Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category

The dance world lost an amazing producer and visionary in Shem McCauley, AKA Slacker. Here are some of my favorite tracks he’s produced or remixed. RIP Shem.

1. Tutikinegi :: Slacker
2. Movin’ Thru Your System (Slacker Software System Remix) :: Jark Prongo
3. Breeder (Slacker’s Kingdom Come Mix) :: Tyrantanic
4. Flying :: Slacker
5. Scared (The Lonely Traveler) :: Slacker
6. Zerotonine (Slacker’s Tens Remix) :: Junkie XL
7. Best Boyfriend (Slacker’s Hymn to Her) :: Slacker
8. Your Face :: Slacker
9. What a Dream I Had :: Slacker
10. Roaches (Bugs In Slacker’s Bassment Remix) :: Trancesetters // One of my favorite tracks of all time

Now Available at Beatport

1. Involves (Mikael Jonasson Remix) :: Bodyscrub
2. Collider (Original Mix) :: Nihad Tule
3. Noti Verisi (Original Mix) :: Do Santos
4. Scene (Original Mix) :: Andrea Oliva, Gel Abril
5. Revolver (original Mix) :: Axel Karakasis
6. Another Last Cigarette (Tom Hades Mix) :: Rino Cerrone, Tom Hades, Flavio Diaz
7. Robots on Meth (David K ‘BubbleMix’) :: Chaim, Jaw
8. Goes On (Original Mix) :: Umek, Stefano Noferini
9. Krakra Hurricane (Original Mix) :: DJ Lion, Luigi Rocca
10. I Will Rise (Guy J Remix) :: Guy J, D-Nox & Beckers

Many of you may or may not know I hit a major milestone this past August – that’s right – I’m halfway to 70! What? Ok, more like five years from hitting the big ol’ 4-0! For those of you who can’t count – I just turned 35! Honestly though, I feel a lot younger than what that awkward number depicts.

This past August was also a time for my wife and I to finally celebrate our much deserved, needed and very delayed honeymoon. The two of us married back on 10.10.10. Unfortunately, due to our hectic schedules, we decided to postpone our trip to the following year. So why not kill two birds with one stone by celebrating both occasions?

Our 10-day excursion kicked off with us departing Dallas and flying into Heathrow – London. After an amazing couple of days through the wonderful city, we took a two hour flight south in to Barcelona where we spent a day or doing some amazing sightseeing, bus rides, endless walking, and documenting our trip with hundreds of pictures. Our real journey truly began when we delved into the Balearic Island of Ibiza.

Many know Ibiza to be the party island of the world. Some know the beautiful island as a Mecca for world class DJs. Regardless of what your perception is o the island, it truly is a place where endless nights can a provide core-thumping beats, littered with beautiful people dancing to a conglomerate of beats that pepper the sound waves with grooving melodies.

In Ibiza you can find just about every flavor of music available to mankind. Genres include anthem-driven trance all the way to hard, progressive house and techno beats. The musical landscape remains the same as it was 40 years ago. When I first learned about the island 12 years ago, my intentions were much more different than today. This day I was eager to explore the music and to truly experience up-close the very bleeding edge of the DJ art form.

The “glory days” of the 90s and early 2000s are somewhat of a distant memory. The cost in visiting and staying in Ibiza has increased substantially, thus making it financially compromising if you’re working on a tight budget. It was refreshing to see that the relatively young were working professionals, in the same age group, who shared that same passion for music.

Our journeys took us to the infamous venues of Space, Pacha, Café Mambo and the glorious Café Del Mar. Venues like Space and Pacha were simply massive warehouse-like environment that offered steep drink prices, overcrowded floors… but needless to say – amazing music, lights and laser shows! As far as sound systems go – it’s very clear as to why places like Space and Pacha are a haven for DJs like Carl Cox, Erick Morillo, Harry “Choo-Choo” Romero, Funkagenda and Steve Lawler.

Venues like Café Del Mar and Café Mambo provided a different atmosphere. Located on the other part of Ibiza, this is where couples or even the single soul lands to capture what is considered the best sunset available in this world.

Perhaps the most valuable lesson I took away from my visit to Ibiza were to experience the impressive and dynamic sets of each DJs like Umek, Remo, Lucca, Tiefschwarz, Nic Fanciulli and Carl Cox to mention a few. Throughout different instances, I truly came to understand how the natural progression of highly packed lineup could make or break an evening. Granted, I experienced this years ago while seeing DJs such as Kazell or Jimmy Van M open for main events like Sasha & Digweed. Either way, in Ibiza, this particular format made a lot more sense. It appeared that each DJ scheduled to play in front of the next DJ, would essentially respect the chain of command. In other words, no DJ ever stole the show… they were simply building up to the main event.

Perhaps this is my attempt to over analyze things, but simply said, my appreciation for the art form has been amplified greatly.

Another important thing I learned while dancing my tukus off, was a very simple lesson – that every track played in Ibiza was as fresh as the next one. I came to realize how deprived music can be in the United States. Granted, these top-flight DJs have access to some of the best producers and freshest tracks readily available. If anything else, I now know where the bar has been raised, and I’m determined to surpass it one day.

Certain opportunities tend to present themselves in unique ways. When I first started listening to dance music in the 90s or even gave the production idea a thought years later, I never would have guessed that an opportunity to remix a Sasha track would present itself.

It’s rather difficult not to sound cheesy or almost stalkish when speaking of what Sasha has meant to me as a DJ and Producer. I have always enjoyed dance music, however, I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea of the “DJ”. To me this person was just a glorified, wannabe rock star playing other people’s music. I couldn’t wrap my mind around what they did and how so many people could support them. That was until I went to my first “real” DJ show of Sasha & John Digweed at The GrooveJet in Miami.

These guys were different. Sure, I had seen other DJs play and listened to other DJs release their mix CDs. Sasha & Digweed were a breed of DJ that set them apart from the aspiring DJ. They were surgical with their mixes, and still managed to keep the evening going without missing a beat. The bar had been elevated for me to appreciate a new level of DJing as an art form.

At the same time, I felt like there was a void in dance music. There was a gap between the DJ and the producer of these amazing tracks. I remember having conversations with some top flight DJs on how they obtained their records. Some were a part of record pools that allowed producers to submit their records to be selected by these exclusive DJs. In many ways, this essentially became the hunting grounds for DJs to scour for gems that would essentially get unlimited play time by these DJs during their global sets.

Thanks to the digitizing of music, sites like Beatport, amongst other ones, those days are long gone. As we know, digitizing was bad for the record/vinyl companies, but great for all producers and those trying to make a name. I think the digital age is even better now for the DJ who now has a larger access of music available, but perhaps bad for the art form itself. Only time will tell.

When the contest for Sasha’s Remix of ‘Cut Me Down’ surfaced, I was excited by the idea that I was finally going to get the opportunity to work on something of this magnitude. More importantly, it was a contest that was opened up to the “no namers” of the production world. Granted, I have seen/heard some entries of people who are published producers and well-established DJs. Not sure what the rules pertain to that, but needless to say, the experience has been phenomenal.

This is my first remix at anything. Keep in mind; this is also my first time using Ableton as a production tool. Ableton is a beast in itself. If anything, I was surprised how easy and user friendly it was. I had worked with other software in the past including Logic (briefly), Fruity Loops, and Reason. The workflow and concepts are similar, but Ableton allows you to handle the production piece in such a granular way that as a producer you have more control of the output.

I have come to realize that Ableton is a new instrument for me. Keep in mind my background in music started writing songs on the guitar, writing lyrics and singing. I believe this experience has allowed me to look at arrangements much differently than the novice producer.

Before jumping into this remix contest I had to take a very important step – a backwards one. In order to understand the contest, I knew Sasha wasn’t looking for a re-edit of his track. Oddly enough, that was his initial feedback two days after the contest had started. My plan of attack with this remix was to take his track and really make it my own. In a lot of ways I was eager to prove that I could take something and add to its intricate foundation and make it even more complex.

I do hope this is the start of a new phase in my musical career. I’m eager to learn more and hopefully this contest will give me the opportunity to do so. Even if I’m not selected I already know that I’m coming out on top.

Please make sure to vote/”Like” for my track by following this link: like.djzanni.com. The deadling is July 10th.

Those of you closest to me have always known me as Christian Zani. That is in fact, my legal name. Those of you who could care less probably will care less even more! The truth is, or at least, how the story was told to me, when my ancestors emigrated from Italy to Argentina in the early 1900s, some how the registrar failed to include the second “n”. Yes, this may be useless information for most of you, but if you’re someone who has known me well before my DJ ventures and wondering if this was an absolute oversight on my part, well – now you know why. Consider the Zanni-ness a tribute to my heritage rich in culture, writing and music. I just hope I can continue to honor my past with my music!

Starting, well – as of now – I will provide my monthly Top 10 chart called “Los Diez”. Each list will reflect hand picked tunes. Most tracks are available via Beatport (www.beatport.com) or the iTunes store (www.itunes.com).

 LOS DIEZ – Feb. 2011

1. Free Tribe :: Tube & Berger :: Kittball
2. Tequila Sunrise :: Afrojack, Tocadisco :: Wall Recordings
3. Moan :: Trentmoller :: Poker Flat Recordings
4. Void 23 :: Carl Craig :: (Ramadanman, Appleblim)
5. Cares :: Klein & Meister :: Micro.Fon
6. Ride On Time :: Gabriel Rocha :: Toolroom Records
7. Junk (Original Mix) :: Shifted :: Mote Evolver
8. Danny Boy :: Joel Mull :: Truesoul
9. Stopover Goa :: Christian Burkhardt :: Cocoon Recordings
10. Baracao (Club Mix) :: Dohr & Mangold :: We Play

I think attitude plays a major part in everything we do. It doesn’t matter where we are in life. Whether we’re children in grade school; a college student on the verge of graduating; a mother at home raising her children as her husband manages the grind to put food on the table and a roof over their head. Whatever it may be, it’s our attitude that gets us through the good times and definitely through the bad.

If you would has asked me 6 years ago, I’m not sure if I could sincerely say I would be married to a beautiful woman, making music, DJing/Producing and having the time of my life. I’m honestly blessed to be where I am. A lot of this is due to the hard work I’ve put in, the amazing people who have supported me over the years, who had pushed me even when I thought it couldn’t be done. More importantly, it has to due with the attitude of not letting the obstacles and disappointment get in the way of my ambition and goals.

Over the last year or so my attitude was dismal about the market and city I lived in. I really didn’t have any reason to complain. For the most part, I kept on getting tired of playing at the same place, for the same crowd – and well, to be quite honest I felt like I wasn’t going anywhere.

Then after taking a sincere look in the mirror about how bad my attitude had been and not really looking at the positive, the blessings, etc… I realized I needed to stop making excuses and truly start focusing on the areas I could improve.

From the very beginning I have had this attitude that Dallas has and will always be behind the eight ball in the world of dance music. In many ways, Dallas changed from the city that I was first introduced to back in 2000. The scene here was much better, receptive and very progressive. I can’t tell you when and what all changed, but maybe people grew up, grew tired and just moved on with their lives. My attitude wanted to think that Dallas could be an LA or a New York City. Or so I hoped.

I guess with time, comes maturity, and with maturity a person’s attitude learns to change and accept the way things are. In the end it wasn’t Dallas that needed changing, it was my attitude. One’s success isn’t measured or made by the city they live in. Their success is measured through their hard work, determination and never allowing failure or negativity to be a determining ingredient to their success.

Living in a city that may seem to be behind the eight ball essentially may be the very thing I need. I hope that in all you do, you can find the good in everything – no matter where you live. In the end, my hope is that you can look back on the challenges you encountered, the set backs, and any major obstacle as a positive. I know I am and I’m glad you’re there with me along for this amazing ride!

Slowly, but surely I’m going to finally make this production thing into a reality. I’ve just purchased a new iMac 27-inch, 3.2 GHz Intel Core, with 4GB of Memory and 1 TB on the hard drive (www.apple.com).

As you can imagine – I’m pretty stoked! I think what I’m even happier with is the recent purchase of Komplete 7. I’ve been a big fan of Native Instruments and their products (www.nativeinstruments.com).  The compatibility and usability of their programs has always been a big selling point – not just with their software but hardware too! The folks in Germany have a lot to be proud of and I do hope they continue to be a leader in the Digital DJ/Producer market.

As some of you know, my musical roots started in the early 90s. My love for music started way before that. I can remember when I picked up a cheap guitar my dad had in the house. Like most teenagers I aspired to be a rock star – but I wasn’t too hung up with the rock star status as much as I loved the idea of producing original songs along with poetry.

I started writing simples songs that included the ever-so obligatory love lyrics and cheesy melodies. Then after some time, I graduated to writing words and melodies that encompassed spiritual searching. Then songs about break up. Then songs about redemption. I’m proud to say I have written well over 200 original songs over the course of 20 years. Some of these songs I still play, but don’t ask me to remember the entire song. I’m sure I can probably figure out the hook and basic melody of it. Then there are other songs that are dear to me, deeply rooted, to which I can play all the way through.

I can proudly say I was good enough to eventually record an album in 1993 and then in 1998 while I was in college. It was fun. Pure. Genuine. And simply, it was something I made. The difference between 1993 and 1998 to now is that technology has come such a long way, that I don’t have to go into a private studio. I have the perfect tools at my fingertips to finally roll my sleeves up and create music the way I’ve always wanted to. Komplete 7 (www.native-instruments.com/en/products/producer/komplete-7/) is giving me that and more.

DJs/Producers come from all different walks of life. The more and more I DJ now, the more and more I truly put the value and respect of producing quality tracks. The same goes out to those who produce them. It’s amazing the amount of music available to people out there today. Unfortunately, there are only a few gems worth playing. I truly believe that’s what separates the best producers/DJs out there to the rest of them. We are in constant search of looking for top-flight tracks to play out on the dance floor. However, as a producer I think our goal should always be to hold a high standard in what we make. A timeless diamond is definitely something to strive for.

Folks, I’m shooting for the stars and do hope I can always produce music that will never disappoint. To my listeners I hope you hold me to that high standard. I owe you that much! The competition is fierce out there, but I love that there are producers who are continuing to raise the bar every day! That’s why I love music! 

Over the summer DJ Zanni was listed and voted in Addison Magazine’s 2010 Reader’s CHOICE Awards for BEST live entertainment! Other artists included: Aubree Anna, Christopher Johnson, Emerald City, Jamie Pickerell, Ricki Derek, Robert Lee Kobb and Velvet Lovebox.

It’s been a while since I have ranted about what’s really on my mind. One topic that I have been dwelling on is the very medium I utilize to DJ and Produce music. I completely understand there will always be purists who feel that vinyl will eventually make a full circle and DJs will be back to using records as their tools of choice… but somehow I strongly believe that as we embrace technology, the further we will be from that.

Many DJs are converting over to software platforms and moving away from CDs and for the most part – the almost obsolete pieces of vinyl we call records. I admit it is great to see that more and more top flight DJs are embracing the use of technology to promote their sound. I definitely have a lot to be thankful for, for people like Richie Hawtin.

Richie comes from those Detroit Techno days. He has seen the dance scene make several cycles over the past 20 years. More importantly he has progressed his sound on the wave of technology. Many people are a bit apprehensive about change – but Richie has always embraced it. In some way, shape or manner – Richie has been a pioneer of software DJing by propelling the overall customization, use and commercialization of Traktor. This platform has been embraced by professional and bedroom DJs alike and is quickly moving to become the new norm of the Digital DJ.

Then you have DJs like Rana Sobhany. A short-lived DJ career propelled to stardom by some fortune, the Web 2.0 and a couple of iPads. She has taken dance music to a new form by mixing music via two iPads and some apps. She has rid herself of any laptop or synthesizer. Her applications include Groovemaker House, Looptastic HD, iDaft, AC-7 Pro, Pianist Pro, and Sonosaurus Rex to be specific.

So when is being a digital DJ too digital? Is there even such a thing? For a while I struggled with the whole idea of using Traktor Pro as my tool of choice while DJing. But then I determined – who really cares? I should be more concerned about the quality of music that is being performed than really be concerned as to who I look in front of a bunch of people. At the end of the day it is about the music.

The two brothers who make up Tiefschwarz – Ali and Basti Schwarz – couldn’t have said it better. In a recent interview with DJ Tech Tools (http://www.djtechtools.com/2010/04/14/tiefschwarz-interview-the-death-of-vinyl-and-big-labels/) they discuss in detail the stigma that digital DJing is killing vinyl.

In the end, I strongly believe that it’s up to the performer to utilize the tools that are available to them to make sure everyone is having a great time and enjoying the music. I hope there’s a balance of DJs out there who use it all. I enjoy watching all types of DJs use their tools to the fullest. When a DJ does a great job, I can always gauge how well he/she is doing by the amount of people with smiles on their face and dancing to the beats.

Until next time!