DJ HAS A SPIN ON BEING AN AMERICAN
Free classes are about honoring his heritage, giving to the community
Each week, this series will introduce you to an exceptional American who unites, rather than divides, our communities. To read more about the American profiled here and more average Americans doing exceptional things, visit onenation.usatoday.com.
What does it mean to you to be an American?
I feel like as Americans, it’s our job to make this world a better place. To work hard. My parents are immigrants, both from Mexico, and that’s not lost on me. My belief is that we’re all part of one human race, and I think a lot of people get it twisted. People think that one group should be highlighted over another. ... Black people, Mexican people, white people; we’re all Americans.
How does your heritage inform your music?
I’m trying to merge American culture like hip-hop and electronic music ... through my spin on being Mexican American. Basing it around Latin percussion like cumbia or chicha. ... I like taking that sound but throwing hip-hop beats on top of that.
Being from the Coachella Valley, how much of a life-changer was it for you to play the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in your backyard?
Coachella was a dream come true. Always was a goal, and I’ve been going to Coachella since it started, since I was 15.
One of the ways you’re giving back to the community is through a DJ class; how did that come about?
I wanted something more than just the usual DJ gigs at a club. ... So I tried to expand, working at art galleries, or doing things that are more a part of the culture here in the desert. And then a friend of mine that worked in the school district office proposed the DJ camp or class idea, and I said let’s do it.
And how are the classes going?
I love showing them the history of DJing ... and then showing them what the possibilities are now with technology. Then seeing them have their own spin on it. ... Sometimes even after the class is over they reach out to me, with some stuff their working on.