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It’s been an incredible year. I’ve never been more excited about DJing, or have felt a stronger connection with the music I’m playing. A lot of that has to do with the music programming work I’ve been doing at High Street Place. So it’s fitting that I’ll be bringing in 2023 in the space that I now call my musical “home.”

For more info on what I’ve been doing at High Street Place, be sure to check out my previous blog post about that!

I’ll be DJing from 10 PM until 2 AM, and the awesomely talented Miranda Rae will be doing an RnB set to kick off the night at 8 PM. Her ability to navigate through genres and eras of great music with ease, yet put her own spin on each song, is unlike any other performer I’ve seen in Boston. To be honest, I’m a little bit nervous to follow her!

For the first time ever, we’ll clear out the tables and make a proper dance floor. There’ll be a lot of fun things going on throughout the hall as well, including casino games (we’re rolling with a Casino Royale theme), a five-story ball drop, and of course incredible food and drink options from our restaurant partners.

Click here to grab your tickets on Eventbrite.

Each ticket includes:

And here’s a Spotify recap of some of my favorite songs from the 2022 High Street Place playlists:

It seems like a lifetime since I’ve DJed a New Year’s Eve party. Actually, it was 2019 at Brass Union with my pal DJ ABD. So it’s fitting that I’ll return to the same room this year for the holiday. And, it’ll be the first time they’ve had a DJ since the space transitioned to Vera’s earlier this year. It goes without saying, it’s an honor to be back, especially on such a big night.

Over the past decade, Brass Union – and when it was Precinct before – has been one of the most important venues in the city for me, both professionally and personally. When it was Precinct, I just started to cut my teeth in the local music scene and was going out regularly to their shows, as well as booking my own. The Sea Monsters residency on Sundays was world class. If you know, you really know.

Then when ownership refreshed the space into Brass Union in 2014, and did an impressive renovation that included a beautiful DJ booth, I got the call to book the music. This was an amazing platform as I was just starting to take my own DJing seriously. I began to see it as a possible career path rather than just a creative outlet for nights off from my regular gig managing a bar down the street.

Brass was a space where I could really expand my horizons into the local DJ scene, and even beyond. I worked with so many talented DJs and formed lasting relationships with a lot of them. It’s an amazing feeling to go from “fan” to “friend” and “peer.”

We also hosted ten Music Vs. Cancer fundraisers at Precinct/Brass and raised a ton of money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, all while celebrating my mother running the Boston Marathon for the Dana Farber team each year. It was like the unofficial Wallace-family festival. So many generous donors helped my mom raise more than $150,000 for cancer research.

And speaking of family, I met my amazing wife Ashley while she was managing/bartending at Precinct more than 10 years ago. We even had our wedding after party at Brass Union in 2016!

Every time I’d DJ at Brass Union, and Precinct before that, I felt like I was sharing more of myself than nearly any other venue I play at. (The Druid is in that class too!) That’s because I’m at home in the space, thanks to all of the memories and friendly faces over the years.

I’ve missed this feeling considerably over the past two years and cannot wait to add to that history on this next chapter with Vera’s.

12/31/2021 – Doors are at 9:30 PM. Music is from 10 PM to 2 AM. Tickets are $25 and include a champagne toast at midnight.

Be sure to grab your tickets in advance on Eventbrite.

There aren’t any dance floors to play music for at the moment, but I still have the desire to mix records together. That’s something you can never take away from me! So here are a bunch of mixes I’ve put out since the Covid-19 lockdown hit us. I’ll keep adding to this page!

I’ll be regularly streaming DJ sets during the Covid-19 lockdown via my Twitch, Facebook, and Instagram Live accounts. The most dependable platform to catch me on is Twitch, and my channel is embedded in the player below.

Somehow live-streaming DJ sets in the year 2020 isn’t as straight-forward as it should be. Facebook and Instagram have incredible reach, but as a regular everyday working DJ it’s tough to beat the copyright algorithms to avoid getting shut down. I’m still working through the kinks, but for the time being Twitch will be my streaming platform of choice.

I’ve been hearing reports that Mixcloud has just launched a solid platform, so I’ll be checking that out too.

Stay safe and stay home!

Watch live video from DJJWall on www.twitch.tv

I am excited to announce that I’ll be DJing on Saturday afternoon (May 23) at the Boston Calling Music Festival. My set will be from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM on the arena stage, which will be a roller disco vibe.

If you told my 16-year-old self that my name would be on the same festival poster on the same day as Rage Against the Machine, I would have said you’re f-ing crazy. Well, here we are.

The lineup is full of heavy hitters (Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Run The Jewels, The 1975, Liam Gallagher, and dozens more). I am also really excited for the strong representation from the local DJ community. DJ Frank White, Ryan Brown, Knife, Joshua Carl, 7L, Yvg Pavl/Big Bear and a handful of other working DJs will also be playing sets in the arena.

As a working DJ, it is an honor to get a chance to play alongside a bunch of DJs I respect on a lineup of amazing bands, many of which I’ve been listening to since I’ve been a kid.

For more info and ticket packages, check out Boston Calling’s Page on Front Gate Tickets.

Here are some of my favorite Indie Dance and Nu Disco remixes, covers, edits, and originals mixed in with some classics. Usually this is the type of vibe I love to lay down when given free reign to play anything. This mix was actually recorded live during the first hour from a recent open-format set I did at Brass Union.

As a working DJ, moments like this can be few and far between, so I am very happy that I hit the record button.

Full track list to come soon. Please DM me if you’d like a downloadable version.

August 13, 2016 … That was the day I left my bartending job to pursue DJing full time. More than three years later, I am happy to say I am still at it and business is steadily growing.

It’s been a grind, even when times are good … especially when times are good. The working DJ life doesn’t stop. I check my email every two minutes. If you contact me about a gig I’ll respond right away, even if I’m at the gym or trying to take a nap. And social media … um, let’s table that discussion for another day because it’s a full-time job in its own right. I knew all of this going in, and there’s no time to complain. I probably could use a vacation, but even when I’m on vacation I try to seek out the DJs in that area.

At this point it’s safe to say I wasn’t cut out for the 9 to 5 lifestyle. And that’s fine with me. I wouldn’t know what to do with all of that free time anyway.

A mix of patience and persistence has served me the most. There’s no substitute for real experience, and that just doesn’t happen overnight as a DJ. Yeah, you can sit at home and practice for hours, but how do you learn how to turn on a dime when the crowd isn’t feeling your set? I’ve fallen on my face more times than I can count, and I’m sure I will again soon, but that’s just part of the thrill of it. I have butterflies in my stomach as I think about it. Some of my biggest milestones as a DJ have been how I’ve recovered from a “bad” set, an “off” moment, or a “weird” vibe. They are tough to swallow, but each one has made me ten times better.

Of course some nights are effortless. When everything is going right, my mind is totally clear and new pathways open up. I can somehow be thinking both in the moment and ten steps ahead. Four hours will just melt away like that.

It’s a beautiful thing to take a room on a journey and have them follow willingly. This makes all of the other noise that comes with the job totally worth it. After nights like this I may even drive home in silence.

I once heard a famous DJ say if you haven’t totally freaked out at some point, then you’re not working hard enough. I continue to push beyond my point of comfort. My goal with each new challenge is to be stronger for the next one. What’s amazing about this life, is you never know what opportunity could come tomorrow.

I want to be ready for anything.

Every mix comes together differently. Indie Summer Boogie organically came to life as a continuation of the Sunday Vibes mix I dropped last month. On that one I left off in the 98 BPM boogie world after climbing from 74 BPM over the course of an hour. I figured it’d be a good point to cut because a new groove was starting to form, and I wanted a separate canvas to let it all marinate. Less two days after recording Sunday Vibes, I did Indie Summer in one take. I had an hour free before heading to a gig and the turntables were ready, so I hit record. After about 30 listens, I still really like what I’m hearing, so that means I should probably put it out.

To have a sustainable career as a working DJ I need to stay on top of a lot of different formats. My favorite style is what you hear on this mix. It’s my interpretation of new meeting old. With the vastness of the internet, there are no shortage of remixes that’ll freshen up a classic and make it workable in unlikely spots. There are also remixes of new tracks that’ll totally soften that predictable pop sensibility and make it feel “cool” again.

All of this goodness loosely fits in the category of nu-disco or indie dance, I’m told. The best part is that it brings a seemingly endless amount of genres under one umbrella. It makes it a lot easier to go from Biggie to Moby in one move without totally changing the vibe. Or Chromeo to the Rolling Stones.

Indie Summer Boogie is currently streaming right here on my site and on Mixcloud too. If you’d like a download link, please send me a direct message!

The full tracklist is below. I want to give a huge shoutout to all of the amazing remixers and editors. Without you my sets wouldn’t be nearly as interesting. You all are inspiring me to get working on my own edits, too.

“Ready Or Not!/I’ve Got 5 On It” (Casual Connection Mash Up) – The Fugees

“Stayin Alive” (Papa Skunk Remix) –  Bee Gees

“Wild Thoughts” (Bee’s Knees Remix) – DJ Khaled ft Rihanna & Bryson Tiller

“Sorry” (Soulboss Soulbounce Remix)  – Justin Bieber

“Sexual Healing” (Kygo Remix) – Marvin Gaye

“99 Red Balloons” (Nena Cover) – Oliver Nelson & Tobtok ft River

“Sprawl II” (Soulwax Remix – VM EDIT) – Arcade Fire

“Electrify” – Oliver

“Natural Blues” (The Niceguys Remix) – Moby

“Sky’s The Limit” (Rad Stereo Remix) – Notorious BIG

“Just The Two Of Us” (Artiq Remix) – Bill Withers

“My Cherie Amour” (Doc Adam Dub Blend) – Stevie Wonder & The Harry J Allstars

“Dang!” (AZ DJ Melo Short Edit) – Mac Miller Ft. Anderson Paak

“Juice”  – Chromeo

“Miss You” (Dr Dre Remix)  – The Rolling Stones

“Midnight City” (GRIZART DRUM REFIX) –  M83

“Psychic City” (Classixx Remix) – Yacht

“Hold You Tight” (Fitz Lauder Rework) – Tara Kemp

“Weak” (Dennis Blaze 4AM Remix) – S.W.V.

“Pleasure Principle” (Classixx Recovery Mix) – Janet Jackson

“Careless Whisper” (DJ Pantelis Soulful Mix) – George Michael

“Smooth Operator” – Sade

“Dreams” (Gigamesh Edit) –  Fleetwood Mac

“Need U”  (Skream RMX/SINcere Re-Edit) –  Duke Dumont

“Sweet Dreams” (Jeyone Dreamin’ Edit) – Eurythmics

“Just Can’t Get Enough” – Depeche Mode

“Good Time” – Brazilian Girls

I am looking forward to another solid month of DJs at Brass Union and especially excited for DJ Knife and 7L’s Friday appearance on 5/18. It’s always on honor to be able to book my heroes.  I’ll get my shot at the controls on Saturday the 12th, and Brass is always one of my favorite places to spin. The crowd is way more open-minded that most spots, which allows me to weave in and out of unexpected genres (like ’90s alt rock) without loosing the room. The last few sets I’ve done here have been wild … and I expect nothing less this time around. As always there’s never a cover.