Live at BBQ Park Jam (05/14/17)

When I learned of Robert Miles passing the week prior to this event, I knew I had to pay tribute in some form. I used to play "Children" quite a bit in 95 and 96 and one of my most favorite DJing memories is built around that song. It was at Dune in 1996 when I played the morning set and I opened up with that song. People were dancing, hugging, crying. It was a beautiful moment. Since I was playing the closing set at BBQ Park Jam which was around sunset I decided it would be a great moment to close the party with Children as the sun was setting. Instantly another memory was created. Please enjoy this memory by listening below.

Tracklisting:

Radio Slave - “Bell Clap Dance” [TCK Mix] (Rekids)
Weiss - “Change Dat” (DIRTYBIRD)
Billy Kenny & Kry Wolf - “Rave Cave” (This Ain’t Bristol)
Bang Tidy & Maddy B - “Dreams” [Jay Robinson Remix] (Night Shift Sound)
Riva Starr - “Another Dimension” (Play It Say It)
Nick Curly - “Underground Abduction” [Franky Rizardo Edit] (Defected)
Kaz James - “Arizona” (Saved Records)
Bontan - “The First Time (Hot Creations)
Mat.Joe & Fiona - “Positivity” (KATERMUKKE)
Billy Kenny & Walker & Royce - “The Lonely Robot” (This Ain’t Bristol)
Justin Martin - “Don’t Go” [Dusky Remix] (DIRTYBIRD)
Hot Since 82 - “Evolve or Die” (Moon Harbour Recordings)
Armonica - “A 010” (Bar 25 Music)
Joeski - “Mind Function” (Maya Records)
Tontaio - “Passing” (Anjunadeep)
Robert Miles - “Children” (Platipus)

Live at Slinky 18 (04/22/17)

Another adventure. I originally DJed at the very first Slinky in 1999 and it wasn't until last year that I started making my way back out to Slinky. It was one of the best times I have had and this years incarnation was just as good. There isn't any other word that come close but "family". I have become very close to some of the souls I have met at Slinky the past 2 years and I cannot wait to go again to Slinky 19 and bring some more friends with me to experience one of the best gatherings I have had the pleasure to be a part of. The dates have been announced for next years gathering so make sure you check out more info right here.

Here is my set from around 3am on Sunday Morning, The vibe was electric. Hope you can feel that on the mix.

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.

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