Hi, 


A new blog. The last one I wrote is from 2015. Already, 3 years ago. Time flies, especially when you’re getting older. I will explain my theory behind this at the end of the blog.


A shit load of things happened to me the last 3 years, but all on the personal side. Nothing special when it comes to music. Not, yet. Back in 2015, I lived in a small cosy room in Amsterdam. Now I have a house with my home studio, home fitness etc. So, that’s cool!


I’m not dreaming anymore to become a professional DJ/Producer. Now, I’m making a plan to become it.


The last 4 years. I’ve had 4 relation ships. But, I’m not the family type of guy. So, I’m single again and that’s good. More time, energy and focus to work on my goal. Becoming a professional DJ/Producer.


In my last blog I wrote about the Half Marathon. In 2016 I did The Marathon of Utrecht. So, if you have a clear goal, work on it and then it really can become true. I truly believe in this. Also a very strong mindset can lead to extraordinary results. I do believe in this. Because, I ran the Marathon and after 30 km my legs were so tired that I had to refill them with my mind. And it worked out pretty well!
​

If my thoughts were negative, I quitted. But, my thoughts were positive and so I completed The Marathon. Winners never quit and quitters never win.

Ok, I’m going to focus on my real goal, train my mindset and work hard to become one.


All the best,

Joost aka Jssst

P.S.

Here the theory behind ‘Time flies when you’re getting older’.
Why does the time go faster when you’re older? It’s relative, that’s it. When you’re 1 year old, a year is everything. It’s 100%.

When you’re 100 years old, a year is only a small fraction relative to your whole life. It’s only 1%.

That’s it! Enjoy life, your time is limited and it will go faster. So, make sure you don't have regrets when you're 80.

​Good luck with everything!

    

Hello, I’m back again with a new blog. It’s been a while. Couldn’t find inspiration to write characters, but lucky enough I still can write music. At the moment, I'm still living in my small cosy room behind my desk dreaming to become a Pro DJ.

Some years ago, I dreamt of running a Marathon or maybe the Half Marathon. Last week I ran the Half Marathon.
​
​

My medal:-)

 

5 years ago, I dreamt of an official release of one of my tunes. Now, I already almost have 450+ official releases. I also dreamt of playing at an ADE Event, last ADE (2015) I did. Thnx Isabelle Garridodo Diaz<3
​

 
Last, but not least. I was dreaming of some support by a Top DJ. In September 2015, Umek charted 1 of my tracks and gave me some promo.
​

​Follow your dreams, your heart, think positive & work hard for it. Then jssst achieve the goals. It is possible!

Peace!
​
Jssssssssssssssssssssssssssssst

Some while ago, I wrote this:

Future DJ

What equipment will the future DJ's use?
I was thinking about this question the last weeks. Streaming music is the future. No, wait it is already the present!

DJ's play music from their computer, memory card, USB sticks, CD's or Vinyl. Why not DJing with streaming music?

Actually it is already possible with an app for iPad and iPhone. But not for laptops or desktops, yet. How long will this take?I think not very long and this will be revolutionary. What is the reaction from Beatport, the leading seller of digital dance music?

Is this the end of Beatport or just a new beginning?  



Some ‘more’ while ago, I wrote this:

Future DJ

What equipment will the future DJ's use?

Today I started to delete all my personal music files on my computer. Music I just like to listen, not for DJing. Only the non-DJ files, the DJ music is still there, but for how long?

I needed more space on my computer, so that’s basically the reason I started deleting. Why should I use mp3’s from my Computer while i’m also able to stream even more music via Spotify or Deezer, to name a few. Why saving all the music files on your computer? You can stream it always and everywhere. And that’s very cool!

A couple of years ago, I started to throw away all my CD’s. Okay, first imported them in iTunes. Now, i’m deleting my iTunes files. Technology goes very fast, don’t be a laggard!

But if you want to DJ, you need to have the files. No, that’s not true! There is already DJ software that uses Spotify as the music source. How cool is that? Then you really have all the music of the world in your hand.

But it isn’t available yet for a desktop or laptop, only for your phone and tablet. We have to be a little bit patient. The industry is changing, just like music. It’s continuously evolving.

What does this mean for Beatport? Is this the end of a great company? I don’t think so, but they have to change their business model very soon. And I think they already have thought about this for a long time. I think there will change a lot in the next years. This is interesting.

Also DJ equipment has to change..The standard still is Pioneer or just a controller and your laptop.  CDj’s are pretty 2001 in my opinion. It’s 2014, we stream music. 

So, what do you need? Just a controller with a micro-chip in it and a connection with the internet.
Play list are in the cloud, and in every club around the globe there is the same controller.

This is the future, we have to wait a couple of years. 

Exciting times in music and DJ world.


Conclusion:


I definitely had a writer’s block. I couldn’t find a great topic or enough content about a topic for my blog. But, right now, I’m writing this blog..

Beatport Pro is a fact at the moment and today I downloaded the DJ Pro app by Algoriddim. We’re gonna DJ with streaming music. Unless you want to play rare tunes, future releases or just a track you made an hour ago. Exciting time in music industry!


Peace:-)
Jssst

What’s the secret of this? Why is it perfect? Why can I determine exactly the tempo 128 of a track? I do have some problems with 125 or 133 for example, but I’m able to determine if the tempo of a song is 128 BPM or not.

What’s the number 128 and why is it a special number? 


128 is the 7th power of 2, therefore the binary representation is 10000000. This looks pretty beautiful, right?

You can also write 128 as 2^(8-1). It’s the same number with the same numbers. It’s a Friedman number. Like 347 = 7^3 + 4.

128 is divisible by 1,2,4,8,16,32,64 and 128. So it’s perfect for 4/4 music. And most House / Electronic music is on a 4/4 scale and thats the reason why a lot of tunes are 128 bpm. 

So, 128 bpm is the perfect tempo. 

It’s a quote by Richie Hawtin. He’s talking the truth.

128 is also a refactorable number. The number of divisors is 8 and 128 is divisible by 8.






Here some other interesting facts about the number 128:

The first original Apple Macintosh personal computer was the Macintosh 128k. And Apple is always magic, you know that;-)




It’s also the atomic number of unbioctium, an element that isn’t discovered yet. How long will this take? The name is pretty simple Un(=100)Bi(=20)Octium(=8). Easy:-)

Back to the music:

In ‘General Midi’, the number of musical instruments is 128. General Midi is a standardised specification for music synthesizers.

And Shakespeare saw the magic of 128 as well. He wrote this Sonnet in 1601. This is magic. No, it’s music. 

Music is magic and 128 is a magic number. Therefore

128 bpm is the perfect tempo, especially in Electronic Dance Music!  


Cheers:-)    Jssst

P.S. Sorry if you're allergic to maths.  I love it so now and then:-)

Some reflections of the past year. 

We're in the last month of the year, time to do the math. Where am I with my label? This year I started a label called 'Jssst Records'. Now, I have 3 labels! I've grown if it comes to the number of labels. I experienced that I needed more room for my music and the tracks that people sent to me. So, I came up with Experimentalist and L8T Recordings as well. Welcome to the world.

What gave 2013 me if it comes to releases. I've released a shit load of tunes this year. At the moment I have 100+ tunes in Beatport. That's a good job, in my opinion. Did I release on important labels? Of course, because I released on my own labels. No, that doesn't count. Yes, I had a release on Baroque Records and White Label Recordings. That are some big guys. I'm proud of that!

Alright, but how are my labels doing? My labels are doing well, we've grown. That makes me happy. I'm really proud of Noise Vector with his track Operation B, Cro Magnon with his track The Awakening, Cartel Maserati with his track Master, Kiz Pattison with his Bone Rattler, the creative works by X-Amount and E333, the tracks by Simiam and the Time EP by Prophet Gold & Den Cold, to name a few. The list goes on, to many to mention. What I realize at the moment is that I've met such a lot of talented people who follow their heart and just do what they have to do. And if they're Dutch, Turkish, Spanish, English, French, Canadian or Russian that means shit to me. It's the music, it's universal. Great people with great music!

What are my goals in 2014? I will continue with DJ-ing, producing and running the 3 labels. And I hope that they all will become bigger and better in 2014. I hope to release some of my tracks on some bigger labels. I'm working on this. I also would like to do more gigs in 2014 and maybe to organize a little party by me. You're already invited:-) Stay tuned!


Here my gift for you:-) (Full package of free DL's from my 3 lil kids;-). Thanks for support!

Thanks for reading, have a good 2014. Live the beat:-)



Joost Haitink aka 'Jssst'

What is a good master? 

A good master sounds fine. Alright, but does it has to sound well on itself or just relative to other tracks? Because music is relative, right?
And why do people have the intentions to prefer track A above track B, only due to the loudness of track A (in comparison with track B)?
Can the mixer do the master, or do you need an independent engineer?

Lots of question and I don't know the right answer. I think it also depends on other factors. For example the weather or your mood.
What I do know is.. that mastering a tricky thing is. And it can be a pain in the ass, sometimes. Because what you hear depends on multiple factors. I already mentioned two, but the most important is of course the PA / SoundSystem / headphones. What is the power of the system, what frequencies is the range, or better formulated reach?

What sounds will reach you and what feeling does it mean to you?

Every track will sound differently on a different sound system. And the experience of what you hear depends on what track you've heard before or afterwards. A good DJ is able to play a bad track sounding well. Is this true? DJ-ing is art. Do not underestimate this fact..

Mastering is art, too. Okay, maybe it is more a science. Let's call it engineering! It is some kind of physics what you learn(ed) at school. But this is way more fun! And sometimes a real pain in the ass.

In my opinion a good mastered track is a track that sounds fine on every system and important words are loudness but clear, full range but not muddy, dirty but bright but above all clean!

Think of a beautiful naked girl, standing in the snow on a top of the mountain asking you on a sunny day, wanna a beer?

If the answer is yes, then and only then you are a master. Forget about the sounds...


Jssst


P.S. Nice wisdom from Buddha: If the student is ready, the master appears. #Buddha 

Good luck with mastering!


BTW: I remastered my album (10 100) 11 and it is available on Beatport.

                                                                                                        Where am I, now?

I'm typing on my iMac at the moment, so probably I am behind my screen. Yes. But, that was not the answer to my question. Where am I as a Producer and most important as a DJ?


If I'm honest towards myself, I haven't grown as a DJ the last year, if it comes to gigs. Problem! 

Houston, we have a problem. Did I grow as a DJ if it comes to mixing? Yes. If I listen to old mixes, I can conclude that I've grown. That's a good thing!

Around the year 2011, I fully decided to become a successful/professional DJ. This doesn't mean; I'm gonna be rich in terms of money, but to be able to make a living out of music.

What has happened? I've worked hard on it since 2011. Before, I also seriously worked on it. But the last two and a half year, I really worked seriously hard on it. I'm on the right path, but you have to keep on moving to keep your balance.

                                                                             Jssst - Balance (Play Me Album)

I was a Bedroom DJ / Producer and now I am a small DJ, producer, triple label owner, accountant, marketeer and a digital designer. Imagine you're running three labels, it takes a lot of time. But of course you get a lot of things back in return. And I'm not speaking in terms of money. I mean energy, knowledge and pleasure. That's quality time!

All my musical projects (producing, running a label, uploading mixes etc.) takes more than 40 hours a week and then it's only 20-30% on pure music. I mean producing and mixing. The rest of the time is spent behind the screen with thinking/working/branding/administration and so on. 

But, it works! Remember, it's a slow process. My views, listenings and sales are growing. As well as my discography, and fellow producers on my label. Released this year two albums and some singles and got a lot of future releases planned. 

But the number of gigs remains the same.. Let's grab this motherfucker and shake the devil out of it! Currently, I'm working on it.

Hope to be back soon on this topic, with some exciting news:-)

All the best and don't forget to live the dream.., instead of. Peace!

Jssst

Jssst is Picking 3 Candidates of the 'Next Generation Top DJ's' 

Who will be the #1 DJ  of 2020?? I've done some research and picked 3 talented guys out of the infinite pool of DJ's and Producers. Let's start! The first one is...:

JoeySuki

Real name: Probably Joey and a last name. Probably the same name as his father.

Year of Birth: 1988

Hometown: Tilburg, The Netherlands




Bio: 

It all started for Joeysuki in 2006 when he made is debut on the famous Dutch label Sneakerz, which got big support from DJ’s such as Erick E, Laidback Luke and Sidney Samson. He started in 2007 with producing and got his first releases in 2008. He has done some international tours the last years and is ready to take over the world.

The next candidate for one of future top DJ's  is:

3LAU

Real name: Justin Blau 

Year of Birth: 1991

Hometown: Las Vegas, United States

Bio: 

Justin 3LAU is a musician and producer known primarily for his bootlegs and remixes.
Currently 21 years old, 3LAU began writing at the piano at the young age of four. After picking up guitar, drums, and discovering his voice, it was inevitable that 3LAU would tackle the studio.
While studying Finance at Washington University In St. Louis, 3LAU began to explore dance music in the spring of 2011, quickly developing a dedicated following for his fusion of familiar acapellas with instrumental bangers.
With just a year under his belt, 3LAU has received acclaim from Tiesto, R3hab, Porter Robinson and more. 
2013 is the year he released some tracks on Revealed Recordings, Hardwell's label. Keep an eye on him, he is going like a rocket!

Last, but defo not least:


Julian Jordan

Real name: Jordan Julian (I guess;-)

Year of Birth: 1997

Hometown: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Bio: 

A 16 year old hyper talented Dance Music producer. Recognized by Spinnin' Records as a rare talent at his age, they were keen to release his debut 'Rock Steady' and got picked up by all the Top DJ's right away. After that the massive Oxford followed, a collab with TV Noise. Then Julian took it to a next level, releasing club smasher Kangaroo which he created with no ne other than Sander van Doorn,. And Sander van Doorn, Nicky Romero, Hardwell, Thomas Gold and Diplo are just a handful of DJs currently hammering Julian Jordan's records in the clubs. With this much commotion already being stirred up, we see a bright future ahead and suspect it won't be long before Julian Jordan is a household name. At the moment he's touring around the globe. Keep an eye on this youngster as well!

These are three guys that are high potentials to rule the DJ scene within a couple of years. I wish them good luck and a lot of fun! Will see if they are really in the top 10 of DJ Mag within a couple of years. 

Am I able to predict the future or just an element in the chain of self fulfilling prophecies?

Peace, Jssst

  

One of the leading artists of Jssst Records actually has got a name, it is Noise Vector. He released two tracks on the label and makes really nice Techno. In addition to a lot of producers nowadays, he is still using hardware synths and drum computers. He's got a passion for that. Let's have a conversation with him. Where does he come from and who are his his inspirations?





Real Name: Daniel van Els

Artist Name: Noise Vector ( AKA: DJ Tremor / Dusp2k )

Place of Birth: Kerkrade, The Netherlands.



Jssst: Hi Daniel, nice to have an interview with you. Currently you have released two tracks on the label 'Jssst Records' and both are in the top 10 Beatport Chart of the label. How did you do it and what's your main style?

Noise Vector: I like Detroit/Birmingham/Dub and Tribal Techno. Also Deep house and Chicago. But most important is that it has to sound well, then the genre doesn't matter. 


Jssst: Can you give me some artists that you like?

Noise Vector: I like the 90's. Dave Clarke, Joey Beltram and Jeff Mills for example. Steve Stoll, Luke Slater, Steve Rachmad and Michel de Hey as well. But the list goes on. Also some harder stuff like Chris Liebing, Ben Sims, Gaetano Parisio, Shufflemaster etc. I like it a lot!


Jssst: Can you give me some labels, besides Jssst Records of course, that you do respect?

Noise Vector: I like Reload, Musicman, BUSH, Tresor, Drumcode, Primevil, Hydraulix, 100% Pure, R&S, Nervous, Strictly Rhythm, Groove On and the list goes on. Too many to mention here, but these are very important to me.


Jssst: Where does it all come from, how did you get involved with music?

Noise Vector: I started at a pretty young age. I think I was twelve when I started to experiment in Screamtracker. Beside that I also started to play Vinyl. Until 2008 I didn't do quite a lot with music because I didn't have the money and the time to work on it. But in 2008, I became obsessed again with music via Youtube. I met Simon Stokes (http://www.youtube.com/user/siedgey)  via the internet and started to produce music again. I also started to build my own studio. 
  

                                                                                                            Simon Stokes

Jssst: Alright, is there anything more you want to tell me?

Noise Vector: I'd like to tell tell that the real medium for music is and will be vinyl. That's the real thing!


Jssst: Okay, but we are a digital label;-) No, we do like vinyl as well! Thank you for having a nice chat with you and I wish you good luck and hope that you will release more tracks in the future on the label and last but not least have fun!


Noise Vector: Thank you, it was a pleasure. Cheers!
Jssst: Cheers!

    

                                                                           Noise Vector - Decompressed (Jssst Records)           

                                                                                              Download available here.

Hey yo, we're back again! New life, new start! We all have grown a lil bit further… I hope so. I think Spring is really one of the best seasons. Actually every season can be pretty cool or hot, if you prefer? But, Spring is magic! Maybe it's about the transition. Like a DJ who's spinning tracks. Song are important but the transitions may be more important.

If I'm talking about transitions, I immediately think of one track and that isn't a techno tune. But this one is not between two different tracks, but it in the track itself. There are of course transitions in the song as well as you might know.  I mean a song written by John Frusciante and Anthony Kiedis.  In that song there's one magical transition. Here's the track: 

Do you know what I had in mind?

It's about 2 minutes and 42 seconds. Truly Magic!! in my opinion... Yeah I like that one!! 

Now we have Spring! One of the best memories I've had regarding Spring and a brand new track where renewal is the right word. A track written by Burial and he has reinvented himself very clearly that season, okay with some help of Four Tet (Great producer as well). Also the title tells the story: Nova aka New. Great track:

Really love this one! Enjoy the season. It is the best one. Okay, maybe it is more about the transition...


Peace,
Jssst 



Btw, my new album is now in stores! I called her 'White' and the first track is… of course 'Spring'. 

Enjoy!