daveskinz.com

Hey Skinstarz

So i’m back at the office after extended paternity leave. My little girl Vida and mommy are doing very well. And while i was at home i managed to put together a new mix. Yeah, very productive i know. So check it out on Soundcloud.com by following this link

http://soundcloud.com/user8015592/dave-skinz-in-search-of-summer

ESP has been going very well, i’ve buttoned down the 2 - 4am slot and i’m a having a lot of fun with a funkier house sound of late. Pity we’ve taken the streaming function down cause i’m sure a lot of you guys would like to listen in. On the band front one of our members has relocated down to PE see we are sending a lot of files back and forth and trying to come up with some tunes that way, some interesting ideas already flying round.

On the writing front i completed reviews on Numarks NS6 and FL Studio 10 so check out BPM Mag online or get it from my DJ Mix Club store or other countrywide outlets.

So till next time from a pretty nippy JHB

Dave Skinz

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Hey there Skinz-stars!!!

Been a super hectic in the last couple months so i haven’t been as active on the site as i would like to be. But with that much time gone a lot has happened so let me fill you guys in on whats happening.

Big news is an Ableton Live sponsorship from the guys at Tuerk Music and Ableton HQ in Germany! I’ve been working on the package for a couple of months now and i’m so chuffed to be able to have the full suite and downloads available to get things moving along. Had a sick session with the band last night and with my new MacBook Pro the quality was sick, never mind the latency!!! What a awesome system and i’m so glad i’ve got a beast of a machine to run it on!!!

Busy using Ableton to prep a live DJ/VJ experience for the rebranding of the Oracle Airtime Sales logo. Paul Clark and i have been grafting hard to make it an extremely immersive experience. Very excited for the performance. And i case ur wondering i’ll be handling audio while Paul handle the visual component. Going to be at the Yamaha building in Malboro but invite only sorry guys!!! ESP has been going well and the Easter Period with all its public holidays was a great time at the club. We are in the process of building up to a big party on the 15th June with a Dubstep floor featuring the UK’s Calvertron. I dig his electro and fidget stuff so i’m keen to see his Dubstep and Crackhouse sets! As to the band we’ve got a couple songs on the go at the moment and i have to say i’m loving playing the bass guitar.

Review-wise i’ve completed reviews of the new Allen & Heath Xone:DB4 (sick,sick,sick mixer) and Native Instruments Traktor Pro 2(just as sick!) . So you can check them out in the latest issue of BPM magazine or go thru to the site and read them online if you get a chance. So easy to write about gear and software that inspires you

On a personal front just a couple weeks until my first baby is born and Jess and i can’t wait for it.

Hope you are all keeping well and happy

Skinz

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Yeah i know, i’ve been pretty lazy on the website side. But only the website side. On a personal front Jess and I are expecting a baby girl early July. We are dubbing her “Vida” Very chuffed about this development and i cant’ wait to be a dad ;-) On the DJ side I’ve playing lots of interesting gigs culminating in a trip down to Durban last weekend to play at the re-opening of Traxx. Awesome night out, got to spend some time with Tink and Andy and got to play after a DJ i used to drool over in Shaun Dickson. I used to watch him at Flyhouse,on four decks with a single cup headphone to montior everything and it was smooth. Smoother than butter off a hot windscreen (where did that come from?) . Well, in an attempt to push things along i have also opened a Soundcloud account so my peeps can catch some of my older mixes. Want to upload some more but i have to upgrade my Soundcloud. No worries

Here i am

http://soundcloud.com/user8015592

On the band side we had an awesome practice last night and me picking up the bass has really added a drive to us that wasn’t there before. On the writing front i am scripting for a new concept show with MR Paul Clark from BMO so hold thumbs for that. We have a cast and are busy putting together some other talented ppl needed to put a slice of TV together. Exciting stuff!!! There are some other projects at play but i’ll keep them under wraps until we have something more concrete under wraps…

Well thats me in a bubble right now,

Catch ya on a dancefloor somewhere soon.

Dave Skinz

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Dear Spammers

Pls keep your spam posts in the traditional size, as it facilitates me deleting them a lot easier. If you want to advertise let me know, if you want to flog Xanex, Teen Girls, The New Kindle, and thousands of others products build your own website! If you work for someone who is trying to flog all those products do you think you are going to get any respect for your service or products by hi-jacking a comment page? Nuff said…

To everyone else, as you were

Skinz

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Here is the latest Top 5. Some real tasties in this selection… Still working with the band on some material will keep ppl posted as to the process. Oh and come on you Gunners!!!

Dave Skinz

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Heres my latest top 5. You can also check it out on www.sceneout.co.za

Have a wicked weekend and i hope you all enjoy seeing Holland reach the final!!! 

Dave Skinz - Top 5 (3rd July - 10th July)

1 Norman Doray & Arno Cost    Chase the Sun

The french duo once again combine again their love of melody to produce a beautiful track that’s sampled from the Cardigan (if my music memory serves me correctly). Very mellow track that is sure to find its way into the mix at the beginnings and ends of nights around the world.

2 Pryda The End

Swedish resident and self-confessed Aerophobic Eric Prydz might be terrified of flying but when its come to genuie uplifting house he always hits the mark. Sublime keyline combine with a big-room breakdowns to ensure this track is going on rotation with DJ’s around the world.

3 Robert Babicz  Come Close

Marc Romboy’s Systematic Records has always had an ear for talent and its awesome to see one of their picks in Polish native Robert Babicz really rise to the top. Robert has been produced techno orientated beats since the early 80’s but has only really come to the fore with his minimal techno productions. Both the Original and Kollektiv Turmstrasse are examples of melodic techno but the Original takes the cake with its simpler arrangment.

4 Umek  Responding to Dynamic

I’ve always been a fan of Uros Umek’ brand of techno but it can be a little tough for my dancefloors, so its with great interest that i see the first single off the Slovenian residents album comes with Koen Groeneveld mix. The Dutch native really manages to turn the tougher beats into an easier listening experiance and this track is must for the bringing the dancefloor to the boil.

5  Global Underground - Wally Lopez

Spains number 1 DJ finally gets an outing on one of the most prestigeous record labels around. His mix is a brilliant blend of tech and house with tribal elements that give the entire a wicked swing. Worth checking out, and if you are a GU virgin, lube up and dive right into the one of the best back catalogs in the electronic scene.

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Hey Guys i have been slacker than Frances performance at the WC so apologies for that. I have started a new Top 5 with sceneout.co.za so i will be copying the Top 5 here! Top 4 are singles with the No 5 always being a mix because i know not all of have the facilities/abilites to mix it up

 Also keep an eye out for the new BPM mag featuring my reviews of the Pioneer CDJ900 and Denon DN-X1600 mixer…

Here are the music reviews…

PS - HUP HOLLAND HUP!!!

1 Cirez D     Exit

Eric Prydz lesser know pseudonym makes another appearance on his Mouseville

label. The Cirez D identity is an outlet for his more techno orientated

productions, but with Exit it’s a little more housey with those distinctive

Prydz synths towering over a dark groovy baseline.

2 Lutzenkirchen   Phuture Disco Vibes

Germany Producer and mastering engineer Tobias Lutzenkirchen hits all the

write notes with his new single on one of Munich’s premier labels Great

Stuff Recording. The original riff comes from a tiny sampled lifted from

the lead of “The One’s - Flawless” and both the minimal original mix and

techier Koen Groeneveld mix rock.

3 Melvin Reese & Gregor Salto    Whoooh!

The two Dutchmen combine wonderfully on the Sneakerz Music imprint. The

original mix is a little on the screamy side for me but the Mel Tierra mix

is an awesome slice of the Dutch tech sound that’s going down like yogurt

at a curry party.

4 Roisin Murphy & Crookers    Royal T

Moloko front-woman Roisin joins forces with the ever popular Italian

producers the Crookers. They temper each other quite nicely and Fatboy

Slim’s Southern Fried puts together a wicked remix package courtesy of

Riva Starr, The House Moguls and my favorite the off the hook Foamo mix.

5 Kyle Watson    DubNoir Sessions Vol 1

Some local props going out here considering we never made the Round of 16

in the World Cup. It’s on the DubNoir label out of the UK Midlands and its

good to see Kyle’s hard work paying off with a UK compilation release. Its

a great mix of bouncy tech house without bordering on full fidget. Great

listening!

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Went and checked out the official Pioneer CDJ2000 launch on Saturday. What a beast!!! Review is currently being written and will be published in the March / April issue of BPM Mag, so check it out!

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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all the fans out there! Hope everytone is taking it easy and enjoying some time off… See you in the New Year. In the meanwhile keep an eye for the new BPM mag, i’ve done a handy review on the Numark- Omni as well as a DJ Top 10 for Dave and Thomas down at BPM HQ in Cape Town. Also working on a new piece for close friend Paul Clarks new mag Trouble. It should be launched online on the 1st of Jan, so I’ll get the links up as soon as he’s posted it. Ableton Live set at ESP for NY as well as a possible Prog set in the courtyard…Yeeehaaaa. Till then stay cool!!!

Dave Skinz

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Hey Guys

Busy booking gigs for the Nov and Dec and will post them up as soon as we get them booked. Working hard on the band at the moment and we’re busy brewing some awesome material in the studio.  Also debuted my Ableton set at ESP on the weekend for a 12 - 2 set. Was nice to play a bit earlier for a change. Big learning curve on the software so watch this space. Also to the peeps in SA, i’m writing for free-mag BPM magazine doing my usual quippy gear and music reviews as well a some gaming reviews!!! Check out the mag for my view on the upcoming DJ Hero (which i got to play…)

Here are the confirmed gigs for the month of December so far

Sat 5th Dec       ESP 2 -4 am

Sat 12th Dec     ESP 4 -6 am

Tues 15th Dec  Slippery ‘n Wet @ ESP 1 - 3.30am

Sat 19th Dec     ESP 2 -4 am

Thurs 31st Dec Slippery ‘n Wet @ ESP 2- 4am

Thanks to all those that have been supporting with their feet at ESP. Keep rocking it!!!

Big shouts out to Marco, Elle and their sure to be beautiful new born daughter Zoe!

Yours in beats

Dave Skinz

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