04.28
Gabriel Berenson
Back from Coachella and going strong… as promised we have lots of new content coming to our blog so here we go. Today we are lucky to have another guest mixer come by our blog and give us a little taste of the music scene in Los Angeles. As always we ask that you begin by hitting play on the mix so you can listen to it as you read about the DJ.
April 2010 Mix by gabrielberenson
Kaboom – and it begins. Our guest mix comes from Gabriel Berenson of UCLA and gives us a little peek into the scene around those parts as well as a small glimpse into the younger trends bleeping and blooping around Los Angeles. While on the surface (AKA the big events) it may still be about David Guetta’s pop house and Armin van Buuren’s uplifting trance, under that thin skin bubble a myriad of various genres trying to break through at various underground scenes and events.
Gabriel’s inspirations come from his background in drums, which he’s been playing since he was a kid, and guitar. He also learned to use Garage Band and starting messing around with various synths at a young age before manning the decks of the DJ booth. Like many UCLA students who fall in love with electronic music, Gabe was inspired by a trip to Barcelona (which just happens to be a hop skip away from Ibiza). A trip to Europe will make almost anyone realize the power of electronic music and sometimes coming back to the hip-hop world of the United States can almost seem disappointing. However, if one digs under the apparent dominance of hip-hop clubs, it quickly becomes clear that there is an extremely vibrant electronic scene in Los Angeles as well, one that could certainly rival that of many European cities.
Gabriel says the following about his inspirations:
In terms of dance, my biggest influence is Aphex Twin, because live or on record, he seems to be able to blend elements of every type of music and make it danceable and enjoyable no matter how complex and ridiculous it gets. A more recent producer i model myself after is Gui Boratto because he plays guitar as well as he basically makes a new song every week.
As far as tools, Gabriel says his love is Ableton Live but he also uses Traktor as well as various effects to try to get as much out of his music as he can in order to put his own spin on the tracks he’s playing. Favorite genres include progressive house, dubstep, breaks, and electro. Like most DJs out there, Gabriel strives to create his own feel and sound out of various tracks and genres (whether he is successful or not is up to you – the evidence is at the top of this page!)
Gabriel’s gig history has included nights at UCLA’s Two Step Tuesdays at the Brewing Company as well as appearances at Les Deux, the Highlands, and of course house parties all over the place. A DJ’s gotta work right? As UCLA grads, Rob and I definitely know the hard work people have to put in to “make it” in the DJ scene in any way shape or form so we wish Gabe the best of luck in LA’s tough environment. But as well all know… if you make it… you make it. So I say go for it!
As a bonus, here’s a mashup Gabriel made between Radiohead’s Idioteque and Afrojack’s Bangduck. There are more on his soundcloud and show the beginnings of some interesting productions!
Radiohead vs. Afrojack – Idioduck by gabrielberenson
Thanks Gabe and we wish you the best of luck.
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