DJ Nightmare Stories w/ guest DOM SOLO - Episode: 112

Every DJ has had a nightmare story where things just didn't go the way as planned. Special guest Dom Solo joins us and shares some of his wild stories.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
So the recording of this podcast ishappening on eight twenty four, Kobe Day,
and they just announced officially that finallythe Kobe statue is going to be
in front of I'm gonna say it, the Staple Center. I still like
saying the Staple Center. You don'tlike Crypto dot com arena cryptos, I
don't know, I don't. Imean it is, yeah, I mean

(00:23):
it's hard for me to accept thewhole Crypto dot Com Marina. I mean
I say it just because you know, I don't want to be that guy
that's stuck in the past. ButStaple Center just sounds so good. And
that's that's the How's that Kobe Buildings. And I'm super happy that the statue
is gonna go up. I wantto know, what do you guys think
the statue is gonna be because rightnow, all the statues of the Laker

(00:46):
players are of a basketball move iconicmoments. Yeah, like the shock dunk,
Magic Johnson, no, look past, you know that's his statue.
I'm hearing that GG is gonna bepart of it. Oh word, that'll
be cool. Okay, So Iagree that would be cool, but I
don't know, I kind of wantKobe to have his own thing. Yeah

(01:07):
yeah, yeah, maybe they coulddo something else or maybe have something connected
to it, but you kind ofwant Kobe in like basketball form, right
Yeah. The one that I'm seeingon social right now is the one where
they're walking together side by side.I could see that. But see that's
fine, man, like love thatmoment, that picture that somebody made.
But again, I don't know.I wanted to be more of like a

(01:32):
dunk. I think I think itwould be. I mean, obviously no
one can see us, but whenhe does the fist pump, I think
that's pretty iconic. Yeah, yeah, yes, it's not a basketball move,
but I mean everybody knows like theKobe fist pump. How about the
one where he takes the jersey andhe's, oh, that's a good one.
Yeah, that's a good one too, and then they make like I

(01:53):
don't know, there's so many optionsso that. But if they are gonna
do Gigi, it's probably gonna bethem just like walking, which doesn't feel
like as like sports iconic, Butyou know, I do think Gigi will
be a part of it. Somehow. We got some special guests Dom solo
here. We're gonna like, introduceyou officially in a second, But do
you have any like Kobe? Ithought them on this whole of his statue

(02:14):
coming because I know you ball.Yeah yeah yeah. I don't watch a
lot of basketball, but I doknow Kobe a little bit. So for
sure. The fadeaway, I feellike, pretty that's pretty iconic. Does
any fade away? It's fadeaway isvery iconic. That's his move. I
feel like I want. I wonderif they're gonna like preview it first.
No, I think they'll just unvailit. Wow. By the way,

(02:34):
February eighth of twenty twenty four,so there's still kind of time. The
eight twenty four together, the twoyeah two twenty two eight twenty four two
number oh yeah yeah you right?So even perfect? Yeah, I love
it. I love they made itofficial today. Vanessa came out with a
video. Anyone I have Kobe storiesby any chance? I got the game

(02:55):
I got to see Kobe in wasthe Kobe Kobe versus Shack when Shack went
to the Miami Heat. I wasat that game and the Heat beat us.
I mean, I remember when Kobeput out a song, you know
what I mean? It was alwayslike random to me because I remember being
in school and oddly enough I don'teven know, but a radio station I
came to the school that I wasat at the time and they were passing

(03:17):
out demos of Kobe's song that hehad. What was the song? I
remember, Yeah, I remember hedid come. Yeah. And then also,
growing up, my sports number wasalways number eight before I even knew
Kobe, and then I thought thatthat was always tight because Kobe was eight.
I always wore eight, and Ialways wore eight chain and everyone I
always assumed that I had had itfor Kobe and I was like, no,

(03:38):
I mean, Kobe's dope. ButI actually had this number before Kobe.
But it was always dope to sharethat number with them. Domini Kobe
stories, No really, I wasa Kings fan. You guys hate that,
but you guys served us. Sojust just seeing the Kings loosey you
guys the only memory I have soslight flex I actually got to DJ a

(04:00):
Kobe party in Hollywood. So nowwe know the real reason why you asked
your story there. Trust me,there's no big story on it. All
I all I remember is him sittingdown with Vanessa and him just sitting there
and almost thinking is this guy evenenjoying himself? He was just sitting there.
Not the other basketball players were partyingand he was just sitting there as

(04:24):
though because he actually played in Fresno. Was it at Save Mart Selling,
Yeah, that's right. Yeah,but I do remember him coming out here
for the preseason. Yeah, Ithink wasn't it his rookie year? Maybe
that might have been. Yeah,when he came to Fresno. I do
remember the night that I DJ thatparty. I do remember sucking that night

(04:45):
like any other night, which kindof brings us to today's topic because that
was a horrible set of mind andwe wanted to talk about DJ gig nightmares,
like just horrible stories that's happened.If you're a DJ out there,
hopefully you guys can relate, becausewe're about to tell you out some some

(05:05):
stories today. So are you ready? Let's do it. This could give
me fire podcasts. That is JohnMagic and we are back special guests.
I'm glad we got a special guestfor this one. And he's a DJ
as well too, so I'm surejust like we're not alone when we say

(05:29):
DJ gig nightmares. But he's aguy that's a that I've seen for these
past few years now DJ around townand just as of late, bro,
I see you working. Yeah,and we got to shout him out.
He's in the building. Dom Solois Yes, Hey, thanks for finally
joining the podcast. Pleasure, thanksfor having me. I mean, before

(05:50):
we get to the DJ gig nightmares, let's just get to know you real
quick, just some quick things.Are you originally from him to five five
nine, Yes, Californiada, OhNo, I lived in Madera for like
two two three years Western shout out. How did the DJ career start for

(06:11):
you? Like, how did thatpath start? So? I started pretty
early. My dad is actually aDJ, so I started doing like DJ
gigs with him, just like weddings, city evans, stuff like that.
And I didn't really get into itinto it until after high school. So
I went to Portavo College and thenI kind of experienced. Me and my
friend made my buddy DJ my brother'stwenty first birthday and we got requests to

(06:36):
start DJing and we were like,oh, yeah, sure, why not,
you know, and then just kindof built off of that. When
you started, was it already thecerato era or were you or yes,
but I was on DJ app onthe MacBook and we were it was called
it was d j a y Wasthat like an Apple It was? Yeah,

(06:56):
correct, it was an Apple app? And uh yeah, I mean
it was. Is it like seratoor like it's that it's very basic.
It's like more basic than like virtualDJ. It's just like very like the
star Yeah, very starter kit.And yeah, I just started eating mixer
or what were you using? Howwas it real? So at first me
and my buddy were literally just djayingoff the lap yeah, yeah, and

(07:21):
so we would mix off the laptop. But my dad had this small it's
a hercules like little tiny controller basicallythat had two little decks that were little
circles, and uh yeah, wejust started DJing off that and the DJ
app. I first started seeing Domhanging with the t Z radio guys with

(07:43):
bro Tea and Burns our homies,and I would just see you around before
we even knew each other. AndI just saw you at events and stuff.
I don't know what it was,just like just seeing him at events,
I could tell that he had likesome factor even just with his work
ethic. He was you know,he was a good DJ, like music.

(08:05):
Your music selection was always on pointevery event I saw you at.
But there was just something about yourenergy that I like being around, because
you know what we always talk about, we just like being around the same
energy. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, So how I kind of introduced and
started talking to Dom was I wasthis is when I was leaving Fresno.

(08:30):
I was moving away, going backhome, and someone had to take over
my weekly my resident yeah at thattime, right, yeah, And like
I kind of randomly hit you uplike yeah, and I was shocked.
I was like, oh my god. I was about to ask you,
like what was going through your mindwhen like I hit you up, like
yo, I need someone to takeover for me. Yeah. Well,

(08:54):
I was just shocked, you know, because you know, I have been
putting in a lot of work,so like just things someone that is very
a big staple in Fresno, likethe DJ scene, is like and for
you know, you to hit meup. I was just very shocked.
I didn't know what to do orsay, but I was excited for the
opportunity for sure. I always getshocked when people like see us in that

(09:15):
way because I'm like, I'm justlike this losing Well, what's funny it
is how you set up the question. So when I hit you up,
how did you feel about it?You know, I kind of want I
wanted to see his side of itbecause the reason why I asked him that,
it's because it was random. Yeah, we didn't we didn't even know
each other. So I think that'swhy I'm asking because I've never I've just

(09:37):
said what supt him was probably themost I've yeah to you. Yeah,
just yeah. So that's why Iwas wondering, like a random like I'm
about to offer you something without evenknowing who you are. No, yeah,
exactly, yeah, exactly, Andthat's what it was. The shocking
part about it was was that,you know, but it was I was
basing it off energy. Yeah.So luckily the energy was right because you're

(09:58):
working, bro, So tell usreal quick about the run you're doing right
now, like what you're doing asa DJ, because I know you're a
resident, you're kind of like incharge of booking the DJs in town.
Can yeah, speak on that realquick? Yeah. So I got involved
with Standard and then I got involvedwith also Vixon, Lewis Evericks, and

(10:26):
they gave me an opportunity to startbooking and djaying at Vixon and Sunset,
So I kind of took that roleover and this ran with it. Is
there a name for that role,like it's like entertainment director. Yeah.
Yeah, So I've been doing thatfor about it's going to be a year
now, but I've been djaying forlike them for like two years now since

(10:50):
like since twenty twenty one. Sowell man continued success because I see you
working and I love that you're becauseI always tell Justiz so this that I'm
at that stage where I'm already feelingtoo old to be dejaying these kids parties,
which we're gonna get some stories ofeven that being more prevalent. But

(11:11):
you're doing your thing, even goingto events, and I just remember those
things can just even inspire you to, you know, to better your crafts.
No, definitely, yeah, yeah, yeah, go ahead go.
That's why I do go to theseshows is to have get inspiration, bring
it back and kind of serve itout to the community here because it's it's

(11:33):
just energy that you can tap intoat these big shows that you don't really
get at like the club scene here, get at you know, just parties
here, you know. So Iwanted to the good A good place to
start is one of the clubs thatDon books me at, which is one
of my favorite spots. It's Sunsetand Fresno, and this recently just happened.

(11:56):
And I don't even think you knowabout this story though, And can
I just preface this by saying thatthis is one of my favorite spots,
So this is not about the club. I'm not just in the club.
This is the situation that happened,and that's all this is because I'm looking
forward to djaying there again. Ilove sunset dope energy there. So this

(12:20):
past summer, as you know,Dom, they set up to what is
it, what are they called coolnot because you know, it's summertime in
Fresno over one hundred degrees so itdoes get hot in there. They put
that thing up a few months ago. So I was djaying there this past
week and it was a good nightwhen I got there. Right when I

(12:43):
got there, the bartenders, thebottle girls, they're all, hey,
John Magic, it's gonna be oneof those nights. Ye sold out tonight.
It's gonna be crazy, And whydidn't you know it? Ten pm
line around the block as DJs wereexcited, so it gets packed, and
now I'm as DJs, as youknow, we want to take the crowd

(13:07):
on a journey, and midnight iskind of like the prime time where you
want to get your good stuff going, all the hits. I already had
my set planned out because it waspacked, the energy was right. So
eleven forty five, I start puttingmy music together for midnight, like I
know exactly where I'm gonna take thiscrowd. And around eleven fifty five,

(13:33):
I see people making weird faces onthe dance floor and I'm kind of making
that weird face too, because Ismell something. But I was thinking,
you know, sometimes when you smella weird smell, it eventually goes away,
It just disappears. But I didnotice that the smell wasn't going away,
but I just ignored it. Butit just kept getting worse. And

(13:56):
imagine five hundred people on the dancefloor slowly, just every everyone just starts
panicking slowly and heading out the doorwhere the dance floor empties, like like
there was a panic. People werejust screaming, oh my god, what
is that? And everyone's running tothe door leaving, And so I couldn't

(14:20):
ignore this. I had to kindof stop the music and get on the
mic, and I go, whatwhat the fuck is that? And people
are just yelling at me. Someonetook a ship, someone threw up.
I was like, no, wait, because it does. It smelled like
throw up to me, and everyonejust left the dance floor. I've never

(14:41):
experienced this before, from a packclub wall to wall to an empty dance
floor at eleven fifty five, rightbefore midnight, and I could not The
energy just went downhill from there.I just could not recover. And I've
never experience into that before. Andwe later found out that someone turned on

(15:03):
those swamp coolers. Uh so thathad Yeah, that those those are a
little issue. Yes, they havea little smell to them. Yeah I
wish I wish they were never evenup there for that night at least,
but that the security guard was like, that's what it was. Someone turned
it on. It wasn't even supposedto be on. I was someone put
some tape on it. Yeah,But I mean, what's what's wrong with

(15:24):
the swamp coolers though? Aren't thatisn't that they're four though? They were
telling me that they haven't replaced maybelike the water in there, So there's
mold and stuff in the right,so just go ahead and get those out.
Yea, yeah, yeah, that'ssomething that's an issue for sure.
That so I'm sure they I mean, I'm sure they must have done something
now because yeah, everyone was inpanic mode. I've never that's probably that

(15:50):
might be number one on my listof like djig nightmares, because I've never
expected, honestly thought when you weretelling a story that it was going to
be like someone shitted, like kindof scared, like oh no, when
someone yelled at I was looking atthe dance well, like I please,
don't let me see just a pile? Yeah, like why that would have
been Yeah, yeah, I gotmore, but do let's get let's get

(16:17):
to one of your stories. Okay, I'll just I'll do I'll do my
most recent one. Okay, let'sjust get into it. Uh. So
I'm at Vixen. Their DJ boothisn't that big, so it usually it
just fits like me. I hada couple of friends on there. Uh.
One of them decides to take aTikTok or something and props her phone

(16:40):
up on a drink. Oh no, somehow, I turn around for one
second, I look back, andthat drink is all on the left side
of my deck, covering my turntable, and yeah, I had to get
a rag and wipe it. Luckily, it was probably about one probably about

(17:03):
one thirty it started glitching, whichis when we usually close, so luckily
it worked out. But yeah,that that totally fried. And I had
to get a new controller the nextday because I had a gig the next
day. So wow, Yeah,that was probably the biggest nightmare that I
had, just because that's never happenedto me in the ten years I've been

(17:23):
doing this, Like an actual fulldrink fall on your deck. And I
know about the controller you were usingbecause it's the same controller that I had.
Yeah, and that's a nice controller. Yeah. Yeah. The first
thing that's popping in my head rightnow, did this person give you any
money to pay for a new controller? She is the homie, so yes
she did. If she wasn't,though probably not exactly exactly, somebody got

(17:48):
anybody else would have ran away.Knowing the price of what these run,
they would have ran straight out thedoor. But she's the homie. Shout
out her. I'm not gonna sayany day, but she's the homie,
and she hooked it up and actuallyfound the controller on like marketplace and we've
got it, got it for agood price with the nice case. So
yeah, get worked out. Itworked out. While you're telling that story,

(18:10):
I feel this energy from Jizo.I'm hoping he doesn't remember you spilled
it on Rock. I knew Iwas gonna say it, but I knew
it. I know. Listens tothe podcast too, Hey bro, I
got your back. I remember that. I remember being like, yo,
you, oh wren a laptop youalways I accidentally ended up being cool right
like that happened. I think hehad the cover, the little plastic over

(18:36):
the keys and stuff. Yeah,some beer. I spilled beer all over.
Weren't even drinking? You drinking?Yeah, I would even see you
drop. I couldn't one of them. It's always the homies. I think
I would have done the same.If something would have happened this laptop,
I would have shelled out. Youwould have been good for it. Yeah,
yeah, I would have. Butthank yeah. They to this and

(19:00):
that happened years ago to this day. They never that was wasn't that at
a one of the Sunday's parties.Yeah, I don't even know how that
happened, but it was an accident. And then I was just telling you
that story almost similar to yours.I was at sunset and this girl wanted
to do like a TikTok thing andshe put her she used my laptop as

(19:22):
her stand. Yeah, and Iswiped that thing off so fast. Yeah.
Yeah, Like, I don't knowwhat they're thinking of just going up
there. I know they're a littledrunk, yeah, but just on top
of our equipment. Yeah, Idon't think they understand how much it's this
stuff actually really costs. You knowwhat I mean, If that phone would
have just went on one wrong button, I mean, the party's over.

(19:42):
Yeah, So how about this,because like everything you guys are talking about,
how about just some of the annoyancesdid you guys have to deal with
being a DJ at a club oran an event? Like some of the
things like of course people always wantto like the girls always want to work
on the laptop, right, theywant to get on stage they're holding the
laptop, and then they want totwork in front of the crowd. Like
that's always annoying it people just assume. Or what about like when people come,

(20:04):
oh can I can I do ascratch? That always annoying that can
I can I do this? Andthey do the scratching motion like what the
man like this? How you uphere to play with? That's happened to
me many times here too. Yeah, yeah, that stuff also, I
don't I kind of don't let itannoy me. Well at least I don't

(20:25):
show it, but internally it doeskind of annoy me. Annoy me when
people ask for obnoxious requests because usuallyDJs, we kind of know where to
take the club. Yeah, AndI would say eighty percent of the time
the song that we're the requesting wewere gonna play anyways. And it's always
funny when they come in dumb assearly, right ten o'clock at night,

(20:45):
Yo, can you play? Andit'd be like the hottest song? Like
you really think I'm not gonna playthat? Like you obviously I'm gonna play
that. Let's some more people getin here. It's only like fabby Uni
already. You want me to playthe hottest record out right now? But
I mean you could always just playit twice. I mean, yeah,
So I don't know how you dorequest before we get back to the nightmare
stories. But if I've gotten paidone hundred bucks to play a song,

(21:08):
and you pay me one hundred bucks, your song is coming up next?
What about you? Don what's thebiggest tip you ever got? I got
three hundred one song for one onesong? Ye for one song? What
party were you at? I know? Okay, So depending on how much
you get, is it a situationwhere it's like, all right, I'm
playing it's next song. I'm stoppingthe record right now and I'm dropping it

(21:29):
right now. Yeah yeah, daulike twenty bucks? Is it still the
next song? I've turned down twentylike no, fIF I think fifty bucks
will be my minimum, but itwon't be coming up next. I'll get
it on now. Is it annoyingwhen somebody will write it on their phone
and then flash you like this andbe like, hey, played the song,

(21:51):
and you're just like like, y'all, I can't even see what the
hell you're doing. I'm just gonnabring that up because that's more of a
newer thing in twenty twenty three,the meme of they're holding up their phone,
and as of late, I that'swhat I see at every club now
again. I don't let it show. Hopefully my face is not shown it.
I do get kind of annoyed withthat, how about you? Oh
yeah, it's yeah. That's oneof my pet peeves, especially when they're

(22:15):
like in your face, like Idon't see it, Like, yes,
I see that you're holding the phoneup and it says play bad bunny,
you know, Like I understand that, but I wonder what it is on
their end because it's becoming a meme. But yet they still do it because
yeah, yes, Like do youget annoyed with requests in general? Like
I said, in general, no, because there's also a positive to it

(22:37):
too, because sometimes when people requestsongs that I don't know about, it
actually helps me for the next timeI DJ there because I'll look into that
song and then go, oh shit, that song is pretty good, so
I better have this in my arsenal. I feel like as like being a
host A lot of times, Iwas kind of at buffer for you guys
as a DJ, Like they cancome up to me and I'd like lean

(22:59):
over, like what do you wanthere? And then I'll usually be like,
yeah, you're not gonna want toplay this. Sometimes I won't even
tell you because I would already knowyeah, they're asking for some stupid shit,
or they're going to ask for somethingthat you're already playing. I do
the I listen to them, andthen like if I'm in the if I'm
the middleman, and then I'll goto the DJ. No, there's there's
even been times where I'd be likejust shake your head, yes, use
not your head yeah, and thenand then I give them the dumb got

(23:22):
it? Yeah, like little trickswe do. Oh well. So another
this also happened just recently, butthis has happened to be happened to me
a few times where people are askingfor a request and I don't have it
and they get upset and start yellingat me. Oh what about the people

(23:42):
when they say I got it onmy phone? Like can we just connect?
You guys get that all the time, like some local rappers. Yeah,
all the time, all the time. Another one that happened is when
sometimes I don't know if you dothis, but when it's towards the end
of the night, I start testingsongs, testing news songs, and this
was around like one ten already,and it was that switch and I tested

(24:06):
the song and a group of girlsjust start booing me boo, like a
group. I'm like geez, Sothat I hate when that happens, because
so how do you handle that?You just kind of ignore it? Yeah,
well, I don't know. Idon't ignore it. I like acknowledge
them, Like Okay, hold on, relax. Have you ever gone booed

(24:26):
before? Yeah? Yeah, yeah, And it's usually it's not because your
skills is they're they're booing the songyou decided to play. But once again,
like I'm not your you know,I'm not your personal playlist. This
is gonna someone's gonna like this.Yeah, but some people you always have
that group just like because I don'tlike it, like boo you suck what
I'm saying, they're startain crowds tocertain nights just it just doesn't hit sometimes,

(24:47):
you know. Yeah, and thenyou can literally play that same song
at a different club or a differentnight and people are gonna rockwood exactly.
A story I have on that yearsago. When Crazy and Love by Beyonce
came out. I was djaying atthe seller Clovis and that song was new
still and I was like, Ican't this is a banger. I can't

(25:07):
wait to play this at the club. And it was a pact night dropped
Crazy in Love by Yeah and thecrowd just stood there and walked away and
I ruined the dance floor. That'stoo new for them. Fast forward to
a month later, is the biggestsong in the club? Yeah, not
to mention it's like a classic now, Yeah, for sure, But that
just shows you maybe that song thatI played that I got booed for,

(25:30):
like they weren't ready for it.You're not ready for a moment. Yeah,
sometimes it just takes time. It'sit's always weird because you know,
as people that love music or DJ'sor you know, just on this side
of the industry, like we cantell when the record's gonna be big.
It's just new, and sometimes youwant to test it or just see what
their reaction is and you might getbooed and it might not like it,
And in your head you're thinking,like, man, you guys are dumb,

(25:51):
because you're gonna be liking this inlike a couple of weeks. Like
just you know what I'm saying.Just because you don't you're not familiar with
it, doesn't mean you have tolike boo it. I think that's what
I do. I think that's wheremy mind's it is. It's I just
take it with a grain of saltand go. You know, we're in
the music industry, so we weknow, but it's just a little rude.
I guess that's what it is.Yeah, real quick, back to
the phone thing where people the phonewith a request. I witnessed this with

(26:18):
my own eyes. I went togo hang out with Dom at a club
and someone was holding up are yousingle? And then I was like,
bro, that's what you get like, I've never gotten that before. Yeah,
I gotten that a couple of times, do I say, like,
yeah, let's get back to anotherone of my stories, another DJ nightmare.

(26:45):
I had a gig in Orlando.This is when Serato was still sort
of new. I mean it wasalready maybe a year into Serato had a
gig in Orlando, flew in superexcited, went to the hotel and what
did DJs do? We organize ourmusic and get ready for the night.
My computer showed the wheel of death. You guys know what the wheel of

(27:07):
death is on the Mac where itjust has that pin wheel. Yeah,
and it just that's all you sayon the screen. It's the pinwheel and
that we call it that wheel ofdeath because if that doesn't disappear, your
laptop is a rap. So mylaptop did not work before my gig.
Well it was hours before my gigbecause it was like still daytime, but

(27:27):
my gig was at night. Ihad to go to the Apple had someone
drive me to the mall Apple store. I had to buy a new computer.
And this was before record pools onthe where you could download music.
So I had to call friends andsay, just email me these certain songs
I like wrote down what I wanted. So that night all I had was

(27:51):
maybe forty songs on my laptop.That's a total of forty songs because my
gig was in a few hours andI just had my friends email me a
set basically. But as you know, you when you just have your set,
you can't take him on a journey, like I can't do anything.
No, So that hard drive justeverything that ever was. I didn't have

(28:14):
a hard drive at the time.Yeah. Well, but even even if
I did, my laptop was justcommissioned. Had to buy a new one
right before my gig. So thatwas another DJ nightmare. I think that
I think after that is when Ibought a hard drive. Yeah, because
now I have I have an externalexternal all right, one another one of
your stories back in the house partydays, uh made. My buddy used

(28:37):
to DJ with like a surround soundsystem like you would plug up to a
TV or something. No, wewould take like it was like a little
it was a sub affair and likefour little tiny speakers and we would that
was basically our mobile speakers. Iwas like our to go speakers, and
we would just set it in thehouse. So instead of like DJ speakers,

(28:57):
it was just from like took itout of the TV. Yeah,
it was literally like a surround sounda little setup and it worked. It
worked for what we did. Butso we were DJing this house party.
I went to Portaville College, sowe d did a lot of like Portaville
parties. It's the Baseball Boys houseand we're like mid set and the owner

(29:18):
walks in and I guess he hadno idea that they're throwing this huge rader
And the owner comes in and justyelling at everyone to get out. He's
gonna call the cops. To meand my buddy had to just swoop up
our system and just run out.We didn't we didn't unplug any cords.
We just kind of just gather whateverwe could just ran out while he's just
yelling at everybody. Ended up.We were fine, but yeah, that
was pretty That was a pretty bignightmare, just because we didn't know what

(29:41):
was gonna happen. I wanted toget back on music selection because I have
my last nightmare story of this iswhen I started preparing sets, because before
I would just go in to clubsthinking I was the ship. But this
is during the time I was atouring DJ and I was booked in Houston,

(30:02):
and I don't know what year itwas when Chopped and Screwed was big.
What was that like twenty I don'tknow exactly what year, but Chopptin
Screwed was super big in Houston andthat's where I was booked. But in
my head, I'm gonna do whatI do in California and the high fee
movement was big for us here andI was so ready just to show them

(30:23):
that side California again, packed nightand I get on as the headliner and
everyone, when I tell you,everyone stopped dancing and just stared at me
with the phase of like, whatthe fuck is this music? They were
not getting high fee at all.They just kept requesting Chopped and Screwed,
which I wasn't familiar with, andthat was just a nightmare. And it

(30:48):
was so bad that after maybe itwas supposed to be a one hour set,
I DJed for maybe twenty five maybethirty minutes, and I asked the
resident, like get back on.I just didn't take it. I couldn't
take the crowd was just giving methat aisle. They just wanted all the
regional shit. Yeah, And Iwas like, yo, I felt bad
getting paid, especially screw. That'sa whole different genre than Man to like

(31:12):
certain different records and everything. Yeah, but I mean that's what kind of
made you start and getting your settogether. And also, yeah, researching
whatever city you go to, researchthat city, yeah, because there's been
some times where some out of towndjaz come to Fresno and I'm just like,
yo, what the fuck are youdoing? Like they don't know this

(31:33):
shit out here, you know whatI'm saying. The biggest names being out
here, and like Vegas DJ's outhere and it's just like a man,
Fresnos. It's a different, differenttype of city. You gotta know what
we like out here. It isI do remember, man, I'm not
gonna say they're DJ names, butthere were some big names and we were
at the club or like struggling.They were struggling, yea, and yeah,

(31:56):
so I mean, yeah, Ithink that's a good thing, is
to research the night man, talkto talk to the local DJs to see
what's popping out there. And andwe have like you know, a way
to download music quick now, right, all right, you got one more
story in you, one more nightmarestory, one more from UH. I

(32:19):
was probably like twenty one. Weused to DJ the frats a lot,
and at this time I was runningUH to like fifteens with the amps,
so we had to bring the amplifier. Wasn't the built in amp like on
the speaker, like a built inamplifier on the speaker or whatever. So
I'm mid set and me and mybuddy are like, what's smoking? Like

(32:40):
why do we smell smoke? Andhow we set our amp up? It
was underneath the table, but wehad like the sheet over and we we
lift up the sheet and just food, just smoke just comes shooting out.
Our amp is completely on fire,like flames, actual flames. We didn't
have to get a fire extinguishers,thank god, it like went out by

(33:01):
itself, but actual flames, smoke, shooting out. Yeah, and a
party obviously didn't keep going, sothat was a nightmare. Man. Those
remind me of when there's a there'sa thing where it it's called it clips,
where if it goes over the powerthat is supposed to it's it does

(33:22):
this thing called where it clips,where the thing shuts down and needs to
cool down before it restarts again.Many of many of parties, like you
said, college parties. Usually theydon't happen at clubs because clubs are supposed
to have like good sound system.But yeah, when it clips, that's
the worst. Yeah, especially whenyou got the club going. It's man,

(33:42):
that's another yeah, another yeah.And then in those days, I
didn't really think about the clipping part, and we would just clip. It
would just be red. It wouldbe red lighting the whole time when you
turn up your Yeah, I'm OCDabout that. I don't like going on
red. Yeah. I've been alot better with that because they've been telling
me, like, yo, youneed to chill out a little bit,
because I just like it loud.I feel like I can't like I It's

(34:06):
either like I want to feel it. I want to fill the base,
I want to hear it. LikeI want it blaring in my in my
face, which is like bad andgood, you know, but that's a
DJ thing where we need it loud. Yeah, sometimes when clubs don't have
monitors, yeah, they hear itloud, but we don't, so we
try to turn it up so wecould hear it too because the speakers are

(34:28):
not facing us. But it doessound like shit. I'll admit that when
I Sometimes i'll turn it on.I'm like, okay, they was really
destroyed, like I need I needto tear it down a lot, you
know. Do you ever do youhave a say in, for example,
sunsets set up with the monitors rightthere in your ears, so I enjoy
that. Do you have do youever have say on how the clubs are
set up as far as set up, not really like with Sunset, it

(34:50):
was already they it was like setup that way, it was meant prior
and uh yeah, basically it wasset up that way there and they didn't
really change the sound. It doesn'treally need much changing. It sounds pretty
good for the most part. Ilike the monitors kind of like in my
ear like that too, so it'spretty nice. How are how are you
you know? What I was talkingabout music selection. That's something that I'm

(35:12):
I'm curious to how other DJs arepicking their music when you go to different
clubs. How are you how areyou preparing? How do you know what
songs to go into? That's okay, So that's what I do. I
use TikTok to kind of all right, I should download this new song.
But one of the songs that Igot booed on was a TikTok I got

(35:32):
from TikTok. We read they weren'tready for it. But how are you
preparing for sets? Usually it's likerecord record pools now, So I'll go
on my record pool and see certainsongs or all go on like the hip
hop playlist on Spotify and just gothrough that and download songs that I think
would sound good in the club.Do you ever look at it like charts

(35:54):
or anything, or like what's trending? Do you ever go that deep?
I used to used to when,of course working in radio, we had
that. Yeah, so yeah,sometimes I would look into that. The
thing that's happening to me lately iswhen I DJ eighteen and overs, it's
been a struggle for me because it'sa different beast the songs that are requesting,

(36:16):
I just have no idea what itis, and sometimes I feel like
I'm disappointing them. But have youdealt with that where they request songs and
you just have no idea what itis. Oh yeah, like I did
switch maybe two or three weeks ago. And yeah, there's just names of

(36:37):
artists I've never heard of, whichis crazy because I feel like i'm kind
of in like I'm you know,I'm a little younger but not eighteen years
old, but I mean I feellike I'm with the stuff. But yeah,
sometimes there's just same names that I'venever heard. I've never some deep
cuts. The other side to thatis the thing I was talking about earlier,
how it could be a good thing. And again, hey, I'm

(36:58):
aging myself. I did not knowabout this song. So when I say
this title, you guys are gonnabe like, where the fuck have you
been? Magic? But they keptrequesting this song called asshole by was it?
Mike sh sh never heard of it, And I'm like, I just
give him the the nod, likeyeah, yeah, yeah, you tell
him you're gonna play it, butI don't have it, So I just

(37:22):
left that alone. But they keptrequesting it every time I DJ there,
but I've never heard of it.Yeah, you ever like want to risk
like trying to download it? Well, you mean at the moment some clubs
don't have that up. Yeah,if I don't have Wi Fi, I
won't be able to. But it'sactually it's when you played it. I

(37:43):
hung out again with Dom. Hewas playing the night and he played that
song and the reaction the crowd gaveand then I'm like, oh shit,
n I gotta download it. Soyeah, I think I even had one
of the homies like, yo,please send me the song because I don't
have it. But so that's wherefrom that situation. You know, what
I start doing now is when theyask for request, I tell them I

(38:07):
don't have it, but I theway I make them feel better, I
go, hey, let me writethat down so I have it ready for
next time. And I do reallywrite it down, and then I'll listen
to it if I have to goon YouTube and to see if I like
it or not. But it's beenfifty fifty part of the times it's a
song I won't even like anyways,but I do use that as a tool

(38:30):
now. I do got to startlistening to these kids, because if I'm
gonna keep dj these eighteen and overparties, I do want to be prepared.
Yeah. Likewise, do you stillfeel like there's an art to DJE
a night from like what you're supposedto play as an opener, which you're
supposed to play as like a headliner, or do you feel that it's come
to the time where it's just kindof a free for all and the whole
like undercutting or you know, burningsomebody is kind of old now, or

(38:53):
I mean where do you feel likethat? Because I remember like first getting
into this industry like DJs where like, Nope, you can't play the East
if you're the opener, you gottaleave him for the headliner and you better
not burn me. And it justalways felt like there was almost, you
know, not putting anybody on blast. It's almost like some insecurities with some
DJs like okay, if they doplay a hot song, what like you
can't play other shit? Or Idon't know where do you feel like that's

(39:15):
going? Yeah? I mean youwant you want to take that first?
I mean I have, yeah,yeah, because there's still like an art
to it, or is it justkind of like, man, just do
you and just however, go asit goes. Yeah, I tried to
be I tried to do the artof it. I don't like burning all
the bangers in the first hour,you know, because it's just then then
what you know, because I doa couple back to backs and sometimes they'll

(39:38):
play a banger and I'm like,oh, like we could have waited till,
like you know, little a certaintime, but it's like, you
know, then do you improvise afterthat? And you figure it out throughout
the night. But there are sometimeslike, oh damn, it might be
a little too soon for that.But it's not. Yeah, I don't
think it's it's I think that thatmindset of you can't play like these bangers
or this DJ, I think that'skind of gone. But it's in the

(40:00):
back of my head a little bitsometimes just because I agree. I agree.
So back in my days it usedto be frowned upon just what I'm
saying. I remember people get somad, like, oh, man,
like yo, you can't DJ.Still there's literally an unlimited amount of songs
out there to rock a party.And if you can't rock a party without

(40:20):
bangers, then maybe you shouldn't bea DJ. I'm just saying yeah.
Yeah. So back then, likeI said, it was, we were
DJs were more frustrated when that wouldhappen. It was called burning. You
would burn the headliner. But yeah, now these days, I don't let
it bother me. Like Dom said, it's more that's an older mentality.
Plus you could just play it again, like yeah, yeah, like later

(40:43):
in the night, different people showup, Like it's gonna be different energy.
How you bring it in, whereyou play it could be different.
You just said it right there.It's almost like, oh yeah, watch
when I play it again. Isaid it because that matters. The journey
matters. I mean, the setupmatters. And if you're gonna complain because
someone played like a banger before youdid, then I don't know what to
tell you. Yeah, any petpeeves at the nightclubs right now for you?

(41:07):
Like you know, we talked aboutthe request. What about people being
like on stage with you? Isthat bother you do you like to be
up there? Body doesn't controller?I don't mind it, but now I'm
a little more worry about it.But yeah, usually I don't mind it.
It's actually gives more energy because thenlike people like, oh yeah,

(41:30):
people are back up there, youknow, dancing, like I want to
dance down here, you know,yeah if the staging, if the staging
is right, yeah I don't mindit because you know, not shaking the
turntables. Yeah, you know thereare some clubs where the staging is not
right. I mean, yeah,we like again, this is not a
distant the club, it's just theway it's set up. Like even Switch

(41:52):
this the stage is kind of wobbly, and people will always ask to jump
up there and dance. But thenyour whole set up is just that one
that's close to that thing breaking down. I feel like it's it's so sketchy.
But I so, for example,for Switch, I try not to
let anyone up there unless I knowthem personally. You brought up Vixon where

(42:15):
it's a smaller booth, so Idon't even know how you fit that many
people in there. I honestly didn'tknow how. It was only two people.
But still even just me up thereis like, you know, I'm
coming most of the but just soyou know, when we were at when
Imperial was open at the time,that was a huge stay. The whole
last dance floor you wanted people surroundingbecause it's all about energy. I mean,

(42:37):
before we wrap this up, lastpet peeves. Anybody want to bring
up pet peeves at the club.We brought up request, We brought up
people DJ's burning you equipment. Yeahyeah man. So if we missed out
any if you guys have your stories, all you DJ's listening, we would

(42:58):
love to hear about them. Yougot can leave me with the comments or
you guys, you guys know ourDMS. You guys can hit us up
and we'll share your stories. Butdon we appreciate you just sharing some of
these DJ nightmares stories and continued successon all the nightclubs and thank you for
booking me at Is that why he'son the podcast