• Gig Update: Welcome to the Blenderdome

    The fine folks at Thirst Boston know how throw a damn good party. The cocktail festival, which takes place over the last weekend in April, celebrates all things stirred, shaken, and blended. The day is all about education: there are dozens of seminars centered on various cocktail trends. Year’s ago I attended a seminar on the relationship between music and the history of the cocktail taught by the legend Brother Cleve. I took way more notes there than most of my senior year of college combined. I hope to make it out to a couple of classes this weekend.

    I’m beyond excited to be DJing the official closing party, the Blender Bender, for the third straight year. This is a double bonus for me. Not only do I get to see a ton of awesome bartenders (including a lot of old friends) get down with some friendly competition, I also get to spin pretty much whatever I want at one of Boston’s best clubs, Whisky Saigon. I’m like a kid in a candy shop when I get to work a sound system like this. I love how you can not only hear, but feel even the slightest adjustments in EQ.

    Each year the Thirst crew concocts a fun theme for the night. This year it’s Welcome to the Blenderdome, which is all about Mad Max. I have my Tina Turner prepped and ready. Costumes are encouraged. It WILL get weird.

    On the bar side of things, twelve teams of three bartenders compete to make the best blended drink. The audience votes for the winner. Tickets $65 and include samples of competition drinks and snacks. Beer will be available for purchase and proceeds will be donated to charity. Click here for more info.

    THE THIRST BOSTON BLENDER BENDER – Sunday, April 29 – 8 PM to 11 PM – Whisky Saigon (Boston, MA)

     

  • New Mix on Mixcloud: Sunday Vibes Volume #1

    It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve finally put out a new mix. This one came to me on a quiet Sunday afternoon while I was nursing a nasty hangover (rum drinks at 4 AM will do that to you every time). Inspiration can come out of the most unlikely places.

    Despite the hangover, I was still riding high from a slammed Fresh Produce at Good Life the night before, and my Friday was just as wild too. After doing a surprisingly rowdy all-’90s party in the early evening at NBPT Brewing Co, I rushed back to Somerville to join my homie DJ ABD. He was holding down my Friday residency at Foundry on Elm. I ended up playing a lot of soulful indie disco/house records that I rarely get a chance to play out on the weekends. That was an unexpected bonus.

    DJing can be a solitary experience at times, so when I get a weekend to spin with other DJs, especially heavy-hitters like DJ ABD, Braun Dapper, and DJ ESQ, it’s always enlightening. Seeing how one of your respected peers react in different situations can be just as valuable as hours spent practicing cuts. It motivated me to work a little harder on Sunday.

    So rather than putting my feet up and watching golf, I set up my turntables and hit record. I didn’t have much of a plan, just a general idea that I’d play what I was feeling at the moment. I wanted to incorporate fresh remixes of classic tracks. Also, my brain was still keen on ’90s cuts, so a handful of those made it into the mix. You can stream the full set below via Mixcloud. I’ve also included the full track list below! Props to Direct Music Service for consistently having some of the most useful edits/re-drums.

    “Somebody That I Used To Know” (Donk Short Trap Remix) – Gotye                                               

    “No Rain” (VM re-drum)] – Blind Melon                                        

    “You Don’t Know How It Feels” (Drew Pierce Edit) – Tom Petty                                

    “Hey Jude” (Scott Melker RMX) – The Beatles                                        

    “Have Some Love” – Childish Gambino                                

    “Can you get to that” – Funkadelic                                  

    “Take Your Mama” – Scissor Sisters                        

    “Mr. Brightside” (Two Friends Remix) – The Killers                                    

    “Ride” – Twenty One Pilots                        

    “Human” (Kue Remix) –  Rag’n’Bone Man                 

    “The Chain” (DJ Apt One Edit) –  Fleetwood Mac          

    “Don’t Speak” –  No Doubt                           

    “Say It Ain’t So” – Weezer                                        

    “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over” – Lenny Kravitz                             

    “Footsteps In the Dark, Pts. 1 & 2” – The Isley Brothers                             

    “Them Changes” – Thundercat                                                                  

    “Where Is My Mind” (Bassnectar Dubstep Remix) – Pixies                                     

    “Good Life”  (Reed Streets Remix) – Kanye West ft. T-Pain                    

    “Sexy Wonderwall” (Victor Menegaux Mashup) – Oasis vs Ray J                             

    “Royals” – Lorde                                      

    “Passin by Me” (Jazzy Jeff Remix) – Pharcyde                                      

    “Return Of The Mack” (Doc Adam Blend) – Mark Morrison & J Dilla                        

    “Cruisin” (Mr Collipark RMX) – Smokey Robinson                                

    “Fame” (LNTG Hypnotizin’ Funk Mix) – David Bowie                               

    “Whole Lotta Love” [Benny C Edit] – Led Zeppelin                                   

    “Back In Black” –  AC/DC                           

    “Oh My God” (Excel Sample Edit) – A Tribe Called Quest vs. Kool & The Gang        

    “Regulate The President” – Flipout & Nick Bike                                

    “Freedom 90” (The Reflex Edit) – George Michael   

     

  • Check out Brass Union’s April DJ Schedule

    More good stuff is coming to the DJ booth at Brass Union in April! I always love the diversity between the vintage all-vinyl nights and the open-format party jam nights. I’ll get my shot this month on Saturday the 28th. As always there’s never a cover. Check it out!


    Brass DJ Poster APR 18

  • The Working DJ Blog: A day in the life…

    When your work day (or night) doesn’t start till 10 PM, it’s easy to go mad during the day. I’ll admit that I’m a late riser on the weekends. I like to tell people that I live on West Coast time. Still that leaves a good 10 to 12 hours before I clock in for the night. How do I fill that time? Here’s an outline of a typical Saturday in the life of this working DJ.

    After eating some lox and toast, I jump into emails and admin work. I like to bang this stuff out early to clear my headspace for more creative endeavors later in the day. Emails sometimes are the bane of my existence, but they are an essential tool to keep the business operating. More on that another day. The good news is that on a Saturday, the admin tasks are always light. That leaves plenty of time for music and exploration.

    I prefer to practice earlier in the day. Things seem to flow a lot more freely and with less distraction. Practicing as a DJ has always been a strange concept to me, but it’s been essential to get through the inevitable plateaus. Since much of what you do depends on the energy of a crowd, when you’re spinning records while staring at a wall, things just don’t make the same amount of sense as they would when you play out. But still, you can get a general idea if something’s working.  That’s why I tend to work more on fundamentals at home. I’ll freestyle scratch different samples over the same instrumental beat for an hour, trying to mime the lyrics. I still hardly scratch at gigs, but my goal is only to keep getting better. After all, it was the scratch sound that got me into this in the first place.

    I try to have fun with my practice sessions because it’s a rare opportunity to play completely for myself. I’ll work on word-play tricks and ideas that’ve crept into my head over the week. Sometimes this stuff happens spontaneously at a gig, but it’s time spent in the lab working on a feeling or concept that’ll increase the chances of it happening live. Lately I’ve been working on different ways  to make quick BPM changes. There’s always that time when you’re stuck at a certain speed and need to get somewhere in a hurry without losing the floor (or you have to go there in order to not lose the floor).

    Before I hit play, I have to set up my mixer as I had it out the night before. It takes only a couple minutes to plug in my Pioneer S9 to my permanent home setup (2 x Technic 1200 MK2s) plus a powered QSC K8 speaker. My 2018 wishlist is to grab another S9. It’s a huge advantage to have a second set of decks. My practice time has gone up considerably. Having to burn time on either end to set up and break down your gear is a HUGE hinderance to creativity. By the time I’d have everything out of the cases something would inevitably pull my attention in another direction.

    I have three identical sets of the basic cables (XLR, USB, power adapter). There’s a set that stays in my gig bag, another set in a backup bag, and a set always plugged in at home. This ensures I will never forget anything without even having to think about it. Systems like this are everything when you gig four to five times a week with different equipment needs for each. They keep me from going crazy. I don’t do checklists. I’d rather just know everything is where it needs to be.

    The night’s gig is at Good Life upstairs. I am slated to spin solo for four hours, which is a first for me in this venue  as usually I am paired with another DJ doing 30 minute back-to-back sets. The B2B thing is great because you feed off your partner, and I think you can get a away with going a bit harder as you get a chance to recharge every 30 mins.

    The prospect of four hours at the controls for a packed floor is both exciting and a little bit stressful. I know I’ll need to pace myself wisely. Go too hard too early and I’ll leave myself nowhere to go, except off a cliff. Knowing my tracks and their energy levels is everything.

    I’ll go on to spend a majority of my day in Serato organizing tracks and improving the crate structure I’ve been building on for the past few years. I’ll also check the charts for anything fresh that I know I’ll need to play. “God’s Plan” by Drake is an example.

    I’ve done a lot of work in Serato over the past year to organize my dance crates by energy level. My system is basic (LO, MID, HIGH) and it helps a lot to set the tone for the night. Once I get a feel for how the floor reacts to certain tracks I then get into more genre specific crates, mostly genre or era related.

    I recently built a crate called D.A.N.C.E which is specifically designed for sets at Good Life. After a couple of years of regular gigs there I’ve gotten a feel for what works and what doesn’t. For one, the 2000s to early 2010s are pure gold. That stuff works with multiple generations, and when things get played out, it’s a decent jumping off point into the newer trap and turn up stuff.

    Then there’s reggae and dancehall, some of the best dance music ever recorded.

    The floor fills up fast on this particular night. Good Life has built a reputation for offering some legendary hip hop nights (PVRPLE, Fresh Produce) but they also do great house nights, too. Downstairs happens to be one of those house nights. If anything, that makes my job easier. I know there will be absolutely zero crossover, and hip hop heads will only have one option … me. (On a side note, I’d LOVE to spin more house nights).

    Out of the gate, 2000s R&B seems like a logical choice. The room is filling up. I want people to get comfortable with the space. Maybe they’ll grab a drink or two before really dancing. At the end of the day, I know my main role is to keep people drinking.  I lean on familiar tracks from Ashanti, Mary J, Aaliyah, The Fugees, Rihanna … you get it. Once a critical mass is reached, I see the need to ramp it up and get people grooving. J Lo “Get Right” lines up nicely for this. Then it’s all systems go.

    A couple of requests come in right off the bat. The first one is Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack.” 1,000 % unexpected, but I fucking love it. Anytime I get this request, I will absolutely play it. That song at the right moment always bangs, and this was the right moment. It then launches me into a whole mix of similar era tracks. Shaggy “It Wasn’t Me,” Skee-Lo “I Wish,” and Ice Cube “You Can Do It.” All hit nicely, but I don’t want to overstay my welcome. The key is keeping people from pigeonholing you into one specific theme.

    I had already gotten a request for “Toxic” by Britney Spears. I nicely shrugged it off but there’s no way Good Life would be the venue for that … or at least I thought. 15 minutes later the group sends someone else up to ask for it (a common tactic to make it seem like more people want to hear it than actually do). I realize this is a pretty large group and their energy is really what’s building the early dance floor. But still, Britney at Good Life? I texted my buddy who does sound  for approval. He said to go for it. So I hard echo out of whatever 95 BPM cut I was on. Let it mellow for a second, and drop “Toxic” on the one. The crowd eats it up. Nice.

    The change was perfectly timed. I was peaking in the 95-105 BPM world and needed to wash things clean. At 72 BPM and a shuffle “Toxic” was a great jumping off point to new things. “Rehab” next hit so flat that I cut out after 8 Bars to something a little more on brand. It’s funny how fickle a crowd can be with a novelty. Stay there too long and you’re toast.

    The “Toxic” move launched me back up the BPM latter. As I was building it back up MIA “Paper Planes” was the highlight. 10 years later this track still combines the perfect level of indie clout with pop sensibility. Also I got tremendous satisfaction from dropping Queen’s “We Will Rock You” to lead into “Tipsy,” and not going down in flames.

    Then I got some love from industry folks.  Crews from the Milky Way and City Tap, both places I’m fortunate enough to spin at regularly, came by to say hi. Anytime you see a familiar face in a room full of a few hundred strangers really levels you out and makes you feel human again. This is what carried me through the rest of the night.

    Four hours barely existed. Before I knew it I was playing “Welcome to Jamrock” at 1:53AM and the lights were up. Just another day in the life.

    Here’s the full track list (including the edits I use) from my Good Life set on 2/17/2018. All 149 tracks in total.

    I Wanna Be Down (Clean / Aca Out) Brandy 88
    If Your Girl Only Knew Aaliyah 88
    Passin by Me Pharcyde 90
    Be Happy (Durkin Edit) Mary J. Blige 91
    Rock The Boat (DJ Dynamite edit) Aaliyah 93
    I Feel It Coming (Dirty) The Weeknd ft. Daft Punk 93
    Fu-Gee-La (SHORT EDIT /ACAPELLA OUT) The Fugees 90
    Ain’t That Funny (Short Edit) Jennifer Lopez ft Ja Rule 94
    Why You Wanna (Clean Intro) T.I. 96
    How We Do – DJcity Throwback Edit (Dirty) The Game ft. 50 Cent 98
    Wild Thoughts (Scooter Remix / Maria Intro / Clean) DJ Khaled ft Rihanna & Bryson Tiller x Santana 98
    Juicy Booty (Audio1 Edit) (Dirty) Chris Brown feat. Jhene Aiko & R Kelly 96
    Dance With Me (DJ Tanner PL3 EDIT) 112 98
    Girls Wanna Have Fun (Intro – Clean) Usher ft. Young Thug 94
    Stay Winning (Nick Styles Intro Refix-Dirty) Wale 97
    You Be Killin Em (DIRTY-SSM Edit) Fabolous 94
    Get Right – DJcity Throwback Edit (Intro) Jennifer Lopez 97
    Rich Girl Eve/Gwen Stefani 98
    Rock Your Body (Menegaux Quick Mix/ Beatbox Outro) Justin Timberlake 101
    Too Close Next 100
    Return of the Mack (C & J Street Mix) Mark Morrison 95
    It Wasn’t Me (Clean Intro) Shaggy 94
    Disco Inferno (Clean Intro) 50 Cent 97
    Shake Ya Ass [Explicit] Mystikal 98
    Senorita (Super Short Edit) Justin Timberlake 98
    Beware Of The Boys (Remix) (Cyber Intro) Punjabi MC feat Jay Z 98
    I Wish (Intro) Skee Lo 98
    Heavenly Break DJ ELI ESCOBAR 102
    Watch Out Now (DJ A-L Big Pun Blend-Clean) The Beatnuts & Big Pun 100
    Jenny From The Block Jennifer Lopez 100
    You Can Do It – DJcity Thorwback Edit (Dirty) Ice Cube ft. Mack 10 & Ms. Toi 100
    Talk Dirty To Me (Melo D EDIT) Jason Derulo 100
    Work It into Worth It (Segue / Clean) Missy Elliot / Fifth Harmony ft Kid Ink 100
    You Know You Like It (DJ Snake RMX / Intro) AlunaGeorge 98
    Me & U (Short Edit) Cassie 100
    Toxic-intro-clean Britney Spears 72
    Rehab (DJ Dynamite edit) Amy Winehouse 73
    GDFR (Intro – Clean) Flo Rida ft. Sage The Gemini 73
    Look At Me Now (feat. Lil Wayne & Busta Rhymes) Chris Brown 73
    Make It Rain (Dirty / Super Short Edit) Fat Joe ft. Lil Wayne 75
    Swing (QUICK EDIT/ ACAPELLA OUT-DIRTY) Savage 75
    Collard Greens (feat. Kendrick Lamar) ScHoolboy Q 77
    DIRT OFF YA BEEMER BENZ OR BENTLEY (NICK BIKE BLEND) JAY-Z 80
    Beamer Benz Or Bentley (Dirty Intro) Lloyd Banks feat Juelz Santana 80
    Live Your Life (Dirty) TI ft. Rihanna 80
    Rubberband Man (DIRTY-Isaac Jordan Quick Edit) T.I. 78
    Krippy Kush (Remix / Spanglish / Dirty) Farruko, Nicki Minaj, Bad Bunny, 21 Savage & Rvssian 82
    Plain Jane (Dirty / Intro) A$AP Ferg 85
    Get Back (Dirty / Donk Hook Only) Ludacris 86
    Teach Me How To Dougie (DIRTY-Jason Bee Intro) California Swag District 85
    I Think They Like Me (RMX / Clean / Short Edit) Dem Franchize Boyz ft Jermaine Dupri, Da Brat & Bow Wow 83
    Slow Motion (Dirty Cyber Intro) Juvenile 86
    Paper Planes Dirty M.I.A 86
    My Drink N My 2 Step (Dirty Intro) Cassidy feat Swizz Beatz 87
    Blame It (Dirty Cyber Intro) Jaime Foxx feat T Pain 88
    Flashing Lights Kanye West Featuring Dwele 90
    Umbrella (Feat. Jay-Z) Rihanna 87
    Jumpin Jumpin [Drew Pierce Edit] Destiny’s Child 89
    Let Me Blow Ya Mind ft. Gwen S Eve 90
    In Da Club 50 Cent 90
    Drop It Like It’s Hot Snoop Dogg Featuring Pharrell 92
    We Will Rock You (Deejay Irie Tipsy Edit) Queen 88
    Tipsy J-Kwon 93
    Murder She Wrote (PLUV Intro EDIT) Chaka Demus & Pliers 95
    Heads High (Kill Dem Wit it RMX / Diggz 2017 Short Edit) – 5A Mr. Vegas 93
    GASOLINA Daddy Yankee 96
    Like Glue Sean Paul 98
    Freaks (DIRTY) French Montana ft Nicki Minaj 96
    Ayy Ladies (DIRTY-Donk-“Hook First” Short Edit) Travis Porter ft Tyga 96
    Choppa Style (Dirty) Choppa 100
    Back That Azz Up (Dirty Intro) Juvenile 96
    Nolia Clap (Alternate Intro / Twerk / Super Short Edit) TWRK 100
    Blow the Whistle (Original Mix) Too $hort 100
    Love Like This – DJcity Throwback Edit (Intro) Faith Evans 101
    Be Faithful (Original Mix) Fatman Scoop 101
    Wait (The Whisper Song) (DJ AM Intro) (Dirty) Ying Yang Twins 102
    Whistle Song-clean-intro Juelz Santana 100
    Touch It (DJ Organic Edit) Busta Rhymes 102
    Salt Shaker (Clean) Ying Yang Twins ft. Lil Jon 102
    Got Your Money Ol’ Dirty Bastard 103
    Bend Ova (Dirty) Lil Jon ft Tyga 103
    Yeah! Usher Featuring Lil Jon & Ludacris 105
    This Is How We Finesse (Audio1 Throwback Blend / Acapella Out) Montell Jordan vs Bruno Mars 105
    Finesse (Remix / Dirty / Intro) Bruno Mars ft Cardi B 105
    Suit & Tie (Dirty-Short Edit – Aca Out) – 9A/10A Justin Timberlake ft Jay-Z 102
    The Motto (CLEAN-Nacho Vega Edit) Drake ft Lil Wayne 101
    Im Rollin (Fresh Den A Muthafucka) (Beat Junkie Sound edit) (Dirty intro) Meek Mill 103
    No Lie (Intro) Sean Paul ft. Dua Lipa 102
    Never Leave You (Diggz 2017 Short Edit) – 7B Lumidee 100
    Get Busy [Menegaux Short Edit] Sean Paul 100
    Ting A Ling (Dirty / Super Short Edit) Nicki Minaj ft Shabba Ranks 105
    Express Yourself (Short Edit / Aca Out) – 9A Diplo ft Nicky Da B 108
    You Remind Me (Clean) Chris Porter 104
    Truffle Butter (Intro – Dirty) Nicki Minaj ft. Drake & Lil Wayne 105
    Fade – Jordan Crisp Clapapella Intro (Dirty) Kanye West ft. Post Malone & Ty Dolla $ign 106
    One Dance (Intro) Drake ft. Wizkid & Kyla 104
    Turn Me On Kevin Lyttle 106
    Tempted to Touch (Diggz 2017 Cutdown) – 7A Rupee 106
    Mercy.1 Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz 70
    Pony (Extended Mix) Ginuwine 71
    Ni**as in Paris Kanye West & JAY Z 70
    Formation/Humble (2 bar intro!!) Beyonce vs Kendrick Lamar 75
    HUMBLE. (Dirty / Intro) Kendrick Lamar 75
    Grove St Party (DIRTY-Jason Bee Intro) Waka Flocka Flame ft Kebo Gotti 70
    Homegurl (DIRTY-Intro) Bone 75
    Laffy Taffy (Clean Intro) D4L 77
    Walk It Out (Clean Intro) UNK feat Outkast & Jim Jones 80
    Snap Yo Fingers (Clean CK Intro) Lil Jon feat E 40 x Sean Paul 82
    All I Do Is Win (Dirty Intro) DJ Khaled feat Ludacris Rick Ross Snoop Dogg and T Pain 75
    Black And Yellow – DJcity Throwback Edit (Dirty) Wiz Khalifa 82
    God’s Plan (Dirty / Intro) Drake 77
    Rockstar (Dirty / Intro) Post Malone ft. 21 Savage 80
    Dance (ASS) Anthem (Risk One Segway) 80-91bpm (DIRTY) Big Sean & Nicki Minaj / DMX 80
    Good Life – Reed Streets Remix (Dirty) Kanye West ft. T-Pain 92
    Rude Boy Rihanna 87
    Make It Clap (CLEAN-Intro) Busta Rhymes 91
    Snake (Clean Intro) R Kelly feat Big Tigger 92
    Africa Toto 93
    No Scrubs TLC 93
    Welcome To Atlanta (Dirty) Jermaine Dupri ft Ludacris 96
    The Next Episode Dr Dre 95
    Lemon (Rihanna First / Clean / Short Edit) N.E.R.D. ft Rihanna 95
    Bubba Sparxxx ft.Ying Yang Twins – Ms. New Booty 97
    Bubble Butt Remix Major Lazer 97
    IDFWU (BJS Dirty Intro EDIT) Big Sean feat E40 98
    FDT (Intro – Dirty) YG & Nipsey Hussle 97
    R.I.P. (feat. 2 Chainz) Young Jeezy 97
    Gas Pedal (Dirty Intro) Sage The Gemini feat iamsu 98
    Rack City (Dirty Intro) Tyga 99
    Get Low Lil Jon And The East Side Boyz 101
    Party Up (Dirty / Short Edit) DMX 101
    Bring Em Out (SHORT EDIT/ ACAPELLA OUT) T.I. 99
    Doo Wop (That Thing) (Clean Intro) Lauryn Hill 100
    Ride Wit Me Nelly 102
    Bodak Yellow (Transition 100-63 / Dirty) Cardi B 126
    No Problem (Dirty-Intro/Outro) Chance The Rapper feat Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz 136
    Big Pimpin’ Jay-Z 138
    Ignition (Remix / Clean) R. Kelly 132
    My Boo Ghost Town DJ’s 130
    Birthday Sex REMIX (CLEAN- Uptempo Remix) ( Jeremih ft Pitbull 129
    Calabria (Victor Menegaux Horn outro) Enur feat. Natasja 126
    Danza Kuduro (feat. Lucenzo) Don Omar & Lucenzo 130
    Love In This Club (Audio1 2017 VIP Mega Blend / Clean) Usher 72
    Shawty Is A 10 (Rmx)_3(DMS Intro) Dream ft. Fabolous 73
    Swimming Pools (Donk Hooks Only Edit) Kendrick Lamar 74
    Young Forever (DIRTY-DJ Fabian Edit) Jay-Z ft Mr. Hudson 70
    Welcome To Jamrock (Intro) Damian Jr Gong Marley 77
    Thriller Laugh Sample Michael Jackson 118

     

     

  • March Gig Updates and Other Fun Things…

    March isn’t the craziest month gig wise, but I’m keeping busy behind the scenes. I have two Saturdays off for family obligations, and one completely free, which is always a nice way to feel human again. Over the course of a year, I probably work 49 out of 52 Saturdays. And speaking of Saturdays, I’ll be back at Brass Union on Saturday 3/24 and Good Life on Saturday 3/31. More on that later.

    Having a lighter gig load gives me a great opportunity to hit the reset button. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to work every single night, but having some time to breathe between gigs helps the sanity level. That’s where I can start digging for new tracks and tackling macro projects, like crate organization or practicing scratches. I also feel a less of an urgency to listen to music for DJ-related purposes. I can just let it flow, rather than scrub to the hook of a track to make sure it stacks up for the dance floor. Naturally, it’s in times like these where I’ll find that gem that I haven’t heard anyone else play around here: one that I can get away with spinning even on the most basic nights and feel warm inside, one that I’ll never get tired of hearing and always know the right time/place to drop it.

    When knocking out a bunch of gigs in a row, there’s always the temptation to fall into familiar routines. After a while you get a good sense of what works in certain situations and have your weapons lined up. Some of the most unfulfilling nights are when I go this route. I’ll even ask myself, “Are you really going to do that again?” as I’m doing the cut. It may work perfectly for the night, but I can feel my brain oozing with frustration for the lack of creativity. That said, if I give those particular cuts a rest, there is always a time weeks, months, or years down the line when it feels fresh again. Song fatigue is a real thing.

    I look forward to a month dedicated to discovery and re-upping my creative energy. I am fortunate to be able to work so much. I realize it’s kind of ridiculous to consider 16 gigs a slow month, but when you love what you do, sometimes the biggest challenge is knowing when to chill out.

    Gig Updates!!! 

    My newest weekly residency has been going strong into its seventh month now. Every Monday at the Milky Way in JP I get the privilege of spinning for dinner service. I set up in a cozy corner and just vibe out for two hours. Usually I’ll freestyle throughout my entire library and try to work on mixing in key. It’s amazing what genres can be connected when mixing harmonically. I do take risks on this night, but I also realize that I’m not the show. I can’t be too flashy or command too much attention because, after all, people are eating their dinner. My goal is to give ’em an experience that appeases the subconscious, and if they want to actively tune in, that’s just a bonus.

    On 3/31, I’ll be back at Fresh Produce,  the legendary last-Saturday celebration of all things hip-hop and reggae at Good Life Bar, soon to turn 12. DJ esq. and I will be going B2B for four hours. He is one of my favorite DJs and a total beast, which is just another reason to practice my cuts this month!

     

     

     

  • Check out Brass Union’s March DJ Schedule

    Any month that has five Fridays and Five Saturdays  is fine by me. Check out the full Brass Union DJ schedule below (curated by your’s truly). I’ll have my shot on the decks on Saturday 3/24. As always there’s never a cover!

  • Check out Brass Union’s February DJ Schedule

    Brass Union is one of my favorite places to DJ and hang, and it’s a honor to be able to curate the DJ schedule. I am proud to say I’ve never once played “Despacito” there. It’s a fun spot because you get a little more leeway to be yourself than in other weekend venues. There’s a still a responsibility to keep it relatable and danceable, but the overall vibe of the place rewards the well-timed risk, whether it’s a ’90s alt-rock chestnut, a classic house record committed to the back of our brains, or a dope Fleetwood Mac remix. Stuff like that would never fly on a Saturday night at most venues, but for some reason it all works in the mix at Brass Union. It’s an amazing feeling to lay some 116 – 120 BPM sweetness on ’em and let it ride for a while without falling off a cliff.

    I’m excited to get some old friends back on the decks this month, and look forward to taking the controls myself on Saturday, February 10. Check out the full schedule below (click on the image to zoom in).

    Brass DJ Poster FEB 18-3

     

     

  • February gig updates and other fun things

    Fresh from a week off in Costa Rica, I’m excited to get back to work. February may be a short month, but it’s busy one in the world of DJ J-Wall. In addition to my regular spots – Mondays at the Milky Way, Thursdays at The Druid, & Fridays at Foundry on Elm – I’ll be making the rounds at some of my favorite weekend haunts. Also it’s a busy one for summer planning, mainly booking weddings. If you know someone getting married that needs DJ, holla!

    Here are some of the month’s highlights.

    Saturday, Feb 10 – Brass Union (Union Square, Somerville) 10 PM to 2 AM – Music: Totally open format but danceable. This is where I can be myself and (mostly) get away with it. 

    Sunday, Feb 11 – Galentine’s Brunch at City Tap Boston (Seaport Area, Boston) 11 AM to 3 PM – Music: All female artists! Lots of ’90s and early ’00s vibes. 

    Saturday, Feb 17 – Good Life (Downtown Crossing, Boston) 10 PM to 2 AM with DJ ABD upstairs – Music: Throwbacks, New and Old Hip Hop & Party Jams, Trap, Reggae/Dancehall 

    Saturday, Feb 24 – Aeronaut Brewing Co. (Union Square, Somerville) 8 PM to Midnight – Music: Rock, funk, throwbacks and party jams, pretty much anything is possible. 

    For a full list of gigs be sure to check out my dates page. 

    Also, I’ve set a personal goal to make it to Bikram Yoga in Harvard Square at least 10 times this month. I’ve been practicing regularly since November and have noticed positive results in every aspect of life and work. More on the yoga later (maybe a new blog post?)

    Pura Vida!

     

  • January Gigs: Fresh Produce at Good Life with Frank White

    I’m excited to swing back through Good Life Bar on Saturday 1/27 to spin at Fresh Produce. Me and the godfather himself DJ Frank White will be taking you through all eras of hip-hop, reggae, and trap downstairs, while DJs Knife and Malcom X will be doing their thang upstairs. Fresh Produce is one of my favorite parties to spin in the city and Frank White is one of my favorite DJs to see … so this one should be a lethal combo.

    Saturday, January 27 – 10 PM to 2 AM 

    GOOD LIFE, 28 Kingston St, Boston, MA

    Fresh Produce with DJs Malcom X, Knife, Frank White, and J-Wall 

     

     

  • Here’s Brass Union’s January DJ Schedule

    We are kicking off 2018 right at Brass Union. Month after month I love seeing all these names on one poster. There are so many different styles and generations represented. It goes to show that there is more than one way to get the job done effectively. I am excited to be doing not one, but two Saturdays this month (1/6 and 1/20). My sets at Brass are diverse as it gets without losing the dance-floor. I’ll spin everything from The Killers to Eminem, Drake to Ace of Base, Daft Punk to Third Eye Blind …. you get the picture. 

    Check out the full schedule below. As always there’s never a cover.

     

    Brass DJ Poster JAN 18-2