Here at Point Blank we are many things, and we’re proud of the way we’ve developed as a school and provider of accredited higher education. Our roots though are as a DJ school and, though we’re actually launching a new degree programme in the BA (Hons) in Music Production and Sound Engineering with an extensive focus on DJing and performing, our Complete DJ course has long been one of the bedrocks of what we do. With student success stories continuing to spring from the lives of our alumni we thought it a great time to recap on some of them have been up to.
Madam X (Kaizen Klub, BPM, Rinse FM, BBC Radio 1Xtra)
Madam X Studied with us back in 2009 and has since gone on to become one of the most respected DJs in London. After making her name up north with the Murkage crew in Manchester, she returned to her hometown of London and has gone from strength to strength, with regular slots on Rinse FM and BBC 1Xtra accompanying her extensive gigging schedule. More recently she has earned a residency and curation role at South London’s Bussey Building with her Kaizen Klub series, booking some of the most exciting DJs in the game including DjRUM, Batu, Hodge and Loefah in 2018 alone.
When we asked her a few years ago about her experience of the course she said: “Brilliant. Mr Bristow (PB’s Lead DJ Instructor) is one of the most patient men on the planet! We learnt everything from beatmatching to turntabling to scratching, to getting really down with the nitty gritty parts of the mixer and its internal effects.”
Cat Dealers (Sony Music Entertainment)
Cat Dealers are brothers Luigi and Pedrão. Over the past couple of years, they’ve been gaining traction in Brazil to become one of the country’s biggest artists. Brazil is the largest country in South America, this has translated into a sizable following on a global scale. So much so that Cat Dealers broke into DJ Mag’s top 100 DJs poll for 2017, while their latest release, ‘Sober’, has been flying out on Beatport.
Luigi studied a DJ course with us in 2013, and he told us he decided on Point Blank over schools in North America and across Europe. Also, on production, which is what has launched Cat Dealers into the stratosphere he said this: “I started to become interested in music production after seeing other students producing their tracks on the PB Studios, and I became really close to ERI2. This was my first contact with producing, and I decided to stay on to study Music Production.”
Monki (BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 1Xtra, Rinse FM)
After graduating from Point Blank’s Radio course and Complete DJ course, Monki played at Annie Mac’s AMP parties, Bestival Radio and managed to bag her own show on Rinse FM. Now, Monki has a show which is broadcast simultaneously on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra each week to millions of listeners. In 2015, she reached a milestone in her career and was asked to curate a Fabriclive mix by the landmark London club.
Nicole Moudaber (Drumcode, Intec, VIVa MUSiC)
Nicole Moudaber studied DJing with Point Blank (part of the Complete Master Diploma) and was described by Carl Cox as “the most underrated DJ” in an interview with DJ Mag, which she went on to feature on the cover in 2018. The certified global club star has held down residencies in Ibiza and at London’s Ministry of Sound, and these days her following is that of cult status. With releases on Adam Beyer’s Drumcode, Intec and Steve Lawler’s VIVa MUSiC, Nicole manages to walk the line between house and techno in her own unique way.
Imogen (Elliptiq, Unchained)
Still in her teens, Imogen Richmond’s sights have never wavered from the upper echelons of the world of techno. Starting her own parties, Elliptiq and Unchained, put her on the same bill with the likes of Laksa, and bookings would follow sharing bills with Perc and Stranger. Once her foot was in the door, her blend of tough-as-nails techno and curveballs from leftfield would demand respect, and with festival dates upcoming and slots at London’s best new club in Five Miles, and the granddaddy of techno: the Berghain, the sky’s the limit.
She had this to say on her time at Point Blank: “It was the actually an amazing social experience for me. Going there so young it was amazing to meet so many different people from around the world and it made me become so open to everyone around me. I had to grow up fast being with people a lot older but I made some great lifetime friendships as well as connections in the industry. It’s great to see people I studied with going off and doing well now.”
If you fancy seeing yourself in the company of super talented DJs like this lot, we urge you to take a look at our full list of DJ courses in London. We also offer DJ tuition at each of our other schools in LA, Ibiza, Mumbai and even Online. Any questions please get in touch.
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The post Student Success – DJ Special (Madam X, Imogen, Nicole Moudaber & more) appeared first on Point Blank’s Online Magazine.