July 10, 2025
Laidback Luke Talks Vintage DJ Gear!
International touring DJ, producer and founder of Mixmash Records, Laidback Luke, was appearing at a festival close to the DJcity UK lab last week. So Moja...
Friday, August 28, 2015
Styles Davis: Must-Have Items in My DJ Bag
When he’s not handling business at the office, DJcity’s National Director Styles Davis can be found rocking parties at various clubs around the US. Below is a list of his must-have items in his DJ bag. It’s the third article in our new series.
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Akai LPD8 laptop pad controller I don’t use it much at home, but I always have a LPD8 in my gig bag as a handy backup tool. If I show up to a gig and my laptop has to be placed in an awkward or inconvenient position, I whip out the LPD8 and put it beside me for easy access to cues, loops and samples. |
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Adapter kit I always keep a small kit of various audio adapters in my bag, as you never know when you’ll need one. I recommend including 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch adapters, RCA extenders, and a couple various XLR adapters. |
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Reading material There’s nothing worse than being stuck at an airport with nothing to do. When I’m burnt out from listening to music, I decompress with a good book or magazine. Right now I have the latest issue of SGD MGZN in my bag. |
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Spare Coolorcaps I had a bunch of spare knobs after I customized my Rane Sixty-Two. I now carry them in my DJ bag so if I show up to a gig with a sh#tty mixer that’s missing its knobs, I can pop on my replacements. Just make sure you don’t forget them at the club ‘cuz the next DJ will probably steal them! |
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Business cards They may be outdated, but people ask for my business card every weekend. I keep a stack of current cards in my bag so I can give them to any potential customers. It’s still the simplest and most direct way to give people your contact information. The last thing you wanna do during your set is have to yell your phone number or email address to someone. Make sure to replenish your stack otherwise you’ll have to give people the “I ran out” speech. |
