The Secret World Of EDM DJs Exposed By Reddit

Earlier this week, a fascinating thread on Reddit appeared, in which someone who claims to work closely with top EDM DJs offered to answer any and all questions about them. The results were illuminating, surprising and hilarious.

The anonymous tipster claims he works in PR and has never been asked to sign any NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements). He proceeded to reveal some fascinating dirt on top EDM DJs including Skrillex, Mat Zo, Tiësto and Avicii, among many others. This is not confirmed truth, but it's juicy gossip, so let's get into it:

Disclaimer: The interview is directly taken from Reddit and is consequently un-edited to ensure that no points are changed, thus any grammatical errors are not on behalf of Elite Daily.

Update: The person responsible for the answers has come forward saying he made it up, but that's probably because the EDM Illuminati have threatened his life. Read with caution:

Who is the sluttiest DJ in the industry? Who has to have a groupie girl after every show?

Hands down, Markus Schulz. I love the man regardless and he's a good friend of mine. He has a pretty open marriage with his wife so it's all good.

Then why are they snitching on him?

"I'm for gay rights etc...but I'm curious...of all the Producers/DJs, do you suspect any of them to be gay?

It's pretty well known in the industry that Paul Oakenfold is gay and there's always crazy stories about him getting coked up and hooking up with guys.

I also know FOR A FACT that Afrojack is bisexual. Also Danny Tenaglia is gay as well.

I've gotten gay vibes from Hardwell but I won't confirm anything until I see or hear something solid regarding him.

This dude just cleaned out the whole closet like it was nothing. What about Skrillex though?

"One of my favorite people in the industry - REAL REAL REAL REAL REAL nice, humble, and down to Earth guy. I hung out with him and Ellie (when they were dating) during Coachella. He definitely drinks and smokes every once in awhile (poor kid can't handle the greens). But other than that, I have nothing bad to say about him ever.

He came from real humble beginnings and treats everyone with so much respect."

At least he has something positive to say. Back to bashing:

"What is the biggest hissy fit/mantrum you've ever seen?

The only other story I have involving Prydz was during WMC this year - the guy got so wasted and played the same song for an hour before they finally kicked him off. He claimed his SD card was corrupt but that wasn't the case at all. The(sic) came in already sh*tfaced. We ended up leaving after to go to another event soon after.

There was an incident when Afrojack had residency at XS - there's a big open area behind the DJ booth where a lot of people hang out since they also have tables there. Afrojack refused to perform until everyone had left that entire area. He's one of the biggest assh*les in the industry.

Last incident I can recall involves Mat Zo - long story short he didn't like how the green room or the venue was really set up and refused to perform. He just straight up walked out and the sh*tty thing is he was the headliner that all those people came to see."

Deadmau5 and Avicii?

"I've never worked with deadmau5 - the most we've hung out was at his table at XS when we did a bunch of shots together (before he got sober).

As for Avicii well here goes nothing - Avicii is basically a puppet of Ash (his manager). Avicii is first and foremost a producer before anything and in fact hadn't learned to DJ until the two met. Basically Ash created Avicii and had to teach him the 101 on everything. I can honestly say he's probably one of the few DJs who've come close to having what most people would consider a 'pre-recorded' set."

But can you expose Markus Shulz some more please?

"Thank you for asking about Markus, he's actually a pretty good friend of mine and I've been hoping someone would ask about him LOL.

Yes his wife actually USED to travel with him to his gigs - these days not so much anymore since they've been having marital problems lately. Heather (his wife) is actually the one who's busy running Schulz Music Group and a majority of the Coldharbour Label so while he's traveling for gigs, she's back home in Miami doing all that.

Haha you heard right! He's a sexual beast alright! Him and Heather have an open marriage - so basically he's allowed to mess around while she's away and vice versa. It clearly works for them since they've been together for almost 25 years now.

Markus' son Alex is actually a pretty straight laced athlete. His son will be graduating high school in 2014 and got a full ride scholarship for baseball to I believe FSU (or some college in FL). The sad thing is his son doesn't really care about Markus' music and I can see how it hurts Markus. Alex is all about baseball and not so much the music. I met Alex a few times (EDC Orlando and on one of the Scream bus tour stops) and he always seemed bored at the events."

Just keep airing out your good friend Markus I guess.

"Weirdest/craziest thing you've seen a dj do?

A few years ago in Miami during WMC/UMF, Erick Morillo was spinning AND railing lines underneath the booth at the same time. I thought it was pretty crazy since he was able to still concentrate and throw down a really great set."

What about the drugs? What do DJs do, and how do they get them?

"It depends on the DJ and who they have on their team. Most of the time, it would be the assistant, if not, the manager. A lot of the times though there will be drugs waiting backstage for the artists from the promoters themselves.

1. Coke 2. Weed 3. E 4. Ketamine It's usually the above four, but I've seen a few take shrooms as well."

What other spots can you blow up?

"Lets get to the dirt. Who has ghost producers and who actually makes their music?

Surprisingly, almost all of them. For sure Tiesto, Shogun, Hardwell, Avicii, Markus Schulz, Armin van Buuren, Guetta, Andy C, BT - pretty much most of the big guys do.

Tiesto hires different people based on the sound he's going for.

Shogun actually grew up with money so most of the productions aren't his. I know FOR A FACT that Myon & Shane 54 ghost produced one of his big tracks. They wouldn't tell me who but I'm guessing it was Skyfire.

Hardwell, Avicii - All have different people as well.

Markus Schulz - He gets a lot of underground/not very well known producers to do his stuff. "Love Rain Down On Me" was actually ghost produced in two days. The producer of it wanted it to sound as commercial as possible while still sticking to a certain style.

Armin - He gets different already big guys to master/ghost produce for him. But unlike Tiesto, only 10% of his productions are ghost produced.

Guetta generally has Joachim Garraud do all his stuff.

Andy C usually has Wilkinson do his ghost productions.

BT generally gets new up and coming artists. I know awhile back he wanted to have Porter Robinson ghost produce a track for him. I guess Porter only finished half and skipped out (because he blew up and started touring). BT then went on a Twitter tirade."

So you said Afrojack is bi, tell us more...

"What's the biggest dirt you have on afrojack?

First off, he's never been the nicest guy in the industry. With that being said.....

His whole thing with Paris Hilton was a PR stunt (from his side). They never dated and ironically she had been wanting to get into DJing for awhile just before they 'became a couple.' For hours he'd beg Paris to teach him how to be a celebrity and live the ultimate life by flying private jet and buying sh*t that he never used. He just wanted Paris to help his brand so that he could ask for more money.

There were rumors about him leaving his pregnant girlfriend for Paris Hilton - this is FALSE. You wanna know the REALLLL reason he left her? She was having an affair with another Dutch DJ by the name of Chuckie the entire time they were together. He didn't want to claim the kid as his because to be honest, he didn't know if it was his or not. The sad thing is he really wanted to marry this girl too.

He's BEYONDDDD self conscious about his weight and has sex with his shirt on. I wish I were making all this up but I'm really not.

Oh and the best part about all this? He lies to everyone about owning his own jet. He really just pays $3K to have his logo slapped on the side of it to make himself look bigger than he really is. Every time he flies out, he only stays in the best room in a five star hotel - mind you he's paying for this all on his own. Now he's taking a loss on DJing at an event just because he refuses to fly first class. He claims it's beneath him and that Paris taught him never to fly with "peasants" - which is also what he calls his fans.

Do in your personal life what you will but treating your fans like shit is a big no-no in my book, sorry Afrowhack but I had to let the cat out of the bag."

Who are some of the more straight-edge DJs in the business?

"I guess it would depend on how you describe straight edge. If we're talking no substances or alcohol, I would have to say Porter Robinson, Kaskade and Dash. ALTHOUGH Dash sometimes babysits a Heineken during his sets (I've yet to see him actually finish the whole thing)."

What's the best way to get back stage or meet artists if you don't have VIP or Press passes?

Haha wow. Well one way I did this at really big festivals was that you should go backstage (obviously you don't have a wristband), and when they ask you for a wristband, just tell them that you're looking for artist relations. Generally artist relations is DEEEEEEP in the backstages of the event so it's kind of a treck to get there. They'll point you in the right direction but it's in an area where the DJs have their trailers and catering. I know I've gotten away with it quite a few times.

Anything on dash berlin, ingrosso, and Nicky Romero?

Dash - All around good guy. Pretty straight laced for the most part minus one or two incidents. Genuinely cares about his fans and is one of the easiest DJs to approach. Sadly he gets a lot of shit from other trance artists for going trouse and playing cheese. Ingrosso - He's a pretty nice guy but he CAN be a dick at times. I guess it really depends on the day you catch him.

Ingrosso is usually a hit or miss. Nicky - He's one of my good friends. Cares A LOT about his fans and always makes time for them. He doesn't sleep around and is pretty clean cut for the most part (he usually only drinks). What most people don't know about him is that he's a huge nerd at heart so usually when people meet him, they think he's awkward at first. It takes awhile for him to warm up to you.

Any other stories on Hardwell? Or any stories in general we should know about that haven't been asked?

"One story I have about Hardwell was actually during TomorrowWorld - I think he must've taken acid (or something) because he was backstage holding and walking around with this broom like it was his girlfriend or something. It was actually pretty bizzare especially because he started posing with it while someone was taking a picture."

Here is my Question:

Let's talk about you! We know you do PR/Management (you are on the social media side of things correct?). But what does your typical work day look like. And ultimately, if you were to describe in somewhat detail what you do and what you try to accomplish for the artists, that would be great!

Another thing: PR Stunts. I've always thought PR stunts were just rumors that start from haters. but apparently they really do exist. do you know any crazy PR stunts that happened in the industry? something similar to the Afrojack / Paris Hilton thing?

"Yes, most of what I do involves social media however there are certain occasions where I'll be needing to put out press releases. Usually press releases are created anytime a client has a single, album, tour, or show going on. I create this press releases and distribute them to the media side of EDM (so EDM related blogs, EDM magazines, etc).

There's never just a repetition of my days, in this industry each and every day is crazy. Usually I'll spend the first hour or so trying to get through as many emails as possible. A lot of the times people will email us and ask for interviews with clients but before we can approve them, we have to go through a series of pre-requisites including how many people they're going to reach out to and all that. Next step would be going through my client's social media and deleting any creepy and something that could damage their reputation. My job is first and foremost is to try and have my client in a good light to the audience.

Each artist I work with is very different. Generally I like to sit down with both the artist and their management to try and find out what their ultimate goals are. If a client signed a contract with us, we want to know their goal not only a month from now, but a long term goal as well. This helps me a long the way to help both me and the artist get what they want. However if we're doing a campaign, those tend to only last about 4 months or so and it's generally somewhat harder because you have so much to do in such a short time.

What I generally like to do is build my clients' fan base - starting with their social media. This in turn helps not only their fan base to grow but also to help them get more gigs which is where all the money is at. Besides the whole Paris Hilton/Afrojack thing, there have definitely been quite a few PR stunts. One in particular was the whole controversy surrounding John Askew and Avicii. To give you the Cliffnotes of it, John basically bashed Avicii's "Levels" by saying that it was an easy track to make and that almost anyone could do it.

Unless you're a hardcore trancehead, you probably don't know who John Askew really is, but after that incident, more people started to know his name after Avicii posted about it on his Twitter/Facebook. There was also that whole PR stunt involving Martin Garrix's track "Animal" - I think I posted it about it on here already."

Woah. Try to decompress from everything you just learned, and remember, all of this is unconfirmed and from an anonymous Reddit account... which means it's all probably true.

Via: Reddit, Top Photo Credit: Getty Images