Today we’d like to introduce you to James Macias.
Hi James , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Basically, my uncles were Dj’s in the 80s, and I was always around them doing their thing.. as a kid I’d say around 10/11 yrs old I would travel with them to mobile gigs and help them from time to time that’s where my interest grew for DJing… it was around the age of 14 or so that I decided that I wanted to become a DJ…. It was at that point that I asked my parents to help me purchase my first Dj set up, in which they did but the catch was I had to get a job to pay them back… so I ended up having my first job at a car wash going into the age of 15, I would set aside a little money every paycheck to pay my parents back and set aside a little money for records, that’s how I would inevitably start my record collection.. It was my junior year in high school where I started to get involved in the party crew scene, and would become a DJ at the weekly house parties that the local party crews would throw, usually those were every Friday night occasionally on Saturdays… but for the most part, that’s where I would spend most of my time DJing at house parties for different party crews… after high school, I would get involved in the collegiate circuit and Dj for different sororities and fraternities… it was there that I met my friend to this day that gave me a shot at my first 21 and over nightclub/bar. I was only 19 at the time…. So I would spend my time DJing college events, mobile events, and occasionally do guest spots at the bar my friend had given me a shot at…
When I turned 23 it was at that point that my Dj life would change forever… I got an opportunity to Dj at the club/sports bar that I am still currently at now… I believe to have the longest tenure/D.j. residency, 23 years in total, which is unheard of in the Dj industry… being the resident Dj there would open up a plethora of opportunities to Dj for some of the most legendary artist… my résumé goes on and on from artist like mellow man ace, Pretty Poison, a lighter shade of brown, Trinere, Tierra, Tapps, just to name a few… I’ve worked with several radio stations, and household names in my industry, such as Dj Angie Vee…
The club that I DJ at is known for it’s old school base demographic, so for the most part anyone 30 or older would know the artist that I’d have DJed for… although our demographic varies and I am able to play an open format style at any moment.. whether it’s top 40, EDM, hip-hop, Reggaeton, and all types of Latin vibes
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I would say the biggest struggle has been two things, the first and most important one is politics… going down this rabbit hole opens up so many different types of politics that are involved in this business…
And the second which kind of tapers in to politics is that someone is always trying to take your job… there’s always someone trying to sell themselves as being better and trying to lowball
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So as a resident Dj every Friday and Saturday night, I try my hardest to find different ways of not only being creative, but trying to be different.. It’s really hard after being at the same spot for 23 years., but I think my Passion allows me to always try to incorporate different ideas and sounds.. I take a lot of pride in my passion and in my craft, it is very time-consuming and I think that that’s one thing that the public doesn’t understand.. they think that being a DJ is just all glitz glamour and partying, but what a lot of people don’t realize is those of us who have the responsibility of doing this every single weekend, there’s a lot of work that goes into it, whether creating remixes, Dj, customized edits, and things of that nature.. I think what I am most known for is being different, and it’s not a knock on other DJs in my vicinity, because I know they work just as hard, but I take a lot of pride again in being different and knowing when to turn it off and when to turn it on with the crowd that’s in front of me, not a lot of DJs know how to do that, and unfortunately not a lot of DJs know how to be creative… I am proud of that factor about myself, and I think that’s one of the major things that makes me stand out and sets me apart from many different DJs
Another thing is, I’m still the student of the game! I still love to watch and learn…
I love going out and listening to other DJs study them and just listening to how they do their thing… I respect every single Dj out there because it takes a lot to go out and do what we do… there’s a few Dj’s out there that I definitely look up to and and see them as mentors… one in particular is an LA legendary Dj he goes by the name of Robert Risque, and has been around for almost 30 years as a professional Dj.. he’s one that I definitely look up to and he has helped me out so much and has opened door for me to this day, and it’s crazy because not too many people in our industry do that…
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
lol a geek… very shy to myself for the most part, I had a very small circle of friends, and I was a die hard WWE wrestling fan lol… I loved wrestling so much, it was like eat, breathe, and sleep wrestling as a kid, obviously until I found the whole Dj thing… as a kid I wanted to grow up and be a wrestler
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/djjames_mixwell55
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/djjmames_mixwell55
- Soundcloud: https://SoundCloud.com/mixwell55
Image Credits
High Kailber Productions, Michael Murray, Zendejas Sports Grill San Dimas, Jimmy Reyes, Robert Risque, Havana House Alhambra, Jade Starling of Pretty Poison
