It was recently announced that third-party DJ applications will no longer have access to music via Spotify. This decision will affect Pacemaker but we’re working on bringing music directly to the app via our own licenses, making the Pacemaker experience better than ever.
Pacemaker was the first DJ app to partner with Spotify when we launched Pacemaker for iPad back in February 2014. Since then we put millions of tracks at the fingertips of users, removing another big barrier and making it possible for more people to experience the joys of djing – creating hundreds of thousands of DJ mixes in the process.
Spotify has been a great partner and we’re saddened by the news, but we of course respect their business decision.
For a long time we’ve been looking at how to bring the Pacemaker experience to more users, and it’s now clear that the only viable way forward is by licensing music directly into Pacemaker. We haven’t started music licensing before now as it is a daunting task for even the most well versed and something that needs absolute commitment, but we’ve now been given the perfect reason to do so!
We’re working on licensing a deep catalogue based on the tracks that are used in Pacemaker mixtapes. This will ensure that the majority of the hundreds of thousands of mixtapes in Pacemaker that our users have invested so much time and energy into will continue to work. There will be a few tracks missing occasionally, but should this happen, our AI will step in and mix the neighbouring tracks together, smoothing the experience. And we’re going to continue our licensing efforts, filling the gaps.
When crafting new mixtapes or listening to existing ones, no music streaming service will be required. Instead everybody will be able to listen to or create mixes based on the millions of tracks that we’re licensing, as long as they’re either a Pacemaker+ subscriber or using a free trial.
If you’re a Spotify user, you’ll still be able to sync your playlists to Pacemaker so that you can easily mix with the music you love. For Apple Music users, we plan to add support for you too, matching your playlists to our catalogue – with the possibility for us to add more services after launch.
We’re still working on the finer details so stay tuned for more information.
Say hello to Pacemaker’s new Community Manager: Phillip, who had a chat with Emőke to introduce himself. Meet your new best friend in the app – the amazing @phillip!
@phillip
Hey Phillip! Everyone is super excited to find out more about Pacemaker’s new Community Manager! Please tell us a bit about yourself, who is Phillip?
Thanks for the warm welcome Emőke! Back in 2008 I discovered Pacemaker when the company Tonium originally launched the Pacemaker Device, a handheld DJ device that let you mix music on the move. It was so unique, there was nothing else like it at the time. I love the original device and still use it today. At the time of course, I had no-idea that this device would lead to me eventually working for Pacemaker, but over the years I gradually met members of the Pacemaker team.
You’re no stranger to the community, since you’ve been already working with us behind the scenes…
That’s right. Since 2013 I’ve worked as a customer support assistant for Pacemaker, therefore it’s possible if you’ve emailed or tweeted us (@Pacemaker) with a technical question then we might have already spoken. Some members of the Pacemaker community might also recognise me helping out with testing in our Pacemaker Beta program.
What are you most excited about in your new role as Community Manager?
From helping with customer support, I know the Pacemaker community has always had some really talented and really passionate people within it and I’m really excited to meet more of these people in this new role. You’ve certainly made a lasting impact on the Pacemaker community Emőke, so I’m sure I’ve got a lot to live up to!
What do you do in your spare time outside of working for Pacemaker?
I love music and performing as a mobile DJ in my local area is something I’ve done for a number of years. As well as this I’ve helped out behind the scenes at a number of festivals and events, usually operating lights and sound equipment. Pacemaker is such an awesome company to work for because of all the new music you can discover on a daily basis.
What kind of music do you prefer and what kind of mixes can the community expect from you in the future?
I genuinely love listening to a range of different genres of music and having performed at weddings and private parties it’s great to be able to switch up the mood of a party by playing everything from 80’s disco to the latest House and RnB. Hopefully the community will see this in my mixes. If I had to pick a single genre or artist though, the genre would be House music. I might have a bit of an addiction to the duo known as Disclosure. I think I have seen them in concert about 3 times now. 🙈
What’s your favourite feature of the Pacemaker app?
I think the Pacemaker studio is awesome. Being able to zoom in and make manual adjustments to the transitions really allows for some serious creative possibilities. I can’t wait to share more mixes with the community like you’ve done Emőke.
You’ve also shared your very first mix as community manager in the app. What could you tell us about the selection?
That’s right! So with this first mix, my aim was to take you back on a musical journey through the years. I’ve tried to select some of my favourite tunes from each decade, starting with some 90’s classics and gradually bringing you back to the current day, perhaps with a few surprises on the way. 😛 Hopefully there’s something for everyone in there.
How many mixes can you create and share in one year? According to our Pacemaker users… never enough! We were curious to see who posted the most last year, so here comes the top 10. It’s still not too late to start sharing if you want to make it to the top this year! 😎
If you tap on their profile picture, you can listen to their latest mix.
We absolutely love it when the Pacemaker community has a lot to discuss. No matter if it’s just a supportive thought, an amazing transition or an outstanding track that needs to be complimented, comments are highly appreciated. Let’s see which 10 mixes sparked the most comments last year!
If you want to (re)listen, just click on the mix in your iPhone.
Curious which were the most popular mixes last year in Pacemaker? We’ve compiled the 10 most played mixes from 2017, check it out to see if you’ve made it to the top. 😎
If you want to (re)listen, just click on the mix in your iPhone.
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).
Most of our Pacemaker users are probably wondering on a daily basis… who is @illtino? How does he have time to make so many smashing mixtapes? How does he have the energy to support everyone with a nice compliment or constructive feedback? What’s his secret to be so awesome? We were super curious to find out more about one of our most hardcore users, so here comes the naked truth – @illtino: up close & personal!
illtino with his lovely wife, Marilou
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!
illtino = huge Golden State Warriors fan
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!
Label Worx are back with an uncompromising, heavyweight techno mixtape
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.
