THIS week we chat with Coach Frank (a project by Paul Coppola), another rising local DJ and producer fresh off a barnstorming performance at Groovin\u2019 the Moo 23.<\/p>\n
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How did you get into DJing?<\/strong><\/p>\n Throughout my high school years I developed a taste for electronic music and found myself diving deeper and deeper into different subcultures. I then purchased a half-broken Pioneer DDJ-SB for $90 from Cash Converters, which I used to try and learn the very basics of DJing.<\/p>\n Somewhat later my friend Tyler, who I also have a duo Se\u00f1or Se\u00f1or with, owned some equipment that was a step up from my piece of kit and I would go round to his, share music and play some tracks together.<\/p>\n He would eventually keep upgrading equipment and I would continuously keep learning the equipment with him. Tyler started playing locally at some clubs for quite a while before me and would offer me some gigs. After a while of saying no due to a lack of confidence I eventually gave in and played my first club gig in January 2020.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What do you think is more important in DJing – technical ability or track selection?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve always been on the side that track selection will always be more important than technical ability. As long as a DJ can do the basics well in terms of mixing I personally value track selection so much more. From being a punter for many years I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I\u2019ve walked away from a DJ set thinking about how great the DJ skills were (DJ EZ was the best I have ever seen) instead of how great the track selections were.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Can you describe your style?<\/strong><\/p>\n Under the Coach Frank project, the sounds I gravitate towards are emotionally driven, synth heavy tracks, a mixture of rhythms including four to the floor and breaks.<\/p>\n Tracks that provide a sense of melancholy or euphoria are usually where my tastes go towards. My style doesn\u2019t consist of lots of cuts and switch ups. I enjoy playing out most of a song and then<\/p>\n finding the right time to transition. I enjoy playing tracks that often feature big emotional breakdowns that tend to feature unsettling or distorted synths.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n