A short introduction:

I'm an amateur DJ living near Washington D.C. with a fair amount of experience. Nothing stellar, I just know what I'm doing (or at least I like to think so). Shortly, I'll be upgrading my current setup to a pair of Technics SL-1210 decks, a Gemini BPM-1000 mixer, and hopefully a new amp with 1200+ Watt output. For anybody who doesn't know what that means, you're not missing out on much. Right now I spin a lot of trance-type and progressive material. I'd like to start spinning hardcore and experimental D&B once I am able to afford my new equipment. What probably got me started DJing was poking around on Napster and downloading all sorts of weird crap. I found some remixes that I liked, but I soon got tired of them. I kept looking around and downloading stuff, but it was soon after that when I began thinking "I can do better than this." After a little research and poking around, I settled on an entry level turntable package. After a few weeks of deliberation, I finally bought the package. I was in a tough spot to start. I didn't know anybody who would teach me how to spin, mix, or scratch, and I'm not normally a musically inclined person. I fumbled around for a few weeks, humiliated myself a few times, and spent countless hours trying to get everything to sound right. One day, everything just clicked... I figured it out, somehow. As I did more research on the net about techniques etc., I got a lot better. Beatmatching isn't the ordeal that it once was, and jogging vinyls is a walk in the park now. Everything is easier, and all my practice was paying off. I've assembled a fair collection of vinyl since then, but nothing obscene. I do most of my shopping at the Yoshitoshi Shop, mainly because it's the ONLY place in town that'll let customers listen to vinyls before they buy them. The worst thing about being a DJ though, is that it's an expensive exploit. My initial expenditure of about $350 is nothing compared to top line hardware. A brand new turntable can retail at over $700, a new mixer at over $1800, and cartridges (the little needle things, the tiny little needle) can cost up to $200. I highly suggest that if you wish to start, start from the mid-bottom price range. You'll always be able to upgrade, and if you don't like it, your wallet won't be hurting too badly. If you have any questions, feel free to email me! 

Anyways, here's a little more about me... I've always found electronica attractive, even at a very young age. I don't know why it was like this, since I was never really exposed to anything more than classical types of music. Perhaps it was the mystique of this strange, precise music that drew me in. Either way, I love electronica. I am a minority in some senses because of this, but it's all cool since I express myself through my music, how I view life, and how I interact with others.

Right now I DJ at parties and local gigs and work as a promoter of sorts. Being part of the sHacK KreW does have benefits, but you gotta work your ass off. I see it as my safety net. My music is coming along at a faster pace than I expected because I have more and more gigs to do. The demand for new material is insane! Oh well. It's cool.

In the future, I hope to take my music out of state and spin for larger audiences. My ideal scenario would be resident DJ at a decent club. That's probably not going to happen any time soon though, with college and everything. No matter what happens, it'll be interesting to see what the future brings :-)

-=Peace=-