FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Can I hire you for a private party?
- Of course you can. I'm available as a DJ for all sorts of events. Just make sure you contact me well in advance. Last minute events are often possible if I happen to be available on that date but it's preferable to schedule gigs with more preparation time. Shoot me an e-mail.
- How much do you charge?
- That will depend on different factors, such as the length and the location of the event. It's also important to know beforehand what kind of sound system will be available at the venue. If I need to provide all the equipment (speakers, etc), an extra fee will be charged.
- Can I provide a play-list before the event?
- It's always a good idea to discuss what type of music would you like to hear
with the DJ prior to the event. What's the concept or theme for the party?
What are the demographics of the crowd? You can send a short list of songs,
artists or genres you'd like to be included, just don't make it too specific and
leave room for the DJ to express his creativity. You can also send a list of
certain songs you would not like to be played during your event.
- Can I make a request while you're playing?
- Here's an analogy for you: when you go to a restaurant you choose the food
from a menu and order it from the waiter, right? But there's an experienced
chef figuring out the menu, the chef knows the perfect mix of ingredients to
create each plate. It'd be rude to go to the kitchen and tell the chef how to
bake the cake, right? If you don't like how the chef cooks, simply go to
another restaurant. Now if you hire a chef to cook at your own party, you can
definitely tell him beforehand what type of food you want served and what
ingredients to avoid. OK, basically the same applies to DJ's. If you go to a
club and the DJ is mixing, don't be rude, don't interrupt him, let him do his
work. If you don't like how he mixes, go to a different club. If you hire the
DJ for your private party tell him in advance what you want him to play. If
you want to order songs like you order food from a waiter, instead of a DJ
get a jukebox.
- Why do you wear a mask?
- I only do so at certain events where I get to play my own music selection, not at events when I DJ for hire. It started as a joke a couple of years ago while playing at an after-hours club. I just wanted to cover my face to become anonymous to the crowd so they wouldn't interrupt me during my set. It caught on. People liked it and it was fun. Besides, as a huge fan of cult movies and comic books, the idea of hiding my identity behind a mask existed in the back of my mind since very early age. I've never been a big fan of wrestling but I guess I've always dreamt about becoming some sort of super-hero or masked avenger... fighting to save dancers from boredom!
- Are your live sets anything like the mixes you post here?
- Absolutely not. First of all, those mixes are the result of a meticulous work of many days, sometimes weeks, in the studio, playing over and over with tiny bits and pieces of hundreds of song, "looking for the perfect beat." This would be impossible to reproduce live, in real time, especially if you consider there are sometimes breaks from four or more songs playing at once. Besides, unfortunately, not all audiences are equally open to listen to this type of intricate mixes and obscure selections. So, having to please a diverse crowd I do, too, play more party-friendly sets with well-known hits and classics. These mixes are more of an indicator of my personal music taste, the music I'd like to dance to when I go to the clubs.
- What type of music do you play?
- Anything from underground hip-hop to commercial rap, from cumbia to reggaetón, from salsa to rock en español, from samba to baile funk, from electro to house, from 70's funk to 80's synth-pop, from punk-rock to trash metal. A lot of international music, like dancehall, dub, grime, foreign rap, bhangra, balkan, afrofunk, kuduro, axé, tango, ska, rai...
- Is there anything you won't play?
- If you tell me in advance and you pay me enough, I'll play whatever you want. But in general I try to stay as far away as I can from bachata, merengue, salsa romántica, bubblegum pop and regional Mexican. Oh, and I will never play any Marc Anthony, no matter how much you wanna pay me.
- What's your favorite music style to play?
- Since I started as a hip-hop DJ I feel comfortable when
playing music that has a steady beat on a four-by-four structure.
This applies to most music with African roots, which is pretty much
the majority of the dance music produced worldwide nowadays.
I personally enjoy playing downtempo electronica, experimental
hip-hop, cumbia mash-ups, Brazilian beats and electro, but I don't
stick to one certain sound. It all depends on my mood that day, the feedback I get from the crowd and the theme of the event, if there's any. I listen to a lot of new music on a daily basis, so my taste and preferences are constantly changing. The key to me is to keep it mixed-up and fresh, if I like the beat of a certain song and I can blend it into my set, I'll play it regardless of its language or genre.
- Who are your biggest influences as a DJ?
- Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, DJ Krush, Felix da Housecat, Liam Hewitt, Coldcut, Prince Paul, RJD2, Evil D, Toy Selectah, DJ Kox-T, The KLF.
- What's La Turma Producciones?
- It's a made up brand created by Gabriel Di Matteo and myself back in 1994. Since then, under this brand we released plenty of different creative projects: comic books, a hip-hop magazine, mixtapes, a couple of independent movies, etc.
- Do you still draw comics?
- Yes, in fact I'm about to finish a graphic novel project I've been working on for the past three years. I'm excited because I haven't published any comics since the mid 90's.
- Is that your art on the flyers, posters and album covers?
- Yes. With the valuable help of my long-time partner in crime Gabriel Di Matteo who's is great graphic designer and photographer. And yes, we are available for illustration and design work, together or separately, once again shoot us an e-mail.
- Where can I read some of your music journalism?
- Besides my own blog, I write for several magazines, newspapers and websites including Billboard en Español, La Banda Elástica, Remezcla, El Mensajero, Hip Hop Nation, etc.
- Can I hire you for a private party?
- Of course you can. I'm available as a DJ for all sorts of events. Just make sure you contact me well in advance. Last minute events are often possible if I happen to be available on that date but it's preferable to schedule gigs with more preparation time. Shoot me an e-mail.
- How much do you charge?
- That will depend on different factors, such as the length and the location of the event. It's also important to know beforehand what kind of sound system will be available at the venue. If I need to provide all the equipment (speakers, etc), an extra fee will be charged.
- Can I provide a play-list before the event?
- It's always a good idea to discuss what type of music would you like to hear
with the DJ prior to the event. What's the concept or theme for the party?
What are the demographics of the crowd? You can send a short list of songs,
artists or genres you'd like to be included, just don't make it too specific and
leave room for the DJ to express his creativity. You can also send a list of
certain songs you would not like to be played during your event.
- Can I make a request while you're playing?
- Here's an analogy for you: when you go to a restaurant you choose the food
from a menu and order it from the waiter, right? But there's an experienced
chef figuring out the menu, the chef knows the perfect mix of ingredients to
create each plate. It'd be rude to go to the kitchen and tell the chef how to
bake the cake, right? If you don't like how the chef cooks, simply go to
another restaurant. Now if you hire a chef to cook at your own party, you can
definitely tell him beforehand what type of food you want served and what
ingredients to avoid. OK, basically the same applies to DJ's. If you go to a
club and the DJ is mixing, don't be rude, don't interrupt him, let him do his
work. If you don't like how he mixes, go to a different club. If you hire the
DJ for your private party tell him in advance what you want him to play. If
you want to order songs like you order food from a waiter, instead of a DJ
get a jukebox.
- Why do you wear a mask?
- I only do so at certain events where I get to play my own music selection, not at events when I DJ for hire. It started as a joke a couple of years ago while playing at an after-hours club. I just wanted to cover my face to become anonymous to the crowd so they wouldn't interrupt me during my set. It caught on. People liked it and it was fun. Besides, as a huge fan of cult movies and comic books, the idea of hiding my identity behind a mask existed in the back of my mind since very early age. I've never been a big fan of wrestling but I guess I've always dreamt about becoming some sort of super-hero or masked avenger... fighting to save dancers from boredom!
- Are your live sets anything like the mixes you post here?
- Absolutely not. First of all, those mixes are the result of a meticulous work of many days, sometimes weeks, in the studio, playing over and over with tiny bits and pieces of hundreds of song, "looking for the perfect beat." This would be impossible to reproduce live, in real time, especially if you consider there are sometimes breaks from four or more songs playing at once. Besides, unfortunately, not all audiences are equally open to listen to this type of intricate mixes and obscure selections. So, having to please a diverse crowd I do, too, play more party-friendly sets with well-known hits and classics. These mixes are more of an indicator of my personal music taste, the music I'd like to dance to when I go to the clubs.
- What type of music do you play?
- Anything from underground hip-hop to commercial rap, from cumbia to reggaetón, from salsa to rock en español, from samba to baile funk, from electro to house, from 70's funk to 80's synth-pop, from punk-rock to trash metal. A lot of international music, like dancehall, dub, grime, foreign rap, bhangra, balkan, afrofunk, kuduro, axé, tango, ska, rai...
- Is there anything you won't play?
- If you tell me in advance and you pay me enough, I'll play whatever you want. But in general I try to stay as far away as I can from bachata, merengue, salsa romántica, bubblegum pop and regional Mexican. Oh, and I will never play any Marc Anthony, no matter how much you wanna pay me.
- What's your favorite music style to play?
- Since I started as a hip-hop DJ I feel comfortable when
playing music that has a steady beat on a four-by-four structure.
This applies to most music with African roots, which is pretty much
the majority of the dance music produced worldwide nowadays.
I personally enjoy playing downtempo electronica, experimental
hip-hop, cumbia mash-ups, Brazilian beats and electro, but I don't
stick to one certain sound. It all depends on my mood that day, the feedback I get from the crowd and the theme of the event, if there's any. I listen to a lot of new music on a daily basis, so my taste and preferences are constantly changing. The key to me is to keep it mixed-up and fresh, if I like the beat of a certain song and I can blend it into my set, I'll play it regardless of its language or genre.
- Who are your biggest influences as a DJ?
- Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, DJ Krush, Felix da Housecat, Liam Hewitt, Coldcut, Prince Paul, RJD2, Evil D, Toy Selectah, DJ Kox-T, The KLF.
- What's La Turma Producciones?
- It's a made up brand created by Gabriel Di Matteo and myself back in 1994. Since then, under this brand we released plenty of different creative projects: comic books, a hip-hop magazine, mixtapes, a couple of independent movies, etc.
- Do you still draw comics?
- Yes, in fact I'm about to finish a graphic novel project I've been working on for the past three years. I'm excited because I haven't published any comics since the mid 90's.
- Is that your art on the flyers, posters and album covers?
- Yes. With the valuable help of my long-time partner in crime Gabriel Di Matteo who's is great graphic designer and photographer. And yes, we are available for illustration and design work, together or separately, once again shoot us an e-mail.
- Where can I read some of your music journalism?
- Besides my own blog, I write for several magazines, newspapers and websites including Billboard en Español, La Banda Elástica, Remezcla, El Mensajero, Hip Hop Nation, etc.
