“I am a DJ, I am what I play” - David Bowie (1979)

I’m a DJ. that fact has been a constant in my life since I was a teenager. On the radio, video, clubs, events..for over 30 years..that’s amazing and a little crazy at a time where DJ’s are more popular than ever and also more ubiquitous.

When I began DJ’ing it was on the radio in Boston. Home then to some amazing radio stations, sadly now gone.

It’s a classic story of doing an overnight stint at a College Station. My best friend was the program director, and he gave me my first shot. I never intended to be a DJ, It wasn’t really something you aspired to then, but in my first few weeks on the air, something clicked.

I found myself in a flow that has stayed with me ever since, and I share it weekly on the best radio station in the world.

Club Gigs started to happen a bit later, and I found myself in demand and part of an interesting evolving scene that brought the music I dug on the radio to an audience that was reacting to it in real-time - on the dance floor. I could instantly see what was working and what wasn’t. This created a fascinating quandary, do I play to the crowd, knowing that inevitably they will get tired of the same thing, or do I take risks and see if I can inspire them to join me on a journey of discovery.

I chose the journey.

Of course, any set has familiar ports of call that fill the floor and create that sweet wash of nostalgia and familiarity. But the real good stuff, the experience that the dancer will remember and share with all their friends, is when you create an opportunity for discovery. Music has the rare ability to be loved dearly on a first listen. When you mix that aural pleasure with body movin” , a great sound & lighting system, and the communal joy people around you getting down, then it becomes a transcendent experience for both the DJ and the dancers.

You don’t know where you will end up, the journey is the only thing that matters. They trust you.

When this trust is forged, you start mixing in elements that add all sorts of beauty to the set and the crowd starts to bond on a shared new experience. People start dancing together, and the journey is in full swing.

As a DJ, you take these beautiful trusting souls on pilgrimage. Each night is a new dimension that makes their lives fuller, joyful, energized to face the week ahead till the come see you again.

Last Night A DJ Saved My Life - Indeep (1983)

I am a dj, i am what i play.