>> THE MULTIGENRE LISTENING STARTED VERY EARLY.

BUT IT WAS ALSO A NATURAL THING INSIDE OF ME.

LIKE I DIDN'T WANT TO LISTEN TO JUST ONE THING.

BECAUSE, I DIDN'T FEEL JUST ONE WAY.

SOMETIMES I WANTED BARBARA MANDREAU OR PATSY CLINE.

I THINK ABOUT BEING SINGLE DIGITS LOOKING AT MY DAD'S RECORD COLLECTION WHICH I HAVE A LOT OF THEM OVER HERE.

AND ACCESSING WHATEVER FEELS GOOD.

AND NOT TRYING TO PUSH A FEELING.

IT WAS THE EVE OF MY 21st BIRTHDAY.

SEPTEMBER 11, 1999 AT 11:50 A. M. WE ARE ALL OUT OF OUR MINDS, PLAYING UNO, BEING SILLY.

THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, MY FRIEND JEFFREY PUTS ON THIS VERY SPECIFIC CLUB TRACK.

AND IT LAUNCHED MY BRAIN INTO I DON'T KNOW.

THIS ALMOST INCREDIBLE PSYCHIC MOMENT.

IT WAS CALLED BODY ROCK, THE THUNDER POST CLUB MIX.

AND, THERE WAS SOMETHING ABOUT THE ENERGY, THE FREQUENCIES.

JUST ALL OF IT.

I JUST SAT BACK ON THE COUCH AND IT WAS LIKE THE SKY OPENED UP AND I SAW THE NEXT TEN TO 15 YEARS OF MY LIFE.

THEN I THINK IT WAS 2004, I PUT MY VERY FIRST D. J. MIXER ON LAY AWAY AT SAM ASH.

IT WAS THIS INTUITIVE INSTINCT THING OF THIS IS WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

AND IF I HAVE TO PUT IT ON LAY AWAY AND WAIT A LITTLE BIT LONGER, THEN THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO DO.

BUT I ALWAYS HAD THE MIX TAPES RUNNING IN MY HEAD.

AND I NEEDED A WAY TO GET THESE MIX TAPES OUT OF MY HEAD AND OUT INTO MY COMMUNITY.

THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED.

AND IT HAS BEEN NEVER ENDING.

I'M STILL DJING.

AND, I'M JUST FULL OF HUMILITY AND GRATITUDE THAT I HAVEN BE ABLE TO ACCESS ALL OF THIS D.J.

STUFF INSIDE OF ME TO CREATE THIS VERY KIND OF SIGNATURE SPACE.

SO BEING ABLE TO ACCESS MY INTUITIVE NATURE OF YEAH, THESE CERTAIN TRACKS GO TOGETHER OR THIS ENVIRONMENT NEEDS A DIFFERENT AUDIO ATMOSPHERE AND BEING ABLE TO SHIFT THAT, MANIPULATE IT.

AND IT IS NOT OUT OF POWER OR EGO BUT OUT OF CONNECTION.

I'M LOOKING OUT IN THE ROOM AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE CONNECTED TO MY AUDIENCE AND NOT SEPARATE AND ABOVE, BUT ON THEIR LEVEL.

SEEING THEM EYE TO EYE AND EAR TO EAR.

ALL THE SENSES, VERY IMPORTANT TO ME.

FOR A LONG TIME.

THE INSPIRATION WAS JUST SADNESS.

FROM LOSING FRIENDS, PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS.

AND THERE HAS BEEN A SHIFT I THINK AND MAYBE IT IS JUST AGING, GETTING OLDER.

WHERE I REALIZE I DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO COMPOSE WHEN I'M SAD.

I CAN ALSO COMPOSE WHEN IT'S BEEN A GREAT DAY AND I'M FEELING ENERGETIC SO REALLY, INSPIRATIONS ARE LIKE HUGE WAVES IN THE OCEAN.

SOMETIMES THEY ARE BIG.

SOMETIMES THEY ARE SMALL.

BUT BEING ABLE TO ACCESS THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT NO MATTER WHAT IT IS.

BECAUSE SOME OF MY BEST WORK HAS COME FROM THOSE SAD MOMENTS BUT ALSO SOME OF MY BEST WORK HAS COME FROM THE VERY AMPLIFIED JUST FEELINGS OF EXULTATION OF INNER POWER AND EMPOWERMENT.

AND OVERCOMING SOMETHING HUGE I DIDN'T HAVE THE TYPE OF PLATFORM AND SUPPORT THAT I, NOT THAT I NECESSARILY NEED.

YES, I DID NEED IT.

I DID NEED IT.

AS A QUEER HALF HISPANIC ADOPTED PERSON WHO LOVED POP MUSIC BUT NOT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE.

I LOVED ENYA, ENIGMA.

ALL OF THE NEW AGE ELECTRONIC STUFF.

I DIDN'T HAVE ANYBODY ELSE WHO LIKED THAT KIND OF STUFF SO NOW THAT I'M IN THIS WORLD, I FEEL LIKE IT IS MY CALLING AND VERY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO CREATE THE ATMOSPHERES AND ENVIRONMENTS AND PLATFORMS THAT I DID NOT HAVE, GROWING UP IN THE 90s AND ALSO EVEN STARTING MY D.J.

CAREER IN THE EARLY TO MID 2000s.

IT IS REALLY, REALLY SPECIAL AND IMPORTANT TO SHOW THE ADULT COMMUNITY AND THE YOUTH COMMUNITY THAT SYNTHESIZERS ARE NOT INACCESSIBLE.

YOU DON'T NEED A ROCKET SCIENTIST DEGREE TO BE CURIOUS AND HAVE FUN WITH SOUND.

TO CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE AND ENVIRONMENT OF TOTAL INCLUSIVITY IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR COMMUNITY CARE.

AND VERY IMPORTANT TO SHOW THAT SYNTHESIZERS AND SYNTH MUSIC ARE IN EVERY FACET OF EVERY PERSON'S LIFE.

AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE GUYS FROM STRANGER THINGS FOR REALLY JUST EXPLODING THAT OPEN BECAUSE THAT GIVES ME A CHANCE TO RELATE TO YOUNGER PEOPLE AND MAYBE PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW SYNTHESIZER MUSIC OUTSIDE OF THE STRANGER THINGS SOUNDTRACK AND THEME TUNE.

IT MAKES PEOPLE EXCITED.

TO BE ABLE TO SHOW BEING VERY ECSTATIC AND INTERESTED IN INTERACTING WITH SOUND IN REALTIME IS SOMETHING THAT ANYBODY CAN DO.

SO CREATING ATMOSPHERES WHERE I'M NOT ONLY SUPPORTING MY COMMUNITY, BUT I'M ALSO POSSIBLY GENERATING YOU KNOW, DONATIONS FOR NON-PROFITS FROM THE WORK THAT I DO, TO SHOW COHESIVENESS IN MY COMMUNITY.

THAT I'M NOT JUST DOING THIS FOR MY OWN GAIN.

IT IS SOMETHING THAT I WANT TO SHOW EVERYONE THAT JUST BE CURIOUS.

IF YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT HOW TO INTERACT WITH SOUND IN REALTIME, COME TO MY SYNTH SLAM THAT HAPPENED EVERY FALL IN AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER.

NOT HAVING THE TYPE OF SUPPORT THAT I HAD GROWING UP AND BEING INTERESTED IN DIFFERENT MUSIC IS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO SHOW PEOPLE THEY ARE SUPPORTED AND THAT THEY ARE DOING IS IMPORTANT TO THE WHOLE OF ART SOCIETY.

CREATING THOSE PLATFORMS, IT JUST BRINGS ME SO MUCH JOY AND I FEEL JUST HUGE GRATITUDE WHEN SOMEONE TOUCHES A KNOB OR MAKES A PATCH AND THEIR FACE LIGHTS UP LIKE OH MY GOSH, THAT'S THE COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE IN MY LIFE.