EDITOR'S LETTER

Winter NAMM: New Year, New Gear

Once again, we head into the New Year with the Winter NAMM show on the horizon. And, as you can see on Page 3, we should expect plenty of new technological entries to our market. Of course, we’re sure to experience some show surprises and we genuinely look forward to them as well. It’s a week we always anticipate—and only partially because the mid-January weather in Anaheim is usually a helluva lot nicer than it is near our Long Island offices. Expect a full report upon our return from The OC.
One fellow who expects a big NAMM show is Brian Transeau, better known to DJs and EDM fans as BT. Not only has the longtime DJ/producer/electronic artist just been given a Grammy nomination for his 2010 album, These Hopeful Machines, but he recently completed a sale of his technology company Sonik Architects (to iZotope). Just as these items became news, our Nate Sherwood caught up with BT to discuss his latest endeavors. As usual, BT provided a wealth of information and inspiration.
In the previous issue, we interviewed Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn, so we figured—with NAMM around the corner—it was again time to connect with another rock-act turntablist. This go-round, it was Incubus and its spinner, Chris Kilmore. Lucky for us, we tracked down Kilmore as he and the band settled into Nashville’s famous Blackbird Studio for their seventh full-length album. Kilmore details the group’s artistic processes and gives us the straight dope on some of his new DJ techniques and toys, like the Novation Dicer.
November saw DJ Times travel to the world’s second-smallest country for the Monaco International Clubbing Show. At the fabulous Grimaldi Forum, we caught three days of exhibits and participated in the MICS seminar slate. But, as we report on Pages 20-21, the clubbing in that part of the globe was like nothing we’ve ever encountered. As you’ll see from some of the event pictures, MICS proved to be one high-end affair.
On the mobile front, Business Line explains why DJs can take a tip from the Pilgrims when looking to stay ahead of the competition. Also, our Jeff Stiles examines how jocks can win in the long run with sites like WeddingWire. And, as always, we unveil plenty of hot new pieces of DJ-ready products in our Gear section.
On the review front, our Josh Harris tackles a pair of Propellerhead products—Reason 5.0 and Record 1.5—in our Making Tracks column. According to Josh, a talented remixer/producer in his own right, this is a major studio development and one he found somewhat overdue. Additionally, our digital-DJing maven Wesley Bryant-King dives deeply into Allen & Heath’s new Xone: DX mixer/controller.
As we went to press, I’d just returned from cold and slushy Paris, where I caught a crazy evening of party-rocking DJs in competition for the Red Bull Thre3style International title. Won by France’s DJ kArve, the event featured a bill of marvelously talented jocks, all of whom displayed their charms in a unique competition that involves rules rather different from other DJ battles. Stay tuned for more on Red Bull’s Thre3style in the March issue.

Cheers,

Jim Tremayne
Editor, DJ Times

 


FEEDBACK

This is Feedback. A monthly feature that fields questions from you our readers and funnels them out to industry professionals. If you have any questions about DJing – marketing, mixing, equipment or insurance or anything at all – 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.

Dear DJ Times,

It all started for me as a weekend DJ on the radio when I got my first job. Well, now you can call it the radio bug because it really bit me in the assets—one because knowing that my voice is being carried by 100,000 watts and the other is having people call and hang on every word that I say.

So know I have a question to all DJs and DJ Times: What could I do to really succeed in this business. I mean, I just started to read your magazine and you really hooked me onto what all these other DJs have to offer. I want to know how far I have to go and the risks I am willing to take to get where these DJs are now. Please hook a brother up with some answers.

– Anthony Ybarra (aka DJ Blaze), Edcouch-Elsa, Texas

Anthony,

Considering that DJ Times is more oriented toward club and mobile DJs, I am going to assume you are talking about being a radio mixshow DJ, as opposed to an on-the-air personality. I have had mix shows on FM, satellite, and Internet stations across the world, and my number-one suggestion is to be as professional and thorough as possible.

Make sure your shows are tight from a production standpoint. For example, if it is a 60-minute set, hit 60:00 on the dot. Keep it clean if they tell you to, and make sure shows are done on time or, better yet, early.

Make sure you satisfy all requirements of format, add the required drops and music beds, basically make it a no-brainer to air your show. The easier you make your program director’s job, the longer you will keep your show and the more he will go to bat for you when it comes to getting raises, doing live events, getting them to cover your expenses at Winter Music Conference, etc.
Good Luck,

– Paul Dailey, DJ Times

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.

Email us at djtimes@testa.com