The future of DJing?

I have been DJing now for about 30 years. I started when I was 13 in Junior High spinning on Realistic Turntables and Mixer from RadioShack. I was hooked. When I had the opportunity to purchase Technic 1200’s, the industry standard turntable when I was 18, that changed my life. I pretty much kept the same set up for years. I wouldn’t buy the latest mixer. Most of my mix tapes in the 90’s was done on a Gemini PDM-6012. I wouldn’t upgrade my mixer until 2000 when I purchased the then industry standard PioneerDJ DJM-500. And that is what I had for years. I saw the digital age coming. I saw my friends and colleagues moving to new technologies. I saw people starting to set up Serato and Final Scratch and use timecode vinyl. I witnessed the CDJ-1000 starting to infiltrate DJ booths at clubs everywhere. I belonged to the Balance Record Pool and saw it slowly move to CDs and then to files. I knew I would have to make a change.

The Gemini PDM-6012. Many of my classic mixes in the 90's was done on this piece of gear.

I started DJing with CDJ’s around 2004-05. I didn’t have my own players yet but I was able to use them at gigs along with vinyl at the time. The big switch for me happened in 2006 when I bought my first digital decks. I picked up 2 CDJ-800MK2’s and pretty never looked back. I tried using Abelton but looking at a computer screen just wasn’t fun for me. The CDJ allowed me to still scratch and treat files in a way that I would treat vinyl with a significant price cut. What would cost me 4 import records would now afford me a night’s worth of new music on platforms like Beatport and Trackitdown. To me it was the best solution. I had the best of both worlds. Tactile feeling and control and instant gratification. I was producing a lot of music at the time too so it was really easy to now try my tracks out in mixes and at gigs. How fun was that. Create, play and check the vibe.

The Pioneer CDJ-800mk2. These were my first commitment into going digital.

This was all fine and good for a number of years. In 2013, I was DJing with Rob Pointer as Stylus and he bought a full Pioneer Nexus system. I hadn’t really utilized Rekordbox before but the idea of being able to just play off 1 USB drive intrigued the hell out of me. Once I tried that, I was hooked once again. Now I could have several years’ worth of music at my disposal without carrying a bunch of CDs around. I loved the idea of getting rid of the physical component of the media format and just focus on the music. I found myself throwing out all my CD’s and placing everything on USB. My only gripe at the time was the cost factor of the CDJ-2000Nexus units. I remember thinking why doesn’t Pioneer get rid of the CD Drive all together and move to a just a media player. My prayers were answered the next year when Pioneer introduced the XDJ-1000. The form factor was right. The price was right. It was finally time to upgrade.

The all new PioneerDJ DJS-1000 Standalone DJ Sampler?

I was debating for a period of time whether or not I should get a controller such as the XDJ-RX or get two XDJ-1000’s and DJM-900 mixer. I also wanted to incorporate vinyl into my set up so it just made sense to go with the DJM-900 route. I was lucky enough to upgrade to the Nexus2 mixer and the MK2 versions of the CDJ-1000’s. Also picked up the RMX-1000 and when I felt I was all done and content, Pioneer announced the Toraiz SP-16. The SP-16, for those that do not know is a stand-alone sampler that can also tie into the Pioneer DJ Ecosystem by using the DJ Link. The idea of having a sampler that I could easily tie into my DJ gear was something I couldn’t pass up. I purchased one and started playing around. Then earlier this year, Pioneer DJ dropped their first synth, the Toraiz AS-1. I was able to play around with it at NAMM in January and quickly got one when it became available. What I liked about this, is that now I could do more than just play tracks, I could add to and embellish things on the fly. I could easily create my own grooves and bring them into the mix. I started experimenting with it is being called “Hybrid” DJing. Taking the elements of traditional DJ and adding live synths and samplers. It totally intrigued me. After 30 years of DJing this felt totally brand new to me. I have friends that work for Pioneer DJ so it was little surprise to me when they announced the DJS-1000 stand-alone DJ sampler. I knew it was coming and I actually wanted that piece. I was able to quickly sell my SP-16 and get the new DJS-1000. I fully plan on utilizing this piece of gear along with the AS-1 in my gigs. To me this really introduces a new way of approaching DJing, where you can be nimble and spontaneous but also plan certain elements out that enhance what you are doing behind the decks. It is honestly a fun time to be DJing and seeing where DJ technology goes to next. The future is bright.

Playing with the new DJS-1000 along with the Toraiz AS-1 and the XDJ-1000mk2

Live from Magic Wednesdays 1995

To my surprise, RaveTapes.com today posted up a mix that was recorded during my set at Magic Wednesdays in 1995. This is prior to me becoming the resident at Magic Wednesday which occurred around 1998 when the club was at The Globe. On this night I was a guest DJ. I remember that I was really into Psy Trance / Goa at the time so it doesn't surprise me that the last half of my set is filled with that sound. The beginning of my set seriously surprised me though. I start off my set with some breaks and acid and progress into some Techno before I get into the Psy. So strange to hear this mix after all this time. It is really interesting to see what I was into as a 22 year old DJ. It's been a long and crazy trip.

In the write up for the mix, RaveTapes.com wrote:

In the early days (93-96), Thee-O was the city’s authority on hard trance and psy trance. When you heard those up-tempo bass lines, driving kick drums and screaming synth arpeggios, you knew Thee-O was on the decks. As the years passed, Thee-O expanded his repertoire to include techno and house, among other styles.

Thee-O was certainly one of the hardest working DJ’s of the era. I can’t recall a single weekend when his name didn’t appear on numerous flyers. It seemed he was playing everywhere, all the time.

I am honored to be  thought of that way. I am glad I have some history into this scene that has provided so much to so many. It's been an awesome ride and we aren't done yet.

RaveTapes has some more history and some other nice words to say and if you are interested in reading that please click here. The mix is below as well so just click on play and take step back into the mid 90's rave scene.

So What Is Burning Fax?

So a lot of you might be wondering, especially those that follow me on Social Media, what is Burning Fax? So let me give you a little insight on the largest imaginary festival in the universe!!!

It all started as a harmless post on my Facebook in 2015 during the week of Burning Man. I stated that I was going to pretend my cubicle at work was the playa and burn a fax machine at the end of the week while dancing naked.

The post that started it all.

That next morning I started to send out Instagram posts from my work and around my building kind of making fun of corporate culture and the Burning Man culture at the same time. Now let it be clear, I am not a hater of Burning Man. I have never been myself and there are few reasons for that. Mainly, it is because of my hate of the heat and my want of air conditioning and other modern luxuries. BM is a serious commitment and honestly, when I plan to use my vacation time I like to be in either cooler climates or tropical climates. Nothing against BM, but it just does not appeal to me on any certain level. I think the art is beautiful and I would love to witness that part of the festival, but that’s about it really. Maybe I will change my mind at some point. Who knows? BM it’s not you….it’s me.

The original Burning Fax.

Regardless, there are parts of BM that I find absolutely hypocritical. And that is another turn off for me. Recent articles of burners vandalizing some of the luxury camps is evidence that clearly not all are welcome on the same level. It is very hard to grow to the size it has achieved without losing some parts of the core values along the way.

Now this may sound hypocritical as well but hear me out. I do believe in the ideals of Burning Man was. I really do. I think that it is truly an utopian ideal. However, I am also a realist and to think that BM can live up to those ideals as it grows and becomes more of a playground of the elite and wealthy isn’t realistic. And I am a firm believer that you have to be able to laugh at one self. You have to try to not take things so seriously and that is something I find lacking in some of the fanatics. So that is just some of the reasoning of Burning Fax. If you would like to take a look at this and last years posts, please search for #burningfax on Facebook and Instagram.

In my personal cubicle "playa"

So after a few days of posts from my corporate playa, on that Friday I decided to invite a few friends over and burn an old fax machine I had laying around. It was actually a whole lot of fun. We basically, drank, listened to music and burned stuff. It was kind of awesome.

Since then we have thrown small Burning Fax shows and that has been fun. I might do that again in the future but for the time being all this is, is a way to poke fun at BM, Corporate Culture and ourselves. All of this is meant to be silly and not taken seriously in any way. If you are going to BM, have a great time. If you want to join in on the best imaginary festival in the universe, well you are already there.

A collection of "art cars" at this years Burning Fax

As a special treat, I recorded a chilled out Drum N Bass mix in honor of this year's Burning Fax. You can listen or download below. I hope to see you at the Burn!

Bret Wallace and I - Live at re:love (06/26/16)

What a way to cap off a weekend. I love playing at re:love. The family vibe, the spirit and the freedom of expression are just a couple of reasons why. Over the past couple of years the DJ's that are involved with re:love have become kindred souls to me. This past Sunday re:love teamed up with the Slinky crew and there were some killer sets by Zack Hill, Joplin and Alex Castillo. Bret Wallace and I closed the event with a back to back set that went from Deep House to Bass House to Tech House and all strains of House Music in between. Listen or download the set below. Hope you enjoy.

My EDC20 Story.

So where to begin? I guess sometimes the best place to begin is the actual beginning. So I started going to raves in early 1992 and that year is when the rave scene in LA grew to a place that the media began covering this “new scene” with sensationalized reporting with titles like “What are your kids doing at 2 in the morning”. What this coverage did was 2 things:

·         It brought a lot of people into the scene. All of a sudden more and more people started getting involved in the summer of 1992.

·         It also brought a lot of negative attention from law enforcement.

The second thing actually came to peak in 1993 where a lot of shows were getting shut down and busted. Then while all of this was going on a small afterhours called “Insomniac” was starting to get a lot of attention. Some of my good friends were DJing and attending these afterhours and it started to grow in recognition and numbers rather quickly. The promoter, Pasquale Rotella, was doing his best to keep the scene alive during some very turbulent times.

 In August of 1994 I DJed for Tef Foo (from CPU 101 and Circa fame) for an afterhours called One Roof at the Shark Club. This night is super memorable to me for a lot of reasons, including the fact that I met Frankie Bones for the first time, who would become and a friend and inspiration for years to come.

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My first time playing for Insomniac Events in 1994

In November of the same year, Tef booked me for the second One Roof party but this time he merged his event with the Insomniac 1 year Anniversary party called "Funky Breaks Techno and Acid". This was the first night I met Pasquale and after this event I played for many Insomniac events including Nocturnal Wonderland, Together as One (w/ Go Ventures), Willy Wonka and of course the Electric Daisy Carnival.

The last EDC I played at was in 2003 when it was at the Orange Show. I still supported however and continued to go many of the events including EDC in 2008 and 2010 and then somewhat more recently went to Nocturnal Wonderland in 2014. I was extremely impressed at the production value and the attention to detail that Insomniac had. These weren’t the raves of my youth that was for sure, but they grew into something that took what I loved and altered it and allowed it to belong to a new generation. It’s pretty awesome to see that happen.

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The last EDC I DJed at before this year was in 2003. This was the lineup.

I had heard some thoughts that Pasquale was going to bring back some old school DJ’s for the EDC 20 year anniversary this year and I heard my name was mentioned. While exciting, I didn’t think about it much until I actually heard from Insomniac. In April I got a message from a good friend that works for Insomniac asking if I would like to play for EDC20 on the Wide Awake Art Car. I quickly said yes and booked my room.

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Ran into the main man himself Pasquale at the end of Saturday at EDC

I haven’t been to EDC since it moved away from LA and I didn’t know quite to expect from the Las Vegas incarnation of the event. I have seen pictures, heard stories and seen videos. None of those things prepared me for what came.

We went on Saturday night to DJ at a Pop Up Warehouse rave that was hidden in one of the VIP areas. When we were first pulling up and you could see the venue in the distance, it just blew me away. It was huge. I mean I knew EDC was a big show, but this was crazy. Fire, lazers and fireworks were going off in every corner. My eyes almost couldn’t take it. It was a sensory overload. When I first walked in I checked out one of the bigger areas and it was just crazy. It was an absolute sea of people just going off to the music. Everyone was just feeling it. It is hard for you not to get swept up into that kind of energy.

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Picture I took from a Farris Wheel of the main stage at sun rise.

Tony Gamboa and I ended up DJing for 2 hours in this small hidden rave and it was awesome. Afterwards as the sun came up, my wife and I rode a Farris Wheel to get a better vantage point of the entire party. We were right by the main stage and just watching the stage production was absolutely incredible.

The next night was the day I was actually booked to play. I got to the venue maybe 30 minutes before my set. Luckily I was told where the Art Car was and I made my way on. Fester was on at the time and dropping an insane Old School Techno set. It was epic. I went on at Midnight and just had no idea what to play but out came the set that is below, which is a mixture of Disco House, Funky House, Deep House, Bass House and Tech House…or just simply…House Music!

After 20-30 minutes into my set the art car started moving and I didn’t know it at the time but I was soon going to be part of a Parade! The art car moved slowly as a crowd of dancers followed along and kept pace. We then parked by the 7Up stage and set up an impromptu stage and keep the party going. One of the things I loved was how many old school ravers where there. There were faces I saw while I was DJing that I had seen growing up in the scene for the past 25 years. It was awesome. Another highlight for me was when a woman from Australia said I played the best music she heard over the weekend and that I reminded her of Carl Cox! Sweet!!!

But to me, the absolute best thing about my experience at EDC was that I got to share it with my wife, my good friends, my younger brother and my youngest cousin. This was my younger brothers first experience like this. I was happy to have him witness, what is a huge part of my life both growing up and also currently. I think the experience was something that allowed him to know a bit more about his older brother and for that, well…that alone was worth it. Thank you Insomniac for allowing this old DJ to come back and experience what EDC has become. I hope to do it again. 

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My family and I at the end of Day 2 of EDC 2016