You may have noticed how much fun we had at the International Music Summit in Ibiza last month, what with our pointblank x Pioneer DJ Accelerator Programme winner Ambian playing at the Hard Rock in support of Flashmob and Seth Troxler, and DJ Ravine reporting from some of the parties at the event. Well, even that wasn’t the entirety of what we were up to out on the island – we also hosted a DJ masterclass with Swiss superstar Andrea Oliva. Check out the video below and take a look at some of our DJ courses to see how you too could learn some wizardry on the decks.
Andrea Oliva is known worldwide today, with past gigs on the biggest stages as diverse as Coachella and Panorama Bar and a whole host of Elrow parties. Everyone starts somewhere, however, and we learn here that he started out with a pair of belt-driven decks and Numark’s extremely basic two-channel mixer (which, let’s face it, is the beginner’s mixer of champions). We also learn some of his first inspirations to take his mixing as far technically as he could, including Erick Morillo and Little Louis Vega, leading him to his affection for four-deck mixing as demonstrated here.
After the show incorporating the four decks, Oliva gets into some of the technical nitty-gritty of his set, beginning with his RMX-1000 from Pioneer DJ. The effects unit can add impact when needed, and spices up looped sections simply. Simplicity isn’t necessarily something Oliva goes for, however, as he favours a “chaotic” approach to playlisting and planning to help allow a more natural creative process. We learn as well the importance of the warm-up set and how experience and risk-taking are the cornerstones of a constantly improving DJ.
IMS Ibiza is a massive event in the dance music calendar, drawing people from all over the globe to the white isle. Delegates in attendance are entitled to a 10% discount on course at pointblank Ibiza, which is now enrolling for classes this summer. The courses on offer teach the basics of both DJing and Production, suited to your level, and there is another option to focus on DJing and Radio Production. Back in London, our flagship DJ course is the BA (Hons) in Music Production and DJ Practice, quality-assured by Middlesex University. For more info don’t hesitate to get in touch.
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