Check Out DJ SKYFALL’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to DJ SKYFALL.

DJ SKYFALL, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Born in Torrance, CA and raised in Carson, I can say I had a pretty great childhood and upbringing. I was raised in a middle-class family by two hard-working parents who are still married to this day. I can say that from an early age, whatever path I decided to pursue in life, I had my family’s full support. I also knew that it was going to take hard work, especially since I’ve had a front-row example of seeing two people hit the ground running every single day of my life. My father is originally from Moss Point, Mississippi, and my mother was born in Chicago but pretty much raised in Los Angeles. I had the benefit of a heavily Los Angeles-influenced upbringing as well as a Southern-rooted background in my household. As long as I can remember, music played a huge role in my home. My father introduced me to old-school artists like Frankie Beverly & Maze all the way to Eric B & Rakim, and my mother played a big role in my love for R&B and Neo-Soul with artist such as Vivian Green, Faith Evans, and Erykah Badu. However, I would have to say my true love for hip-hop music came from my older brother Evan. Having an older brother who was seven years my senior gave me access to artists I really wasn’t suppose to even be listening to at that age, but still did because I wanted to be like my brother. I still remember being as young as eight years old and turning off cartoons on any given Saturday morning to watch music videos from Cash Money Millionaires, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg, and that’s just to name a few. I didn’t know it yet, but these times in my youth would slowly shape my passion for music and future pursuit of DJ-ing almost 15 years later. Fast-forward to my post-high-school years, I purchased my first DJ setup for $400, and the journey began!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all, but I’ve learned that when you’re building a brand within music from the ground up, you will go through lots of ups and downs on your journey. But I can honestly say I had way more fun with it in my earlier years when I was still figuring everything out. Not saying I don’t now, but it’s nothing like the feeling of finally breaking through for the first time. I feel a few personal challenges I faced in the early years were getting my 10,000 hours in and getting people to look at me as SKYFALL and not Taylor Blake. I always knew I had the passion and ear for music, but that alone wasn’t enough. I had to master my craft and really dial into the skillset of being a DJ if anyone was going to take me seriously or start to support me in the slightest way.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Throughout the 12 years I’ve spent as a professional Disc Jockey, I’ve met several fellow talented DJs and formed relationships that go beyond music. I have been blessed to share stages with several artists that I’m personally a fan of, such as Dom Kennedy, Kalan.FrFr, and G Perico. I’ve worked with several different well-known brands such as Macy’s, Puma, and Supervsn, and the list goes on. I’ve played at some of the hottest venues in the city that I once upon a time used to go to just as a partygoer, but now I’m the one behind the booth holding it down. I also have several mixes on YouTube and SoundCloud that I continue to put out to this day to stay creative as well as relevant. When I think about the future, I just want to keep striving for bigger and better opportunities that will put me in rooms where the SKYFALL brand can continue to grow. What I would say I’m most proud of is that fact that I stuck to my guns and never gave up. Friends and family who used to just look at me as the homie with a hobby  now see me as the man they call for any and every event they have coming up. I’m far from where I started, but also far from where I’m trying to go. Still, I can honestly say that being a DJ isn’t just what I do, it’s who I am. And the fact that I’ve been able to support myself and make my family proud—nobody can ever take that feeling away from me.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @imxskyfall
• Youtube: @DJSKYFALLUNO