El Tony
DJ Academy

The first edition of the El Tony DJ Academy will take place on the weekend of July 5-6. The Academy is aimed at people who want to take their first steps as DJs, improve their DJing skills and gain important insights into the electronic culture scene. Ideally, you have already stood in front of CDJs and mixers at home or at a friend's house and practiced a little.

And you know what? We organize a performance at an El Tony Culture Collective event for the Academy's top talents after graduation.

Date: July 05/06, 2025
Location: Hive Club
Zurich, CH

Coaches of the Academy

AANN

AANN is currently one of the most booked DJs in Switzerland. Among other things, she is a resident DJ at the Hive Club and a permanent fixture at Grundton events. Her previous appearances have included shows on the main stage of Hive Air and at major Swiss festivals such as Openair St. Gallen, Street Parade, Openair Frauenfeld, Züri Fäscht, Hive fliegt aus and Zoa City. She has already shared the stage with artists such as Carl Cox, Amelie Lens, Solomun, Giorgia Angiuli, Whomadewho, NTO, Fritz Kalkbrenner and many more.

Samy Jackson (Animal Trainer)

After studying for four years at the Academy of Contemporary Music Zurich (ACM), Samy Jackson took up guitar, drums, bass and piano and moved into more raw realms such as death and black metal. He took his first steps in the electronic field as “DJ RX” and with his live project “Cycle Repair” in the Dachkantine and the Rohstofflager. Since 2006, he has enjoyed great success as one half of the internationally renowned DJ and producer duo Animal Trainer and has toured the globe several times in his career for club appearances and prestigious festival gigs. In addition to commissioned productions for commercials, he is currently working on his solo debut under the pseudonym “Iron Mayhem”, which ranges musically from cinematic to post-rock to ambient.

Contents of the Academy

The El Tony DJ Academy coaches will cover the following topics in depth:

Intro 'History of Techno'
Equipment and record box: Where do I get the music from, how do I sort it and how do I play it?
What mixing skills do I need and what should I pay attention to?
How do I get my first gigs and how important is social media/networking?

Application process

Create a Spotify playlist (min. 20 tracks) or even better a Soundcloud mix (min. 45min)
Share your playlist or mix on Instagram with the hashtag #eltonydjacademy
Fill out the form below and tell us why you want to be part of the Academy.
The deadline for the mix was 15.06.2025