Coronavirus

‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’: Pandemic PTSD in the Club?

'R.O.A.D. Podcast': Pandemic PTSD in the Club?

On this week’s episode of the R.O.A.D. Podcast, the crew discussed the anxiety that they are experiencing during their post-pandemic gigs, especially when people approach the DJ booth without their masks on.

The fellas also spoke about the new “Hot Tub Meta” trend that has taken over Twitch.

Watch an excerpt above and the full episode here.

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Related Post: ‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’: Are Clubs Booking Twitch DJs?

‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’: Are DJs Prepared to Return to Work?

‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’: Are DJs Prepared to Return to Work?

On this week’s episode of the R.O.A.D. Podcast, the crew talked about being physically and mentally ready for the nightlife grind after feeling a little rusty during the first week back at work.

The fellas also share their optimistic predictions for the nightlife industry in 2021.

Watch an excerpt above and the full episode here.

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Related Post: ‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’: DJ Carisma on Her Role in Bringing Hip-Hop Back to LA Radio

‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’: Joe Maz and Jonathan Shecter Debate the Effectiveness of Wearing Masks

R.O.A.D. Podcast

On this week’s episode of the R.O.A.D. Podcast, the crew hosted a political debate between DiscoTech‘s Joe Maz and The Source co-founder Jonathan Shecter. The two guests shared their different opinions on the election, lockdown, masks, pandemic, vaccine, and more.

Disclaimer: Some of the views and opinions expressed in this episode of the R.O.A.D. Podcast do not reflect or represent the views and opinions of its hosts or DJcity. Also, some of the information that was referenced in this episode has been debunked and disproven by science, facts, and peer-reviewed research. We encourage all our listeners to do their own research on these topics from reputable sources.

Watch an excerpt above and the full interview here.

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Related Post: ‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’: Are DJ Careers Now Becoming Side Hustles?

Red Bull Cancels the 2020 Red Bull 3Style World Finals

Citing concerns about “health concerns” and noting “the advice of health authorities around the world,” Red Bull has canceled the 2020 edition of the World Finals of their popular 3Style World DJ Championships, which had been previously rescheduled for 2021. There has never been a cancellation in the event’s decade-long history. Emerging from the brand’s music-as-culture aims, the contest has become the world’s largest open-format DJing competition, featuring two-dozen finalists from around the globe.

Competition cancellations for the event’s World Final (previously scheduled for Moscow) were an April 2020 Coronavirus casualty. However, the likely inability to host packed, indoor nightclub competitions with hundreds of attendees over several rounds proved to be the determining factor for the cancellation of the 2021 attempt at the competition. Hosting empty venue or online-only DJ sets as competition would not necessarily be dissimilar or unique compared to any of the thousands of DJ sets already streaming online.

No further details have been offered regarding what could occur in place of real-time World Finals competition. However, Red Bull 3Style has suggested revisiting the 2020 National Finals on Mixcloud.

Related Post: Red Bull 3Style Announces Headliners for 3Style X World Championships

‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’: Cosmo Baker on the Racial and Political Tensions in Philadelphia

R.O.A.D. Podcast

On this installment of the R.O.A.D. Podcast, the crew spoke to South Philadelphia-based DJ Cosmo Baker. The renowned DJ discussed racial tensions and the current temperamental political climate in Philly.

Baker also broke down his recent altercation with Joe Maz over COVID-19 on Twitter and explained how the infamous party, The Rub, got started in Brooklyn.

Watch an excerpt above and the full interview here.

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Related Post: ‘R.O.A.D. Podcast’: Are Nightclubs Taking Advantage of DJs?

DJ Shawna Talks DJing the NBA Bubble, Going Viral, and Thriving in the COVID-19 Era


(Source: DJ Shawna)

DJ Shawna is the official DJ for the Milwaukee Bucks. She’s also a DJ who twice went viral during the NBA’s just-completed “bubble” season in Orlando, Florida. For the seasoned spinner and former college basketball player, her COVID-19-shortened NBA campaign included championship-level achievements. Shawna made LeBron James dance, Carmelo Anthony rap, and Chris Webber speak at length about the greatness of her skills during a TNT broadcast. In the midst of these accomplishments, she learned self-confidence, increased her skillset, and embraced her success while learning the true definition of the idea that “comparison is the thief of joy.”

Paraphrasing a lyric from Drake, Shawna notes that the scenario that allowed her to travel to the NBA’s bubble “went from 0 to 100 real quick.” She’d been working for the Bucks for four years, and 2020 was her first as the team’s official DJ and in-game producer. “Johnny Watson, who’s the head of all game production at the Fiserv Forum [the Milwaukee Bucks’ home arena] texted me to see if I’d be interested in DJing at the bubble. I filled out a questionnaire that was less than 10 questions long, from the NBA, a few days later. A few days after that, I was on my way to Orlando.”

Once there, the NBA’s short season found Shawna (not unlike WNBA “wubble” DJ, DJ Heat) as one of four DJs (and the only female) for all of the league’s 30 teams. Playing as “home court” DJ for teams from two dozen-plus different cities would seem difficult on the surface, but ultimately proved to create a fun challenge.

“Typically, the teams wanted to hear the same five artists: Pop Smoke, all the ‘Babies’ – Da Baby, Lil Baby, you know, plus Nipsey Hussle, and Drake,” Shawna says, jokingly. She recalls the Miami Heat’s preference for Pitbull, the Brooklyn Nets wanting “non-stop Biggie,” and DJing for the Houston Rockets being fun because she could play numerous Paul Wall throwback tracks. Player warmups would also take two to three hours before the game, so she oftentimes added extended Motown, old school hip-hop, R&B, and disco sets alongside her playlists.

Shawna’s aforementioned viral social media moments were also key parts of the experience. Regarding her shoutout on TNT from Chris Webber and Brian Anderson, Shawna notes that it was the first game back after the entire Milwaukee Bucks franchise’s social justice boycott, “so it was already special.” The Los Angeles Lakers were significantly ahead of the Portland Trailblazers, and with 90 seconds left in the game, NBA Hall of Famer and TNT color commentator Webber took particular note of her work and the work of DJs in the bubble in general. Capping off her unsuspecting call out by playing Sade‘s jazzy ballad “Smooth Operator” as LeBron James celebrated closing out the series, it provided her a tremendous media boost.

However, though she spun numerous times in the bubble, Shawna’s still searching for her self-defined “DJ high” in the midst of a trying year. “I don’t think I got my personal desire to spin in clubs again out of my system. There’s no feeling of ‘call and response’ when you’re DJing a basketball game,” she notes. “Seeing Carmelo Anthony rapping along to Cameo‘s ‘Word Up’ — or anything else that happened in the bubble — filled my heart up with pride differently than a typical festival, bar, or club set. It wasn’t my show. I was in the bubble to add value to the NBA players and the league’s day.”

Related Post: DJ Heat Discusses DJ Life in the WNBA’s COVID-19 ‘Wubble’

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