After more than five years away, Spotify support has returned to mobile DJing apps - specifically, Algoriddim’s djay and AlphaTheta’s rekordbox.

For reasons best known to itself, Spotify removed support for third-party DJing apps back in 2020. There was a partial climbdown earlier this year, when it returned to the desktop versions of djay, rekordbox and Serato DJ, but only now is Spotify coming back to iOS, iPadOS and Android (phones and tablets, in other words).

The decision to exclude mobile devices always seemed strange - the kind of hobbyist DJs who use them would seem to be the people who’d benefit most from being able to mix streamed music in their app of choice - but at least it’s arrived in time for the party season.

“Integrating Spotify across djay’s entire mobile and desktop lineup marks an exciting new chapter for our users and anyone aspiring to DJ,” said Karim Morsy, CEO of Algoriddim. “Whether you’re using your phone, tablet, or laptop, you can now tap into Spotify’s massive catalogue and mix the music you love across all your devices, anywhere you go.”

Whether you’re using djay or rekordbox, you’ll need a Spotify Premium account if you want to take advantage of the compatibility, but once you’ve linked your account you’ll be able to access not only the entire Spotify catalogue but also your playlists (and those created by others, for that matter).

Find out more on the Algoriddim and AlphaTheta websites. If you use Spotify but don’t want to use a dedicated djing app, it’s worth bearing in mind that you can now create mixed playlists from within the mobile app itself.

You can practice your mixing skills and fancy performance tricks all you want, but ultimately the key to a great DJ set is good admin. Sure, you might always know the perfect track to throw into a mix next, but what use is that if you can’t find it in your collection in time?

This is particularly true in the digital realm. Sync tools and loopers rely on correctly aligned beat grids, while properly set up cue points let DJs jump between important moments in their tracks. We can now access vast catalogues of music across multiple genres, so well organised playlists and proper data tagging is key to finding the right track quickly.

This can have the negative effect of essentially locking users into a single brand’s ecosystem. If you have, for example, invested hours in setting up your library in Serato, you’ll likely be less inclined to make the jump over to Traktor or djay if a new feature in one of those applications catches your eye.

With the introduction of OneLibrary, we might finally see that change. OneLibrary has been created by rekordbox owner AlphaTheta in collaboration with djay creator Algoriddim and Traktor developer Native Instruments.

The idea is to develop a standardised library format that would allow users to transfer their collection between software and hardware systems from different brands, including important metadata such as playlists, cue points and beat grids.

It’s interesting that the initiative is being led by AlphaTheta as, in the past at least, the brand has arguably been the one that benefits most from the status quo. AlphaTheta’s Pioneer DJ-branded CDJs have long been a standard in professional DJ booths. DJs that want to make use of playlists and track collections with those players would need to export their tracks via AlphaTheta’s rekordbox software.

The introduction of OneLibrary will mean that those who use Traktor or djay will be able to make use of their existing track collections with AlphaTheta/Pioneer DJ hardware and software, and vice versa.

The development is perhaps a sign of an increasingly fragmented DJ market, in which users are less likely to commit to a single setup. In any case, from a user point of view it feels like a positive development.

Speaking about the launch, AlphaTheta President and CEO Yoshinori Kataoka said: “We’re thrilled to launch OneLibrary, a step forward in making creative expression more seamless for DJs everywhere. At AlphaTheta, our mission is to empower DJs to express themselves freely, without limitations. We’re grateful to our industry partners for sharing that vision and coming on board with this initiative. And this is just the start – so stay tuned.”

Karim Morsy, CEO of Algoriddim GmbH, said: “At Algoriddim, we’ve always embraced open, accessible DJ technology that empowers creativity. Collaborating with AlphaTheta on OneLibrary aligns perfectly with our mission to remove barriers in the DJ ecosystem. By allowing users to export djay Pro’s library for direct use on pro hardware like the CDJ-3000X, CDJ-3000, or the XDJ-AZ, we’re giving DJs the flexibility to perform seamlessly across setups – whether at home, in the club, or on stage.”

Nick Williams, CEO of Native Instruments, commented: “Everything we do at Native Instruments is about inspiring and enabling creators to express themselves through sound. OneLibrary is a big step toward a more open and collaborative DJ ecosystem – where music moves as freely as the people who play it. We’re proud to be an early partner with AlphaTheta in this initiative, and to bring seamless USB export not only to Traktor Pro 4 users worldwide, but also to new DJs starting out on Traktor Play.”

Currently, OneLibrary is only compatible with a select list of devices and applications from the three brands involved. This includes the rekordbox, Traktor Pro and djay Pro software applications and AlphaTheta’s CDJ-3000, CDJ-3000X, XDJ-AZ, Omnis-Duo and Opus-Quad hardware.

According to the official website, AlphaTheta plans to expand OneLibrary across more software and hardware products in the future, although as yet there’s no details on what that will entail and when.

The most obvious omission right now is Serato, one of the major players in the digital DJ realm. Back in 2023, AlphaTheta made a bid to buy Serato, but the acquisition was blocked by New Zealand’s Commerce Commission last year.

Native Instruments has announced the launch of Traktor Play, a new streamlined version of its DJ software aimed primarily at beginners. According to its launch announcement, the software offers “everything you need to DJ with none of the complexity”.

Traktor Play is a two-channel DJ application that offers Beatport streaming integration and access to a core selection of the creative tools found in Traktor Pro 4.

On the mixing front, it features two decks and two mixer channels, each equipped with three EQ bands and a one-knob Mixer FX control capable of filter and delay sweeps.

There are also further effect modules ported over from Traktor Pro, offering tools including reverb, delay and gating effects.

On the performance front, Traktor Play includes a simplified version of its big sibling’s stem separation tech, allowing users to mute the drums on any track as it plays back. There’s also an 808-style drum machine based on Traktor’s Pattern Player as well as looping, hot cue and Flux Mode.

Traktor users will likely recall that this isn’t the first time NI has released a beginner-friendly version of the software. The company previously developed an iteration called Traktor DJ, which was a free version of the application designed for both desktop and iOS, which was discontinued last year.

Traktor Play differs from Traktor DJ in several important ways though. Firstly, Traktor Play is not a free app, but a cheaper version, priced at $49/€49. Secondly, unlike Traktor DJ, Play is based on the same engine as its Pro sibling, meaning that there’s a more obvious and clear path for those who start out on the basic app to expand to the more comprehensive version.

Interestingly, although NI launched a new Traktor controller of its own last week, Traktor Play is launching bundled with a selection of hardware devices from rival brands. Both AlphaTheta’s DDJ-FLX2 and DDJ-FLX4 will now come with a license for Traktor Play and full plug-and-play capabilities.

Traktor Play is also compatible with Reloop’s Reloop Buddy and Reloop Ready controllers. Compatibility isn’t plug-and-play here, but NI says that setting the controllers up for use with the software will involve “just a few additional clicks”.

“Partnering directly with AlphaTheta and Reloop marks an exciting new chapter for Traktor,” says Simon Cross, CPTO at Native Instruments. “This collaboration means DJs have more flexibility, more accessibility, and more ways to connect with Traktor than ever before.”

Head to the Native Instruments site for more.

Three of the biggest names in DJ software have partnered with Spotify to allow users to access the streaming service’s catalogue of more than 100 million tracks.

Spotify integration launches today across AlphaTheta Rekordbox, Serato DJ Lite and DJ Pro, and Algoriddim Djay, bringing a long-requested feature to three of the most popular DJ software tools on the market.

Across all three platforms, Spotify Premium subscribers in 51 markets worldwide can now browse the streaming service’s extensive library, access both personal and editorial playlists, and mix tracks from Spotify in real-time. Due to licensing restrictions, however, music from Spotify can only be used for personal, non-commercial purposes - ie, mixing at home, rather than in public DJ sets.

Serato says that Spotify integration is its users' “most requested feature to date”, and is available now across both the free (Serato DJ Lite) and paid-for (Serato DJ Pro) editions of its DJ software, in version 3.3.5 for macOS and Windows.

There are a few limitations to be aware of: while playlists can be created in Spotify and accessed in Serato, Spotify-linked playlists can’t be created in Serato. Tracks can’t be stored offline, and music streamed via Spotify won’t be compatible with Serato Stems, the software’s real-time audio separation feature.

Spotify integration in Algoriddim's Djay is now available to both macOS and Windows users across both the standard free version of the software and the Pro tier. Spotify playlists are compatible with Djay’s Automix feature, which automatically creates continuous DJ-style mixes with beatmatched transitions. Spotify streaming was previously available in Djay until 2020, when the streaming service withdrew support for third-party DJ apps.

“Bringing Spotify into Djay marks a major milestone in our mission to make DJing accessible to everyone,” says Algoriddim CEO Karim Morsy. “Whether you’re a beginner experimenting at home using only your laptop or a seasoned DJ performing with hardware, you can now tap into Spotify’s massive catalogue in Djay and enjoy the music you love in a whole new way.”

Users of AlphaTheta's Rekordbox for macOS and Windows can now browse and stream Spotify's catalogue in the software's Performance mode, provided they have a Spotify Premium subscription.

Tracks from Spotify's library can also be streamed directly via compatible AlphaTheta hardware, such as the new CDJ-3000X, which offers wireless connection to cloud libraries and streaming services thanks to its built-in WiFi. (You'll need a Professional or Cloud Option subscription to Rekordbox to take advantage of this feature.)

While Spotify integration is now available across the desktop versions of Rekordbox and Djay, the mobile versions of both apps won’t benefit from the partnership. We wondered whether Spotify had blocked mobile integration in order to encourage subscribers to make use of their newly-unveiled Mix feature, which creates DJ-style transitions between tracks, but the company says this isn’t the case.

"At Spotify we’re always looking to meet our users where they’re at,” a spokesperson for the company says. “Spotify’s integration into professional third-party DJ software offers hobbyist DJs access to its library and editorial playlists currently on Mac and Windows, which is where they do a lot of their mixing. The new in-app mixing feature is for the everyday playlist curator (a different use case) so they can add and customise transitions between tracks.”

Spotify’s decision to partner with three leading names in DJ software will be welcome news for hobbyist DJs, but critics may view this as another example of the world’s most popular streaming service lagging behind its competitors in delivering features that its customers actually want, such as lossless streaming.

Back in March, Apple Music launched integration with Serato and Rekordbox, after announcing a partnership with Djay back in 2024. TIDAL has been available across all three platforms for some time.

Find out more on Spotify's website.

Spotify and Apple Music have fought it out on multiple fronts down the years - sound quality, usefulness of recommendations, compatibility, etc - and it seems that the latest battleground is in-app mixing capabilities.

Both services have had simple automatic crossfading for some time, but as part of iOS 26 - coming this autumn - Apple is introducing AutoMix, a new feature that promises to “mix one song into the next, just like a DJ.” Already available to those using the iOS 26 beta, this is said to use AI to analyse the audio characteristics of songs so that it can create “unique transitions” involving both timestretching and beatmatching.

Not to be outdone, Spotify has hit back with its own Mix feature, which initial reports suggest could be even more sophisticated. As well as being able to use it to create unique transitions automatically, you can also customise the transitions with various presets (Fade or Rise, for example) and adjust volume, EQ and effect settings.

You can even view waveform and beat data - both key and BPM information is shown for songs in Mix playlists so you can easily find songs that will ‘fit’ together - and adjust the transition point so that you start to switch from one track to the next at the perfect moment.

While licensing restrictions mean that you can’t DJ with streamed music in public, mixed playlists could be a great option for house parties or for runners, who want to keep a consistent BPM going with no gaps. Obviously, you’ll get the best results if you choose songs that have locked-in tempos and beats, but it’ll be interesting to find out how the technology handles more complex mixing challenges, too.

There’s also a social aspect to all of this: your finished mixes can be shared with others, and you can collaborate on playlists with other Spotify users.

There are a couple of caveats - you’ll need to be a Spotify Premium user if you want to use the playlist mixing, and the feature is still in the process of rolling out so not immediately available to everyone (us included, at the time of writing).

What’s more, although automatic playlist mixing is new in Spotify itself, something similar was available via a third-party app - Serato’s much-missed Pyro - as long ago as 2016. However, Spotify pulled compatibility with this and all other Djing software that it had partnerships with (Algoriddim’s djay, for example) in 2020.

Prior to Spotify launching its own automatic mixing feature, it was rumoured last year that it was working on a set of built-in remixing tools.

Serato has unveiled the latest update to its flagship DJ software, introducing a major overhaul of the application’s library and the tools used to organise and access tracks.

Serato DJ Pro 4.0 and Serato DJ Lite 4.0 are both available in public Beta now, each offering a raft of new ways to interact with the virtual crates that Serato uses to organise tracks in its library.

Both versions now let users add ‘favourite’ tags to quickly access their most used crates. The library also adds a new colour coding system to help users differentiate between crates more easily.

Serato’s library now displays more information about tracks too. Overall crate duration, size and track count are now displayed at the bottom of the interface, while individual tracks can be assigned an emoji-based rating system – allowing users to score tracks out of five stars, or five watermelons, ghosts, bombs, etc etc.

Serato DJ 4 also adds right-click functionality to the library, making it quicker to access and edit information about each track from within the crate interface.

All of these new tools feed into a new system of filtering designed to make it much easier to locate tracks quickly. Serato DJ Pro also adds advanced search tools, making it quicker to dig out tracks from the depths of your collection based on any relevant information you decide to input.

It all adds up to the most significant update the application’s library has ever seen, and one of the most notable Serato updates full stop. While organisation tools perhaps aren’t as sexy as things like new effects or advanced stem separation, track admin is one of the most important parts of being a DJ, and having access to the right tools can help turn a laborious task into something more fun and creative.

There are further improvements to the way Serato handles tracks in version 4. Track analysis is now automatic upon import, and the application can now analyse tracks while staying connected to hardware.

There is also now less of a divide between tracks that are imported to the library from a user’s own collection and those added from streaming services, as both types can be added to the same crates.

Serato DJ Pro 4.0 and Serato DJ Lite 4.0 are both available in public beta now. Existing users can join the beta via Serato’s forum

For new users, Serato DJ Pro is available for $249 or a $9.99 per-month subscription. Serato DJ Lite is free to download. Find out more from the Serato site.

Apple has introduced a new feature to its iOS26 operating system that blends and mixes tracks together using AI.

It’s called AutoMix and allows users to create “unique transitions” between tracks, in the same manner of the DJ.

Of course, Spotify users have been able to crossfade between songs for some time. What’s different with this new Apple feature is that it takes it a step further to allow "time stretching and beat matching to deliver continuous playback and an even more seamless listening experience."

There are other upgrades too. Also added is Lyrics Translation, which lets users understand the meaning of their favourite songs, and Lyrics Pronunciation, which enables users to sing along when lyrics are in another language.

So if you end up – for some reason - at a K Pop karaoke session, you’ll no longer be scratching your head at how you’re supposed to render the songs. According to Apple, the AI machine learning apparently ensures “the emotion, cultural context, and lyrical intent are fully preserved.”

Meanwhile there’s Sing, which allows users to convert the iPhone into a handheld microphone. Used in tandem with for Apple TV, it amplifies your voice you could can belt out your favourite songs with friends. With real-time lyrics and visual effects that light up the screen, Sing reaches a “new level of fun” according to the people at Apple.

We weren’t entirely sure what to expect when arriving at L-Acoustics keynote at London’s iconic Roundhouse last night. The globally-respected French loudspeaker company has been renowned for its stellar line array speaker systems and all-purpose live sound solutions for decades. But, prior to the event, the company teased the intriguing prospect of something that might be up the alley of music-making and performance-angled outlets…

At the conclusion of the keynote, the company - true to its word - finally unveiled its very first artist/DJ-focussed product: L-Acoustics DJ.

Don't be put-off by the rather flat branding - what this software can do could prove a massive leap forward for DJs and (ultimately) live performers of all stripes who want to engage more fluidly with the spatial audio world.

Ostensibly an iPad app running on the company’s patented L-ISA engine, L-Acoustics DJ allows DJs and live performers the ability to instantly stem separate any stereo source into four distinct part - Drums, Bass, Vocals and Other.

There’s no glitching with the resulting stems, and no discernable quality-loss or signal degradation and - because of the proven heft of L-Acoustics’ processing - no lengthy wait time for the stems to be extracted.

It all happens literally within seconds (if that).

But instantaneous stem separation isn’t all it can do. Being a live sound-oriented company, said stems can then be bounced instantly to any and all speakers with a venue or performance space, cutting out the need for time-consuming spatial mix sessions.

“There's no need to pre-load tracks, nothing to scan in advance, and it works with any type of source, from vinyl to digital, from CDJs to Ableton,” said L-Acoustics’ Director of Product Management Scott Sugden during the keynote. “To give the artist control - we've developed a software space visualiser.”

The software features global and per-stem effects, such as moving every element around the room in orbit, pushing the vocal stem forward, pushing the drums forward or creating tension prior to a drop.

This was ably demonstrated by the ever-awesome Max Cooper, who has been involved in the behind-the-scenes development process of the software.

Hearing his complex mixes swallow up and gallop across the Roundhouse was an unexpected thrill, and showcased the potential of using spatial audio as a spontaneous creative tool.

Getting hands-on with this ourselves following the keynote, the first thing that struck us was the simplicity of the software's UI. Particularly when you bear in mind L-Acoustics' professionally-angled L-ISA software and its position within the live sound industry.

Before long we were holding sonic court (or at least… in our heads we were), trialling different effects and marvelling at the fidelity of the stems.

The effect options are represented by strips of colourful blocks on the right hand-side of the interface. At the top, the Moods strip allows users to impart general spatial mix presets for any source, then there’s global effects which shake up the core elements via a mass rotation, a randomiser, a widener and a riser. At the bottom is a salvo of per-stem effects.

The visualiser to the left is where we can witness how the (colour-coded) elements are traversing the 360 plane.

Any stereo source is accepted, from the oldest, dustiest vinyl, to the most dense modern mix. It can accept tempo and BPM from all industry standard formats or it can be tapped-in manually.

“Interface onboarding takes just seconds. It takes far longer to load the USB stick than it does to understand how to use L-Acoustics DJ”, said Sugden.

If this is much extra work to be incorporated into a live DJ's workflow, it can also be operated by the technical staff of an event - and fed into multiple speaker set-ups across a venue.

We’ve seen stem separation technology deployed in a number of forms over the last few years - but the speed and clarity of what L-Acoustics have seemingly achieved has to be heard to be believed.

It’s also a further step into making the often bewildering world of spatial audio an accessible creative field for artists.

We’re keen to see where this technology will go when it’s launched in Q3 of this year. For more information check out L-Acoustics’ website

The inspiring, uplifting but ultimately tragic story of EDM star Tim Bergling – better known as Avicii – will premiere on Netflix on 31 December.

The DJ and producer – once one of the prime exponents of the burgeoning dance music scene and a subsequent EDM poster boy – encountered a rapid rise to fame.

Following such international, genre-defining hits as Levels, Dancing In My Head and co-production and co-writing with Coldplay, he became a much-in-demand regular on the thriving international club and festival scene, seemingly always obliging and ready to headline a gig and play to adoring crowds anywhere, anytime, day or night.

Always a musical innovator, he worked fast, and alone, often crafting massive club tracks by himself on his laptop using his personal weapon of choice, FL Studio.

Behind the scenes however, all was not well, and after struggling with both his physical and mental health he was forced to take a backseat from the limelight and retire at the age of 26.

Tragedy was to follow when, on 20 April 2018, Bergling took his own life, aged just 28.

Now his story is being told in a new documentary from Netflix.

“Through unique home movies and a huge private archive, we get to follow Tim on a winding journey through life – from the very first breath at the maternity ward in Stockholm in 1989 to the tragic end in Oman in 2018,” reads the Netflix release.

Intriguingly, thanks to his full cooperation prior to his death, the documentary features full narration from Bergling himself as he tells the story of his childhood and subsequent rise to fame. There’s also input from key collaborators such as Coldplay’s Chris Martin, David Guetta, and Aloe Blacc.

“This is a film where Tim himself is the narrator and he shares his inner self in a way we haven’t heard before. Through himself and everyone close to him – family, artist colleagues and best friends – we get to know Tim – the boy behind Avicii – for the first time.”

And while his fans will be watching, doubtless searching for answers, Netflix has more unseen insight. Additionally, Netflix will premiere Avicii – My Last Show, a 30-minute film that captures his final performance live at Ibiza’s Ushuaïa on 26 August 2016.

Both movies will be on Netflix from 31 December 2024.

Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4: What is it?

A full update to Native Instruments’ Traktor DJ software has been a long time coming. 

In the six years since the arrival of Traktor Pro 3 there have been some major changes elsewhere in the industry, with PioneerDJ doubling down on its own rekordbox software while its parent company AlphaTheta makes a bid to buy Traktor’s other big rival, Serato.

Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4: Performance and verdict

The design of Traktor Pro 4 feels reassuringly familiar although the software has been updated in all the right places. One of the key additions here is stem separation and mixing. Traktor was actually the first application to introduce a form of stem mixing, back in 2015, although this relied on DJs, artists and labels embracing the proprietary Stems format, which never really took off. In Traktor 4, stems can be separated from a standard pre-mixed audio file – as in other DJ applications – meaning these no longer need to be imported separately. Traktor can analyse and separate a track into stems ‘live’ as a track is playing, though the process can be slow, so the better approach is to pre-separate tracks in the browser. Right now this can only be done one track at a time, rather than as a batch.

In terms of isolation quality and stem mixing, Traktor Pro holds its own against the best of its rivals. We’d assume it may be relying on the same tech as that in iZotope’s RX 11, which is now owned by the same parent brand. On that front, another interesting new feature for Traktor Pro 4 is its Ozone Maximiser – an intelligent output limiter borrowed from the iZotope mastering software of the same name. This is a simple, hassle-free tool that imbues the output with a decent level of loudness without risking distortion.

Traktor Pro 4 also introduces flexible beat grids, allowing its syncing capabilities to work around tracks with drifting timing or tempo changes. This is more of a fix than an exciting new feature, but addresses one of the major weaknesses of previous versions, in that it was near-impossible to work with musical styles that weren’t focused around a rigid electronic beat.

The software also gains a neat and fun mini drum machine in the form of Pattern Player, which can be loaded with sounds from artists including Luke Slater and Rebekah. Both Pattern Player and the Ozone Maximiser were previously offered as part of NI’s Traktor Pro Plus subscription, now thankfully abandoned. In fact, as dull as it sounds, Traktor Pro’s new pricing structure is its best feature. Where many rivals lean into subscriptions and add-ons, Traktor Pro is now a single, unified product available for a single – very reasonable – outright purchase price (or a cheaper upgrade from previous versions). It’s this that is likely to appeal most to a lot of users. 

While it holds its own against the big names, Traktor feels reassuringly neat and self-contained, both in terms of its usability and cost.

MusicRadar verdict: Traktor strikes back, with an enhanced application that is nonetheless reassuringly familiar and reasonably priced.

Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4: The web says

"This feels like a breath of fresh air. One price. One version. No subscription. And new features which make the software once again fit for purpose for DJs who prioritise performance and sound quality over everything else, but who want some of the things they’ve jealously watched other platforms implement."
Digital DJ Tips

Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4: Hands-on demos

Native Instruments

Crossfader

Bop DJ

Digital DJ Tips

Native Instruments Traktor Pro 4: Specifications

• KEY FEATURES: DJ software with stem separation capabilities. Plug and play capabilities with official NI controllers, ‘Traktor ready’ controllers, or via custom MIDI mapping.
• SUPPORTED AUDIO FORMATS: MP3, WAV, AIFF, Audio CD, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, non-DRM AAC
• CONTACT: Native Instruments

Following the pain of his father’s death, German DJ, producer and remixer Ben Böhmer found solace in production, creating the tribute track In Memoriam for his debut album Breathing (2019). 

Acting as catalyst for success, within 18 months Böhmer’s life had taken a dramatic U-turn as his sumptuous mix of progressive house and melodic techno took North America and Europe by storm, giving birth to one of the biggest breakout global dance stars with 3.6 million Spotify listeners.

Böhmer has never looked back, clocking up almost 1 billion streams and performing over 200 shows in the aftermath of his similarly successful follow-up LP Begin Again (2021). Despite spending the majority of his time on tour, the lure of the studio continually tugs at Böhmer. 

In the aftermath of his rapid rise and on the cusp of burnout, for his third album, Bloom, the Berlin-based singer-songwriter railed against the temptation to make club music for the masses and refocused on the core sound he’s best known for.

You grew up in the small town of Göttingen in Germany known for the Handel festival. Did that form some part of your musical education?

“I never actually went to the Handel festival. There was another more diverse festival in the city and I remember those nights when I was kid, but unfortunately Göttingen is a very conservative city in many ways and they put a stop to loud music festivals in public spaces. When I was 16 or 17, my older brother had started going to the electronic music clubs in Göttingen. There weren’t that many, but these were the moments that influenced the path I took in electronic music and how I experienced and fell in love with proper techno music.“ 

What were your first steps into music production?

“I started playing piano really early and had a teacher who taught me how to improvise and write sheet music. That was the moment I started to write music and by the age of 16 I’d got hold of a copy of FL Studio, which helped me to make my first beats. At some point I was able to buy my very first MacBook, but FL Studio wasn’t compatible on the OS back then, so I switched to Logic Pro around 2010. A little later I started to play my first shows but I wanted to perform my own music rather than DJ so I switched to Ableton Live and found that to be the most convenient DAW. I fell in love with how intuitive and easy it was to use and began using Live for my productions too.”

You finished performing a 200-show tour following your previous album Begin Again. Was coping with that level of demand difficult to navigate?

“No one thought that the doors would open in the way that they did because it was still post-Covid and even if you agreed to do a show it was very uncertain as to whether it would actually take place, but they all did. It was a difficult time because I was completely burnt out. I didn’t write music during that year and probably only had three ideas that I didn’t even finish, which is unusual for me because normally I write almost daily.

“I was constantly flying, touring and playing the two albums that I’d written, but I learned a lot and realised that touring is a wonderful thing but not everything. I’ve learned to take a step back, so I’m more likely to do around 70 shows next time, which will let me take more time off to write music and find the right balance as well as treat the tinnitus that I unfortunately got from touring.”

How much of an impact does the tinnitus have on you and your music?

“I have had several conversations with doctors and we have decided that it could be a stress-related thing. I don’t have proper hearing damage, but there are two areas where I struggle with the high frequencies. I can live with it, but it was very worrying during the first weeks of my diagnosis. When you realise you have a problem you focus your full attention on it, which is the worst thing you can do with tinnitus. There are moments where I try not to get too annoyed, but I still hear it when I go to bed or wake up if there’s no background noise. Luckily, it doesn’t affect me anymore when I write music.”

Were you able to write on the road while travelling or in hotel rooms?

“I usually prefer to do that in the studio but I do sometimes like to write music on my off days so I’ll take a few pieces of equipment and try to build a small home studio in a rented apartment. Unfortunately, if it’s a touring weekend with three festivals or shows in a row I hardly find the time to write. Normally, I really like having breaks from production as long as they’re not too long because the first music I make is often really interesting and I’m quick to finish it. 

“Surprisingly, after doing 200 shows I came back and was really confused. I tried to write but for the first three months I didn’t like anything that I made. I thought about creating a proper, functional dance album because I was playing on bigger stages at electronic music festivals and the harder music that I wrote worked pretty well on big stages, as compared to the soft electronic ballads that I’d been making.”

Had you got caught up in trying to write something that you thought would primarily appeal to a certain type of audience or listener?

“That was the part that was confusing to me, but I got completely lost and realised that if you make something for the audience or a specific purpose rather than what you want to create in that moment it won’t turn out well. I felt this pressure after my second album Begin Again, but because of Covid I was completely isolated. For this album, I definitely felt the pressure of needing to deliver something that people would like but these thoughts are, basically, poisonous. 

“The whole experience helped me to take a step back and decide to make the sort of music that I really wanted to make and just that hope people liked it. That’s why Bloom ended up being a very chilled and diverse album with ambient and indie influences rather than a full-on dance record.”

Big events in your life related to grief and the ending of a relationship gave you the context to write your first two albums. What was the emotional fuel for your third LP, Bloom?

“I feel like there’s a lot of growth in the album, both musically and personally. Musically, I’ve gone into very different areas and that personal growth felt like a big part of the process behind the album and that’s why I called it Bloom. With nature, there’s so much diversity and growth and I saw the parallels in that.”

You mentioned that Ableton is your primary production tool, so is your studio minimal?

“Bloom was almost completely written in one room, which was a very new thing for me because I’d previously worked in an external studio. I basically built a home studio again, which was literally just a piano, speakers and room acoustics. I really like the simplicity of the room and not having too many synthesisers, pedals and effects chains, so the album was basically written on piano and the computer.” 

What’s behind your choice of piano?

“About 18 months ago I bought a Yamaha B2 silent upright, which is a real piano with strings inside and sounds lovely but it has a MIDI function so whatever I play goes straight into the computer. I can even use it to play u-he’s Diva software or Omnisphere and have that wonderful feeling of playing a proper piano through digital synths.”

Would you normally write songs on an upright?

“It’s always been this way. I was classically trained from the age of six but started to really hate playing classical music and stopped practising. One day, my piano teacher came to me and said, ‘Ben, I cannot teach you anymore but do me a favour and continue playing’. I took a year or two off and got in touch with Christoph Busse, who is probably one of the most talented piano players I’ve ever met and I’m really grateful he took me as a student as he doesn’t normally teach kids. He’s a master of improvisation and jazz music and taught me a lot.”

Did Christoph teach you anything that you still rely on in terms of your compositional practise?

“What was really helpful, and typical to jazz teachers, was learning music theory. I needed to learn the scales and although that’s not mandatory for writing and composing, there’s definitely some form of maths and emotion behind understanding the kind of chords that will work together.” 

Will you typically have a clear idea of the direction you wanted to take a composition or do you rely on intuition and improvisation?

“I’m open to anything. Sometimes I’ll just go on the piano and jam and if I like something I’ll continue with that and embed it into a song. Or sometimes I already have a silhouette of a song or a melody in my head that creates a path for a certain emotion. I typically set up the piano so that the microphone goes into a UA interface and the MIDI function goes directly into the computer via USB. Everything is recorded in Session View on Ableton before I start to search for the right sounds.”

You mentioned using u-he’s Diva. What appeals to you about that software suite?

“It’s by far my most used and loved synth plugin because it emulates most of the classic analogue synths but in a really rough, warm and imperfect way. I have a Moog Sub 37 in the studio too and there are some sine waves that I emulated in Diva but there was only a tiny, tiny difference, so I don’t even use the Moog now.”

Do you have a similar attachment to Omnisphere?

“I’ve been using Omnisphere for six or seven years but whenever I open it I feel like there are millions of sounds that I still haven’t listened to. What I like is that it doesn’t take a long time to find what you’re looking for because the software has such a good search function and there’s always something inspiring from what is an endless monster of a sound library.”

Did you bump up against any problems throughout the recording process for Bloom? 

“It took me about 18 months to complete the album and most of the songs were finished at a pretty early stage but it took ages to finalise them. I felt that was easier to do in the past and figured it would get easier as my knowledge about production grew, but I was completely wrong about that. The last 5 or 10 per cent drove me crazy from time to time and at one point I had about 130 mixdowns that I gave to other mix engineers but I didn’t like the results that much. In the end I finished it by myself and I’m still not happy, but please don’t write that [laughs].”

Isn’t it true that most artists finish an album because they have to rather than being totally happy with it?

“There are moments where I’m 100 per cent happy, but what sounds interesting and good to you might change six months later because your tastes are always changing. It’s probably normal for the process to drive you mad but that’s why I enjoy playing live because even if I perform a song from 2016 it’s never too late to make changes to it or add an idea. 

“What really drives me crazy is the mixdown and trying to find the perfect balance between a sound being clean or not clean or the right sound that works between the big stage and home speakers. Now that I’m on album three, I’ve come to realise that the perfect mix doesn’t exist, although Daft Punk might be able to achieve that because they sound amazing everywhere despite their tracks being made with very little equipment.” 

You worked with the FAMES orchestra on some tracks. Did you know that you wanted to use live strings in advance or was that sparked by what certain tracks became?

“I had a track written called Evermore and used Kontakt strings for that, which sounded good but then I heard about the option to book a full 40-string orchestra from a friend who had done it a few times and was amazed by the idea. Time was short and the orchestra were in a different country, so I gave them all of the MIDI notes before they wrote the score and then joined a Zoom call with them alongside a recording engineer. 

“I got back around 700 recording files and thought it would be really lovely to use the orchestra again on a synth/piano track called Rain and they just sound beautiful. Digital strings sound pretty good nowadays, but I don’t believe you can reproduce the dynamic of an orchestra digitally.”

What informed your choice of vocal collaborators?

“I used some of the artists that I’ve worked with before like Malou and Jonah who are good friends of mine, but there are also quite a few new names on the album that I’m really excited about. I was a big fan of Oh Wonder, Lykke Li and Max Milner who offer their super-amazing voices to the album. It’s amazing to work in person with vocalists on my songs and be on the same wavelength because you can make tiny changes immediately and it’s just really fun to have moments where a song is created together. 

“For example, on the track Best Life, Jonah and I had countless nights recording thousands of vocal takes and lines and I’ll never forget standing on the balcony and listening to mix down number 80 with new lyrics and just dancing and dancing. It was really fun for us to be in the studio together.”

Having a vocal wish list to pick from must be one of the benefits of becoming successful?

“It probably helps. London Grammar is on my big, big wish list because I love Hannah Reid’s voice, but if want to dream really big, I wouldn’t say no to writing a song with Chris Martin [laughs].” 

Ben Böhmer’s new album Bloom is out September 27 via Ninja Tune. For more information, visit his official website. 

Manchester-born musician Gerald Simpson is one of the most important figures in the history of British dance music. 

In the late-’80s, as a solo artist and member of 808 State, he helped pioneer the British strain of acid house, releasing iconic tracks such as Pacific State and Voodoo Ray. As the ‘90s rolled around, Simpson moved from house into jungle, experimenting with early samplers and breakbeats, eventually releasing the influential album Black Secret Technology.

Throughout his career, A Guy Called Gerald’s music has been tied to certain pieces of equally iconic music technology, specifically Roland’s genre-defining synth and drum machines, including the TB-303 and SH-101 synths and TR-808, TR-909 and TR-707 drum machines. 

As part of this year’s Brighton Music Conference, we sat down with Gerald Simpson to talk about his relationship to those Roland machines and how that technology helped shaped his career.

Take us back to what you were using when you very first started making electronic music…

“My first introduction was an Amstrad stack-like thing with basically a Boss drum machine and a double tape deck, which was really important. I was basically playing the drum machine in and then scratching on the turntable over the top of the drum machine. I would do tapes like that. Kind of like electro beat type things because I’d seen Grandmixer DST playing with Herbie Hancock at the Apollo, doing the track The Rocket. I’d seen how he scratched – and I’d heard the scratching sound before that, on Buffalo Gals and all that – and I just thought it was a synthesiser or some new thing. But then when I’d seen him doing it, it was like ‘wow I could do that’.

“I had this little drum machine that I used to use for dance practice actually. I was studying to do contemporary dance at the time, to keep myself out of trouble [laughs]. I started to use this drum machine and then from that I got the Roland 808. I got that from this music shop I’d visited since I was 14 or 15. I went downstairs into the basement where all the synths were and there were a few second-hand things. And there’s this box I’d never seen before – but I heard it a million and one times, and I was like ‘I want that’. Basically I just started to collect all my pennies together. I worked at McDonald’s. I worked all the weekends, stole other people’s weekends. Got paid more than the managers. But the drum machine was something like £150 in the end. This was 1985 to 1986, I think.”

For context, did you have a reference of which other artists were using what gear?

“The only reference I had was records; so like Planet Rock, then there was The SOS Band and all that kind of stuff. All the stuff that I heard on Piccadilly Radio. A load of American import music. It was all kind of 808-orientated. 

“I had loads of ideas about what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to work in the studio. There was a track called Renegades of Funk by Soul Sonic Force and I knew that they were using the separate outputs on the back of this drum machine and those were being put through separate effects. I had to find a way to do that. But I knew [the 808] was the drum machine that they did it with. I got a few guitar pedals and I tried it out myself. 

“I was constantly buying studio gear and equipment to sit on the table – just home-type stuff – four track and pedals and all that. You’d have to just make the stuff up yourself. Like, putting, you know, flangers in a daisy chain with a reverb. Stuff that you could quite easily do on a laptop now [laughs].”

Tell us about how you started using the TB-303, which is obviously a cornerstone of acid house. At what point did you encounter that first?

“1987, something like that. It was basically being sold as a band-in-a-box type thing with the 606 and I found it in a second hand shop. I knew of it before then, because I think I’d seen someone playing around with one somewhere. But I found it in this second hand shop called Johnny Roadhouse Music. And it’s got like this five-pin DIN on the back, which was the same as on the back of the drum machine that I had. In those days, hi-fis had pin-DIN. So you could plug your tape machine into your tuner via this 5-pin DIN. So I plugged it in and it worked. And it was like, ‘why do I need to have anybody else play a bass when I can automate this kind of thing myself?’. I was pretty much a loner. So it was a way of basically putting bass through onto the drums and then on from the drums to the tape machine.”

How aware were you of what other people were doing with the 303 in those days? Was that kind of music coming over from Detroit? Had you heard the word ‘acid’ in that context?

“This is a little bit before acid, it was the electro funk days. I was well aware of stuff that was going on with electro funk and what you could do with a bass machine. If you could program the drums in the drum machine you could program bass on the bass machine. I was aware of that. The first thing I heard might have been Ice-T,6 in the Mornin’. That was the first thing I heard, with the 303, but it was just a raw 303 with no changes. 

“I think it must have been a year later or something I was in, like, the video shop and I heard on the radio something that sounded like my machine. I was like, ‘oh my god what’s that?’. It was on Piccadilly Radio – probably [influential Manchester-based DJ] Stu Allan by then. He said the track was by Phuture. So obviously I went straight down to the import shop to find out what was going on. 

“I found out there was this stuff called acid house. I didn’t know anything about drugs or any of that stuff. For me, basically acid was a chemical that stripped away paint. I was thinking acid house was stripped down funk; because everything rotated around funk. Like jazz funk, electro funk so you know… acid funk. We kind of worked out ‘okay yeah it’s just a drum and this bass kind of thing’; and the bass was basically doing the talking over the top of the beat, which is basically reminiscent of disco. So I was like, ‘okay let’s go back to disco’. All this stuff was floating around in my head – like electro funk combined with disco, but stripped down. 

“At the time there were only really a few acid house tracks around. I wouldn’t even call them that. They were more elaborations on things that were around [Farley ‘Jackmaster’ Funk’s] Love Can’t Turn Around and a few other little bits and pieces like that. It was all about jacking. [Raze] Jack the Groove came out, and so many other kind of ‘jack’ things. Then I started to pull on that kind of vibe. By accident in a way.”

For anyone who’s not actually used an original 303, they’re notoriously weird to actually program. How were you working with that? Were you trying to properly replicate basslines in your head?

“I didn’t know that they were supposed to be hard. I mean, I was programming it like the drum machine so I didn’t realise that it was supposed to be hard. I found a way basically. Everything was by kind of serendipity and by accident. 

“I spent a lot of time on my own, just trying to figure out each one of these machines, and over time I actually learned how to write on it – I mean I could do Happy Birthday to You without the manual. Typing out the melody first and then afterwards tapping in the rhythm [mimes programming ‘Happy Birthday’]. 

“I could do that live too. Live, I would literally be programming the 303 at the same time as I’m putting things into the SH-101 sequencer, which I was programming from the accent of the 808. So I was running around like a mad rat. I started to write down little notes to memorise the tunes. I’d have this little book of notes open whenever I was doing a gig.”

Tell us about the rest of the setup around that time of those early releases. Where did things like the 909 and the 101 fit in?

“All this stuff, people were basically throwing it away. I had two SH-101s, the TB-303, an 808. The 808 was giving DIN-sync to the TB-303 and it was giving clock to the two SH-101s. The clock was coming from the cowbell to one of the SH-101s, and from the accent to the other one. That was my main system. 

“Then I got a 727, which brought percussion into the mix. Then I got a Juno-106 to do the pads. People were just giving this stuff away. If you look at the old magazines you could see the price of things slowly started to rise. By the ’90s it was over; you couldn’t get anything. I was getting stuff from Akai. I was sampling some of these machines. People became aware of what they could do.”

You mentioned using guitar effects pedals. Were they part of the live show? Did you have any particular effect pairings that worked well with the 808, for example?

“I would mimic some of the things I would hear. By then I was combining what I was getting from Chicago and Detroit in my own little way. I actually liked what Derrick May and these guys would do with hi-hats and a flanger; so I would put flanger on the hi-hats and reverb and chorus on the bass. That was really nice. Just treating stuff with delay, and tapping out delays so that it would make this whole other pattern. You’d only have to use really simple elements and it would create like this whole movement. I suppose it started to get really dubby and strange at some points – big reverbs on snares and claps. I had this stuff going through auxiliaries by the end of it.”

By the early ‘90s you changed up your sound and were moving towards making jungle. Was that a reaction to what was going on within house music?

“Oh yeah I think I was really pissed off. I felt this abuse from the music system that I didn’t realise would have happened. I still wanted to create, so basically jungle was letting off steam. I remember at one point, one of the guys from 808 State said ‘I don’t like breaks’. And I was like [adopts sardonic tone] ‘Oh yeah, really?’. The first thing I did was a track called Specific Hate and I used this break beat. I was like ‘this is alright, isn’t it?’ 

“After that I kind of continued with the breakbeats and did a sound system called Juiceboxx with Nicky Lockett who’s from my estate [MC Tunes] and then I decided ‘yeah let’s do some tunes’. Like dubplates. We started doing these breakbeat tunes and the rest was history, really. 

“By the end of it I was just trying to find a way out of Manchester. Crazy things were going on there. People with firearms and stuff. But I managed to evade all that and focus on what I was doing and I just kept with the music. I managed to get away with my life and escape. The people that were doing jungle at the time wouldn’t come to Manchester so I had to go to London [laughs]. Nobody in London wanted to keep guns in my house.” 

Was there any place for those Roland drum machines in your new music, or did you completely make a break with them? 

“What I thought I was doing at first was a step on; but I found that there was a lot within the sampling [domain] that was really similar. I was happy that I’d learned about envelopes and attack, sustain, decay and release because that came in very handy when it came to smoothing in loops and stuff like that. I did a lot of looping, a lot of cutting and listening to how I wanted sounds. Stuff like that. Trying to create… not a natural acoustic… but, like, I knew how I wanted the bass drum. 

“With the 808 bass drum, there was only a certain amount that you could do with a real 808. Within the sampler – I was using Akai mainly – I could actually lengthen the sample out and lower and make it sing how I wanted it to. We were cross-platforming a lot of different genres by then. I was mixing dub with hip hop and trying to create new sounds. 

“A lot of it was about trying to show off your production skills to the other jungle teams. I had a few secret weapons. A lot of people didn’t realise I was recording onto tape at first, because they couldn’t figure out how I got the bass so deep. You know, I would record really fast and then slow it down, so it was really clean and deep. Then the actual tone from the Akai is a really nice thing to use too. A lot was going into really simple things. A lot that you couldn’t really do earlier on. 

“The first thing that I did when I got a little bit of revenue was get a studio, a desk and outboard gear. I didn’t bother with people after that. I was like locked in the studio trying to get as deep with my bass as possible, as crisp with the snares as possible – wanting to know about the science of stereo imaging. I needed my acoustic to be focused. I just basically started to go down, like, all these different musical rabbit holes.” 

Last time we saw you play live you were DJing with two copies of Reason. Is that still what you use?

“That’s the heartbeat of what I’m using, yeah. I’m so used to using that. I realised that it doesn’t use so much CPU – or it didn’t, it’s slightly bigger now – and on top of that, they basically stole the Solid State Logic desk and put it inside – and that’s my desk, man. So now, it’s not possible for me to jump to FL Studio or anything else because I can create the sounds I want and shape them in the way that I want inside Reason. But then I started to add other elements too. Basically because people like to see how it all works, and I like to add a little bit of edge. So I started to bring some of the Analog Circuit Behaviour machines from Roland.”

How do you find those modern versions, having used the originals extensively? 

“I mean, I get all this stuff about ‘feel’, but once I’m in the music I don’t care if that’s the button or that’s the button. If I’ve got my eyes closed and sounds are changing when I’m moving [the controls], I don’t care what it is. 

“I don’t really want to be selling Roland, but when they came up with Analog Circuit Behavior basically everyone just thought it was digital. They thought they’d sampled something digitally and plonked it in the machine. But what they’ve done, which I thought was really clever, they’ve taken the actual circuitry from these old machines and put that in as a kind of digital circuitry inside the box. So you can get basically the same sound. People act like they can tell the difference. What I should try and do is encourage people to turn up to the club with an oscilloscope [laughs]. 

“Even if it was just digital, it’s impossible for me to bring the original machines on tour anymore because of the price of them and I get hassle from customs – I mean, they take the machines apart and they lose screws on purpose. Anyway, so I started to use the ACB things, which was a godsend for me. They helped me out. I can basically perform in the box and out of the box at the same time. Usually I don’t use the machines connected to the computer, so I have to manually make sure the tempos are the same and everything.” 

“I like to keep the computers separate to the synths, as I like to have stuff that’s outside the box. In case I want to basically do crazy shit or if serendipity happens. I’ve got mainly structured stuff happening inside the box and then unstructured stuff happening outside the box.”

One final question: what would be the single thing that you’d tell a younger person who might be trying to get into making music? 

“I would say basically to take a lot of care with your portfolio. Think of your music as your portfolio and don’t give it out. Before your music leaves your studio in any way, put an ISRC code on it. Because it can go to an aggregator, which will rinse the hell out of you. That’s the International Standard Recording Code. It’s a unique fingerprint like an ISBN number for a book. But it’s for your music – it’s not for Universal, it’s not for Spotify, it’s not for anybody else to have that – that is your code for you. It [links] your music to your portfolio.” 

Keep up with the latest from A Guy Called Gerald at his official website.

Fast-rising DJ and producer Felix Nyajo – aka salute – was born in Vienna, and developed their love of music based on influences from their family, video game soundtracks and delving into the archives of YouTube. They started making tracks on a cracked copy of FL Studio, experimenting with a variety of sounds and genres.

It’s when Nyajo moved to the UK that their sound as salute solidified though. Initially living in Brighton, before settling in their current home of Manchester, exposure to the city’s club scene and creative bonds formed with a host of other local artists helped form salute’s distinctive take on house music, which channels elements of soul, French touch and a healthy dose of pop songwriting.

All these influences come together on salute’s debut album, TRUE MAGIC, released last month on Ninja Tune. The collaboration-heavy record features contributions from the likes of Rina Sawayama, Disclosure, Empress Of and Nyajo’s close collaborator Karma Kid.

We sat down with salute in Ninja Tune’s London HQ to talk TRUE MAGIC, DJing and how hunting for samples can taint your ability to listen to music.

How did you first get started making electronic music?

“I got into dance music at quite a young age – I think I would have been maybe nine years old – just from hearing house music on the radio. I didn’t really know that it was house music, I just knew I liked it. Then eventually, from listening to a lot of game soundtracks and doing a lot of YouTube digging, I found out about drum & bass and dubstep and grime. I think I was taking an interest in it just because I found it so strange that people could make music that sounded like that. 

“I think I literally just like YouTubed, ‘how to make drum & bass” when I was like 12, and from there I figured out that you needed production software. So I pirated a copy of FL Studio onto my parents’ computer, found some really bad Vengeance samples and just kind of started from there. I didn’t know what I was doing. I had some basic musical education in the form of piano lessons a few years prior to that, so I had an ear for melody. I didn’t really think anything of it though; it was just a fun thing to do after school. 

“I was a drum & bass producer for the first five or six years. And then I started listening to a lot of James Blake and SBTRKT and stuff around 2013, and fell into the whole post-dubstep thing. I was also making instrumental hip-hop at one point. I decided I needed a sort of side project to do the non drum & bass stuff, which is how salute came to be. Originally, as salute I was making very J Dilla and Knxwledge-influenced, samply hip-hop, post-dubstep and a bit of future bass stuff. I kind of wanted to try everything. Eventually though, everything led back to house music. That was maybe six or seven years ago.” 

Where and when was TRUE MAGIC made?

“I usually make my music from home. The second bedroom in my flat is my studio. I spent a lot of 2022 touring, so I didn’t have loads of time to make music. If I’m travelling, the most I can sort of do is sample chopping and sample digging. I’ll make little 16-bar loops or whatever, and just save them and not worry too much about the production. For the start of the record, in the winter a bunch of friends of mine and I rented this big house in the countryside in Kent. We went there with a couple of synths, our speakers, headphones, laptops, guitars, and just ended up developing a bunch of these loops that I had accumulated over the last year. 

“It was a really fun way to approach production because previously I had just made all my music 100% by myself. There might have occasionally been a songwriter involved or singer, but apart from that the production was always done by myself. I thought this would be a really nice opportunity to work with close friends again. I live in Manchester, and a lot of them don’t anymore, so we don’t make as much music together. It was just a really fun way to work on it. 

“For the first bit, we did a writing camp in Kent, brought all our stuff and stayed out there for a week. Then my friend who makes music as Karma Kid, he has a studio here in London, so we went there and developed some of these ideas. We got some songwriters in over the summer, we booked a different house in Kent, worked on music there for a week again. 

“Then towards the end of the year, we had a few weeks of very intensively wrapping up the production – the last 10%. That was the hardest bit by far, because in the first writing camps it was more about getting all our creative ideas out there, not worrying too much about how stuff sounded. Technically we were going to worry about that later, any ideas that we had we just let them flow. That was a really fun way to approach it.”

The TRUE MAGIC artwork has quite a striking visual aesthetic, as well as a few narrative references that can be found running through the album – when did all of those first come together?

“The current visual aesthetic that I’ve gone for is a lead on from what I’ve been into before, I’ve just got more means to develop it into something more tangible. I’ve always been really into the ‘80s race car aesthetic. It’s something that stemmed from my obsession with adverts, especially old sort of ‘80s and ‘90s Japanese and American adverts. 

“I found out about all these really cool and very vibrant car adverts they used to have. I used to edit them to old songs of mine, put them on Instagram. Creating the world around that, within the album has been really fun. It wasn’t something I did on purpose, but after I wrapped up the album there was a clear theme running through it.”

There seems to be an obvious influence from classic ‘French touch’ house acts in your music – does that inform your choice of gear and synth sounds?

“It’s not even necessarily the sounds, it’s more the techniques that I use. I like to do a lot of micro-sampling, which is obviously super French housey, typical of Daft Punk and Justice; very classic, very emblematic of that time. I think that’s probably one of the reasons that the music sounds the way it does – I use a lot of the same sampling techniques and it comes from things like bit crushers, and finding really good compressors. 

“I think a lot of the music from then feels that way because of how heavily it was compressed and how much it was distorted. It’s about pushing that kind of stuff to the limit and making sure it hits in that way. I think that, more than anything, is why music sounds the way it does. I think that era of dance music is definitely one that has influenced this album quite a lot.” 

What kinds of sources do you tend to draw samples from?

“I’ve always really been into sample-based music. Back in my days of producing hip-hop, I took a lot of inspiration from J Dilla and Knxwledge and stuff. Finding out where they sampled stuff from opened my world to a whole lot of new music I hadn’t heard before. I listen to a lot of ‘80s soul. 

“Most of the stuff I sample is actually just music I listened to anyway. I’m a massive fan of funk and jazz fusion and soul and R&B from the ‘70s and ‘80s. I spend a lot of time digging through archive channels on YouTube. But I also go to record stores and find stuff there, particularly when I’m sampling stuff like jazz fusion. Whenever I go over to Japan I’ll spend hundreds of pounds on records there because I can’t find them anywhere else.”

Does being on the hunt for samples affect the way you listen to and enjoy music?

“I was actually having this conversation with a friend of mine. It does become a bit more difficult after a while to just listen to music for the sake of listening to music. Especially when it’s old music that sounds really nice and warm. You be like, ‘Oh I could use this in a track’. Sometimes it’s nice to just be able to switch off. But it does mean that I’m always on high alert. I’ll be in a restaurant and something will be playing over the speakers, and I’ll be like, ‘I’m sampling that!’.

“I would say that the way I approach sampling is more focused on what the palette of sound being used is. The reason that I love the ‘80s so much is because that’s when synths were starting to be used in R&B and soul and stuff. You would have these really glossy, very dreamy soundscapes. That Quiet Storm genre of soul and R&B really appeals to me. So I think it’s more about the sound palette rather than any sort of thematic tied to the album.”

Are you still using FL Studio?

“I moved on from FL Studio when I was about 20 years old. That was to do with the first iteration of my live show. I realised that for the live show it would probably be wise to use Ableton, so I switched. Initially I was going to use Ableton just for live and produce in FL Studio, but I fell in love with the Ableton workflow so much, especially because I do a lot of sampling and at the time Ableton was far superior to any other production software for audio manipulation.  I still use Ableton now. I think using Ableton has helped me to figure out really interesting ways to manipulate audio.”

Collaboration obviously plays a major role in your creative output. Do you have a set approach for working with other artists?

“In the past I’ve done a lot of remote work, where it’s often been a case of, I’ll send them some references and give them the sort of idea of what it is I want, and they’ll usually come up with something amazing. I mean, the people I work with are just the most incredibly talented people anyway. But what I really enjoyed for this album was that I was in the studio for the majority of sessions, which means that we were able to bounce off each other, we were able to develop ideas more succinctly. 

“I think you get the best performance out of a vocalist if you’re in the room with them, as you’re able to be like, ‘Oh, maybe retake that’, or  ‘put more emphasis on that’. Especially with Karma Kid, who also exec-produced the album with me, he’s really good at doing that kind of stuff and getting really good performances out of people. I think that’s something you would struggle with more if you weren’t doing this session in person.”

Is there a secret to capturing a good performance from a vocalist?

“It has to be the right environment, I think. You can have amazing gear, but if the energy in the room isn’t correct, the person singing isn’t going to come out of their shell to sing. You need to make the person feel comfortable. Going into sessions, I like to not start writing straightaway or start recording straightaway. 

“I’ll usually spend a couple of hours just sitting with the artist, having a conversation, just spending a few hours not actually making any music until the person is super comfortable. Making sure the person is warmed up, making sure the energy is high. If it’s too long into the day, the person might start feeling tired. It’s just these small things that actually make the biggest difference. On a very basic level, those are the things that will make a really good performance.”

You mentioned the final stretch of the album being the hardest, was it a struggle to work out at what point the record was finally finished?

“I think you never really know when something is completely finished, you just become sick of working on it. I think that was the case with me and this album. Even though I had a great time working on the album, the last month or so was hell, because even though I loved all these tracks, there was always one little thing that I’m not completely happy with. I got to the end and I was like, if I listen to this anymore, I’m gonna hate it. It’s done now, and I think I’m happy with where it’s at. 

“But having other people as a sounding board has been really good because it’s made me realise that I don’t need to overdo it, you get to a certain point and you’re only fiddling with, you know, a couple of dB on a hi-hat, which is just unnecessary. Having other people be like, ‘This sounds fine, stop’, is really helpful. I think I probably would have spent another two years working on the album otherwise.” 

How involved were you in the final mix of the album?

“I mixed the record with James Reynolds, he’s an amazing mix engineer who I’ve worked with before in the past. Some of the mixing was done remotely and some was done in person with him. I just think that you know, especially because there’s so many vocal features on the album, having someone who’s had so much experience doing big vocal records was really good. 

“It taught me a lot about vocal production as well. It definitely sped up the process because, I’ll be the first to say, mixing vocals is absolutely not my strong suit. It was really nice having someone to tie up that last bit. I mix as I go, so I’ll always get the tracks to sound as good as possible before I bounce them out and mix the stems with an engineer.” 

Although TRUE MAGIC is a dance album, there’s an obvious pop influence to a lot of your tracks, is that something that comes naturally to you?

“I’ve always been really into pop music, and I think that’s just because of my upbringing. My parents listened to a lot of soul and funk and gospel, as well as my older brother, he loved R&B and house music. So it felt natural. My favourite songs are big pop songs, really. It’s not really something I’ve ever properly considered, but I never shied away from writing pop music, as it were. I think there’s a bit of a stigma, although that stigma is not as as heavy as it once was, around pop as a dirty word. I don’t think that at all, I think good pop-influenced dance music is amazing. That’s always been a part of my sonic identity.”

Are we correct in thinking you briefly studied music production, but didn’t finish the course?

“I went to uni to do music production and sound engineering, but kind of realised that I wanted to focus more on creativity and being an artist. I spent the first year of uni not at uni at all. I went to Brighton uni and I was in London all the time. I was coming up and doing sessions and going to club nights and stuff. That tickled my fancy more, so I dropped out. I think that was a good decision.”

Would you say honing your craft as a songwriter is more important than technical production knowledge?

 “I think both things are really important. But I think first and foremost, especially as a young producer, the thing you should be focusing on is just getting your creativity out there. Not focusing too much on the technical aspect. Personally, I’d rather listen to a song that’s super well written and comes from the heart and that feels original, over something that’s technically amazing, but kind of dry creatively.

 “There’s an innocence that you have when you first start out as a producer. You often don’t know what you’re doing so you’re just doing whatever feels right. That innocence fades after a while. The more you become accustomed to your production software, the more you become accomplished as a songwriter and a producer, I think you start to think more in terms of building blocks. 

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but you lose a little bit of innocence. That’s one thing I envy about people who’ve just started producing – they’re just going into it with very little knowledge, and I think that’s something that you should treasure.” 

Do your impulses as a songwriter inform the way you approach DJing?

“When it comes to DJing, I feel there are a few different versions of me. I can play a classic house set with loads of big breakdowns or whatever, but then I can also play quite a techno set, I think my DJing is more about giving context to the stuff I release. That’s why, when I’m given the space to, I play so much old French house and I go classic records, or even like faster hard house stuff, because all of that stuff influences the music I make now.”

In the past about you’ve advocated for inclusivity riders, mandating a mix of female, non-white and LGBTQ+ artists on any line-up you play. Those are aimed at the DJ sphere, but do you think there are similar barriers to inclusivity in production?

“One reason why some people might struggle to get into it is time. If you’re working a job that requires you to be super active, or if you just don’t have the time to write music, or you don’t have enough money to buy, you know, music production software or hardware, then those are already barriers, you know. The vast majority of people in the music industry that are able to make a living already came from backgrounds that enabled them to have the time to write music. 

“If you’re lucky enough to have parents who can give you money, and you don’t have to worry about, you know, earning money on the side to make it work, that’s already such a privilege. So I think the bottom line is that, you know, a lot of people just don’t have the time or the space or the money to do it.” 

TRUE MAGIC is out now on NinjaTune – to download or order – as well as find tour dates – visit salute's website.

The proposed takeover of Serato by AlphaTheta has been stopped in its tracks by the New Zealand competition regulatory agency, the Commerce Commission.

AlphaTheta, previously known as Pioneer DJ, announced the $50 million takeover of the New Zealand-based music software firm last year. Had it gone ahead it would have brought Serato and Rekordbox DJ together – together they account for 90% of the DJ software business.

In a statement, NZCC chairman Dr John Small said that the Commission was not satisfied that the merger would not have the effect of “substantially lessening competition” in the markets for DJ software and DJ hardware.

“While other DJ software providers would remain in the market, we did not consider these rivals, or the possibility of a new DJ software provider entering the market in the near term, would be sufficient to replace the level of competition that would be lost with the merger. We therefore could not exclude a real chance that the merger would result in a substantial lessening of competition for DJ software, resulting in price rises to consumers and/or a lower quality software offering.”

The decision will have pleased competitors, including American audio manufacturer InMusic (the parent company of Akai, Denon DJ and Moog Music) who had threatened legal action and taken out full page advertorials in the New Zealand to publicise their criticisms of the takeover. InMusic CEO Jack O’ Donnell warned the Auckland Post last year of the downsides of the takeover: “In any market when you eliminate competition, it has an effect on consumers. It’s going to raise prices, eliminate innovation and limit choice. So it’s a big thing for a small industry.”

In a joint statement, AlphaTheta and Serato said they “disagree with and are disappointed by the ruling of the New Zealand Commerce Commission against the acquisition.”

The proposed agreement is one that would have capitalised on both parties’ “complementary expertise” and “accelerated” their combined ability to deliver incredible products to DJs and Producers around the world, said the companies.

“Regardless of the disappointing outcome of the judgement, we remain excited about the future,” said Yoshinori Kataoka, CEO of AlphaTheta. “Through this process we have built on our 15 year relationship with Serato, leading to the commencement of a number of exciting new projects for DJs and Producers.”

A similar investigation into the takeover is happening in the UK by the Competition And Markets Authority and there is a possibility that the NZ judgement will tilt the balance against AlphaTheta over here too. What happens after that regarding the takeover remains to be seen. It could well be the deal is delayed indefinitely.

Native Instruments' Traktor Pro hasn't received a significant update since Traktor Pro 3 was announced all the way back in 2018. Today, though, NI has finally revealed Traktor Pro 4, bringing a ton of creative tools to its flagship DJ software, including stem separation and flexible beat grids.

Traktor Pro 4's AI-powered stem separation makes use of sophisticated machine learning algorithms developed for iZotope's RX 11 software - a company Native Instruments now owns - enabling you to isolate and mix stems for bass, drums, vocals and other instruments for any song in your Traktor library before tweaking per-stem, MIDI-mappable controls for volume, filtering, and FX.

The software has also introduced flexible beatgrids, helping you accurately mix tracks that feature tempo changes without falling out of sync. These grids can help you pull off looping and beat jumps and apply time-based effects with tracks that vary in tempo, something that would've been tricky in Traktor's previous iterations.

Pro 4 also introduces two features that previously only came bundled with Traktor Pro Plus, Traktor's subscription-based tier. Pro Plus  is being discontinued, with all of its features being folded into Pro 4. These include Pattern Player, a 16-step sequencer that enables you to incorporate drum patterns into your sets, arriving with a selection of kits that includes classic drum machine sounds such as the 808 and 909, and samples from artists and producers such as Luke Slater, Rebekah and Chris Liebing.

Another useful feature lifted from Pro Plus is the inclusion of iZotope Maximizer, an adaptive multiband limiter from iZotope's Ozone mastering software that'll help avoid clipping and distortion in your sets, boosting loudness and achieving a consistent output level across multiple tracks.

Traktor Pro 4 is priced at $149/€149 but existing users can upgrade for only $74.50/€74.50. Find out more on Native Instruments' website.

rekordbox is very much the DJ music management software du jour, and version 7 promises to provide the smoothest, most intuitive workflow yet, while also enabling you to “dive deeper” both into your own track collection and those available on streaming services.

Now falling under the AlphaTheta brand (previously Pioneer DJ), rekordbox 7 has a refreshed GUI and a new Media Browser. This now has an icon view rather than a tree view for faster access to tracks in your music collection.

The browsing experience when using streaming services has also been improved - you can now see artist images and album artwork - and songs can be filtered by date, genre, artist or album.

The Collection and Streaming Radar features, meanwhile, enable you to find ‘matched’ songs using various filters, helping you to locate forgotten or previously undiscovered tracks that work well together, both from your own collection and streaming services.

Other new features include intelligent, automatic cue creation when you add a track, a Dual Player layout so that you can assess the compatibility of tracks, and a Column View that gives you a hierarchical method of searching folders and files and selecting and navigating through playlists and tracks. Collaborative playlists - which can contain BPM, grid and cue point information - are now a thing, too, so DJs can share their thinking/working with others.

AlphaTheta also wants to let it be known that, despite all of these new features, rekordbox 7 imposes up to 56% less CPU processing load in comparison to version 6, so the software should run smoother. Power consumption during startup has also been reduced - by 38% - which should give you longer battery life if you’re away from the mains.

rekordbox 7 can be downloaded now for free, and subscription plans - which add more features and cloud storage space depending on how much you pay - start at £7 a month. The Dual Player layout, Collection Filter, Column View, and other paid features added in this update are available free of charge when DJ equipment eligible for owner registration is registered to an AlphaTheta account via rekordbox 7. 

Find out more on the rekordbox website.

NAMM 2024: AlphaTheta Corporation has been quick off the mark after announcing a new eponymous brand that will sit alongside its roster of Pioneer DJ products. One of the first new products off the mark is OMNIS-DUO, the "perfect" portable DJ setup to take to your next party. And its colour is inspired by denim jeans.

So, yes, It's a big hello to AlphaTheta, a new brand that is spinning out of, but apparently not actually replacing the Pioneer DJ brand. 

As well as being a flexible and portable DJ setup that can fit in a backpack, OMNIS-DUO sports a distinctive indigo colour which is, yes really, inspired by denim jeans. That's because, says AlphaTheta, "it looks at home in professional venues and casual environments".

OMNIS-DUO is lightweight and portable enough to be taken anywhere - it can be powered by batteries if you wish - and can even be used outside, according to AlphaTheta. It has Bluetooth connectivity, so anyone with a phone can chip in with their favourite tunes, and there's plenty of connectivity around the back. As well as offering two mic inputs, you can also plug into decent sized PA systems using XLR connections, or simple speakers with its RCA terminals. 

You can play music from a variety of sources, too. OMNIS-DUO supports USB Type-A drives, and SD cards can be plugged straight into it. Alternatively, link up to a Mac or PC via USB-C and use the rekordbox Performance mode. There's a Wi-Fi option, too, for doing all of the above wirelessly. 

OMNIS-DUO has a touchscreen in the centre that operates in either Light or Dark mode, depending on whether you are indoors or out, and the batteries should give you five hours of operation before needing a recharge by mains or USB.

Onboard controls include an EQ, effects (eight Beat and six Colour), tempo change, eight hot cues, and scratching, so there should be enough options to sound 'pro' while you are playing on the beach.

There's no official word on price but we've seen rumoured numbers of anywhere between $1,000 and $1500, so you won't want to get any sand or water in it while gigging. There's more info at the AlphaTheta website.

UPDATE (25/01/24): AlphaTheta has responded to our story with the following statement: “For the foreseeable future existing Pioneer DJ products will continue, and AlphaTheta will be a new brand running alongside.”

Original story below

NAMM 2024: If you’re a market leader, you might argue that it takes a supreme amount of confidence to sideline the brand that got you to that position, but that’s what AlphaTheta - the parent company of Pioneer DJ - appears to be doing.

As of today, it seems that new products from the company will now bear the new AlphaTheta logo, seemingly at the expense of the Pioneer DJ name. It’s not quite up there with Elon Musk changing the name of Twitter to X, but in the DJing community, it’s not far off.

“Since the introduction of the CDJ-500 in 1994, Pioneer DJ has built a strong legacy of state-of-the-art products, becoming a leading brand for professional DJs while also providing a pathway for people to begin their DJ journey,” reads a statement on the Pioneer DJ website.

“Now, with products launching as AlphaTheta, we’ve created a brand that will propel us into the future, while also maintaining the quality and innovation that you’ve come to expect from us.”

If a wholesale change comes to pass, many will wonder why, but so far, AlphaTheta hasn't made that clear (MusicRadar has reached out to the company for comment). However, what we can say is that it's been on the cards for a while: The new AlphaTheta logo was unveiled last August, and Pioneer DJ’s accounts, support and other services were rebranded in December 2023.

By way of explanation, all we’re told is that “The name AlphaTheta directly refers to the brain wave frequencies achieved in optimal performance. Music often guides us into these extremely powerful states of mind. Our aim is to use our innovative technologies in sound and music creation to enable and enrich these peak moments.

“Central to our mission is our collaborative relationships with a worldwide network of DJs, artists, and creators who’ve helped shape our products. We’re indebted to this community, and we look forward to deepening our relationship with all our industry partners.”

Just to confuse things even further, a new video flagging up Pioneer DJ/AlphaTheta’s presence at the NAMM Show suggests that there will be gear from both companies, and directs people to both websites. 

Much to the chagrin of InMusic, one of its biggest competitors, AlphaTheta is currently in the process of trying to acquire Serato, another big player in the DJ market. If the deal goes through, it remains to be seen if Serato products will also become AlphaTheta ones; we were previously told that the New Zealand based company would continue to operate as a separate brand.

AlphaTheta isn’t the first music technology company to attempt to bring multiple established brands under one roof. In 2022, it was announced by the owners of Native Instruments, iZotope, Brainworx and Plugin Alliance that they would all now fall under the Soundwide banner. Little more than year later, the entire collective was rebranded as Native Instruments.

Producers have found inspiration in an unlikely place this week as University Challenge host Amol Rajan's viral response to a contestant has been sampled by scores of jungle fans.

In the original clip, shared by Twitter/X user Nathan Filer and embedded below, Rajan asks the contestant, "what name has been given to the genre of dance music that developed in the UK in the early 1990s out of the rave scene and reggae soundsystem culture, associated with acts such as A Guy Called Gerald and Goldie?"

The contestant responds with "drum and bass", a wrong answer to which Rajan replies, "I can't accept drum and bass - we need jungle, I'm afraid". Filer posted the clip on Monday evening, urging his followers to sample Rajan's response, and the Twitter/X community did not disappoint. 

Within hours, the post had received millions of views and several tracks were posted that sampled Rajan's perfectly worded rebuke, incorporating it into existing jungle tracks and original productions. Perhaps the silliest of the bunch is Tom Bradbury's version, which chops up the University Challenge theme tune for the intro before laying down Rajan's response over some gritty breakbeats.

Other versions were slightly more tasteful; Amy Goodchild shared a remix with the caption "I had things to do this evening" that places the Rajan sample over a dark, bass-heavy production that prompted several somewhat pedantic observers to categorize the track, rather ironically, as more drum and bass than jungle.

Our favourite of the bunch was shared by producer and DJ Spinscott, who posted a video of himself performing his take on Rajan's sample live with the Akai MPC1000 while showcasing some seriously impressive finger drumming skills.

University Challenge host Amol Rajan seemed delighted with the Twitter/X community's reaction, sharing several of the remixes and commenting, "Thanks so much to all the heads who made these memes go viral yesterday [...] my favourite: General Levy, obviously".

Others in the replies captured the mood perfectly, with commenter Mark Williams declaring "this is why the internet was invented". Amen to that.

• Read more: The history of breaks in music production

With the festive season now in full swing, you’re probably thinking about which software you’re going to use when you get the inevitable invitations to DJ at all those house parties you’ve been invited to (or, in our case, when you beg for invitations and insist that you’re going to DJ).  

With its easy-to-grasp interface and integration with various streaming services, Algoriddim’s djay Pro has always been a good candidate to fill that role, and version 5 adds several new and improved features designed to make your life easier and give you more creative options.

First up, Algoriddim has partnered with AudioShake to enhance its Neural Mix technology, which enables you separate instrument, vocal and drum parts of songs so that you can remix on the fly. 

The company has also boosted the capabilities of the humble crossfader. The patented Crossfader Fusion technology enables you to assign one of several transition presets to your crossfader, making it easier to create smooth blends or dramatic movements between tracks.

Beatmatching has been improved, too, with the new Fluid Beatgrid meaning that djay can now cope with tracks that have fluctuating tempos (everything from old funk tunes to current EDM bangers that have very obvious switches in speed). This works automatically, detecting and adjusting to tempo and rhythmic changes within a song, making beatmatching less of a headache.

The djay Pro UI has been enhanced, too, while a new Starter Mode streamlines the interface without compromising on the tech that’s running in the background. 

Available for Mac, iPadOS and macOS, djay 5 is available now on the Apple App Store. You can upgrade to the Pro version for $7/£7/€7 a month or $50/£49/€50 a year, and a 7-day trial version is also available.

Find out more on the Algoriddim website.

Some might argue that attempting to live out your musical dreams vicariously through your children might end up causing them long-lasting psychological damage, but we think it’s probably absolutely fine. So, in a bid to try and turn them into the kind of globetrotting superstars who’ll be able to earn enough money to pay for our retirement, we’ll be buying our kids the VTech Kidi DJ Mix, a veritable snip on Amazon at just £40, and one of the best Black Friday music deals a parent could wish for.

If you’ve got children, the VTech name will probably be familiar to you already. The company makes every kind of flashing, noisy electronic toy you can imagine, but the VTech Kidi DJ Mix is actually surprisingly well-equipped, even offering basic sampling functionality via its built-in mic.

There’s a built-in speaker, too; that said, if you need a bit more audio grunt, you can take a line out to something more powerful. There’s a line-in, too, so that you can jam along to your favourite tracks, or you can connect via Bluetooth. A crossfader enables you to mix between external audio and the unit’s built-in sounds.

The VTech Kidi DJ Mix works in three modes, starting with Party. This enables you to create custom mixes of any of the 15 built-in tracks (or those that you stream in), with the Launch Pads triggering different instruments. You can also fire off sound effects using the dedicated buttons (yes, there’s an airhorn) or record your own by pressing and holding. The turntable on the left can be used for adding scratch effects.

Next up, Studio mode, which enables you to record your mix. And finally, the Academy, a training area that tests the user’s ability to hit the right pads, use the crossfader and tweak the turntable at the right times. The built-in screen is your guide here.

Oh, and did we forget to mention the built-in disco ball that enables you to create an instant light show?

All told, the VTech Kidi DJ Mix looks like a blast. In fact, we’d be lying if we denied that at least part of the reason we want to buy one is so that we can give this thing a go ourselves. Watch and learn, kids, watch and learn…

If, today, you were asked to imagine humanity's future, you’d probably describe a bleak, technological nightmare, and of course you’d be spot-on. 

Post-lockdown, pessimism rules OK, but a few decades ago the future seemed full of promise and potential, and nothing epitomises the utopian ‘90s dream better than the lush, ethereal sound of atmospheric DnB.

So, in a possibly ill-advised attempt to stretch out our remaining years for as long as possible, let’s return to the dolphin-powered vibes of ‘90s DnB with ten atmospheric gems from the heyday of the scene.

1. JDL - The Runner

How could one possibly improve on Vangelis’ legendary Blade Runner soundtrack? There’s only one answer: by mashing it up with a tasty breakbeat and adding copious amounts of weighty 808 sub bass. 

So, what else makes this track tick apart from drums, bass and Vangelis samples? Well, that’s it, bucko. Why would you need anything else when you’ve already been blessed with the finest sounds available to human ears? 

Sadly never made available digitally, presumably due to the frankly audacious amount of sampling involved, The Runner is the perfect record to keep in your dusty drawer of replicant knick-knacks.

2. Voyager - Hypersleep

Another atmospheric classic inspired by ‘80s sci-fi cinema, Hypersleep features a lengthy sample of dialogue from James Cameron’s impeccable Aliens. 

Yes, possibly the only jungle classic to feature the vocals of Sigourney Weaver and ‘My Two Dads’ star Paul Reiser, Hypersleep is as deep and mysterious as the cosmos itself. 

Of course, the biggest mystery of all is Ripley’s absence of delight at being freed from all social and familial obligations after her 57-year sojourn in an escape pod.

Aside from the great dialogue sample, this track treats you to luscious Hot Pants beats, soulful vocals from an obscure acapella 12-inch, and tons of suitably spacey pads. 

3. Forme - New Element

Jazzy vibes and late night atmospherics dominate this rolling journey into the depths of advanced dance music. Sampling the aforementioned Hot Pants beat along with some Cold Sweat and vocals courtesy of Archie Shepp, this track was released on the achingly cool Mo’ Wax in the mid-90s and features on the legendary Logical Progression compilation.

Despite its ultra-hip pedigree, New Element is perhaps best known as the soundtrack to spoof director Ken Korda’s gritty Speeding on the Needlbliss from Channel 4’s The Adam and Joe Show. 

Will we ever see anything that comes close to the cultural significance of this momentous ‘90s moment in our natural lifetimes? No.

4. Source Direct - Secret Liaison

A purely instrumental Amen workout with an impeccable sound selection, Secret Liaison is one of the revered Source Direct’s finest moments.

Featuring tastefully programmed drum choppage, a huge, ponderous bassline and amazing atmospheric tones, this is a masterclass in timeless drum ‘n’ bass that will sound stunning even after the heat death of the universe.

5. Paradox - Deep Sleep

Another full-on Amen slammer, Deep Sleep features some beautifully sequenced breakbeat programming from Amiga-totting drumfunk legend Paradox. 

A Dune-inspired rinseout that samples David Lynch’s 1984 movie adaptation to within an inch of its arid life, this track features copious vocal snippets courtesy of Kyle MacLachlan and Siân Phillips, and even Brian Eno’s Prophecy Theme gets in on the action.

It’s also worth checking out the flip side, A Certain Sound, which believe it or not is an atmospheric Amen DnB banger complete with a load of samples from - guess what? - David Lynch’s Dune (1984). Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

6. PFM - Danny’s Song

Atmospheric DnB owes a big debt to the more psychedelic end of early ‘90s dance music, and on this track PFM combines a trippy synth hook from Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works Volume II with a haunting wordless vocal from Banco De Gaia’s Heliopolis and a snappy breakbeat from Psychotropic’s Hypnosis. 

This certainly wasn’t the first time PFM dipped into their record collection to provide inspiration for a track; you can hear the intro of Solo’s Rainbow (a techno cover version of the surprisingly funky theme tune to the UK children’s television series of the same name) in their earlier track, Love & Happiness.

7. Seba - Valley of the Moomins

What could be more relaxing than a visit to the idyllic Moominvalley from Tove Jansson’s beloved children’s books? Hanging out with the emotionally unavailable Snufkin, getting trolled by Little My, and conducting experiments with Snork, it would be a Moomin-lover’s dream come true.

However, these delightful denizens were inspired by Jansson’s real-life experiences as a depressed, closeted bisexual woman in the repressed mid-20th century, and appropriately there’s more to Valley of the Moomins than mere mindless euphoria. To wit, the blissful atmospherics are juxtaposed with sinister synth strings, abstract pitch-modulated breaks, and a mysterious vocal sample. 

8. KMC - Alpha Centauri

The epitome of the synth-heavy Scottish atmospheric DnB sound of the late 90s, KMC’s Alpha Centauri is a suitably spacey track that eschews breakbeats for brutal techno-inspired one-shots and features an ahead-of-its-time LFO-modulated bassline that takes the genre in exciting new directions.

Fans of ‘90s Japanese sound modules are in for a treat with this one, and they will be delighted to hear some tastefully-employed Roland JV expansion presets in the mix.

9. Hieroglyphix - The Rhythm is Back

Featuring classy beats that have become much-sampled in the recent atmospheric DnB revival, this track’s titular vocoded vocal sample is taken from a demo for a Best Service sample CD. 

Along with myriad synth sweeps and a catchy bassline that swaps between round, techy synths and bumping 808 kicks, this Total Science production is one of the long-running DnB duo’s funkiest atmospheric jaunts.

10. Blu Mar Ten - Santur

Based around some excellent E-MU samples of a three-stringed South Asian instrument known as the sarangi, Santur is a blissfu trip into atmospheric DnB that also features jazzy piano chords, sexy brass licks, fluttering tremolo effects and a funky analogue-style bassline that is sure to bring succour to even the most jaded electronic music fan.

Pioneer has announced a firmware update for their flagship CDJ-3000 multiplayer that introduces StreamingDirectPlay, a feature that gives DJs the ability to browse and play tracks from streaming platform Beatport directly from the CDJs. 

DJs must be signed up to Beatport's Professional or Advanced subscription plans if they want to take advantage of the new feature. Once logged in, they're able to browse the platform's catalogue of 11 million songs, access their own personal playlists and play tracks on up to 4 CDJ-3000 units linked through the PRO DJ LINK network. 

Thanks to Pioneer's Touch Preview feature, DJs using the brand's new generation of mixers will be able to preview tracks from Beatport without loading them to a CDJ-3000, making the browsing and selection process quicker and easier while helping to avoid accidentally blasting the track you're trying to preview over the speakers. 

In addition to the new StreamingDirectPlay feature, the CDJ-3000 already offers CloudDirectPlay, a feature that hooks up with your personal Rekordbox library to stream music hosted elsewhere. 

Together with CloudDirectPlay, StreamingDirectPlay means that club DJs no longer need to carry USB drives loaded with their music: however, as the system requires a reliable internet connection to operate, and many clubs and venues don't offer CDJ-3000s, it doesn't seem likely that cloud streaming will become the norm for professional DJs any time soon.

Find out more on Pioneer's website or download the 3.00 firmware update.

• Read more: Is cloud streaming a viable option for DJs?

The role of the DJ these days is many and varied, from old school 12-inch spinners who play everything out on vinyl to those turning up at a venue simply with a pen drive full of digital tunes.

Fortunately, there are plenty of DJ extras to make life on the road that bit easier for any working DJ, whatever your methods, and we have them all covered in this guide to the best DJ accessories.

We have the best optional extras for every DJ situation, from doing everything on a laptop to taking everything you need for a complete performance on the road with you, even including some pretty great speakers to play your tunes out. So whether you're simply doing a turn at your local club with your collection of files, or putting on your own event and need a complete mobile set-up, read on for the ultimate set of DJ accessories you need to pack up right now.

1. Headphones

Every DJ needs a great set of headphones, right? DJ headphones are designed specifically for monitoring, providing high levels of attenuation over external noise and the ability to cope with extreme volumes with ease. When choosing a good pair of 'phones, you should also look out for a precise sound for mixing and good isolation so you can focus on the music. Ideally you also want a rotatable capsule for single-ear listening, so you can have one ear on the tunes and one on the crowd.

Fortunately there are many great DJ headphones to suit all pockets with some old favourites that have become almost an industry standard, plus some newcomers that could pave the way for the future. Among our classic choices from our best DJ headphones guide are Sennheiser's HD25. These are as close as you’ll find to a universally well-loved set of DJ cans as they have a great balance of comfort and performance. Their newer sibling, the HD25 Light is, as you'd expect, an even more portable variant with a compact design and 20g saving in weight.

At the top end of the headphone price range we'd recommend the Pioneer DJ HDJ-X10. Boasting a full frequency response of 5Hz - 40kHz, they will deliver everything you need to hear and their closed-back technology will help isolate everything you don't. The design is great too - not over heavy or constricting for longer sessions - with 'world first' nano-coated ear pads and a head band both providing extra comfort. And they are certainly designed for use on the road, being both rugged and foldable so they can be easily stored away in the supplied case. 

If these Pioneers are out of your price range, then how about something a little cheaper from the same DJ expert? The Pioneer DJ HDJ Cue1 is a set that we rate as best for the money. These have a stylish and pro-feeling design, which can also be customised with optional replacement coloured ear pads and cables. However it's the sonic spec that surprises - not quite as good as the more expensive Pioneers, but still very decent.

2. Headphones case

Not all headphones come with decent carry cases, and some only ship with flimsy material bags which don't offer much protection. Of course you want to keep your valuable DJ ‘phones safe while out and about, so if you are in need of headphone protection, there are some solid third party options for all headphones. 

The G-CLUB-Headphone from case expert Gator will offer your ‘phones - and more - some great protection. Most headphones should squeeze into this case with ease (but do check before buying if your headphones are large). And there's plenty of room for other bits and pieces like cables, a phone, a charger and more. 

A cheaper option is the Magma Hard Case. It scores well in the user reviews stakes and suits a good range of standard-sized headphones, offering good protection along the way. Again, you'll need to make sure that the headphones you are buying for will fit - but many DJ sets can fold so this might not be an issue.

3. Multi-purpose DJ bag

Nowadays a DJ bag is not just for records, as today's DJ could have a vast amount of gear to carry around, including DJ controllers, decks, laptop and of course, those other essentials like your mobile phone, headphones and cables. As such, the best all-in-on DJ bags have to be flexible, protective and comfortable to carry around.

MONO makes some great bags specifically for DJs and its EFX FlyBy backpack is a 2-in-1 modular bag for the DJ with a wide range of gear that they need to take out and about. There's a detachable laptop segment so if you are an occasional laptop DJ, it's a handy option to have. But actually you can get all manner of other gear in this backpack including DJ controllers, keyboards, microphone and cables. It's a do-it-all bag with attitude - heck, you could even use it for your holidays.

For the DJ who has everything, this next multipurpose bag holds everything! The LoDrid DJ Bag is quite simply designed for the DJ who has a lot of stuff! We love a good utility bag with lots of compartments and this is probably the most well stocked. It will house everything from cables to DJ lights. Indeed, the detachable dividers mean DJs could even make space for controllers and more sizeable gear, and other smaller compartments will take everything from mobile phones to memory sticks and storage drives.

4. Record bag

For the transportation of specific DJ must-haves like vinyl, there are many, many more focussed options than our general purpose bags above. With these you are more limited to carrying vinyl - or other 12-inch sized goods - but they are more obviously aimed at DJs, so if you don't have lots of other gear to carry around, they have a much more lifestyle aesthetic and appeal. 

On that score you could opt for cooler branded vinyl bags like the Underground Resistance UR Record Bag which neatly houses up to 50 12-inch records with relative ease. You are probably paying more for the logo than the practicalities though, so we'd also recommend checking out something like UDG's Slingbag. It too offers storage for up to 50 of your favourite 12-inches but has the advantages of a couple of extra compartments with that bit more room for cables, phones, even the odd MIDI controller. And there's enough padding to keep everything safe and in order, without the whole thing becoming too unwieldy. A good all rounder, then, albeit with DJ practicality at its heart.  

Another vinyl-only option is the Trunab Vinyl bag which will store 60 12-inch records securely, not to mention having extra storage for 7-inches and headphones. It's water (splash) and dust resistant and a shoulder strap is included and will be required if you want to stock it up to maximum capacity. A very decent way of getting your old school skills and records out on the road and a fantastic cheaper option.

5. Speakers

If you're the kind of DJ who wants to carry everything you need for a gig or party - just in case the situation arises and your skills are required for an impromptu live set - then getting yourself some actual speakers to play your music through might not have been something you've considered. Generally you might feel that this option veers towards a complete PA solution, but fortunately there are a couple of great mobile speaker options now available that make mobile DJing even more of a reality. 

With a pro name behind the design, the KRK GoAux4's sound is good enough for studio mixing so will certainly deliver everything you need for a small-ish DJ event or hotel room practice. They can even be tuned to your environment with a self adjusting frequency range taking into account the room acoustics of the space you play them in. Clever stuff! There's also enough volume here from a surprisingly compact and well-designed speaker package that is equally at home in the studio as it is on the road.

IK Multimedia iLoud Micro monitors are also small-scale monitors with a huge sound. These small active studio speakers are so well designed that they will give you great playback options on the road. Each speaker has a 3” woofer and ¾” tweeter, with connectivity taken via stereo RCA and a single 1/8” TRS stereo input, plus Bluetooth on board for streaming audio from a mobile device or laptop. Like the KRKs, you get an extremely good mobile speaker package for DJing on the fly and the sound quality you get from such a compact set-up will surprise both you and your audience.

6. Storage

Having an external hard drive or pen storage option is now vital for digital DJs who use laptops, phones or other digital DJ controllers or apps. Just having a backup of your set is useful, and while you're at it you might as well carry a complete backup of your hard drive. In fact, storage options like this are great for all of us - DJs or not - as we have such a big part of our lives stored digitally. 

Fortunately, however big your digital life, there are storage capacities that will cover it and prices are probably lower than you might expect. The SanDisk Extreme 2TB portable drive is a great storage option with custom sizes and a rugged design. It is water and dust resistant, has custom storage size options - we've opted for the 2TB version, which is more than enough for most people (and is heavily discounted on Amazon at the time of writing) although you can up it to a massive 4TB. With decent read and write speeds, compact dimensions and five-year guarantee, this could be the backup space you need for your sets and music libraries. And for even more protection, there's a Yinke hard case available for just £13.99. 

The LaCie Rugged Mini 4TB is a good value, high storage portable drive, and one of the best in terms of price versus capacity. Again you can go for different size options, and it has a rugged build and is both shock and drop resistant - a well-built and inexpensive option for backing up gigs, music libraries and a lot more. A few computer hard drive's worth in fact.

Finally the SanDisk Extreme PRO is one of the best compact pen drives for storage and ideal for when larger SSD drives are just too big. It has a durable aluminium case and super-fast transfer speed. You can take it anywhere, and while the top capacity 1TB drive here will do for most tasks, it doesn't quite hit the larger 5TB capacity the larger drives manage. It's also available in smaller sizes if your budget doesn't stretch to this, with the 256GB version selling for just a shade over £60.

7. Laptop stand

The chances are you will get a decent work surface to place your decks on at any venue worth its club and live music credentials. But when it comes to using a laptop, don't expect any favours; you'll most likely have to supply your own stand to help keep your computer safe and visible. A decent stand will not only give you some helpful work height but also keep your precious laptop out of the firing line of many drink spillages. OK, we can't guarantee your lappie won't get damaged - you're taking it into a club, after all - but a stand for it can only help. 

The Numark DJ Laptop Stand Pro is a solid and reliable laptop stand that's easy to assemble. With support for up to 5kg in weight, Numark's stand raises the bar for just about every laptop model out there (unless you're using a seriously old and large machine). It's easy to put together, but breaks down neatly into four pieces for the supplied zippered protective carry case. There are plenty of rubber pads for non-slip support and this is a solid option at a good price.

On a more budget-friendly level, the Adjustable DJ Laptop Stand by Gear4music is a very sturdy and adjustable laptop stand. OK, you're not getting a DJ named brand on the side but this laptop stand is practical and comes with an angled and adjustable top shelf with lips at the front to stop your laptop moving forward. The only extras you get are a couple of clamps to secure it, but at less than £25 this is one of the best DJ bargains around and a fantastic budget option to raise the laptop stakes when performing.

8. Earplugs

In any live music situation it's important to keep your DJ tools safe and your finest DJ tools are your ears! A decent set of ear defenders, then, is a crucial accessory for any busy DJ, so make sure you grab any free options that the venue might supply. 

If they don't, a great option is a set of Earasers, which came top in our list of the best earplugs for musicians. Another cheaper option is a set of Alpine Party Plugs which will also protect your valuable hearing. They are highly-rated plugs with a few extras thrown in, like a case, and their asking price seems a small amount to pay to keep your DJ career going for years.

9. Microphone

At some point you might want to speak, sing, ad-lib, rap or in some other way communicate with your audience, and instead of shouting, the much more pro item you will need for this is obviously a microphone. These are many and varied but there's one easy solution and that's the most successful vocal microphone of all time…

The Shure SM57 and 58 microphones are probably the biggest-selling recording microphones in history, with the '57 being first choice recording amps and instruments, and the '58 for vocals. If you have any vocal ambitions during your DJ set, then, this latter mic is a great choice, either for ad libbing your vocals, a touch of singing or just generally introducing a tune or two. It's a rugged mic you can take anywhere and there are some good deals to be had if you look around on mic packages featuring the SM58 and one or two other freebies like a shockmount. 

Another cheaper alternative is the AKG D5, a super cardioid microphone with a built-in filter to help stop sibilance. With that polar pattern helping to cut down background noise, this mic focuses on the vocal. At a higher price point, the Sennheiser e945 is well regarded as another great, focussed dynamic vocal microphone. Like the AKG it has a supercardioid pattern that homes in on what you need to hear but also delivers fantastic detail that justifies the price.

Related buyer’s guides

• Treat the mix master in your life to the best gifts for DJs
• Best DJ turntables: 8 top decks for vinyl DJs
• Best beginner DJ controllers: affordable hardware for budding mix masters
• Best beginner DJ mixers: affordable scratch, club and rotary mixers
• Best DJ software: mixing apps to suit all styles, setups and budgets

There were already plenty of reasons to love Bandcamp. The platform empowers artists to self-release their music and receive a far heftier slice of the economic pie than they might garner through traditional models, and throughout the pandemic, they regularly waived their share of artists' revenues to support those affected by COVID's impact.

That's not to mention the site's pleasingly simple, uncluttered interface, and the excellent music journalism that you'll find over at Bandcamp Daily. All in all, it's probably one of the best places to discover and purchase music on the internet, which makes it a popular destination for DJs both amateur and professional. 

A new invention from Seattle-based developer, producer and label head nohup is set to make life easier for Bandcamp-inclined DJs, and digital crate-diggers more generally: Bandcamp Tempo Adjust. 

This genius browser extension adds a +/- tempo slider to Bandcamp's interface within the browser, meaning those listening through tracks on the platform can experiment by previewing how any song sounds at different tempos before they purchase. 

Like a real turntable, the extension will adjust both pitch and speed when changing tempo. The user can change the range of the slider, and hit the percentage button to reset the tempo. The developer already has plans to expand the extension's functionality to include a real-time BPM counter. 

Bandcamp Tempo Adjust is available now for Chrome and Firefox. 

nohup, the developer behind the extension, is also the head of Seattle-based label illegal afters tracks. 

Buying a gift for the DJ in your life can seem tricky: there are so many DJ-related products, and so many different DJ formats and genres, that it can be tempting to just play it safe and resort to a pair of DJ-themed socks. However, having worked as a DJ for many years at many levels, I can say with all honesty that while the thought is always appreciated, there are way better DJ gifts than another old 12” that’s been converted into an ashtray, or a ‘World’s Best DJ’ mug!

If you really want to show the DJ in your life that you care, there are actually a whole host of brilliant DJ-related present ideas out there, from tiny stocking fillers upwards. The key to finding the perfect gifts for DJs is to conduct some preliminary research first. Consider checking with their friends or other family members, or conduct a little research of your own to determine the best gift option. Do they need something practical like new USB drives or cases for their equipment, or maybe something for gigging like a dB meter or a new mini torch, or perhaps something from the fun-department like a dub siren?

Or if you just want to surprise them, then my gift-list contains a bunch of potential gifts that every DJ would be pleased to find under the tree on Christmas morning. Whether it’s data storage items like hard drives and USB keys, gig equipment like ear defenders, DJ bags and headphones, special DJ-treats or everyday DJing essentials, I’ve put together a list of decent DJ-related presents that start from very cheap indeed - the kind of gifts that the DJ in your life will not only love, but actually use too.

For more DJ gift ideas and major savings, keep an eye on our Black Friday music deals page.

Buying advice

A couple of bits of info about the DJ in your life can help you make decent DJ gift decisions. First, ensure you know what format your DJ loved one plays, as it’s crucial in determining what DJ gifts will be suitable for them. Most DJs are either vinyl DJs - they play records - or digital DJs - they play off USBs or a laptop. If it’s vinyl, then there’s a whole world of slip mats, vinyl weights, and record-related ephemera that they’ll love. If they’re purely a digital DJ, then USBs or external hard drives with massive memories will be more their jam.

Second, the type of music they play is a factor too. If you’re planning on surprising the minimal techno DJ in your life with, for example, a dub siren, they may not have much use for it, as opposed to the freestyle, hip-hop or reggae DJ who will probably happily rinse it out.

Likewise, a scratch DJ may well love a replacement crossfader but a trance DJ not so much. It’s tricky because there aren’t hard and fast rules, but generally, you’re going to have to check in with your DJ loved one to get a little direction on what to get them.

But also, Christmas is a time for giving surprise gifts, and in a world where buying tunes, funding decks and mixers, or putting on parties is an expensive pasttime, it might be worth just surprising them with the kind of one-off DJ related treat that maybe they won’t use every day and wouldn’t get for themselves otherwise, but which would make a lovely addition to their DJ set up.

What to avoid

1. Branding
Just because something is branded as a DJ product, it doesn’t mean it is a DJ product. It doesn’t matter how many ‘headphones’ images you put on a hat, it doesn’t make it a DJ hat.

2. The cheapest option
When it comes to tech and gadgets, the internet is full of highly spec’ed, extremely cheap, slightly suspect versions of whatever it is you’re looking for, whether that’s a DJ-friendly keyring torch or a new record bag. In our experience, you get what you pay for, and that’s never truer than with DJ gear, especially gear that is going to get used a lot. A general rule to follow is, if the price for something looks too good to be true, it probably is and is best avoided.

3. Impulse buying
If you’re going to surprise the DJ in your life with something massive like a new set of decks, then it would be a bold gift-giver who didn’t check in with them first to clarify what model they might want. Perhaps you could have a “If you could have any DJ set up you wanted” conversation and make a note of their response, or maybe you’ll need to check in with mates, or ask them outright, but as there are vinyl decks, CDJs, DJ controllers, scratch DJ controllers, and many other options, a bit of planning and research will mean that your surprise lands how you want it to.

Read more:

• Best DJ turntables: top decks for vinyl DJs
• Best DJ controllers: hands-on control
• Best beginner DJ controllers: top picks for budding mix masters
• Best DJ headphones: from budget to pro-level

In our video series The Breakdown, we visit artists and producers in the studio to break down how they make their music, getting a deeper insight into the gear, techniques and creative process behind their best tracks. 

This month, we're in the studio with Mandidextrous, a UK producer that has become renowned for their high-voltage productions that mix up elements of DnB, techno, jungle and hardcore. 

Mandidextrous on creating a hardtek kick/bass sound

Step 1: The first element of the hybrid sound would be the choice of kick: “Instead of creating a big, fat techno kick that’s all the way down at 40 or 50hz, I use a DnB kick, which is a lot higher in frequency and a lot punchier with less sub. It means that I can put more sub into the bass.”

Step 2: The bass sound itself is made using Xfer Serum. “It’s essentially just a simple pluck bass,” Mandi explains. Its creation starts by bringing the decay time right down on the amp envelope, with a near maximum sustain, to create a sharp, percussive sound.

Step 3: Mandi uses a sawtooth LFO to modulate the filter for a tempo-synced ‘chopping’ sound. “Just to give it the high end kind of click I gave it some resonance,” Mandi explains, “and a bit of drive to add some fatness.”

Step 4: Next Mandi uses a touch of frequency modulation from Osc 2 in order to add thickness. Serum’s sub is also engaged, sent directly to the main output, which adds bass weight to the sound.

Step 5: Mandi uses CableGuys and Nicky Romero’s Kickstart 2 to duck the bass sound around the kick, which gives both more space and adds movement.

Step 6: Finally, Ableton’s Amp device is used to add distortion to the sound. “It just brings a whole thing to life,” Mandi explains. “It goes from being quite a thin kick bass to a really powerful kick bass, and that’s the kind of energy that I kind of want to have in my tracks.”

Mandidextrous on why they love their Adam A77X studio monitors

When asked to choose her most essential piece of gear, Mandi settles on her studio monitors, the Adam A77Xs. "They're fairly new to me - I used to run the A7Xs, but they didn't have enough low-end. The A77Xs have so much detail, I love the low-end and the mid-range, and the ribbon tweeters on them are brilliant."

Follow Mandidextrous on Instagram and Soundcloud.

RECORDING WEEK 2022: Pioneer DJ VM series are high-quality near-field monitor speakers. 

The VM-50, VM-70, and VM-80 active monitor speakers produce clear audio with fast-attacking, punchy bass. And, thanks to flexible DSP settings, the speakers can be tuned to suit the characteristics of a room, making them perfect for recreating a club sound when you’re DJing or providing a flat frequency response when you’re producing music in a home or professional studio setting.

Performing from home continues to grow in popularity as DJs livestream sets to friends and fans via online platforms and social media. 

To recreate the feeling of playing in a club, DJs need high-quality monitor speakers and, because every room reflects sound waves differently, it’s a huge advantage if they can tune the audio to suit the shape and characteristics of the space. Great aesthetics are also important, to help a DJ’s home setup look like the booth in a club. 

The design of the VM series units includes high-quality components and innovative features to deliver pure audio. With flat voicing, Class D amplifiers, and Aramid fiber cones, they accurately reproduce sounds from their original sources, including deep low-end frequencies thanks to the Vortex Bass Accelerator.

Key features

Clear, low-distortion audio with fast-attacking bass: Recreate club-style sound

High-quality components

Each model in the VM speaker series includes a Class D amplifier with 96 kHz sampling DSP to enable wide-bandwidth audio reproduction. Its highly efficient performance results in low distortion and brings increased energy to the sound. The 4-mm-thick rigid aluminum front baffle also suppresses resonance and reduces vibrations, helping the speaker to deliver sound that’s authentic to the original source.

Aramid fiber woofer cones and Vortex Bass Accelerator

From minimum to maximum volume, Aramid fiber woofer cones provide outstanding punch that you’ll feel in the bass and low-mid frequencies. These newly developed cones are 30 percent lighter than conventional paper-lined Aramid cones, making them stronger and helping them to pump out deep sounds. 

The Vortex Bass Accelerator also ensures that low-end audio is tight and free from unwanted vibrations, as ribs in the bass reflex port enable air to flow freely from the speaker to deliver pure sound – whether you’re listening to vocals or instrumentals.

Constant directivity horn

Mid and high-frequency sounds are delivered with power from the VM series speakers thanks to the constant directivity horn, which also creates a broad, uniform listening space. 

The shape of the horn and the woofer edge are specially designed so that the flat playback frequency crosses over to the tweeter easily, resulting in a natural sound.

DSP control: Easily adjust the sound to suit your room

The VM series speakers are voiced flat to ensure you hear the natural sound of the music. But every room reacts differently to audio waves. To help you tweak the output and find the sound that’s perfect for the room you’re working in, each VM speaker includes DSP settings.

Reach around to the back of the speakers and you’ll find 2 knobs: Low EQ and High EQ. Without needing to look at the rear panel, you can click the knobs into 4 different positions each, giving you 16 possible EQ settings that are simple to engage. 

Choose the one that sounds best for DJing or producing music in your home or studio, depending on the shape, size, and construction of the room. 

For example, if your speakers are positioned near to walls or if you’re working at night, you might want to minimize bass vibrations by switching the Low EQ to Room 1 mode. Or if you find that you’re not getting enough treble, you can boost the highest frequencies by switching the High EQ to Room 2 mode.

Fresh, professional design: Enhance the look and sound of your setup

The brand-new design of the hexagonal aluminum front baffle brings a fresh look, as well as improved sound quality and durability. 

It cuts down unwanted vibrations for lower distortion while the tweeter protective guard reduces the risk of damage to the high-frequency diaphragm if you accidentally poke that area. And the Alumite-treated brushed texture gives the speakers a professional finish so they look right at home next to Pioneer DJ gear. 

• Pioneer DJ

In a technical breakthrough and DJ-ing first, Beatport has announced the introduction of a new feature to its Beatport DJ app designed to allow DJs to collaborate on sets remotely, from anywhere in the world.

Using the service up to four DJs and play simultaneously with the combined streams available to each DJ's audience despite – potentially – each being thousands of miles apart.

It's called Party Mode and it's a new feature inside Beatport DJ that delivers unique,  latency-free, connected DJ sessions. Beatport describes the feature as "the first of its kind, and is set to revolutionize how DJs connect, learn, and enjoy the art of DJing."

It works by allowing multiple DJs to connect to the same shared session. Plus 'up to 1000' viewers can also join the stream and watch. The service automatically creates ad populates a shared playlist for the DJs to share and make their selections from.

Needless to say some level of communication between the (potentially) 'competing' DJs will be essential so the service includes chat functionality for discrete communication between the DJs and for them to talk to their global audience.

Meanwhile that audience can see the Beatport catalog of tracks being used in the Discovery module at the bottom of the screen while watching the DJs in the shared Performance module above.

The DJs perform together with mouse and keyboard or can use Touch Mode on a device such as a Microsoft Surface tablet. There are also plug-and-play third party DJ controllers that come pre-mapped for Beatport DJ.

Beatport suggests that the feature will have a number of uses.

Firstly there's the shared experience of seeing what tracks another DJ will pick and being able to contribute and collaborate on a set together.

Next there's the possibility of using the service to practice and plot a set for a future live, in-person session. So two DJs set to play together at a festival say, could rehearse from their homes before getting on the plane.

DJ education establishments could use the system to teach DJ skills.

And of course there's the ability to stream to a global audience, all attending the same gig from wherever they are.

The system was first demonstrated late last year with a session between Jamie Jones (who played in Miami) and Loco Dice (who played in Berlin) with an audience at each location able to see and hear the audience and music being played from the other.

Find out more at beatportal.com 

IKEA and Swedish House Mafia (Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso) have released their OBEGRÄNSAD collection, a new range of products designed to “democratise music production at home”.

Highlights include a ‘remixed’ version of the vinyl-friendly KALLAX storage unit - this has been adjusted in height so you can use it as a stand-up DJing console and comes with additional storage space for your gear - and a music production desk with built-in speaker stands (these are also available separately).

Swedish House Mafia have recently been discussing the inspiration for the collection with the Vancouver Sun, with Sebastian Ingrosso pointing to the fact that it’s no longer necessary to go into a “big studio” to make music.

“What we are coming up with now with Ikea, I think that’s more than enough for people to make music,” he says. “And I think it’s going to be more and more driven from your home. To have a studio these days, it’s a very expensive thing.

“So, I think this is smart. I think this is where we all are heading right now. To be home or to be somewhere easy to make music - it should be everywhere.”

Steve Angello, meanwhile, reiterated that IKEA furniture was crucial to Swedish House Mafia in the early part of their career, so working with the brand is a natural step for them.

“We grew up surrounded by IKEA, and we’ve always used IKEA to hack our first furniture and studio setups,” he says. “So for us, it was completely emotional.”

In some ways, then, the band have come full circle, and they’d be happy to see a new generation of musicians tweaking the OBEGRÄNSAD range so it meets their requirements.

“It’s super exciting to see where it comes from and where it goes,” says Steve Angello. “It’s going to be nice to see if someone takes our hacks and makes their own hacks. It’s going to be nice to see what they do with it.”

You can learn more about the OBEGRÄNSAD collection on the IKEA website. Other items in the collection include a turntable, bags, lamps and soft furnishings. 

Brighton-based musician JFB is undoubtedly one of the UK’s best scratch DJs, and he’s got the accolades to prove it, including winning three DMC championships and picking up trophies from competitions such as Red Bull’s 3Style. 

Championed by the likes of Fatboy Slim and Rob Da Bank, JFB has made a name for himself with sets that span the realms of club and party DJing, competition routines and showcases.

At this year’s Brighton Music Conference, Si Truss learned more about the gear he uses, what makes him unique as a DJ, and the work that goes into preparing his scratch routines. 

How did you get into DJing?

“I was 16, and I went to a rave. At this point, mixtapes were being passed around at school. I went to this rave and had the best time of my life. And I was looking at the DJs and I couldn’t see what they were doing. I thought they’re using synthesisers because all I knew on TV was Prodigy. And I saw like, you know, like a Roland 303, or whatever. Then a friend at school invited me to his house saying he’d got some DJ equipment. I was surprised to see it was just turntables and a mixer. He showed me basic mixing, and the next day, I went out and got some, you know, hifi turntables and tape players, whatever I could use to try and recreate mixing. It just went from there.”

These days you use a digital approach based around Serato. What appeals about that?

“With Serato you can use any audio that’s in your laptop, computer, phone or whatever you’re using, which means that you can have as much music as you want, wherever you get it from. You can also sample anything and edit the music to correlate with your scratching or turntablism or mixing or anything you want to do.”

For complete newbies getting into the art of turntablism, what gear would you recommend to start on?

“Anything that allows you to make some sort of noise by scratching a platter, whether that’s a turntable with normal records, a controller, or CDJ. Anything that’s got a platter that you can move.”

What’s the difference between how you’ll put together a club set, competition routine or showcase?

“In a club, festival, party or any dancing environment, doing anything a bit too technical is not a good idea. People are there because they want to dance, and they don’t necessarily care about turntablism skills whatsoever. So in that case, I would do a party set, but I would throw in some scratch routines that I’ve tailormade to, hopefully, keep people on the dance floor while still gaining hype and attention from the crowd. 

“For a competition, I would go as technical as possible. Also I’ll be bearing in mind what I think the judges will be giving high marks for. Then for showcases I would probably do just nonstop scratch routines – some more simple, some more technical.”

How much planning are you putting into all these sets? Do you always know exactly how it’s going to go in advance of the event?

“Non-stop planning! For each gig I’ll probably make a playlist of something that I think I’ll do, then I’ll have like another 10 or 20 playlists that are completely random to go in and out of. Because, obviously you’re looking at the crowd, and you’ve kind of gotta go with the flow of what’s going on with them.”

Do you prep tracks away from Serato too?

“Yeah, lots. I do a lot of scratch routines where, for example, there’s a well known track that people probably know, and want to do a scratch remix of it. I’ll get the track and I’ll edit a left deck and a right deck version of it, to correlate with the stickers on my records, which are my marker points. Those stickers are what I use, heavily, to keep in time as I manipulate the arrangement in the scratch routines.”

Tell us a little more about the stickers you’re placing on your control vinyl. What are those markings for?

“Most people will use the sticker at the 12 o’clock position. I’ll place it where the needle would land if I was using a real turntable, if that makes sense. That is, for me, the most comfortable visual marker to quickly get back to. It doesn’t really matter how you place them though, because whatever you’ve practised a lot, you gain some muscle memory. 

“It’s about building a kind of visual muscle memory that helps your hand-eye coordination. You know the sticker needs to be in that place. Since you’re not using headphones to work out what you’re doing, you just eventually do it visually instead.”

Moving away from DJing for a moment, tell us a little about your studio setup…

“I’ve got my Kaoss Pads – I’ve got a Kaoss Pad 3 and a Kaoscillator, which I use to generate tones and sounds. I use Loopcloud a lot, to find samples that are in key. You can audition whatever you’re searching for in Loopcloud whilst you’re playing whatever it is that you’re playing. 

“Logic I’m just mainly using for audio editing when it comes to routines, and just for working with effects and stuff. Hardware-wise, it’s mainly about using my mixing desk to route things. So I’ll go digging on YouTube a lot for vocal samples – quotes and things like that – and if I hear something, rather than trying to rip the audio using a website, I’ll just record it by routing it through my desk, and maybe apply effects to it and things like that. 

“I’ve got some valve warmers but I hardly ever use those. Synths: I’ve got microKORG from 2008, which is amazing. I use the vocoder on that quite a lot. I actually routed that synth through my mixer while scratching. Using Ableton, I worked out what chords I wanted to do over what routine, and then set up my MIDI pads to trigger MIDI through Ableton to play chords on the microKORG. So I had eight different chords in Ableton, and then each time I hit a different pad, it would just trigger each chord on a loop, so it just kept on going.”

By the sound of it your production workflow feeds quite heavily into how you prep DJ sets. How important do you think it is for up-and-coming turntablists to learn that production side?

“It’s very helpful, but I don’t think it’s important at all. You just make use of what you’ve got. And there’s so many endless ways to do everything. You don’t necessarily need to have that much equipment. But it is nice to have. And it’s fun.”

How hard was it for you to break into DJing as a career?

“It can be hard. Sometimes not. You can be lucky. I remember when I was 18 I got a job in a nightclub. The Beach Club, which is now Coalition here in Brighton. I was a back bar glass collector. I used to take a stack of records with me every single night. I had a deal with the manager who worked there that if I got there an hour early and cleaned the entire bar for everyone, he would let me DJ on the system before the club opened for however long it took the warm up DJ to turn up. Occasionally that night’s DJ just wouldn’t turn up for five or ten minutes or whatever. 

“They had a regular rotation of promoters. There was Fatboy Slim’s event, Big Beach Party, they had a drum & bass party called Meltdown, some Ninja Tune parties – this is, like, late-’90s, so it was amazing. Occasionally, the promoters will come up to me. And then eventually I got, you know, given some little bar gigs, stuff like that, which led to club gigs, which led to residencies, which led to other stuff…”

How different do you think it is for DJs trying to break into the scene today? With things like Instagram and TikTok, has the internet made it easier or harder?

“No, it’s fucking incredible, as a tool to use. Like anything it can be just as frustrating as it is amazing, but it completely helped my career so much. I was just doing scratch videos and that’s how a lot of people got to know me. That’s why a lot of promoters have booked me. I mean, it’s backfired as well because there are a lot of promoters who think I just do scratch routines and don’t want to book me because they think, you know, the dancefloor will be empty or something. But you know, there are mixes online, there are videos of me playing – the internet’s an incredible thing.”

Tell us about your setup: you’re using a pair of Rane 12 controllers?

“That’s right, the Rane 12 MkIIs.”

Those are emulating the feel of vinyl turntables. What’s your relationship with physical records these days, do you ever still buy and play vinyl?

“No, not at all. But I do absolutely love it. I’ve got a dedicated set up [at home] of a scratch mixer and a turntable either side. Then I’ve got a big pile of old battle records. I use that to get my scratch fix. But in terms of now, the day I got Serato was the day I kind of stopped buying records. That was in 2006. 

“I mean, I love records – I love the sound of records. I love going into a venue and seeing, ‘Oh, they’re playing records. Oh, it’s fun, because it’s all these rare funk records’. It’s amazing. But I just can’t do what I want to do with records. Well, I can… but I’d have to buy a lot of them!”

What mixer do you use?

“I’ve got the Pioneer S11. You can pretty much use any mixer though. Most scratch mixers these days come with built-in soundcards, which have, like, two USB ports on the back. That will be to plug your laptop in or to run your DVS system. Then most of them also have MIDI USB inputs – so the two Ranes go into the MIDI inputs of the mixer, and it just picks it up. Then that all works using Serato’s internal mode.”

What is it about your mixing style that you think makes you unique in the field?

“I think the reason I’m – luckily – unique is because no one wants to take risks in pulling off scratch routines. Like where, if you make a mistake, it sounds terrible. And once I start my routines, I can’t stop because I’ve edited the audio. 

“For example, I could drop a record on one turntable, and if I don’t interact with it the way I’m supposed to, or I forget to do something there, it’ll just keep playing and there will suddenly be a gap in the music. Then suddenly the music will come back in but it won’t make any sense – it won’t be in time. Yeah. I don’t know anyone else who makes scratch routines, like I do.”

Has that ever led to any disasters while performing?

“Totally. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take. It’s really rare now that something really bad happens. One of the main reasons I want to use these decks is because the sticker position does not move, which really helps. But when I can’t bring this setup out with me, I’ll use regular Technics with needles, and use timecode records.” 

Stem separation is fast becoming an expected feature in DJ software - you’ll already find it in Virtual DJ and Algoriddim djay - so we’re not hugely surprised that it’s now being added to Serato DJ, too.

It might not have been first, but Serato suggests that its “one-of-a-kind machine learning algorithm” will give it the edge over the competition. In fact, we’re promised “unbeatable sound quality and performance”.

You can use the Serato Stems feature (as it’s known) to isolate the vocals, bass and drums, while you also have the option to add Pad FX (such as Echo and Braker) to transitions between stems.

The idea is that you can use Serato Stems to create mash-ups on the fly or make the process of mixing between songs easier by removing problematic elements of them. Users will undoubtedly come up with even more creative ways to use the technology, though, which is heading to both Serato DJ Lite 3.0 and DJ Pro 3.0.

A select group of DJs has already had a chance to play with Serato Stems, and it seems that one of them - a certain DJ Jazzy Jeff - is impressed.

"There have been certain groundbreaking things that have changed in the art of DJing; the invention of Serato, not having to carry records, the invention of Phase, not having to worry about vibration in a live setting.,” he says. “I think Serato Stems will be bigger than all of them from a creative standpoint. This is about to be the most fun I've ever had DJing. I'm telling you, my brain is on fire."

You can sign up to join the Stems public beta now. 

Jon Hopkins has shared a new remix of Orbital's 1993 classic track Halycon and On and On. 

The remix is part of Orbital's forthcoming album release, 30 Something, which sees the duo reworking and reimagining various landmark tracks from their three-decade career in the style of their live performances. 

In addition to remixes from Jon Hopkins, Joris Voorn, Dusky, Jon Tejada, Shanti Celeste, ANNA, and more, there's also a new Orbital track, Smiley, alongside the previously unreleased Acid Horse. The project celebrates Orbital's 30th anniversary as a duo, and is scheduled for release on 15th July.

Hopkins spoke about the release in a post on Instagram. "When I was a teenager my brother Sam introduced me to Orbital’s Halcyon and On and On. I used to listen to it on repeat in my room before I had the ability or gear to make any of my own stuff. I was obsessed with those opening chords and that beautiful reversed vocal," Hopkins says. 

"25 years later the band asked me to remix it for their upcoming anniversary release, Orbital 30. I was so honoured. It was a fucking dream to have all the original stems to play with after all that time. I worked on it in early 2019 I think, then first played a live version at Glastonbury 2019 when closing West Holts on the Friday night. Since then you might have heard it in various incarnations in DJ sets. I’m so happy for you to all hear the full version today."

In a statement, Orbital commented on the album release. “What’s been amazing for me is looking at our past and thinking of all the people who’ve come to see us, they are absolutely brilliant, warm and create such an amazing vibe. They are now bringing their kids to our gigs, they love it,” says Phil Hartnoll.

“Now we’re diving into our past and reminding ourselves, blimey, we really did that,” says Paul. “And it’s still got something to say.”

Listen to the remix below, or visit Orbital's website to pre-order 30 Something.

Read our 2021 interview with Jon Hopkins, or take a look at our Classic Interview with Orbital from 1993, the year of Halycon and On and On's release.

When Ikea announced that it was collaborating with Swedish House Mafia, it said that it was hoping to release products that would “democratise creativity and music production so that even more people can be more creative at home.” Well, the first three of these products have now been announced, and it turns out that they’re… bags.

Specifically, we’re getting “remixed” versions of Ikea’s Frakta bag - the one you carry around in-store and load up with tea lights, etc. The Swedish House Mafia collection includes one bag for cables, one for your laptop and another for carrying vinyl records.

“Frakta is one of those Ikea classics that everyone has,” says the collective voice of Swedish House Mafia. “We wanted to do our take on it from a music creation perspective depending what type of gear you carry with you on the go. Our different takes on the bag are themes shared for the whole collection. All items in the collection have a timeless theme with a distinct trace of our DNA”.

The bags are in “Swedish House Mafia signature style”, which means they’re black. And, according to Friso Wiersma, one of Ikea Sweden’s in-house designers, the music production trio brought plenty of ideas to the table.

“It had been a dream for the guys to make a Frakta, but they wanted to add something more to it”, he says. “Talking about functionality and how they would use it in their daily life, it became clear that we wanted to solve different problems - and that we couldn’t do it all in just one bag style.”

If you were hoping for a little more than luggage from the Ikea/SHM partnership then rest assured that there are more products on the way; the next batch will be unveiled at Ikea Festival at Base in Milan on 9 June for Milan Design Week 2022. More than 20 furniture and smart home furnishing products are set to be released in total.

Formed in 2008, Swedish House Mafia comprises producers Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. They enjoyed huge international success before breaking up in 2013. 

They returned with new music 2021, releasing their first album - Paradise Again - earlier this year.

Find out more about the Frakta collaboration on the Ikea website.

Memorial Day is nearly upon us! Even though the event itself isn't until Monday May 30th, the Memorial Day music sales have already kicked in over at Guitar Center with deals well and truly flowing. There's discounts available on a raft of great gear from some of the biggest names in the business including Fender, Focusrite, Roland and AKG, so we'd implore you to make the most of this Guitar Center Memorial Day sale - where you can save up to 35% until June 1st.

If you can't find something perfect for you in this Memorial Day sale, then you'll be pleased to know there's a second bite of the cherry on offer with Guitar Center's Memorial Day coupon. Use the discount code memday15 when purchasing any qualifying item over $199, and you'll save 15% just like that. 

Guitar Center has discounted over 900 products, ranging from electronic drum sets, MIDI keyboards and audio interfaces to electric guitars, acoustic guitars and accessories - so you'll have to forgive us for not covering everything. Some of our favourite savings, however, include $230 off this gorgeous Limited Edition HSS Fender Player Strat in Sienna Sunburst, which is perfectly equipped for funk chops and dirty riffs alike thanks to the HSS pickup configuration. There's also $40 off the Squier Bullet Mustang HH in Surf Green - one of our picks for the best guitars for beginners, and a tasty $100 off the Martin Special 000-X1AE acoustic guitar - which is now available for under $500.

It's not just guitarists that are looked after in this deal. Guitar Center has slashed $100 off the price of this super-realistic feeing Roland TD-1DMKX with mesh heads and an additional larger ride cymbal, as well as the Roland GO:PIANO, which is down from $349 to $249. You production and tech types are catered for too, with 40% off the AKG K52 Closed-Back headphones - which are lightweight and ultra comfortable - and $40 off this Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio Pack, which is now only $239 and includes a mic, headphones, cables and an interface - everything you need to start recording your own music.

Guitar Center is also offering special Memorial Day financing for those who want to buy their favourite gear in smaller instalments. These deals and offers are live until June 1st, so if there's something you're after, don't delay. 

Check out some related buying guides

• The best microphones for recording
• These are the best budget USB microphones
• Take a look at the best synthesizers
• Check out the best laptops for music production

The general principle behind streaming from a cloud music library for DJing is the same as using any streaming service such as Spotify or Apple Music. Instead of playing music from physical media or pre-loaded onto a drive, you can access a library of tracks stored remotely. 

There are some key differences for DJ-specific streaming tools though, primarily that they allow tracks to be loaded into a mixing app. This allows users to adjust the playback BPM, save metadata and potentially do things like apply cue points, and slice or sample the track.

Which mixing software is best for streaming?

In the past few years most major DJing applications have added some form, but some are better served than others. Rekordbox – which has its own cloud-based library – plus Serato and VirtualDJ are arguably top. The first two have compatibility with Beatport LINK, Beatsource LINK, SoundCloud GO+ and Tidal, while VirtualDJ offers these plus Deezer too. 

Denon’s Engine DJ – designed to work with the company’s own gear – is handy too, with integration for Beatport, Beatsource, Tidal and Soundcloud. It also allows users to connect a Dropbox account for cloud storage of their own music files. Traktor, meanwhile, is slightly less flexible than the others, and works with just Beatport and Beatsource. For iOS, Algoriddim Djay offers compatibility with Tidal, Soundcloud, Beatport and Beatsource.

Which is the best streaming service for DJs?

Not all streaming services are equal. Beatport LINK and Beatsource LINK are services specifically aimed at DJ use. Both are based around the same fundamental technology.

This allows tight integration with host DJ software and – crucially – lets users store a generous library of tracks in a ‘locker’ for offline use. Both offer subscription tiers, which primarily affect how many tracks a user can store offline as well as the streaming quality.

Being DJ-focused, both offer extra conveniences such as having tracks pre-tagged with BPM and key info, plus access to genre-themed or DJ-created charts and playlists. Both have their own web-based mixing apps too, so you can mix directly from the streaming services.

Given that they use similar technology, what’s the difference? Essentially that comes down to the libraries themselves. Beatport LINK gives access to tracks from the Beatport store, while Beatsource has its own library sourced from a variety of major and indie labels. Broadly speaking, Beatport is probably better for purely electronic music DJs working in genres like house, techno or DnB. 

Beatsource is a bit broader, with more cross-genre flexibility and handy playlists aimed at event DJs, specific genres and decades. Beatsource also stocks an array of DJ edits and acapellas. This is a pretty broad summary of each service though – both offer free trials, so it’s worth digging into the libraries of both before deciding which to pay for.

Other streamers

Other compatible streaming services have their own pros and cons. Soundcloud’s DJ-specific Soundcloud GO+ lets users stream tracks at 320kbps – higher than Beatport or Beatsource – and download an unlimited number of tracks to store offline. 

However, it’s worth remembering that Soundcloud is largely stocked by its user base. While a lot of tracks on Soundcloud will likely be pro-quality, there’s no guarantee that uploads themselves will match your streaming quality.

As for Tidal or Deezer, both are primarily music listening services, with some significant drawbacks for pro DJs. Firstly, the ability to download tracks for offline use is very limited, so these aren’t great solutions unless you have a reliable internet connection. 

More significantly, both have legal restrictions on using their libraries for commercial use, meaning limitations on where you can play and whether you can record or broadcast your mixes. Explore the T&Cs of each.

Is cloud streaming service a good option for DJing?

Ultimately the answer comes down to what you want to do and where. For event or bar DJs who require flexibility and a broad, regularly changing catalogue of tracks to play, Beatport LINK and Beatsource LINK are both appealing and, since you can pre-download a decent crop of songs, fairly useful even if without wi-fi. Both services are fairly expensive though, and genre-specific club DJs who work from more tightly curated playlists may find that simply buying music outright is still cheaper longer term. 

Soundcloud has a very electronic music-friendly catalogue. It’s worth doing plenty of prep if you do plan to use it though, to be sure of both the quality and rights status of anything you plan to play. As for the likes of Tidal or Deezer, it’s hard to recommend either for pro use, although they could be good options for playing around at home.

There is, on paper at least, no reason that a great DJ needs to be a great producer, or vice versa.

There have been countless impressive DJs over the years who have never released a track of their own, or at least none that were particularly noteworthy. Similarly, many wonderfully electronic musicians make pretty average DJs, or don’t bother at all. 

That said though, the electronic music industry is geared up in a way that encourages artists to do both. If you’re releasing your own tracks, or trying to persuade a label to do so, a regular schedule of DJ gigs is an invaluable tool to help promote them. Conversely, having a big track or two to your name could be the key to picking up higher-profile, better-paid DJ gigs.

The good news is, for those that do both, there are beneficial ways you can blur the lines between the two sides of what you do.

Exclusive access

One of the main benefits of incorporating your own music into your DJ sets is the ability to play tracks nobody else has access to. If you’ve got projects on your hard drive that you’re yet to release – even if they’re only loops or ideas – it’s worth trying to incorporate them into your sets. Not only does this give you music that no other DJ will be playing, but lets you roadtest ideas.

Even if you’re playing tracks that you’ve already released, it’s worth crafting yourself exclusive edits for a little variety. Try creating extended or dub mixes of your tracks, with extra rhythmic sections or cool, club-friendly FX. The same approach can be taken to other people’s tracks too: a good edit putting your unique take on a classic track can be a great DJ calling-card.

Getting creative

Incorporating your own tracks into your DJ sets needn’t be such a rigid process as exporting tracks from your DAW and playing them as-is. Modern DJ gear offers plenty of potential opportunities for getting creative with your material.

One option is to break your tracks down into stem elements that you can then recombine on the fly. Try breaking the music down into, for example, separate drum, bassline and melody files. Most DJ software gives the user access to at least four decks to play with, offering plenty of scope to work with multiple elements, allowing you to get creative with things like cue point jumping, looping or the effects and filters.

DJ tools

Certain bits of DJ gear are particularly good for this. Although the Stems format available in NI’s Traktor software hasn’t been that widely adopted for commercial releases, it still offers a lot of potential for getting creative with your own music.

Recent years have seen a rise in popularity for large format, creative mixers that lend themselves well to bridging the gap between DJ set and live performance. Hardware like Pioneer’s DJM-V10, Allen & Heath’s Xone:96 or the Richie Hawtin-designed Model 1 each offer up plenty of ins and outs along with creative EQs, filters and effect capabilities. A powerful approach is to pair a mixer like one of these with some hardware effects, creating a send/return for some hands-on creativity. 

An alternative approach to the ‘stem’ tactic is to break the most distinctive elements of your tracks down into loops and load them into a sampler. Again, most DJ software and a lot of digital hardware comes with some kind of sampler capability built in. This gives you a quick and easy way to trigger and experiment with elements of your work while keeping it locked to the tempo of your master clock.

Dedicated hardware can give you even more options. Sequencer-equipped gear like Elektron’s Digitakt or Octatrack, or Roland’s recently revamped SP-404 can all make great side tools.

Taking the concept further, the current trend for standalone ‘DAW-in-a-box’ tools offers even more options. Something like Akai’s excellent MPC One or Live II, Native Instruments’ Maschine+ or Polyend Tracker effectively allow you to take a full DAW-style project out into the booth with you.

With MIDI outputs or Ableton Link on a lot of DJ gear, and plenty of ins/outs on modern mixers, there’s no end to ways you could augment a DJ setup. Sampler? Drum machine? A mini modular system? The world is your oyster. 

It's something of a cliché in all realms of music making to say that it’s not technical skill that matters so much as the music itself – but that’s undeniably true when it comes to DJing. In recent decades, broadening technology has meant that there is now a whole diverse range of ways in which someone can approach DJing. At its core though, the definition of what a DJ is remains unchanged: a person playing a continuous selection of music for the enjoyment of an audience.

On the basis of this definition – we’re counting turntablism as a separate, albeit related artform, for the sake of argument – it’s obvious why your choice of music is vitally important. You might be able to make your blends perfectly seamless and add countless effect flourishes, but if you’re treating your crowd to a lacklustre selection of tunes you’re never going to make an impression. Similarly, someone with a strong selection of tracks and a good understanding of how to structure a set can go far even with only very basic mixing skills.

What’s more, the honest truth is that DJing has never been easier, at least on a technical level. We don’t mean this as a dig at the younger generation of DJs, in the way that some bitter old timers might, but it’s ultimately true. Back in the ‘80s or ‘90s club DJing meant using two or more vinyl turntables and manually matching BPMs using nothing more than pitch faders along with your hands and ears. The advent of CDJs, which were significantly more precise and would display the BPM of the current playing track, made beatmatching instantly simpler, and things have only become easier since then.

It’s not only beatmatching that has become easier in the past few decades though. The whole process of finding, collecting and playing music has become exponentially more accessible with the rise in digital music. While many DJs, understandably, still hold a candle for vinyl records, the old need to find, purchase and transport your collection in a physical format introduced a significant barrier in terms of cost and practicality that simply isn’t there anymore.

In reality, current technology would allow you to become a competent – if rather average – DJ with very little work. Simply hop on to Beatport, use their charts to download the most popular tracks in your chosen genre, then allow the Recommended Tracks and Sync tools in the likes of rekordbox, Traktor or Serato to do most of the hard work for you.

Find your style

That might sound like a bleak outlook, but it’s only half the picture. For one thing, as much as modern technology has made DJing easy, it’s also massively expanded the scope of what’s possible. Even basic DJ gear often offers access to samplers, effects, flexible hardware inputs and other features that let users try a multitude of approaches. It’s never been easier to put your own unique stamp on a set, particularly if you’re incorporating your own music, as we'll see below.

What’s more, there have never been more ways to connect with other DJs, musicians and listeners. As was proven during the forced pause to worldwide nightlife over the past couple of years, platforms like Twitch, Soundcloud, YouTube, etc, offer a way for you to showcase your mixing skills even without getting out to a club or gig.

The internet age opens up countless new routes to finding new music too. In the past, sourcing a crate of killer records might have involved getting out into the real world and befriending fellow DJs, label owners or the staff at your local record shop.

All of these things are still good ideas – creating links in your scene and networking with up-and-coming musicians is the best way to get access to exclusive tracks – but there’s nothing stopping you doing this remotely. If you like a particular artist or label, buy their music directly from Bandcamp or their website and message them to let them know you’re playing it. You might just strike up a conversation.

Ultimately, breaking down the technical barriers that stand between the amateur listener and DJ has put the emphasis back on the music more than ever. Playing the same tracks as everyone else won’t get you very far. Dig deep, whether it’s in a crate of second-hand vinyl or an online rabbit hole. Form your own style and taste, and find what it is that sets you apart as a DJ.

8 mixing tips to make you a better DJ in 2022

1. Use your cue points

Pretty much any modern DJ player or mixing software will let you add multiple cue points to your tracks. The primary use for these is pretty obvious: to mark the first beat of the track, the point that you’re most likely to start playing that track in order to drop it into a mix. 

What to do with those leftover cue markers then? There’s a multitude of possibilities. You might want to add ‘jump’ points to a track, to, say, skip over a long breakdown or a vocal section you’d rather avoid. Alternatively, you could use one to skip ahead to a distinctive hook that you might want to tease before mixing the track in properly. 

Aside from letting you jump to different track sections, cue points can make handy markers too, letting you indicate things like the beginning or end of key phrases or good points to mix the next track in.

2. Mix up your transitions

Certain types of music tend to lend themselves to certain styles of transition. Four-to-the-floor genres like house and techno work well with long, slow blends, while more rhythmically diverse styles like hip-hop or grime are better mixed using quick cuts. 

Don’t be afraid to mix up approaches though. Done well, an abrupt cut into a curveball track can be a great way to add new energy into an otherwise hypnotic and measured mix. Alternatively, if you’re going to be working primarily with shorter tracks and more abrupt transitions, why not loop up a couple of grooves and let your mix run on a little as you go along?

3. Watch your levels

The most obvious sign of an amateur DJ mix is wildly inconsistent volume level. Either the mix will get louder and louder as the DJ cranks the gain with each new track that comes in or else things will ramp up during the transitions – as two tracks are playing at once – only to drop in volume again as one track is mixed out. 

Watch the metres on your mixer and listen closely to your monitors. Use the faders and EQs to pull one track back as the other comes in, allowing for a more natural shift in emphasis rather than simply ramming one track over the other.

4. Push the tempo

The pitch faders on your DJ gear allow you to match it to the BPM of another track – but realistically, how far should you push that? In the days of vinyl, the rule was generally not to go beyond a 5% adjustment. Anything further would essentially change the key of the track due to slowing it down or speeding it up significantly. Digital gear lets you adjust a track’s speed without altering the pitch but if you alter a pitch fader by anything more than about 3-5%, anybody familiar with the track will notice. 

That’s not to say never do it – it can be a cool stylistic trick to play a track at a radically different speed to surprise your audience or mix it into something unexpected. Even in the vinyl realm, switching a turntable’s speed between 33 and 45 is an age-old trick for out-there transitions.

5. Understand musical keys (but don't get obsessed by them)

Mixing in key – or harmonic mixing – is a major trend in modern DJing, one that you’re likely to have heard of. Put simply, it involves structuring your set around tracks with the same, or complementary, musical keys in order to avoid harmonic clashes and create pleasing transitions. These days, most digital DJing software has some form of key detection and track recommendation tool built-in. Software developer Mixed In Key also makes a more fully featured application to help with harmonic mixing. 

This is all incredibly handy and there’s no doubt that matching keys can be a great way to pair tracks in your set, but be wary of relying on this too heavily. For one thing, a track’s key is far from the only consideration when it comes to picking a track in your DJ set. Just because two tracks have complementary keys, doesn’t mean that their rhythm, structure or energy levels are going to work well together. 

What’s more, just because two tracks have non-compatible keys doesn’t mean that they can’t work together, particularly if they’re two percussively focused dance tracks. It all comes back down to the classic advice – know your music and trust your ears.

6. Work the EQs

The level to which you use your mixer’s EQs or filters is a matter of taste. Some DJs prefer to blend tracks in with minimal adjustment, others will creatively carve out low or high frequencies to change the feel of a track. If you are going to do some frequency shaping, the key thing to remember is balance. If you try mixing two tracks both with the bass boosted, things are going to sound overblown and muddy. Balance out a boost in one track with a cut to the other – then switch the cut/boost around to change the emphasis!

7. Read the room

It’s a fairly obvious tip, but one that can get easily overlooked for DJs who may have got started in a time where pandemic closures forced many DJ sets into the online realm: learn to read a dancefloor. Whether you’re playing a huge club or a small bar, keep an eye on your audience and see how they’re responding. Whether it’s head-nodding or full-on raving, are people engaging with what you’re playing? If not, it could be the right time for you to change the energy by, for example, increasing the BPM or switching up the style of music.

8. Use effects with caution

Most DJ software or mid-to-high level mixers offer some form of effects, which can be great. Things like reverb, delay or filter sweeps can be used to help gel transitions, build tension or even help in covering up a clunky mix. Approach effects with a less is more philosophy, though.

Remember your job as a DJ is to showcase the music, and people might not want to hear you throwing elaborate stutter effects over their favourite track, and leaning on one or two effect tricks for every transition can get old quickly.

During lockdown the DJ community took to live streaming like fish to water, as real world gigs took a necessary hiatus. 

Pivoting to online platforms like Mixcloud Live and Twitch, and broadcasting largely from their homes, this first wave of disc jockeys quickly found their feet. And, after the initial gold rush, webcam sessions became more and more professional as everyone got to grips with broadcasting from their homes.

Fast forward to now. Pandemic restrictions may have eased as clubs reopen their doors, but huge numbers of music fans continue to support DJ channels online. The community gets bigger everyday as more and more DJs make regular live streaming part of their routine. 

Relative unknowns have amassed sizeable followings, and even make a fair chunk of change for their troubles. And whatever the time, there are tons of channels pumping out live music from all over the globe.

If you’re looking to become a streaming star, here’s a rundown of what you’ll need, and where to go, to get up and running...

The gear you need to get going

If you’re a DJ, we’ll assume you have the kit to play on: be it a sweet new controller and heavyweight digital crates, or, if you’re a wax nerd, 1210s and shelves groaning with vinyl. Add to that a laptop with internet access to your streaming platform, and you’re ready to start.

To record yourself cutting it up like a champ you can use your smart phone camera, or get busy with apps like EpocCam or CleanCamera. If your laptop has a webcam, fire that up. Or, if you have a spare 50 quid, the pro choice since the start has been the Logitech C920. This HD cam is smooth and crisp, if hi-def is something you strive for.

If space is tight in your house and you’re struggling for a decent angle to film yourself from, a clip on fish-eye lens can massively increase your visibility. You can experiment with camera angles – fixing a view from above is a classy move. Or you can have multiple cameras and cut between them.

Most DJs opt for the “straight on” view like they’re on stage. But as long as you can be seen, and the decks are in view, you’ll be golden. Oh, and have a bit of a tidy up in your room – no one want to see your stinking gym gear hanging on the radiator. That’s more of an OnlyFans vibe. House plants can also cover a multitude of sins.

Also, check the direction of your camera recordings: flip them around so that the decks appear to be going the right way round

Mics are another important bit of gear to factor in, too, as chatting to the live audience as you play has been widely agreed upon as the done thing. Pick one for your budget, opting for stands and pop shields for cleaner results. 

Lighting is also something to consider. Not since the late 1970s have DJs been so preoccupied with disco balls and flashing neon. IKEA now offer ring lights with built-in camera stands for streamers, and screw-in colour bulbs are popular ways to make poorly lit rooms in your house have a more vibrant pop to engage viewers. 

Where can you stream online?

There’s Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, depending on where you’ve built the most followers. But Twitch continues to build the strongest DJ community online. Traditionally a gaming platform, it’s now filled with worldwide scratchers and selectors, using its intuitive interface to beam out sets on their personalised channels. 

Viewers can anonymously lurk and enjoy the show, or log in for free to light up the accompanying live chat room with requests, big ups, and throw up Twitch-specific emoticons or “emotes” and animated “bits” to cheer on their favourite artists. 

Fans can pay to support these channels. And, for monthly fees that go to the DJs, get ad-free viewing, and exclusive subscribers benefits like custom emotes. 

Mixcloud Live is also a fantastic place to strut your stuff, and gaining in popularity. It could potentially become the most viable place to play as it has licenses with record labels and rights holders, so DJs can play other people’s music with less fear of copyright strikes or takedowns. 

With these platforms, DJs either go live directly via the platform, or use all-in-one streaming software apps like Streamlabs, Restream, or OBS, for extra features, or to go live across multiple platforms at once. 

Reaching listeners and self-promotion

After you feel comfortable rocking a set while being filmed, it’s time get your name out there and compete against the countless other streams vying for an audience’s attention. To stand out, consider your branding. A lot of DJs have decent logos and graphical overlays that tie everything in, helping frame the screen and strengthen their identity. 

Also, the channels that get the most views tend to be the ones that have built up a following through regularly scheduled broadcasts. And they always use other socials to shout about when and where they’re streaming next. A lot of successful DJs work off themes, or have well thought out and almost staged rooms to perform in, and stick to playing genres on certain days, to have a bit of a gimmick going. 

Drum&bass heads should check out the maestro John B; his streams are an eye-popping mix of blistering beats, relentless gifs and fake backdrop changes that’ll crack you up as you’re getting on down.

Then the Canadian breaks outfit The Funk Hunters are known to stream in the witching hour with their “Midnight Medicine” sessions – a tripped out affair, with bonkers visuals, kaleidoscopic colours, and animations which will boggle the mind as their music soundtracks the whole experience. 

Pittsburgh-native Buscrates rocks out disco 12’s in a studio kitted out with walls of records, reel-to-reels, and vintage synths, seductively lit, enhancing the retro mood. 

Meanwhile hip-hop legend Skratch Bastid gives thousands of viewers a strong shot of turntablism on his “Tuesday Morning Coffee” show, featuring green screen trickery so it looks like he’s playing on the counter of his local coffee shop each week as he doubles up the beats.

Mainly, you should think about the community. Jump in the chat in other people’s streams, and become a regular, supportive presence online. It maximises exposure and firms up relationships with other creators and audiences out there. 

“Raids” are massively popular, too. Via an extension in Twitch you can nominate the next channel for all your viewers to jump to like a swarm of (welcomed) party crashers. 

Off the back of that, DJs from across the world join up to plan out day long back-to-back programming, building up hype and crazy viewing numbers along the way. Ask to get involved. DJs online are always up for building bridges and putting people on before and after them.

Tips for making a great streamed DJ set

Having a great stream is about having a great time. If you’re enjoying yourself, viewers will too. DJs like the notable vinyl obsessive The Gaff have bags of charisma, and it’s infectious. You don’t have to jump about like a banshee. But, starting the stream with positive energy really helps.

Then you can start calling out to people in the chat: if you get a new paid subscriber or viewer, you should shout them out. And track IDs and info on your tunes is always welcome. Engaging with people builds bonds and they get to know you, which translates into subscribers and followers, and grows your channel.

Don’t be afraid to ask viewers if the sound is good, or the connection is stable. Best they tell you your mic’s clipping now, or video is glitching out, so you can fix it sooner than later. 

Plan out your sets a little more, too. Knowing what to sift through for the next hour or two in advance means less “Serato face” and more back and forth with your fans, and more considered mixes.

If you’re on a laptop with DJ software, most of your computer screen will be taken up with virtual decks, making it hard to monitor any live chat. Try logging into Twitch, say, on your phone at the same time. 

Try out more chilled sets. Or dig deeper into your crates for rarer underground flavours. There’s not much need to rock a dancefloor here. People tune in from different time zones, and could have you on in the background while working. They can get the 20 hottest tunes of the day from any online shop. They’re there for your collection, so show it off! 

Bottom line, have fun. If the buzz of playing music for people gives you life, then streaming is the perfect way to get that fix. It keeps your skills sharp, and it’s the ultimate business card. Zeros have become heroes online. There’s no giving out mixtapes, badgering promoters, or coming up through the bar scene. There’s a potential audience out here that could fill a stadium just waiting for you to put your first record on. Just do it! 

Released in 1995, Faithless’s anthemic dance record Insomnia told the bleak tale of a man who “can’t get no sleep” - hence the song’s title - and had people dancing all night. 27 years on, we have a new 27-minute remix designed to help you nod off. That’s progress for you.

The Blissful Sleep Remix was commissioned by CBD specialist OTO, who enlisted the help of sleep scientist James Wilson and Faithless’s Sister Bliss. You’ll note that the tempo has dropped to 100bpm - said to be the optimum BPM for sleep - while the runtime was dictated by the average time that it takes British people to drop off (27 minutes, apparently).

Explaining her involvement in the project, Sister Bliss said: “It’s hard to believe we produced Insomnia 27 years ago in a garden shed. Being in there all day and then DJ-ing at night was like having permanent jet lag, so I came up with the title ‘Insomnia’, because I literally couldn’t sleep.

“Once released, the track became an anthem for a generation of late night clubbers who, as the lyric goes, were also getting ‘no sleep’. With that legacy in mind, the opportunity to collaborate with OTO on the creation of a Sleep Remix was one I couldn’t turn down. I can’t wait to get the track out there and help a nation of bad sleepers finally get the rest they’re craving.”

James Wilson, meanwhile, said: "Sister Bliss has done an incredible job of incorporating sleep science into the new remix of Insomnia - from dropping the tempo to the match the resting heart rate BPM to the incorporation of AMSR-style spoken word Insomnia: The Sleep Remix has all the ingredients to guide you towards a blissful night’s sleep.”

‘Sleep tracks’ are definitely having a moment right now; only last week, it was announced that James Blake has created a ‘sleep soundscape’, and producer Tom Middleton has created an entire spatial audio album devoted to helping you get your head down. 

Hi-tech exercise maven Peloton has announced that its members can now listen to David Bowie’s entire back catalogue while they’re working out. What’s more, the company has commissioned three artists - Honey Dijon, St Vincent and TOKiMONSTA - to create exclusive Bowie remixes.

Honey Dijon said that she chose to remix Let’s Dance because it’s “a true celebration of music and movement - just like Peloton!”.

TOKiMONSTA, meanwhile, has tackled Golden Years, noting that: "To me, I connect with Bowie as an amazing innovator. He was always reinventing himself and pushing the envelope of music, while somehow never ceasing to be authentically himself. His experimental fashion choices are always a beacon for me to challenge my style and look."

Finally, there’s St Vincent, who says: “I chose It’s No Game (Pt. 1), because it has a part 2 on the record [Scary Monsters], and I figured maybe Bowie wouldn’t mind so much if I made a part 3. I wanted to take Bowie’s throat-shredding vocal take from part 1, and make it front and centre. 'Three steps to heavaaaaaaaaaaaahn...'".

The Bowie collection will be available from 19 January to subscribers of the Peloton app. Find out more on the Peloton blog.

For more than 20 years, Pioneer DJ has been a market leader in the design and production of innovative DJ equipment and software. The team behind the brand works closely with DJs and clubs to deliver next generation products that inspire and shape the global dance music community.

At the top of the Pioneer DJ battle-style mixer range, you’ll find the DJM-S7 and the flagship DJM-S11. Each of these units has its own unique features that can help you unleash your creativity, fulfil your potential, and take your performances to the next level and beyond. 

DJM-S7

This 2-channel mixer gives you the freedom to customize your setup and bring your own unique style to every performance. It enables free use of Serato DJ Pro and it’s a Hardware Unlock device for rekordbox, so you can use performance features in either DJ application.

Unique features in the Pioneer DJ battle mixer series:

• Bluetooth input – Pair your phone with the mixer and drop sounds straight into your set
• Loop MIDI – Use the effect levers to control DJ software features via a set beat cycle

Other key features:

• Clear hardware layout for creative freedom
• MAGVEL FADER PRO for slick, reliable scratching
• Large Performance Pads and effect levers for energetic performances
• Independent pad modes for each channel
• Built-in USB hub for connecting external gear
• Scratch Bank for rapidly accessing sounds from Serato DJ Pro
• 22 built-in effects for adding texture to your tracks [JC1] [FS2] 
• Combo pad mode for using up to 2 Serato DJ Pro modes simultaneously

Find out more about the DJM-S7

DJM-S11

You can really raise your game with this 2-channel, 4-deck battle mixer. It’s easy to spend more time focusing on your mix thanks to the unit’s 4.3-inch customizable touch screen, which has all the information you need. Browse tracks, check on playback positions and waveforms, and dynamically change the texture of the music by moving your finger across the Touch FX screen.

Unique features in the Pioneer DJ battle mixer series:

• 4.3-inch touch screen – Reference tracks and settings, and trigger FX
• Smooth Echo ­– Trigger the echo automatically with a fader/pad you choose
• Deck 3/4 Control – Play up to 4 tracks and easily create live mash-ups

Other key features:

• Clear hardware layout for creative freedom
• High-quality audio for enhanced performances
• Scratch Bank for rapidly accessing sounds from Serato DJ Pro
• MAGVEL FADER PRO for slick, reliable scratching
• 22 built-in effects for adding texture to your tracks
• Built-in USB hub for connecting external gear
• Plug and play and MIDI mapping: Use Serato DJ Pro or rekordbox for free
• Combo pad mode for using up to 2 Serato DJ Pro modes simultaneously

Find out more about the DJM-S11

About Pioneer DJ

For more than 20 years, the Pioneer DJ brand has been a market leader in the design and production of innovative DJ equipment and software. 

The company works closely with DJs and clubs to deliver next generation products that inspire and shape the global dance music community and has recently launched a new range of musical instruments for production and live performances. 

Its portfolio includes brands such as TORAIZ, Pioneer Professional Audio, and Pioneer DJ Radio as well as social platforms KUVO and DJsounds

Find out more

Algoriddim loves stuffing its djay app with new tech - recent innovations have included gesture control and so-called Neural mixing.

Its latest wheeze is to integrate Shazam audio recognition so that DJs can immediately discover what song is playing in their surroundings and then use it as the basis of a mix.

Once a song has been identified, it’s immediately loaded into a deck and synced up with the external music source (assuming you have the song in your library or are connected to a streaming service that does, presumably). This means that you can then create a mix with similar tracks that are suggested by the app.

“Integrating Shazam into djay completely transforms the creative workflow of DJs,” reckons Karim Morsy, CEO of Algoriddim. “As a DJ you are constantly on the lookout for great new music to play at your next gig, but identifying a track and the process of getting it into your library has been a challenging task with no seamless way to do it. Now, whenever you hear a great song you can load it into djay’s decks with the tap of a button and instantly unleash your creativity.”

The new version of djay also takes advantage of the new system Audio Unit views added in iOS 15, enabling you to choose from 14 system effects or any compatible third-party apps and add them to the master output.

You can download djay for free on the Apple App Store, while a Pro subscription, which adds full functionality, costs $6.99 per month or $49.99 per year.

Find out more on the Algoriddim website.  

It’s update time for Native Instruments’ Traktor Pro, with version 3.5 integrating Beatport and Beatsource LINK into the venerable DJ software and adding support for Pioneer DJ’s CDJ-3000s.

Users can now explore the complete Beatport and Beatsource catalogues and find their favourite artists, labels or curated playlists. Search results can be sorted by release date or genre, and you can play back full-length streams from either catalogue.

You can add cue points, loops or comments to any track, and apply all Traktor FX to them. Currently-playing tracks are cached - a nice safety net if you’re working with an unstable internet connection - and subscribers to the LINK Pro and Pro+ plans will soon be able to access an Offline Locker of up to 100 tracks.

Elsewhere, owners of Pioneer DJ’s CDJ-3000s will be pleased to learn that Traktor is now compatible with said controller. All of your Traktor Pro tracks will be accessible from the hardware via the CDJ’s browsing features, and most of the software’s features can be controlled, too.

In addition, Traktor’s waveforms can be viewed on the CDJ-3000’s display, cover artwork can be viewed on the central jog display, and there are dedicated display buttons that link to the Key Shift features in Traktor, making harmonic mixing more intuitive.

Find out more about Traktor Pro 3.5 on the Native Instruments website.

You can stream a show for thousands of people straight from your home studio. But does new technology increase the risk of losing that vital live experience, or does this all lead somewhere even more exciting?

Picture the scene: you’re at the apex of the most important gig you’ve ever attended in your life – a real soul-altering, profound experience. At the crescendo of the encore, you and your friends, caught in a euphoric wave, move from your front row vantage point, clamber up on to the stage with your very favourite artist. 

Standing side-by-side with them, you sing your heart out, facing the thousands of rapturous faces all around you, all of whom are sharing in this dream-like, transcendent moment. The show ends, and within seconds, you’re back home on your sofa. 

Sound like a preposterous dream? Well, it actually isn’t - a similar experience is achievable right now thanks to the increasingly impressive development of virtual reality gig technology. Yes, the intensity of a live show - for both attendee and artist – is now replicable from your home. 

Companies like MelodyVR and Woov are pushing at the frontiers of something that could revolutionise how we think about the live music experience. But should we be worried about the implications, for an already struggling industry? 

The real deal

“Our objective isn’t to replace live music, but to offer an alternative – which means you can still attend a show if it’s sold out or in a different country,” explains Tom Harper, the Support Lead at MelodyVR. 

“The VR experience offers the ability to jump into a show and move around the space using our Jump Spot feature. This means with a MelodyVR stream, the audience can occupy spots they usually might have looking at the stage - or, more uniquely (and more popular), jump on stage with the artist. The cameras we use, that are built in-house, are designed to be non-invasive - so we can put them anywhere when we record a show allowing us to get fans closer to what’s happening.” 

It all sounds incredibly exciting, but can it really compete with the visceral, primal thrill of performing your music to real, living human beings? It’s hard to say at this stage, but with virtual environments developing in complexity, it might not be an impossibility. 

Unreal experiences

Casting aside any cynicism about this new tech for now, the actual potential of virtual shows (which, remember, has real human beings both performing and witnessing) is mind-blowing. 

Many of the restrictive practicalities of putting on a real show, venue specifics, safety and security concerns - and just the small possibility that you’ll be stuck behind an inhumanly tall person - are completely forgotten in the virtual world, while the enhancement of the experience could, in actuality, only increase the enjoyment.

“In terms of how live performances are set out, we can put them in unique places, or stage them in interesting ways,” Harper adds. 

“For our Live from LA series last year, we built our own studio and filmed everything on a circular stage surrounded by screens which was really cool. Our show directors have some interesting challenges coming up with staging ideas because the audience can look everywhere and so you have to provide visuals for the full 360 degree field of view.” 

Can you imagine what this will be like in ten, 20 or even 50 years’ time? While virtual gigs are still in their relative infancy, the hunger to enhance the live experience will undoubtedly keep driving technology in fascinating directions. 

Cross the streams

Livestream shows have really exploded over the last year. And, it’s easier than ever to set up a live performance in your home studio. All you need is to make sure your livestream platform of choice is taking the output audio of your interface. Of course, just because you’re in the safety of your home studio, it doesn’t mean you need to scrimp on the ‘show’ aspect of the dynamic. Remember, you’re still performing here. 

Everyday live video platforms such as YouTube, Instagram Live and Facebook Live are typically put to use by musicians, and easy for general audience members to access, while more gig-tailored platforms like Stageit offer more monetisation features for those looking to invest in a more stable pattern of livestream shows in the future.

BACK TO LIVE: You may be putting on some exhilarating live shows, but if you’re not effectively nurturing and analysing your new fans, you may as well stay in your studio.

As the live music industry prepares for - or at least we all sincerely hope - a period of rejuvenation, it’s important to remember that even despite the host of modern challenges new performers face in the wake of Covid, managing and developing your career as a gigging musician has always been a demanding prospect for those who’d rather remain in the comfort of their home studio. Right now, of course, the problems facing not just artists, but everyone involved in the industry, are immense. 

The live music industry sustains tens of thousands of people around the world, from sound engineers, promoters, festival staff and more. With festivals losing over 90% of revenues in 2020 and grassroots music venues struggling to maintain their all-important weekly lifeblood after all shows and tours were cancelled, it’s going to be a tougher landscape than ever to navigate effectively, as venues and live artists get back on the horse.

But, conversely, with the restrictions soon to be lifted, the appetite for live music is going to be absolutely massive. Your lockdown tracks might just be the soundtrack to a new renaissance of live shows. So, let’s explore how you can make those freshly enthused gig-goers into dedicated fans.

Back to life

It’s an old story for many, spending endless months on the local live circuit, playing the same venues, to the same faces repeatedly, with a feeling of not really getting anywhere. To avoid finding yourself in this stagnant situation it’s important to not simply view your audience as a featureless mass of judgemental eyes. Each person at any of your shows is a potential new fan - and a future investor in your music. 

The most straightforward ways to cultivate that transformation during, or after, the gig is by keeping yourself personable and accessible to the people in attendance. It’s vital to be able to direct them to places where they can listen to more of your music, and follow you. 

Of course, do direct them to streaming services where they can hear more of your tracks, but be sure to prioritise sending your prospective punters to places where they can actually buy your records. Services such as Bandcamp, CD Baby and Tunecore provide an easy mechanism to put your records for sale, and your bank account will, eventually, thank you. 

Though it’s essential to engage with your fans at the shows themselves, the most important work you can do to build your profile is behind the scenes. You may think over-exposure on social media can be construed as vain, but you need to view these platforms as a purely professional necessity. Places to interact with fans and let the world know about your upcoming performances  

Web slinger

Making Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles that bolster the reach of your music - and make people aware of your future shows - isn’t just a case of uploading your tracks, a nice photoshoot and then just sitting back; it requires some active, daily, engagement. 

Largely, you’ll need to understand the patterns in your most engaged fans - who are they? What else are they interested in? Where are the biggest clusters located? These are all critical questions that record labels and artist managers have been poring over for decades. In these increasingly DIY days, arming yourself with this knowledge could make-or-break a tour plan. 

Platforms such as Beatchain, PUSH and old stalwart ReverbNation can assist you here, typically in exchange for a monthly subscription fee. All of which connect with your social channels to provide insight into the responses to your activities, fan demographics and suggestions for targeting new fans. 

Though you can align these services to help your tracks get wider exposure, some of their in-built tools are a huge boon for gig coordination. Take Beatchain’s ‘Fan Map’ feature, which provides detailed geographical info on where the most fan activity is taking place. 

If you’re savvy, that’s where you’ll book your shows (budget permitting, of course). Gigwell provides a similar service, via its massive Tour IQ database, which intelligently peruses your tour itinerary, and suggests other potential venues on your route, from arenas to coffee shops. 

Other tools, such as Gigplanner can be a major help for logistical headaches, particularly when travelling long-distance for shows, playing in several different musical outfits or dealing with a growing roster of promoters. It provides one central calendar and contact management hub, easily shareable and distinct from your own personal life.

Not just for Christmas

Targeting those fans most likely to attend your shows is an essential step in the process. But, once you have the fans, it’s important to keep them engaged until the next show comes around. Incentives, such as giving your followers/subscribers early-access to new music, new videos or even special fan-only livestreams can really solidify that fandom, and gifting free VIP tickets via self-ran competitions also builds the connectivity.

The old adage ‘a dog is for life, not just for Christmas…’ applies quite well when thinking about your fans. If you don’t nurture that enthusiasm, they’ll soon lose interest. Whether you’re a large or small-scale artist, having an ongoing plan of audience-retaining activity can mean that all that hard work planning and performing is building something, and that your audience will never forget you.

Roll up

Time was, shady promoters would sell you a wad of tickets to your own shows, motivating you to tout them yourself and keep any profit. Not only was this process humiliating, forcing you to bombard friends with invitations, but more often than not meant that at best you’d break even financially. 

Thankfully, things have changed, with platforms like Eventbrite, EventGenius or even Facebook Events enabling you to sell your e-tickets directly online. 

It’s a dead cert that you’ll want attendees to be able to gain access with their mobile, over physical tickets. Also, don’t over-complicate your ticket-purchasing page: keep things simple, punchy and make it as easy as possible for prospective attendees to complete their purchasing journey. 

Be sure to ask your friends, or other industry/local scene influencers, to share your ticket-buying link, and don’t forget to promote with pictures of your last gig, and to share shots of the gig in question once it’s done (you might need to ask a friend to take some, or, if you’ve got the cash, get a professional snapper down there!)

Hey scenesters  

While it can be easy to get wrapped up in your own complicated world of fan management, tour-planning and rehearsing, often the very best way to build some attention is to show it to others; get yourself down to your local venues, support new artists, talk to them after gigs and buy their music. 

You’ll be surprised by how many other musicians will feel the reciprocal compulsion to attend your shows too. Build these inter-band/artist relationships, and you may be able to set up joint strategies to help the both of you.

There’s a careful balance here, you don’t want to appear too keen to milk the benefits of others - particularly if they have mouth-wateringly high social numbers - but if you can genuinely build up a good reputation, you might naturally see your audience quadruple. Remember,  this isn’t a competition, and you’ll go further working together than going your own way.

BACK TO LIVE: You don't need to be playing the Pyramid stage before you invest in your live show. LED lights, for instance, can be a cost effective way of adding some character to your performances (though make sure you check in with the venue if you're bringing your own). Here are three picks that will help you build atmosphere...

Want some regularly vibrant lighting without shelling out for a full lighting rig? Then a few LightCans may be just what you need. 

Pumping out impressive coloured lighting via a 15W RGBW LED, these battery-powered beauties can be programmed with a variety of colours and speeds, and can be easily positioned to add a staggering amount of visual flair.

This flexible LED lighting array can serve many purposes, but it really comes into its own when used as a live experience lifter. 

Sold in a pack of four, plus an IRC remote controller, the Freedom Sticks’ free–standing design makes them easily transportable, and – in sync - they can be pixel–mapped to flash and strobe in tandem with the rhythm of your tracks.

A little haze, particularly when used in conjunction with the right lighting, can hugely improve the attention–grabbing potential of your show. 

A decent Hazer such as this from Look Unique is quiet running, and provides a subtle amount of vision–clouding obscurity, as opposed to the wind–turbine, 80s fog machines of old!

BACK TO LIVE: Designed and Engineered in the UK. HH Electronics are committed to helping you back to live music. 

As one of the UK's longest serving and most respected Backline Audio brands, HH have been powering stage environments since 1968, continuously evolving and responding to the needs of real performers. 

HH History

Watch our History video to see how we redefined sound production.

New TENSOR range

If you're looking for a powerful, modern solution for your band or DJ setup, then check out the new TENSOR range of Active cabinets. 

Coupling value for money with unparalleled performance, it's no wonder that these enclosures are used by professional DJs and bands alike (DJ ELLASKINS, PALACE). 

These 12 and 15" Active cabinets deliver 1400W of Class D power and include a host of features including a powerful onboard DSP. 

Add in the Matching Floor Sub to create the ultimate stage presence, wherever your next gig is. Watch the video to hear the full specifications for the range.

For more information, head to HHElectronics.com

There are many really important differences between hearing a track on speakers and through studio headphones, so if you only ever use headphones for mixing, it’s important to bear some principles in mind to avoid bungled mixes.

Common mistakes include making the stereo field too narrow, and not splashing enough reverb onto vocals and synth parts, leaving them overly dry. Judging how much of any effect to use should be a decision that’s made through listening on both cans and monitors.

A well produced track should sound great on everything from laptop speakers to a high-end hi-fi. Don’t forget: just because you can mix on headphones doesn’t necessarily mean that you should. 

That said, there are techniques that can help you mix more accurately when using just a sat of cans. In this walkthrough we’ll guide you step-by-step through the process of mixing a track without using monitors.

Step 1: We’re using some stems from a piano-led alternative pop track and have dropped them into our DAW. The track sounds pretty good in our headphones but we’ll need to make some adjustments so that it both translates well over a monitor setup and has a bit more depth and detail for those listening on cans.

Step 2: To make the FX track stand out more in the mix, we use Brainworx BX Solo to widen the stereo field to 200% and drop the volume by -3dB. We use BX Solo again on the bassline but this time narrow the width to mono. We also add an instance of Waves MaxxBass to generate harmonics of the bassline, giving us an audible impression of the thump of the low end, even though we can’t feel it.

Step 3: The arpeggio track will sound fine over monitors but is a little too sterile in our headphones. We give it some subtle ping-pong delay with KR-Delay CM’s Delay set to 1/16 and the Dry/wet at 15%. Although this effect won’t be noticed much when heard on speakers, it helps to make the whole track sound less dry for those listening on ’phones.

Step 4: The chords and notes of the piano line are easy to pick out using our cans. However, we’ll need to make it sound more in-your-face over speakers. Instead of turning it up, we give it +8dB Gain using console channel emulator Satson CM. We drop the track’s level to -8dB to compensate for this. We also increase Satson CM’s High pass to 200Hz to stop the piano clashing with the bass and kick.

Step 5: For the same reason that we added a little depth to the arpeggio line with some delay, we’re going to give the whole mix some reverb. This will help things gel together over headphones and give some extra depth. We use Reverberate CM’s Close Drum Room preset and turn the IR Gain down to -30dB so that we get just some subtle reverb feedback.

Step 6: It’s hard to tell if our track is EQ’ed well using just headphones, so we’re going to match the EQ from a commercial track. Houdini by Foster The People has a similar kind of vibe, so we’re using that as a reference. Using Ozone 5’s Equalizer, we take ten-second snapshots of our own track and Houdini and hit the Match button. We adjust the Amount and Smooth sliders as pictured.

• Our pick of the best closed-back headphones for music makers

Pioneer DJ has brought its rekordbox music manager to Android, meaning that far more DJs can now prepare their sets on their phones. Previously, mobile compatibility was restricted to iOS.

Developed by AlphaTheta Corporation, the Android version of rekordbox promises to make it quick and easy for “DJs and music professionals” to prepare music for performance. You can use it to listen to new releases, pick tracks, hear how they sound mixed together and get them ready - by adding cue points, for example.

rekordbox for Android has been designed with one-handed operation in mind, and tracks can be synced to your main rekordbox library. If your phone and computer are connected to the same network then this can be done manually for free; if you want to be able to sync to multiple devices from any location, you’ll need to use Cloud Library Sync, which requires a rekordbox Creative plan subscription and a Dropbox account.

On the downside, the Android version of rekordbox doesn’t have all the features of its iOS counterpart - you can’t connect your device to a compatible CDJ/XDJ and play tracks from it, for example. It remains to be seen if  this feature will arrive at a later date.

The Android version of rekordbox can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store.