Music Production

DJcity has picked the 10 finalists for the official Avicii “Without You” remix contest.

We received entries from all around the world and of a wide variety of styles. It took a long time to listen to them, but we made sure to hear each one. Now that we’ve selected the finalists, it’s up to Avicii to pick the winner.

The winner, which will be announced on Sept. 20, will receive $5,000 and have his or her remix released on Geffen Records.

Check out the finalists below (in alphabetical order).

Arc North, Sweden

Mark Pride, Croatia

MAYACCII, Russia

Melo.Kids, Poland

Notre Dame, France

Redax, Germany

Rozen, Brazil

Tokima Tokio, Japan

Tony & Voxon, Latvia and United Arab Emirates

Vinil, Sweden

Related: Watch This Drummer’s Entry Video for Avicii’s ‘Without You’ Remix Contest

Mass Appeal has featured DJ/producer Mr. Carmack in their latest episode of Rhythm Roulette. The series challenges producers to make a beat by sampling three randomly selected vinyl records.

The San Francisco native first heads to Good Records in New York City before hitting the studio alongside rapper Adam Vida. He then delivers two groovy glitch-style beats, only using sounds from the records he picks out. Impressively, one of the samples he chops up is the call of an elephant trumpeting.

Carmack is a member of the production cliques Team Supreme and Soulection. He’s best known for his unique trap-infused sounds, which includes releases on the Mad Decent label. The influential producer has worked with Pharrell, Diplo, Kehlani, and Promnite.

Watch Rhythm Roulette above.

Related: Watch DJ Jazzy Jeff Make a Track by Sampling Random Records

DJcity has teamed up with Geffen Records on a remix contest for Avicii‘s new single “Without You” featuring Sandro Cavazza. The infectious progressive house track recently debuted at No. 18 on Billboard’s Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart.

Geffen Records was founded in 1980 by industry heavyweight David Geffen. Earlier this year, Universal Music Group relaunched the label with a roster that includes Avicii, DJ Snake, Lil Jon, AlunaGeorge, and Gryffin.

The winning submission will be released by Geffen Records as an official remix. The winner will also receive a cash prize of $5,000 and be featured on DJcity’s blog and social media.

Get more info and enter the contest here.

After nearly 100 episodes of Rhythm Roulette, Mass Appeal has finally featured DJ Jazzy Jeff. The series is an interesting concept: it challenges producers to select three records while blindfolded and make a beat by sampling them.

Filmed in his Delaware estate during his annual Playlist Retreat, the video shows Jeff picking out the records from the back of a van, and getting busy in the studio using Serato’s new plugin, Sample.

His final track includes an Al Johnson and Jean Carne sample, which was used on Will Smith’s 1997 single, “Just Cruisin’.” It also contains scratching and vocals from Philadelphia rapper, Dayne Jordan.

Watch Rhythm Roulette above.

Related: An Inside Look at DJ Jazzy Jeff’s ‘Playlist Retreat’

The finalists for DJcity’s Regi “Where Did You Go (Summer Love)” remix contest have been selected! Congrats to the following producers on advancing to the final round:

AFTRCLAP
BUM
CLBeat
Nico Nobels & Venemy
Safety First!

Also, thanks to everyone who entered. We received many remixes from around the world during the three-week contest and listened to each one.

The winner will be featured by CNR Records (Mostiko/Smash The House) as an official remix and will receive a KRK RP6 RoKit G3 Bundle.

Regi is currently reviewing the final remixes and DJcity will announce the winner on Friday, August 11. In the meantime, listen to each submission below.

Download the original version of “Where Did You Go (Summer Love)” on DJcity.

Related: Finalists for D.R.A.M. ‘Cha Cha’ Remix Contest

HBK Gang producer and rapper P-Lo has been featured on FACT TV’s Against the Clock series.

The show challenges producers to make a track from scratch in under 10 minutes while being filmed in real time. Previous guests include Southside and Flux Pavilion.

Filmed at Los Angeles’ APG Studios, P-Lo delivered a Bay Area-style beat just as time ran out.

P-Lo has worked extensively with fellow HBK artists Kehlani, Sage the Gemini, and IamSu. In May, he released his debut album, More Than Anything, which features tracks with other Bay Area acts like E-40 and G-Eazy.

Watch P-Lo on Against The Clock above.

Related: Watch P-Lo Make a Beat by Sampling Random Records

Mass Appeal has brought back acclaimed hip-hop producer DJ Dahi for a special, new episode of Rhythm Roulette. The series challenges producers to make a beat by sampling three random records, chosen from a record store while blindfolded.

Dahi, whose credits include Drake‘s “Worst Behavior,” Kendrick Lamar’s “Money Trees,” and Big Sean‘s “I Don’t F#ck With You,” produced a track using Serato’s new plugin, Sample. The software enables producers to find and manipulate samples in tracks using any DAW that supports VST and AU formats, such as Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Logic Pro.

In this episode, instead of going to a record store, Dahi went to New York City and dug through cardboard boxes in the back of a van owned by vinyl collector, Gene Brown.

Watch the video above.

Related: Watch P-Lo Make a Beat by Sampling Random Records

After much anticipation, Serato has made its new Sample plugin available to the public. The production tool has been in an exclusive beta test for the past three months.

Sample is a plugin that enables producers to find and manipulate samples in tracks using any DAW that supports VST and AU formats, such as Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Logic Pro. Sample is Serato’s first production tool since it launched Pitch ‘n Time in 1998.

The announcement was made on Monday on Serato’s blog.

“We initially launched Sample as a Beta for experienced producers to test. Feedback from this group helped us improve and cater to different producer’s needs, giving us the versatile, powerful, user-friendly plugin that’s now ready for trial and purchase.”

As an incentive, the company has offered a free 30-day trial for its users.

Download the trial or purchase Sample 1.0 here and watch Serato’s overview video above.

Related: First Look: Serato Sample

Serato made waves in April when it announced Serato Sample, the company’s first VST plugin. Since then, a select group of producers have been experimenting with it as part of an exclusive public beta.

Ryan Enzed, a DJ/producer from New Zealand, has shared a video of himself doing just that. In the clip, he makes a track with samples that he built using the VST. He offers insight into his process, as he adds layers and manipulates sounds with features like Key Shift and Time Stretch. The finished song can be heard at the end.

Enzed is no stranger to producing and sharing his knowledge. His YouTube channel, which has over 6 million views, contains numerous production tutorials. As a producer, he has released music on Dim Mak and Big Fish Recordings.

Serato recently stopped accepting applications for the beta, and there’s no word on when Sample will be released. However, Enzed’s video provides producers with an in-depth look at it in the meantime.

Watch his video above.

Related: First Look: Serato Sample

Bay Area producer and rapper P-Lo was recently featured on Mass Appeal’s Rhythm Roulette.

The series challenges producers to make a beat by sampling three random records, chosen from a record store while blindfolded.

After picking up some vinyl at New York City’s A1 Records, P-Lo headed to the studio. The process started off slow, but he ended up delivering a bouncy track, which he classified as a “collar popper.”

Born in Pinole, California, P-Lo rose to prominence in 2013 after producing the singles “Act Right” for Yo Gotti and “Bout Me” for Wiz Khalifa. In 2008, he co-founded the HBK Gang, a collective whose members include Kehlani, Sage The Gemini, and IamSu. His recent album, More Than Anything, features tracks with E-40 and G-Eazy.

Watch P-Lo on Rhythm Roulette above.

Related: Watch David Banner Make a Song With Random Records