The Passionate DJ Podcast

Episode 35: A Conversation with The Egyptian Lover

On this week's episode, David, @Tony-DeSaro, and @TripTurlington sit down with Egyptian Lover, who shares some of his experiences, insight, and inspiration behind his unique, trendsetting style that is still rocking clubs, to this very day! As a pioneer in the L.A. DJ scene of the early 1980's, Egyptian Lover was contributing to the beginnings of the hip hop and rap scenes, while cultivating his signature electro break beat sound. (hint: if you love the 808, you probably want to listen to this!) Also, we get to hear, straight from a music legend, about how the musical contributions of our little city in the Midwest of the United States (Dayton, Ohio) played an integral role in not just Egyptian Lover's career, but the overall contribution to American music, in general. We have a lot to be proud of in our little city, and it feels good to have someone from the outside, confirm that. Thank you to Egyptian Lover for the great interview, 3DMentional Entertainment for setting it up, and Dayton Studios for the space to host the interview.

Episode 34: DnB 101 w/Mister Shifter

In this week's episode, we are thrilled to have @MisterShifter with us at Dayton Studios. As a founding member of @RandomMovement and veteran drum and bass DJ, Jack has some unique insight, as well as a lot of research and first hand knowledge of the drum and bass genre, scene, and history. There's no major gear or software announcements, this week. David, @TripTurlington, and @Tony-DeSaro put the artist spotlight on Jack, who takes you on an hour and a half ride through the progression of early hardcore breakbeat culture, which spawned drum and bass, as we know it, today, while also highlighting his own accomplishments with this complex and distinct genre. Make sure you pick up @MisterShifter's latest release, "Nowhere Fast", on Fanu's label @LightlessRecordings. https://pro.beatport.com/track/nowhere-fast-original-mix/7414193

Episode 33: Pyro-Mania!

Every time we turn around, we're getting hit with some new gear or software announcement in the DJ community. This week, it's digital DJ software company Serato, announcing an iOS app called "Pyro", which is a (free) music player aimed at the consumer market. However, it's impossible to gloss over the main feature of the software, which is that it attempts to beat match your playlist together and mix them together, as if by a DJ. Despite Serato's claims that this is a separate product from their professional DJ software offerings, this new app has the comment sections of many internet blogs and news sites ablaze, with some fearing that continuing this path of automation and removing the human element could mean the demise of the DJ. So, yeah, of course David, Tony, and @TripTurlington went down that rabbit hole. We rehashed some familiar arguments and points, while wildly speculating on others. Oh yeah, and we reviewed the software, too. It's actually pretty damn slick. :-)

Episode 32: Listener Emails

In this episode of the Passionate DJ Podcast, David takes the time to respond to a handful of listener emails who have written in looking for solutions to their problems as a DJ. Overall, this episode is seriously loaded full of strategies and actionable tips. We can almost guarantee that you will hear something useful in this episode, that you will be able to use right away to help solve your own DJ dilemmas. Here are the main questions we attack this week: - Daniel wants to know if he should choose a DDJ-SX2 or a DDJ-SR, and why. - Brandon writes in to ask for advice on diversification, and how to broaden his horizons as a DJ. - Alex is curious if it's worth it to trade his Pioneer XDJ-R1 for a Numark Mixtrack 3 + laptop combo from a friend. - DJ Smallz asks for advice on creating a "CV" for his DJing career, at the request of his new employer (overall, the conversation gravitates toward Electronic Press Kits). - SDH and Roman both wrote in asking for advice in regard to speaker options. - Finally, Jay says he is having trouble branding himself and standing out from the crowd. Inside the episode, you will find lots of gear recommendations, hear some tech-talk about speaker vs. line level audio signals, get some tips on putting together your bio and EPK, and receive *loads* of info on how to properly promote yourself via Facebook and Instagram.

Episode 31: The Spirit of Radio w/Silent Gloves

In Episode 31, our good friend Steve Gillson, aka @SilentGloves dropped by Dayton Studios just before we started recording, to say hi. Instead, we held him against his will and made him do an interview with us! Over the course of the hour, we talk about his earlier accomplishments as a Drum and Bass DJ & producer, and how that evolved in to Silent Gloves and Power 85. We also discuss what synthwave is, and the qualities in old school radio jocks that Steve strives to bring back in his weekly live show at www.power85.com (Power 85's LIVE show can be found on MixLR on Friday nights!) And, of course, everyone is talking about SFX filing for bankruptcy, and RAM Records being acquired by BMG...so while David, Tony, and @TripTurlington barely scratch the surface, there'll be plenty more to talk about on those topics as we see more of what happens! As always, leave your comments and join the conversation! We're always looking for topics and ways to engage whatever is on your mind!

Episode 30: What Makes a DJ an "Artist"

In Episode 30, David Michael, Tony DeSaro, and @TripTurlington discuss a sometimes convoluted topic for DJs. Are we artists? Musicians? Both? Neither? Of course, there’s no clear answer, but it doesn’t stop the PDJ crew from peeling some layers back and getting deep in to the topic. To get to the heart of the conversation, the panel roll up their sleeves, considering everything from the definition of art, the difference between artists and musicians, context, and craftsmanship. Sometimes these terms are ambiguous or harder to define (much less discuss), but we give it an honest go, while being honest about our interpretations and how it applies to DJs. The crew also discuss another hot piece of gear to come out of NAMM 2016: Pioneer DJ’s DDJ-RZ, the Rekordbox cousin to the Serato-enabled DDJ-SZ. Trip laments the lack of screens or standalone functionality on the RZ, while maintaining the SZ is still the better buy, for a Serato user. However, the whole panel agrees this is probably one step closer to what Trip alludes to in the conversation (yet doesn’t come right and say), that this is one step closer to a currently non-existent XDJ-RZ…a flagship, standalone, all-in-one to compete with all of the other companies rushing to the market with all-in-one controller units. Also discussed is Rane’s MP2014 rotary mixer. More gear reviews from NAMM 2016 to follow in future episodes!

Episode 29: Last Night a DJ Changed My Mind

In Episode 29, David, Tony, and @TripTurlington add to the chatter in the DJ community about the new gear announcements coming out of NAMM 2016, before going in to a deeper discussion about some of the qualities and traits they specifically identify with DJs that make them more noticeable, memorable, and unique.

Episode 28: Guest Highlights

In this episode of the podcast, we reflect back on the guests we've had the honor of featuring on the show. We're seeing lots of growth lately, which is great! But, it also means that there are probably a lot of people who have missed out on some of the knowledge bombs our guests have dropped in earlier episodes. Episode 28 is all about re-visiting these golden nuggets, in thanks for the wisdom these guests were willing to freely share with all of us. What you'll hear: - Casie Lane describes the "pre-gig scan" - DMC Champion Vekked tells us his strategies and approach to competition, and plays a killer routine - Fortune talks about "doing it for the love", the notion of begging for a scene's support, and the struggles of working together. - A hilarious and informative rant by John Chapel about competing with the establishment, and the ridiculous idea of "haters make you famous". - Jon Skinner tells us all about the club and rave scene in Brighton, London, and elsewhere in the UK during the 80s and 90s. - Legendary trance icon Airwave discusses his passion for music technology, and the benefits of the digital revolution. - Co-founder of Heroic Recordings and author of The SoundCloud Bible, Budi Voogt tells us how we find an audience in today's modern climate. - Tony DeSaro (before he was a co-host) came in as a guest along with Billy Dickensheets, and together they describe what they wish modern DJs would do more of. - Long-time friends of the show, Kilma and Joe Pardo, tell us how to get serious about goals and purpose. Thanks, and we'll see you next week for episode 29!

Episode 27: Resolutions 2016

Full Show Notes: http://passionatedj.com/27 It's our second annual "Resolutions" episode! We take several questions from listeners like you, and try to help DJs find resolutions to their problems in order to have a fresh start to the new year. Don't forget... we take questions all year long. Leave a voicemail at http://passionatedj.com/ask and be featured on the show! Before we got down to business, of course, we had to talk about the big announcement: the Technics 1200 turntables are coming back! Here are the questions we helped you answer in episode 27: - Is it a good idea to focus on a specific genre, or to take on more diverse gigs? - Is using vinyl and Serato holding me back as a DJ? - What steps should I take to get DJ bookings outside of my own city - I’ve reached a plateau… how can I get the most out my practice sessions? We even get a cameo appearance from Kilma! She provides some insight towards getting bookings in other cities, and how to make the approach. As always, great to hear from you, Kilma! Special thanks to DJ TABLETTZ, who left this very nice feedback via voicemail: "Hello, thank you very much for the opportunity. But I want you to know anything you send to me all the time is not being wasted. I read it, I take what I’m supposed to take out of it… I appreciate your time, and I say, Happy New Year. Cheers." Oh, one more thing. We got to announce a small milestone: 10,000 plays. Thanks so much for your support! Thanks again, Passionate DJs, and we'll see you next week for episode 28! Resources mentioned in this episode include: Kilma's Blog: https://dontkilmavibe.wordpress.com Mister Shifter's Logo Concept (DJ Porpoise?) http://bit.ly/1ZfgDn8

Episode 26: Is Beat Matching Still Relevant?

In Episode 26, Passionate DJ shares some upcoming changes with our community. There'll be a lot of changes coming in 2016, including image rebranding, shifting the focus to the podcast, looking to bring on sponsors, and some changes to the format of the show. We also announce the addition of Tony DeSaro and Trip Turlington to the show. David, Tony, and Trip discuss one of PDJ's most polarizing viral articles about beat matching. Tony and Trip talk about their evolution from turntables and vinyl to incorporating more modern equipment and software in to their shows and skill sets, where David talks about his experience learning modern techniques first, then learning the mechanical foundations of DJing. The panel tries to shed some light on the intent of the article itself (hint: it's not to scream "GET OFF MY LAWN!"), while offering their insight on the subject of modern DJing technology and the foundations of DJ mechanics. The panel also reviews comments from the article, which brings out topics such as what is expected of a DJ, compared to modern shows where producers with pre-determined set lists are more similar to going to see a bands, why the old school mentality versus the new school mentality can be a hindrance to both sides, and the philosophy behind reading a crowd.