Quincy Jones lived a life almost too impossible to believe. His successes, struggles, and profound creativity, can teach us a lot about the true power of music Quincy Jones, one of the great musical geniuses of the 20th century has passed away at the age of 91. A polymath, hitmaker, entrepreneur, industry mogul, [...]
For years, rotary mixers have been status symbols of superior build and sound quality. But is rotary always ‘better’ by default? Or has the cult of the rotary mixer created a monster? Declan McGlynn investigates Rotaries were the first DJ mixers. Prototyped by legendary sound engineer Alex Rosner, the CMA-10-2D from Bozak became [...]
Beatport surveys the groundswell of opinion against camera phone use on the dance floor. As no-phone policies spread to Ibiza, is dance music ready for a retro reset? Back in June, a meme was doing the rounds that captured the arms-outstretched joy of raving at Ibiza’s iconic DC-10 in 2010 vs the reality of 2024: a [...]
Promoters and production agencies assess how turbulent economic conditions and shifting audience trends are impacting the industry. When London one-dayer 51st State cancelled its event last month, it became the 44th UK festival to do so in 2024. 51st State's reasons—low ticket sales, soaring operational costs and a general lull in engagement [...]
The Beatport charts have been peppered with club-ready reworks of old hits. "Almost all the labels are doing them," says Glasgow Underground founder Kevin McKay. Early in May, the New York house music stalwarts at Nervous Records were enjoying two hits in the top 10 on the Beatport chart: A zippy, heavily syncopated reimagining [...]
“We’ve had enough time for the whole ‘All the boats rise’ argument to see they don’t all rise.” Did you know that Trent Reznor helped to build Apple’s music streaming service? The Nine Inch Nails frontman once worked as an executive for Beats and later at Apple, and it most certainly opened his eyes to the difficulties that face artists [...]
As the DJing world continuously evolves, new gear is inevitable. 2024 is likely to bring a solid set of new products to the DJ world, and we expect to see new releases that could transform how we mix, manipulate, and experience music. From stem-focused controllers to iterative updates from Pioneer DJ, we’re predicting smart [...]
A mix of RA staff and contributors—including Elijah, Joe Delon and journalist Delilah Friedler—unpack some of the year's key trends and themes. The fascinating thing about so-called underground electronic music spreading its tentacles further around the world is how the culture morphs and takes on new meaning. Every raver, worker or business owner in this [...]
From negotiating contracts to safeguarding work-life balance, managers support every aspect of an artist's career. Here's what you should know about the role. If you ask artists to pinpoint a moment in their career that propelled them to the next level, they may cite a show-stopping performance or a chance encounter with a well-connected [...]
More conglomerates, venture capitalists and private equity companies are dabbling in our industry, drawn by its potential for growth, tech integration and high engagement rates. When Skrillex, Four Tet and Fred again.. took New York's Madison Square Garden by storm in February, investors were paying attention. The trio's ability to merge fans across the [...]
