Author: Ben Slater

“PLAYdifferently means to step outside the generic mould of a DJ that has become far too commonplace in our culture.“

When a country’s electronic music scene punches as heavily as Canada’s, there is always a weight of expectation on artists emerging from its ranks. Fortunately, Justin James’ talent, energy and ambition have allowed him to climb the heights of his illustrious countrymen. Justin hails from Windsor, Ontario the same city as his label boss and techno icon Richie Hawtin. Dj, producer, owner of Refused record label, Ableton certified trainer, and middle school teacher it’s quite safe to say Justin is man of many talents.

Having recently completed a long summer touring throughout the Americas Justin is now turning his attention towards giving MODEL 1 workshops, using his teaching skills to show others how to exploit all the tools available to them in MODEL 1. We recently caught up with Justin to find out more about why he’s chosen to give MODEL 1 workshops and how he see’s Djing evolving.

PD: What does PLAYdifferently mean to you? What does it mean to PLAYdifferently?
JJ: “PLAYdifferently, to me, means to step outside the generic mould of a DJ that has become far too commonplace in our culture.
PLAYdifferently, to me, means to not only be a curator of music for the community, but to also create a unique experience for them within the act of DJing.
PLAYdifferently, to me, means to take risks and to not solely play it safe.
PLAYdifferently, to me, allows me to be me when I do what I truly love to do.”

PD: How do you see Djing evolving? What does it mean to be a Dj these days?
JJ: “One of the problems is that for a great deal of time, DJing hadn’t evolved.  I felt, for many, it became too stagnant and too formulaic.
Today, DJs have so many options to choose from when deciding how they would like to tell their stories and connect with the dance-floor.
DJing can be as simple or complicated as the human in control of the machine chooses.
However, I think, within the more complicated realm of DJing is where the truly voice of the selector is heard.
MODEL 1 allows for an almost ‘open source’ approach to DJing that allows the human and machine to work in synchronicity.”

PD: Why are you taking on the task of giving workshops MODEL 1?
JJ: “I truly believe that MODEL 1 is the first unique option for a DJ in a very long time. The sound, the feel, the workflow, and the vast array of options are all things that I think every enduser should experience.
As a turning performer I feel as if i have the voice and the stage to share what I think is revolutionary and positive for not only me but potentially for others. I’ve already received great feedback and a huge interest from those who have heard, seen, and touched MODEL 1.”

PD: What advice would you share to someone who’s just getting into Djing Today?
JJ: “The biggest advice I could give to someone who is getting into DJing today is to be a creator of  music more than a curator of music.  Challenge yourself to be unique and use whatever tools you would like to tell your own story in a way that is different from the majority. ”

You can find out more about Justin by following these links:
JustinJames.ca
RefusedAudio.com
Facebook.com/JustinJamesOfficial
Soundcloud.com/Justin-James

MODEL 1 is now in-stock and available to buy in the following countries:

Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malta, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.

If you are interested in owning your own MODEL 1 but would like to test it first you can contact one of our partner stores highlighted on the locator map and arrange a demo on site.

Find an up-to-date list of all official dealers in these regions on the locator page on our website.

 

“I can’t imagine myself not playing on MODEL 1. It feels like home.”

Alx has taken it upon himself to inform and educate others on the importance of high quality sound, giving workshops before his gigs to young and eager fans. Fresh off the flight from his Costa Rican tour we caught up with him to hear about his experiences with MODEL 1.

PD: How was your event at Club Vertigo?

Alx: “The event was amazing, first time I was at this venue and I was truly blown away. Not only is the decor, staff, and ambience very conducive to a good techno party, the sound system was truly amazing. It’s a fully custom design by Gary Stewart! Everything from the booth to the dance floor, to the VIP area had a full encompassing sound.”

PD: In addition to performing you also gave a master class on how you use MODEL 1 to perform. How did that go? 

Alx: “There’s so much undiscovered talent there, and this was the first time that MODEL 1 was ever seen by anyone in Costa Rica, that I happily agreed to give a master class focusing on how I perform. Sharing with the young talent there this new concept of mixing with filters, and how this allows one to become more creative when layering sounds. As an artist I think it’s important to really focus on quality and detail with your work. Being able to share the high quality of MODEL 1 and focus the class on this was very important to me. Everyone was really interested in the filter mixing controls and how the whole concept of mixing can be looked at another way when compared to a mixer that only have EQs. It was a great experience. ”

PD: What was your first experience with MODEL 1?

Alx: “I was first introduced to MODEL 1 by PLAYdifferently’s product specialist Alex Zinn, who I knew by his DJ name, SpinnZinn. We’d known each other through being residents at Space Miami. He gave me a call and told me he had something to show me that would blow me away. A month later I was able to perform on MODEL 1 along side Cassy at Club Space Miami. I knew right then I had to get one.

I was completely amazed — its functionality, its sound, and the different possibilities are unbelievable. I had been searching for something to enhance my performances and knew within the first 10 seconds that MODEL 1 was it.”

PD: How has MODEL 1 influenced your performance?

Alx: “Yes, it’s definitely changed the way I play! The low pass/high pass filters offer for super smooth clean cuts, without resonance or distortion, allowing for super smooth transitions. It really feels like the whole night sounds like one extended soundtrack, like the records belong together. I’m now able layer more sounds and loops together, easily selecting the elements from each track with the channel filters allowing me to sculpt the sound exactly how I want it. I’m also a big an of the booth EQ, allowing me to quickly tune the booth sound to suit my needs without having to constantly hassle the venue’s engineer. ”

PD: What is your favourite feature of MODEL 1?

Alx: “My favourite feature would have to be the low pass and high pass filters. I’ve really come to love this new approach at mixing much more than using EQ’s. The ergonomic layout of MODEL 1 is also very well thought out, every function has a specific knob type making it easy to feel where my hands are — even when you’re in a dark nightclub, you can easily feel where everything is.”

PD: How does MODEL 1 feel compared to other mixers?

Alx: “It doesn’t honestly. MODEL 1 has clearly been thought out from the artist’s perspective, it has all these little details that can only come from years of on the road experience. It gives artists full control over the sonic texture of the music without ever loosing any quality. And while it may look rather confusing it’s actually quite easy to use, offering many possibilities where no two artists will use the mixer the same way.”

Find out more about Alx on Facebook

“The MODEL 1 really makes us shine because of its sheer warmth and it’s incredible versatility. It encourages us to push our own creative envelope while in the moment and aids us to shape mixes in ways that have never been possible up until now. “

For more than a decade Pig&Dan have been jamming in the studio, producing musical adventures that hold their signature sound. Apart from their prolific work as producers they’ve been traveling the globe as peak time DJ’s, playing at some of the best events in the world.

Taking full advantage of their studio knowledge and MODEL 1’s dual cue system Pig&Dan were one of the first DJ duos to purchase one.  We had the chance to catch up with them as they stopped through Miami during Miami Music Week for their performance at PLAYdifferently presents at Club Space Miami and ask them why they chose to make the switch.

PD: When was the first time you used the MODEL 1?
P&D: “We were invited to try the mixer out at Richie Hawtin’s place in Berlin. He gave me a very in-depth demonstration and his passion alone already made me feel eager to try the unit out on the field. He leant us a Prototype to tour with for a period of time and it very quickly became apparent that this mixer is superior in comparison to anything we’ve used previously.”

PD: What was your initial reaction?
P&D: “First off of course we were hesitant about the fact that we were used to a four band EQ and this mixer has a very different way of challenging the way we work. We then learned that having the ability to tune our mixes utilizing the Contour cut offs was exactly what we had all been waiting for. Now it’s a “we we can’t live without it” situation..!!”

PD: Is there a particular way in which you feel MODEL 1 has changed the way you perform/sound?
P&D: “Absolutely, we now mix pieces of tracks or vocals into tracks while on the go. We have far more freedom as a duo because we can check through tracks while the other is mixing due to the dual headphone buses. It’s added far more flexibility to our sets and enabled us to push our creative envelope while performing.”

PD: What is your favorite feature of MODEL 1 and why?
P&D: “We both adore the fact you can cut off the frequency that’s needed. It’s not just under the “bass” or “tops” umbrella. For example a kick drum or sub bass is unique on every record so being able to select where the cut off is set gives you the ability to have two Kicks in harmony with each other instead of competing and pushing the systems limiters to the max and flattening the dynamics.”

PD: Why did you decide to switch to MODEL 1?
P&D: “It’s hands down the best mixer on the market and truly leaves the competitors behind due to its deep warmth, dynamic range and versatility. At the end of the day it makes us shine as DJs because we actually sound superior and feel far more comfortable when playing together now.”

Watch Pig&Dan performing on MODEL 1 at Tomorrowland 2016

Follow Pig&Dan on Facebook

MODEL 1 has been invited to showcase IRRUPT’s latest release at Superbooth 2017 – the first European trade fair for electronic musical instruments. Find MODEL 1 at the heart of a performance workflow created by IRRUPT, mixing together audio from various sources including turntables, Eurorack modules, cutting edge production software and IRRUPT’s premium royalty-free sounds.

Visitors will be able to sample IRRUPT sounds in the form of the first open-source, copyright-free, physical vinyl release, mastered by engineer Mike Grinser (Aphex Twin, Richie Hawtin) at ManMade Mastering in Berlin. This new release gives vinyl DJ’s access to ‘open source tools’ for use both on-stage and in the studio.

IRRUPT will showcase this exclusive vinyl release on MODEL 1, a purely analogue mixer, engineered by Andy Rigby-Jones and co-designed by Richie Hawtin.

Visit booth H326 to test out MODEL 1 and receive a free copy of this limited edition double vinyl available exclusively at Superbooth 2017.

Learn more:
Superbooth
IRRUPT

“One step back, two steps forward” 

We recently had the chance to catch up with Joris Voorn and ask him about his experiences with the MODEL 1 mixer.

PD: When was the first time you experienced the MODEL 1? 

JV: “I was invited to Richie’s Berlin office in early 2016 for a private demo so had a chance to experiment with it for some time.”

PD: What was your initial thoughts/reaction?

JV: “The one thing I’ve come to learn is that the mixer’s sound quality is superb, it’s outstanding!

It has so many features not traditionally found on modern DJ mixers, not that I’ve seen throughout my career. Most noticeable was the lack of the traditional 3-band EQ which has been replaced by smooth High & Low pass filters. There is also an EQ in the booth monitor section. All of this was new to me.”

PD: Is there a particular way in which you feel MODEL 1 has changed the way you perform/sound? 

JV: “I have played a few gigs on the mixer from small and intimate clubs to festival Main Stages performing for thousands of people. Initially I wasn’t too confident as it’s been a bit of a learning curve, but after a few gigs I got in to a nice flow. It was crucial to have good monitoring these first few times as I needed to really understand how the mixer was manipulating the audio signals. Mixing felt very smooth, natural and not as sharp compared to the Pioneer I usually play on. The filters are less direct and offer larger sweeps, making them more precise.”

PD: What is your favourite feature of MODEL 1?

JV: “I love the sharp master filter section, but I’m currently trying to use the more subtle channel filters which are great too.”

PD: In your opinion how does MODEL 1 stand out from other Mixers?

JV: “The most obvious being the EQ and filters, but also having 6 input channels offering more possibilities to expand in the future.”

PD: Why did you decide to switch to MODEL 1?

JV: “It’s always good to keep challenging the way you play, try out new technology and improve your art. That alone was a good enough reason to try the mixer, and that was before I realized it’s great potential.”

See Joris perform on MODEL 1 in this ADE 2016 Boiler Room set.

Follow Joris Voorn on Facebook.