BEHIND THE BOOTH w/ DJ RISK ONE

Hyped to be the new montly resident at SOCIETY in Santa Rosa, CA!  Catch me in the mix EVERY SECOND SATURDAY!

My first gigs ever out of town were in San Francisco (ironically) at the beginning of 2007… I did a gig trade via management with then up-and-coming DJ Morse Code. I played Amabassador, Roe, and Slide.  Slide was a wild-card gig that I wasn’t even paid for. But it was a great spot and something for the resume.  They were very particular about their DJs, and since they never heard of me, they wanted me to play alongside their resident, DJ Solomon.

I showed up to the club close to 11pm, and which was already popping. I headed to the booth to meet “the other DJ”, who had all sorts of gadgets and gizmos surrounding the turntables.  This guy had midi controllers, a foot pedal, and in-ear headphones going, none of which i’d ever seen used by a DJ before.  Peculiar.

Solomon was super friendly and welcoming, and since we’d be trading off, he said he would set everything up so we can connect our laptops at the same time.  Any DJs out there who have ever tried to rewire Serato on the fly knows what kind of nightmare in can be… And nightmare it was.  The music cut out TWICE during the rewire, and the inevitable BOOOOOOOOS were rolling in.  He quickly got things going, and to pacify the crowd played the biggest hit song that was out, followed by the next biggest song, and the next biggest song. He went from cool eclectic opening set to GOING IN.

At once point I chimed in, “man its a bit early to be playing the hits eh?” He just smiled back and said, “between the 2 of us, we have plenty of music to carry the night”. I laughed it off, but my stomach got butterflies. For the first time ever, I was shook.

I thought to myself, how am I going to keep up with this guy? He was absolutely killing it and it was only 11:15pm.  I was as confident as anyone in my own party-rocking skills, but I knew he was going to give me a run for my money. Oh I should mention this was his first day back to DJing since he had broken his arm recently. And was still mixing and scratching circles around me.

We traded off every 30mins or so for what would be one of the best DJing experiences I’ve ever had.  I came out of my shell that night. I played my ass off that night. I was mixing and blending songs I had never even played in a club before. Solomon made me step my game up, way up. At the end of the night there was mutual praise of each other’s sets and music selection. We exchanged info, a few tracks, and started a friendship.

(Sidenote: For those who don’t know, Solomon was on Serato before DJ AM. They did a gig together and AM was blown away by the technology. He immediately went out and bought it, then flew Solomon out to his house to show him how to use the software, and I believe booked him for another show together as well.)

3 or so years later I would move to San Francisco… 4 blocks away from Solomon. He was one of the only people I knew in the city, so I would shamelessly cling to him and others for city guidance. Where to go, what to do, where to eat, who to know, etc.  We were both incredibly busy but we kicked it a lot when I first moved. He gave me the rundown on all I needed to know, we’d grab food, ride bikes, make music, etc (We remixed a Justin Timberlake track, but the original never went anywhere so we never bothered to put out our remix). Whenever he couldn’t make a gig he would hit me up to cover, which is how I got into a few of the clubs I still resident today.

Getting love from someone like that in a new city is rare, and i’m incredibly grateful for everything he did for me. We were equal in a lot of ways, but he was still someone i’ve always looked up to.  Outside of DJing, Sol was a database of tech knowledge, and master of at least a handful of outdoor sports and activities.  As many have said, Solomon was someone who enjoyed life and lived it to the absolute fullest.  He always had a smile on his face, and was always pleasant to be around. Not sure if there’s a bad bone in his body, and that’s why everyone loved him. He was the nicest guy ever, and unbelievably talented, which is one hell of a combo.  I’m deeply saddened by his loss, but grateful that our lives crossed paths the way they did. He was a young legend who will never be forgotten. Rest In Peace.

Recently I sat down with music/fashion/culture blog Yah or Nay for a rather fun and interesting interview.. These were not your average generic interview questions (or photos).. Read on!

Shoutout to R. One Creative for the design!!

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“If you ask yourself why musicians and DJs charge so much for performances, we don’t get paid vacation, we don’t get paid sick days, we don’t get bonuses for outstanding performances nor for Christmas. We don’t have insurance plans nor do we qualify for unemployment. We sacrifice our family on special days so that we can bring happiness to others. Illness or personal affairs are not excuses for a bad performance, & you have to honor that contract no matter what. Next time you ask, remember that DJs are DJs because of the love of music, but that love doesn’t pay debts.”