Today we’d like to introduce you to DJ Feels Goodman.
DJ Feels, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My journey began the same way as most event organizers — as an everyday run-of-the-mill bedroom DJ. I had acquired my first set of equipment used from a friend who decided to hang up his headphones and retire as a bar DJ in order to focus on his acting career.
I took his Technics SL-1200MK2 turntables and Vestax mixer and began learning on my own how to mix music. It wasn’t the easiest walk in the park, but it was fun…. a lot of fun. I started calling myself DJ Feels Goodman as a joke. Ironically, the name stuck ’till this day. After I got a grasp on the basics, I played a few small gigs at bars and parties while improving my skills. Eventually, I landed a weekly arrangement as a DJ for a UK-Based online radio station called Lazer FM Worldwide.
From that point forward, the goal was to get bigger and better gigs. But something didn’t feel quite right. Being on this side of the DJ booth was different. Politics, money, superficial celebrity status, kissing ass… there was a lot more to this “career” than just playing good music. I noticed that a lot of up-and-coming DJs felt the same thing that I did. There was a lot of impurity in this field that I didn’t like. And from there on, the goal changed from trying to get noticed and hired to being the one who puts on the events and does the picking.
A core group of friends and I would put on raves that focused on a few ideals: treat DJs right, treat the ravers right, and it’s not about the money. Shortly after, we founded M.A.Y. Day Events, with the first three letters standing for “Me And You” as a constant reminder that we’re all in this together. Through a lot of research and planning, we started hosting events all over Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley — some big, some small, but all good. Although things are a bit different these days.
We still try our best to support DJs, support the local rave community and everything in between by hosting streams from our warehouse HQ in La Puente. Thankfully, we’ve picked up some friends along the way. Jexy Photography now does our event photography, EEQ USA gives us sponsorship support through their CBD business, and we’ve got a core group of DJs we can count on like DJ Andro, Matthew Navong from Kill Hype Radio, Ruben Vallin, DJ SP1KE, the guys over at Prismatic Radio, DJ Wuwu who gave us this interview opportunity, and others.
Has it been a smooth road?
I bet the common answer is that the road is always rough and challenging. But actually…. something about this seemed like a path laid out by destiny. Surely, there were some obstacles, but they’ve never seemed too big to beat. There’s always a way to solve a problem or a way to alter your path while still moving in the general direction you want to go in. That’s how I see it.
Thinking back, it might just be silly optimism. I don’t have a ton of followers (yet). I and my group aren’t a household name (yet), and I’m not the most skilled DJ in the world (yet). But one day those will all change. Are those struggles? Not sure… seems like normal stuff to me. I don’t struggle with any of it; I just work hard to slowly change what they are.
But I suppose that doesn’t make for very interesting story-telling.
One time, we had an intoxicated girl at one of our parties who was looking for a fight and kept flashing people. One time, we fell really short on our venue rental earnings and had to pull out money from our pockets. One time, a DJ we hired got too drunk to finish playing their set.
Oh.
One time, the cops tried to raid one of our raves.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the M.A.Y. Day Events story. Tell us more about the business.
M.A.Y. Day Events primarily functioned in 2019 as a party organizer. But these days, since we’re not doing in-person parties, we focus on hosting high quality streaming for DJs and musicians from our warehouse.
We’ve always been known for throwing legit raves with a combination of friendly service, an awesome choice of DJs, and low prices. I’m most proud of the fact that we have built a really good reputation. Although it’s still small, it is good. We try really hard to do things the right way and to treat people well. I think that’s what I’m proud of. And it’s also what sets us apart from others.
As a DJ, Feels Goodman specializes in spinning Happy Hardcore, UK Hardcore, and Trance music using a pair of turntables and a mixer. I’m most proud that I’ve been able to share the music that I love with people all over the world and to open their eyes to things they’ve never heard before. I’m also proud of the progress I’ve made with my skills as a DJ. What sets me apart are the combination of genres I play, how I play them, the idea that I’m a rave DJ that likes to scratch, and my general humbleness.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
In the next 5-10 years, things will go one of two ways. It’s either the return of nostalgia or a fast-forward into future technology.
I see streaming becoming a bigger part of the industry compared to before. But I also see a bounce-back where people get sick of looking at screens and things revert to a much more early form of partying.
I see phat pants coming back lol. Probably a few new dance moves.
Pricing:
- For music streams, M.A.Y. Day can host DJs for $35 /hr with the first 30 minutes free
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/djfeelsgoodman
- Email: [email protected]
Image Credit:
Jex Delossantos, Jexy Photography
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