New adventures of the stay at home DJ.

So, this is the new norm. In an instant every DJ at every level of fame and popularity has become a bedroom DJ. Almost immediately after the shelter at home orders were given, DJ’s took to Twitch, Facebook and other platforms and started live streaming. Quite a few of my friends were already doing it quite frequently. I even was going to start toying with it back in 2017 but I never really had the chance to set things up properly in my studio.

My new Zoom Q2n 4K. Capturing the magic.

So along comes the pandemic and now everyone is jumping in on the live stream bandwagon. We even have virtual festivals now. It is quite interesting to see how this movement Is growing. People are stepping up the game. Multiple cameras, logos, scrolls and chats are now common. The look of the broadcast is becoming just as important as the music. Maybe a bit more.

At first, I was very hesitant to get in on the craze. Firstly, it was for logistical reasons. I had moved back to California on March 1st and my DJ gear was being shipped and was not scheduled to arrive to our new place until April 10th. So even if I wanted to jump into the live stream fray, I had no means to play music to do so. Secondly, I didn’t know what I could add to the conversation. I mean if I was going to do this, I would want to do something different. Stand out a bit more I suppose. I guess I could just DJ and that would be fine but doesn’t seem engaging.

The new XDJ-XZ (Bottom) with the DJS-1000 Sampler (Top)

Also, I knew little about the whole livestreaming thing but lucky for me I have friends that were all about it and could provide me advise. When my gear arrived two weeks ago I knew I wanted to sell my current DDJ-1000 controller and upgraded to the new XDJ-RX (full review coming soon). I love that it was an all in one and also that I could use my DJS-1000 with it seamlessly. I quickly ordered the new controller and was able to quickly sell the old one. Ok with that solved now I had to get a new camera. I already have the older Zoom Q2n and since I would like to get multiple angles, I ordered a new 4k version. It just arrived 2 days ago and last night I got it up and running with OBS and also checked to make sure that I was getting audio from my soundcard directly into my feed. So far it looks good. I will test it out tonight or tomorrow morning. I have been asked to be a part of some live stream shows and if my testing looks good I will get on those as soon as Sunday.

I know I will want whatever I do I will try to engage a bit. I want to make sure that I it is more of a conversation rather than a monologue. I was thinking of doing more of a Happy Hour. Make cocktails, review craft beer and chat during my mixes. I don’t have a huge space where my DJ equipment / studio is so finding the right camera angles will be a challenge it is something to work on. As long as it is an outlet and fun and people seem to enjoy then why not. Might as well try it out and see how it fits me.

Tony Gamboa and I - Love at Re:Love 5 Year Anniversary (03/26/17)

What a beautiful day. For the 5 year anniversary re:love moved things out to the South Bay at Torrance Park. We DJed under a bandshell in Torrance Park. The vibes were thick and love was in the air. Tony and I DJed after Big Cee and Slick Dada who did a killer job at getting the crowd moving. I have DJed with Tony so many times that is now second nature. We know each other musically so I never have any hesitation with dropping tracks with him. We just get each other. Maybe it is the over 22 years of DJing together, but yeah we know how to do the do.

We played a little tribal, a little deep, a little bass. It just flowed out and here is a audio memory of that beautiful day. Hope you enjoy.

Here is a little video from that day as well:

Jason Splat and I - Live at Frosty Loops (01/14/17)

I can't believe that I haven't added any of my mixes from this year to my blog. That changes now. So over the next few days I will be adding my mixes from 2017 and also some commentary about the events these mixes were recorded at.

First up was from the beginning of the year. I have only done a back to back set with Jason Splat once before and that was well over 10 years ago, so it was with great pleasure that I was able to team up with him once again. Jason is and was a staple in the SoCal scene. We pretty much DJed next to each other for years and when he moved to San Diego a few years ago it became less frequent. But with this set, it was like time never passed and we were to young DJ's rocking the decks again.

Frosty Loops was out in San Bernardino at the Elks Lodge. Every time I go to that spot it reminds me of the old Masterdome days. I knew Jason was back into the Speed Garage back in the day and today it is pretty much moved into what Bass House has turned into. It made sense that we played a high energy bass heavy house mix.

So if you like it fast, bass heavy and full of scratching, this is for you.