I know that I am more entertaining now and willing to go with the crowd rather than "beat them over the head" with what I think they should listen to. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean, "Sell out" and totally change what I play, but DJ'ing to a crowd is "give and take". You have to build their (the crowd) confidence and entertain as well as educate. You have to know the crowd you are playing for and how to structure your set differently; you wouldn't play the same set at the Winter Music Conference as you would on Saturday night in "Big D".

For the past 2 years I have been playing a lot of dark progressive stuff. However as of late I notice I am drifting back to my roots of house and tribal stuff. I think the days of a whole set of dark music are behind us. There is a lot of bad stuff going on in the world right now, the war, the economy, the job market, etc… People want to feel good. You need to inspire them when they come out and make them forget their troubles. The scene needs to "lighten up" and quit being so serious. I've "lightened" my set up a bit and am playing a lot of classics to remind people of the good times and how much fun and therapeutic going out for a night of dancing can be.

A lot of different things inspire me. It can be as simple as watching the news and getting a bead on how people are going to feel on a certain weekend. Sometimes they need to be lifted, other times you need to get evil on them and really bring out the hard stuff. I have had the opportunity to listen to a lot of DJ's spin in my life, and can honestly say they all motivate me in certain ways. Some positive, some negative. I can go listen to just about anyone be it good or bad and walk away with more knowledge on what I can do to make my sets better.

I wind up DJ'ing 3-4 nights a week at present. Even though each night is different, there are a lot of common elements that run through each night I play. When I am not at a club I try not to really listen to electronica based music unless I am reviewing new stuff or working on a mix. That way it stays fresh to me. I listen to a lot of different stuff, rock, jazz, R&B, just depends on my mood. Right now in my car I have Led Zeppelin- The BBC Sessions, a mix by Matt Pruitt of Tech Sun and a mix Sandy Rivera of KOT sent me. I listen to the classic soul station a lot because they play a lot of stuff you don't get to hear very often. I usually listen to David Morales's mix show online before I go to the club to get pumped for the night on Sat.

Brainstorm - "Lovin is Really My Game" Probably the greatest disco record ever. The arrangements, the vocals, are all flawless. Jaydee - "Plastic Dreams" I don't know if this is for sure my second choice, but it definitely stands out as a definitive point in my life. I remember hearing Tony Humphries play this at the New Music Seminar in New York 10+ years ago and clearing the floor. Then coming back 2 hrs later and dropping it again and it just blew everyone away!

For me DJ'ing is much better than producing because the response is instantaneous. You have the crowd, the sound, the environment of the club; it's all one big experience. I never got that "high" from working in the studio. It's different for everyone.

I have been fortunate enough to play a lot of great venues. The most excited I ever got was opening for Jamiroquai in 1997. 1015 Folsom in San Francisco is always great, I was lucky enough to fill in for Steve Lawler on his west coast tour in 2001 when he couldn't make it. There were over 4000 people there and I literally had the shakes from the adrenalin pumping when I came on! I have played there 2 other times since then and the crowd is always phenomenal.

Seven, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Saturday's are insane!

Whew…
The "scene" on a whole, not just Dallas is in bad shape right now. I think there are a lot of contributing factors to this. Mainly from overexposure. It's a double-edged sword though. The boom in popularity of DJ culture, music and clubs has been very beneficial to the scene, but over time it has deteriorated it. Ten years ago the only place you could hear dance music was in a dance club. Nowadays, it's everywhere. People are selling cars, cell phones, kitty litter; you name it with dance songs. Every bar on Greenville that had a jukebox now has a DJ booth. There are sushi bars, clothing stores, hair salons and gyms all that have DJ's playing in them in this town. Don't get me wrong, it's great that a lot of DJ's are getting out and playing to people, working and exposing new music. But it has had a "numbing" effect on the general public. There is nothing special about going to club anymore to hear a DJ spin. The "average joe" on the street really doesn't know the difference between house, trance, d&b, etc.. To them, it's all just "techno music".

Ten years ago people would seek out this music, because you couldn't hear it anywhere else. Now you can get it anywhere. The major music stores all have huge dance sections and most people don't even leave their house to get it, they log on, download, rip and burn. The song they asked you about last week, they are sick of hearing it when they come back on Sat. because they have been bangin' it on their IPO for the past 6 days! It has been both good and bad in many ways. It has brought a LOT of talent that would have gone unnoticed to the forefront. It has made some of them a lot of money. It has opened up a lot of opportunities to young DJ's and producers. But, in the big picture it has taken away the "uniqueness" and underground feel from the music.

I think we are going to see a decline then it will all stabilize out to the way it used to be in the "better days". Underground. Underground music played by devoted DJ's in underground clubs.

Play to themselves… DJ'ing is not a self-serving profession; it's about making people happy.

There are so many… To my mentors and the ones that inspired me from the beginning, Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, Louie Vega, Danny T., Tedd Patterson, Jazz & Groove, Rick Squilante (RIP), Bobby Shaw, Brad Le Beau w/ Pro Motion, Scottie (redeye), Greg Watton. The list is endless!

To the staff, management and patrons of Seven. It's been a great ride and it's not over yet!

To all the people who truly come out and support the music and the DJ's that bust their ass to make a difference, and to club owners who have employed me. Thank You.

Lastly, my family and girlfriend April who has stood behind my efforts and were able to deal with my "moments" and support my career.