Atlanta’s Newest Resident DJ Talks PRIDE

doing to focus on them, and not worry about the rest.

I Have Enemies, and That’s Ok Too! I was recently on the phone with one of the biggest brand owners, talking about one of our upcoming projects, and towards the end of a great hour-long conversation, he said, “you know you have some enemies.” This was not a comment that surprised me, nor did it concern me. Not anymore, at least. I look at the situation like I’ve built a house that’s nice and people want to visit it, often sometimes. And then others see the house I’ve built and for whatever personal reason, want to tear it down. I’m aware of my enemies and am always on guard, but I give them about as much thought or care as I give nosy neighbors who have nothing better to do.

Don’t Think, FEEL! The biggest mistake I can make, and I think honestly do believe that any DJ can make, is to think in the DJ booth. All of my “thinking” is done before and after a gig, when I’m preparing my set or analyzing my performance. But in the moment, when it’s just me and a crowd, it’s 100% about a feeling. Sometimes I’ll see a track in my catalog and have no idea why it’ll work, but just feel like it would – and that trust in my emotions rarely fails me. It’s only when I think about what I should play do things go off the rails.

Recognize Weakness. I love to produce my remixes and songs. But when you are a producer, you are expected to fill every seat in the studio - the drummer, the bass player, the keyboard player, the sound engineer, sometimes the vocalist, and everything in between. When I finally stopped putting unrealistic expectations on myself and turned to people for help in the areas that I was lacking in, I was able to focus my attention on the parts that I could do well. By recognizing my weaknesses in the studio, and addressing those, I am now making music that connects with an audience and that I’m very proud of.

To read DJ Joe Gauthreaux’s full story, visit our website at thegavoice.com!