DJ DSK – Q&A
DJ DSK – Q&AThanks for your great mix for 45Day. How did you go about selecting what to include?
This is the method I tend to use when recording a vinyl mix. I flick through some of my 45s looking for stuff that I haven’t had a chance to put on a mix yet and then look for extra tracks around the same bpm with the same feeling and vibe. Then I put them in a rough order using my head and do a run through mix and record it. I usually then listen to this rough mix a few times and think what tracks to leave out and how the order can be improved and try to think of good points to change the tracks at. I then record the mix, if I mess up, I still finish it and keep recording and after re-record it. I will choose the best of the recordings to use. I think I did these one three times and choose the best take, finally I put the mix into logic and give it some quick mastering.
Why do you think 45s are so popular with DJs?
I think it is because it is fun and 45s are easy to carry, you can fit a nice set into a small bag. There is no searching through LP tracks to find the one you want to play it is right there on Side A or B so quick to get to. I’ll be honest even though I have been buying and collecting records of all sizes for years and years, I was a sceptic of the 45 craze at first and could not understand it. Dinked records put out a few of my releases and gave me some of their back catalogue and I started playing a few sets and was hooked. For me the biggest thing was it made djing fun and enjoyable again and it also provides a way for artists to make some money from their music. I also still love using traktor as well to play digital sets on turntables.
How has the worldwide lockdown affected you and has it gives you more time to create?
I think it has affected everyone; we have all lost our jobs, luckily, I got furloughed from my day job which I just started back at as an electrician. Hopefully I will get some financial assistance. To be honest it has been good to have time to make music, record some mixes and I also started learning to code Python. I don’t get as much time still as I wished as I have to help teaching my daughter and keep my family busy so boredom and frustration doesn’t set in. I am helping my daughter to start a YouTube channel and teaching her Ableton, photoshop and premiere which is great.
Your DNA edits have been very popular. What is it about a particular track that lends itself to you adding your magic to it?
Everything I release is just a record I would like to buy and play out myself, with the DNA edits they are just remixes made from original stems. All of them are party tracks for the dancefloor. I just try to make them easier to fit in a DJ set, make them mixable and fatten them up. A lot of the budget is spent on professional mixing and mastering which I feel a lot of the unofficial edits these days could do with improving on.
Your latest release Falcon Claw has a great story behind it. Can you tell our readers about it?
On a return trip to Kunming, China I happened to be staying with my close friend Kris for a few days when he sadly received news of his father’s passing. After he returned from dealing with his father’s issues, I ended up staying with him again. One night we shared a few whiskeys together and Kris was reminiscing and telling me a few stories about his Father and his life. He played me a cassette of Falcon Claw that he had found in his father’s house and I was blown away. I knew straight away that I would love to put it out on vinyl as it was such a great track and a great way to honor Kris’s father. So, with Kris’s blessing we decided to release it to the world.
With my label DNA records I have plans to release a lot of original music from places that you would least expected. I just hope the Corona Virus problems won’t affect us too much and mess this all up.
Lastly, please check out my vinyl shops to purchase vinyl, we are still shipping and we currently have a corona sale special on the bigcartel site. DNA records specializes is scratch tools, acapella tools, edits and original tracks on 7” vinyl.