Intro to Ableton Lab: Drum Programming and Arrangement

Who they are

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  JP Solis

  New York City · 48 bookings since Aug 2023

  ““I cut my teeth playing downtown clubs six nights a week, and spent most of my high school years dancing in the club - particularly the one on West 27th Street."”

  their own biography

  the whole biography

  “I cut my teeth playing downtown clubs six nights a week, and spent most of my high school years dancing in the club - particularly the one on West 27th Street." His guidance counselor was a club promoter. And that’s how he got his first DJ gig and had them all dancing to Sandy B “You Make The World Go Round (Deep Dish Remix)” by 12:30am. “...on like Houston and 2nd Ave or something. I got paid 50 bucks that night, spent it all on records, and never looked back” In fact, he spent so much time at the record store he ended up becoming an employee. Even if it meant working from 1AM-9AM. “I mean nobody was willing to work from 1AM to 9AM, so I immediately stepped up to the plate" JP worked from 1AM-9AM three nights a week, going through all the new records that were coming in from all over the world. “It was the best education ever. I learned to pick up on the nuances of different types of electronic music and got to know the best producers and labels." 3 nights a week soon turned into 3 nights + weekends working at the retail storefront in Soho. And “that’s where I learned how to ride the pitch control on a turntable.” He was surrounded by some of the best DJ’s in the city and Satellite Records at the time was the leading retailer in dance music so "we literally had everybody in there from Kevin Saunderson and Francois K down...” “My co-worker Christian was in the movie KIDS. Andy worked for Junior. Moises worked for MAW. Premo was with Subliminal. etc etc” And that foundation has led to a storyful career working as a DJ, company founder, and “A&R” in New York City. In summary: JP was hired by Ultra Records’ Head of A&R, David Waxman, as Assistant Music Director at Manhattan’s last "great" superclub, Crobar - where Frankie Knuckles played opening night. The role offered him a front-row seat, regularly interacting and working alongside NYC nightlife legends such as Body & Soul co-founder John Davis, Bill Spector, Johnny Dynell, NYC Club Kid Kenny Kenny, and Sophia Lamar, through which he absorbed NYC clubbing history and the songs that soundtracked it. “This was during the Mark Ronson/DJ AM era. And it’s how I learned to play a proper "mash up" DJ set. By watching them from behind the DJ booth and observing the crowd react to rapid fire mixes of songs you didn't think would work together. They were switching songs so fast and going through their record bags, flipping through records like clockwork; and every 'big' DJ in New York was up in that booth watching their every move...it was the best education ever. It was a fairly novel concept at the time, the whole mash up/open format thing. Most of us came up in a culture where the "2 minute transition" was the standard. It was like a rite of passage to be able to hold a mix on vinyl for 2 minutes. And if you could ride the pitch control on a turntable and not touch the platter...that's like the equivalent of being a master chef lmao I learned to play a big Phazon soundsystem for like a thousand people regularly. Next to me in the booth was our lighting tech Mike D who worked at legendary NYC spots like Palladium, Tunnel, and Twilo/Sound Factory. And at the end of my sets he would always give me feedback. 'you're giving it all away too soon!! take your time, build a groove, then drop the big record.' The advice makes perfect sense coming from a guy who typically worked alongside DJ's that played for 12 hours straight. It was all about building a groove and setting up massive crescendoes. And also watching Steve Dash (Phazon) tune the room with a calibration mic in the center of the dance floor has since led to a lifelong passion for sound quality." When the EDM explosion hit, JP was at the forefront as Music Director at Manhattan "hotspot" Riff Raff’s. But he wasn’t just chasing big drops - JP was also laying the foundation for the next generation of talent. Inspired by nights at Cielo, where the Funktion-One sound system was king, JP ideated Dubspot, a pioneering DJ and music production school, after being prodded by his boss who encouraged him to share his knowledge and skills with others. “We were the first Ableton Certified Training Center in North America,” he says. “We had partnerships with Pioneer, Ableton, Serato, and even had Louie Vega play our launch party.” Following his time at Dubspot, JP built a club-like studio to teach aspiring artists. “We wanted to replicate that feeling of being on the dancefloor, so we put fully lit LED floors and a Funktion One Soundsytem in there... just to teach DJ'ing and provide a sense of realism to the whole thing.” he explains. Always ahead of the curve, JP launched NOISE212, a livestream DJ mix series that became a staple in the underground scene. “We documented Jersey Club with DJ Sliink, Ballroom with MikeQ, and Trap with Baauer before ‘Harlem Shake’ blew up,” he notes. The series evolved into the event brand Night Vision, hosting Disclosure's first club appearance at Le Bain, Duke Dumont, and even A$AP Rocky at some of their first NYC appearances. “ …and supporting budding DJ-duo Musclecars early on, hosting their first-ever DJ set at a downtown location and first-ever livestream happening at JP’s studio. From West 27th St. to venues big and small, JP’s career has been a masterclass in reinvention, passion, and the relentless pursuit of mastery at one's craft. “It all started with a $50 gig,” he muses.  Over the years, he’s delved deep into the art and science of mixing and mastering, carving out a niche in the world of professional sound engineering.  And it’s not just any credits he’s racked up; JP’s talent has landed him engineering gigs for cinematic heavyweights such as Spike Lee, in addition to assisting in studio sessions with dance music legends such as Louie Vega, David Morales, Robert Hood/Floorplan, and Barbara Tucker. “This wasn’t something I planned,” JP shares, “but I’ve always been obsessed with sound quality. Whether it’s a club mix or a film score, the principles are the same - you’re shaping emotion through sound.”
  SoundCloud ↗Bandcamp ↗
  Tech House on 2 and House on 1. styles on their catalogued releases

  Last at Nowadays in Aug

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  The New York Record Club for The Advancement of The Arts

  New York City · 48 bookings since Aug 2023

  “The New York Record Club for the Advancement of the Arts”

  their own biography

  Last at Nowadays in Aug