My first impressions of Mixify's RISE Digital Music Festival

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Today I tuned into Mixify's RISE Digital Music Festival to see whether this new site has the potential to become a viable platform for DJs and fans alike. So far I'm impressed with the RISE festival as enters their Day 1 lineup which featured R3HAB and Tritonal. Read on to find out why.

At first I was a little skeptical prior to loading up the Mixify stream because there are already so many excellent ways to catch a live DJ mix with Boiler Room and BE-AT.TV being the front runners in the field. But my fears were eased as one quickly realizes that Mixify is trying something a little different by immersing you in a completely digital environment where you are an avatar that's watching the DJ perform infront of a 'massive' digital screen behind them. What makes it interesting is that the digital screen video images look to be the genuine graphics that you would normally see at a Tritonal or R3HAB's live event. The result is that you feel like you are immersed in a digital environment that gives you a sense that you a part of a community engaged in a shared experience.

What's also captivating is when some DJs (not all of them unfortunately) are active in the chat room announcing their live track listing and even doing a little MC'ing during their set. R3HAB event took the time to do a little live question and answer session that really went over well with the fans. When you compare the Mixify sets with DJ/fan interaction and the ones without it is like a night or day experience - the difference is huge.

If you create a free account on Mixify, you can use the chat room to interact but more importantly use the 'Hype It!' button to show how much you're enjoying a particular track in the set. The 'Hype' counter is tracked with an overall tally on the top right which gives the DJs instant feedback on how well they're doing. I'm sure DJs will be engaging in a little friendly competition during the RISE festival to see who will get the most 'Hype It!' numbers. 

But what I've found most interesting is that the fans were not shy in delivering some negative feedback during a set if they didn't like something they were hearing. For example when Mutrix, a Cincinnati DJ that played before R3HAB, started mixing in some Hardstyle into his set you could read the instant negative feedback in the chat. Mutrix quickly changed gears after two Hardstyle tracks and went right into Trap which brought the online crowd back on his side. Mutrix stated on the chat that he was using a Traktor S2 to do the mix but at this time I cannot confirm whether all of the DJs are live-mixing during the RISE Festival. But in regards to whether Mutrix's set was live or not:

I agree with Mutrix's opinion on the importance of live mixing during a Mixify set because listening to a prerecorded set would not be nearly as enticing for the fans and wouldn't allow the DJ their change set tracklist based on the instant feedback.

So far I've enjoyed listening to the sets completed by Mutrix, R3HAB, and Tritonal as they stood out above the rest (so far) in giving the online crowd that extra bit of interaction with the live tracklisting, frequent chatting and MC'ing, and live mixing that showed off the power of the Mixify platform. 

The only way to see if you like the Mixify experience is to check it out yourself by visiting their main site. The RISE festival is in full swing with the likes of Stafford Brothers, Ken Loi, and Walden playing tonight while Feenixpawl, Arty, Popeska, Terravita, Deniz Koyu, Carnage, 3LAU, Bass Jackers, and Knife party are the headliners for tomorrow.