I Love DJing

I Love DJing

19 June, 2007 | 3.08PM

• Written by: Jonas Tempel
• Filed under: Music News: beatport.com, dj dan, hipp-e, jonas tempel blog, rabbit in the moon, terry mullen

I think that I was born with the desire to perform. From an early age I was always the class clown. In high school, my house was the location for some of the best parties. At those parties, I controlled the music. Not that I thought I was a DJ, but I knew I had the best music and my friends just took it for granted.

In college, I made it my role to have the best music and the best sound system where ever I was. When I reached 21 it dawned on me that I might ought to try DJing more seriously. With some luck, I convinced my dad and my grand parents to loan me the money to buy my first set up. And of course I had to have all the best gear. I’ll never forget the day that I brought it all home. I lived in this tiny apartment and the sound system literally filled the living room. Two Technics Turntables, Stanton 680 Cartidges, 8 second loop sampler, Mixer, Crown Amplifiers, and JBL Loudspeakers. There was no party that I could not rock. Literally.

Back at college it didn’t take long for me to start getting my first gigs. And I have to tell you, I was hooked. You would have to be to do what I did for such little money. Carrying all that gear in and out of party locations just to spread the sound that I loved. In the summer of 1991 I attended my first after hours party and it literally changed my life. I had met some DJ’s who were throwing this party and wanted to use my sound system. These guys were rocking this tiny warehouse. There must have been 100 people in the space of a living room. The sweat was literally running down the front windows. And I didn’t even care. There was more energy in that room than I’d ever experienced in my life. It was a dramatic experience that changed everything about who I was supposed to become.

If you are reading this blog, you know where the story goes from here. The music took hold of my life and gave it new direction. My basement is filled with thousands of archived vinyl gems. My scrapbooks are filled with Rave and Club flyers from all the events that I attended. I even found a new direction in college. Instead of pre-law, I quickly changed my major to Graphic Design. From there I did rave flyers for every major promoter in the United States. At the same time, I was DJing three nights a week. At the peak, I had three residencies, a radio show that aired four hours on Friday and Saturday nights and a full time career in Graphic Design at a local design studio. Obviously I suffer from being slightly obsessive compulsive. If I wasn’t DJing, I was listening to DJ’s. DJ Dan, Sasha, Josh Wink, Terry Mullen, Hipp-E, Rabbit in the Moon, and all my local friends who headlined the parties as well.

At the age of 25 I told myself that DJ was just a stage in my life and that there was no way I’d still be doing it at age 30. Thirty has come and long gone and I still have a residency on Saturday nights and regularly tour with Bad Boy Bill. And honestly, I have no plans on stopping. The music is so good. The sound systems are so awesome. The crowd has so much energy. It is just too rewarding to stop. When the opportunity came to create Beatport with my friends Eloy Lopez and Brad Roulier, I just couldn’t resist. It was the perfect combination of everything I loved. Design, music, DJing, parties, and all that comes with it. I feel so rewarded that I’m helping so many DJs do what I love to do. Play music for people that love the music. Who could ask for a better job? Not me.

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