Dubspot Student Spotlight May 2015: DJ Cruz, Common Genius, Ilya Lyudevig, Matthew Law

In our May 2015 Dubspot Student Spotlight, we highlight some outstanding student artists and producers who have recently taken courses at Dubspot NYC, LA and Online. Get to know DJ Cruz, Common Genius, Ilya Lyudevig, and Matthew Law.

Dubspot Student Spotlight May 2015!

DJ Cruz // Zurich, Switzerland

At the age of 15, a friend gave him an old turntable and ever since that day Cruz has been working the decks. He started DJing with vinyl, digging in the crates at the local record stores forever, spending all he had. Cruz sold his Mixtapes in front of Clubs receiving a lot of attention from the partygoers and another DJ, who then invited him to do his warm ups, eventually playing in Clubs before he was legally allowed to enter them.

Cruz then 17, won the ‘Rookie DJ of the Year’ award and also got the amazing opportunity to have a residency at one of Switzerland’s best known clubs, the Kaufleuten in Zurich. At the age of 22 he won the highly respected Swiss Nightlife Award for ‘Best Open Format DJ 2012′. By that time, he was already playing in cities like Paris, London, Cannes, Dubai and New York just to name a few and making himself a name in and outside of Europe. Cruz, now 24 years old, is fully focused on his musical productions which have received support from big name DJs such as Avicii, Tiesto, Grammy winner Cedric Gervais and many more which either played them in their Radio Show or during live sets.

After having been producing already for a few years, I was eager to dive deeper into production, mixing, mastering and music theory and decided to go to NYC for 3 months to study at Dubspot. My experience was awesome. The teachers are very competent, and could accommodate students regardless of their entry skill level or experience. The teachers and other students gave me a feeling of family, right in the heart of NYC.

Learning is complimented with connecting to students who come from all over the world, and classes are very stimulating. Dubspot can teach the technique and knowledge, however the responsibility of learning, practicing, and following up, is naturally dependent on the motivation and discipline of each student. And thats what I’m doing with the Videos, now that I’m back home in Zurich, with fond memories of my times at dubspot. - Vincent Dubinsky

Ilya Lyudevig // Yekaterinburg, Russia

I’m a well-known local area musician. I’m a session drummer, DJ and electronic music producer. My biggest musical achievements are few releases with local bands and an appearance on Exit Music Festival with the band Tip Top Tellix in 2011. Now I’m concentrating on my own productions. Dubspot courses and instructors are helping me to express myself this way.

I just want to say thank you to all DSO team, especially Chris Petti for his amazing work with courses content and design, Thavius Beck and Max Wild for a huge inspiration and very helpful DVR’s. All Dubspot courses I took are absolutely great, easy to understand and very applicable, so I’m pretty sure I’ll take another one or two in nearest future. - Ilya Lyudevig

Common Genius // Portland, OR, USA

Growing up in Portland, Oregon I was exposed to music by joining a South African marimba band at a young age. I started making electronic music with Reason at age 14, and later moved onto Ableton at 15. I fell in love with being able to arrange songs in my bedroom and sharing them on the internet. My music often contains field recordings that I sample and manipulate to sound completely different. My arrangements consist of complex patterns of layered sounds sequenced within Ableton.

By choosing to take classes at Dubspot, I have expanded my knowledge of the tools that I use to make my music and found a place to interact with people who share my love of this form of art. – Will Curry a.k.a. Common Genius

Matthew Law // Philadelphia, PA, USA

MATTHEW LAW (formerly DJ PHSH) was borne in West Philadelphia, an area long heralded as a hotbed for artists of all mediums. From the very start, this son of two theatre aficionados was exposed to an array of musical styles – Classical to Avant Garde Jazz, Psych Rock to 70’s Funk. MATTHEW now draws from his vast musical knowledge and incorporates all these elements into his unique party rocking sets.

In 2013, MATTHEW (as DJ PHSH) was voted Northeast Champion of the Red Bull 3Style Competition and ultimately placed third out of 130 competing DJs in the National battle by a celebrity panel of judges including Jazzy Jeff, A-Trak and Z Trip.

As a member of the Illvibe Collective, MATTHEW LAW (as DJ PHSH) gained international exposure as a featured DJ on the 2011 German tour for the Hip Hop Don’t Stop series that’s also featured the likes of Pete Rock and Premiere. He’s been back to tour with the party in Winter 2012 & Fall 2013.

Back in the Illadeph, MATTHEW LAW produces his own event called FRIENDS & FAM that draws a sold-out crowd of 300+ people every month. During the summer months, you can also catch him spinning for a crowd of nearly 1,500 at Philly’s notorious Sundae party series.

With stamps of approval that literally go from A-Trak to Z Trip, you definitely better keep your eyes and ears open for this rising star.

Such a great experience. I have some instrumentation/production background, but there’s nothing like being taught from the ground up… highly recommend it to anyone wanting to gain a concrete understanding of Ableton Live. - Matthew L. Fishman-Dickerson

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Open House in NYC: Sundays 11am | Guided Tour of LA

Ask questions. Watch demos. Test drive workstations.

Visit our New York and Los Angeles locations! Ask our Admissions Counselors in-depth questions about our programs, curriculum and philosophy. Watch live music production and DJ demos, and test drive our student workstations. If you are still trying to decide what you are looking for, stop by one of our Open Houses in NYC or schedule a tour in LA to find out more about the learning process at Dubspot. We can also help with scheduling details and payment options.

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