DJ AM

I do not know a single DJ who has not been influenced in the craft by Adam "AM" Goldstein. To the non-club crowd, he may be most well known for his gastric bypass surgery, dating Nicole Ritchie & Mandy Moore, and an appearance on Entourage. Just as haters/bloggers label rappers as "sellouts" for releasing an album on a major label, lots of people hated on AM for the publicity and fame he received. But if you've ever actually listened to his mixes, you understand what he's all about. He is one of the better turntablists on the commercial DJ circuit and really knew how to rock any crowd, be it rich hipsters at The Palms in Vegas, dance/techno clubbers in Europe, or rap fans at a Jay-Z concert, but what I personally admired most about him was his genre-mashing-and-blending skills, confidently playing tracks no one else would dare to fit into a high-tempo-high-pressure DJ set at a club. We also can't forget his ingenuity and pioneering skills in creating a tag-team with Travis Barker. I know there are many DJs who support bands on tour, but TRV$-DJAM really was a new concept, one that will undoubtedly be imitated for years and years to come. As an aspiring DJ myself, I also have to envy his superb business sense, in not only his publicity from dating Hollywood hotties, but branding himself with products like Nike and DJ Hero.

I can't explain the amount of hours I've spent listening to his mixes, watching youtube videos, scheming ways to try and get into one of his gigs, etc. I've also tried during many gigs to imitate an ingenious technique/transition/mix I saw in a DJ AM video. I will most likely continue both of these things even though he's no longer with us.

I didn't know him personally, but from what all of his celebrity friends are saying, I guess he really was a classic, stand-up guy who never had anything bad to say about anyone. I sincerely hope a drug overdose, likely resulting from his pain-relief medication from his surviving a PLANE CRASH last year, will not detract from his legacy at all. And let's face it, no musical genius has ever been a straight-edge, it just sort of comes with the territory, and some will argue, true creative euphoria only shows itself when chemically-induced.

Here is a fantastic set by DJ AM from Banana Split Sundaes (Sunday Nights at Club Bardot in LA w/ Steve Aoki): http://www.mediafire.com/?jiz1njzriyh

If anyone is interested, send me a personal reply and I can hook you up with maaaaaaaaany more AM mixes, including his newest 5-hour-long-part "Elton" series, which is also amazing (I've got all 400 minutes of this on mp3). Also, let me know if you want his TRV$-DJAM collaboration material.

R.I.P. DJ AM

--
the:mix:mason || mixmason.com

A FRESH START mixtape [new 03.20.09]
download: http://www.mediafire.com/?4zymmkmze1e