January 20, 2017

Meet Ronald Turner of DJ R-Tistic in Downtown LA

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ronald Turner.

Ronald Turner II, known as DJ R-Tistic, is a DJ and Producer hailing from Gardena, CA. He is based in Los Angeles, CA, and was introduced to music at a very early age by his father, Ronald Turner, a Jazz Drummer and Producer who has worked with the likes of Ray Charles, Freddie Hubbard, and Dizzie Gillespie. He is a graduate of Florida A&M University, which is where his passion for DJing came to fruition. He is managed by Naledi Nyahuma.

He began producing in 1995 and has produced tracks for artists such as The Game, Glasses Malone, and Murs. In 2004, he became an in-house producer for The Game’s “Black Wall Street.” In 2007, he shifted his focus to being a DJ and has done numerous clubs, concerts, and events since then. He has DJ’d for artists such as BJ The Chicago Kid, Ty Dolla Sign David Banner, Casey Veggies, Eric Bellinger, We Are Toonz, 2nd II None, and Leon Mobley, as well as with the Lil Wayne Band. He is a contributor to the DJCity.com “Trends” Monthly Charts and is also the Music Director for homegrownradio.net. Additionally, he has taught “Introduction to DJing” Classes at the GRAMMY Museum, located in L.A. Live in Downtown Los Angeles. In February 2014, he was crowned the winner of the McDonald’s Flavor Battle DJ Competition.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
DJing is certainly not a smooth road overall. It is an extremely unpredictable journey that can fluctuate from being rewarding and fulfilling to discouraging, sometimes within the same week.

During my first year of DJing, the hardest struggle was just to learn and understand crowds. I was never a huge fan of commercial radio music or even everything that played in the club, so it was a huge adjustment to learn how to satisfy crowds that didn’t share the same taste in music.

In my recent years as a DJ, one of my least expected struggles has been making sure to choose the gigs which are best suited for me, versus just chasing the money or even the temporary exposure. I’ve learned that some gigs can even typecast you in the way that you are perceived as a DJ, meaning that if someone only goes to 1-2 of your events, they will judge you and even the crowd in attendance based off of what they see at these specific events.

DJ R-Tistic – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
DJ R-Tistic has a style that is rarely seen by modern DJ’s. His style incorporates the technical mastery that turntablists and legendary Hip Hop DJ’s are known for, which he infuses with the commercial and Regional club sounds that are prevalent throughout the Country. He enjoys to spin what he calls “Expanded Open Format” in which he digs in the crates to display different styles of Hip Hop, Pop, Soul, House, Rock, and Upbeat R&B that normally aren’t played within the same set. He is known for his trademark transitions, in which he keeps the crowd on edge as they anticipate what song will come next. He enjoys the craft of DJing most when he’s able to invoke a spectacular reaction from the crowd without playing one of the obvious “Top 40 Hits” that they expect to hear, whether it’s a brand new song or a throwback that they haven’t heard in years.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
2014 was a great year for me. I traveled internationally for the first time and performed in Ghana, West Africa. It was an amazing feeling to see people on another continent react to my songs and energy in such a positive way. I also won the McDonald’s Flavor Battle national DJ competition and represented the brand all over the U.S. The competition started with 12 DJs from different regions, I won the West Coast region and eventually won over the celebrity judges: Just Blaze, Spinderella, DJ Clue, and DJ Element. It was very rewarding to be acknowledged by those DJ legends and by my peers.

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