DJ Riddler :: Exclusive Stanton Interview :: January.2005
www.djriddler.com
How long have you been a DJ and how did you get your start?
I've been DJing since 1987. I got my start in Houston, TX at some local clubs which eventually led me to my first radio gig as a mixshow DJ in 1988.
Describe your style and tell us what producers and labels you are into at the moment.
Personally, I like a wide variety of progressive house and some tech-house. I like stuff from Eric Prydz, DJ Dan, Bryan Cox, Gabriel & Dresden, Antoine Clamaran, Marco V., Ferry Cortsen and Tiesto to name a few. Some of the labels I like are Subliminal, ID&T, Skint, Armada, Magik Musik and Yoshitoshi.
What clubs do you play in regularly?
At the moment, I have a Saturday residency at one of the biggest clubs in the New York Tri-State Area called Mirage. I am also on the air six nights a week on 103.5 FM WKTU at 9pm. I spin for 35 minutes each week night and have a two-hour mixshow on Saturday nights. I have complete freedom of my mixshows and have the opportunity to play a wide variety of new music.
You were recently approached by Ultra records to mix their forthcoming Ultra Dance CD. How did this come about?
I was approached by Ultra after winning Best Radio Mixshow at the Winter Music Conference last year. At the same time, I was near the end of my current deal with Tommy Boy Records. I had previously released six compilations with Tommy Boy and sold over 500,000 cumulatively. I decided to sign with Ultra Records and now I'm doing their franchise compilation Ultra Dance series.
Describe the process of putting this CD together, from finding the tracks to mixing it.
The hardest part is actually licensing. We sit down, put together a big wish list of songs we'd like to use for a compilation. From there it is in the hands of Legal Affairs where they go to the various labels and they let us know what can and can't be on the CD. We were down to the wire on this last compilation literally waiting 'til the very last minute to mix the CD. At one point, I was in the middle of mixing the CD when I got a call to add another song once we got the approval. Once we got the final track listing down, I encoded all the songs and loaded them up into FinalScratch 2 and started mixing. Once the session was done, I loaded the .WAV file that FS2 saved onto my hard drive into ProTools and edited some of the songs for publishing purposes and took it to mastering.
What got you interested in FS 2 and how did it work out on the Ultra project?
I actually first saw FinalScratch at the Remix Hotel in Miami and was intrigued by it. Then when I saw Paul Van Dyk use it at Crobar in New York City I was like, "This is the future of DJing." For Ultra Dance 6, I was amazed at how easy it was to use and how well it sounded. I even went back and forth between regular vinyl and MP3s and was impressed at the sound. I think FinalScratch sounded better than some of my vinyl. So for me, FS2 worked out GREAT for the Ultra Dance 6 compilation.
What made you choose FinalScratch over some of the other systems available?
I did a lot of research. I asked a lot of DJs and tried them both. I'll admit, a lot of DJs I know in the New York Area were Serato users because they were basing their opinion on the previous versions of FinalScratch. However, I felt Stanton's FinalScratch 2 was a better product. The hardware was more durable to me and the Traktor software was way more user friendly than Serato. Now I'm seeing some of these DJs switching over to FinalScratch 2 from Serato. I'm glad I was one of the first to use FS2. I believe I am the first one to use it on New York radio as well.
Do you plan to use FS on your mixshow and in your live performances as well? How do you see it changing the way you approach these gigs? What are the advantages for you as a professional DJ?
I actually use FS2 for my radio mixshows and live performances. The greatest advantage I have is the ability to access my entire library in seconds. I could NEVER bring all these records to my DJ gigs because I'd have to bring 20 crates of records each time. The other thing too is the ability to record my live sets directly into my laptop using FS2. I have been recording my live sets at the clubs and actually airing those on my radio mixshows. As a professional DJ, FS2 has changed the way I prepare my performances. I love the loop folders. I love the ability to remix records on the fly. Also, as a producer, I don't have to burn CDs or make test pressings of songs that I just recorded. I'm able to test out my new productions at my next gig.
You will be doing a tour this summer in support of the Ultra CD. When does it begin and where will you be going?
The tour is being set up now, which should start a the end of this month and run until March to coincide with the release of Ultra Dance 6 on January 25. We plan on hitting New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Miami, Orlando, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix, to name a few.
You also produce remixes. Tell us what projects you've completed lately and if there are any new productions we should be looking out for.
The last couple of weeks, my partner Albert Castillo and I have been recording our first album project MYNT with vocalist Kim Sozzi. The follow up single to "How did you know" called "Stay" was just completed and we are about halfway down with the album. However, we remixed for Joss Stone, Janet, Dido and recently Anna Vissi who is the Madonna of Greece.
The dance music scene has been in somewhat of a slump the past few years. What's it going to take to get things back on track?
Hopefully some new artists will bring dance music back. It's important for any genre to have key artists and groups. We need artists that can connect with the masses and the people. There are a lot of great dance music out there but because most of them are faceless, there is no connection with the people. There needs to be a new Dee-Lite or a new C&C Music Factory that the people will embrace. That's why we are hoping MYNT as a group can be one of them to help the dance music scene.
As a former label executive, how do you see the advent of MP3, digital distribution and FinalScratch impacting the the music business and artists?
The good news is labels and artists realize that the digital age is here and isn't going away. I was one who always believed in digital distribution. I even left Tommy Boy Records to start up a digital distribution website that my partners and I eventually took public in 1999. It was funny to see the major and independent labels fight MP3s. Now it's even more funny to see them scrambling to get into the game. FinalScratch plays a very big part of the equation. In my opinion FS2 is going to help kill CDs. Vinyl will always be around for the nostalgic purpose but I just don't see any point in burning CDs if you have FinalScratch. I was never a fan of CDs but because of necessity I was forced to use them. Now with FS2, I get the best of both digital and analog worlds.
DJ Riddler's Top 10 for January '05
1) MYNT - Stay
2) Rachel Starr - Til there was you (Gabriel & Dresden Mix)
3) Peter Presta - Totally Hooked
4) Spankok - To the club
5) Level K - Animal Love
6) Max Linen - Flashback (D. Ramirez mix)
7) Sin Plomo - It's you (Tom Novy Remix)
8) Joy Kitikonti - Dirty Summer
9) Bryan Cox - Relax
10) Harry Choo Choo - Machine Control
