FEATURE
DIARY OF
DJ LA
DJ ’ ing never crossed my mind being a kid , although I had seen Jam Master Jay and Grand Master Flash playand was amazed by their talent . When I turned 16 , I went over the pond to a U . S . base in Belgium to see some friends and family . By the weekend we all ended up in a club ( you can get intoclubs at 16 there ). Across the base and all night I was looking at the DJ , what he was doing and how he was doing it . His name was Mike Douty , a DJ from Paris . We got talking and next thing I know I was at his joint in Paris practicing DJ ’ ing . It was so cool ! I got back to NYC a week later and saved money to get myself everything I needed to start DJ ’ ing in my room . But , as you know , you can ’ t get into clubs in the U . S . before the age of 21 , so I got practicing a lot !
After a year some friends and I took it to the street . I was just happy to do it all in front of people , I was making mix tapes and selling them too . When I turned 19 , or so , I just wanted to get to the next level and thankfully got noticed by a big DJ in NYC who took me under his wing and pushed me a little more . From there was just a spiral . Because I still couldn ' t DJ in the U . S . he sent me overseas on a little tour across Europe and in between I was still practicing how to scratch because I wanted to enter the DMC contest in NY . Since I started putting my hands on a turntable in 1992 I have achieved a lot , DJ ’ ing in bars , clubs , festivals and even supporting hip-hop artists on stage . I love this job and will always be thankful to the man who pushed me to this , Mr Mike Douty .
My journey isn ' t over yet , since last August I am the Kitchen Boyz official DJ ( Broccoli & Afficial ) they ' re my Fam now and I rock with them .
To all the DJs out there , I just wanna say NEVER give up . Whatever gets in your way , just carry on .
Peace out DJ L . A . IG : @ IAMDJLA
13