As a DJ, your job is to entertain and move people on the dance floor. To get them to dance. But to be a successful DJ, you need to have more than just a great music selection and technical skills behind the decks. You also need to have strong music production skills. Here's why:

1. Creating Original Music: Being able to create your own music can set you apart from other DJs and give you a unique edge in the industry. By producing your own tracks, you have complete creative control over the sound and can tailor your music to your audience's tastes. Better yet, the songs you write and release become evergreen advertising for you as an artist.
2. Remixing Tracks: Remixing other artists' tracks is a great way to put your own spin on popular songs and make them your own. With music production skills, you can create your own remixes and stand out from the crowd.
3. Collaboration Opportunities: Collaborating with other producers and artists can expand your network and help you learn new skills. By...

If you are on my email list, you may have noticed me mentioning there was a new Bass Kleph track coming out soon! :) The song is called Damn Fucking Right and I’m excited to say that it will be released October 14th on Hysteria Records! Home of the Bingo Players. Not only that, but I designed the entire song from the ground up to be playable on Maschine with pad drumming. So, like my other Maschine Kits on my site, there will soon be a new one, along with an instructional video, and a sample pack.

How did I design my song to be playable on Maschine? The secret is to start with a pattern. This pattern has no sound initially. It’s just something that is easy and fun to play on the pads. e.g. My right hand could be playing the drums like usual in my songs, and my left hand could be playing a few stabs etc Once I have decided on my imaginary pattern, I record it into the sequencer (there are still no sounds assigned at this point), and afterward I start assigning sounds....

Big news today! Native Instruments launched a new Maschine unit called JAM. Does this mean we should ditch our old ones? Turns out, maybe not.

The new Maschine resembles something like the Ableton Push but designed for the Maschine software. Its 8x8 grid appears to give you a tactile hardware version of Step Sequencing, Mixer, Keyboard/Chord performance, and Scene/Pattern switching.

but, my favorite things are...

1- NO SCREEN

This may seem counterintuitive but it actually speeds things up. Well, as long as it's functions/lighting are well designed. and yes, they do indeed appear to be. Things are just put in the right place, and the light up pads tell you all you need to know. Systems like this are faster, and more like a real instrument.

2- SMART STRIP CONTROLLERS

They control the new performance FX well, and the led meters easily indicate their status at all times. Notes feature means that it's even possible to use the strips to play melodies and chords.

3- BACK LIT COLOR PADS TO...

A little while back I did a live Maschine demo and Q&A at Icon Collective Production School in Los Angeles. In case you missed it, here's the video that shows the Maschine Performances and Q&A session with the ICON production students. Topics covered included Maschine, live performance, how I do my thing, genres today, studio tips, and music production in general. Hope you enjoy!

Learn how to play my recent single with Audex called “Somebody Shoulda Told You” on the Native Instruments MASCHINE! Bass Kleph & Audex – Somebody Shoulda Told You is OUT NOW on Ones To Watch Records.

DOWNLOAD THE KIT HERE

Here's a 100% live, no sequencer, all finger-drumming Bass Kleph version of a track called "Incredible" by Carnage & Borgore, on Spinnin Records. Video shot & edited by Ryan Frey.