Hot Press caught up with Alexander Zinn in Ibiza to discuss his work with Richie Hawtin and his new Model 1 DJ Mixer.

How did you first start working for Richie Hawtin?
I first started working directly with Richie Hawtin back in the summer of 2014, shortly after graduating from University of Miami as a dual major in electrical engineering and audio engineering. I bought a one way ticket to Ibiza with no job nor accommodation lined up. A friend of mine, who already worked for Enter. offered to pass my CV. Little did I know that there was an engineering position available, they were in need of a recording engineer to record, edit, mix and master all of the Enter. sets.

What is your current role with PLAYdifferently?
Currently I am the product specialist and logistics co-ordinator for PLAYdifferently, a new technology brand put together by Richie Hawtin and Andy Rigby-Jones. I represent the company at events such as Sonar, Movement, and ADE. I also give demos and provide support to artists.

What does an average day in the office look like for you?
With this position I am constantly on the road. A typical day in my “office” consists of administrative emails, managing our loaner units and handling any support requests we may get through Allen & Heath. Afternoon time I usually meet with artist in studios around the world demoing the mixer, and in the evenings you can find me in the nightclubs providing tech support for the mixer with new artists trying it out every week!

What in your opinion sets the Model 1 DJ Mixer apart from others?
The mixer has the sound quality more like a studio mixer than that of any other DJ mixer I’ve used before. I’m a big fan of the fully balanced circuitry and the DB25 inputs & outputs. The other major feature which sets it apart from the standard DJ mixer are the channel filters and EQ’s. Stepping away from the traditional 3 or 4 band EQ, Model 1 has 1 parametric EQ per channel. That coupled with the High and Low Pass Filters on every channel, make mixing on the Model 1 a very enjoyable experience.

Tell us about your record label Typ3 Records?
Typ3 Records was co-founded by Luke Hunter, Franccesco Cardenas, and myself back in 2014. We wanted a way to release the music we are so passionate about, as well as a method of bringing together like minded individuals from all over the world!

Published in Hot Press Magazine, September 2016