Nov222009
Producing a mix each and every month means that I am always on the lookout for fresh new tracks to play. Quite often I get asked where I get all of my music from and today I thought I would share some of my secrets. All content correct at time of writing.
DJ Download
| Site Name: |
DJ Download |
| URL: |
www.djdownload.com |
| Average 320Kbps MP3 cost: |
£1.10 |
| WAVs Available? |
No |
| Transaction Fee: |
30p if spending less than £3.00 |
| Accept Paypal? |
Yes |
| Notes: |
Loyalty scheme |
| Rating: |
***** |
Most of my music comes from DJDownload simply because they seem to always get their hands on the most upfront music several weeks before it appears anywhere else.
The prices on offer are the lowest I have ever found for niche music and the customer service is always spot on.
DJDownload also have a loyalty scheme where for every 10 (approx) tracks you buy, you will receive one free download token that you can redeem for a free track. This is very welcome and is a nice touch to reward those who keep coming back.
DJDownload were the first to pioneer the ‘needledrop’ technology in their preview player which allows you to preview an entire track prior to purchase by positioning the cursor anywhere along the waveform. There’s nothing worse than previewing a track only to have the preview stop before it gets to the good bit.
The search facility on DJDownload can be a little bit fussy. For example, a search of “Armind Van Helden” yeilds zero results. You don’t even a “Did you mean…” option.
The homepage chart can often be a bid too electro for my own personal tastes but usually there are some real gems tucked away in the top 20. Whenever I am looking for new music to purchase I always go to DJDownload first.
Xpressbeats
| Site Name: |
Xpressbeats |
| URL: |
www.xpressbeats.com |
| Average 320Kbps MP3 cost: |
£1.15 |
| WAVs Available? |
No |
| Transaction Fee: |
24p if spending less than £3.00 |
| Accept Paypal? |
Yes |
| Notes: |
192Kbps MP3s available for 99p. Exclusive tracks and remixes. |
| Rating: |
**** |
I really like Xpressbeats. They seem to be tuned into my style of music. The stuff that charts well on their site is often a reflection of my own musical tastes. This is one of the main reasons I keep coming back to Xpressbeats.
The fairly recent revamp of the site has made it easier than ever to navigate around plus there are a good selection of genres to get your teeth stuck into.
The MP3s on Xpressbeats tend to be the most expensive out of the places I shop (pre-releases and exclusives can go up to £1.85), however I don’t mind paying a little bit more as quite often they will have tracks or remixes that you will not be able to find anywhere else and are exclusive to Xpressbeats. Plus, they are GOOD exclusives too. Look out for the little Xpressbeats sticker next to the exclusive tracks.
You can pre-order tracks prior to their official release to make sure you are right on the cutting edge of your genre’s sound.
Xpressbeats have a Virtual Wallet facility. This allows you to make one large deposit into your online account at a slight discount. The benefit of this means you don’t need to keep digging out the credit card every time you want to make a purchase as the balance is deducted from your Virtual Wallet and does save you time.
If you want your DJ sets to be different as well as cutting edge then I reccomend you shop at Xpressbeats.
TrackItDown
| Site Name: |
Track It Down |
| URL: |
www.trackitdown.net |
| Average 320Kbps MP3 cost: |
£1.49 |
| WAVs Available? |
Yes |
| Transaction Fee: |
No. |
| Accept Paypal? |
Yes |
| Notes: |
Exclusive tracks and remixes. Loads of niche genres. Great preview player. |
| Rating: |
***** |
I could lose myself in this site for days! The sheer enormity of it is out of this world.
Trackitdown (TID) appear to have the largest database of tracks I have ever seen and because of this they are able to offer extremely genre-specific tracks for you to download. Whereas most MP3 download sites will break down my genre as House > Funky House, TID goes that one step further and have a massive list of sub-genres to go digging into. Niche-specific stuff such as Deep, Electro, Dirty, Hard, Wonky, Disco, Classic, Vocal, Jacking, Tribal, Fidget the list just goes on… And thats only what’s listed under House!
As well as having one of the largest libraries they also sell DJ gear, merchandise and games too.
TID have one of the best MP3 preview players and it’s easily one of my favourites by far. It keeps your last 20 played tracks on standby and also follows you up and down the screen as you scroll which is very useful. Even if you are halfway through listening to a track and jump to another page the player remembers your position in the track and resumes on the next page. Impressive stuff.
TID is reccomended if you have a very specific taste in music or if you’ve just got to have that track in uncompressed WAV format.
Beatport
| Site Name: |
Beatport |
| URL: |
www.beatport.com |
| Average 320Kbps MP3 cost: |
£1.30 + VAT |
| WAVs Available? |
Yes |
| Transaction Fee: |
No |
| Accept Paypal? |
Yes |
| Notes: |
Feels very compact. Prices do not include VAT |
| Rating: |
*** |
I might upset a few people here but I don’t really get on that well with Beatport. Although they are a hugely successful brand and they seem to stock a wide range of music I feel their website completely lets them down.
It’s far too hectic with so much being crammed into such a small space. Their prices do not include TAX/VAT either so there’s an implied added cost at the checkout. But when you do get to checkout purchasing tracks is a very smooth operation, you get a full on breakdown of all the costs before you pay which is really nice. If nothing else Beatport have my favourite payment screen its just a shame the rest of the experience isn’t as well laid out.
Beatport tends to lean towards the deeper, tribal and electro side of house.
Traxsource
| Site Name: |
Traxsource |
| URL: |
www.traxsource.com |
| Average 320Kbps MP3 cost: |
$1.99 |
| WAVs Available? |
Yes |
| Transaction Fee: |
$0.27 if spending less than $10.00 |
| Accept Paypal? |
Yes |
| Notes: |
Promos cost $3.99. Tracks priced in $. Audio is watermarked. |
| Rating: |
** |
It’s the same kind of story as Beatport here I’m afraid. Far too much going on, I often feel I am battling against too much information in front of me rather than enjoying previewing tracks to buy.
The thing that’s kept me away from Traxsource is it doesn’t really cater for the Funky Disco House genre that I look for in my music. However for each realease they always seem to have a huge number of mixes and remixes on offer to choose from.
Everything is priced in dollars which is a downside for me in the UK at the moment as the exchange rate into GBP still is not that great right now.
The preview player opens up in its own window which can get lost if you aren’t careful - although DJDownload do this too, the Traxsource player is very tiny and doesn’t have the waveform that DJDownload does.
What IS nice about Traxsource is that each track that you purchase is embedded with audio watermarking technology. So if you go uploading your bought tracks to file sharing web sites, Traxsource will be able to trace who they sold the track to and prosecute accordingly. I feel this is a brilliant idea to stop people from stealing music.
Traxsource offer a very broad selection that focuses on Soulful House and US House so give them a visit if that’s your bag.
Amazon MP3
| Site Name: |
Amazon |
| URL: |
www.amazon.co.uk |
Average 320Kbps MP3 cost: |
69p for up to 256Kbps MP3 |
| WAVs Available? |
No |
| Transaction Fee: |
No |
| Accept Paypal? |
No |
| Notes: |
Cheap commercial music. No 320Kbps MP3 or WAV options. |
| Rating: |
** |
Did you know that Amazon are selling MP3 downloads? You do now! And to be fair it’s not a bad service.
The two main sticking points that let it down are the fact that it’s only really suitable for mainstream music - you won’t find many extended mixes here! Then you are forced to download and use their own media manager software which is a bit intrusive.
However, when a track can cost as little as 29p to download it’s suprising that Amazon MP3 downloads are not a hell of a lot more popular than iTunes.
Any tracks that I have bought from Amazon MP3 I have not used in any of my DJ sets. It’s up for debate but I rarely play out any track that is not encoded at a 320Kbps rate because it will sound shockingly bad on a loud club installation sound system.
But if there’s something in the charts I like and I only want to listen to it at home then based on price and the fact that the music is DRM free, Amazon is the place to go.
Juno Download
| Site Name: |
Juno download |
| URL: |
www.junodownload.com |
| Average 320Kbps MP3 cost: |
£1.49 |
| WAVs Available? |
Yes |
| Transaction Fee: |
10p if spending less than £3.00 |
| Accept Paypal? |
Yes |
| Notes: |
Confusing navigation. Burn tracks to CD option for +£2.00 |
| Rating: |
*** |
Ah, my beloved Juno. Juno is where I went to get all of my vinyl from back in the day. Juno had a top quality service back then and still does today.
Unfortunately when I stopped buying vinyl records I stopped using Juno as a service. I have made one or two purchases in the last 12 months but Juno is always last on my list when I go looking for music. The variety of music for me is not as widespread as other sites although they do often have good album deals. Navigating the site is a bit of a chore. It feels like every time I click something a new window opens up with the information in it - which I find very disorientating. Nevertheless, the checkout is smooth and painless process.
Go to Juno if you are on the lookout for album downloads.
DJTunes
| Site Name: |
DJTunes |
| URL: |
www.djtunes.com |
| Average 320Kbps MP3 cost: |
£1.79 |
| WAVs Available? |
No |
| Transaction Fee: |
No |
| Accept Paypal? |
Yes |
| Notes: |
Specialises in House, Minimal, Techno, Trance. You can release your own music. |
| Rating: |
**** |
DJtunes.com is a relatively newcomer to the digital download market. It’s a European focused web site with over half a million tracks in stock for download.
I have not used DJTunes heavily yet but the site is easy to use and everything is laid out extremely well.
The preview player is a slight let down as more space is given to the logo rather than the actual controls which makes previewing tracks a little bit fiddly.
A nice touch is the ability to add labels to a favourites list and with some labels you can send them a direct message straight from the web site.
Upon registration you get to download 10 free tracks, but its from a pre-determined list and in my opinion there’s nothing special there, but it is a nice touch to instantly boost your collection for free. They seem to specialise in the more techy minimal side of House so I don’t think this will be my first port of call when crate digging but I will be sure to check out this site in future.
7 Digital
| Site Name: |
7 Digital |
| URL: |
www.7digital.com |
| Average 320Kbps MP3 cost: |
79p |
| WAVs Available? |
No |
| Transaction Fee: |
No |
| Accept Paypal? |
Yes |
| Notes: |
Option to pay via SMS. Mostly commercial releases. Cheap as chips. |
| Rating: |
*** |
This MP3 download store is very simmilar to the Amazon download store in many ways. It offers cheap MP3 downloads for around 79p and is very commercially weighted. However it was nice to see tracks in this store from Strictly Rhythm, Plump DJs, Defected and Hed Kandi.
I like the fact that you can purchase tracks from this store via text message. Very handy if you do not have your card details to hand or if you don’t have access to a Paypal account.
7 digital is perfect for getting hold of that secret shame track that is in the charts and you shouldn’t like but you secretly do. You know the one. Worth checking out if your taste is in ever-so-slighly more generic House music.
That’s It!
There you go, nine digital download stores reviewed and rated in my own very humble opinion. I’ve been as honest as I can and although there are many many more MP3 digital download stores out there these are the ones I use most often or are ones I reccommend.
If you have your own favourite digital download store that you would like to share, please let me know in the comments below.
Oct212009
RiffSpot is the music industry’s newest concept in dance music promotion. They offer an innovative and effective service for record labels, independent artists and music industry professionals worldwide. RiffSpot facilitates distribution of digital music releases from top record labels to 1000’s of carefully selected club DJs, radio producers, A&R professionals and media outlets.
RiffSpot focuses on two main audiences; Record labels/Independent artists and top music industry professionals. Both get a fantastic and unique service whatever their needs. Record labels and independent artists can rely on RiffSpot to distribute their forthcoming releases to music industry professionals that have an influence within their music genre. Each professional on the books is vetted to ensure they’re able to provide significant exposure for each release. Also you can supply your own list of music industry contacts to RiffSpot and these contacts will also receive the promo allowing you to track your efforts from one single place. Once professionals have received your promo, they will preview and rate your music prior to downloading it. This means that you gain access to insightful
feedback in real time, allowing you to visualise the reception of each track.
RiffSpot’s second target audience of music industry professionals includes individuals such as club and radio DJs, A&R, bloggers, journalists and reviewers. Tastemakers can register with RiffSpot for FREE. With the added advantage, unlike other services, that promos are offered in both 320Kbps MP3 format and CD Quality WAV format, professionals can be assured they are getting the highest quality downloads. All downloads are supplied with information sheets, cover artwork and are correctly tagged ready to be used straight away.
The best thing about RiffSpot is that for record labels and independent artists, it eliminates the enormous cost of conventional promo distribution. Whilst you would normally have to spend money on CD manufacturing, mailing and the staff to organise it; the entire process is shifted to the internet for a fraction of the cost! Also, for all of your releases, RiffSpot will use digital watermarking technology to encode every single download with a unique tracking code. This is done to protect your content and allows you to be safe in the knowledge that if your track gets shared illegally, you will be able to gather the evidence necessary to make a legal prosecution.
As a special launch offer, RiffSpot are offering record labels and independent artists who register their interest at http://www.riffspot.co.uk before the 1st November, 1 month’s free trial of the service! They also still have space on their books for more tastemakers so remember all club and radio DJs, A&R, bloggers, journalists and reviewers, you can sign up for free at http://mip.riffspot.co.uk
For more information on any or the services offered by RiffSpot contact info@riffSpot.co.uk
Oct152009
The British Music Experience is excited to present a unique chance to interact with one of the UK’s most successful DJ and Producer teams, the Freemasons.
On Thursday 26th November James Wiltshire (left of picture), Producer half of the dance duo will be presenting the music-making techniques that have made the Freemasons the most in demand dance DJ ’s, Producers and Remixers of the moment.
From producing massive dance hits of their own including ‘Love on my Mind’, ‘Rain Down Love’ and the anthem ‘Uninvited’ feat. Bailey Tzuke, to remixing Whitney Houston’s comeback smash- ‘Million Dollar Bill’, to Kelly Rowland’s ‘Work’, Beyonce & Shakira’s ‘Beautiful Liar’, to producing for Kylie and Sophie Ellis Bextor.
The Freemasons have led the way for dance and house music production and remixing. James will be explaining and taking questions on how they go about creating their trademark sounds in studio and live, including the software and kit they use and how they exploit it. How they got started in music production, started getting access to samples and vocals and how they begun to collaborate with big artists.
Freemasons Music Masterclass
Thursday 24th November
Start: 6.30pm
Get Tickets Now
Hosted by Gaydar Radio’s Maria Peters, this amazing unique evening will give you the chance to meet the individuals behind the music. Find out first-hand how it’s put together and tips for the route to successful production, plus behind the scenes of working with some of the most famous artists of our time.
Get Tickets Now
Sep202009
Tom Upton & Mark Masters proudly presents SHAKEDOWN @ HaHa, Guildford on Saturday 26th September. A new night to tingle those senses and take you on a trip through the biggest and best in all kinds of house music.
These 2 professional djs will be on hand to deliver you the best in Sexy, Funky, Electro House music all night long!!!!
“Starting off the night with some sexual funky house flavours, moving into some upfront funky electro, then working our way up to those big funky bangers and then climaxing in a fountain of uplifting vocal electro for all of you who wish to dance the night away to REAL music!!!”
Free Entry throughout the night, CD giveaways, and photo’s being taken! This is going to be an awesome night!
Don’t forget to invite your friends! Hope to see you there!
Ha Ha bar & grill
16 - 17 North Street
Guildford,
GU1 4AF
Map
Shakedown is sponsored by House Music Podcasts http://www.housemusicpodcasts.co.uk
Sep102009
I’m not ashamed to admit that yes I am a big fan of Calvin Harris. I went to go see him live at Thekla in Bristol earlier this year, I saw him supporting for Tiesto in victoria Park and I’m off to see him again live on the 19th October this year plus I’ve chatted to him on the phone too.
At the Thekla gig, I thought I would show my support for Calvin Harris and his amezzin music by making my own Calvin Harris Fly Eye Glasses. Other people at the gig did the same but their efforts were not as good as mine 
So I thought I would share my tips in creating a new set of glasses for his forthcoming live gig in a few weeks time.
Things You Will Need:
- Pair of cheap sunglasses
- UHU Glue
- 12mm Gemstone Beads
- The cheap sunglasses I picked up for a quid at my local Primark.
- UHU glue was about a quid from WHSmiths
- The 12mm CLEAR Gemstone beads were bought in bulk off ebay from this supplier for a few pounds.
Start of by giving yourself plenty of space in a well ventilated area. UHU glue tends to whiff a bit also it can get a little messy at first so make sure you have a damp cloth nearby.
Make sure you have enough beads to complete your glasses before you start. I used 18×12mm beads per eye in this example. Depending on the style of glasses you pick up, allow 50 beads per pair of fly eye glasses you wish to make.
Dab a small amount of glue on to the back of the gemstone. Trust me when I say that less is more. you want a small glob in the middle of the gemstone rather than a thin layer all over. Allow the glue 30 seconds or so to go off a little bit then press gently onto the lens of your sunglasses. It should stick and stay in place pretty securely.
Using the same method, apply more gemstones to your lens. Start at the top corner nearest the nose bridge and work your way along the top to complete your first row.
Once the second row of gemstones are added, work your way around the outside edge of the frame before finally adding gems to the central area. This will allow you to judge for an even covering of gems and will help stop it looking like a mess by keeping the gems in some kind of order.
Don’t worry too much about pushing the gems tight against each other because a few small gaps in between will actually help you to see out of them once they are finished. This is another reason why I would reccomend opting for the 12mm gems so that there is a large enough gap between each one to achieve the effect you want while still being able to see out.
Once one side of the Calvin Harris Fly Eye Glasses are covered, do the other side. Try to mirror the pattern of gems you made on your first lens to keep symmetry and to keep that “Fly Eye” effect.
When both lenses are covered, allow the glue to set properly for about 10 minutes to allow the fumes to go off and also to reduce the chances of you getting UHU glue in your eyes. I’ve never tried it but I imagine it would sting like a bitch.
Once complete, wear them with pride! You have just made your very on Calvin Harris Fly Eye Glasses! Not bad for about five quid.
Ive gone for pink glasses in this example, but if you want to keep it real go for the plain black option. If you take a look at ebay you can probably find different coloured gemstones to give you a different look.
If you haven’t already done so, go and download Calvin Harris’ album Ready for The Weekend out now!
Aug282009
Here are a couple of dates for your diaries over the next few days as its a bit of an action packed bank holiday weekend.
First of all, get yourself over to Platform Six where you can download the latest episode of my fortnightly radio show. Special guest mix this week from none other than Electro house DJ Piqué !!!! As always, the special guest mix is sandwiched between two very phat choice slices of hand cut funky house mixed by myself. Its a great show that also includes one of the latest tracks from Shola Ama and a bumpin’ cut from Crimes Against Disco!
Now on to the live events… Kicking off with TONIGHT. Yes yes, tonight you can catch myself on the decks up at the always funky, Funky End bar in Aldershot alongside the hairless wonder that is Tom Upton closely followed by the lanky legend Mark Masters. Free entry all night with music pumping out from 9pm until late.
If you haven’t got your fill of fresh upfront Funky House tunes by then, you can continue the party TOMORROW NIGHT over at the HaHa bar in Guildford. Usual suspects of Tom Upton and Mark Masters will be in control of your dancefloor, plus I will be there too to spin a couple of tunes. Once again, it’s free entry all night so to be fair you have no excuses not to turn up. Saturday will be a good one as I plan to have a couple of beers and dance around like a lemon.
Hope to see you there! Keep it funky.
On Thursday 3rd December I will be DJing at club Gatecrasher in Birmingham alongside Mr Hudson and many more. This is a brand new Indie, Pop and Funky House night in Birmingham that is kicking off with a bang.
) you’d be daft not to come.
Following on from my previous post about the 