Alex Vasi has mixed and mastered more than 30 number-one records in the Netherlands. Last year he started his own artist project, and within twelve months he was playing AFAS Live and the Ziggo Dome. From the outside it looks like it happened overnight. It did not.

We talk about what a fast breakthrough is actually built on, why knowing more music theory can make it harder to finish a track, and why he thinks the best producers are simply the best decision-makers.

If you are comparing your timeline to someone else's, start here.

(00:00) Intro

(00:56) Who Alex is and how he started

(03:34) Thirty number one records

(05:01) Going back to the decks

(06:13) What classical training gave him

(09:10) How important is music theory

(10:08) Why knowing more makes music harder

(12:09) Getting back to the kid brain

(13:29) What a mixing engineer actually does

(15:55) Artist or the person behind the artist

(17:17) Being valuable in the room

(19:59) Having a say in the creative process

(22:17) Should you pay for mixing and mastering

(24:17) Is AI mastering any good yet

(26:31) The best decision makers win

(26:44) Starting at the end of the mix

(28:27) Cleaning your project first

(30:24) How the project moved so fast

(31:22) It's one Google away

(33:38) The bootleg strategy

(34:37) The ten minute clip

(35:53) Stadiums and viral moments

(37:15) Getting taken seriously as a producer

(38:46) The best sounding song nobody hears

(39:25) What artists need from lawyers

(43:12) This is how we always did it

(44:48) Question for the next guest

Josh Le Tissier calls in from Bangkok mid-tour to talk about the honest side of building a DJ career. We get into what happens when things slow down after a big year, why he spent maybe too long in the local club, and how he still holds a full time day job while touring internationally. The heart of it: 20 people showing up for you is actually a lot, even when social media makes it feel like nothing. A grounded conversation about longevity, real fans, and building something that lasts instead of chasing numbers.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(02:14) Struggles this past year
(02:49) When things slow down
(04:28) How long it really takes
(06:00) Too long in the local club
(07:47) Viral vs being ready
(09:11) Why nerves are good
(11:45) Does the excitement fade
(14:06) Touring alone
(17:26) Touring with a day job
(20:26) A day job and your ego
(21:28) What he'd do differently
(22:13) Depth over width
(24:54) Why 20 people is a lot
(26:33) The Christmas test
(30:58) What's next

Fake copyright claims are the newest scam in the music industry, and most producers don't know it exists until their music and royalties are frozen. Music lawyer Sander Petit joins me to explain how it works, and why it's so hard to fight when anyone can file a claim.

We also get into AI and why AI-generated music isn't protected by copyright, what those new AI clauses in your contracts actually mean, and how to release a bootleg the right way without getting a claim yourself.

Sander came up inside dance music as a DJ and bootleg maker before becoming a lawyer, so this is practical, honest, and grounded in real cases. Essential listening if you take your career seriously.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(00:25) What Sander does and Backstage Legal
(02:47) Bridging the legal world and the studio
(07:50) What clients are asking now
(12:33) The new fake copyright claim scam
(15:00) The account set to zero
(17:56) Fighting an anonymous claim
(19:55) The damage to the algorithm
(21:30) Why every artist needs a lawyer
(24:04) AI and the music industry
(26:55) Why AI music isn't protected
(31:35) Platforms fighting AI music
(33:41) The Kraftwerk sampling case
(35:42) Bootlegs: releasing one legally
(39:06) Reperforming vs using the master
(42:30) Legal fees and making the pie bigger
(46:34) Closing questions

Dannic has been DJing since he was 17 and he's still here while most of his peers from the EDM era have moved on.

In this episode we get honest about why. We talk about the four-year cycle every artist hits, the moment his team pushed him to flip his sound completely, and why that's the decision he regrets most. It's a grounded conversation about longevity, creative identity, and what happens when you stop believing in your own sound. If you've ever questioned yours because someone told you to, this one's worth a listen.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro(01:16) Who Dannic is(02:45) You never fully figure it out(03:53) DJ first, producer second(07:44) When fun turns into pressure(09:29) Passion over discipline(10:43) Staying relevant(12:04) Monthly releases vs quality(14:19) The good old days(16:33) What changed for the better(17:45) AI, authenticity, and vocals(20:16) The advice he regrets(25:09) Questioning your own sound(27:15) A healthy dose of delusion(29:00) The ear injury scare(30:29) The Dyro back-to-back(33:20) A new fan base(34:41) What success looks like today(37:17) A question for the next guest

An AI-generated track hit number one on Beatport, and Joey and Ralph do not agree on whether that should be allowed. What starts as a debate about AI turns into a harder question: is using AI actually any different from ghost production? Nobody wins this one cleanly.

Second half, Ralph breaks down how he builds a 58 minute Tomorrowland main stage set for a crowd that is not there for him. What gets cut, what stays, and why only playing the safe records is how careers stay short.

Recorded live the week before summer break, with no plan and an open chat.

(00:00) Intro

(06:00) An AI track hit number one on Beatport

(07:35) Ralph: using AI is completely fine

(08:00) Why AI levels the field for unknown producers

(09:15) Dance music has always been built on new technology

(10:44) If it sounds good, is it good?

(11:01) Is AI any different from ghost production?

(12:47) Recognising AI vocals by ear

(13:00) The world is flooded with AI content

(14:53) What happens to singers and songwriters

(15:40) AI replaces mediocrity, not talent

(16:16) Why mediocrity still matters for creativity

(17:24) Loving a track until you find out it was AI

(18:38) Moving to the Sun started as an AI vocal

(19:39) Ralph's Tomorrowland schedule

(21:19) Building a 58-minute main stage set

(22:16) The balancing act: hits vs your own identity

(24:48) Talking to front of house during a set

(26:42) Are DJs playing prerecorded sets?

(28:12) Summer break and guest episodes

Ralph from Bassjackers is back, and we get into something the DJ world doesn't talk about enough: brand deals. Not just for the huge names either. If your audience is small but genuinely engaged, that can already be worth something to a brand. From there, we break down the Tomorrowland lineup and the honest answer to how you actually get booked, plus a bit on Calvin Harris and why the music you make is always shaped by what's going on around you. A real, unfiltered conversation about building a career that lasts.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro(01:22) Ralph on Ibiza(03:24) The Old Spice brand deal(07:02) Guest episodes and VaynerX(09:52) Brand deals in the DJ industry(10:22) You don't need to be big(10:47) The thousand true fans idea(15:21) Tomorrowland lineup(18:45) How artists get booked(23:35) Calvin Harris and finding your sound(25:07) Being influenced by the world(29:42) Heading to Discord

DJs are actually paying to play shows now, and we talk about why that's a problem for the whole industry. We also get into festivals canceling due to extreme heat, one major festival asking fans for donations to survive, and how artists are building extra income through merch and sample packs. It all comes back to one question: what are you actually worth, and who should be paying for it. Honest, unscripted, and made for artists thinking long term.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(02:20) Festivals canceled due to heat
(11:40) A festival asks fans for donations
(19:20) Extra income: merch and sample packs
(22:55) DJs paying to play
(26:20) Summer break ahead

Every number online can be bought now, streams, views, followers, even comments. So what can you still trust? We get into the one signal that doesn't lie: a real room reacting to a real DJ. It starts with a Sonar weekend where a friend didn't even notice three DJs change, until one of them shifted the whole room. From there we get into the James Blake post about a faked industry, AI training on artists' music, how bookers really value you, and why Thailand is pulling the biggest festivals right now. If you've ever felt behind because of someone's numbers, start here.

Chapters:
(00:00) Intro
(00:37) Ibiza, Sonar, and the recap
(03:37) Good DJ vs filler DJ
(06:46) Just a filler for the night
(08:51) Afro House and energy
(13:06) AI training on artists' music
(16:03) The James Blake post
(18:41) Ads, boosts, and bought views
(20:05) The dancefloor doesn't lie
(20:52) How bookers value an artist
(22:30) Tomorrowland Thailand
(30:11) Heading to the Discord

SoundCloud just cut its connection to Hypeddit, and the follow-for-download trick a lot of producers leaned on is gone. We get into what happened, why nobody's sure of the real reason, and the bigger lesson underneath it: if one platform can break your growth overnight, you never really owned your audience. Then we get into the genre problem in electronic music, why there are now so many genres nobody can find anything, and why that might actually be a good thing. Honest talk for artists building something that lasts.

(00:00) Intro and new format
(03:51) What SoundCloud did to HypeEdit
(05:40) Why you shouldn't depend on one platform
(08:53) The real reason behind the change
(12:36) Bootlegs, remixes, and music rights
(17:49) Focus on originals and own your audience
(21:26) The genre problem nobody can solve
(27:28) Defining your own lane as an artist
(31:16) Does Beatport or the artist decide?
(32:27) Wrapping up

This week, it's a full community Q&A with Ralph from Bassjackers.

We get into why going viral didn't convert to streams or listeners, how to think about social media when you don't have shows, and what to post when you're building from scratch.

Ralph also talks about the mental weight of following up Mush Mush, whether he could rebuild his career from zero with only his skills, and how long it actually takes to shake off an old artist image. Honest answers to real questions from the Artist Coaching community.

(00:00) Intro(05:50) Genre talk and the current state of dance music(19:00) Social media consistency and stress(22:00) Does going viral actually convert(28:10) Posting for the algorithm vs posting with purpose(35:40) What it takes to headline a main stage(37:00) The hardest period after your biggest track(38:50) Could you rebuild from zero(41:00) Shaking off the big room image(44:00) The show that changed Ralph's career(46:00) Fan questions and wrap up