Denon DJ Paul Oakenfold Laidback Luke Prime (3)
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VIP DJs jump aboard the good ship Denon DJ

VIP DJs jump aboard the good ship Denon DJ

Time has taught Denon DJ that just having great gear isn’t enough to win people’s hearts enough to get them to throw plastic at the screen. And they’ve had some tasty tech in recent years. But the ultimate crown of booth acceptance has eluded them for as long as I’ve been worxing. So how do you get the masses to accept your new shiny into their lives? One way is to get the VIP DJs who populate booths and festivals on a regular basis to give their seal of approval. If it’s good enough for your favourite DJ then it’s good enough for you right?

First out of the blocks is dance music pioneer Paul Oakenfold, who will be using the full menu of Denon DJ’s Prime range on his upcoming “Generations” tour:

 

DENON DJ TO POWER PAUL OAKENFOLD’S 2017 GENERATIONS TOUR 

World famous DJ/record producer is latest artist to come into the Denon DJ fold and embrace the innovation and standard-shattering performance of their all-new Prime Series gear.

Cumberland RI, USA (February 21, 2017)—Denon DJ (www.denondj.com), a leading manufacturer of premium DJ products and solutions, today announced that they would sponsor world-renowned DJ, Record Producer and industry influencer Paul Oakenfold’s 2017 “Generations Tour.”

Paul Oakenfold has joined forces with Denon DJ and changed his rider for their all-new, groundbreaking Prime Series, consisting of the SC5000 Prime media player, X1800 Prime club mixer and VL12 direct-drive professional DJ turntable.

Recognizing a critical need in the professional DJ space for equipment that delivers unprecedented levels of performance, ease of use, musical file organization and complete system synergy, Denon DJ’s Prime Series represents the future of the professional DJ experience. The Denon DJ Prime Series is comprised of three extraordinary new units:

  • The SC5000 professional media player with 7-inch multi-touch display, 24-bit audiophile sound, powered by Denon DJ’s incredible Engine Prime music management software
  • The X1800 Professional 4-channel club mixer with OLED screen, Sweep and BPM FX and LAN connectivity with multiple SC5000’s
  • The VL12 direct-drive professional DJ turntable, with heavy-duty all-metal construction, superior vibration isolation, RGB custom-controlled lighting and adjustable torque and pitch to fit any DJ style

Any one of these units by itself represents a performance and innovation breakthrough. Used together, they form a complete system that is unsurpassed in professional DJ excellence.

The Denon DJ Prime Series is a perfect match for the legendary performance, talent and accomplishments of Paul Oakenfold. For over three decades he has elevated and shaped the electronic music world and remains at the very pinnacle of the global music scene today. His most recent works have taken him from the DJ booth of the world’s hottest nightspots and festivals to the recording/producing studio, creating soundtracks for Hollywood blockbuster movies and hit tunes for today’s biggest music stars. His artistic diversity and wide-ranging ability have earned him accolades from critics and fans alike, garnering him several Grammy nominations and top rankings from his professional DJ peers.

He is about to embark on the latest of his remarkable, multi-country, several-month performance tours, called “The Generations World Tour.” The Tour begins on February 24th. Oakenfold will bring his unique brand of energy and excitement to many far-reaching locations, including multiple cities in the US and Europe, the Base Camp at Mt. Everest, Singapore and Nepal. The name Generations World Tour is quite appropriate and is befitting of an international performer of Mr. Oakenfold’s stature.

“We’re incredibly excited that Paul Oakenfold will be changing his rider for our Denon DJ Prime series, said Paul Dakeyne, Denon DJ Brand Manager. “This is equipment that reacts instantly to the demands of the creative professional and doesn’t slow them down. The Prime Series is like an extension of the artist. The combination of Paul Oakenfold and Denon DJ Prime will be something memorable to see and hear.”

U.S. retail pricing is as follows: SC5000—$1899, X1800—$1899 and VL12—$899. All three are available now.

For more info, visit www.denondj.com 

VIP DJs jump aboard the good ship Denon DJ

And then there’s Laidback Luke, a DJ Mag Top 100 regular and typical of today’s globally popular DJ. He’s come on board as not just as a DJ that will use Denon DJ gear, but also to help steer future product directions too:

VIP DJs jump aboard the good ship Denon DJ

DENON DJ ANNOUNCES LEADING DJ AND PRODUCER LAIDBACK LUKE AS BRAND AMBASSADOR & PRODUCT CONSULTANT OF PRIME SERIES

The legendary DJ & producer is latest artist to come into the Denon DJ fold and embrace the innovation and standard-shattering performance of their all-new Prime Series gear.

Cumberland RI, USA (February 15, 2017)—Denon DJ (www.denondj.com), a leading manufacturer of premium DJ products and solutions, today announced that world-renowned DJ, Record Producer and industry influencer Laidback Luke has joined forces with Denon DJ and changed his rider for their all- new, groundbreaking SC5000 Prime media player and X1800 Prime club mixer.

Recognizing a critical need in the professional DJ space for equipment that delivers unprecedented levels of performance, ease of use, musical file organization and complete system synergy, Denon DJ’s Prime Series units represent the future of the professional DJ experience.

  • The SC5000 professional media player with 7-inch multi-touch display, outstanding creative performance capabilities, 24-bit audiophile sound, powered by Denon DJ’s incredible Engine Prime music management software
  • The X1800 Professional 4-channel club mixer with OLED screen, Sweep and BPM FX and LAN connectivity with multiple SC5000s

The Denon DJ Prime Series is a perfect match for the exciting, energetic DJ style of Laidback Luke. His unique performance talents have earned him an incredibly enthusiastic worldwide following and the recognition of his peers, who have repeatedly recognized him as one of the most gifted, live performance and influential A-List DJs in the world.

That kind of talent and spontaneity demands equipment that responds instantaneously to the creativity of the artist. They can’t be slowed down or restricted. When the performer knows there are no equipment-based bounds, then a universe of possibilities opens up. That’s why Laidback Luke chose to partner with Denon DJ Prime. Luke said, “The Denon Prime Series is an organic fit for my DJ sets. Its functionality is extremely intuitive and its performance delivers exactly the quality that I need.”

Paul Dakeyne, Denon DJ Brand Manager said of Luke; “As one of the world’s most creative and expressive live DJ’s, Laidback Luke is constantly setting the standard, raising the bar. He needs equipment that is a natural extension of his thoughts, equipment that instantly transforms his inner feelings and spontaneity into sound. The Denon DJ SC5000 and X1800 Prime units remove all performance obstacles and pushes new boundaries for Laidback Luke to explore.”

U.S. retail pricing is as follows: SC5000—$1899, X1800—$1899. They are available now.

For more info, visit www.denondj.com.

Still not about the tech

It’s important to look at why these two highly respected DJs are jumping ship. Getting this out of the way first — lots for free gear and sponsorship money helps. But they wouldn’t even think about it if they didn’t feel that Denon DJ brought something to their performances outside of large wads of used non-sequential notes. It’s just not in their career interests.

While none of us have compared the finer points of Pioneer DJ and Denon DJ gear, the general vibe from us DJ media types is that Pioneer DJ definitely needs to worry from a technology point of view. And I’m absolutely certain that these DJs wouldn’t even touch this gear if it couldn’t do the same and probably more than what they already use.

So for me, it comes down to trust. These DJs turn up at their assorted mega events and know that the standard Pioneer DJ fodder will just work, or at least have a support system in place for when it doesn’t. And I suspect that there’s a pile of Prime set aside ready to be despatched to wherever it’s needed. Unleash the Denon Drone.

There’s no doubt about the quality of Denon DJ, and now club DJs have gear that more closely matches what they already use. So having a couple of stellar DJs (and there’s likely to be more to follow) putting their trust in Denon DJ will definitely turn the heads of their peers. And that’s exactly what Denon DJ wants and needs.

Funny thought — I wonder if Denon DJ has the DJ Mag top 100 printed out and stuck to a wall, with the aim of converting as many as possible to the Denon DJ way?

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Mark Settle
The Old Owner
I was the editor around these parts for the first two decades of the DJWORX journey. I’m on a creative journey at The Worxlab, and drop in occasionally here. Expect the odd article from me every now and again.
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25 Comments

  1. “But the ultimate crown of booth acceptance has eluded them for as long as I’ve been worxing.”

    I’m old. I remember when Denon did have that crown, I remember when they “pulled a Blackberry” and refused to accept that tabletops were going to replace dual decks, and I remember when they lost their crown because of it. I’m very happy they are back, even if it took a long time. Our industry needs more competition on the high end. Bring it on!

    1. Hello, a long-time lurker here. I fully agree with Todd. I’m turning 46 this year and been mixing for 31 years now (mobile and bedroom). When digital first entered the DJ scene, Denon was the top dog. I still have my DN2500 face controller as a display in my home booth for nostalgia. Owned several more Denon gear over the years and God knows how many times I’ve been tempted to go Pioneer’s way and I did twice (DJM500 mixer and more recently DDJSX2) but both left me wanting. I couldn’t pull trigger on their expensive separates cause I thought it was too expensive for what it was offering…. So Yes, I’m truly delighted to see Denon back! As a gearhead of many thing in high-end audio, I always see Denon gear as the proper man’s gear– solid, built like tanks and loads of creative engineering. The software integration is another story so hopefully that’s thing of the past now. I’m mixing on mcx8000 now with my trusty Tech 1200s for my analog records and I couldn’t be more pleased. We except maybe getting the prime separates at some point. :-) Go Denon!

    2. Totally agree. I was there at the dawn of the digital DJ era and Denon held the crown without question. I still have the DN2500 controller on display in my home DJ set-up for nostalgia. I’ve owned more Denon gear over the years, and God knows how many times I was tempted to cross to Pioneer (and I did with the DJM500 mixer and more recently, the DDJSX2), but I found them wanting in sound quality. The higher Pioneer separates never appealed to me in the performance-value window so never owned them. As a gearhead who’s also into high-end audio for many years, I find Denon to be a proper man’s gear. It’s solid, well-built with lots of engineering chops. I’m delighted to see them back! Hopefully, the software is not going to be a letdown this time. Go Denon!

    1. Luke did say he’d be doing some “vlogs” (video blogs) on the new Denon Prime gear. You’d imagine Denon DJ will be taking advantage of these artist’s talents and reach

  4. I remember Louie Vega and Technics SL-DZ1200…
    I do not want big names but better support for end-user.
    I wait for months (no purpose) a new firmware which solves the problems of my Denon DJ MCX8000.

  5. Seriously, if its not about the money then what is it about? I dont recall seeing a bigger pioneer afficionado then Laidback luke..so him jumping to the other side??
    I think the denons look great, and probably are great, but when pioneer whips out the next big thing its probably back again…

    1. What is it about if not the money? “…they wouldn’t even think about it if they didn’t feel that Denon DJ brought something to their performances outside of large wads of used non-sequential notes. “

        1. That’s why he was a smart pick. He was a HUGE outspoken Pioneer whore. Hell, I think if they were able to secure every DJ that was involved in a Pioneer promo video that would send a clear message that they aren’t ‘effing around! Eats Everything, DJ Friction, Roger Sanchez, James Zabiela would also be funny to see switch. Probably not gonna’ happen, but would love to see Denon take out Pioneer. Or at least force Pioneer to produce a player worthy of the 2K+ price tag.

          1. Agreed, very smart pick, because regardless of what you think of his music selection, he’s definitely one of the more technically active EDM headliners, and seems to be an advocate of doing more on the decks. Which is why I feel like his jumping ship isn’t entirely about the sponsorship. I don’t know about Oakenfeld, and I’m no LL fanboy, but he’s definitely the type to go for the most capable setup, and right now that’s Denon’s territory by a mile, at least based on what we’ve seen so far.

  7. You gotta give it to inMusic brand’s marketing. All of us reading are on a DJ gear nerd status and somewhat know in’s and out. Getting these big name DJ’s on Denon gear, will get these fist pumping EDM wannabe or future DJ’s on Denon gear. And create more hype. Now that inMusic owns Rane, who else to go after in the club music scene/in house gear. UREI (whats going on with them?), Allen & Heath etc but they do not make players.

  11. I reckon the new Denon Prime players could be CDJ killers for bedroom DJ’s. The dual layer functionality means you get 2 decks for the price of one. How easy it is to use is yet to be seen but I am looking to pull trigger on a prime set up, 2 decks and a mixer..

  13. Love the new Denon Kit.
    I will go whole hog on the first ecosystem that can provide.
    Standalone option (rekordbox / prime) with TT’s
    Accurate beat gridding
    I see the Prime media players as mini controllers…even just one with a mixer would be great! 99999 song capacity for prime library…no problem!
    Takes any flash media….
    I feel like everyone is missing out on the big touchscreen / media connections on THE MIXER.
    The MIXER should do all the analysis and have the waveform screen then we could plug-n-play any media player or TT.
    Also my guess is the next version of the Denon media player will have moving platters…..please have moving platters!;)
    My only question during this inmusic Denon hype is WTF happened to Rane?

  14. Not going to lie, seeing my techno heros rocking Allen and Heath mixers influenced me buying their mixers. The only difference was that A+H didn’t sponsor the djs, the djs used the product because it was a superior product for their style.