1.Growing Up
I grew up in a musical melting pot of a household. My mum, who is Puerto Rican, and my dad, who is Filipino, were always jamming to the likes of the Bee Gees, Donna Summer and Otis Redding. My sister was a straight-up hip hop head: she introduced me to OutKast, Big L and Gang Starr. I’ll never forget attending her local hip hop club meetings and watching the b-boys breakdance. I was so fascinated by the DJ and his ability to control the tempo of dance.
2.Inspirations
My musical influences are Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Flume, OutKast, Jay Z, Nero and DJ AM to name but a few. I’ll never forget getting my first cassette tape: it was ATLliens by OutKast. I damn near broke the tape from listening to it on repeat so much and it opened my mind to a new world of music.
3. Your Crowd
I strongly believe in the art of DJing. There’s nothing that can replace a good selection of songs perfectly mixed together. Making people dance is what brings me alive. I’m a creature of the night and I love rocking nightclubs – they’re my place of comfort. I’ve recently played some huge festivals, from TomorrowWorld to EDC Las Vegas. I love controlling people through music and dance: I’m the selecta.
4.The Music You Play
The music I play is an expression of how I’m feeling at that moment. I’m not afraid to mix The Temptations into Future and then cut in some A Tribe Called Quest. Genres are meant to be bent and bridged, and DJing allows me to tell a story through music. I recently recorded a song with Grammy Award winner Fatman Scoop and my good friend Landis called ‘Lose Control’. It’s a big house tune. I grew up listening to Scoop, so being able to work with him was huge dream come true.
5.Music, Right Here, Right Now
As with everything else in the world right now, the music scene is oversaturated. Everything sounds the same: it’s a bit mundane for me. I respect those trying to do something out of this world and different. The boundaries need to be pushed, and musicians need to start making music for themselves, not based on what’s going to make them the most money. Money doesn’t last forever, but a timeless record does.
DJ Crespo plays at The Argyle, Sydney on Saturday September 17.
