (fortunately) have.
What is the easiest/cheapest way for someone to get started?
Use what you have! You could just use your smart phone. But if you want overlays and interactive features on screen, at minimum, you need a computer with a camera that can run your DJ software and OBS at the same time, and an internet connection that can handle uploading 6MB/s consistently.
Are there ways to do it on both Android and iPhone devices?
I don’t use any smart devices for streaming other than my phone as an extra camera. From what I’ve researched, the Roland Go Mixer is the gadget you need if you want to stream from your smart device.
What are some noob mistakes to avoid when live-streaming DJ sets?
Don’t just aim your phone camera on your bedroom setup and rely on the crappy phone mic to pickup the sound. Use direct audio-in like with the Go Mixer linked above, and put a mic on a stand. I know most DJs don’t talk to the crowd that much at a real club setting, but streaming is different. If you want to build an audience, you need to interact with your community. For the most part, people will care more about your personality and interactions than your DJ skills. Watch pro twitch streamers who maintain 5-30K viewers every day and see how they build their community.
Whats the best streaming set up money can buy (within a couple of hundred bucks budget!)?
If you’re not comfortable with using OBS (free), you can pull off a pretty legit stream with your phone or tablet with the Go Mixer linked above ($100 USD).
Stream: twitch.tv/djkevinkong
Site: kevinthedj.com
All social media: @djkevinkong
RandomBeat
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I began my journey into music in 1996 when my father bought me a drum machine for my 15th birthday. I quickly realized I loved electronic beats, and added a sampler and a keyboard. Next thing was a computer and soundcard, and sony acid 2.0 (looping/recording program)
I decided I wanted to try and be a mobile DJ, so I went to a local shop and put in an application. The DJ who took my application invited me to a private warehouse party that weekend.
I played what was more of a “Live PA” set at that first party, but soon switched to vinyl, and played alongside many of my favourites from the breaks scene.
I ended up combining technics 1200s with CDJs, then with Ableton and a midi controller. I was the first DJ to use Ableton in Knoxville, and got my fair share of nasty looks, and being told “the computer was doing the mixing” but anyone who watched what I was doing quickly changed their mind after listening. I was also the first DJ to play dubstep in Knoxville, and cleared several dancefloors trying to push this “new sound”!
A divorce led to me losing all my DJ/studio gear, and in 2012 I abandoned music completely. I discovered a new passion, drones.
I made a little name for myself doing drones and repairs, and doing an interview show on Youtube, making enough $ to quit my day job and focus on drones full time.
About 6 months ago I just got the itch to get back into music, my son was now 5 years old, and saw a DJ on youtube, and his mother said, your daddy used to do that, and his eyes lit up.
So I did a TON of research on gear, and ended up settling on Traktor as my DJ solution.
I’ve combined all my previous years of playing with my streaming knowledge from Drones, and here I am, ready to help and support anyone who needs help getting started. Here’s an example of my videos – a submission to Laidback Luke‘s label, Mixmash. I got 15th place out of 240 DJs and a shoutout on their youtube channel, super proud of that!
So what is your current streaming setup, and how did that evolve? Why did you settle on that setup?
I currently use a PC as my main computer for both streaming and running all the applications and DJ software. I was previously streaming a live interview show every week, so I have just adapted my scenes inside OBS broadcast software for Dj sets.
On the PC I run OBS and Zoom as well as VoiceMeeter Banana and Traktor software.
The Traktor S4MK3 DJ controller is physically routed from the booth output back into itself on Line C. I select Line C as my physical input #3 inside the VoiceMeeter Banana software, as well as my USB Audio Technica ATR Microphone as another physical input which is #1. I use #2 for my computer audio.
The Voice Meeter Banana software summs the physical inputs of my Mic and DJ Controller with the internal computer audio and outputs them on a “virtual cable” which I select as my input inside OBS or Zoom, depending on how I am streaming.
I have 2 physical cameras, both Logitech C920s setup as sources inside OBS, as well as some graphics (logos), and the traktor application is also set as a source inside OBS. One camera is a wide room shot, while the other camera is on my DJ Controller.
This allows me to show a mixture of Cameras and the Traktor Software or Zoom as well as add my logo and also GIFs for background visual effects.
I also have my “Audio Capture Device” as a source inside OBS, and it is selected as the Voice Meeter Banana VAIO output. The cameras are “video capture device” sources, Traktor and Zoom are “Window Capture” sources.
OBS and Zoom are very functional together, you can route OBS into Zoom if you want to share your scenes with whoever you are having a meeting with, or you can route Zoom into OBS as a source and share your meeting participants with your stream.
Whenever I stream, I go directly from OBS to Youtube / Facebook / Twitch. There is also a service called restream.io that will transmit to all of those websites at the same time. To use that, you would send your OBS stream out to restream.io and then it will distribute your stream to FB, YT or Twitch, as well as several other websites if you so choose, all at the same time. Once you have your scenes and sources set up inside OBS, it’s as simple as changing the stream key setting inside the software to determine where your stream is broadcast to. (Youtube, Facebook, Twitch, ETC).
I settled on OBS and VoiceMeeter because they are both free and very easy to use, and rock solid stable. For Zoom I do have a paid “pro” account which allows me to host meetings for as long as I choose and up to 100 participants at a time.
I currently have been streaming on Youtube but plan to add Twitch at least in the near future. I have not yet tried to stream to facebook, as it seems most people are running into a lot of copyright issues there.
What is the easiest/cheapest way for someone to get started?
My setup may seem complicated, but once you wrap your head around the difference between the physical inputs and outputs, and the virtual inputs and outputs, it’s actually pretty easy to understand.
You have to make a choice when you decide to stream, you can either go directly from a phone or iPad, or directly from a PC/Mac.
I personally recommend going from a computer to get the best quality possible, and allow you to do very interesting visual “scenes” and combinations of audio sources.
Either way you need the following things to get started:
* A device to stream on (PC/MAC or Phone/ipad)
* A source (your decks and a mixer, or your DJ controller)
* A way to get that source into your device (TRSS to TRS adapter for phone / SoundCard or 1/8th inch to RCA at minimum for PC/MAC)
* Streaming Software (Direct to FB/Instagram on phone)(OBS for PC/MAC)
* Camera (phone camera/webcam for PC/MAC)
* Microphone (direct into your controller/mixer or if USB mic see below)
* Virtual Audio Software (Voicemeeter Banana for PC/loopback for MAC)
***only needed if your using computer with multiple audio sources and no sound card
It can be as simple as going into your phone with the TRSS to TRS adapter and using the phone camera, or as complicated as a computer with several web cameras and audio sources, it’s totally up to you.
There is one audio only alternative, a website called livesets.com which you can broadcast directly from some softwares such as Traktor, and it eliminates all the complex audio routing. The only downside is that it is audio only, but it works great. It records every live set as a Session and also lists the tracks you’re playing automatically, while you mix.
What are some mistakes to avoid while live streaming
* Streaming is not like playing in the club. Your viewers need interaction, either from a microphone or via the chat function, just make sure you are paying attention to them and responding as much as you can. Giving shout outs works well as people love to feel like they are a part of the show.
* Check your background and make sure it’s not messy, the last thing you want to stream is a pile of dirty clothes in the background.
* Test your audio levels and Mic levels and make sure they are not clipping or distorted, in advance. You can stream to youtube unlisted and give a friend the link, ask them to tune in and give you feedback on your audio and mic levels, visuals, etc.
* Don’t over complicate it if you’re not used to the software, a simple one camera stream with a clean solid audio and mic level is fine, it doesn’t have to be 15 different camera angles and multiple sound sources to be a good stream.
* Make sure that you post up your links to your stream. I usually go live with a “starting soon” screen, and while I’m waiting for viewers to show up I post links to my stream on facebook, facebook groups, forums, etc.
Have fun with it! It’s all about song selection and energy, keep it grooving and folks will stay tuned in!
Are there ways to do it on both android and iphone devices?
Yes, as far as I know, as long as your phone has a mic input and camera it will work, you just need the proper adapter (TRSS to TRS) or a sound card that is made to work with a phone, such as an Irig or a Roland Go mixer.
What is the best streaming setup money can buy (within a couple hundred bucks)?
If you already have a computer or laptop that will run your DJ software and OBS at the same time, I would suggest going that route. It will require a little learning, but the payoff is amazing once you have your scenes and sources setup properly.
If you do not have a computer, but still want great quality audio, get an Irig or a Roland Go mixer and run it through your phone. The audio quality will be good and that’s what matters most.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RandomBeatLive/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/randomfpvlive
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/randombeatlive
Livesets: https://livesets.com/randombeat
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randombeatlive/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RandomBeatLive
Conclusion
So there’s a few examples of how to do this! Hopefully it will inspire you to get on the decks and spread some musical joy to your friends and fans. For some more information on streaming, you can find great articles covering the technical aspects here, here and here.
And for now, head over to the Heavy Hits pool to find some great tracks for your sets, and follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram – if you have any suggestions or questions, hit me up on the DM!
Beat Battles 2020!
One of the more fun things to emerge from the lockdowns around the world has been the abundance of beat battles between legendary producers from the worlds of hip-hop and R&B.
And this weekend ahead (at 9pm EST, Sat 11th April), we have a beat battle that will have hip-hop heads salivating.
Two of the all-time great producers, behind the Wu-Tang Clan and Gang Starr, amongst so much more – RZA and DJ Premier face off in a 20 vs 20 contest. Check out the Beats by DJ Premier playlist I put together, and also this Wu-Tang tribute mix and playlist by DJ Noise
Many would look at the two, and expect an easy win for Primo – with a more consistent near-30 year run to call on, whereas RZA has maybe 8 years of his real peak (from early Wu-Tang to around 2000), and hasn’t really made much essential music since then. But with the format of 20 vs 20, he could actually be the favourite – his peak was pretty special, and he is arguably a much more diverse producer! Whatever happens, this is essential viewing for hip-hop lovers!
There have been some amazing beat battles in the last few weeks! Here’s a selection of the highlights – between these producers, there are literally hundreds of hits! Its great to see these guys have some good-natured competition amongst themselves, and promote the culture!
Swizz Beatz vs Timbaland
What can you say about this pair? Between them, they are responsible for some of the biggest, most reliable club tracks of the last few decades!
Scott Storch vs Mannie Fresh
Storch has a stellar selection of bangers behind him, while Mannie Fresh is the mastermind behind a decade long run of hits at Cash Money Records. They clashed, and here is the outcome…
T-Pain vs Lil Jon
OKAYYYYYYYYY! Another clash of the titans! And they go deep here, over two and half hours of classic beats!
Ne-Yo vs Johntá Austin
Coming more from the world of R&B than the previous battles, with two of the leading lights from recent decades, responsible for countless hits!
Check out loads of these guys’ tracks over at the Heavy Hits pool, and if you want more from me, head over to my Instagram or Twitter!
Tax – a guide for US DJs!
I don’t know about you guys, but one of my big motivations for becoming a DJ was a desire to avoid getting a “real” job. But what nobody told me was once a year, I would have to do a tax return – a generally confusing, joyless task!
Thankfully, there are big-hearted people out there willing to explain the intricacies and trap-doors of the tax system to simpletons like me! This guide is specifically for DJs in the USA – apologies to the rest of you!
Jamie Barnes, aka Jamie Selects, has written a brilliant, thorough guide here
View this post on Instagram
His guide is split into 3 parts – 1.) tax basics and deductions, 2.) tips for filing your 2019 taxes and 3.) strategies for making your 2020 filing the best yet.
As he points out – if you are out there DJing for money, then you are a business. And that is something to celebrate and embrace!
Go and check the post out, where he lays out what your money flow should look like, what are acceptable things to claim as expenses, smart ways to set up spreadsheets, how to go over your calendar in order to work out claimable travel expenses, and much more. Its a really great, thorough article! Here’s the link again, for anyone who missed it higher up the post!
Jamie has also put together this excellent video to explain some of the ideas
1. Can you tell the readers a bit about your background, and how you came to have such a good understanding of the tax system?
My name is Jamie Selects, a DJ and entrepreneur from the Bay Area. I went to University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA where I studied business with concentrations in Arts & Entertainment and Entrepreneurship. During my time there I met my current business partners of Plural Music, a multifaceted music company encompassing a DJing/events, a record label, talent management, and sound/lighting production. We’re always pushing each other to become better in every way and my teammate hit me with some joking criticism “all those books and not a single one on taxes?” (I read a lot of personal development books). This encouraged me to buy Tax Savvy for Small Businesses so I could learn about tax structure for our business. While reading it I realized there were so many things I could be doing better on my own tax return, and since I had recently started my personal development blog, I thought making a tax post for DJs and other people who owned their own businesses would be super helpful. And now here we are!
2. Why is it important for DJs and side-hustlers to understand tax?
Taxes are a fact of life. But, by being a DJ and/or owning your business you’re giving yourself a huge opportunity to lower your tax bill. It’s important for you to understand how taxes work so that you can legally pay nothing more than you actually owe by correctly deducting your expenses. If you don’t report the money you spend on growing your DJ business the IRS has no way of knowing so they’ll tax you on your gross income which is incorrect. It’s important to understand there is nothing sketchy about accurately deducting your costs to lower your taxable income. What IS sketchy, is reporting your expenses incorrectly (consciously or not) to make your taxable income lower than it should be.
3. Do you have any apps that you could recommend people for staying on top of things day-to-day?
In the past I’ve used an app called Stride which helps record expenses and mileage throughout the year. But now since I’ve started using my DJ Finances Log spreadsheet I just record everything in there. It doesn’t matter what you use to record your expenses, all that matters is that you’re doing it!
4. Are there any simple regular habits/life-hacks that people can adopt to make the end of year tax compiling less painful?
Getting in the habit of recording costs as soon as you incur them will save you valuable time and money come tax time. I recommend setting a weekly reminder in your calendar to record your gigs, costs, and any miles driven. It seems tedious, but I promise you won’t regret it!
Finding a Helping Hand!
Here’s a word you are probably sick to death of – unprecedented. Unprecedented times, unprecedented response by governments and global organisations.
Now that word is out of the way, lets look at the landscape for DJs, and what help they may be able to find to get through through these, errr, unprecedented events.
In particular, I’m going to focus on the USA and UK. Huge financial assistance packages have been put in place, so can you claim some money to help get you through this crazy year?
Before we start – I am not a financial professional.
I may have details wrong – if you have an accountant, speak to them, and check your local details before you push the button on anything I might talk about here! I am trying to find my way through this as much as anyone else; my skill is playing records, not navigating government policy!
That said…
USA – Independent Contractors
The USA has signed into law a $2 trillion package – what is in there for our USA DJs?
The federal government is allowing independent contractors to go through a “self-certification process”, which will allow them to claim up to $600 per week, for up to 39 weeks. This can be backdated to Jan 27th. An independent contractor, broadly speaking, is someone who makes their own schedule, doesn’t have a traditional “boss”, pays their own employment tax, and receives a 1099
Of course, there are certain hoops you need to jump through for this – you have to prove your work status, that you can’t work from home, and that you are unable to commute to and from your place of work. Also, you can’t be receiving any other form of unemployed assistance at the time of application.
With how the USA is set up, its a slightly different process from state-to-state – visit your state’s unemployment website for more info. At time of writing, its common for these sites to state that they are not taking applications yet, while they get set up to deal with them. While you get ready to apply, here’s some details you should make sure you have ready to go
– Social Security Number
– Home Address and Mailing Address
– Telephone Number
– Email
– Bank Name
– Account Number
– Bank Address
– Routing Number for Direct Deposit
For more information, this is a pretty comprehensive article about the topic in the light of COVID-19
UK – Self Employed
In the UK, a plan has been unveiled that might help DJs out – but rests on a few conditions.
If you qualify, its a pretty nice looking deal for the short term, but the way it is set up might not be perfect for some.
Basically, they are taking an average from the last 3 years tax returns (16/17, 17/18, 18/19), or the most recent if you haven’t been trading that long.
The money will be paid in one lump sum
There are some hefty catches – the most eye-catching that if less than half of your income comes from self-employed DJing, you are ineligible, so for people who split DJing with a “regular” job, this may not be ideal…. And for those who post average profits over £50k, again, this makes them ineligible. If you are excluded for any reason – write to your MP! These things are being amended as we go along, and gaps become apparent.
I received an email saying they would be in touch with eligible candidates, and that applications can be made around May/June, so this is not a short term fix – therefore, if you have savings, make sure you have access to what you need. If not, speak with your bank about overdraft facilities, short term low-interest loans, and clarify with landlords if you are able to defer or reduce rent payments until you have received government assistance. I’m reliably informed that you can claim Universal Credit while waiting for the SEISS payment. When it arrives it is treated as earnings, and your Universal Credit will be adjusted accordingly.
Another factor worth being aware of – it appears that the July 2020 tax payment on account has been automatically deferred to January 2021, buying us a bit of time. That money is still due eventually though!
This is some more info from the brilliant Money Saving Expert website – definitely worth following Martin Lewis on social media.
I hope you are all staying safe and healthy, and we at Heavy Hits will do our best to get the most up-to-date information to you.
Shutdown!
The world is experiencing a series of lockdowns and quarantines of varying severities, and club sets are pretty much a distant memory at the moment.
The upside to this is that it is inspiring a lot of DJs to switch up their game, so they can share their musical selections with audiences in different ways. One such example is the Shutdown mixtape series, available on Spotify.
Assembled by DJ Say Whaat, DJ Rapture, DJ Lumes, DJ Anrey and DJ Le Alen, Shutdown is their idea for DJs united against corona, and they have an incredible amount of 20-minute mixes up – approaching 200 already – covering a broad range of club styles, and have built up a substantial audience in just a week or two!
If you want to submit a mix, then hit them up on this email – [email protected] – get Google translate ready, as the default language is German! The standard is high, based on the ones I have listened to so far, and here’s a few of my favourites!
Heavy Hits Stay Home Challenge – Winner Announced!
The people have spoken, and Heavy Hits is happy to announce DJ Freazer as the #HHSTAYHOMECHALLENGE winner! He takes home an awesome first prize – a year’s free Heavy Hits membership, Hercules DJControl Starlight Controller, Serato Pro License, and a Heavy Hits Hoodie
Here’s his fantastic winning routine
View this post on Instagram
Congratulations to our runner-up DJ Mysterons – so close we basically had to run a tie-breaker vote on our Instagram! It was such a tight call that we upped the 2nd prize from 3 months to a full YEAR free membership with Heavy Hits!
Here’s his brilliant routine
View this post on Instagram
Then we had a 3-way tie for 3rd place – DJ Shy, Ardent, and Deejay Lomo. They all get a free 1-month membership!
Huge respect to everyone who entered, and everyone who voted! And of course to the good people at Hercules for their generosity!
Go give all these DJs a follow on their Instagrams, and of course the Heavy Hits Insta!
Be on the lookout for our next contest, which we will be announcing very soon! In the meantime lets all work together to slow down the spread of this pandemic by staying at home, washing our hands frequently, keeping plenty of physical distance between others and staying supportive, positive and productive.
DJ Gravity One – Scratch LA
Can you tell the readers a bit about yourself, your DJ history, and what you do today?
I am a DJ based in Los Angeles, California. Originally from Lancaster, Ca. Shout out to all my Antelope Valley/661 people! Even before becoming a DJ I was a fan of hip hop music/culture. I started DJing in 1998. Thanks to my older brother who had purchased a cheap dj set up from a website (belt drive turntables and a Gemini Scratch Master Mixer). I had no clue what I was doing when my brother gave me the green light to give DJing a try. I was just trying to copy scratches and mixes I had heard from DJ Revolution on The Wake Up Show and Beat Junkies mixtapes, as well as other radio dj’s at the time.
Scratching was the first thing I learned how to do, after hearing Q-Bert do his Rock The Bells scratch routine on a Wake Up Show freestyle cd my older brother had. Scratching was the main thing I wanted to do. Then I discovered DMC battles and saw A-Trak’s set that won him the World Championship in 1997, and I was like “he’s like the same age as me”. After that seeing that my focus was on becoming a battle dj/turntablist with the goal of becoming a DMC champion. I was heavily influenced by the legendary dj crews such as: Invisibl Skratch Pikilz, X-ecutioners, Beat Junkies, The Allies, just to name a few.
Around the time I got into djing I was very much into underground hip hop. I would say I was a backpack hip hop head when it came to my taste in music. Very much all about staying true to the pillars of hip hop and not embracing anything outside of that. As I started to become better at dj and finally dj some parties. My focus started to change on not only becoming a battle dj but a well-rounded dj.
These days my focus is not so much on being a battle dj and knowing all the super technical scratches and juggles that go with that. Also my backpack hip hop head way of thinking changed. As I like to say, “I loosened up my backpack straps” lol and I became way more open to commercial hip hop/different styles of music, and not so anti-anything that’s not “hip hop”. With those changes, I was able to start djing at Top 40/Hip Hop clubs around town and venture into the club scene in Hollywood/Los Angeles area. It was for sure a change from what I was used to, but nothing I wasn’t up for.
After doing the club circuit routine for some years. I wanted to see what DJing on the radio was like. It was something I was always interested in doing and I got the opportunity to become an on-air mixer on my hometown’s new Rhythmic Top 40 radio station (100.9 The Heat) in 2008. I went from doing the weekend mix to eventually doing the Mon-Fri evening primetime mix. I was still DJjing clubs while I was doing radio. I’m still doing the same thing these days. No longer DJing on my hometown’s radio station though. I stopped DJing on radio at the end of summer in 2012 to move out of my hometown and as well focus back on I’m currently a mixer on iHeartRadio 93.9 The Beat in Honolulu, Hawaii. I’m still very much a DJ Los Angeles area as well as an on-air mixer on radio, outside of teaching at Scratch LA.
How did you get in to teaching DJing, and how did you find that transition?
I used to work with Scratch Events before working on the teaching side at Scratch. There were some events where I had to do some minor teaching at events, nothing serious. Just showing some people how to do a baby scratch on beat. It was kind of an accident how I got involved on the teaching side of things.
My brother, who is also a DJ, mentioned to me that he was thinking about working at Scratch during his off-time from touring. I said to him let me know when you go up there. I ended up going with him to meet up with the director at the time, who I had known from working with Scratch Events, and DJing his monthly party, where I would DJ alongside students that were given the opportunity to drop a set in the other room at the gig. On top of that, I knew some of the other instructors there at the time so It wasn’t too much of an awkward feeling being there. When the director walked and saw I was there with my brother. He asked if I wanted to come on board to assist in class too, to see what it was about and if I like it. I said sure.
I’m not gonna lie It took me a sec to figure out how to explain to DJing to someone that has no clue about DJing or the music theory that goes with. I had to learn some of that stuff myself. I’m a self-taught DJ so the structure/music theory that was being taught in class was something I had never seen or heard before when it comes to DJing. I understood it from the trial and error that comes with being a self-taught DJ over the years. I understood basically everything that was being taught to students. The challenging part was having to explain it to students. Talking to other DJs is easy since we already speak the unspoken language of DJ/scratch talk.
What sort of people do you get coming to you to learn how to DJ?
We get all walks of life that come through to learn – kids, adults, parents, couples, grandparents, company workshops, etc. A lot of times people only think that I only teach kids, but it’s actually the opposite. There are more adults that are enrolled in the program at Scratch. We do teach kids there in private lessons and the summer camp classes. But to enrol in the program you have to be 18 or older. Some people come in saying that learning how to DJ or scratch was something that they always wanted to do. They just didn’t know how to go about doing it, or didn’t know any dj’s to teach them. Then we have the usual that went to a festival and got inspired.
Can you tell us a bit about ScratchLA?
It’s the Los Angeles Branch of the original Scratch DJ Academy based out in New York co-developed by Jam Master Jay of Run DMC.
How do you balance hands-on experience with theory?
I would say it 70/30, with 70% actually being hands-on. I can talk about how to dj all day. Actually doing it is the tricky part for some students. Figuring out how much pressure to apply to a record. Understanding minor and major adjustments. A lot of little things that us seasoned DJs forget about. Like what it’s like to be new to all things DJ related (how to wear headphones, what to listen for, hand placement, etc). Not mention these days you have be a little bit computer savvy with programs like Serato.
What would you consider the most important aspects of learning to DJ for a complete beginner?
Not trying to rush things. Learning the music theory and the basic DJing.
What’s the most overrated thing that new DJs think is important?
Social media/look. Don’t get me wrong I understand how social media is part of what being a DJ these days. Anyone can look like a DJ on social media but when its showtime and you don’t have any of basic fundamental DJ skills to back your look, your DJ career won’t last too long. At some point, someone is gonna see through the look.
What’s the most underrated thing that new DJs don’t realise is important?
Prep and practice. People think that if they have tons of music that they are golden. Putting together a playlist and actually DJing are two different things. There are certain things that can’t be taught, such as reading a room. Practice is something that is underrated as well. Watching videos and listening to mixes are great things for inspiration and ideas. You gotta apply what you have been taught for it to stick. Especially when it comes to scratching and understanding Ableton.
If you could go back and teach yourself a class in the first months of your being a DJ – what would you focus that on?
The things we teach in a level 1 intro class. Which is understanding the music theory that goes with DJing and learning how to match beats. It took me like a year and a half to match two different songs. As soon as I understood how bpm works and to listen it clicked.
How have students changed over time as DJing has become more mainstream in popular culture?
There is still the perception that DJing is something that doesn’t take any skill to do. It’s easy for new students to think that. You can go to YouTube and watch any dj from the hobbyist, up to the main stage at any festival/competition There is less focus on learning the skill of DJing. Some want the quick shortcut to learning which doesn’t exist. You have to put in the work. Students don’t realize how much goes into knowing how get songs to match up and mix together. Sync doesn’t fix everything.
Can you tell us about what you’ve got coming up, what ScratchLA has coming up, and any extra things you’d like to mention
The biggest thing right now is surviving this coronavirus pandemic. This gonna give me some free time to focus on things I have been putting off, like making new mixes outside of the regular radio work, getting better with music production. Basically being more creative.
You can find me on all social media @djgravityone.
I’d like to take a trip down Memory Lane…
Well – even my most recent DJ gig feels like an eternity ago. This has been a crazy, crazy year for this little spinning rock out in the Milky Way.
I don’t know what I expected from 2020, but, well… not this *gestures at everything*.
I feel like everyone needs to find ways to put a smiles on faces, and one of my favourite ways is to share stories . Well, here’s a selection of highlights of my greatest DJ-related “incidents” – gather round the campfire…
Know your limits
Early in my career I was delighted to pick up a residency at Nottingham’s legendary Market Bar, for their brilliant weekly Universal Funk & Hip Hop night. At first I did the warm up for an hour or two, then progressed to the late slot, with someone warming up for me. Eventually, I had the whole night to myself – I was delighted, as this meant more money, and I could dictate the pace of the night, which was rammed every single week.
One week, I joined friends for dinner before my set (which started around 10pm). We went for tapas at a nice little Spanish restaurant nearby. Red wine was flowing, and after we paid, I headed to get started at my set. A bunch of the bar staff had the night off – great! I always loved having people in the booth, largely to send to the bar for drinks, and share those shots with me. These guys never stopped bringing sambuca my way. The next thing I remember, I’m waking up, sitting bolt upright in my room the next morning, with a spectacular case of “what happened?”-itis.
Pure panic was flowing through me, but I didn’t really know why.
I checked my wallet – no money. That was weird – this gig paid cash on the night.
Where were my records? Not in my room, not in the hall? Had I been robbed on the way home? Wait… a sinking feeling hit me.
It turns out that smashing loads of red wine before a set, then nailing endless sambucas with a load of barmen is a REALLY bad way to stay on top of your DJ game. Around peak time, I had apparently taken my headphones off, declared that I was too drunk to continue, and sat down. And then shortly after that, stood up, opened the fire escape, and gone home. This was back in the days of vinyl, so after a couple of minutes the record ran out, and that familiar crackle of static at the end of a record filled the club. The manager had to jump on the decks and make the best of what they could using the records I had left behind. Incredibly, I didn’t lose my residency!
The strange case of the 2 beds
Staying at The Market Bar – there was another time a few years later, where I got lucky with one of the students. We went back to hers, kept on drinking, one thing led to another, and we did what comes naturally. At some point we passed out, on the ground floor.
And then I woke up. I looked out the window, noticed the top of a tree, and thought “that’s weird”. Shortly after this, the girl came in – “errr, why are you up here?” I don’t know, was the only answer I could give.
I’d kind of assumed that maybe I had been snoring and she’d sent me up here, but apparently not. At this point, its probably worth mentioning that I was entirely butt-naked. Not even my socks. I asked if she could fetch my clothes, and she did.
I got dressed, made my way downstairs, and headed into her room to fetch my watch and last few items, before I could get out of there. As I was leaving her room, my embarrassment was taken to the next level – her mum was in the hallway! It couldn’t have been more obvious that I had spent the night with her lovely daughter, and we exchanged a very particular sort of greeting. I was out of the front door faster than Usain Bolt.
I made my way home, absolutely cringing at the awkwardness of what had just happened. Then my phone rang – it was the girl. She laughingly asked if I knew what had just gone on – I could only mumble “not really, no”.
Well – I did go to sleep, naked, on the ground floor. The toilet was on the 1st floor. At some point in the night I had decided I needed the toilet, and wandered there, entirely nude. And then walked back down the corridor, and into the wrong bedroom. Apparently I saw someone in bed about the right shape and size and hair colour, and climbed into bed, and snuggled up.
At some point, her mum woke up realising that there was an entirely naked bald guy in bed with her. Incredibly, she didn’t wake me up, but just left me to it. I’m in awe of the calm of that woman. After this, I tended towards inviting girls back to mine…
Be Prepared
I moved to London in 2011. I waited until I had a national Red Bull 3style championship on my CV, so that I could join the very competitive scene a few rungs up the ladder, but even with this, I found it really hard to establish myself (I’ve never been great at hustling, and in London you have to hustle!). I was getting occasional one-off bookings, but it took me a while to get a residency. When I finally did, it was a fortnightly in the basement club of a venue in The City – the financial district – on a Friday night, the busiest night in that area as all the testosterone-fuelled city boys headed out to spend the money they made that week. They used to take a crazy amount of money.
Anyway, one week, it’s about 12.30am (the venue shut at 2am) and something went wrong. Serato froze, the music suddenly died. Most DJs will be familiar with that weird moment of silence, followed by the half-cheer/half-jeer from some of the crowd. The creeping realisation that this isn’t a pause – the laptop has properly crashed. I sprang into action with my plan B – I had an aux cable plugged in, for exactly this sort of problem. It had travelled with me for years, never seeing service until now, it had reached its time to shine. I plugged my phone in as fast as I could, loaded up the playlist of party bangers I’d carefully selected so that I would never be stuck with no music if Serato did this to me… nothing. No sound. Just a dull mains hum. I jangled both ends of the cable, which did not sound great through the club system. My cable was a dud! Somewhere along the way, the endless times it had been pulled out and stuffed in my DJ bag meant it had frayed internally, and no longer did the one thing it existed to do.
By now the manager was on my shoulder shouting at me, asking what was going on. Why didn’t I have any CDs on me? To this day I’m not sure why? I’ve since learnt the easiest trick in the world – burn CDs with serato control tone and then an hour of tracks (and of course USBs with the same now too), for emergency. But I had nothing. My laptop had something seriously wrong with it, and was taking FOREVER to reboot. The crowd had lost interest, and was heading towards the exit, assuming the night must be over.
Eventually the manager simply put the house system back on (this in itself took an inexplicably long time, but I’m in no position to criticise anyone here!), and I was able at some point to resume DJing. The venue will have lost thousands upon thousands in sales. I was mortified. I assumed they wouldn’t pay me (The Market Bar certainly didn’t in the above story!), and worried that they might try to penalise me for their lost takings.
Unbelievably, when I went to the office, nobody said a thing. I signed the invoice, took my cash, and left. I came back 2 weeks later, far better prepared for an emergency, and nobody said a damn thing. It was as if it had never happened, a mad anxiety dream that felt oh so real.
I have plenty more other stories, including a fair few that I will never repeat in print, but I hope for now these have given you a laugh!
Music Documentaries!
Everyone suddenly has a little bit more time on their hands than they expected to have, and it looks like we are going to have to get creative with passing that time.
Well, thankfully we have streaming sites all over the internet, carrying all sorts of fantastic music documentaries – here’s a little summary of some of my favourites!
Hip Hop Evolution
This Netflix original series is 4 seasons deep now, and has covered a huge range of the history of hip hop. Featuring incredible access to the top figures in the history of the genre, as well as some amazing archive footage, it is essential viewing for any rap fan. Watch the trailer here
20 Feet From Stardom
This Academy-award-winning documentary is about the often overlooked world of backing singers. The title alludes to that reality – that these singers, often incredibly talented, are so close, yet so far, from stardom. Interviews with the likes of Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen and more cover the ego and charisma you need to be a lead singer, and it really shines a light on the way that singing talent alone isn’t enough to dominate a stage. This is the trailer here
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
I think this might be my favourite music documentary. Supermensch tells the incredible story of music manager Shep Gordon, who has represented Pink Floyd, Alice Cooper, Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass and many more. Full of incredible showbiz anecdotes, and examples of truly off-the-wall creative marketing (fake breakdown in central London of a promotional vehicle is a personal fave). This one will really blow your mind! Official trailer here
Scratch
This doc tells the story of scratch DJing, and is absolutely brilliant. Legends like DJ Premier, DJ Shadow, Q-Bert, Rob Swift, Z-Trip, Cut Chemist and more talk about the evolution of the artform. Full of great insights into DJing, and an amazing section with DJ Shadow in his favourite record store’s insane basement, this one is a must for hip hop fans, scratch DJs and crate-diggers. Watch here
Beats, Rhymes, Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest are my favourite hip hop band. They are one of the best acts in the history of the genre. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg (RIP) were perfectly matched MCs. This film covers their glory days, the things that drove them apart, the reasons for their reunion, and the tensions that continued even then. Watch the trailer here
Copyright Criminals
Sampling is at the heart of modern music culture, and has been for decades. It has totally revolutionised the way music is made and consumed, and this doc explores how that started, the changes it brought, and the legal issues that raised! Check it out here
The Summer Of Rave 1989
This BBC film explores the 2nd summer of love, when dance music took over the UK one summer at the end of the 1980s. An intense moment in time, with the fall of communism coming, Thatcher in power for a decade, the Hillsborough football stadium disaster claiming 96 lives, and a heatwave incoming. Then Acid House happened, ecstasy was everywhere, and nothing was ever quite the same again. Watch it here
Mark Ronson – From The Heart
A man who is from our world of DJing, an Englishman in New York for much of his life, and now one of the most successful producers on the planet. This tells his personal story, and the story of some of his most famous records, with appearances from Lady Gaga, Q-Tip, Bradley Cooper and more. I love the tale of how he linked with Amy Winehouse, and they wrote Back to Black almost overnight, having only just met – a truly magical, timeless record. Trailer here, full show on BBC iPlayer
Searching for Sugar Man
This 2012 film is about a real curiosity – Rodriguez, a singer-songwriter who was completely unknown in his home, the USA, but a cultural legend in South Africa. The documentary follows the efforts of two men to work out what happened to the Rodriguez – were the rumours true that he had committed suicide? What happened? Its a genuinely fascinating tale… Trailer here
808
Its funny how some of the most important instruments in modern times don’t really sound much like what they are supposed to – and the joy of the Roland TR-808 that transformed the 80s was that, yes, it was drums, but it sounded nothing like a real drum kit. Featuring interviews with many of the great producers of hip hop and electronic music, this covers the history of the world’s most beloved drum machine. Trailer here
Dig!
Exploring the strange area between artistic creativity and commercial success, and how they sometimes clash with each other, this one follows indie bands The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, and in particular frontmen Courtney Taylor-Taylor and Anton Newcombe. Its very funny, and also a great meditation on what selling out means to different people. Watch on Youtube here
Mystify
Michael Hutchence was one of the greatest rock stars of recent decades, before his tragic death. His band INXS sold tens of millions of records, and sold out stadiums around the world. Covering his career and colourful private life, it features previously unseen home movie and archive footage, and interviews with the key players in his life. Watch the trailer here
Pump Up The Volume
The history of house music is comprehensively covered by this brilliant Channel 4 documentary, featuring interviews with Carl Cox, Masters At Work, Paul Oakenfeld and many many more – for any dance music fans this is utterly essential viewing. Watch in full here
The Man From Mo Wax
James Lavelle helped found legendary hip hop label Mo Wax in 1992, and went on to put out music by DJ Krush, Dr Octagon, Blackalicious, and of course – DJ Shadow. Lavelle and Shadow formed UNKLE, and much of this film follows the fractious relationship there unfolding… Trailer here
Bombin’
This is a real time capsule – a documentary about UK graffiti and rap scene in 1987, featuring a very young Goldie and Massive Attack back when they were called The Wild Bunch. This film had a profound impact on the UK, giving a lot of people their introduction to the scene – for a start, it’s what inspired Lavelle to become a DJ. The audio is a bit fuzzy early on, but that improves – full movie here
Heavy Hits “Stay Home” Challenge
All over the world, people are being asked to spend a lot more time at home, and we are all looking for ways to keep boredom at bay – well, Heavy Hits has your back, and for good measure you have the chance to win over $500 worth of prizes!
Heavy Hits brings you the #HHSTAYHOMECHALLENGE!
Keep on top of your game and show your creativity by filming a short routine (should we call it a quaroutine?) following this format:
- – Film and upload a 30-60 second routine using at least two (2) tracks from the playlist below. Want to add your own flair? No worries, you’re more than welcome to add your own tracks and samples too.
- – Upload your routine as an Instagram post by 11:59pm (PST) on March 26th, 2020. Be sure to tag and follow @heavyhitspool and use the hashtags #hhstayhomechallenge & #heavyhitspool in your caption
Prizes as follows:
Grand Prize
- – 1 Year Heavy Hits Membership ($249 value)
- – Hercules DJControl Starlight Controller ($89 value)
- – Serato Pro License ($129 value)
- – Heavy Hits Hoodie ($49 value)
2nd Place
- – 3 Month Heavy Hits Membership ($75 Value)
3rd Place
- – 1 Month Heavy Hits Membership ($24.95 Value)
Judging & Additional Terms
A panel of Heavy Hits judges will score the entries and announce the winners via Instagram on March 27th, 2020. The contest is open to everyone (both members and non-members). In the event of a tie, we’ll open it up to a poll on Instagram to decide the Grand Prize winner. Have a question? Feel free to DM us on any one of our socials. Good luck!
