wait.. i'm a DJ now ????
(spoiler alert: we're just getting started.)
PHOTO BY ANAIAH SIMONS
Today is Monday, December 4, 2023.
This is the last stretch of the year, but it’s far from over.
For the past decade, I’ve been working as a music video director/editor, creative director for music rollout campaigns, and touring portrait photographer. This year, I’ve broken personally fulfilling ground by getting out from behind the camera and behind-the-scenes to start performing as a DJ.
It’s been one hell of a year.
Here’s my timeline as a DJ…
MARCH ‘23 / MY FIRST SHOW (+ SUMMER ‘23)
I played my first show on March 3, 2023 for Mylen Makes’ debut headline show at Lolipop Records. I thought I could DJ in my room, but nothing scares you more into figuring out what you’re actually doing than committing to being in front of an audience.
Then I was hooked.
All of my attention then went to DJing. I had caught the “bug.” I just kept DJing in my room, digging for new songs, preparing for the next show whenever that would be. I spent the summer obsessed with figuring it out.
For the better part of this year, my heart creatively kept going away from making work for other artists and instead thinking about what my artist world would look and feel like. DJing felt the path for me to live out this dream of a fully fulfilling creative life.
Every single day my thoughts would float towards maximizing personal expression, and that’s how I would connect to other artists over the years as well. But I was felt like a fraud because as much I didn’t want to admit it… working for the biggest and best artists in the world wasn’t enough. I wanted to be an artist myself.
On top of DJing, I had seriously begun to focus on electronic music production. I’ve tried many times in the past, I had a copy of Ableton and a MIDI controller, but honestly music just wasn’t clicking for me for yyyyeeeeaaaarrrrssss.
But simple DJ concepts really shaped my mind to allow music theory to start clicking.
I didn’t know where all of this was going to lead but I continued to follow that joy.
AUG+SEPT ‘23 / ENJOY THE RIDE (BROOKLYN AND LA SHOWS)
My friend and frequent creative collaborator Almondmilkhunni dropped an album called ENJOY THE RIDE. Grateful to be involved, I worked on the visuals for the album as a photographer and creative director.
[Silly sidenote: Almond and I got the phrase ENJOY THE RIDE tattooed together back in 2020.]
When it was time for her to play her headline shows in Brooklyn, NY (Baby’s All Right) and Los Angeles, CA (The Moroccan Lounge), she asked me if I could open the show as a DJ since she knew I had been dreaming of playing shows.
These shows kicked off everything for me, and I’m forever indebted to Brandy for giving me the opportunity. Most DJs play their first shows at a family backyard party or in a kitchen somewhere… and someone my first shows were on proper stages! In front of ticketed audiences at proper music venues that I’ve documented musicians I’ve worked with before at that. This was surreal but also incredibly normal since I had imagined it 1000x before.
Additionally, I was able to play shows opening for friends I work with on a visual level. My “north star” VIRGIL ABLOH[*] would be proud.
Zoom up to August 2023, I flew out across the country to play my first show solo DJ set ever at Baby’s All Right in NYC. My first ever solo dj set was in NEW YORK. I didn’t travel a lot as a kid so the first thing I did when I got enough money as an adult was buy a plane ticket to New York when I was 21.
I walked out onto that stage like I had done it hundreds of times before. I had imagined it so many times in the past that it truly didn’t hit me that it was my first show until I was going to bed that night.
A week after my show, I was listening to a Dominic Fike interview and he was asked about his first show ever. He replied with “Baby’s All Right,” the same venue I had just played. That was affirming. Dominic also said something in that interview to the effect of ‘that [NYC] show sucked but maybe there were parts of it that were endearing’.
Honestly, same. But I did it!
My Brooklyn show went well, but it was a learning lesson. In hindsight, I really went out there with no harness. Full send, and I’m proud of the effort.
I remember staying a few extra days in New York because my friend Julian had a few meetings there. That was a really formative experience but that’s a story for another time.
I remember being on the flight back home, and just wanting to dial in my DJ set and my approach as a musician because I had one week to prepare for the next show in LA opening for Almondmilkhunni again.
This LA show was going to be more impactful because more than two of my friends would be in the crowd this time, and I wanted to bring more energy and move the crowd rather than just playing some songs.
My thinking about that first show was: in my mind, DJs didn’t plan their sets… they would walk in the room to feel the energy of the crowd then respond accordingly. I was met with the harsh realization that the crowd was going to react off of just any sound being played. I remember mid-set feeling like I didn’t know how to make the crowd move so that became my goal in that next week of preparation. Overall that first set went amazing. I played an hour-long set which went by in a blink of eye.
It was good that my debut was in New York so I could figure it out in front of mostly strangers… shoutout Matt and Nicole (my SoCal → DC → Brooklyn transplant friends) who came out to my first show ever! I’ll never forget that.
I ended up extending my trip in NYC instead of flying out the next morning, and I spent the next few days with Julian while he took on meetings and played a surprise renegade pop-up DJ set in Brooklyn. After a week of inspiration from my show, from Julian’s show, and the energy of NYC, as I was on the flight back to LA, everything started clicking for me.
I had about 10 days to prepare for the Los Angeles show at Moroccan Lounge, which I knew a handful of friends would be showing up to so I needed to rework my entire approach and set. I knew the Almondmilkhunni audience better, and I played a set that I was super proud of. My friends were all so proud of me.
That LA show felt like a breakthrough moment because everything I had imagined in my mind had come to reality.
I was actually a DJ who had played on both coasts. This was one of those moments in my life where I could feel the world rotating right underneath me.
My world was clearly changing.
The morning of my LA show at Moroccan Lounge, ISOxo and Knock2 announced ticket sales for two shows at The Shrine, a massive 5,000 cap venue in LA, which they sold out in minutes.
Later that night, both ISO and Knock pulled up to my show.
ISO and Knock ended up selling out four shows total at The Shrine, which is a momentous accomplishment and in rare territory for two relatively new acts!
For context, earlier this year I worked on the ROOM202 EP visual world for Knock2, shooting the main campaign visuals in addition to shooting the EP cover photo. Additionally, I worked on the ISOxo’s debut album kidsgonemad!, which I also shot the album cover photo for. Two of the most exciting acts in electronic music right now ended up becoming a couple of my closest friends in the scene.
Those two being there to support me especially on that specific day was such a vote of confidence for me.
DJING AT BAY AREA + THE SHRINE
In October, Knock2 had a warehouse show in Oakland and Julian had an insane album release renegade pop-up in San Francisco. Julian’s album came out on that trip, and I’ll forever remember the moment it dropped and spending time with them.
I ended up opening the Knock2 show by going back2back with Tylor Vi, another visual creator for the boys.
It was my first time DJing on CDJs in front of an audience, and I think we crushed it. I prepared for the show heavily because deep down I wanted to execute well in order to prove that I could play at one of The Shrine shows.
I felt that playing The Shrine would change my life. To play a 5,000 cap venue in my first year of DJing would be an insane and unheard of trajectory.
Then in a perfect storm, I walked off stage feeling great about the performance and before I could say anything… their management was like “so, Shrine?” I immediately and confidently said yes, that would be a dream.
I wanted to prepare and execute so that I could ask if I could open one of those shows. And before I could even ask, they asked me!
What. Is. Life.
They ended up asking if I wanted to open night 3 at The Shrine on a bill that included me going back2back with Jack Henry, followed by JAWNS, Knock2 and ISOxo. One of the most electric shows I’ve been to in years, and so grateful I got to DJ in front of that audience.
So here we are. In a series of highly fortunate events, I’m now DJing in front of audiences with pure love. I feel like this is the perfect next chapter to a career that has always revolved around music, and performing is what I’ve always been missing in my multidisciplinary practice.
so.. what now?
I always describe December as the month where the music industry goes to sleep, but historically, some of my best work of the year happens in these final weeks.
I’m working on building a brand new audiovisual show on December 20, 2023 at the heds laboratory/office/storefront on Melrose. heds is a curated audiovisual community, and I’ve worked with them on a handful of projects this year.
At the show, I’m going b2b with one of my favorite new DJs clubaction, as well as both of us having our own solo sets at the space. clubaction is a talented and beautiful Filipina DJ.
She was a surprise opener for Fred Again.. on November 3, 2023 at The Shrine [yes, the same venue I’d play just weeks later].
In an amazing series of coincidences by the Universe™, I couldn’t get any tickets to the shows Fred did at The Shrine that year. But after his last one, he announced one more show where he’d be DJing the whole time. With one other DJ who was to be selected through an application.
I went to the Fred Again.. show that night, not being familiar with Nicole/clubaction but it was a breakout show and moment… and I felt it for her right then and there.
I’m so grateful to have witnessed that life-changing moment in Nicole’s DJ journey. We had a handful of mutual friends so I reached out because I needed to tell her that she crushed it that night. I took a lot of mental notes for how I DJ now from that experience in the crowd.
She actually ended up seeing my set at The Shrine on November 21, which was just a few weeks after she had her moment!
Through these Shrine shows and our overlapping paths, we’re now teammates and collaborating on building this one-of-a-kind show with heds.
I am certain that this show will break entirely new ground for both Nicole and I as artists.
The plan isn’t to throw the biggest show, but it’s to invite our people together and give them the most creative show we can.
I’m personally looking forward to combining both my visual background and world-building sensibilities with my newfound love for DJing alongside Nicole and the team at heds.
I have meeting with them later today!!!!
Be back shortly.
FOOTER NOTES -
*VIRGIL (FOREVER)
My “North Star” as a creative / designer / artist is VIRGIL ABLOH because he’s a multidisciplinary artist, designer and visionary.
Virgil was the creative director for Kanye West throughout an all-time run of music albums and right-hand creative to Ye while he broke into fashion. V was also the founder/creative director of OFF-WHITE™ and men’s artistic director of Louis Vuitton. On top of that, he also was a DJ who played at COACHELLA, Lollapalooza Chicago, and had a residency in Las Vegas at XS, which are all of my goals as a DJ.
If I’m going to consistently write, I have to state straightaway that Virgil will be a part of my rationale as a creative thinker always. V’s path and tools/resources he’s made are used as a wayfinder for how I navigate my path as a multidisciplinary creative director, designer and DJ.
REST IN POWER VIRGIL ABLOH !!