Sir Ivan Discusses More About His Mega Mix Competition
Sir Ivan recently organized Mega Mix, which occurred throughout June 8-22, 2020
Sir Ivan has been shattering glass ceilings throughout his career by re-releasing iconic 60s tracks in a signature dance music style, all whilst raising thousands of dollars for charities that do amazing work for under-appreciated people in society. Now, in true philanthropic fashion, he has turned his attention to helping the community of dance music. Not only by giving out-of-work DJs to show off their skills and win some cash, but also by donating funds to the amazing Rave Recovery initiative to help those who need support due to COVID-19. We caught up with Sir Ivan to find out more about the Mega Mix competition he recently organized between June 8-22, 2020. Check out the interview with Sir Ivan as he explains more about Mega Mix.
Hi Ivan, how have you been coping during this crazy time?
Hi, thanks for having me on. I’ve been reading a lot of books, watching a lot of TV, and working on a book about my father’s incredible life. He survived the Holocaust, came to America with nothing, and lived the American dream.
Where did the idea behind your Mega Mix competition come from?
Well, it started out as a greatest hits idea, some time ago, but I didn’t want to just do a typical “Greatest Hits” album, so it never got off the ground. Then when COVID happened, the idea came back up as a way to give back to the dance community that all the sudden, are out of work. After some brainstorming, the idea morphed into a really cool mega-mix style competition.
For those who don’t know about it, could you give us a brief explanation of the competition?
Sure, so we took 18 of my songs, which were either top performers or just my favorite versions, and the DJs have to create a 60-minute mix using just those 18 tracks. They are allowed to put in some of their own original productions, if they want to, but it’s not required. Then, once they complete their mix, they upload it to Mixcloud and get as many people to listen and favorite their mix. Once the contest closes, we’ll take the top 20 from the platform’s ranking and hand off to our esteemed panel of judges.
Who will be judging the competition?
Some of the best talent in dance music will be deciding the top five winners and five runners up, including Paul Oakenfold, Bassjackers, DJs From Mars, Tenishia, and Exodus. If I was a DJ, I would be just as excited about having these guys judge my mix as winning the money.
What made you decide to donate $5,000 to Insomniac’s Rave Recovery Fund?
While I wanted to give some cash directly to a handful of winners, I also wanted to give something to a charitable organization so that even more could be helped in some way. I chose Insomniac’s Rave Recovery because I wanted to donate specifically to those in the electronic dance music community and that fund ticked pretty much all the boxes I had for making a choice.
Tell us more about some of the other charity ventures you have participated in over your career?
Through my personal foundation (The Peaceman Foundation) I have donated to The Trevor Project which is a suicide hotline for troubled LGBTQ teenagers. Wounded Warriors, an organization that helps our troops recover from physical injuries and mental problems due to the trauma of war, and The Anti-Defamation League which battles bigotry and racism.
What are the prizes up for grabs in the MegaMix competition?
In addition to the cash prizes, we also have five signed copies of the 4th edition of “The Dance Music Manual,” a recording opportunity with Peak Hour Music; a PR campaign with Matt Caldwell PR, a guest mix and interview opportunities on EDM Sessions Radio.
What will you and the judges be looking for?
This is a unique contest so we will be looking for how creative the DJs get with mixing my 18 songs and of course, the quality of their mixing skills. Each individual judge comes with years of experience and tons of talent so they will have their own personal things that they look for, I’m sure.
Finally, were can people go to enter?
DJs can enter at my website – SirIvan.com and click “MegaMix” at the top. We’ve just decided to extend the closing date to July 1st so there’s still time for DJs to get in on a chance at winning!
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After reading this interview, readers can start following Sir Ivan on social media. He has Instagram, Twitter, Soundcloud and his own official website.
