Phones have changed how dancefloors feel, and Saad Ayub has watched that shift happen in real time. In this interview, he talks about the moment screens started replacing hands in the air, how that altered crowd energy, and why presence still matters when the room is full and the system is loud.
His reflections come from years behind the decks, moving through eras where nights lived only in memory and into one where every drop can end up online within seconds.
Pre-Order or Snag The Track Here
That same outlook feeds into his new collaboration with B3CKS, Here To Stay, which we are premiering one day ahead of its official release on our SoundCloud. The track marks the first single from the present chapter of Past, Present and Future PT2 and leans into a direct, club-focused approach designed for long blends and late hours. Saad’s path from trance to melodic techno has followed the same principle he describes here, which is to trust the room, follow tension and release, and let the music lead instead of the screen.
Interview With Saad Ayub
When did you first notice phones shifting the vibe of a dancefloor?
Honestly around the early 2010s. Before that it was pure chaos in the best way. Hands up, sweat, strangers hugging, nobody documenting anything. Then, suddenly, you start seeing screens pop up mid-drop. At first it felt harmless. Then it slowly became half the room watching the moment through a lens instead of actually being in it. That is when I really felt the shift.
Have you ever caught yourself playing to the phones instead of the crowd?
I think every DJ has felt that temptation at some point.
Big breakdown, big drop, you know people are filming. But I learned pretty quickly that chasing the camera kills the soul of the set. I would rather have 300 people losing their minds than 30 perfect clips on Instagram. The dancefloor energy always wins. If the room is locked in, the phones do not matter anyway.
What’s something you miss about the pre-phone era that new DJs might never experience?
Mystery.
Back then you had to be there. No stories, no uploads, no proof. If you missed a night at Guvernment or a warehouse party in Toronto, it was gone forever. That made every set feel special and almost sacred. You danced harder because there was no replay button. I miss that rawness a lot.
How do you think phone culture affects the way people listen or don’t listen?
It shortens attention spans. People wait for the “moment” instead of riding the journey.
Techno especially is about tension, patience, storytelling. If you are checking your screen every 30 seconds, you miss the whole arc. The best nights are when people forget their phones exist and just trust the music.
Do you ever feel pressure to create “Instagram moments” when you play?
Not really. Maybe earlier in my career, sure. Now I care more about longevity than virality. I have been doing this since 2005. Trends come and go. Real connection lasts. If a moment is powerful enough, people will film it naturally. I never force it.
What advice would you give to new DJs trying to keep people present in the room?
Focus on groove and flow, not tricks.
Build tension. Tell a story. Make people move without realizing it. When the music is right, nobody wants to look at their phone. Also, be confident enough to take risks. The most memorable sets are not perfect, they are emotional.
Have phones changed the way you experience DJing?
A little, yes. But not in a bad way. It just means I have to work a bit harder to pull people in. When you finally get a room fully locked, no screens, just bodies moving together, it feels even more special now. It reminds me of those Guvernment days, sweaty walls, dark rooms, pure energy. That feeling is still why I do this.
And honestly, that same mindset went into my new track with B3CKS, Here To Stay. It is not about chasing trends. It is about making something timeless that hits on a proper system and keeps people dancing, phones down, heads up.
That is the goal every time.
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
