Elevated Frequencies

What does it really take to get signed to a respected electronic label? Hint: it has nothing to do with your follower count. Olivia Mancuso sits down with DJ Tennis, founder of Life and Death, who didn't earn his first real DJ recognition until he was 40.
He traces his path from Italy's punk and DIY scene into Italo disco, house, and techno, and explains why wedding DJ work is underrated training. He also shares the rejected record that went Beatport number one for a year, and what he actually signs artists for: character, hard work, and vision.
For any producer chasing a sustainable career, it's proof the slow burn wins.
👉 Want personalized guidance on your music career? Book a one-on-one consultation with Olivia on GreenRoom where you can get tailored advice on branding, business strategy, and sustainable career growth.
👉 Instagram: @oliviamancuso__
👉 Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

Most of what you call career work isn't actually moving your career forward. In this one, I'm breaking down the four habits quietly stalling most DJ careers right now.
I get personal about why I'm giving up my studio over a $1,100 rent hike, and why "knowing your worth" can be a costume for ego. I cover Instagram hack culture, the prerequisites you invent for yourself, and the feedback habit that quietly kills creative vision.
These habits feel responsible. They feel like progress. But in actuality, they're ceilings that inhibit growth.
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👉 Want personalized guidance on your music career? Book a one-on-one consultation with Olivia on GreenRoom where you can get tailored advice on branding, business strategy, and sustainable career growth:
👉 Instagram: @oliviamancuso__
👉 Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

What happens when one hate comment almost ends a 30-year career? Olivia Mancuso sits down with Laidback Luke, the Dutch DJ behind Mixmash Records and mentor to a generation of EDM giants. He opens up about losing the underground scene after his first hit, and the silent year that followed his MTV breakthrough. But he's still here. Still hungry. Still winning.
This conversation goes deep on what it actually takes to survive — and thrive — in dance music for three decades. Luke opens up about building MixMash Records from a website guestbook, mentoring a generation of artists that changed the game, and why his Kung Fu practice gave him the mental framework to handle the chaos of touring life.
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👉 Want personalized guidance on your music career? Book a one-on-one consultation with Olivia on GreenRoom where you can get tailored advice on branding, business strategy, and sustainable career growth:
👉 Instagram: @oliviamancuso__
👉 Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

Going viral takes the same time as making the song. That's the mindset shift Tres Mortimer credits for breaking out of the Chicago local DJ scene. Olivia Mancuso sits down with Tres Mortimer, the producer behind Optics Records and the new party brand Slavic House Society.
They unpack the local to touring jump, why content has to be funded like studio time, and how hate comments means your content is working. They cover why remixes are losing grip, and his fresh Planet X signing with Ben Sterling. For any producer trying to grow past their home city, this one is a roadmap.
👉 Want personalized guidance on your music career? Book a one-on-one consultation with Olivia on GreenRoom where you can get tailored advice on branding, business strategy, and sustainable career growth:
👉 Instagram: @oliviamancuso__
👉 Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx

AJ Christou went from hanging out at Sankys with a fake ID to becoming a resident at the same club, signing with The Martinez Brothers, and playing his first official Miami Music Week set at Wynwood Studios. In this episode, Olivia Mancuso sits down with AJ to break down how a Manchester teenager who hated electronic music the first time he heard it built a career in the global house and tech house circuit.
AJ shares the random chain of events that started his DJ journey: buying CDJs that sat untouched for 6 months, learning to mix for his sister's 30th birthday, and getting his first Sankys slot off a SoundCloud mix. He gets honest about why the "gatekeeping" complaint is mostly entitlement, why he moved to New York to study at Dubspot, and the real difference between Miami Music Week and ADE for emerging producers.
For any new producer trying to figure out where to invest first (music, networking, education, or production lessons), AJ lays out the exact order that worked for him and explains why showing up to the shows of DJs who play your music changes everything.
👉 Want personalized guidance on your music career? Book a one-on-one consultation with Olivia on GreenRoom where you can get tailored advice on branding, business strategy, and sustainable career growth:
👉 Instagram: @oliviamancuso__
👉 Video Editor/Audio Engineer: James Fixx