With South West Four just around the bend (and all sold out!), we took a quick Q&A with DJ Huby, who by making a mix which in a humble yet convincing way showcased his love for the artist and music of South West Four.
What was it about the South West Four competition that got your attention?
I just saw all the greatest artists from the world in one place and said: “Just let me try…”
How did you approach constructing a winning mix?
I realized that the competition mix needed to consist of artists from the festival, and be in line with the music policy of the night – deep and tech house… And I just chose to combine my favourite DJs from the festival with some other artists with similar style, that I also happen to very much like.
What are some of your favourite artists to perform South West Four?
Tough choice, because they are all the greatest around. But Joris Voorn is my favourite artist at this time.
DJ Oleg Dee Key takes first place in Pioneer DJ Network’s summer competition – the second round of competition in Pioneer DJ Network. Before we go on to the next one, we wanted to catch up with the extremely satisfied winner, claiming the 2 x CDJ-2000 grand prize!
Tell us something about yourself. How old are you, what do you do day and nights?
- My name is Oleg Krasnyh, I’m 34 years old, from Russia. I live in Stavropol City. Well, where’s that? If you look at the map you will see that Stavropol is situated exactly on the 45th parallel, between the Black & the Caspian seas. The main part of my time I spend working for a big trade company but all my free time – of course – I spend hobby-DJ:ing.
After all the mixes were in for the second cycle of Pioneer DJ Network, the winner this time turned out to be a progressive DJ! What do you think makes progressive music attune to the competition theme – the sound of summer?
- I always have a definite idea about my own sound and what music I want to play. I will always try to find an invisible contact with listeners and give them what they want to hear. I think I actually achieved this. Progressive trance is music which, above all, is energetic sounding. It is full of feelings, unforgettable sensations and a very special positive energy. That same positive energy can only be had from sun and water. So, there’s progressive trance music’s connection to summer!
To some it may seem exotic that Eastern Europe is engulfed in trance music – that it is such a popular genre. Tell us why you think it is that way?
- I don’t want to let you down, but Eastern Europe and Russia in particular isn’t engulfed a genre as popular as trance music. Trance music is popular only in big cities, and in more remote, off-center areas of Russia this kind of music is at an underground level. It is very difficult to for any local trance DJ or musician to make a name for themselves. Recently, trance music has started to develop a lot, taking in all the best of other kinds of electronic music. I consider those Russian DJs and musicians who have chosen progressive trance to be on the right path, but there’s still a far way to go.
You spin such luxurious sounding music – you already have a pair of CDJ-2000s right?
- Nope, I don’t yet anything as great a device as the Pioneer CDJ-2000. For recording of my mix I was on my laptop using controllers. As far as technique goes, the emphasis was on harmonious joining, and smooth undistinguished transitions between tracks. With the pair CDJ-2000s, my DJ’s skills will rise to entirely new levels.
What will this price mean to you?
- In Russia the recognition of local DJ, by western electronic music experts, is highly appreciated. This victory in the Pioneer Dj Network will give me new possibilities to DJ entirely, and to advance progressive trance music in local club culture. I hope that this will get me an opportunity to leave the underground of the scene and rush into club life of our major cities.
What is the party scene like where you live right now?
- There is enough of clubs and other platforms for performance in our city. But all of them are almost in electro and house music format, with rare exceptions they’re techno and minimal.
Make sure to check back at Pioneer DJ Network real soon to be around when the third cycle of Pioneer DJ Network competition kicks off!
We’re thrilled to announce the Premium membership launch at Let’s Mix today. Those little golden hifi icons by the mix players which have begun sprucing up the front page indicate the higher bit rate for Premium mix streams. The premium membership also lets you promote your mixes, and listen to any Let’s Mix content, from your iPhone. You can run the free version as well for demo purposes, or to listen to Premium member mixes using their promo code. There are also Premium DJ competitions, not open to public, but packed with great prizes. Right now there’s a $7,500 DJ Mag print and online campaign at stake, which one lucky Premium member gets away with, in the current Premium member competitions (deadlines for submission August 31st).
Be among the first to sign up and earn €10 download credits at Juno, as well as three months membership for free.
These are of course a few of the things going on, a full list of features can be found the Let’s Mix Premium pages.
“He impressed us with his excellent tune selection, great set structure and progression and tight mixing, with some really big moments that made us think of being stood in the middle of the dancefloor at Space with the whole place going off around us. Definitely a good sign.”
Great going! Could you think of any tracks in particular which really helped solidify your number 1 slot?
If I have to choose one thing, I would have to say the New York king, Danny Tenaglia – with his vocal from 1998. This vocal grabs you right away with its deep voice, you instantly wonder what will happen next. I figured that I needed to have something special and different in the first minute because the average listening time per mix is very short. You have to get everybody’s attention right away.
What, overall, set you apart from the competition? Don’t be humble!
Haha, tough one! Hmm… I spent a lot of time and planning and effort to put this together. It’s far from perfect but I think I bring my soul into it. I have been to Space two times and listened to many sets from there online. I asked myself many times; how could I make people dance their asses off? And I tried to see myself playing there.
No job/volcano could ever stop you from going?
I wasn’t even planning on taking a summer vacation. Anything can happen, and it sure did. No, nothing will stop me now, even if I have to steal a whaling ship and sail to the beautiful island Eivissa! Plus, the volcanoes are on pause during the World Cup, let’s hope it stays like that few more days after that.
Any advice for people looking to come out on top in a contest like this?
Plan well, write everything down and time it. Trial and error and adjust. Think what mood and feel your are trying to make and put a little of yourself into it. I would say song choice is 80% and timing and technique divide the rest. Making small beat match errors just underline the human part of it and can be positive. The first minutes and songs are the most important mainly since so many mixes are sent in, and average listening time is very low.
The most difficult part to be honest is getting the 50 votes! I was in the Next Generation DJ contest and I’m still in the Pioneer DJ Network, and now this one. Asking my friends and fans for votes for all these competitions was not an easy task but it paid off!
The top advice is, don’t give up no matter others think or say. Believe in yourself.
On the Let's mix blog you'll find updates on our service, interviews with people who use it and, occasionally, rants from our beloved staff. It's an open forum, so feel free to comment and share your thoughts with us.
