Articles

If you’re a DJ who is not chasing a great musical experience for his or her audience, I’m not sure what to tell you.

If you’re truly a passionate music fan, you already know which qualities to pursue.  These qualities present themselves whenever you get the shivers, or get a huge smile painted on your face, when you experience your own musical moment.

The digital revolution has been constantly flipping the music industry on its head for years now, and what could be viewed as the most accessible way for new artists to share their craft is often formed into an excuse which explains their lack of success as a musician/DJ.

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(Guest Contribution) As the founder of Brand Me Silly, a writer for DJ Mag Canada, and radio host of The Basement Sessions, I have a lot of opportunities to work with great artists. Unfortunately, many artists find themselves short of their requirements: too little, too late.

Many artists are entirely misguided on things as simple as updating social media accounts, how to properly operate their own gear, and their understanding of the mental game.

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(Guest Contribution) Some of my best memories: playing house music as the sun set over festivalgoers in the beautiful Canadian wilderness. Vibing with thousands to sounds of Luciano, Jamie Jones and Derrick Carter at a UK festival.

There is something about house music that causes some sort of spark to go off inside. Something that causes this music to resonate strongly with people, something that gives it so much substance and soul.

And I’ll be the first to admit that it is difficult to put in words why this music has so much meaning.

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The problem with underground music, is that people often more obsessed with the idea of it being underground or exclusive, instead of good or innovative.

Music is an art form whose medium is sound. This art form serves to entertain, educate, uplift, console, empower, bring clarity, and so-on. But like any art form, there is often a self-proclaimed elite.

At what point are we more concerned with the idea of elitism, than the quality of one’s work?

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Some love it and some hate it, but either way, the iPad is gaining traction as a viable DJing platform.  It makes sense; all the time, tablets are getting more computer-like while computers are getting more tablet-like. But this is still a bit of an unexplored frontier for many DJs.  What are the options?  Are […]

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An ever-increasing amount of people are buying vinyl records these days.  What some considered to be a quick, passing fad has turned out to be a long-term trend. In fact, sales hit a record 6.1 million units last year… in the US alone. This resurgence has been present, and upwardly-trending, since 2006… and in 2007, […]

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Updated January 24, 2018 The Story Mix Project was a six-week video series I produced back in 2014, in the early days of Passionate DJ. The idea was to document the construction of a studio mix, which told a literal story, through its music. The idea was borne out of an earlier project I had […]

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Imagine your cell phone contract is up, and you’re due for an upgrade. Since you haven’t been keeping up with the latest in mobile technology, you decide to walk into your carrier’s retail store to window-shop.  You figure that you’ll be able to ask one of the employees all of the important questions in order […]

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It doesn’t take someone very long after deciding to pursue their new DJing passion, before they realize that a number of hurdles are in the way of making their goals.  These goals vary from person to person: fame, fortune, day-job, personal enjoyment, and so-on. Most DJs start interacting and connecting with others on some level, […]

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