Timo Maas, as they so often say about lesser talents in the dance music field, needs no introduction. By now, nearly every club DJ has been touched by his work, which, of course, seems to touch on every form of dance music – from techno and trance to breaks and house. And as was the case with that other great genre-splitting act Basement Jaxx, the world outside the global club sandbox has taken notice of the German DJ/producer and full-on pop acceptance could be the next development. Judging by Maas’ logic, it wouldn’t be so far fetched. After all, he’s already got dancefloors from Berlin to Brooklyn rocking to whatever beat he’s feeling at the moment.

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Bedroom DJs have it made. They don’t need to worry about shady promoters, greedy club owners, or requests for “Welcome to the Jungle.” They can mix whatever and whenever they want. Best of all, bedroom DJs don’t have to worry about the bottom of a cheapo record bag tearing open while crossing a busy street on the way to a gig. In the rain.

On the other hand, DJs who choose to take their art on the road face a variety of potential gear-related problems. During my years as both a mobile and club DJ, I’ve been forced to learn more than I ever really wanted to know about equipment stands, carts, cases, and Air Transport Association Specification 300 (Category I).

DJ gear tends to be delicate and expensive. Wrapping your turntables and mixer in old blankets and then throwing them all in the back of the family station wagon is simply stupid. Unfortunately, decent equipment cases aren’t exactly cheap either, but they’re more affordable than bent tone arms, broken kill switches, mangled power cords, or a bad reputation due to unreliable equipment.

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