My Heroes
Takaaki Itoh
The man, the myth, the legend. I got to meet the man once in person. It was a late night in Detroit and he was playing at the iconic Leland Hotel. There couldn't have been more than 500 people in the audience but, that didn't stop Takaaki from bringing his best. I later saw him at that same venue where he headlined a line-up of about 15 DJs. I remember standing in the back and looking to my friend and saying "Hearing Itoh is like hearing God. I really need to step up my game." Takaaki is the epitome of everything I aspire to sound like. His complex, layered, tribal drums are unmatched. If you start following him, prepare to strap in for the long journey towards the infinite.
My favorite sets:
Speedy J
I'm not going to lie, it was a hard race to the number one spot, and Speedy made the race worthwhile. We're talking about the legend himself, here. I've seen him live more times than I have fingers to count. And he's amazing, every time. This is the one DJ that taught me that the kick drum is a drug, and whether they like it or not, you're entire audience is addicted to it. DO NOT bring that kick drum back in on the four count. Wait a second. Your entire audience just went "Oh, I though the kick was coming back in there. Where is it?? Ooh, I can't wait. When? When?" Boom. Boom. Boom. That's the man who taught me that the kick drum was a drug, and to make it's presence truly sexy in a track. Literally tease your audience with it. They will worship you for it. And my skills have never been the same. Let's hope I use them for good and not evil. LOL.
My favorite sets:
Drumcell
The man, the myth, the legend. I got to meet the man once in person. It was a late night in Detroit and he was playing at the iconic Leland Hotel. It was an off-night and there couldn't have been more than 500 people present in the audience. But that didn't stop Takaaki from bringing his best. I later saw him at that same venue during an "on-night" where he headlined a line-up of about 15 DJs. I remember standing in the back and looking to my right to my friend and saying "Hearing Itoh is like hearing God. I really need to step up my game." Takaaki is the epitome of everything I aspire to sound like. His complex, layered, tribal drums are unmatched. If you start following him, prepare to strap in for the long journey towards the infinite.
My favorite sets:
Luke Slater
The man, the myth, the legend. I got to meet the man once in person. It was a late night in Detroit and he was playing at the iconic Leland Hotel. It was an off-night and there couldn't have been more than 500 people present in the audience. But that didn't stop Takaaki from bringing his best. I later saw him at that same venue during an "on-night" where he headlined a line-up of about 15 DJs. I remember standing in the back and looking to my right to my friend and saying "Hearing Itoh is like hearing God. I really need to step up my game." Takaaki is the epitome of everything I aspire to sound like. His complex, layered, tribal drums are unmatched. If you start following him, prepare to strap in for the long journey towards the infinite.
My favorite sets: