Va-dj-promotion-cd-pool-pop- Dance-349-2024-b2r... -

I wrote back: “Already have 350 on pre-order.”

The folder exploded open: 18 tracks, all perfectly tagged, all sitting at a crisp 320kbps. Track 01: a brand-new remix of a Dua Lipa banger that wasn’t dropping on streaming for another two weeks. Track 04: a bassline-heavy flip of a Tate McRae cut, complete with an extended intro for smooth beatmatching. Track 09: some unknown producer from Manchester who’d somehow made a drill beat feel like a euphoric anthem. VA-DJ-Promotion-CD-Pool-Pop- Dance-349-2024-B2R...

Back home, I reopened the file. . Just a string of text. But for four hours on a sticky Saturday night, it was the engine that kept a hundred strangers from going home early. And that, more than any headlining gig or million-stream playlist, is the real magic of DJing. I wrote back: “Already have 350 on pre-order

“CD Pool 349,” I said, and smiled.