(Credit: kevinsam.com)
Haters: Step aside.
How’d you get into DJing?
I started going to clubs with Mike Stone [a.k.a. StoneRokk], who I met through my basketball coach. When I was 16, I got to carry his vinyl to the club. It was Pearl at the time. I was like, "Oh my God. This is so cool. I’m in a club." But I didn’t really want to start DJing until I was 18 and went with him to the Vanguard. There were 3,000 people there. Just watching him control the crowd was a natural high for me. I would get butterflies. I even think that some of the fights that started at the club [were] because he got the crowd so amped up.
Did Stone teach you how to DJ?
He taught me the basics. He told me, "I can’t make you a DJ. It’s up to you to practice." He's like my big brother of DJ-ing.
Do you get attitude from other DJs because you’re so young?
I have a lot of haters. Let's say I was DJ-ing with AM: He wouldn’t hate on me because he’s the Michael Jordan of DJ-ing. [Nor would] Steve Aoki, Stone or Graham. Everyone else is threatened by me. It's not my fault that they suck and the clubs don't want them.
Do they think you get booked because of Stone?
Yeah, but now promoters and club owners want to book me after they hear me play. Other DJs think I’m just a little kid. It's mostly DJs that hate on me, not promoters. I know how to build the crowd, I can read the crowd.
What's an example of some DJ drama?
I was DJ-ing at Les Deux, where I have a residency on Thursdays. This other DJ comes up to [Les Deux co-owner and manager] Sylvain while I’m standing right next to him and says, "No one wants to hear this shit. Why do you hire this guy? He sucks. You should have me here."
Who was the DJ?
Stone tells me I should never name names because it gives them more press.
Does the drama make you more competitive?
The people that hate on me, it’s because I’m doing something they’ve been doing their whole life and they still suck at it. And I’m just doing it for fun.
For something that’s just for fun, you work a lot.
I dropped out [of college] when I was 19. I have crazy learning disabilities. I have ADD. The only thing I was really good at in school was English, like reading books and punctuation. There were times I’d get upset and feel like a dumb-ass. But I didn’t want to be one of those kids that live off their parents' money. When I put my mind to something, I have to outdo the best […] until death stops me. Now I am working six nights a week and I’m making crazy money. When I was 20 I was doing Cane in New York.
How would you describe your DJ style?
I feel that I’m a little more cutting-edge. I’m more in touch with the new styles, like the electro movement. Like Daft Punk and Mstrkrft. I am growing up with Justice. Stone thinks this is new jack shit. I think this new music is going to take over. I have a vantage point because I am so young and playing what the next generation likes. Right now, other than Steve Aoki and DJ AM, who travel a lot, no one is doing electro [in L.A.].
You’re also known for your mash-ups.
I just mess around and make it an art. Let’s say I have an instrumental of a reggae song. Then I'll take a James Brown song on the other turntable. Really quick, I'll take out the James Brown song and I'll put in an AC/DC song. I love harmonizing, like taking an older song with a newer song that sounds similar. Or I’ll do something that’s called "word play." Like I'll take the O'Jays "For the Love of Money" and I’ll weave in 50 Cent's "I Get Money."
What’s your take on vinyl vs. Serato?
Serato can make you a better DJ if you already know how to DJ.
You have one foot in the velvet-rope world and the other in the electro scene. Which do you prefer?
I love LeDisko because the people there appreciate the DJ and music a lot more, whereas at a lot of the other clubs, people just go to be seen. At Crimson [where I play] on Fridays, the DJ is also the most important thing. It’s an electro night.
What’s next for you?
I want to get into producing and making my own music. I want to be like Daft Punk. Daft Punk changes people's lives. I want people saying, "That changed my life."
Alexandra Le Tellier is Bars & Clubs editor for Metromix Los Angeles.
