DJ Dynamiq Q&A
During day one of the Sueños Music Festival in Downtown Chicago, internationally renowned DJ, producer, and writer, DJ Dynamiq granted The Garnette Report an exclusive one-on-one interview in the press lounge. Prior to his appearance at the TAO Chicago Nightclub later that evening, as well as his upcoming performance for day two of Sueños, DJ Dynamiq talked all things music with us.
Q: How did you get your start as DJ Dynamiq?
A: “It’s kind of a funny story. So, I used to babysit my cousin’s kids, and he was a DJ, and I used to tell him like, ‘Yo, leave your turn-tables on, I wanna [mess] around with your turntables’, you know? That kinda was my introduction. And then a few weeks later he was like, ‘Yo, I’m DJing this quinceñera, I don’t know all the Mexican music that you know.’ So then he was like ‘Why don’t you roll with me?’ I thought I was gonna help him out, you know, with just setting stuff up, but then he threw me out to the wolves and said ‘Go, play, dj!’. And you know, he paid me at the end of the night. Which, I was like 16 years old, and he gave me like 200 dollars, so I was like ‘woah this is amazing!’”
Q: So 16 was your start?
A: “Exactly!”
Q: So is that when you knew that this is what you wanted to do as a career?
A: “It kinda was more of like a hobby for me. But, when I turned 18 and I graduated, I started raising some money and getting my own equipment. And then I started having all of my homies hitting me up, like ‘Yo, DJ my party”, “DJ this and that”. I started making some money out of it, and I was like ‘yo, this is kind of cool!’ And then I started doing nightclubs. I wasn’t even 21 yet, but I started doing nightclubs, and you know, the money started coming in. And next thing I know, [I realized] ‘I’m kinda good at this!’ So why not give it a shot?”
“I had just gotten laid off. I used to work at a bank and I got laid off. And I was just like ‘Yo, lemme try this as a career.’ So then I moved to San Diego. And I guess we’re here now.”
Q: Would you say that San Diego influenced your sound?
A: “I would say just my culture in general. Like, I’m Mexican, you know what I mean? I was born in Mexico, by southern Cali and I feel like that just overall that has kinda been my sound. I grew up on hip-hop, I grew up on reggaeton. It’s my passion so, you know, I try to, keep it to what I enjoy. Even now to this day, the kind of gigs that I take, It’s like, the sh*t that I enjoy playing.”
Q: Can you take me through what it takes to create a set or song like your single “Lotto”?
A: “Music-wise, it’s just gotta come to me. With that song ‘Lotto’, it was just a dem bow beat that my producers from Miami play-backed. They played me the beat and I was like ‘I live this beat, I need that beat’, and then two years went by, the pandemic and all that. And I knew I wanted to do a dem bow record, so from there I was like, ‘alright, we are doing a dem bow record, this is the beat, and now we gotta get the artists around it.’ And then I linked up with JC from Miami, we wrote the record, we wrote the hook, and the whole concept of the song. Once that was born, then I reached out to Quimico, who’s a big artist in the Dominican Republic. And he just jumped on and the rest is history! This is my process when it comes to music and creating. My process when it comes to DJing just depends on what type of event it is. Whether it’s a nightclub, or I’m DJing the 49ers game, or I’m DJing a festival. It all varies, but a lot of preparation ahead of time, you know. Organizing my music, making edits, making certain intros, and all that. So it just varies.”
Q: How would you say your sound has changed from your beginnings in the San Diego nightclub scene to now, as you have been able to take your music all over the world?
A: “In the beginning, I used to not use the mic at all. I used to just DJ and I was shy of the mic. Then when I started using the mic, people started to make fun of me, because I’m Mexican. Saying ‘Oh, you’ve got an accent.’, ‘You sound too Mexican.’, and ‘You shouldn’t use the mic.’ I even had somebody tell me, like, ‘You should take speech classes’, which was crazy! But that sh*t motivated me to where I am now. And now my main focus when I DJ, is the mic. You know, the thing I was scared of in the beginning, ended up being my strongest asset, you know what I mean? So that’s kinda how I have evolved in my process.”
Q: Congrats on your upcoming 8th season with the 49ers! How did it feel when you found out you would be their in-house DJ all those seasons ago?
A: “Honestly, I’ve said before, I have many dreams for my life and my career, and being the 49ers DJ was something I never even imagined. So when it came to me, It was kinda like…. I still remember I was getting to the gym and I got the call like ‘Yo, your officially onboard.’ Because I had to do a background check, it was a whole process. And it just didn’t really hit me until we got to game day, walking in the stadium, DJing in front of 65,000 people. And it was like, even to this day, I just completed my seventh season, and it’s still surreal to me. It doesn’t feel real. Like, my name’s on the jumbotron next to the players! […] It’s insane, it’s insane! To me, my number one sports team in the world is the 49ers so to be a part of their organization and receive checks from them, it’s [explitive] wild to me! Sorry, that is just the only way I can describe it!”
Q: Would you say you’re seven, soon to be eight seasons there have affected your sound as an overall artist?
A: “If anything, it’s helped me because I’ve learned how to do the very corporate, very strict, very by-the-book [events]. So it’s definitely helped me. I’ve done other sporting events, I’ve done other cooperate events, and it’s just like second nature to me [now]. It definitely hasn’t affected me [negatively], if anything it’s helped me, it’s benefited me.”
Q: What song have you released that is your favorite or that you are most proud of?
A: “I would say, I just did a record with Brray. It’s called “Albaricoque”. It’s like a Puerto Rican sample that we took. I am very proud of that song because, I flew him out to Arizona, and we had a writing camp. And I brought the idea to the table, he ended up loving it. Not only did he do the record but put it on his album, and that was his first single on the album! And, you know, I have publishing points as a writer on there so. I consider myself an executive producer, but I also like to write, I like to write music so, for me I’m very proud of that. Obviously, my name is not on the song, but it’s in the behind-the-scenes stuff. So, that to me I’m very very proud of because, for a major artist to put a song on their album, off of an idea that I gave them, it’s amazing.”
Q: What is your favorite thing about performing?
A: “My favorite thing about performing, hands down is the crowd. Seeing their faces, the way they yell, the way they dance, the way they scream. That to me is fulfilling in itself. So, it’s just creating vibes for people to enjoy. That to me is number one. It’s not the money, it’s not the hospitality, it’s not the fame, it’s not none of that. It’s just seeing people have a good time off of what I am creating.”
“People pay a lot of money to be at these festivals, you know? To go to these clubs. They wanna have a good time you know? And they escape their problems, they escape work, they escape whatever, you name it. And for that one hour or two hours that they are there at the club at a festival or at a game, I’m in charge of their vibe. So, it’s kinda a lot of pressure on me, but at the same time, I gotta deliver. Because I could really ruin somebody’s night. Like ‘Damn, that DJ sucked’, ‘Damn that DJ didn’t play my request’, ‘Damn that DJ didn’t make me feel special.’ So, it’s all about the people at the end of the day.”
Q: What final thing do you want our readers to know about DJ Dynamiq?
A: “I would say, I am a prime example of somebody telling you ‘You can’t do this’, ‘You will never be able to get there.’ And you just gotta keep working hard, being humble, being a good person, and just shoot for the stars.”
“If it’s your dream, just go for it. Because I come from a small town, I was born in Mexico. I come from immigrant parents. So for me to even move to the United States and live the American Dream, that’s already an achievement in [and of itself]. To be able to do what I love for a living and provide for my family and my daughters is very special. So, I guess my message is, whatever it takes go for your dream.”
For more coverage of DJ Dynamiq and the Sueños Music Festival visit The Garnette Report website.