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We head to Lutz, Florida this week as we have a chat with the larger than life legend, DJ Chris Craze!

Where are you from and where are you living now?
I was born Bad Cannstatt, Germany. I currently live in Lutz, Florida, which is 20 minutes north of Tampa.

How did you come up with your DJ name?

Around 1993 my DJ partner at the time and I decided to choose names for each other and thus, Chris Craze was born!

What’s your equipment list?

My streaming rig:
1- OBS RIG: INTEL i7–10700 ; 32GB Ram ; NVIDIA 2070 Super
2- Resolume/Visuals Rig: INTEL i9-9900 32 GB Ram ; AMD PRO W5700
3- Serato Rig: Mac Mini M1 2020 16GB Ram
4- Ableton Rig: INTEL i7-10700 ; 32GB Ram
5- VR/Gaming Rig: INTEL i7-10700 ; 32GB Ram ; GeForce 1080Ti

DJ Gear:
(2) Technics 1210 M5G Turntables
(2) Pioneer CDJ3000 Media Player
(1) Pioneer DJM S9 Dj Mixer
(1) Pioneer DJM V10 Dj Mixer
(1) Pioneer DJM 900 NXS2 Dj Mixer
(1) Pioneer DDJ1000-SRT Dj Controller
(1) V-Moda Crossfade M100 Headphones

Midi and Audio Devices:
Akai APC40
Novation Dicers
Impact GX61
Presonus AudioBox 96
Behringer XR18
Roland VT3 Voice Transformer
Shure SM7 Mic
JBL 308P II Studio Monitors
Mackie HR824 Studio Monitors
JL Audio E-Sub e112-GLOSS Subwoofer
Elgato Streamdeck
Behringer Monitor USB 2 – Monitor control

Cameras and Capture:
(3) GoPro Hero 4
(2) Logitech C920
(2) Generic 1080p Cam
(1) GVM Camera Slider
(2) Blackmagic Design DeckLink Quad HDMI Recorder
(1) Elgato 4K60 Pro MK.2, Internal Capture Card

Where did your musical journey begin?

My father was a musician. I grew up on Oldies, Classic Rock, Heavy Metal, Freestyle and all forms of dance music. As a child I used to record music off the radio and make my own tapes.

What made you decide to take up DJing?

I always wanted to be the guy in the radio. I was the “Boombox Kid” at summer camp. The weekly radio DJ mix shows on the radio, and watching some djs at a party, I knew I wanted to mix records.

What are some of your interests/hobbies/passions outside of streaming/DJing?I love cooking, traveling, the outdoors, water sports, sight seeing, electronics, and making music.

When did you start streaming on Twitch?

My Twitch journey began on March 28th 2020

Is there anything you really hope to accomplish in your life, whether it be related to music or not?

Help those in need, help the homeless, those with mental issues and disabilities.
Invent something useful to mankind and the planet.

Who are some of your favorite streamers? Why?

Brisk – Very clean streamer and studio. Great music selections. Always happy to see us.
ThaPhlash – Authentic, groundbreaking, cool
Blklght – Amazing dj, epic selections and mixing skills
SteveDiscoNewsome – Amazing selector , great Friend, community Driven

What is your favorite genre to play? Why?

It depends on the room, venue and crowd. I love how Breaks has so many pockets to add other things. House Music too, because It’s so universal.

What are some of the most memorable events you’ve participated in or streamed?

The 1990’s Rave scene in Central Florida.
iClub – Shanghai, China 2011 (guest DJ Set)
Laser Pen Fighting with Ferry Corsten at Floyd’s Night Cub, Tampa, Florida

Meeting and Interacting with People from all over the world on Twitch, including viewers, dj’s and artists we would have never talked to without Twitch.

What does Team Brisk mean to you?

Worldwide streaming family. Community. Good Vibes.

What’s your favorite thing about DJing on Twitch?

Playing the music I truly love, exploring new genres. Finding new djs and music

What is a challenge you’ve faced as a DJ/streamer?

Sticking to my schedule, trying to find balance in the streams.

Do you have any special projects, streams or events you would like to tell us about?

I’m played at EDC Orlando in November 2022. It was a dream gig of mine!

Is there anyone you’d like to shout out and/or thank?

Everyone for being openminded and helpful.

Give us your links!

https://www.facebook.com/djchriscraze
https://soundcloud.com/chriscraze
https://www.tiktok.com/@officialdjchriscraze
https://www.instagram.com/djchriscraze/
https://discord.com/invite/C9GJqvf

We head to the UK this week as we catch up with the infamous DJ, producer and streaming demon, Amber D!

Where are you from and where are you living now?

I am from just outside of Birmingham originally and now I live in South Yorkshire.

What’s your equipment list?

2 x Technics 1210’s for vinyl
2 x Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus digital decks
Pioneer DJM 2000 Nexus mixer
And Behringer TD-3 for live synth work over my sets

Where did your musical journey begin?

I think it started around the age of 5 years old. My Dad encouraged me to play the piano and also my mum enrolled me from a young age into piano lessons. I had piano and keyboard lessons all the way up to about 15 years old, until I discovered boys and going out, then it all went downhill from there! I do believe that having an early start in music really helped me to pick up DJing many years later in life.

What made you decide to take up DJing?

It was by accident really. I lost my Mum when I was 17 and was homeless for a while, (sofa surfing mostly, but some nights on the street too in abandoned shops etc) after our family home was sold off.
I visited Stoke on Trent and it was here that I met a group of friends who had turntables and were into a type of music called Hard House. I asked to have a go on the decks, and began to pick it up really quickly. I put this down to my earlier experience playing piano as a kid.

In that moment of mixing one tune into another there was no pain, no loss, no tomorrow, no yesterday, only this moment. Pure flow state. Mixing for me is my meditation. It’s where I process my life and my trauma. That’s probably why I enjoy doing it so much as I’ve had such a lot happen to me!

I never ever wanted to be a DJ. It just chose me. I realised I was automatically good at it, and as I said, because it helped me mentally, I would do it all the time. I got picked up by the biggest Hard Dance label on the planet at that time, Tidy Trax and became a Tidy Girl. I also had started being resident at the infamous club, Golden. Here was where I would warm up for DJ’s such as K-Klass, Tiesto, and The Tidy Boys. It was a dream beginning.

From there I was lucky enough to do a BBC Essential Mix live on Radio 1 and travel the world DJing. I still do it as my main job to this day, although I’ve had to tweak what I do a little bit and I no longer have a team of people around me like I used to, but I enjoy the challenge.

What are some of your interests/hobbies/passions outside of streaming/DJing?

I’m enjoying gaming a lot lately. You can join me on my gaming channel here: djamber_d_gaming

Also I’m currently at university doing a higher degree in Music Production and I enjoy making music. It makes me happy!

When did you start streaming on Twitch?

I first streamed about 3 years ago, but I’ve regularly been streaming for two years now. There was a lot of encouragement from Daddy Brisk in the early days to get on to Twitch, and then from there Team Brisk became the center of all that I do. x

Is there anything you really hope to accomplish in your life, whether it be related to music or not?

I’ve already done a lot of really cool things with DJing, being a mother, helping others with mental health, building my community on Twitch as well as teaching DJing and music production. I would love to continue making music, inspiring and helping others to follow their dreams. I think the biggest fulfillment comes from being a service to others. Very recently, I completed a 90 hour DJ livestream which was the most fun I’ve had, and all for an amazing cause. We raised around £7,000 GBP for ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’, and because of that, the Amber D Twitch Community will have a well built in their honour in Africa, with a plaque! I am also going to be teaching DJing to street youth in Sierra Leone in April 2023 which I am so excited about doing.

Who are some of your favourite streamers? Why?

Daddy Brisk @djbrisk because he’s my Dad and he plays banging music.
@thesushidragon because I learned so many things from him regarding graphics etc.

What is your favourite genre to play? Why?

I honestly don’t have a favourite because I play about 20 genres, but now that I have an amazing Idokodo DJ booth which my wonderful community gifted to me with donations and an ultrasonic vinyl cleaner. This means I’ve been able to play all my old vinyl, so currently I am mostly playing vinyl sets, buying MORE vinyl and of course playing newer stuff too. The genres you’re most likely to hear on my stream are: Techno / Hard Techno / Hard House / Hard Trance / Bounce / Banging Trance / Trance Classics / House Classics / Funky House.

What are some of the most memorable events you’ve participated in or streamed?

My 90 hour livestream was the pinnacle of my streaming journey so far. So much love was in the chat and we raised so much money for my favourite charity. Winning ‘Best Other Genre Streamer’ at the Breakbeat Awards 2022 was also amazing! It’s always encouraging when you receive outside recognition for your efforts.

What does Team Brisk mean to you?

Community, support and meeting other like-minded DJs from all over the world, with whom a lot of them I’ve made lifelong friendships with. I’m so grateful to be a part of it x

What’s your favourite thing about DJing on Twitch?

Community. Checking in on everyone. Getting to socialise in a way that doesn’t exhaust me. I am quite the “loner” and do enjoy being on my own as much as I enjoy being around others. I realised that I have more in common with other members of Team Brisk than I ever thought I’d find in people, literally all over the world. I’ve made friends with people who I’d never of met in “real life”. I love being on Twitch and I love watching everyone on Twitch. I am so appreciative of this time we have right now together.

What is a challenge you’ve faced as a DJ/streamer?

Sometimes it can be disheartening if you don’t get good numbers / viewers so I sorted this issue out by not looking at the viewer count whilst playing. Since doing that, I’ve enjoyed my streams so much more x

Do you have any special projects, streams or events you would like to tell us about?

We do the Demo Drop every Tuesday where we listen to your music and help you along your music production journey. If you want to get involved send your original track to [email protected] and label your email Demo Drop.

Is there anyone you’d like to shout out and/or thank?

Daddy Brisk. Thanks for all the love and support and also everyone from Team Brisk, you’ve all been so supportive. If I’ve not yet been in your stream yet, I’ll be making sure I come say hello.

Give us your links!

https://twitch.tv/djamber_d
https://twitch.tv/djamber_d_gaming
https://www.djamberd.com

We are heading to Vancouver, Canada this week as we visit the legendary Twitch Hardstyle Queen, Violit for a catch up. Read on to find out more…

Where are you from and where are you living now?

I was born in Vancouver, Canada and have lived here all my life!

How did you come up with your DJ name?

“I thought it was a fun play on words! A combination of my favourite things and my hyped up demeanor.”
 
What’s your equipment list?

Controller: Pioneer DJ DDJ-1000
Software: Rekordbox
Microphone: Shure SM7B
Mic Arm: Gator Frameworks
Headphones: Vmoda Crossfade LP2
Audio Interface: Behringer U-Phoria UMC202HD
Cameras: Sony Alpha A6400, GoPro Hero 8 Black

As well as some crappy speakers (I mix completely in my headphones), a StreamDeck and a lot of Govee lights.

Where did your musical journey begin?

I have been very musical all my life starting from a young age. As a child I used to dress up and sing and dance around the living room to my parents’ music pretending to be a Rock star. I took guitar lessons through my teenage years and played and sang in a cover band. I also sang in the choir in high school.

What made you decide to take up DJing?

During the global pandemic I found it quite depressing to be shut in at home and unable to go out to dance and enjoy my favourite music: Hardstyle – I decided to invest in an entry-level controller to try to learn how to DJ and stream the whole thing on Twitch for a hopefully fun party experience. I never expected things to blow up the way in which they have!

What are some of your interests/hobbies/passions outside of streaming/DJing?

I’ve been an avid PC gamer my whole life and still enjoy playing Overwatch and some other games in my downtime. I also love cooking and baking, relaxing with my dog, and going on nature walks in beautiful British Columbia.

When did you start streaming on Twitch?

I’ve been streaming on Twitch for longer than I can even keep track of, I think it’s been 7+ years now. I streamed games on Twitch for MANY years before I took up DJing.

Is there anything you really hope to accomplish in your life, whether it be related to music or not?

I am so inspired to keep pushing myself and keep improving as a DJ and performer. My next goal is to learn music production so that I can start making my own tracks with my own vocals. I hope to be able to create some music that others will really enjoy.

Who are some of your favourite streamers? Why?

The first one who comes to mind is Char_dj because she is the one who introduced me to Team Brisk and I will forever love her for that! (Plus, she is amazingly talented and just an awesome person). DJ_Brady too because he makes me laugh and was another one of the first Team Brisk members I met. Heyitsipo because we have met up IRL and played back to back DJ sets together and she’s so talented and sweet. Rallendj because she’s super talented and fun, and I hope to go visit her some day.

Honestly the list could go on forever because I have so many favourites. Everyone in Team Brisk is a legend!

What is your favourite genre to play? Why?

Anything Hard Dance! I’ve been listening to and loving Hardstyle for many years now and it never fails to get me pumped up and improve my mood no matter what is going on in my life. Happy Hardcore / UK Hardcore is so much fun, too!

What are some of the most memorable events you’ve participated in or streamed?

My most recent gig was a private party consisting of mostly people who had not heard Hard Dance before. I got to play a two hour set in order to hopefully convert them and they went absolutely nuts! My laptop actually almost fell off the stand from the vibrations of everyone jumping around, what a memory.

I also recently took part in a charity stream for GamersOutreach and was able to raise over $1200 for children in hospitals which makes me extremely proud of the Twitch music community and what we can accomplish!

What does Team Brisk mean to you?

I always saw Team Brisk as quite a prestigious group of talented DJs. When I started getting more heavily into the music community on Twitch I was always impressed by any DJ who was on Team Brisk. To me it represents good vibes, supporting one another, and a genuine love for the music! I’m so honoured to be a part of it.

What’s your favourite thing about DJing on Twitch?

DJing on Twitch is my happy place! Being able to share my favourite music with people all over the world and interact with them is such a cool feeling. I feel like in some way I am finally living out my childhood dreams. I started out singing and dancing around the living room as a kid and now I’m dancing around, singing, and DJing on Twitch having the absolute time of my life. I still can’t believe how much of a positive response and support I have gotten from the Twitch music community and I’m forever grateful for that.

What is a challenge you’ve faced as a DJ/streamer?

The biggest one would be technical difficulties. I was having a lot of problems with my cameras for a while when I was using two GoPros. After I moved to my new place I had to set everything up again and had a lot of issues getting the sound quality to where I wanted it to be. There’s a lot of stuff to manage that goes on behind the scenes!

Do you have any special projects, streams or events you would like to tell us about?
I’ve got a number of tracks that I’m collaborating on with different producers that I have met through Twitch. I’m a vocalist and lyricist as well and always look forward to creating things with others! There’s also some other things in the works that I can’t disclose quite yet but stay tuned for more hype!

Is there anyone you’d like to shout out and/or thank?

Like I mentioned earlier I’m so thankful to Char and Brady for initiating me to Team Brisk. Also thanks to the man Brisk himself for accepting me to be a part of this awesome team! And of course, a HUGE thank you to all the supporters and people who hang out in my stream and have gotten me to where I am now. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you guys <3

Give us your links!

https://www.twitch.tv/vioLit_TV
https://www.instagram.com/dj_vioLit
https://twitter.com/vioLit_TV
https://www.mixcloud.com/vioLit
https://soundcloud.com/vioLit_TV
https://discord.com/invite/vioLit

Hiya good peoples,

This is a quick post to let you all know that I’ve just uploaded well over 50 live stream recordings/mixes to my SoundCloud archive bringing it almost completely up to date for you. This is the place for audio only archives of my work and is the most comprehensive library of my mixes, podcasts and more anywhere on the internet. Please head over and give me a follow if you’re not already, thank you.

Enjoy the music and don’t forget to follow me on Twitch if you want to catch me live and to interact with me, see you there x

We are New Zealand bound this week as we touch base with the Ex-Brit Breaks legend and head honcho of the award winning Global Breaks Festival, Hexadecimal!

Where are you from and where are you living now?

I was born and raised in England, which is where I first made a name for myself musically.  I grew up near Cambridge,  went to University in Nottingham, then 12 years ago I moved to New Zealand after meeting a Kiwi girl at a club I was playing at in London. We are married now and live in New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington.  It’s a beautiful place, and I have a beautiful family. I am a lucky guy!

How did you come up with your DJ name?

In the early 2000s, there were two of us in Hexadecimal.  I was the main DJ of our duo and Ben was the main Producer.  Some friends were in a Progressive / Tech House decks & FX act called Sound Alliance.  One of their tunes ‘From Home’ was signed by James Zabiela’s for his first commercial mix compilation.  They knew James liked his breaks,  so they suggested we had a go at remixing another one of their tracks, ‘The Hit’.

James loved our remix and decided to put it on his CD as well.  At the time we were known as Scottlosttheplot & Mr Ben,  hardly the most professional sounding names,  so we decided we needed to come up with something better. One of the guys from Sound Alliance pointed to a Hexadecimal conversion chart on the studio wall,  and said, what about Hexadecimal?  The rest is history, as they say.

What’s your equipment list?

Nothing fancy really.  I have a couple of Pioneer CDJ2000 Nexus and a DJM750 mixer.  I have a badass gaming PC for streaming and a little Akai sample player.  I sold my Technics 1210s before I moved to New Zealand, which I regret. My Mum sold my entire record collection, which I left back in the UK for about 150 quid, I am still quite bitter about that and that guy got such a great deal,  I had 1000s of records!  Luckily I converted some of them to digital before I moved to NZ, and gave someone my Hexadecimal vinyl releases to look after,  although I am not entirely sure who has them now, I need to track them down.

Where did your musical journey begin?

I was in bands when I was a young teenager. Played Bass guitar and thought I was pretty decent.  I loved slap bass and would play along to the likes of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Jamiroquai.  When I went to uni in Nottingham in my early 20s, I bought a set of decks with my student loan. I played on them for hours and hours until I started to improve.  I got a show on student radio, the graveyard shift (2am-5am) on Sunday mornings, but I used this to my advantage by showcasing local promoters and interviewing them about their club nights.  In return,  they booked me for guest slots at local club nights, and it grew from there.

What made you decide to take up DJing?

I started buying vinyl years before I even had a set of decks.  I just loved the scene from an early age and wanted to be a part of it.  I was obsessed.  I loved being on the dance floor with my friends and started to go to clubs from the age of 15.  A group of friends and I would drive around the country most weekends and go to some incredible club nights, mainly Trance events like Peach at Camden Palace,  Bagleys,  Clockwork Orange and Gatecrasher.  This obsession went from wanting to be on the dance floor to behind the decks. One of my friends had a set of decks, and we would try to outdo each other buying the best tunes we could find, even though none of us had a clue how to mix.  It was only when I went to university and bought some decks, when I started to perfect the art of mixing for real.

What are some of your interests/hobbies/passions outside of streaming/DJing?

Well, music production, but I guess that falls into the streaming/DJing category.  I’ve been producing and releasing music for about 20 years now. I used to play Sunday league football until the COVID lockdowns put a stop to it. It was an over 35s team,  as those young kids, full of energy, could run rings around me.  I have a pretty full on day job working within the NZ government,  and I also created and run ‘Global Beats Festival‘ one of the biggest online music events you will find on the Twitch platform.

When did you start streaming on Twitch?

Probably a similar story to many.  I had been thinking about doing some live streams on Facebook for years,  and when New Zealand went into lockdown during the pandemic I heard about Twitch,  and decided to start streaming late night here in New Zealand, which was Saturday mornings for friends locked down back in the UK.  My weekly streams became quite popular, and I expanded it into a collective called ‘Reckless’ to showcase DJs I knew both in New Zealand and the UK.  That collective came to a close at the end of the lockdowns,  but I kept on going and growing what I do, both on and offline.  

Is there anything you really hope to accomplish in your life, whether it be related to music or not?

I’m not really sure. I am pretty satisfied with what I have got and appreciate where I have come from and where I have been.  An IRL goal would be to get over to Breakfast in Perth.  That is an event I have been meaning to play for years and now I am not so far away and releasing again it could be possible!  Other than that,  my Twitch goals are to keep growing my audience and growing the GBF Collective into something sustainable that will allow the team and I to devote more time to doing more as an organisation.  So many ideas,  but so little time to make them all happen!   I guess I have learnt to enjoy the journey, one of the best things I learnt earlier in my career was to enjoy the process,  you never really make it.  The day you think you have made it, is the day you haven’t. Gotta keep pushing it!  

Who are some of your favourite streamers? Why?

There are so many!  Brisk team favourites include theMagic Mike, Bombtraxx, Huda Hudia, Chris Craze, Maculate and Paul Santana, I also raid the Big Man ‘DJ Brisk’ regularly, and he is alright too.  Arptrx is pretty cool with his epic marathon trance sets,  he plays all the Trance classics I still love today.  Others I enjoy include Thug Shells, Heather Collins, Dawn Perignon, John B, Moases, Gypsy Kid and many more.

What is your favourite genre to play? Why?

I’m mainly a Breaks guy because I love its versatility and energy.  It makes you want to move and is really accessible.  A lot of people like Breakbeat but just don’t know it yet!  It’s a form of Electronic Music which takes influences from so many other genres.  I got into Breaks through my love of Trance.  There were some awesome Breaks B-Side remixes of Trance tunes by the likes of Hybrid and Matt Darey which got me excited.  Going back to my student radio days again, when I began there, I decided to play breaks to have a point of difference from  other DJs on the station.  It was a good decision as it has led to a fairly decent career.

What are some of the most memorable events you’ve participated in or streamed?

In real life,  I have played some unreal events back in Europe.  I played regular slots at some of the super clubs back then,  Gatecrasher, Fabric, Matter etc.  I have some amazing times as a Spectrum resident,  and one of the gigs I played for that crew I remember well was at Godskitchen.  I was in the breaks room and completely stole the crowd away from Sander Kleinenberg who was playing at the same time in the main room. Tours in Russia and USA were also career highlights, and I had both live sets and production mixes aired on BBC Radio One.  I also won the Best Breakthrough DJ at the International Breakbeat Awards in 2007, hosted at Fabric.

On the Twitch platform, my Global Breaks/Beats Festival events are pretty special to me.  I had the idea of bringing together all the breaks streamers on the platform into one event,  which I did off my own back early into the pandemic.  My first event was hugely successful  which helped me to book off platform DJs to stream such as Freestylers,  Atomic Hooligan,  Deekline, Rennie Pilgrem and many more for my next events.  I had such fun times chatting and streaming those events,  seeing so many people having an amazing time off the back of my hard work.  These days,  there is a much bigger crew helping me, an amazing team!  We are always after great people to help with the running of events, so if you like what we do, have drive, talent and energy, and want to get involved, get in touch.  

What does Team Brisk mean to you?

It means a lot to be part of one of the biggest and best teams on the platform.  There are so many incredibly talented DJs across the team, across genres and timezones.  It is a joy to be a part of such a fantastic collective.  Paul also had a lot of time for people off platform,  we often chat on video and have a really good connection since we both moved away from the UK to the southern hemisphere.  I feel there is so much more we could do collectively in 2023.

What’s your favourite thing about DJing on Twitch?

Love the community! I have made so many friends through the platform who I have never met and may never do!  I also enjoy not having to lug equipment into town, practice a set and be disappointed as the night isn’t that great etc.  It’s cool to be in a position where I can play what I want on my own channel, which has grown and is supported by such a great crew of viewers who make every stream feel special.  

What is a challenge you’ve faced as a DJ/streamer?

Just being able to promo upcoming streams and set up in time to stream after work is a constant challenge to keep on top of!  And trying to keep things interesting by changing things up with new scenes, tech etc is ongoing.  I have had a bit of Twitch drama I’ve needed to manage in the past, and through GBF we have had to manage our fair share of craziness but I prefer to leave that stuff in the past with just those who know.

Do you have any special projects, streams or events you would like to tell us about?

We will be hosting a huge multi-genre Twitch streaming event in the new year (2023), which could be a good opportunity to get more Team Brisk peeps involved. More news to follow, so please stay up on my socials.

Is there anyone you’d like to shout out and/or thank?

My wife and family for their patience and understanding, letting me juggle my passions with my home and work life.  Ems a Gem and Bombtraxx who helped me start up on Twitch and for being there with me on this journey.  I’d like to thank the Twitch teams I am involved with, all at Team Brisk, Global Funk Fam, Twitch Mob (Chris Craze is a legend),  Kaleidoscope Music (Huda Hudia,  Ashleigh and the rest of the crew),  and thanks to the Global Breaks and Global Beats volunteers, back room staff,  DJs and promoters (we have an awesome team of talent from across the world),  Big ups to the amazing supporters of my channel, Ems, Lawkitty, Amy, Bene, Brownie and anyone else I should have mentioned who donates from time to time, hangs in the chat regularly or keeps a sub going, it means a lot!

Give us your links!

Hexadecimal:
www.twitch.tv/hexadecimalDJ
www.facebook.com/hexadecimalmusic
www.hexadecimalmusic.bandcamp.com
www.beatport.com/artist/hexadecimal/22564

Global Beats Festival:
www.twitch.tv/GBFCollective
www.facebook.com/globalbeatsfestival
www.instagram.com/globalbeatsfestival

We are heading to Florida, U.S for our ‘Streamer of the Week’ feature as we drop into have a chat with EvaLynn!

Where are you from and where are you living now?

I was born in Prague, Czech Republic and in 1999 moved to New York, USA. I made the decision to move to Florida, USA in 2018 and this is where I am currently living. 

How did you come up with your DJ name?

When I was little, I always liked the name Evelyn. My first name is Eva, so I just added Lynn and made my DJ alias EvaLynn, which is pretty close to Evelyn. 

What’s your equipment list?

2 x Pioneer CDJ 900s
1 x Pioneer DJM 750mk2
2 x Samson Resolv 6” Speakers
1 x Logitech C920s Web camera
1 x Denon HP1100 DJ Headphones
1 x Shure SM58 Microphone
2 x UBeesize Tripods (one has a ring light)
1 x MacBook Pro…

…and a ton of cables!

Where did your musical journey begin?

My musical journey began in the early 1990s back in Prague. All that was played on the radio back then was EuroDance, and that’s where my love for electronic music began. Eventually I made my way to Trance, and then the harder genres like Hard House, Hard Trance, and Hard Techno. I have deviated to other genres throughout the years, but always came back to electronic music no matter what. 

What made you decide to take up DJing?

I started listening to Digitally Imported back in 2001 and was interested in creating one hour mixes. Many years later, I met people who were DJs and asked about creating mixes and how it works. I ended up going to a bunch of parties that they were DJing at, and at that party there were a few female DJs, which inspired me into thinking “if they can do it, so can I!”.  Two weeks before my birthday in 2016, I decided to buy speakers and a small controller. I got into contact with 2 local vinyl DJs (How Hard & DJ Integrity) who have helped me with DJing. 

What are some of your interests/hobbies/passions outside of streaming/DJing?

I absolutely love to take long walks around the neighborhood. I usually walk 8 to 10 miles on my days off, and if I am not streaming, I try to take 4 to 5 mile walks after work. I spend a lot of time searching for songs, because I love to play tracks that others aren’t playing. If I have some downtime, I like to relax and watch tv or horror movies. I also like to hang out with friends, go to the shopping mall, do laundry (I am not kidding! lol), and I hang out with my mom once a week 🙂

When did you start streaming on Twitch?

I first signed up on Twitch in March 2020, and at that time I was mostly streaming on Facebook. I decided to switch full time to Twitch a year later in March 2021. I have been on Twitch ever since and haven’t looked back.

Is there anything you really hope to accomplish in your life, whether it be related to music or not?

Seeking out my dream job in real life, that I can be proud of and be happy at. When it comes to music, I want to start producing music and tour internationally. 

Who are some of your favourite streamers? Why?

Without a doubt my favorite streamer is Amber D – She has great energy, her graphics are amazing, and I am very impressed with her marathon streams. She is a huge inspiration to me when it comes to my streams, and she is someone that I look up to a lot. 

Also DJ Brisk – who has positive vibes, always warmly welcomes his Team members on his stream, and plays fantastic music! Wish I was able to catch more of his streams as well.

Other honorable mentions are – Arptryx, DJ Brady, DarkSin, VioLit_tv, AliceOfSin, alleykaydj, TranceFamilyNorth & many more!

What is your favourite genre to play? Why?

Absolutely love playing Hard House, the energy in the tracks is amazing. Hard Bounce/Scouse – I love how silly these songs can be, they’re fun to play. Hard Trance – love the melodies and the harder and higher bpm! Hard Techno – can be mysterious and dark, it’s amazing!

What are some of the most memorable events you’ve participated in or streamed?

My most memorable events I have played at was back in New York where I got to share the decks with ShivaTree, Protocell, and Mr. Pink. As well as the many shows I’ve played at along with Suzy Solar here in Florida. 

And my most memorable livestream was in August 2020, where I was on the same lineup with all of my favorites: Amber D, Technikal, Guyver, and Andy Farley! And earlier this year when I was able to be part of, and celebrate, DJ Brisk’s birthday – never in my life would I have imagined to be part of such an event!

What does Team Brisk mean to you?

Team Brisk is such an amazing team, with tons of talent from all over the world! The support is incredible from each member, and I am ecstatic to be part of this team. 

What’s your favourite thing about DJing on Twitch?

Most definitely that I am able to reach viewers from all over the world, and from many different time zones. I love reading comments in the chat to see where everyone is watching from, and being able to play the genres that I love and whenever I want. The Twitch Family has been great and supportive, and I hope that I can meet most (if not all) viewers who have supported me since the beginning. 

What is a challenge you’ve faced as a DJ/streamer?

Lots of technical difficulties, programs randomly crashing, microphone cables that broke, having to upgrade my Mac OS in order to use a newer version of Streamlabs, sound not working, etc. Besides the tech difficulties, time zones are definitely a challenge, because not everyone can tune in when I stream. 

Do you have any special projects, streams or events you would like to tell us about?

I am looking forward to the PsyTrance event that I will be playing at on October 21st here in St. Petersburg, Florida. I will be sharing the stage with a lot of talent and I am looking forward to it!

Is there anyone you’d like to shout out and/or thank?

Huge shout out to DJ Brisk who is letting me be part of this amazing team! All the streamers who have raided my channel, whether it be a super small or super big raid – any raid is appreciated. And to everyone who has supported me and my streams since the beginning or later on. The support is incredible, and I appreciate everyone who came along the way! 

Give us your links please!

www.twitch.tv/evalynnmusic
www.facebook.com/EvaLynnMusic
www.mixcloud.com/evalynn
www.twitter.com/evalynnmusic
www.tiktok.com/@djevalynn
www.discord.gg/CwpWp5FF

Congrats to all the winners of the 2022 Breakbeat Awards and a special shout out to all the Team Brisk winners, we took out a fair few titles as follows:

Best Other Genre Streamer: Dj_AmberD

Best Graphics By A Streamer: DjMoases

Best Stream Room: DJBrisk

Best Production Streamer: Beckysaif

Best Breakbeat Streamer: DJBrisk

Best Jungle Streamer: Catch22

Best DnB Streamer: Char_DJ

Best Vinyl Streamer: Catch22

Best Affilate Streamer: DjMoases

Best Partner Streamer: Char_DJ

Best Twitch Special Event: Global Beaks Festival (HexadecimalDJ)

A HUGE thank you to everyone who voted and supported myself and the team, BIG LOVE

Well done guys, I’m very proud of you all

Congratulations!!

We are heading down under this week as we visit the Gold Coast, Australia to catch up with the legends that are Team Sly!

Where are you from and where are you living now?

We both originated from Sydney. We moved to sunny QLD eight years ago.

How did you come up with your DJ name?

Funny story! We used to always play under our aliases DJ Syn & Misseloura. Then, in 2013, we were booked to play a party in a park in Sydney. We were billed on the flyer as Team Sly. It kinda stuck from there and we have been this name ever since. it is very rare that we play under our original aliases these days, putting all of our focus into the Team Sly brand.

What’s your equipment list?

For djing: CDJ2000’S, Pioneer 900 nexus mixer, and a few turntables thrown in.
For streaming: we have a pc set up with Streamlabs OBS, 2 x Logitech C922 cameras, and a small streamdeck for scene changes, add-ons etc. We also have a high end gaming pc which we use to produce music, using Ableton as our choice of DAW.

Where did your musical journey begin?

Well, we both were dj’s before we met, with Gary kicking off his dj career in the early 00’s, and Tanya starting around 2007. However, the love for music started a long time before this! It’s pretty fair to say it started the first time we both stepped foot in a rave!

What made you decide to take up DJing?

For Gary, many nights of shuffling on the dancefloor led to an opportunity one evening, of being called up behind the decks to watch the dj and see it from their point of view. Watching the dj and feeling the vibe up there made Gary realise that was something he wanted to experience himself, so he began to learn the craft. His first setup was very basic, using a CDJ walkman and a belt driven turntable to learn to mix. Later on, after upgrading to two turntables, Gary produced a mix and handed it to a promoter, landing his first gig at an event called Heaven & Hell in Bondi, Sydney.

For Tanya, it really started in the late nineties, watching the dj’s on the big stages. Not knowing any dj’s personally, Tanya wasnt really sure where to begin with learning, and mucked around on mixing software in the early 2000’s, making mixes for fun. Of course, without any understanding of music structure, these early mixes were not very good! Years went by, and after having her first child and staying home from clubs, she realised there was still a fire inside her for music, and couldn’t ignore it any longer. Tanya purchased about ten vinyl and her first decks – belt drives, and started teaching herself how to mix. In 2007, Tanya still didn’t really know any of the dj’s closely, and wasn’t sure how to get herself ‘noticed’ to receive club gigs. Over time, with a little help from Myspace, Facebook, and friends, Tanya began to meet promoters and scored her first vinyl gig at Space Nightclub, playing house music. It wasn’t long after this (March 2008) that Gary saw Tanya playing hard trance in a club, they met, and have been together since!

What are some of your interests/hobbies/passions outside of streaming/DJing?

Gary has always been a massive gamer, and this is one hobby that will never go away. He loves gaming on playstation mostly. Gary also has a love for photography and takes photos for various events, including weddings, baby shoots, nature, and more recently, club photography. This year Gary has branched out with his club photography, and often takes photos in Brisbane as well as interstate for promoters. Gary will be taking his first ‘officially booked’ international photos soon!

Tanya has a very creative flair and classes herself as a little bit of an entrepreneur. Over the years, Tanya has turned a few hobbies/passions into businesses. For the past twenty years, Tanya has been a cake decorator (self taught) and for many years was making cakes (including wedding, celebration, 3D design) for family, friends, and beyond. Due to her sales role which requires a lot of travel, Tanya only makes the occasional one these days. Also, from 2005 till 2007, during the time as a stay at home Mum, Tanya developed, produced and sold ‘modern cloth nappies’ online to the new parent community, under the brand name Tango Nappies. If you’re not sure what a modern cloth nappy is, give it a google, it’s rather interesting!

Other hobbies include graphic design, music production, and the latest one that Tanya would like to pursue is making high end perfumes.

When did you start streaming on Twitch?

Whilst we were hesitant to try out Twitch as we didn’t really understand it to begin with, we have been streaming on there for over twelve months now. It’s the only streaming platform we use now.

Is there anything you really hope to accomplish in your life, whether it be related to music or not?

Most of our joint goals relate to music and travel. Our first goal is to take the children to Hawaii, which we are doing next year. Musically, we would like to play overseas again, and there are a few amazing Australian club brands that we secretly hope to get booked for one day! Lastly, we still want to take the trip of a lifetime we planned a few years ago, but had to cancel. England, Scotland, France, Italy, & Singapore. Can’t wait to replan that one sometime soon!

Who are some of your favourite streamers? Why?

There are sooo many, but Psymill is one of our favourites, he has so much character on the mic and his music room is so creative! Other favourites would be DjAmber_D, dj_soul_t, FloodyDJ, mattadamnz, JASEHHOUSE, DarkSin, and of course the man himself, DjBrisk.

What is your favourite genre to play? Why?

Hard House! It’s such a bouncy sound, and mixing it is so much fun. However, we play (and love!) many styles, from tech house, trance, techno, hard trance, reverse bass, and happy hardcore.

What are some of the most memorable events you’ve participated in or streamed?

Club wise, playing at Masif in Sydney a few times was a huge bucket list. Our top most favourite event would have to be playing on a boat party in London. Spinning hard house vinyl cruising along the river Thames…seriously one of the best days of our lives! From a streaming perspective, we thoroughly enjoy being part of raid trains, and love meeting new dj’s this way. Our most memorable stream would have to be our 24 hour live stream last year, to raise money for the stillbirth foundation. We are looking to do a 12 hour one soon, once again for charity.

Recently, we had the pleasure of running an event called ‘Twitch IRL’ in Brisbane, which is a concept Dj Soul T from Melbourne developed. It’s a gathering in a real life venue of Twitch streamers, that is also streamed online, with all proceeds going to the Black Dog Institute. It was a great day and we hope there is more!

We have been running events in Brisbane for the past 7-8 years, with two main brands, Heaven & Hell, and Beatwave, as well as other events such as summer/autumn/winter beats, Lunacy, and ‘Team Sly presents’. We also ran a few RVRS BASS parties in Brisbane.

Beatwave is our brand for purely all things hard house. We had retired the multigenre Heaven & Hell brand for several years with our focus being on hard house, but we have decided to hold a reunion party, which will happen on November 4th, in Fortitude Valley. Here’s the link for event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/397194222012663

Two of our favourite events to date are a party we held in 2017 featuring Mark Breeze, and our first all hard house party, featuring Dj Brisk.

What does Team Brisk mean to you?

We love the comunity vibe,and it’s great seeing people share the Team Brisk love on Twitch all the time. The man himself, Brisk, has put so much hard work behind the scenes into growing the Team Brisk group, and we have met some amazing dj’s through it

What’s your favourite thing about DJing on Twitch?

It’s really great for us, as we have four children at home. We get to be home with our family and play and chat with friends. With such busy lifestyles, we rarely get the chance to catch up with friends. Twitch helps us to feel connected to our friends and fellow dj’s, its amazing. Also, as Tanya travels a lot for work, playing music together at home is a great way to enjoy precious time together, and keeps the spark alive!

What is a challenge you’ve faced as a DJ/streamer?

Aside from occasional scene politics, or spammers/bots on chat, the whole musical journey has been great for us.

Do you have any special projects, streams or events you would like to tell us about?

For us, we are enjoying playing once or twice a week, which fits well into our busy routine. Whilst we don’t have any major projects on the horizon, we are still running our occasional club events and producing when we can. We have some awesome interstate gigs to announce soon also.

From a production perspective, we have been producing for the past 6 years, firstly with Reverse Bass, and now Hard House. In the early days, we had two releases on Blutonium Records – LuxDelano & Team Sly – Just F…, and Ed E.T & DTR & Team Sly – Move Your Body, which reached number 1, and number 3 in the ‘Top 100 Hardstyle Tracks’ on Trackitdown.

For the past 3 years, we have produced hard house, releasing close to 50 tracks, with many of them sold on Toolbox Digital, which is a site dedicated to all things hard house. We have been lucky to have just about all of them reach number 1 in the Toolbox Digital top 100 charts.

Is there anyone you’d like to shout out and/or thank?

The biggest thanks is to Brisk and for having us as part of his amazing team. Although we haven’t been overly active within the Facebook group, we are honoured to be a part of this music family, and really enjoy jumping into Team Brisk channels whenever we can.

Give us your links!
Twitch
SoundCloud
Facebook