Today we’d like to introduce you to DJ Splyce.
Hi DJ, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Music and entertainment have been a huge passion of mine for as long as I can remember, like an immediate magnetic attraction. By my senior year of high school, I got my first set of professional DJ gear, and started self-learning, trying to imitate the live DJs I was hearing on the airwaves of the local radio stations. Luckily, being based in LA, I was exposed to so many of the world’s best DJs so it really set the bar high. From day 1 starting at Syracuse University, I joined a radio station where I started by working overnights and quickly joining a weekly radio “mix show” on Friday Nights from 10 pm until 2 am, while also DJ’ing local nightclubs, fraternity, and sorority parties, official school events, and house parties. Once I found myself back home in Los Angeles from New York, I was presented opportunities to open for DJs or even be the main DJ at nightclubs to cover the other DJs who were unavailable or double booked. Promoters and club owners got to know me, and felt comfortable enough to begin booking me regularly, eventually approaching me to be their resident DJ. At the time I was pretty much saying yes to everything, which looking back, I would say helped a lot. Not too long after, I started getting “mentions’ ‘ in newspapers, magazines, and online websites about where I was DJing, or which celebrities were in attendance at the places I was DJing. One huge moment happened when I was asked to be a guest on CNN’s Larry King Live, and when the interview aired, the title read “DJ Splyce, Hollywood’s Disk Jockey To The Stars.” Weeks later I was asked to perform at the Official GRAMMY Celebration for over 6000 guests, and from there it really propelled a many decades-long career of touring the world, performing at so many different kinds of events, differing in size from arenas and festivals to private more intimate events like destination weddings and birthday parties. Today I am as active as ever, DJing, producing my own music, and I own my own recording studio, and all it really feels like a dream come true. The one factor I do want to be sure to include is, throughout my entire DJ career, there have been what felt like endless challenges, roadblocks, mind twisters with how to best handle situations, and lots of behind-the-scenes work, strategy, meetings, time and energy invested, and sacrifice. With social media in its current state, it’s easy to look at what someone presents as their “best” image, or “favorite” version of themselves, but in reality, and in my reality, that only shows a fraction of the whole story.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My career has gone through many waves. There were times when it felt like my career was going unimaginably well, no matter what I did. As long as I kept doing whatever I was doing, everything just seemed to fall into place. I was feeling great at what I did, confident and satisfied with my productivity and output. I felt a sense of accomplishment and respect from my peers and the people around me. However, in time, two things happened. First is, I wanted more, and what I had going on began to feel stale. It didn’t feel like I was pushing myself or being pushed to be better. I started comparing myself to others, and most of the time comparing myself to people who in my opinion appeared to be doing better than me. The second thing that happened is this wave seemed to shift, as the world does, and there were moments and times where I felt like nothing I did was right, and no matter what I tried, it wasn’t going to work. These mental games can be tricky because if not controlled, they can become mentally exhausting. I found that having a strong family and friend group can be one of the most powerful things to help overcome your own insecurities and doubts. Other struggles were that while I was realizing so many dreams I’d had for so many years, I found myself doing better financially, but relationships suffered. Friendships dissolved, almost mysteriously. This caused a lot more confusion and mental hardship. Again, family and REAL and true friends can sometimes see through the clouds we put in our own path. They can explain situations better, perspectives better, and I really believe time helps everything. Another challenge is upkeeping an image. While we are aware of the power of your presentation and “you are your brand,” it’s easy to get touched by the curse of temptation. We get tempted to buy more, spend more, have more, when we SHOULD be enough with who we are. Being able to say no is a powerful tool that I find can sometimes be underestimated.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My background is an open-format, multi-genre DJ. Meaning, over the course of my career I’ve needed to have an expansive range in skill set, style, music selection, adaptability, as well as abilities in navigating personalities and social skills. I’d like to think I’m known for being polite, respectful, kind, and easy to work with. As a DJ I think I’m best known for being a DJ who’s performed around the globe for/with The Kardashians, Janet Jackson, David Hasselhoff, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, HBO, Starbucks, Gucci, Diesel, Adidas, Leonardo DiCaprio and more. I specialize in customizing my sets to each event and performance. Whether it’s an event in Las Vegas at a mega-club or arena, or a wedding in Jamaica or Cancun, these performances will be very different, but with the same streamlined sense of tightness and completeness. They are worked through with clients individually to bring their vision to life with my help and experience. I understand that each time I’m performing I’m there for the client, so they are my main focus. I am proud of the lasting relationships I still have to this day with many of the top-tier professionals in the event and nightlife industry. These are people who I call friends and have worked together with, many for 10+ years. To be a trusted phone call away for a major event is a feeling of pride I carry with me. There have been some stories I have where I’m booked for an event, in another city, for an undisclosed client, and I don’t find out who it’s for until I arrive on-site and take the stage. One story in particular, I walked out on stage to a 9000-person corporate event, with a 2–3-hour dance set ahead of me. I pull from my experience and reading the crowd abilities to jump into action and set the party up for a high-energy and seamless evening. Being adaptable is crucial in this industry. Also, DJing and playing music isn’t new, but it’s definitely bringing a showmanship, personality, and certain energy to each performance that really sets one DJ apart from another, and of course timing, song selection, and personal interactions.
What’s next?
My plans for the future include creating and releasing my own music. It has been the adventure of a lifetime to be able to travel the world, perform, and share smiles and happiness by playing other people’s music, but it’s time I put more time and energy into creating my own original style of music. I own a recording studio in Los Angeles, Splyce Studios, which was a big project, but also a big step in the music-producing world. My music studio has found some great moments already, being the vocal recording home to two multi-million streaming songs, as well as the studio of choice for David Hasselhoff for his vocal recordings from his latest album. I engineered those sessions and had the best time learning his flow and style, as I do with all the artists I work with in the studio. A few years ago, I graduated from Icon Collective, a highly esteemed music school in Los Angeles, which was monumental in helping push my knowledge and relationships in the music industry. Of course, with DJing, I have found a passion for weddings. I love working with the couple and listening to their vision and ultimately seeing it come to life. One important thing I always have to remind myself is, don’t plan things too seriously. I have found my personality works best when I’m more going with the flow because so many things change so fast, it would be tricky to stick to too many short-term plans. I’m always up for new adventures!
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.splyceofficial.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/splyce
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/splyceofficial
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/splyce-studios-san-fernando-valley-2?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
Image Credits
Christopher Torres
Vetala Hawkins
Bill Casper
