News

There have been surprisingly few external FX units designed for DJs released over the years, and certainly none which have are not compromised in one way or another. On the new episode, Mojaxx takes a look at the latest effort from British manufacturer Union Audio, designed to complement both their own range of mixers, and, potentially, a lot of others too. Learn more about the LE FX: https://www.unionaudio.co.uk/en-us/products/le-fx Check out Mojaxx’s review of the LE FX from Union Audio on DJcity TV. The post Union Audio LE FX Review – Special FX! appeared first on DJcity News - Music and news for DJs and producers.

Notable tracks that were added to DJcity this week. View them all here. Download the tracks below. (* indicates DJcity Exclusive) Rob49 & G Herbo – WTHELLY Remix Bruno Mars – Bonde do Brunão Cardi B – Outside KAROL G – Un Gatito Me Llamó Fred again.., Skepta & PlaqueBoyMax – Victory Lap Majestic, L.A Discotekkers & Dazz Band – Let It Whip Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild – Colin Jay Remix * Moliy & Silent Addy (ft. Skillibeng & Shenseea) – Shake It to the Max (Fly) Remix – BlissFX vs AJAY Candy Shop Edit * Armand Van Helden – I Want Your Soul – Freejak Remix * Timbaland (ft. Justin Timberlake & Nelly Furtado) – Give It to Me – Rewon Remix DJcity’s weekly picks are selected by Sir Marcus. To receive them via email, click here. The...

In this week’s episode of @Roadpodcast, we sit down with legendary producer, DJ, and rapper @scoopdeville, who has worked with some of the biggest names in music, including @kendricklamar, @drdre, @snoopdogg, @bustarhymes, and @fatjoe. The crew kicks things off with Scoop’s early ties to Las Vegas meeting @eddiemaclv, sharing stories of hustling CDs as a teen for his father Kid Frost (01:58). Scoop opens up about growing up around musical royalty like @eazyeofficial, @djtonyg, and @rogertroutmanofficial (06:10). He reveals behind-the-scenes moments from working with @drdre, including an unreleased version of “The Recipe” featuring @damianmarley (20:01). Scoop also talks about how club reactions help him decide what tracks to sample in...

iorie has been a fixture in Berlin’s downtempo and slow house scenes for years, putting out records that balance groove, melody, and a tight sense of arrangement. Tracks like “Golden Spree” and “What Is Downtempo?” helped carve out his lane early, leading to releases on labels like Watergate Records, Ritter Butzke Studio, and Hoomidaas, and bookings across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. His creative process mirrors the same approach: straightforward, flexible, and rooted in sound design choices that keep the workflow moving. Reaktor plays a big role in that. Instead of forcing tracks into rigid structures, iorie uses generative techniques, randomization, and modular ideas inside Reaktor to let sessions evolve naturally – finding...

Notre Dame’s new single “Do For Your Love” is built around emotional friction – the kind that doesn’t fully resolve, and isn’t supposed to. Released as the debut on his new imprint Paranormal Society, the track moves between intimacy and unease, driven by drums that feel more like internal dialogue than club percussion. That tension is all part of how he writes, and part of why Battery has become such a central tool in his process. In this interview, Notre Dame breaks down how he uses Battery to shape emotionally weighted grooves, how subtle tweaks to pitch and transients can shift the energy of a mix, and why he starts with feel before he touches anything technical. The conversation also touches on why he keeps everything...

A film composer is a jack of all trades. Emotive melodies, scary soundscapes, tense rhythmic cues: the best composers master them all, so they can write the perfect music to match the action on screen. It helps to have the right tools for the job. Modern sample libraries, for platforms such as Kontakt, place whole worlds of sound at a composer’s fingertips, from massive orchestras to intimate soloists and abstract sound design. In this article, we’ll run down 15 of the best free Kontakt libraries for scoring. We’ll cover pianos and orchestras, folklore instruments, epic synths, and sound design oddities. Get the Kontakt Player inside the free Komplete Start bundle today, a pro-grade kit of instruments, sounds, samples, and effects...

Lipless’s new collaboration with Kaskade, “State Of Mind,” hits a sweet spot that a lot of producers chase but few actually lock in – a mix that feels huge without crushing the emotion out of it. Built around Poppy Baskcomb’s vocal and a wave of layered synths, the track moves with patience, giving the energy time to build instead of flattening it at the mastering stage. Behind the scenes, AI tools played a real role in shaping the final version – but not in the way most producers think. For GRAMMY-nominated Lipless, AI serves as a second set of ears, enabling faster detection without compromising the character and tension inherent in the original mix. Tools like the Stabilizer in iZotope Ozone helped tighten the EQ balance on “State...

Big news for DJs everywhere: DJcity just rolled out one of its biggest website updates ever – designed to make music discovery faster, easier, and more powerful than ever before. Whether you’re hunting for your next party anthem or building a deep set for a niche crowd, these updates are aimed squarely at helping DJs like you work smarter and find heat quicker. Here’s a breakdown of the biggest changes now live on DJcity.com, and how they’ll supercharge your DJ workflow. Smarter Search, Faster Results The new search functionality is a game-changer. When you type in a keyword – say, “House” or “James Hype” – you’ll get comprehensive results that include: – Tracks – Genres – Remixers – Playlists – Playlist descriptions You can...

On Sands Between Us, which was recently released with Indo Warhouse, Anvaya brings in elements from their South Asian heritage without forcing anything. Some tracks lean into classical melodic frameworks, others use percussion textures like tabla or khol to shape the groove. It’s not about referencing culture as much as it is just part of how they work. If a tanpura drone fits the mix, they’ll use it. If a shehnai is played with the right tension, it stays. Everything is there because it makes sense for the track. Kontakt plays a big role in the process. It provides them with access to a wide range of South Asian instruments, allowing them to move quickly when shaping ideas. They’ll often use it to sketch grooves, bounce them to...

Notable tracks that were added to DJcity this week. View them all here. Download the tracks below. (* indicates DJcity Exclusive) Tokischa – MIAMI 310babii (ft. Ty Dolla $ign) – sound like KAROL G – LATINA FOREVA – DJ Smerk Remix * David Guetta & Cedric Gervais – If (A Better World) Gunna – Won’t Stop Leon Thomas – MUTT – Kidd Spin Remix * PLUTO & Sexyy Red – WHIM WHAMIEE – MarkCutz Looking For The Hoes Intro * Sean Paul – Tuff (Shake It To The Max Remix) Lil Wayne & BigXthaPlug (ft. Jay Jones) – Hip-Hop Feid – NO ME DEJO XXIMBIAR DJcity’s weekly picks are selected by Sir Marcus. To receive them via email, click here. The post New Music From Lil Wayne, 310babii, KAROL G, David Guetta, Gunna, + More appeared first on DJcity News...

Starting your journey as a music creator is exciting. You’re bursting with ideas, eager to create, and ready to share your unique sound with the world. But along the way, it’s easy to stumble into common pitfalls that can slow your progress or even derail your creative flow. At Native Instruments, we believe everyone should have the tools and confidence to bring their musical visions to life. That’s why we’re sharing five common mistakes new artists make, along with practical tips to help you avoid them. We’ll also show you how the NI 360 subscription can be your secret weapon, helping you overcome these hurdles and unlock your full creative potential. Let’s dive in! 1. Waiting until everything is “perfect” Many new artists get...

In this episode, DJ Crooked sits down with @Indo.Warehouse founders @KunalMerchant and @KahaniMusic to talk about the rise of Indo-House – a genre fusing South Asian musical heritage with house and dance music. What started as a passion project has grown into a global movement, with Indo Warehouse delivering immersive live shows at iconic venues like @Coachella and @BrooklynMirage, and soon, the @F1 Grand Prix in Singapore. Kahani and Kunal share their paths into music (01:15), the moment their creative partnership began (20:43), and how they’ve navigated the tension between cultural authenticity and mainstream appeal (33:10). They discuss building the Indo Warehouse brand while juggling day jobs (46:01), nurturing their audience’s...

Tired of static, lifeless tracks? The secret to captivating your listeners lies in adding movement to your music. When your sounds continually evolve, both individually and as a whole, your track stays fresh and engaging from start to finish. In this article, we’ll share tips for adding movement to your tracks, including using Kontakt’s envelopes to shape the attack, decay, sustain, and release, using LFO’s to add movement, using Motion FX in Playbox, and creating a more interesting sound with Flair and Phasis. You can get all of these tools in Komplete 15, the comprehensive suite of instruments, effects, and sounds that empowers creators across every genre to produce professional-grade tracks. Jump to these sections: Shape the...

After eighteen months of sonic shapeshifting and genre alchemy, BICEP, the ever-evolving Northern Irish duo of Andy Ferguson and Matt McBriar, have released what may be their most poignant CHROMA track to date. The final single from the pair’s ambitious CHROMA series, ‘CHROMA 010 BRILLO’, arrives as both a euphoric finale and a soft exhale — a track that distills the essence of the project into one shimmering, soulful release. This moment marks the culmination of a sprawling and unpredictable chapter in the BICEP story: one that has encompassed ten digital singles, a series of boundary-pushing DJ/AV hybrid shows, and a fluid new identity crafted in collaboration with futurist design studio Terrain (led by David Rudnick). CHROMA has...

Kontakt has become a go-to tool for producers who want to get more out of their synth sounds – especially when you’re working entirely in-the-box and relying on VSTs to bring character and depth to a track. But like anything in music production, knowing when to keep it simple and when to dive deeper is where most people get stuck. Few understand this better than Flight School, the duo recently signed to Kygo’s Palm Tree Records in partnership with Sony Music. They’re known for blending electronic production with pop vocals, and now they’re shifting into a new sound – mixing drum and bass rhythms with polished, radio-friendly toplines. Plugins like Kontakt, Hybrid Keys, and Monark are a huge part of keeping things fresh while working...

If you’re producing music, one of the most important tools you’ll come across is reverb. It’s a ubiquitous audio effect that fundamentally informs how we perceive sound. Reverb adds a kind of three-dimensional depth to sound and makes things seem as if they’re in a space. Small ambiences and sprawling cavernous reverbs alike, reverb is one of the audio effects that can take your music from sounding amateur to something distinctly ‘more.’ In this article, we’ll explore five creative reverb techniques to elevate your productions and mixes, from nuanced ambiance to transition automation. Jump to these sections: What is reverb? Creative ways to use reverb in music production Add space and depth with subtle reverb Use gated reverb on...

It’s one of the magic tricks of music production: turning a simple sound into a whole world you can get lost in. In the right producer’s hands, a piano can be much more than just a piano: it could be an ethereal tone engine, a shimmering synth pad, or even a whole rhythmic ensemble. That producer could be you. All you need is the right tools and some clever techniques. In this article, we’ll show you how to use Noire to create rich, immersive soundscapes out of just a few notes. This innovative piano plugin, which captures Nils Frahm’s concert grand, is designed to give you a range of tools for crafting immersive sound. Whether you’re composing a cinematic piano score, writing ambient music, or looking for new sound design approaches...

Humans have used their voices to shape, create, and produce music for centuries. Our connection to the human voice is so strong that, until just a few decades ago, instrumental music rarely topped any music charts. The voice is a powerful tool, and using it effectively can have a massive impact on your music career. No one understands this better than RayRay, one of Asia’s loudest exports. Known for her bass-heavy productions, she seamlessly integrates the human voice in both familiar and unconventional ways. RayRay uses plugins like iZotope VocalSynth to push vocal boundaries, drawing listeners in with familiar tones and then flipping expectations with innovative effects. Her approach has earned her millions of streams, hundreds of...

Notable tracks that were added to DJcity this week. View them all here. Download the tracks below. (* indicates DJcity Exclusive) Ty Dolla $ign – ALL IN Tiësto & Sexyy Red – OMG! Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild GloRilla – Typa IAmChino, Pitbull & Victor Cardenas – Soy Asi Lana Del Rey – Summertime Sadness – Tall Boys Remix * Bankroll Ni – I’m So ATL – MarkCutz Rock Yo Hips Intro * Burna Boy – City Boys – Da Phonk & Lincoln Baio Lean On Remix * Lil Wayne & SIDEPIECE – A Milli – SIDEPIECE VIP Edit Rob49 – WTHELLY – Albert Harvey Remix DJcity’s weekly picks are selected by Sir Marcus. To receive them via email, click here. The post Fresh Weekly Picks Featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Sabrina Carpenter, Tiësto, GloRilla, Lana Del Rey, + More...

Mark your calendars for August 22–25, as Into The Wild returns to the picturesque Chiddingly Estate in Sussex for its 11th magical year! More than just a festival, this vibrant, family friendly gathering has evolved into a celebration of creativity, connection and consciousness. What started in 2014 as an intimate get-together has blossomed into a 5,000-strong community, where friendships form under the stars, collaborations spark by campfire, and milestone moments – from marriages to births – become part of the festival’s living story. The 2025 edition promises its most expansive programme yet, with over 200 workshops set to take place, and the first wave of artists just announced! Festival-goers can dive into everything from wild...