Is Pioneer DJ’s PLX-CRSS12 the ultimate turntable for DJs?Those madlads at Pioneer DJ (aka AlphaTheta) did it! After years of speculation, fan-made concept art, and wishful thinking, the company dropped the PLX-CRSS12 on the unsuspecting DJ community – and turntablists and hip-hop DJs collectively started salivating. Finally, there’s a turntable capable of playing vinyl with built-in DVS control without the need for needles, […]
The post Is Pioneer DJ’s PLX-CRSS12 the ultimate turntable for DJs? appeared first on DJ TechTools.

Ginger Audio launch Authentic Audio collaboration plug-in Authentic Audio offers a convenient way to stream lossless audio from a DAW session to a web-based interface.

Ginger Audio launch Authentic Audio plug-in Authentic Audio offers a convenient way to stream lossless audio from a DAW session to a web-based interface. 

Kevin Saunderson is the past, present and future of technoTechno alone would guarantee Detroit legend Kevin Saunderson a place in the history books. Along with Juan Atkins and Derrick May as The Belleville Three, he built the sound and structures that generated an entire genre, a style now considered worthy of UNESCO cultural status — in Berlin, at least.
The man known as ‘The Elevator’ is techno. But Saunderson is also house and was tech-house before it existed as a term. His Global pop successes as Inner City signal a rare ability to shape the underground and the charts with intergenerational dancefloor perennials like Big Fun’ and Good Life. It’s a talent that landed him five US Billboard #1 hits and nine Top 40s in the UK.
Image: Fiona Garden for MusicTech
Even within this unique situation, there’s another level to Saunderson’s creative impact that genuinely makes him one of a kind: The Reese bassline. The iconic bass synth sound first appeared on his 1988 12-inch, Just Want Another Chance, under his Reese alias. The transference of artist name to hugely influential and much-sampled bassline places Saunderson up there with the likes of Gregory Coleman, the drummer of The Winstons who created the ubiquitous Amen break. Kevin Saunderson’s influence on the sonic fabric is categorical, literally.
The Reese bass is dark, it’s deep. It gets into your soul…I created it on a Casio CZ-1000
 
KMS 25TH ANNIVERSARY CLASSICS – 2.5 DECADES OF TECHNO by Reese
The internet is full of Reese bassline tutorials. Has the creator ever taken a peek? “I’ve seen a couple try to recreate the Reese bass,” he says from his home in Michigan. “They’re using different machines I didn’t even use – I created it on a Casio CZ-1000 – but the sound was close enough.” The thing about creativity, he says, is you can stumble across happy accidents. “I didn’t know I was going to create this bass. I created this bassline — I thought it was OK. But I thought ‘how am I going to enhance that line?’ [I began] looking around the oscillators of that unit, finding a sound and developing it.”
Image: Fiona Garden for MusicTech
Burial’s mastering engineer, Jason Goz, once described the full-body effect of the Reese bassline in colourful style: “It’ll engulf you like a sleeping bag… a very dangerous, 50hz, shake-your-chest sleeping bag.” Saunderson appreciates the analogy and has his own way of describing how his bassline feels. “It’s dark, it’s deep. It gets into your soul. That’s where it grabbed me. It’s vibrant, powerful. It’s a hurricane of a bassline, the frequencies.”
This bass was built for the dancefloor. “Actually when I made that record, I made it for [influential 1980s New York club] Paradise Garage. I was thinking of the Paradise Garage. I don’t know if it was still open then but I went there several times so I always thought ‘how would it sound?’ I thought this track would work, get inside the dancers. I could see them dancing, screaming, and just twirling, doing their thing and it being played for an hour. Larry [Levan] playing it over and over.”
Right now, Kevin Saunderson is listing the different ways his musical world plays out in 2024. He’s about to head to Mannheim, Germany, for the 30th edition of Time Warp Festival. New releases on the rebooted KMS label include collaborations with his son Dantiez Saunderson and a compilation of Inner City remixes. There’s new music and live shows as Inner City and E-Dancer — also in collaboration with Dantiez — and DJ sets that allow him to go deep into house, techno and, sometimes, disco. Remember that, while Saunderson has become revered in producer culture for the harder side of his output, he’s always brought masses of soul to his productions.
Image: Fiona Garden for MusicTech
The day before our interview, he was DJing at the SXM festival on the Caribbean island of St Martin. It was, he says, a ‘beautiful people type of vibe’.
“They got some good soulful house music. I didn’t want to go there and bang it out. It wouldn’t have fit the vibe. They had some classics in there, of course, to remind them of history and keep them dancing.” Feedback in the form of movement is something he continues to appreciate. “There was this lady, she captured my eye because of the way she was dancing; she was connected. The expression and the music and the feeling she was having, it inspired me. She was feeling it. It was a joyful moment for her. I love it when I have those kind of connections.”
Having come through decades of club culture, he’s perfectly positioned to outline the different approaches required now that festivals, and clubs that operate like festivals, have become predominant. “In clubs, you can play records longer, in general. Festivals, you have to move a little quicker, but it depends what kind of festival you’re playing at … It allows me to play more popular tracks, classics. And then it depends on the club. It’s if strictly underground, dark inside, you can just get dirty with it.”
In the DJ booth, he’ll use four CDJ 3000s (“one of them is a backup, mostly”) and he’s a fan of Pioneer DJ’s V10 mixer, using it for his E-Dancer live shows and for DJ sets. “I like that mixer because it has six channels. It’s well thought out. You can play back to back using two different headphone sets, different volumes. With other mixers, you’re always switching headphones. I never really liked that bit, switching headphones with another DJ. Now you don’t have to.”
Image: Fiona Garden for MusicTech
Recently, he’s gained a new occasional b2b partner: Idris Elba, who began as a DJ in Hackney before life took a TV-shaped turn. They hooked up after Idris played Inner City’s Big Fun at Coachella 2019, subsequently working together on an Inner City remix at Saunderson’s studio in Michigan. “We connected, talked music. When I perform at Movement Festival [in Detroit] I do a KMS showcase. A lot of the people I work with, collabs, I bring them to the stage. I thought that would be good to do, outside the studio.”
The KMS label came into being in 1987, after Saunderson observed his Belleville High School friends Juan Atkins and Derrick May putting out music on their own Metroplex and Transmat labels respectively. In fact, the first KMS release Triangle of Love, with Saunderson recording as Kreem, had a pre-life on Metroplex. “I didn’t have a label at the time,” he says. “I was watching Juan, and I was like ‘I can do this myself’, so I asked Juan politely, ‘can I have my record back?’. We was friends, back then there were no contracts. He was cool about it, no problem.”
We made our own path. As you get older you try and open up doors for other generations.
Initially, the label existed to give Saunderson control and to release his own music and collaborations, and it released multiple foundational tunes including classic Inner City and Reese & Santonio cuts. In typical Detroit style, the label also acted as a platform for new talent, releasing super early tracks by Blake Baxter and Chez Damier.
Image: Fiona Garden for MusicTech
The studio was in downtown Detroit, on the intersection of Riopelle Street and Gratiot Avenue, and next door to Transmat and Metroplex. “There was a triangle on that block,” he says. “Everybody used to come through: Carl Craig, Stacey Pullen, Kenny Larkin, Richie Hawtin, you name it. They was just excited about being a part of the music. They’d go from one to the next, some I would sign, some Derrick would sign, just depending on the connection at the time. I was into everything, not just techno, not just house, not just tech-house, it’s whatever we feel is right. Vocal, instrumental, fast.” Reborn in 2023 and releasing new tunes and remixes, the label is now run by Saunderson’s son Dantiez.
“Nobody did what I did when I did the first remix for Wee Papa Girl Rappers [‘Heat It Up’]. I completely changed the game.”
“A lot of music has come out of Detroit that’s been impactful in the world. There’s something that could come out of this place again. But it takes someone to give somebody an opportunity. We made our own path. As you get older, you try and open up doors for other generations.” It’s a way of operating that’s embedded into his city, which has leaned heavily on collective approaches — although that self-reliance and communality were necessary because the city was left to decline to a degree that’s hard to properly appreciate from outside.
Image: Fiona Garden for MusicTech
Most famously, there’s the music collective, Underground Resistance. Along with KMS’s-pro youth attitude, there’s also the Underground Music Academy co-founded by DJ and producer Wajeed, which began with informal mentoring of new Detroit artists and now operates under the tagline ‘Building the future leaders of electronic music.’ “We like it when we see young Detroit talent,” says Saunderson. “We want to help those inspired by what we done. I always preach the past, the present and the future. With KMS, the plans continue.”
A mix album, The Best of KMS Classics, came out in January 2024 on Armada Music and featured fifteen underground originals. Inner City Remixed came next with new versions of classic tunes from Carl Craig, Carl Cox, Armin van Buuren and IDRIS. “Remixes were done back in the day [by] Shep Pettibone, Jellybean Benitez, Larry [Levan]. Re-edits to make it more DJ-friendly. Nobody did what I did when I did the first remix for Wee Papa Girl Rappers [Heat It Up]. I completely changed the game. There’s a reason why they call me The Elevator. That fits right in there.”
Saunderson’s remix of the late-80s London MC duo was an early example of a producer taking a whole tune apart for a remix, treating the source material more like a sample around which a whole new tune could be built.
“People should always know: that remix didn’t just change the game for electronic music – hip-hop DJs started doing it. Everyone started doing it. It’s just part of my legacy.”
Legacy ensured, he’s looking to the next challenge. A collaboration with Patrick Topping, Fresh, featured on 2022’s The Batman and he’s considering moving beyond sync into composition for sci-fi movies. “My goal is to tour another three four five more years, then develop into scoring films,” he says. “I’ve been touring for many years. I’m getting to the point now where I want to sit back in the studio and give me a different challenge. I want to see how I fit into a different world to inspire me differently.”
Studio-wise, his process has shifted as technology progresses. “I’m definitely more in the box than before, but I wanted a board, something I could put my hands on — so if I want to mix raw, I can have all my tracks. Sometimes you want to push a button instead of pushing a mouse.” On a practical level this means a PreSonus StudioLive 32S, Ableton Live 12 and Push for live shows, a few synths (namely the Roland Juno and Jupiter) and Barefoot speakers (‘very powerful, great low-end’). Valhalla DSP’s reverbs have the lush sound he’s after, and the Soundtoys’ Little AlterBoy allows him to change vocal audio quickly, using it for stacking, different pitches and to ‘create some fresh sounds.’ Native Instruments’ Maschine is in the picture too. “It’s a great creation. You can be hands-on but create in the computer. It kind of reminds me of the early MPC days.”
Image: Fiona Garden for MusicTech
In terms of tempo, he likes to average around 128bpm, but being on the festival circuit means he’s well aware of the contemporary conversation about dance music speeding up. “I played as fast as 135, maybe even close to 140 recently. It depends on the track and it depends on the room. I can get it up there, tough and fast. It still has to have a groove and it still has to sound funky, it still has to have some swing.
Nobody did what I did when I did the first remix for Wee Papa Girl Rappers [‘Heat It Up’]. I completely changed the game. There’s a reason why they call me The Elevator
“There are tracks I’ve heard, stuff that I’ve found very fast…I don’t understand how people dance to it but, you know, it’s working for other DJs and producers, I can tell you that. You can’t knock it.”
Online life is fast, and perhaps that feeds into the dancefloor. “Everything goes in circles, but there’s time where people need to feel that energy, differently. I don’t mind playing fast but I still got to find that connection between the creativity, the music and the soul that’s within it.”
Saunderson recently posted about his ongoing belief in the positive power of house and techno. Asking about it unleashes a story from the early days. “My vision always for this music was for the world,” he says. “I was on campus, Eastern Michigan University [where he studied telecommunications] making the music and being inspired — my friends looking at me like I’m crazy. I’m thinking, ‘you don’t know’. This music is meant for people, it’s meant for the world.”
Image: Fiona Garden for MusicTech
University life back in the mid-1980s Midwest was an antiquated experience. “It was a little more segregated back then, still. Black fraternities, white fraternities. I was in a Black fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma. I became a DJ for my organisation, for my brothers. I started playing a lot of records on campus parties. The white fraternities would have these parties as well, but theirs would be outside, these Frat Houses, like Animal House. I’d be looking, no-one’s dancing, they just drinking beer, and nobody would play or understand this music. I kept saying to myself, ‘I know this is for the world and it’s a positive impact’. It took time, but it started to happen.”
He pauses.
“Here I am, 40 years later…
“I’ve been travelling, making music to touch people, inspired other artists who have inspired other artists and it’s continuous. It’s a connection between the frequencies of the music and love for what the music should be doing for people.”
Techno as a genre still has issues with whitewashing, but the sons and daughters of the non-dancing Frat Boys are now at the front of the festivals, moving to Saunderson’s frequencies. The Elevator keeps them moving.
The post Kevin Saunderson is the past, present and future of techno appeared first on MusicTech.

The reported decline in TikTok use is wishful thinking for musicSeveral recent studies purported to show a decline in younger TikTok users. Not so fast, says Russ Crupnick of MusicWatch, who has been tracking TikTok engagement since its early years.. Continue reading
The post The reported decline in TikTok use is wishful thinking for music appeared first on Hypebot.

5 Different ways to utilize Smart Links for musiciansSmart links are a fast and easy way to get all those interested in your music directly to your content. Here are 5 different ways musicians can use these features across platforms.....
The post 5 Different ways to utilize Smart Links for musicians appeared first on Hypebot.

Artists get their share of $1.7 BMI sale: ‘The music crime of the century’When BMI sold to New Mountain Capital earlier this year for a reported $1.7 billion, the performing rights organization promised its former songwriter and publisher shareholders $100 million in payments.....
The post Artists get their share of $1.7 BMI sale: ‘The music crime of the century’ appeared first on Hypebot.

Hardwell’s new sample pack is free and full of his “go-to sounds, presets, and so much more”DJ and producer Hardwell has launched a sample pack for fellow producers, and it’s completely free.
After a “year in the making”, the pack is available now to download on Apple’s GarageBand for iOS and Logic Pro on iPad. Hardwell hopes it will bring new inspiration for the next generation of up and coming producers.

READ MORE: “I always know when it’s done. It’s a feeling”: Jack Antonoff explains how he knows when a track is finished

Sharing the news in a video on Instagram, Hardwell – whose real name is Robbert van de Corput – says he “can’t wait” to hear what users come up with, stating that when he makes music “it’s always about the energy of the song”. He adds, “I’m trying to give people the best night of their life.”
The producer pack provides “the full experience” of how he makes music, including presets, drum loops, kick drums and more that he uses himself.
“Super excited to share some very BIG NEWS! It’s been over a year in the making, but I can finally reveal one of the biggest projects I’ve had the pleasure of working on. My new collaboration with Apple is a unique producer pack with my go-to sounds, presets, and so much more.
“Also, and best of all, the pack is available as a free download in GarageBand for iOS and Logic Pro for iPad. I hope it will inspire you and a whole new generation of creators to have fun with their music creativity!” he concludes.
Take a look below (via DJ Mag):

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Hardwell (@hardwell)

The sample pack lands after Hardwell announced he would be expanding the content offered on his YouTube channel in December last year. He said in an announcement video that he would be hosting exclusive live streams and production tutorials to aid budding music creators.
Back in February, Apple also launched a free producer pack in collaboration with Cory Wong. The pack contains over 400 loops, three drum kits, and a Live Loops grid which lets users jam with content provided by Wong himself.
Find out more about Hardwell.
The post Hardwell’s new sample pack is free and full of his “go-to sounds, presets, and so much more” appeared first on MusicTech.

“Spent months making new versions of everything for this and you wonder why I never play EDM festivals”: Calvin Harris responds to criticism that his Ultra Music set was “underwhelming”Calvin Harris has responded to criticism of his set at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival after people online called it “underwhelming”.
Harris played a headlining set on the main stage during the festival’s final day (Sunday 24 March), where he performed hits such as This Is What You Came For and Outside, but with some added live twists.

READ MORE: Jon Bon Jovi makes unexpected appearance on stage with Armin Van Buuren at Miami’s Ultra Music Festival

Being an artist in the age of social media means you’re bound to come across negative comments on your work. Most creatives will simply ignore, but sometimes it can be hard to let things slide when a lot of time and effort has gone into your craft.
Responding in a thread of comments on Instagram, Harris argued that no matter what he does, his choice on what to perform at EDM festivals such as this one will never please everyone. He also said he spent “months” making new versions of his biggest hits to appease those who aren’t so keen on mainstream music.
“You expect me to play none of my songs? Three songs since 2014, hmm, How Deep Is Your Love – billion streams, This Is What You Came For – billion streams, My Way – billion streams, Slide – billion streams, Feels – billion streams, One Kiss – billion streams, and the other five half a bill and before 2014, another 20, and not cheesy shit, proper fucking songs with real artists and you’d rather I play Fein trap edits today.
“Spent months making new versions of everything for this and you wonder why I never play EDM festivals… At least people I saw [in real life] had a great time and I can be happy with that but fuck, at this point whatever I do is gonna piss you off,” he said.
The original comment he is responding to appears to be deleted, and the commenter has apologised in the thread.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dancing Astronaut (@dancingastro)

Calvin Harris responds to comment calling his set “underwhelming”. Says it’s part of the reason he doesn’t do EDM festivals byu/pastrknack inEDM

Harris began his music-making journey with an old Amiga 500 Plus desktop computer left behind by his older brother when he went away to university.
Last August, Harris reflected on how working with limited gear was actually beneficial to his creative process: “There were some songs that I couldn’t put a crash symbol in and a chorus vocal at the same time, it would take up too much memory. So I had to decide, would I put in this riff, or would I put in this hi-hat, you know?” he told BBC Sounds.
“You can do anything now. And all the programmes are so advanced. You can literally go from doing nothing to doing an orchestral piece with 200 tracks, but I think it’s a good idea to impose your own restrictions sometimes, and work to that.”
View all upcoming live dates for Calvin Harris.
The post “Spent months making new versions of everything for this and you wonder why I never play EDM festivals”: Calvin Harris responds to criticism that his Ultra Music set was “underwhelming” appeared first on MusicTech.

This portable keys by Roland seem really cool. New hardware tools are coming. #Education #musicproduction

Roland launch GO:KEYS portable keyboards The GO:KEYS instruments take a simple approach to production, but still boast some more advanced features that allow for more involved work as users develop their skills.

Blipblox MPC-style sampler myTRACKS aims to make music production fun for allPlaytime Engineering are continuing to shape the next generation of child prodigies with their Blipblox line.
Specialising in child-friendly instruments for kids three and above, Playtime Engineering’s latest addition to the Blipbox line encourages young people to experiment and unlock their musical potential. The Blipblox myTRACKS swaps out the lunchbox for a groovebox.

READ MORE: NAMM 2022: Playtime Engineering reveals synth and groovestation for kids, grown-up synth fans rejoice

Blipblox myTRACKS embraces a childlike, colourful aesthetic while also capturing the spirit of a hip-hop groovebox. It’s designed to be safe and accessible to anybody, just like a toy, meaning it can be enjoyed by just about any age.
The Blipblox myTRACKS is a total music production studio. There’s a built-in microphone for sampling, two FX processors and a slew of over 50 acoustic, electronic and percussion instrumental sounds to play with. With sound packs also available to download online, creators have ample to work with.
Powered by 25 glowing playpads and two bright purple levers, the myTRACKS is delightfully colourful. Navigating the tool is as intuitive as playing with a toy, the levers allowing users to adjust effects and modulation. There’s also a randomise feature to spur on creativity, allowing users to experiment with new sounds and be inspired by the unpredictable tracks myTRACKS generates.
The journey to creating myTRACKS started off as a fleeting hobby for a Silicon Valley engineer Troy Sheets. With his wife, Kate Sheets, the pair transformed the hobby into a fully fledged business. “Bootstrapping and crowdfunding our business has allowed us the freedom to design and produce our wildly creative line of instruments,” Kate Sheets explains.

“We are tremendously grateful for our supporters who helped fund both the original Blipblox and Blipblox After Dark, and we look forward to introducing more friends to the Blipblox community with the launch of myTRACKS,” she continues.
“Creating music with synthesizers and modern music tech has always felt like play to me,” Troy sheets explains. “By merging the portability, durability, and safety of toys with high-quality and advanced functionality of a legitimate instrument, we’ve created a fun and accessible music-making machine that anyone can play.”
Blipblox myTRACKS’  Kickstarter campaign to support the launch will open on 9th April. The first round of products is expected to be delivered by November 2024.
Reservations are currently open on the BlipBlox website.
The post Blipblox MPC-style sampler myTRACKS aims to make music production fun for all appeared first on MusicTech.

Apple dismisses Microsoft monopoly comparisonsA week after finding itself at the business end of a landmark lawsuit from the United States Department of Justice, Apple is staunchly denying any parallels between itself and Microsoft in the 1990s. It’s a comparison into which the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland leaned heavily in last week’s filing. While portions of the United […]
© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Frankie Beverly to be Honored with Philadelphia Street Naming CeremonyThis spring, the City of Philadelphia will honor the legacy of Frankie Beverly, who began his decades long musical journey with the Butlers, then Raw Soul, the latter would become Frankie Beverly and Maze. The celebration will be in the form of a street renaming ceremony - a presentation of Councilperson Cindy Bass and the Philadelphia City Council with Maze Management.

The ceremony is also being sponsored by the Black Promoters Collective - a coalition of six of the nation’s top independent concert promotion and event production companies. It is a 100% Black-owned business whose mission is to be the world’s leading producer and provider of culturally relevant live entertainment experiences. To learn more, visit www.blackpromoterscollective.com

The event will take place on Saturday, May 18th, 2024, at 12 noon, in the East Germantown area of Philadelphia on North Norwood Street, between Church Lane and West Godfrey – the neighborhood where Frankie Beverly was raised. 

Noted Philadelphia media veterans Dyana Williams and Patty Jackson will serve as spokespersons for the Frankie Beverly street renaming celebration. Each are available for press, radio and television interviews and commentaries regarding the event.

"Frankie Beverly is one of the preeminent, clarion voices in the royal court of Black music,” states Ms. Williams. “For decades, the Philadelphia native has been a global ambassador of Black culture, sharing via his lyrics and music the intricacies of the ‘joy and pain’ of living!" Ms. Jackson notes, “What an honor it's going to be, paying tribute to this Philly music legend. His classic tune, ‘Before I Let Go’, is in my opinion the unofficial Black National Anthem! As a radio personality in Philadelphia on WDAS-FM, it’s an honor to play Frankie’s records on my shows. Frankie Beverly is the Music...the Culture...the fabric of our lives. he is Philly!”

www.blackpromoterscollective.com

How to choose a DAW as a beginner
In this in-depth guide, we break down how to choose a DAW as a beginner that's best for you, covering everything from budget to unique features and more.