Page 26 - Zone Magazine Issue 018

With such a huge success to shout about from a career that spans many years, what would you say was the changing point and you knew your career was heading in the right direction?
I believe it was when I released the singles Funkatron and Bang at the beginning of the millennium(I love saying that!). These two tracks received a lot of support from djs and radio stations globally. I noticed I was going in the right direction when I started to get remix offers and gigs all over the world.
There’s always a lot of press centred around the difficulties within the music industry and gaining success. Were there times when you felt like giving up?
I will be honest with you: when the music trends shifted several years ago, I did get affected negatively with less gigs and lower fees. That sudden shift caused a lot of frustration and anxiety. I understand that most businesses go through highs and lows. I have been blessed with a continuously successful career for almost twenty years. That success came from hard work and passion. Therefore, despite the sudden downturn my career took, I never felt like giving up on what I love to do.
I tend to be quite resilient and I adjust to changes and continue to hustle in order to keep on going. I guess you can say that is due part to that American “can do” spirit and the love I have for my career. The music industry is not for the faint of heart. It is ruthless and extremely competitive.
Everybody wants to be a DJ but not necessarily for the right reasons. A large number of the new generation of DJs are more interested in being famous than actually good. Many are just riding the wave and hiring producers to copy what is hot and trending at the moment. In turn, they are slowly, but surely, destroying the genre and scene by releasing mediocre songs and delivering fake and low quality performances. Those type of manufactured artists need to go away. The sooner, the better. I don’t blame the “artists” as much as the promoters who book them and pay them their ridiculous fees based on the amount of social media followers. Sorry but social media influence does not make a good DJ nor makes people dance their asses off.
Having a team around you to help with every aspect of your career is so important, who
would you say you couldn’t do without and why?
My wife Monica. She has been my business partner since I started my career when we were only dating twenty-two years ago during our university years. I consult with her about most business decisions and ask for her advice regarding work related matters. As partners in business and life, we always try to make decisions together. We don’t always agree. That’s just normal.
I think booking agents are very important in a DJ’s career. They are established, organized and have the contacts and leverage to negotiate on behalf of the artist. However, I do believe that the artist/DJ needs to be proactive and involved in all things concerning his career. At least that is the way I operate. I run my own business and I am a micro manager. Nobody has done anything FOR me. There have been many people who have greatly helped me throughout the years, and to them I am deeply grateful. You know who you are.
However, I could proudly say that I have done all the hard work myself. Ultimately, it is my music and my face out there. I am the one traveling, showing up to gigs, composing the music and managing my label. It is difficult for me to relinquish all responsibility and fully delegate because I have been burned and betrayed one too many times by incompetent or self- promoting people. Some agents find my way of working a bit challenging and, at times, impossible. To those I say: if you can’t take the challenge, then you do not deserve your fee. Life is not easy, we have to deal with it and learn from our mistakes and challenges. In my head, agents work for me, not the other way around. I do like to work together with agents but I am my own boss. I have had managers throughout my career but they have seldom or never truly delivered on their promises in advancing my career further than the status quo.
All they did was take a percentage of the money I earned from performances and music I composed and never got me anything new or beyond what I could do on my own. Meantime, they were filling their pockets with ten to twenty per cent of my hard earned money and advancing their roster and business. If what I will get in return for ten per cent of my earnings is a weekly or daily phone call to talk about possibilities, I’d rather keep the money and go vent to my therapist who also happens to be a retired financial advisor. I actually get more out of that for way less money. Do not misunderstand me: I believe that managers are essential to many artists in different industries and they are responsible for their successes.
26 ZONE-MAGAZINE.COM