At the heart of the bunker-esque ‘The Synth Box' venue by Lynk&Co, eighty students took seats in front of two Technics turntables. As part of the ADE Labs program, Dutch deejays & vinyl specialists Welly Well & DNS from the Amsterdam Audio Collective, eagerly educated their crowd about the proper use of vinyl mixing. In between the blocks about both analog and digital vinyl use, both artists even found time to showcase their skills in stunning live demos.


Their workshop handled basic questions like “What is a break?” and “How do I best sort my tracks?”, but grew technical fast. While DNS showcased the art of tagging the mixing point of records with a sticker for quick access, Welly Well emphasized the need for a stable underground when mixing vinyl. “And never forget to bring your own needles”, both deejays laughed in unison.

The second chapter of the workshop focused on new mixing techniques and showcased how using Serato can help give deejays a vinyl feeling while mixing digitally. The DJ duo even presented a new scanner-like device that allows vinyl to be played without a tonearm. An impressive feat of technology, as when DNS waved the record around, the sound of record scratching was emulated through the speakers.

Closing off the workshop, the duo invited attendees to gather around the decks and study different mixing techniques up close. Under the watchful eye of their audience, the deejays showcased over a dozen mixing techniques, eventually gathering smiles and a big round of applause from the crowd.