Must-Have Items in My DJ Bag
Trayze: Must-Have Items in My DJ Bag
Trayze competes at the Red Bull Thre3style US Finals in Philadelphia on Aug. 11, 2016. (Tim Blackwell)
If you follow the Red Bull Thre3style DJ competition, you’ve most likely heard of Trayze. The Washington, D.C. native is this year’s US champ and was a wild card finalist in the 2014 world championship. He’s also an instructor at the Beat Refinery DJ and production school, which has partnered with DJcityTV for a series called Turntable Techniques. And when Trayze isn’t competing in battles or teaching folks how to use Ableton Live, he can be found rocking clubs around the US. Below are five must-have items that he always carries in his DJ bag.
“This may be my favorite piece of mobile studio gear. Paired with my Ultimate Ears UE-7 in-ear monitors, it’s the most incredible listening experience ever. It’s battery-powered and wireless with Bluetooth!”
Lucky stones
“I carry small pieces of jade, turquoise, and moonstone. They’re gifts from my wife; you never know when you’ll need energy or extra good luck!”
Huawei E5770 mobile Wi-Fi hotspot
“The E5770 provides LTE speed anywhere in the world. It works with all SIM card sizes, and I can charge my iPhone with it for like five times. It supports 10 devices at once!”
Colgate Wisp mini-toothbrushes
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve brushed my teeth in the back of an Uber. Maybe my wife is trying to tell me something…”
“Since I travel with a pretty small laptop, it’s essential that I have more USB ports and other inputs and outputs, especially if I want to use HID mode with CDJs or use multiple MIDI controllers. It has video in/out and a sound card!”
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Follow Trayze on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Twitter, and YouTube.
DJ Scene: Must-Have Items in My DJ Bag
DJ Scene performs at Daylight Beach Club in Las Vegas on April 22, 2016. (via Facebook)
Las Vegas’ DJ Scene is one of the most respected and versatile DJs in the open-format community. A native of Seattle, Scene has won Red Bull Thre3style and DMC battles and is currently a resident at Daylight Beach Club in Vegas. He’s also an active producer and dropped an EP with Four Color Zack on Fool’s Gold in May. His latest release, “Wonka,” just premiered on DJcity. Below are five must-have items that he always carries in his DJ bag.
Headphone Adapters
“Too many times have I found myself missing a headphone adaptor and asking to borrow one. One day I just went on Amazon and bought 10 of them and threw five in my backpack. Now I’m never caught without one, and if anyone else needs to borrow one, I’m able to help.”
Wet Wipes
“I love having them with me to wipe tray tables and armrests on planes. You’d think the crew would clean everything, but they just pick up the big stuff. I started traveling with them the first time I saw snot on a tray table. I’ve also used them on mixers in clubs and TV remotes in hotels.”
USB Flash Drives
“I usually carry five to eight USB drives. I give some of the USBs, which contain my original tracks, remixes, bootlegs, and mixes, to promoters and resident DJs. Some of the other drives have everything I need to switch over or even play a full set (Serato Control Tone, mixes, and songs of different BPM). I also have a USB eLicenser, which is required by some of the soft synths and plugins that I produce with. If the key is missing, the session won’t load correctly. Major key.”
Backup IDs
“There have been a few times when I’ve lost my ID or left it in a different pair of jeans. I started keeping my Global Entry card in my backpack at all times as a backup ID, so there’s never any surprises at the airport. It’s definitely saved me. I have a small group of cards wrapped with a rubber band that includes my Global Entry ID, hotel rewards cards, airport lounge cards, companion pass cards, and drink vouchers.”
Plastic Cutlery Set
“It seems like a weird item, but it’s come in handy more than a few times. You don’t always know when, where or what you’ll be eating when you’re traveling around. It never hurts to have a few extra napkins either.”
Stream “Wonka” below and download it on DJcity.
Follow DJ Scene on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Twitter
Sammy Needlz: Must-Have Items in My DJ Bag
New York City-based DJ Sammy Needlz is a mixer on SiriusXM’s Shade 45 and The Joint channels. He also serves as DJcity’s dancehall contributor. Below are five must-have items that he always carries in his DJ bag.
Pioneer DJ DDJ-SP1 Controller
“I love the SP1 because it puts everything right in front of me. I put Chroma Caps on the FX knobs to color code the Filter, Delay, etc., so I don’t forget which slot they’re in. The SP1 is good for tone play too, with its big pads.”
GoPro HERO4 with Dive Housing
“You never know when things are going to get weird when you go diving in the Mediterranean Sea with a bottle of tequila and some new friends after a gig.”
Old Spice Pure Sport High Endurance Deodorant
“When you fly 16 hours from New York City to Hong Kong and then another four hours to Bangkok to eat Pork Larb and DJ at a club, you might end up smelling funky. I’ve been using Old Spice’s Pure Sport since seventh grade, and I’m amazed they still make it (I won’t tell you what year that was).”
Twelve South PlugBug World Power Adapter and Charger
“This is great when you’re traveling around Asia or Europe and regularly need different adapters. It snaps onto your MacBook charger and has an additional USB power out for your iPhone, etc. I have a lot of miles on mine and highly recommend it.”
Nature Made Vitamin B12 2500 MCG Tablets
“After drinking the bottle of tequila on your rider and waking up in an unfamiliar city, you’re going to need a serious jolt to deal with the flight to you next destination.”
KILLAKA5: Must-Have Items in My DJ Bag
As a DJ in one of the world’s best nightlife cities, KILLKA5 must always be prepared for gigs. The Nicaragua native currently holds residencies at Rockwell, Wood Tavern, Icon, and Rec Room, and serves as DJcity’s Miami representative.
Below is a list of his must-have items in his DJ bag.
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External Hard Drive I have a backup of all my music on external hard drive, so if worse comes to worse, I can plug into whoever’s laptop I’m playing with. I use a Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex 750 GB; it has more than enough room for all my music, and it’s USB powered, so it’s quick and easy to use with any laptop. |
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Cash I rarely carry cash, but I try to keep some in my bag when I’m at gigs. I always tip the bartender, server, and bathroom attendant if I’m playing somewhere new. |
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DJ Emergency Kit A lot of venues don’t take care of their DJ equipment and sometimes they don’t have the right cables, so I always bring an “emergency kit.” It has 1/4 to 1/8 adapters, RCA cables, fader knobs, USB cables, RCA to 1/4 adapters, and other useful accessories. |
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Toothbrushes These are a must! They come in handy after a pre-gig meal and long night. I actually carry two: one for personal use and one to clean my needles. |
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Alka-Seltzer Long nights of partying can sometimes catch up with you and Alka-Seltzer is my to-go hangover remedy. |
Follow KILLKA5 on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud and Twitter.
DJ Spider: Must-Have Items in My DJ Bag
Veteran Los Angeles DJ/producer Spider is one of the busiest and most experienced open-format DJs in the scene. From holding residencies in Las Vegas and Atlantic City to DJing for worldwide brands like Nike and NBC Universal, Spider is constantly on the go. Starting in July, Spider will join Blink 182 and A Day To Remember on a 46-date tour around the US. Check out his five must-have travel items below.
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Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones For a traveling DJ, I think this is the most crucial thing you can have. It will cut out all the noise from the airplane and everything around you. It’s the best! I can work on beats or my Serato library on the plane and can have my computer volume on low and hear perfectly. I love it! If I leave home without this, I’m more upset than if I leave anything else. |
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Pioneer DJ DDJ-SP1 Controller I’ve been using the DDJ-SP1 for clubs that don’t have Pioneer DJ’s DJM-S9 mixer, and I love it. It makes it more fun to DJ! It gives me easy access to my library so I don’t have to touch my computer as much. I can also trigger samples and scratch them, use the slicer mixed with a braker, activate slip mode, etc. I can do so many crazy things. I’m not gonna do all of them at a Las Vegas club as much as a club where I can be more creative, but the SP1 is so much fun. |
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USB Extension Cable I always bring a USB extension cable with me because Novation’s Dicer cable is never long enough. |
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USB Sticks With Pre-recorded Mixes I have USB sticks with my best sets in order and ready to go in crates that I can just plug into any device and play. |
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DJ AM “As I Am” Documentary and Mixes I always seem to have this in my bag just ’cause sometimes I get sick of the same old stuff, and I like listening to his mixes for inspiration. They’re all from his movie. I’m always like, ‘Damn, this fool was always coming up with new stuff. |
Follow DJ Spider on Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud and Twitter.
Related: Listen to DJ Spider’s Mix for BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra
Latin Prince: Must-Have Items in My DJ Bag
Latin Prince performs at CÉ LA VI in Singapore on Feb. 12, 2016.
When he’s not holding down DJcity on the East Coast, Latin Prince can be found rocking clubs around the world. The veteran DJ has spent countless hours traveling from gig to gig and knows a thing or two about traveling smart. Below is a list of must-items in his DJ bag.
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Mophie battery case I use a Mophie battery case to keep my phone charged while I’m on the move. |
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External hard drive I carry an external hard drive with a backup of my iTunes library in case my computer crashes or gets stolen. |
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Local SIM card To avoid international roaming charges, I buy a local SIM card for the country that I’m traveling in. You can find them at your destination airport (you’ll need an unlocked phone, though). |
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Nature Made multivitamins Traveling from climate to climate can affect your body, so take I daily multivitamins to stay healthy and strong. |
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Lonely Planet travel insurance Lonely Planet‘s insurance covers me in case I get injured, or my gear gets damaged or stolen. |
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