DJ Schwin Interview

What do you want readers to know about you?
I'm a very chill cat in person. been called a zen monk a few times. but most importantly, I embraced a life with music leading me into an array of facets in the music world. I of course dj, but also engineer (studio and stage) as well as make music. i'm a lover of all kinds of music.

Why and when did u decide to call yourself DJ Schwin?
"Every girl wants to ride a schwinn" LOL! No really, i've held other dj names in the 94-97 but eveyone knew me as "schwin." so why not. in 2000 it was just dj schwin.

You have a very interesting Myspace headline "Music is like an Orgasm," can you talk about that?
Oh yeah. everyone knows that it's a very indiscribable feeling. good music makes you feel a certain way. music could be fast, slow, hard, soft, etc. etc. etc. it's not how popular a song gets, but how much you enjoy it.

While the DJ plays an important role in the clubs, they do get overlooked at times. What's your take on your role and responsibility?
in a night club specifically, i have several roles.
1) spin the music for the given feel of the night. i mean who spins r&b songs during an underground hip hop night?
2) control the crown using music
3) use music to bring certain crowds to the dance floor and others to the bar, but not ruin the feel of the night.as a dj that spins to express himself, well it's a free for all in which during my set, you will have the ride of your life!

How did you get your start?
i first started back in 1994 at santa clara university in california. at first it was just something to do with the boys. then it was the frat/soroity, student club, and house parties. then in 1997 got involved with the underground rave scene. i started out spinning the the undergound hip hop rooms. then found myself drawn to the drum n bass rooms, then the trance rooms, then the house rooms. with all that i discovered downtempo, it's a funky electronic hip hopish worldly music. that got me spinning in different cities. in 2000 i moved from SF to LA, hollywood specifically. after running the circuit there, i moved back home to hawaii in 2005. my start in hawaii was over at bamboo @ chain's back in april 2005. after that it was a whole new story.

A lot of DJs slowly work there way up the dj chain through networkingetc..talk about your progressions from the days where opportunities were limited until now?
i'd say that i've been blessed. it wasn't so much that i looked for opportunities. they kinda got presented to me. but yes, in extremely hard networks such as hollywood, networking is very important. here, the opportunities are limited. everyone who's heard me say that i'm awesome, but promoters like to hire their favorites. since i've only been in the scene for 3 years here, not everyone's heard me. besides, i'm an electronic dj, but i sure spin the hell out of hip hop, r&b, dancehall and reggaton, you know, radio music.

If I were to ask promoters your fellow friends who spin about you, what would they say?
"Who's that?" like i said, most people haven't heard me. but for what i'm known for is making people dance. tell me to spin almost genre of music, i will get people dancing. also i'll known for throwing music that you've never heard before and you will dance to it or at the very least really like it.

What makes you more than just some guy in the dj booth who playsmusic/jukebox dj?
The distinguishing point is using music selection to control the crowd. a lot of the young djs i've seen today don't have this trait. all the old schooler's do it. it's not about throwing a popular song with a popular song then followed by a popular song. it's about using that popular song and mixing it about with some of the songs that you see fit for that crowd. also, if you keep all the people on the dancefloor, no one is drinking. if the bar doesn't sell alcohol, you don't have a place to party. only a handful of dj's on the island know this one. there is no way a jukebox or inexperienced dj can do this. besides, do you know how many songs i have in my head that i could use to make people feel certain things? it's insane!

What are some of your most memorable experiences as a dj?
i have a lot or rock star memories, but my fondest is of myself, dj werd, kero one and controller 7 in the garage taking turns spinning while the other boys were passing the mic. this was way before any of us blew up.the best rock star memory was spinning at a loft party in LA that me and the boys threw. calling it a rated "r" night is an understatement. Being a DJ in Hawaii can be competitive,

How did you break in the business. What are some noteworthy clubs you've played at?
I broke in the business by hooking up with Evol Entity. My first residency was at Bamboo @ Chai's back in 2005 with dj technique opening up for me and dj's statik , mixmaster b, and k smooth in the other room. man i miss that party. since then i've played @ Venus, O Lounge, Aaron's, Xyloh, Lotus, the W, Chai's and even club 939.

Current residencies?
Venus - Fridays
O Lounge - Saturdays

What's your number goal as far as your career as a DJ?
I've done the 7 day a week thing and hit burn out. i'd like to do 4 nights. that's a good number. but i'll say this, if a dj is to survive by just dj'ing, we gotta start making more money in this circuit. LA had a $150/HR minimum with a minimum of 2 hours. here guys do it for $100 for 2 hours on the average. some guys get shafted a lot worse.

Is there a song you don't particularly like but always find yourselfplaying, either by not realizing it or from a direct request?
That's a tough one. if it's part of my set it's a song i can at least tolerate. if i don't like it, i make it known that i don't like it. i can pretty much say that any song in my sets are my choices. if you've heard me spin before, you know if i've been told to play a song.

How often do you play for yourself? How often do you play strictly for the crowd?
I play for myself every time i'm there early and the club is not open. either that or at home.every time i'm in the club i'm playing for the crowd. but hey at least i have fun when i get to sneak in something different and people don't realize it.

Most annoying things a dj must face?
I hate it when i'm limited to what i can play. the other one is, i hate close minded crowds. probably the most annoying thing is the request for the song that i just played 10 minutes ago. one of the dj rules is "never play the a song more than once in the course of a night."

Most rewarding aspects of being a dj?
The most rewarding thing is that i get paid to do what i love. not very any people can say that. not to mention that i got to travel with it and meet so many cool people.