A white background with a few lines on it

On Fire 🔥

by Editorial Team 4 April 2025
DJ BenG, known for his warm disco-infused house mixes, brings a refreshing sound that aligns with the arrival of warmer summer weather. In discussing his creative journey, Ben openly addresses the challenges he faced in finding his artistic inspiration and highlights the importance of seeking support from the DJ community. This engagement has helped him tap into new ideas and influences, ultimately enriching his music.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Andy Bacon, the founder of Sonar Events, to dive deeper into
by Ben Holtam 2 April 2025
I had the pleasure of catching up with Andy Bacon, the founder of Sonar Events, to dive deeper into what makes Sonar so special, its journey so far, and what we can look forward to this year.
A white background with a few lines on it

Apple Is Killing Off ITunes And Your Future DJ Playlists

If you rely on iTunes to create your DJ playlists you are going to need to look at an alternative solution.

A computer screen with the words little south on it

Apple have killed off iTunes in the latest update to OS X called Catalina. It's being replaced by a new app called Music, and in it, your previous tracks and playlists will exist alongside a redesigned GUI in which Apple Music and streaming take precedence. While you'll still be able to load in MP3s and other audio files, and your music and playlists will still exist, a key option is missing from the iTunes Preferences – 'Share iTunes Library XML with other applications'. This is the function that rekordbox, Pioneer DJ and Serato all use to read playlist data from iTunes, and save metadata like notes, comments, ratings and more back into the file itself, for a seamless transition between the two apps.

With the option no longer available in the new Music app, and iTunes v12.9 – the current version of the popular music management software – not available to download as an individual app, once you update to Catalina, your DJ apps will lose the ability to communicate with Music, the new iTunes. That means any new playlists created and organised in Music, will no longer show up in your iTunes-connected DJ software. We've reported this before , but with Catalina's beta reaching its final phase, it looks like the XML option is set to be removed officially, for now at least. We reached out to both Pioneer DJ and Native Instruments for comment and are awaiting a reply.

A black sign with an apple cut out of it hangs from a building

What are the options for users of rekordbox, Traktor and Serato? Aside from adopting your DJ software as your main music management tool, there's a new app called Choones currently in beta that's set to act as the middleman between your music and your DJ software, and is cross-compatible across software, OS and even mobile. They released a video explaining the issue in more detail and outlining how the software works, which you can watch below. Find out more about the Choones app here.

Of course, as always with beta software, it may transpire that the XML option returns in the full release of Catalina, with or without an angry DJ mob making their feelings heard. However, given that XML is quite a dated format, it's more likely Apple will come up with a new API that DJ software will have to adapt to, which may take some time – Algoriddim Djay Pro actually uses a different type of API to communicate with the new Music app so we expect the others to adopt that eventually. For now, we'd recommend you not update to Catalina until the situation is clarified.

Credit: D JMag

The little south logo is on a blue background.

Written by

Editorial Team • 6 September 2019
by Editorial Team 4 April 2025
DJ BenG, known for his warm disco-infused house mixes, brings a refreshing sound that aligns with the arrival of warmer summer weather. In discussing his creative journey, Ben openly addresses the challenges he faced in finding his artistic inspiration and highlights the importance of seeking support from the DJ community. This engagement has helped him tap into new ideas and influences, ultimately enriching his music.
I had the pleasure of catching up with Andy Bacon, the founder of Sonar Events, to dive deeper into
by Ben Holtam 2 April 2025
I had the pleasure of catching up with Andy Bacon, the founder of Sonar Events, to dive deeper into what makes Sonar so special, its journey so far, and what we can look forward to this year.
by Editorial Team 2 April 2025
Ivybridge and Rural Police reported that officers responded to notifications of an ongoing rave at Cadover Bridge around 07:00 BST.
by Editorial Team 21 March 2025
Alkie, one half of the Symbiosis duo, has created an inaugural mix that highlights his favourite house sounds. This episode showcases a variety of tracks that have resonated with him over time. Listeners can expect to traverse the house music spectrum throughout the mix. Alkie is a noteworthy addition to the house music landscape.
by Editorial Team 7 March 2025
We are pleased to introduce a new artist who specialises in the intersection of high tempo tech house and techno music. Mazarus has been developing her DJing skills over the past three years, during which time she has performed at numerous events and shared lineups with established artists across the South West of England. This podcast mix showcases her current punchy tech house sound which we love!
by Editorial Team 22 February 2025
Tim French, a DJ and producer from Plymouth, steps back into our podcast spotlight, known for his Progressive House, Breaks, Melodic, and Techno sound. He has previously held residencies at notable venues in the South West, including the Dance Academy and The Warehouse in Plymouth. Tim is recognised for his progressive and melodic music styles, which he showcases at venues throughout the region. This podcast mix features his signature sounds, including tracks commonly heard in his Cosmic Sounds DJ sets.
Show More
Share by: