If you want to (re)listen, just click on the mix in your iPhone.
Are you into cheesy Christmas songs? 🧀
Or you like a modern twist but keep it traditional? 🎄
Maybe you have your own crazy Christmas style? 😜
It doesn’t matter, we want to hear ALL your festive mixes! We will share the best ones with the world & feature them in the app.
Add #mixmas2017 in the title or description, so Santa can find your mix on his iPhone. 🎅
Click here for some inspiration: http://bit.ly/mixmas2017
Legendary Italo-Canadian DJ/producer John Acquaviva has been behind the decks and music scene for decades now. Having amassed one of the greatest collections of vinyl as well as at the bleeding edge of technology having introduced Final Scratch and Beatport to the world. With his latest Pacemaker mixtape the techno pioneer returns to some of his favourite club tunes from the glorious 80’s with thick slabs of soul, disco and funk.
You can see the master in action both speaking and performing at Slush Music in Helsinki this coming week along with Solidaritet in Stockholm, Sweden (Dec 1) and One Twenty Stars LTD in Tampere, Finland (Dec 2).
Where in the world do you live?
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area home of some of the BEST DJ’s in the world!
How did you discover Pacemaker?
I used to play around with different DJ apps, my favorites were the mashup music ones. So about this time last year I was randomly searching for a DJ/mashup app and saw Pacemaker, downloaded it and have been hooked ever since!
What is your favourite thing about Pacemaker?
I LOVE the Pacemaker community! I try to spread love to everyone I can, new or experienced users. We’re all in here cuz we LOVE music and enjoy mixing it!
Name one of your most favourite mixes from another user on Pacemaker.
My favorite mix from another Pacemaker is Groovin House by @stanfitz! He’s the “House” master at Pacemaker IMO! His house blends are smooth and his transitions are on point, I can tell he’s been doing this for a long time, LOVE the playlist on his mixes. So I look forward to whenever he drops his mixtapes!
If you could pick just one favourite user in the Pacemaker community, who would that be?
My favorite Pacemaker person is @stanfitz! We both have different styles, he’s Ying and I’m Yang, I’m very hyped, he’s very mellow! We should combine on a mix that would be fun!
How do you usually discover music, what are your favourite sources?
LOL not gonna reveal all my secrets, but one of my favorite shows right now is Insecure on HBO and I’ll have my Shazam app so that I can Shazam their show soundtrack. They have the best show playlist and it ranges from the most ratchet song to the most soulful song, I love it!
How much time do you usually spend on creating a mixtape?
It varies…I have a bunch of mixes that I have saved or projects that I published and want to pull back to remix. So I’ll build my mix until it’s perfect to me, it can take an hour to a whole week or month just piecing it together. I look at Pacemaker like it’s a puzzle, you want to piece tracks together so they flow right together. It’s all about the vibes!
We only see a username and sometimes a picture when it comes to users. Who is behind your username?
One of my favorite albums of all time is iLLmatic, my first name is Santino so I combined the 2. So in high school I was putting these mixtapes together for my friends or for parties I’d have iLLTiNo all over those mixtapes. I’ve always been a fan of mixtapes too so I used to have stacks of mixtapes of all types, hood mixtapes to baby making R&B mixtapes. I was everyone’s go-to source for what was new out at the time, I still am!
What do you do when not mixing on Pacemaker?
I have a tech job so I’m dead tired by the time I get home. So it’s kind of therapeutic to come back home, throw on my headphones and zone out to make mixes on Pacemaker.
Did Pacemaker change the way you’re listening to music? If so, in what sense?
Being in the Pacemaker community you get influenced by everyone’s different style in music. So many vibes to choose from, I love it! I have different projects I’m working on so I’ll be inspired by what I’m listening to in the Pacemaker community. I find myself studying other DJ’s style a lot more, I’m a student of the game. I start to see music in waveforms thanks to Pacemaker lol!
Have you had any DJ experiences before joining Pacemaker?
In high school I had my Technics 1200, at the time I was big into the turntabalist style so scratching and beat juggling like DJ Qbert. And like I said I was putting all these mixtapes together and DJ’ing parties with the homies. When I got into college I was focused more on promoting parties behind the club scenes work.
Are you making music yourself in any way?
Not currently producing anything at the moment, but used to make beats and mixtapes back in the day. Speaking of which I need to dig up my old material (there’s some tracks I’ve rapped on lol).
Name 3 of your current favourite artists.
I’m a big Diplo fan and the Mad Decent crew they got so much energy I dig that, and the variety of music that’s on the label they really got some great music coming from them. I think Kendrick Lamar is the best rapper alive right now he’s definitely reppin Cali right now. And Anderson.Paak he’s so dope, feelin the jazzy R&B style he puts out.
Name one of your own mixes that you’re the most proud of.
Definitely my Trapmaker Plus mix! My mixes before that we’re around an hour, but for Trapmaker I wanted to condense it down and remix my favorite hip hop tracks over house beats. I get inspired by the Pacemaker community, it’s a mashup of everyone’s style!
Who would you like to see posting a mixtape on Pacemaker?
Diplo and Mad Decent on Pacemaker… that would be DOPE!!
Name one friend who should be on Pacemaker but isn’t.
Aww wish I could get my HYPHY party crew to join some have but they’re not as consistent as I am.
Is there a question you always wanted to ask from a Pacemaker user but you never did?
Hey @stanfitz where do you collect your house tracks from? Nevermind, surprise me bro!
Please tell us a bit about yourself, who you are, what you do, where you’re coming from.
Since over a decade I have been looking to express myself through electronic music. I’ve been doing this in my hometown of Stockholm, Sweden which has resulted in a members only underground club called The Office, a record label called Krasch Records and another label called Trouble In Paradise (co-run together with Henrik Bergqvist).
I’ve also spent a lot of time and money on and with records…
When and how did you get interested in music?
My childhood friend Gustaf showed me House music once at his mother’s apartment. He’s the one who opened the doors for me.
Do you remember your first revelation when it comes to music?
Walking up the stairs at Berghain and hearing Marcel Dettmann for the first time. This was in August 2008 and also with Gustaf.
You’ve been active in the Stockholm scene for quite a while. How do you think it has changed in the last years?
A lot really. I guess I’ve changed a lot myself so my perspective has also changed, but I think that right now is an interesting time. A lot of clubs have closed their doors and there seem to be some sort of purge going on at the local police station: they are cracking down on members only events and club nights. There are also places opening and staff changes at existing places too.
I think something big is happening and I’m both excited and curious in what that is exactly…
Selecting great music takes a lot of time and energy – where do you discover music these days when the possibilities are endless and it feels like there’s more and more new music coming each day?
Since the beginning of discovering my own taste in music, I have gathered a list of over 10.000 records from which I go through and purchase from. So when I for instance have a gig coming up, I spend about 100+ euros on records each month and I buy specific records for that gig as well as having boundaries that I follow when deciding on which to buy.
Very few of these records are new to be honest, but I do buy a few new ones from time to time. I also have a very keen eye on the digital side so I purchase a lot of one-off tracks from albums, EP’s and compilations. Stuff that I don’t feel I need the full 12” record of.
Congratulations on your latest EP ‘A New Hope’. Quite a big deal to be releasing on Marcel Dettmann’s own label. How did that come through and how’s the feedback so far?
We have talked about it for a few years and finally we decided now is the time. So as an idea it has been with me and Marcel for a very long time. I am so happy to have completed it and I’ve heard great things about it.
For me I am happy to be able to contribute to Marcel’s label and be a part of his journey. People seem to like it which makes me very happy too.
Who is/are your biggest inspiration(s) at the moment and why?
Marcel Dettmann has been and is the biggest inspiration for me. Every time I get a bit lost in music, I can have a closer look on what he is doing and get inspired. My fiancée Hanna is also one of my biggest inspirations. She is a very solid guide and inspiration in all aspects in my life too.
I am inspired by a lot of sounds and music in general right now as I am producing a lot for the moment. I am working on material for my upcoming record on Krasch as well as a few other things 😉
If you could swap bodies with someone for a weekend, whose skin would you like to sneak in?
I guess this is a music related question, so my answer is Jeff Mills back in the 90’s. I’d like to understand how he managed to produce all this extremely good music in such a short period of time and most importantly: how did he produce the music?
How do you listen to music most of the time? Do you buy records or do you prefer the digital streaming nowadays?
At home I usually put on a record to listen to but I also use Spotify for general listening. At my day job I listen to a lot of classic stuff from the 80’s as well as EBM, industrial and ambient etc… I have a firm divide between my dj-self and my day-to-day-listening-self… if that makes sense to you?!
If you could take 3 records with you to a deserted island, which ones would they be?
Oh, wow that is a really tough question… I can’t really answer that honestly since I don’t know. I’d be missing one record over another and so on… I guess I am a bit “damaged” from djing, haha.
What’s your favourite place in the world?
I work a full time day job and play a lot of records or make a lot of music during the weekends, so that special moment when I have some time together with my family and close friends; I get reminded of how lucky I am to be able to do what I love and being surrounded by all these great people… that is my favorite place in the world.
I also still love going to Berghain!
What do you do when you’re not making music or DJing?
I am soon to be a father so my total focus is on that right now.
Please tell us a bit about the selection for your first Pacemaker mixtape.
I wanted to experiment with the app and see what I could come up with. The limitations for me was what material I could find on Spotify. My aim was to create a current mix with the app.
UK-based Label Worx are back with an uncompromising, heavyweight techno mixtape. Featuring some proper warehouse anthems, this selection is a gold mine with lots of underground gems to discover. More than two hours of seriously intensive techno business with raw, heavy drum grooves and basslines. Ready to jump into the darkest corners of electronic music?
Fans of all music genres should check out @powertothefish’s latest sound bouquet, because it basically contains everything you can imagine. Everything. From abstract trap music through bass, techno and electro to the most underground and obscure hip-hop gems. An impeccable and crazy mixture!
@iva9 has proven himself to be a deep house aficionado, finding lots of like-minded followers in the Pacemaker community. For his latest mix he’s picked tracks from Enormous Tunes, the amazing Swiss house music label. In this soothing selection you can find gems by Nora En Pure, Sons of Maria and Croatia Squad.
You’ve recently finished your North American Redemption Tour, how did it go?
Everything went well. We curated a stadium show in small venues, it worked out amazing. Each city brought its own flavour!
‘Redemption’ was the final chapter in The Heart Trilogy. How did it feel to close this circle
It felt like taking a large exhale. I did what I said I would do and with no major machinery. I’m proud of that.
What are you working on currently?
I already have a new album on the way as well as some creative and tech business endeavours.
You came a really long way from working with P. Diddy in Danity Kane to collaborating with Machinedrum in your latest releases. How is your audience keeping up with you?
I have an amazing movement that is open to evolution and transformation. It’s who I am as an artist and I’m grateful they rock with me!
Going independent after topping the Billboard is definitely a ballsy move. What do you think, after trying out both sides, are the biggest challenges and benefits of having control over all the aspects of your work?
I like both sides, I appreciate being my own boss though. I like to have creative freedom to not only perform but work in design, animation, tech and film.
Do you have a dream collaboration you would like to make it happen?
Hans Zimmer would be a dream. I’d like to collab on scoring an independent film.
We will also soon be able to see you on the silver screen as the main lead in Jean-Claude La Marre’s ‘Kinky’. How did you end up in this role and how did you enjoy yourself in this new challenge?
I wanted to try something out of my comfort zone. This was an opportunity to do that.
How do you relax when you’re not doing anything music-related?
I’m always working. Always!
You were born in New Orleans and you’re currently living in Los Angeles. Is there anything you miss from home sometimes?
I miss everything about New Orleans. LA and NOLA are two completely different waves. LA is my work home, NOLA is my soul home.
What are your favourite spots in LA?
Love The Broad, The Last Bookstore and Real Food Daily.
How does a regular day of yours look like when you’re not touring?
Designing set designs, animating for my series, djing for my NTS radio show and yoga if I have the time.
How do you discover new music nowadays? Do you buy records or you prefer digital formats and streaming?
I still buy records, I’m in love with the vinyl sound.
Name 3 artists whose sound you really like at the moment.
Afefe Iku, Kaytranada, Sampha.
Tell us a bit about the selection in your latest Pacemaker mixtape ‘NewSchool’.
I wanted to show love to the different females killing the game. Some indie, some major, all needed.
You’ve been playing around quite a bit with Pacemaker. What do you like the most about the app, what are your favourite features and what would you like to improve?
I love the mixing options! I love that it gives you references on what compliments your picks. I’d love to be able to speed and slow tracks down in the app, really hoping that can be added! 🙂
Ever wondered who your Pacemaker friends really were? Where do they live, what do they do when they are not busy creating amazing mixtapes? Well, it’s time to get to know them a bit better! To break the ice, we spoke to everyone’s favourite @joebrokken. Read our chat & play his latest mixtape, where vaporwave meets Jimi Hendrix and experimental electronica is the new funk!
We just can’t get enough of @stevemodz’s heated tech and deep house selections. Expect the unexpected, effortless transitions and some of the hottest vibes with Hot Since 82, Sonny Fodera, Lupe Fuentes etc. Play this at your house party for maximum satisfaction!
@gbread’s first Pacemaker+ mixtape totally deserves a spot in this week’s best of the best. Just like your favourite double shot espresso – it’s hot and simmering, packed with super energetic bass & tech house grooves, deep bangers and a blast of club-ready beats.
Where in the world do you live?
I live in Seattle, Washington USA.
We only see a username and sometimes a picture when it comes to users. Who is behind your username?
Oh, well I’m a music lover, a husband, a pet owner, and a designer.
How did you discover Pacemaker?
I downloaded Pacemaker two years ago when it was first featured in the iOS App Store.
What is your favourite thing about Pacemaker?
I love that Pacemaker keeps getting better and more fun to use, but my favorite thing about the app is the community of music lovers it has created. I am connected with musical friends all around the world and I love that. Pacemaker has created a social network where people are smart, kind, and sharing ideas – it’s so cool!
What would you improve in the app?
I’d like to see some more advanced info about the tracks I’m mixing. Pacemaker does a lot of heavy lifting for me when it comes to matching tracks, but I would like to see the key signature of each track any way. It would help me find songs that go together even though they may have a different BPM.
If you could pick just one favourite user in the Pacemaker community, who would that be?
I would have to say every user I’ve had a dialogue with. The people who are engaging and want to have a conversation about music like tefoden, provocateur, proudspark, capturingphi, stanfitz, jonas and many many more keep me going and make it fun to share.
Name one of your most favourite mixes from another user on Pacemaker.
Every once in a while a mix drops that is so fresh and new everyone else wants to take a crack at it. I remember when tefoden dropped NOISE // RNB // NOISE, everyone was like, WOW what is that? That mix taught me a lot about contrasting sounds and the importance of having contrast in a mix. Yes, we want smooth seamless transitions but not at the cost of sounding boring. So for the next few mixes I played with the idea of contrast and I noticed this theme popping up in mixes from other friends on Pacemaker. It was like everyone went up a level together by listening and collaborating with each other.
How do you usually discover music, what are your favourite sources?
Our local alt-radio station KEXP states that most people find their “type” of music in their early 20’s and stick with it for the rest of their life. KEXP is on a mission to undo all of that. They want to create a scene where people discover and love new types of music for a lifetime. I couldn’t agree more with that mission. I am always digging around on record store blogs and meandering down algorithmic paths on Spotify to find artists I’ve never heard of. Pacemaker makes it really easy to find new music because people with great taste from around the world are always dropping mixes with artists I’ve never heard of.
How much time do you usually spend on creating a mixtape?
Some flow right through me in a couple of hours, while others take weeks and lots of research. It’s hard to say.
What do you do when not mixing on Pacemaker?
I’m into the local music scene here quite a bit. I went to the Flaming Lips, Mark Farina, Fleet Foxes, and Father John Misty recently. It was like a DIY music festival. When I’m not getting down with my bad self on the dance floor I like to go outside and have fun in the fresh air.
Did Pacemaker change the way you’re listening to music? If so, in what sense?
Pacemaker taught me how to choose just the right thing to listen to. I didn’t know that I had good taste in music until I saw other people who I greatly respect commenting and enjoying my mixes. Just a few weeks ago it dawned on me that OMG I have good taste in music.
Have you had any DJ experiences before joining Pacemaker?
Nope.
Are you making music yourself in any way?
I am a pianist first and a drummer second, I like making tracks on my computer. But more than anything I’m enjoying Pacemaker as a musical outlet these days.
Name 3 of your current favourite artists.
Bicep, Svarte Greiner, and JD Emanuel.
Who would you like to see posting a mixtape on Pacemaker?
LAUREL HALO!!!
Name one of your own mixes that you’re the most proud of.
I’ve been putting these meditation mixes together for a while now, and when I’m working on one I can feel the music coming through me. It is one of the purest expressions of self that I have found and I’m always surprised when other people like them. For me it is really hard to mix popular music because I like to live on the fringe. So I have to say that I am most proud of Headphones and Chill #3, It should be called Netflix and Chill because that mix is sexy. I took a crack at really mixing some popular music and making something new with it. I pulled all the stops and used everything I’ve learned about mixing to create the smoothest sexiest mix possible. Everyone I play it for remembers that mix and says oh, you have really good taste in music, what was that?
Name one friend who should be on Pacemaker but isn’t.
Octoclops – you know who you are buddy.
Is there a question you always wanted to ask from a Pacemaker user but you never did? Ask away!
@provocateur: what planet did you come from and can I party there?
You moved to New York from Dublin, Ireland in the 90s. How did you get interested in music as a kid? Do you remember a moment, event or artist that later shaped your music taste?
I started listening to music at the age of 4 and 5. I had a small transistor radio and I used to find AM rock n’ roll stations and dance on my bed. Some of my first loves were The Police, The Beatles and David Bowie. By age 8 or 9 all I would listen to was Bowie.
How was the music scene in Dublin back in the days?
It was always pretty good. A lot of people played instruments and played in bands and there was a good used vinyl scene, especially this one store called Macs (owned by an old queen called Mac). I discovered a lot of music there. Everything was very acoustic and guitar driven in Dublin in the eighties. When I was very young The Boomtown Rats were the hot Dublin band then U2, who I never liked, and later bands like The Hothouse Flowers and The Waterboys (even though they were Scottish). Van Morrison and Thin Lizzy were always seen as the great Irish artist by most of the people I knew. I got heavily into The Velvet Underground while most people’s lives around me were ruled by The Smiths and The Cure. I also liked synth pop stuff and was a very big New Order fan. When dance music started to hit in the late eighties and the rave scene started it totally revolutionized Dublin nightlife and youth society.
How did you find the NY scene after moving there from Dublin? What would you recall as the biggest difference between them?
When I first moved there in 1994 I actually found the NY music scene a bit behind what was going on in Europe, especially for DJ music and everyone was still stuck in this New York / CBGBs nostalgia and still listening to grunge. It was a bit lame. The hip hop scene was very alive, obviously, but those clubs were not always the most inviting. For me it was an era for learning about music and that is when I started DJing.
In 1998, you’ve founded Plant Music, a 12” label and later you’ve teamed up with club and radio DJ Stretch Armstrong. You’ve been releasing the music of Kasper Bjørke, Ian Pooley and Eli Escobar just to mention a few… The label has slowed down a bit in recent years, what are you currently focusing on when it comes to the curation?
I originally started the label with Marcus Lambkin and then later Stretch became my partner. The label started slowing down when I started working full time as an A&R at Kobalt Music Publishing and Stretch also started to work on his documentary. I still release music on Plant but a lot less often.
Your first Pacemaker mixtape is dedicated to the Plant Bar era that was a vital and defining period in your life. Could you tell us a bit about “the coolest and loudest club in NYC”?
I made the mix after reading ‘Meet Me In The Bathroom’ by Lizzy Goodman. It is an oral history of NYC music scene in the 2000s. It made me nostalgic about that era and all those good times at Plant Bar. It’s was tiny bar in Alphabet City that was open from 1999 to 2004 which was a very fun time in NYC. We used to DJ there and it became an important music hub for people into dance music and other indie leaning music.
Marcus Lambkin (Shit Robot), your fellow Irishman has also been living in New York at the time. He was the one who’s introduced James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem, DFA) to dance music. It sounds like these crazy parties at Plant were quite determining nights.
Yes we had some great parties there. When James started DJing he would come and play with Marcus and I on Fridays at Plant and we called those nights Shit Robot, that’s where Marcus got his artist name (coined by James, of course). They were fun because we would not just play dance music, we would mix it up, classic rock, disco, a little bit of everything. The soundsystem was great too, James designed it for us.
Plant Bar was forced to close in 2003. What was the reason behind this decision?
We were shut down for cabaret law violations (dancing). It’s illegal to dance in a bar in NYC without a cabaret license. The law has existed since 1926 and may soon be repealed.
Currently you’re Senior Creative Director at Kobalt Music in New York. You’ve signed and been working together with an impressive roster of talent including Zhu, Todd Terje, Toro Y Moi, Chromatics, Glass Candy… what do you find the most rewarding part of your job?
Working with great music and great artists and being part of such a future leaning company. And not having to stay up until 5am every night.
How about the most challenging part?
Not having the time to focus on DJing and creating music but I do feel it’s important to let the next generation make their mark. It’s their time now.
What would your advice be to young producers and DJs who want to make it in nowadays music industry?
Make the best music you possibly can, be original, be influenced by older artists, not your contemporaries.
How do you discover new music nowadays? Do you buy records or you prefer digital formats and streaming? What are your most trusted sources?
Spotify mostly. I only listen to vinyl at home though, but that is mostly older music. For new music it’s mostly Spotify, and recommendations from friends.
Name 3 artists whose sound you really like at the moment.
– Monika (Greek disco / indie artist)
– Eden (Irish pop / r&b artist)
– The Lemon Twigs (NY glam rock band)
How did you discover the Pacemaker app?
A friend introduced me to it.
Please tell us a bit about your experiences with Pacemaker for iPhone and Pacemaker+. How do you like the app, what are your favourite features and what would you like to improve?
I like that you can pull songs from Spotify and make your mix over time, a little bit one day, a little bit on another. I would love to be able to place the next song more easily right on the beat, sometimes that is difficult. I would also love to be able to host the mixes on Spotify, where everyone I know listens. Maybe soon?
