I have been the guy with headphones on since I was a kid. Not as a look, just as a habit. I have always listened to music the way some people watch film, paying attention to the lyrics, the delivery, the production and the way a record was put together. That never really turned off.
I grew up in Miami, then spent years moving around Florida and out to New Orleans. Every city played something different, every house had its own soundtrack, and I picked all of it up. R&B and hip hop in one place, salsa and Latin music in another, classic rock at somebody's cookout, old-school records playing somewhere else. I did not know it at the time, but it was preparation.
I was also the guy who could get a room going, whether it was at a pep rally, a party or just being around friends. But I also knew when to step back. Reading a room and knowing when the moment calls for more or less of you turned out to be a big part of this job.
I started DJing in 2010. Sixteen years later, I still love the music, but what I appreciate about the work has changed. It is watching a grandmother get pulled onto the dance floor by her grandkids. It is seeing a bride enjoy her reception because the timeline is moving the way it should. It is a room full of coworkers who, for a few hours, forgot they were at a work event.
Getting there takes more than a playlist. It takes preparation, communication and attention to the details that can make or break an event. I arrive with time to spare, coordinate with planners and other vendors, and bring backup equipment I hope I never have to use. None of that is the glamorous part of being a DJ. It is the part that helps protect your event.
At a wedding, gala, corporate event or private celebration, the DJ should never need to make the night about himself. My job is to know when to take the lead, when to support the moment and how to work alongside the other professionals responsible for bringing everything together.
That is what 16 years behind the decks has taught me. And that is what DJ SelfMade is built on.