A Note From The DJ

I began playing records publicly in 2004, going by "DJ Shoeshine", which I'd adapted from "Shine", a nickname bandmates had given me.

Yes. Well, mostly. In those early days of the mid 2000s, I might play music that has retroactively been coined "bloghouse", so there were sets where I would mix in tracks from a CD I'd just burned that day from mp3 that had just dropped. But even then, vinyl was my main thing. After taking a bit of a hiatus at the end of the decade to focus on grad school, a time when many DJs were making the switch to digital, I jumped back in and made a commitment to vinyl. Sure, I'm guilty of slipping some songs in from my phone when necessity calls, but in the last decade or so I've done maybe two digital sets - one was on a boat, and the other a last-minute wedding gig.

No. Maybe some day. But I've never really set that goal. While I've certainly put the time and money into it, I've always treated it as a side gig. My main job for the last 15 years has been teaching English at community colleges. 

Absolutely! I've been DJing weddings and parties off and on since the early days. For awhile there it would just be for friends. In recent years, since investing in more professional sound and lighting equipment, I've picked up more, mainly for people who are looking for a vinyl DJ who is not your "typical wedding DJ" (whatever that means). I enjoy working with couples or event planners to curate the perfect experience, and can usually figure out if we're a good fit after a phone or in-person consultation. Contact me in you're curious to learn more. 

I wish I knew what that meant, but I assume it relates to the kind of music I'm more prone to play, or perhaps my style of DJing. I've been described as playful, creative, and eclectic. I like a good theme rather than locking into one genre. I try to follow the precept that you have to be smarter than any algorithm. Browsing through some of my past flyers, recorded sets and playlists should give a good sense of my range. 

Do it! I believe we need more DJs, not less. But this comes with the assumption that you're doing it with similar intentions.  If you're passionate about music, curious about exploring it, and enjoy turning people onto it, the rest will fall in place. The biggest warning I give people is that it is not very practical, and can be insanely expensive. In most cases, if you want a chance to make a living as a DJ, get a nice controller and go digital. If you want an expensive hobby that also takes up a lot of time, space in your home, and wear to your body, become a vinyl DJ.