quote:

When and how did you first become interested in music? How long have you been playing music?

Back in the early 90's a couple of friends and myself talked about getting into the growing "house party" scene here in Orange County. We would attend these parties, sometimes 3 - 4 a week, and felt that for the most part they were wack... and of course we knew we could do better. So like any sane person who wanted to take over the world would do, we sat down and drunkenly came up with a plan... to make money and get chicks! Hahaha just kidding, seriously though... we had a love for the beat and the quality of talent behind the tables at that time was out there. We wanted to focus on that and bring them to the forefront rather than just getting people in the door and taking their money. Just weeks into our first self promotion we took notice of a group of guys who shared the same thoughts and ideas we did. We all joined forces and set off to put OC on the map. We abandoned the “house” part of the scene and began focusing on warehouses and clubs. Most of the guys we joined up with were DJ’s so I began messing around on turntables whenever I could constantly using their records. I quickly fell in love with the concept of controlling the music so I dropped $300 on vinyl in one trip to Melrose (A popular street in Los Angeles where you can find numerous shops selling vinyl) and $8 on a crate. From that moment on I was a DJ (well at least I considered myself to be).

Who are some of your influences from the EDM scene?

Good question. Let me jump back a bit and give some props to some of the people close to me back in the day that inspired me to want to spin. (In no particular order)… Adolf, Lil’ Cesar, Frolic, Gilligan, Lexxs, Cesar G, Uneeq, Tony G, and Eggroll. Damn! Now that was early 90’s OC right there! You could hit any party on any weekend and see the fools spinnin’. Those guys were all influences on me wanting to be a DJ.

Now a big influence on me stepping my game up a bit was Richard F. This guy was definitely someone I looked up to. He gave me a job at his club doing setup and from time to time would give me pointers on how to become a better a DJ. He truly was a good person and a huge inspiration. Since those days he has gone on to spread his love of music to the world. Check him out!

Tell me about some of the parties you’ve been to in the past, who was playing? What kind of genres did you listen to?

Parties/DJ’s… too many to mention. Actually, I’m too old to remember. Sad isn’t it? I do remember seeing Daft Punk live. That was insane. Ooh and The Chemical Brothers… that was cool. Electric Sky Church that was beautiful. The Prodigy… unbelievable! DJ’s that I enjoyed seeing live were… Sandra Collins, Christopher Lawrence, Swedish Egil, Simply Jeff, Ron D Core, Doc Martin,
DJ Keoki, and David Alvarado. I listened to anything that got my white ass moving. Can I say ass? When I wasn’t at a party or club I was listening to a lot of backpack hip hop… you know, A Tribe Called Quest, Leaders Of The New School, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, Nas, Black Sheep, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Ultramagnetic, Nice & Smooth, Das EFX, EPMD, Fu-Schnickens, Jungle Brothers…. I can go on & on. But when I hit the tables and went out to parties it was all about edm. When I searched for a club to hit I looked for those that played techno and progressive trance. If I was going out to an all-night dance event where DJ’s and other performers play edm then I was happy.

I’ve seen a lot of tags coming from you lately. Do you think it’s a better set when you have a second (or sixth) person working on it with you?
I can understand that it’s a better more rewarding experience, but how do you feel about them?

Tag teams are an interesting way to see how another user creates their sound. I enjoy it when I see something that I either wanted to try and didn’t know how to attack or see something that I never thought about doing. It’s very similar to what my friends and I used to do with vinyl. Lots of fun. It’s a drag though when they get carried out for a long period of time. I, personally, like to go into a tag with a goal of completion no longer than 2 weeks. Keeps it fresh.

Give me a top 5 of your favorite tracks at the moment:

Wow, 5 huh? At the moment, thanks to Fieds, it’s all about Imogen Heap’s Hide And Seek (4th Track On The List). I first heard this track at my daughter’s Holiday Hula show back in December. The Pro Team did a routine to it and it honestly brought tears to my eyes. The sound hits you hard even though it’s all vocal. I was able to track down some remixes today, thanks to my friend Google, and have had them on repeat for the past 10 hours. Definitely look for one to popup in my next set. Other tracks bouncing around in my head at the moment are… Armand Van Helden “My My My (Deekline & Wizard Remix)”… just an awesome remix which can be heard on TPS Vol. 2… Marcel Woods “A Decade”… WOW!!! That track can be heard on Power Spin 5 The Club … Ziggy X “Thiz Roxx”… WOW x’s 2, I love hearing guitars in EDM and this track does not disappoint, this can also be heard on PS5TC… finally one away from the traditional music found here… My Chemical Romance “Black Parade”… I love the intro, it pulls me in the moment I hear it.

Give me 5 songs you absolutely can’t live without…that you have to hear at least once a week:

I don’t really find time to listen to the radio. My trip from home to work and vice versa is a mere 5 minutes so I usually pop in a cd and listen to that. When at work I always have one of the stations here on… most of the time it’s Translucent but not always, because my love of music travels outside of what can be heard here. There are times when I need to hear a set from BC or J2I or AMU orSC just to get me through the day. Lucky for me there a lot of talented people here that are sharing their love of music.

What else do you do besides play music?

Aside from finding time to better myself with MM, I’m a family guy. Love hangin with my wife and daughter.

What makes a good Trance track in your opinion?

Well that’s simple, a good trance track is just that… a good track. There are quite a bit of so-so tracks out there but the ones that stick out are going to be the ones that the artist(s) put a lot of heart into it. I like it when tracks have dynamic beats that just get you going. Not to mention melodies that are enticing enough to capture your attention as soon as you hear them.

Vocals? Or no Vocals…why?

Vocals, no vocals… it’s all good.

Why did you choose Mixmeister software?

I didn’t have much of a choice there. I received Mixmeister as a gift from my wife 2 years ago. Before that I didn’t think it was possible for someone to create mixes on a pc as easily as you can with Mixmeister. Mixmeister has enabled me to get back into something I have long forgot about… mixing, and in the comfort of my own home no less.

Any recommendations you could make for an up and coming user of Mixmeister?

One… Don’t give up! I gave up after 2 weeks of receiving Mixmeister never to open the program for nearly a year and a half later when I was asked to create a mix (Crazy Frog anyone?) and forced myself to learn the program through reading the help files but more importantly by touching everything in the program and figuring out what it all does. Don’t be afraid to try things… it won’t break.

When TPSing a set, how long do you normally spend, before you truly feel like your finished?

Ahh, TPS. Nowadays, once I have added the last track I will add label markers, burn it to a CD using the burn to CD option, print the playlist, grab my portable cd player and my studio headphones and head for the couch where I kick back and give the mix my full attention. While listening to the mix I’ll make notes on the playlist I printed (things like lower volume… bump up bass… lower treble) then head back to MM and make the adjustments. That’s it. No need to burn it again and repeat the process. Upload it! I think I’ve been lucky so far. I might be 36 and my hearing may be failing because of the past (I was usually the one standing in front of the speakers at the club just taking in the everything the DJ could throw at me)… but I think I can still tell if something doesn’t sound right.

Any words of wisdom to those reading this?

Well, I don’t remember who said “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise” but I think he was off a tad. I’m usually in bed my 8pm and up at 5am… I get winded getting out of bed, I got a receding hairline and my hearing sucks. Not too mention that I’m far from being wealthy and wise. I must be doing something wrong.

Where do you see Translucent going over the next 3 years?

It wouldn't surprise me if Translucent set off on it's own little excursion and took over the world.

If you had a chance to incorporate one feature into the next release of MM, what would you choose?

The ability to import any mmp file from any version of mm and have it work properly... something tells me this may be near impossible though.

Which version of MM are you running?

Pro 6

Want to give a shout out to anyone?

Hi Mom