Over the last week, LA based club Cure And The Cause stirred up some controversy in the dance music scene by banning laptops from the DJ booth. Club owner Kenny Summit justified the decision with some notorious statements, telling laptop DJs to “learn the tools of the trade already.” It’s just the latest episode of a constant dialogue about what defines “true DJing” and what technology is appropriate for DJs to use.
Seasoned DJs Richie Hawtin and Seth Troxler took to social media recently to weigh in on the issue, with each offering up a different perspective in response to the controversy. Richie Hawtin criticized the venue’s decision to ban laptops, stating “Most ridiculous rule ever!Stifling creativity by limiting an artists own personal approach is a step backwards.”

Seth Troxler, on the other hand, seemed to agree with the club’s call. “I have to say I like it rich too many kids out there who actually don’t know how to beat match,” he stated, while interjecting that “the hard part is beat matching. Even a lot of guys in our class.If the sync is on your an entertainer, not a dj.”

Regardless of whether you side with Hawtin or Troxler on the issue, it does seem a bit ridiculous for a venue to impose upon performers the type of equipment they’re allowed to use on stage, don’t you think?

Posted by David Miller (via dancingastronaut)

The complete legal filing of the Justin Bieber and Skrillex “Sorry” lawsuit reveals the full extent of the highly publicized scandal that came to light just a few days ago. According to defendant, Casey Daniel, aka White Hinterland, the Skrillex-produced Justin Bieber single “Sorry” infringes on the copyright of her 2012 hit “Ring The Bell.” Daniel has left no stone unturned in the targets of her legal discourse. Those named in the suit are Justin Bieber and his Bieber Time LLC, Skrillex, Michael Tucker also known as Blood Diamonds, Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter, two professional songwriters, and every label and subsidiary involved in the distribution and publishing of the track including Warner-Tamerlane, Universal and Def Jam.

The suit goes on to label both Sonny Moore and Michael Tucker as the copyright “infringing producers” on the track. The focus of the infringement is the unique vocal rift featured on “Ring the Bell” stating that it is a qualitatively and quantitatively distinct and integral element of the piece of work.

Plaintiff’s “Ring the Bell” opens up with the signature and unique vocal riff, which provides the introduction and primary musical motive for the structure of the song. This vocal riff – also referred to as a loop, chant, or hook – is crucial to the sound recording and composition of “Ring the Bell,” creating the backbone for the composition and the song’s initial hook. After opening the song, the vocal riff repeats throughout, serving as a unifying thread for “Ring the Bell.”

The suit continues with a wealth of incriminating evidence and even goes so far as to make a connection to Diplo and his friendship with Justin Bieber and Skrillex. According to the lawsuit, because Diplo shares a label with the plaintiff he had direct access and knowledge of the existence of her song.

Prior to the creation of the music for “Sorry,” Skrillex, Diplo, and Blood allhad access to, and upon information and belief, were familiar with Plaintiff’s “Ring theBell” due to the widespread commercial release of “Ring the Bell,” the music press’s coverage and reviews of Plaintiff’s “Ring the Bell,” Diplo’s database of songs kept on his hard drive, Diplo’s and Plaintiff’s shared label family, and Rolling Stone magazine’s coverage of Plaintiff and Skrillex in the same issue on two separate occasions.

The proof that her track was the inspiration for the arpeggio in “Sorry” is seemingly undeniable, the extent to which is well documented in the filing. Not only do they break down exactly where the incriminating notes appears, but also that the pitch and timing are identical.

In scientific pitch notation, the four notes of the sampled female vocal riffof both “Ring the Bell” and the infringing “Sorry” are the same and the four pitches are of equal duration and are sung in a rapid succession by Plaintiff’s voice. The temporal spacing of the notes of the female vocal riff in both “Ring the Bell” and the infringing “Sorry” are the same.

Although Skrillex and Blood Diamonds have replied with their own rebuttal, there may very little recourse the two will have when this goes to court but it will present an interesting argument regarding copyright.

If the “Blurred Lines” verdict is any indication of how this will play out, and with over 1.4 billion plays on YoutTube alone, it’s safe to say that White Hinterland is owed a large sum of money from everyone involved.

Posted by Andrew Spada(via DA )

Last Thursday, May 19, Las Vegas’ newest superclub, JEWEL, officially opened its doors. Located inside the luxurious ARIA hotel on the strip, the sophisticated venue is the latest property of the esteemed Hakkasan Group, the brains behind forward-thinking nightclubs Hakkasan and OMNIA.

The opening weekend featured an array of top talent behind the DJ booth, along with a seemingly endless supply of surprise guest appearances. On Thursday night, for instance, Hakkasan resident DJ Irie kicked things off with actor and musician Jamie Foxx MC’ing the night. Foxx soon spotted friend and fellow JEWEL resident Lil Jon in the crowd, inviting him up to the decks for what quickly turned into a raucous surprise set.

Friday night was all about Drake, the Grammy-winning talent fresh off his latest album Views. Onstage alongside DJ Future, Drake performed hits like “Jumpman,” “Running Through The Six” and his latest, “One Dance.” Perhaps even more impressive, Drake was an unannounced special guest of the weekend, only further proving the power of JEWEL’s booking and their surprise acts.

Saturday saw burgeoning electronic duo The Chainsmokers take over the main room, bringing their crossover dance hits to the packed venue. Lastly, Lil Jon finished off the grand opening on Monday for his debut set, performing his iconic singles like “Turn Down For What” and “Outta Your Mind.’

Posted by David Miller

The 2015 Club Killers Radio contest winner is back with another super fresh mix for your ears.

Check out the full track list…

1.Mr.Shaw Intro

2.Ravazz – Hydra

3.UFO – Its a Trap

4.Mr.Shaw – Effeil Mashup

5.Desiigner – Panda

6.Drake – Closet Fans (Ta-Ku Remix)

7.Future ft Rick Ross – Commas

8.T.I – What you know (Angle Edit)

9.Snootie Wild – Made Me

10.Future ft. T.I – Magic vs. Marshall Barnes and 11.KnighCrime – Baby Lungs (Kid@Heart Edit)

12.Flux Pavillion vs. 2 Live Crew – I Cant Stop (Clubkillers Hype Edit)

13.Fetty Wap – RGF Island (Mayhem Edit)

14.Carnage – Bricks

15.Dem Franchise Boys – Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It

16.Lil Wayne – Lollipop

17.Drake – Jumpman vs. Cheif vs. Milly Rock vs. MAAD City (Vice Ultra Bootleg) (Kid@Heart Edit)

18.Rihanna – Work (Kid@Heart Bootleg) vs. Missy Elliott – Work It

19.Chainsmokers – Roses (Original Mix)

20.Outkast – Roses (Hype Intro)

21.Beyonce – Crazy In Love (Mayeda Twerk Remix)

22.N.O.R.E – Nothin’ – Dj Scene Twerk Remix

23.Hot Damage – All about the Benjis

24.Rihanna – Bitch Better Have My Money (Kid@Heart Bootleg)

25.Too Short – Blow The Whistle

26.Eva Simons – Policeman

27. J. Balvin – Ginza (Kid@Heart Bootleg)

28.Drake – One Dance

29.Mike Posner – I took a Pill in Ibiza (SeeB Remix)

30.Major Lazer – Lean On

31.The Elements – Make It Drop (Extended Mix)

32.Petey Pablo – Shhh Be Quiet

33.Justin Timberlake – Summer Love (Marc Stout 34.Remix) vs Sean Paul – Get Busy (Kid@Heart Edit)

35. David Guetta vs. Showtek vs. Ying Yang Twins – Badd (Club killers)

36. Garmiani x Ding Dong – Badman Bomb A Drop

37. Firebeatz – Trigga Finga

38. Dj Class – Mr.Shaw Is the Ish

39. Boys Noize vs. Pilo vs. ASAP – Cerevral Level (Vice Ultra Bootleg)

40.Stereo Freq vs, Travis Scott – Antidote

41. Jace Mek – Whales

42. Gwen Stefani – Holla Back Girl

43. David Guetta vs. Showtek ft. Vassy – Bad

44. Dj Nasa Mash – Blackout in C.U.B.A

45. NGHTMRE – Get Back

46. Valentino Khan – Deep Down Low

47. Galantis x Otto Knows – Runnaway vs. Million Voices

48. Lukas Graham – 7 Years (JD Live House Bootleg)

49. Selena Gomaz – Hands to Myself (JD Live Electro Bootleg)

50. Justin Bieber – Company (JD Live House Bootleg)

51.Post Malone – White Iverson (Malaa Remix)

52. 2 Chainz – Where you Been

53. Fetty Wap – My Way Remix

54. K Camp – Money Baby

55. OT Genasis – CoCo (Dennis Blaze Remix)

56. Penut Butter Jelly Time

57. Huey vs. Hype Turner – Pop Lock Drop It

58. Got Money – DjCity Throwback Edit

59. 50 Cent – P.I.M.P

60. Drake – Childs Play

61. Fat Joe – All The Way Up

62. Kanye West – Get Em High

63. Fergie – London Bridge

64. Dr. Dre ft Snoop Dog – Nuthin But a G Thing

65. Still not a Player – (Dj Ruckus Edit)

66. Fetty Wap – Again

67. Darwin – Dessert

68. Dj 2 Hot – X-Factor – Next Episode vs. San Holo Remix

69. Justin Bieber – Boyfriend vs. Zooly (Kid@Heart Edit)

70. T-Pain – I’m Sprung (Lemi Vice & Action Jackson Twerk Remix)

71. Shaggy ft. Rikrok – It Wasnt Me (LosGarcia Tropical Sunset Remix)

72. Lauren Hill – Doo Wop

73. Clubkillers Outro.

6 DJ’s picked to live in a house and have their lives taped.

Dillon Francis has just uploaded the first installment of his reality show parody, ‘DJ World’.

The YouTube series, a comical rip off MTV’s The Real World, places six aspiring DJs in a house.

In classic Dillon fashion, he’s playing a number of different personas including the overzealous show host, a socially awkward bedroom producer, the classic gold-chain adorned douchebag and himself.

The cast also includes OWSLA’s Getter as a spaced out, pink-haired partier, Vine star Nick Coletti as a Beats wearing EDM head and more.

The series, directed by Brandon Dermer, will air episodes on Dillon’s Youtube page every Monday and Thursday for seven episodes.

Posted by David Miller (via youtube)

Struggling to choose the RIGHT set of studio monitors?
In a time when there are so many great choices when it comes to studio monitors how can you pick what is going to be the right set for you?
The ear is a funny thing. It’s very subjective – what I hear can be very different to what you hear. The difference can be quite drastic too. We need a kind of universal guide when selecting monitors rather than just listening to a set and saying they sound good or bad, (which is how most people do it) because what may sound good to me may not sound so good to you.
The human ear adapts to the sound coming from speakers very rapidly. Have you ever been auditioning two sets of speakers and when you switch from one to another one set sounds out of phase yet after about 10 seconds of listening the phasing disappears? This is typical and it’s not the speakers that are phased, it’s your ear trying to adjust to the slight differences in frequency and time when you switch between them.
A great HiFi speaker designer once told me never switch between two sets of speakers when trying to decide between them; he said listen to one, stop the music, switch to the second and turn the music back on. This way your ear will have enough time to make critical objective decisions on both.
If you can listen to Frequency, Detail and Imaging in isolation trying not to focus on the entire overall sound you will be able to pick out problems a lot easier.

1. FREQUENCIES
Listen and concentrate on just the frequencies – note the amount of treble, mid and bass frequencies. Is it even? Are you feeling that bass? Do you squint when you focus on the mid register, does the top end sound hard? Note these things down and move to number 2.

2. DETAIL
Listen to the amount of detail in each frequency band. Focus on each band and determine how much detail you can hear. Can you hear the front of a bass note? Is the bass undefined or can you easily separate the bass instrument from say the kick drum. Move to the mids. This is where you should hear the most details. Can you hear all the instruments clearly? You should be able to hear the space around the instruments (the air). Now move to the highs. Can you clearly differentiate between high hat cymbals and the ride.

3. IMAGING
Now listen to imaging. Is the stereo image wide or narrow? Can you visualize the instruments or players in the stereo field? If you can clearly pinpoint each player or instrument you are listening to a set of speakers with good imagining. If the speakers sound two dimensional and narrow and the sounds and instruments blur into each other the imagining is not so good.
There are so many good speakers to choose from and I understand that you’re not going to get a chance to hear every speaker side by side, but even if you can’t the method above should give you a good basic guide to work with and should make your decision a little easier.
The last thing I would suggest is choosing a speaker that is the right size for you room. If you’re in a bedroom studio don’t get an 8” speaker. The bottom end is just going to bounce around your room and get amplified. Did you know that when bass frequencies hit a wall it would be amplified by about 6db. Corners can get up to an 18db kick when the 3 walls meet. So as you can see big speakers in a bedroom sized studio can get a bit out of hand.
On the flipside if your space is the size of a garage you may want to get a bigger speaker so that you are not pushing a little set of 5” speakers to their max.

Posted by Damian Good D (via soundseasy)

Idris Elba stars as the overlord of the dance in the hilarious, over-the-top new video for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ “Dance Off.”

The British actor provides the song’s melodramatic vocal tag, and appears at the beginning and end of the video, donning a luxurious white fur coat and pounding on a haunted-house organ. In between, Macklemore ambles through a mysterious hotel, while epic dance floor showdowns follow him every step of the way.

While the first dance off takes place, sensibly enough, at a wedding reception, Macklemore later finds himself munching on fries while patrons and staff square off in a diner, and pedaling an exercise bike while beefcakes wild out in the gym. The Seattle MC even shows off his own footwork in an extended sequence alongside hotel bellhops, before a group of mall masseuses bring the clip to its ridiculous close.

“Dance Off” was directed by Lewis and Jason Koenig, and features choreography from Anna Matuszewski. The track appears on Macklemore and Lewis’ latest record, This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, which was released in February.

Posted by Jon Blistein (via Rolling Stone)

Instagram is launching analytics for businesses and brands that use the platform, according to a post on the Later.com blog.

The new feature will be called ‘Insights’, and will provide information on the demographic of a users’ followers, including location, age, and gender. Besides follower analytics there is also a section that will focus on post analytics.

Providing follower analytics is not only useful for businesses who want to know where their audience is, but it also helps to distinguish the best time to post content. It also allows users to see who they are targeting and if they are reaching their desired audience.

Musicians will find this information extremely useful, as it provides the location of their fans. That makes decisions like where to tour for example a lot easier. There is also analytical information which allows users to tracks the number of new followers gained on an hourly or daily basis.

The post analytics tool tracks the number of times the post has been viewed, and the number of accounts which have seen the post. Website links that are often in the bio of an Instagram are also tracked to see how often the links are clicked.

Since the app launched back in 2010, it has experienced exponential growth and there are now over 400 million active users. It’s one of the most engaging apps in the world, and that translates into marketing power. Accordingly, brands, marketing companies, and artists alike have taken to the app to connect with their audiences.

Overall, the analytics give a thorough look at the information which a business, marketer or musician would want to know. It has not only created a better way for them to be more effective in the way they share and post images and videos, but it helps with developing stronger user engagement.
Only a small percentage of users currently have the analytical tools, but this is expected to roll out to the wider Instagram audience in the next few months.

Posted by David Miller (via LaterBlog)

SoundCloud is now preparing to impose serious restrictions on the upload of all DJ mixes, according to a source with close knowledge of the company’s plans.

As of Monday morning, it remains unclear exactly what these restrictions will entail, only that significant and serious limitations are on the way. That said, the restrictions could include a complete block on all DJ mixes that are not fully cleared, a decision that would impact an extremely large percentage of tracks.

Already, SoundCloud has been wreaking havoc on DJ accounts, with high-profile artists routinely finding their accounts ripped down based on copyright concerns. In some cases, these teardowns are questionable, though DJs rarely have a voice in the matter.

Problematic indeed, but instead of resolving those concerns, recently-inked deals with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment seem to be intensifying the level of policing happening on the site. “I don’t think the DJs are going to be happy,” the source relayed to Digital Music News last week. “Probably piss off a lot of subscribers too.”

Those ‘subscribers’ belong to Go, a paid-only platform that launched in the US in March, and just recently expanded into the UK. At present, SoundCloud has yet to disclose its paid subscriber numbers, though industry expectations are low given the long-running, gratis nature of the site. Either way, early adopters of ‘Go’ are undoubtedly more sensitive to content gaps, given that they are paying.

At present, SoundCloud boasts 185 million active users, with DMCA protections traditionally enabling a free-for-all on content licensing. That party now appears over, with major labels partnering instead of suing but clearly imposing major restrictions on the site.

Meanwhile, DJs big and small appear to be migrating towards less-regulated environments, a migration that could become an all-out exodus if upcoming restrictions are put in place. Rival sites like MixCloud have been benefiting enormously from SoundCloud’s tightening restrictions, with high-profile DJs also pushing more content into iTunes Podcasts as well. That raises another major concern, though Apple is understood to have received very little pressure from rights owners to monitor content on its podcasts.

It should be noted that this information comes to Digital Music News from a single source, with other contacts connected to SoundCloud unable (or unwilling) to corroborate the information. But this same source accurately tipped DMN on SoundCloud’s recent Sony Music tie-up as well as its launch of premium subscription service, Go, both within about 10 days of their respective announcements. So, it’s safe to say we’re taking this individual pretty seriously at this stage.

Posted by David Miller (via digitalmusicnews)

DJ Snake has put his teeth into David Guetta with a string of stinging tweets targeting the veteran DJ and producer’s anthem for the Euro 2016 soccer tournament.

The trap star took offense with​ Guetta’s recording “This One’s For You”, a collaboration with rising Swedish singer and songwriter Zara Larsson, which he branded as “horrible” and slammed as a “fake” take on “Lean On.” The messages have since been deleted, though screengrabs of the flare-up can be seen below

Major Lazer founding member Diplo (and co-creator or” Lean On”) then got in on the action with his own social media barbs, which DJ Snake retweeted. “U can’t rip us off and go unnoticed. It’s a small community here,” he wrote in one.

Diplo’s also had a dig at Guetta’s vintage, “I respect my elders but when they straight jack us its clap back season,” he wrote.

It’s not the first time Diplo has accused an EDM producer of ripping off another artist’s music. In March he accused Zedd of lifting Flume’s mojo on a tune for an M&Ms campaign.

“This One’s For You” arrived today (May 13). Guetta has yet to respond to the accusations.

Posted by Lars Brandle (via Billboard)

DJ Ikon returns to our Club Killers Radio podcast to announce the “On The Road” tour that will feature live performances from Chris Brown, O.T. Genasis, French Montana & more.

The “On The Road” Tour kicks of @ Parq in San Diego’s Gasplamp District & hits cities like Miami, Boston, Seattle & more. For more info on tour dates click here check out Ikon’s full track list after the jump Continue reading →

Dillon Francis and NGHTMRE have racked up nearly half a million Soundcloud plays in three days alone on their latest moombahton track, “Need You,” and they’re aiming to gain more with the song’s out-there music video. Directed by Internet presence and meme curator Jack Wagner, better known as @versace_tamagotchi – the video is appropriately ridiculous and memorable.

Dillon debuts his alter ego, the raunchy and rude DJ Darren, Dillon – Francis, who does “birthdays, weddings, Quinceaneras, corporate event, block parties, and youth retreats.” The visor-and-mirrored-sunglasses clad DJ Dillon Francis has the ability to bring out everyone’s wild side, turning a tame suburban backyard gathering into an out-of-control, booze-fueled mess.

Posted by David Miller (via billboard)