Why did you start spinning?
I started two summers ago, basically, because I was going to a lot of house parties and the music they were playing just wasn’t motivating people to dance. It was boring. People were standing around, not really having a good time, you know?
What did it take to get started?
I asked my mom, actually, for the money for the turntables, and promised her that I would do enough shows to where it would be able to pay for itself and I’d be able to pay her back.
What makes a good DJ?
It’s the ability to judge the crowd and keep the crowd moving, not keeping it at one momentum. Just livening the energy as the set goes on and building it up throughout the night.
What’s it like to give people that feeling – to make them go crazy?
It’s amazing. I really started to notice this last year, as the crowds have gotten bigger like that, to where everybody will absolutely lose their mind if you play the right stuff.
What’s been the weirdest request you’ve gotten?
Last year, I actually got a request for the Spice Girls, so I was kind of surprised by that. They actually came up later on and requested Savage Garden, so that kind of made me shake my head.
What is the DJ’s role in music?
The DJ is kind of on the forefront of what’s new. They’re always online, always looking for tracks, downloading tracks, putting them on their computer, playing them out for crowds, testing them. Basically, if it’s hot now, it was hot because a DJ got a hold of it and decided to put it on the radio.
A lot of artists are constantly sending out their tracks to DJs. You know, “Play this out. See how it goes.” They get feedback and stuff like that, and it gets pushed onto the radio and then it blows up.
What is it about music that inspires you?
Music as a whole is really my avenue for communication. It’s the way I express myself. My mom told me a couple years ago that she couldn’t see me doing anything else besides music because it’s my main way to get my ideas out. For some people, it’s business. For me, it’s being able to play the music that I love and sharing it with a large crowd.
