We Know the Feeling: Dianne Deguzman (Denver)

We Know the Feeling: Dianne Deguzman (Denver)

29 November, 2010 | 10.52AM

• Written by: Beatport Mike
• Filed under: Music News: we know the feeling

From a Hello Kitty store sales clerk to the main lady in musical marketing, Dianne Deguzman is one of the longest serving members of the Beatport team. Before I made the transition from the Denver office to the Berlin office, I can remember Dianne always arriving to the office with a smile and a sarcastic wit; I could always rely on her to crack mindless jokes and talk nonsense during office hours. Now that I’ve moved to Berlin, Dianne has finally found the time to focus on doing actual work.

I kid, I kid: Dianne has always been a pivotal and scarily productive member of the team, with her intelligence, enthusiasm and love of music keeping the office vibes high and happy while doing a kick-butt job.

We asked Dianne to take a few hours away from her Thanksgiving break (sorry, Dianne!) and tell us about her life in the Beatport world, the power of hip-hop and R&B, and why David Hasselhoff refuses to return my phone calls. Read on!

Hi Dianne, where on earth did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Lucena City, Philippines until I moved to Colorado when I was five. Weird transition huh?

What was the first album you purchased?

Aaliyah’s Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number.

Do you still listen to this album?

Hell yes. I’m thinking I might even burn myself a throwback CD full of tracks from the album. Maybe throw in some SWV and Tribe for good measure and titled it some obscure reference like “Winter Jams Of My Youth 2010.” Ooh. Project!

What are some of your earliest musical influences?

My parents. They would blast their music on the weekends when I was growing up. I remembered when my dad got a Velodyne subwoofer; the pictures on my walls would rattle from “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” by the Platters. Roy Orbison, The Carpenters, Santana and Roberta Flack were other favorites. It was literally my weekend alarm clock.

How did you get involved in electronic dance music?

My cousin Marissa was the first to school me on electronic dance music. “This is what they’re calling house,” she said as she played me a tape of Planet Soul’s “Set You Free”. She was from the San Francisco Bay area when freestyle was all the rage with the Filipino community. She introduced me to the genre along with music from Jocelyn Enriquez, M:G. and Mighty Dub Katz, to name a few. But I didn’t really start getting involved with the scene until I was 16 or 17. That’s when I started sneaking out with my friends to go dance at any and all Denver clubs that let minors in. From there I started attending raves thrown by Together Productions and Triad Dragons, and the rest was history.

Can you tell me a few artists, DJs or albums that got you interested in this stuff?

DJ Q-bert was the first DJ I ever looked up to but ATB’s Movin’ Melodies was my real gateway album to dance music. I also started obsessing over drum & bass hip-hop remixes after hearing the end hook on The Roots’ “You Got Me” track. It led me on a path that discovered Aphrodite’s jungle remixes.

Have your musical tastes changed much since then?

Most definitely. From working at Beatport I developed a following for producers and independent labels I normally wouldn’t have researched for my music discovery.

What was your very first job ever?

I worked at a Hello Kitty store right when I turned 15. Haha.

Didn’t you once work at P.F. Changs with other Beatport alumni? Or is my memory absolutely horrible?

No you’re right. I worked there part-time with Tom Havens as a hostess and trainer while I went to school. It was an awesome gig. My shifts would let out just in time for me to check out whatever club I was frequenting at that time. Plus one of the benefits as a corporate trainer meant I got free meals. So while my college classmates were living on peanut butter sandwiches and ramen noodles I essentially had my own personal chefs.

Tell us a secret about the P.F. Chang’s enterprises!

P.F. stands for Paul Flemming.

How did you land a job at Beatport?

There was a small group of PF Chang employees that I would constantly bump into at some precarious afterhours. Tom Havens was part of this “secret society” and recommended me for the customer service position when he landed a job at Beatport. He thought I’d be a good fit with the company since we were both involved with the scene and could pull off closing shifts with no sleep like a pro.

What do you do here, exactly?

My official title is marketing production manager. From root to fruit, I do a little bit of everything in my department, from planning to launching initiatives. I also work closely with a lot of amazing people in the company, making sure those initiatives run smoothly.

What DON’T you do at Beatport?

Get to work on time.

Who are your top three DJs or performers at the moment?

JPhlip, Gui Boratto and the third is a toss up between Diplo or Luca Bacchetti, depending on my mood since they’re so different. Right now it would probably be Luca after hearing his set from Womb. But Diplo does have some hilarious tweets.

And top three producers?

I have to break this one down a bit:
Of the moment: Squarepusher
Of all time: Timbaland
Honorable mention: J Dilla. R.I.P.

And top three of your favorite smells at the moment.

I’m on a weekday vegetarian kick at the moment so of course I love the smell of the occasional cooked steak. I also enjoy the smell of a poured Stranahan’s whisky and any kind of burning cigar.

Why haven’t you moved from Denver to Berlin like me?

What can I say? I’m spoiled by Denver. It has great weather, a budding music, art and food scene and I’m super blessed when it comes to a majority of my family and loved ones living here. Plus I heard Berlin doesn’t have proper Mexican or Indian food. I don’t know if I can hang with that, but I’d love to visit one day and see for myself. 

Why do you think David Hasselhoff refuses to return my phone calls?

Because of his undying love and loyalty to me. Sorry Mike. Better luck next time. 

Back to music, have you noticed any new / interesting trends or styles of music?

All genres always seem to rinse themselves out and return to their original roots. I’m hearing this trend more prevalently in hip-hop lately. And no I’m not talking about all this electro house that’s been disguising itself as hip-hop. I got tipped off to recent tracks from Joel Ortiz to Wu Tang’s re-collabo on “Dreams” and they seem to have an old school feel. My first love is hip-hop and R&B, especially of the ‘90s variety, so I’m excited to see what’s in store.

What style of music do you wish would just stop happening?

Any style that over abuses Autotune.

What is the last dance song you listened to?

Daniel Steinberg’s “Move Your Body.”

BONUS ROUND!

Tell us the worst joke you can think of!

Two peanuts walk into a bar. One was a-salted. 

Best place to break up with someone?

Violently in a public arena after years of disdain for one another.

Worst place to take your parents for dinner?

Nowhere really. I strategically try to shock my parents on a regular basis so my poorer decisions are less likely to get a rise out of them. It’s fabulous.

Best record to listen to when you’re hungover?

Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill.

Worst record to listen to when you’re hungover?

Anything by Basshunter. I cannot.

Who’s your favorite Beatport employee?

You Mike. Of course. I forgive you for the whole hassling the Hoff fiasco and for giving me homework this weekend. =P

Finally, someone answered this question truthfully....

• (12) Comments
• (2179) Views