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Friday, June 21, 2019

Why UK Hip-Hop Hasn’t Crossed Over Into the US, According to Cipha Sounds

R.O.A.D. Podcast

Veteran DJs Cipha Sounds, Roctakon, and Steve1der sat down with the R.O.A.D. Podcast this week. The crew discussed UK hip-hop and why it hasn’t crossed over into the US.

They also talked about the Bay Area’s reaction to Lil Jon and Mac Dre‘s new single, “Ain’t No Tellin’,” which is currently No. 9 on DJcity, among other topics.

Roctakon was a guest on the R.O.A.D. Podcast in March along with A-Trak and Craze, where they debated the current state of open-format DJing.

Watch an excerpt of this week’s interview above and the full episode here.

Follow the R.O.A.D. Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Twitter, and YouTube

Related Post: Melo D Talks West Coast Style of DJing on ‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’

| DJ Culture, Videos
Cipha Sounds, DJ Steve1der, Interview, R.O.A.D. Podcast, Roctakon,
Friday, June 21, 2019

DJ Mouss Drops New Track, ‘Turn It Up’

DJ Mouss

DJ Mouss

French producer DJ Mouss has released a high-energy moombahton track, “Turn It Up,” featuring Craigy-T. He’s also dropped a playful video to accompany the song release.

“Turn It Up” brings together a worldwide network of artists. The Parisian DJ Mouss is a two-time DMC France team champion and an ITF World team champion. Jamaica’s Craigy-T is a singer/songwriter and member of the dancehall group T.O.K. French artist CEET, who is currently based in China, contributed his signature chicken characters “Los Chicanos” to the music video.

Watch the “Turn It Up” video below and download the track on DJcity.

Related Post: Baby Bash’s ‘Baby, I’m Back’ Remixed by Thombs: DJcity Exclusive

| Tracks, Videos
Craigy-T, DJ Mouss, Music Video,
Thursday, June 20, 2019

Serato Releases Full Version of Serato Studio


The Whooligan makes a beat in Serato Studio. (Source: Serato)

After months of beta testing, Serato has released the full version of its Serato Studio beatmaking software. The full release includes features from the beta like Stem Export and Master Deck Waveform, alongside new features such as Master Key Change and in-app tutorials.

Studio users also have access to the Serato Sounds sample library, which is updated monthly with instruments, drum kits, loops, and FX. The Serato Sounds artist series kicks off with a sample pack from legendary producer Just Blaze, which is now available as a free download.

Serato Studio is available via subscription for $14.99 a month or $9.99 a month billed annually.

Learn more about Serato Studio here, and watch the Whooligan demonstrate some of the features below.

Related Post: Kutcorners Shows How to Produce a Remix in Serato Studio

| Music Tech, Videos
Music Production, Serato,
Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Grandmaster Flash Becomes First DJ to Win Polar Music Prize

Grandmaster Flash

Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash with the King of Sweden at the 2019 Polar Music Prize award ceremony in Stockholm. (Credit: Annika Berglund)

DJ and hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash has become the first DJ to win Sweden’s Polar Music Prize, which is often described as the “Nobel Prize for music.”

Flash, who was born in Barbados and raised in the Bronx, was one of three laureates for the 2019 award. The others were the German violinist, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and the music charity, The Playing For Change Foundation. All three received $130,000 of prize money.

The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, who’s best known as ABBA’s manager. Anderson petitioned the Nobel Prize committee in the late 1980s to add a music award. However, his idea was rejected, so Anderson created his own award: the Polar Music Prize.

Flash accepted the prize from the King of Sweden, saying the award was “in honor of every DJ, every rapper, every graffiti artist, and every breakdancer.”

He added: “This thing that I did had not existed before, and I am one of many where I come from. It ended up being called hip-hop, taking the drum break from pop, rock, jazz, blues, funk, disco, R&B, and using duplicate copies of records. I would take one section and repeat it over and over again.”

De La Soul’s DJ Maseo spoke at the ceremony, saying: “Grandmaster Flash is a scientist and a virtuoso who has demonstrated that turntables and mixing consoles can be musical instruments … [He] changed the course of popular music. Some 40 years later, the musical form and the hip-hop culture that Grandmaster Flash helped to create, in the ruins of the South Bronx in the mid-1970s, has grown into the largest music genre, hip-hop, in the United States and the world.”

Flash is in impressive company. Previous Polar winners include B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Dizzy Gillespie, Elton John, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder.

Watch Polar’s video about Flash below. You can also to listen to a Spotify playlist of his influences.

Related Post: Grandmaster Flash: Technology Is a Gift and a Curse

| DJ Culture
Grandmaster Flash,
Wednesday, June 19, 2019

Reloop RP-8000 MK2 Turntable Review

Tips and Tricks

The ultimate DJ turntable? Mojaxx reviews Reloop’s RP-8000 MK2 on this week’s episode of Tips and Tricks.

Related Post: Reloop RP-7000 MK2 Turntable Review

| DJcityTV, Music Tech, Videos
Mojaxx, Reloop, Tips and Tricks,
Tuesday, June 18, 2019

DJcity’s Spotify Playlist Update: June 18


Lil Jon performs at Premier Nightclub in Atlantic City, New Jersey on March 30. (Source: Facebook)

DJcity’s Spotify playlist update for the week of June 18:

DJ Snake & J Balvin ft. Tyga – Loco Contigo
Drake ft. Rick Ross – Money In The Grave
Gucci Mane ft. Meek Mill – Backwards
Kamaiyah ft. Quavo & Tyga – Windows
Lil Jon & Mac Dre – Ain’t No Tellin’
Matoma ft. MNEK & Kiana Lede – Bruised Not Broken

Stream the entire playlist below or from within Spotify.

Related Post: DJcity’s Spotify Playlist Update: June 11

| Tracks
DJcity Essentials,

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