+ snapshot. dj center

days in the life of dj center
brooklyn, new york  
+photos copyright 2006, n. corren conway

A short time ago, the minds of Nat Creole decided to start a recurring column where we would peek into the lives of people either on the go, on the grind, on the mend, on the low, on the edge, on the money or on the way back (or any combination thereof). Not full blown voyeurism mind you. Just a glimpse. Just enough to get a small idea of what it looks like from alternate sides of the sun.  

Given this, the next question was who should jump off the column. The answer came while listening to DJ Center spin at the Belmont Lounge near Union Square. It hit me in that infetisimely small space between what I remember to be Dennis Brown and what I remember to be Barrington Levy. It was then solidified by the un-self conscious stare of the cat sitting at a table across from the DJ booth, staring at Center’s hands while trying to take mental notes on what he had just heard. The answer was Center. It hit me just like that.

And just like that, here is days in the life of DJ Center. Listen closely because when Center makes a sound, you hear music.

Saturday 3.18

11AM

Waking up from a serious feast with my homegirl the night before. I never knew garlic melted on toast when you rub it against a freshly toasted piece of bread. That’s one to grow on right there. Take notes yall!

Than, it was back to business and organizing before my session with Brook (Nat Creole Fam) later this afternoon. Had to record my radio show for Giant Step, start this journal, handle a mass of emails, etc. Didn’t get nearly enough done, but sometimes you have to stop and pause for the cause. The challenge of working for yourself is knowing when to say when.

2PM

Caught up with my man Brook, journalist extraordinaire/hustler of cultuuuuuure….

When you work for yourself, and you love what you do, it’s not often that you get down time. Until you leave NY…so I made it a point to cool out for the afternoon, and just build properly. We have many mutual friends, so it was good to make the time to drink tea, and build on the finer things in life. Plus, my man had just got back from Brazil so a slideshow session was only right.

Next December I will be in Brazil.

10PM

Setting up for my monthly Walk Into the Sun night with my man DJ Samir. Triple Crown, Brooklyn’s finest, is a venue that has always booked quality DJs and has put the music in the forefront of everything they do. It was an uphill battle for them in the beginning, but they’ve weathered the storm nicely, and now have a dedicated fan base. My party has really grown into a beautiful thing. People say they have mixed crowds, but they’re not hip to the Walk Into the Sun audience- from the nerd, hipster, thug, hiphop head, bboy (talking bout getting down on the dance floor), international ( this particular night had a Nigerian crew loving Mr. Kuti’s music when I dropped “Zombie”.) BK audience. Walk Into the Sun is every third Saturday of the month. It’s that shining sound.

Monday3.20

9AM

No Sleep for the weary.

Today. Monday mornings are all about organizing and executing. The grind takes full course on Monday and you have no choice but to get on. The train doesn’t stop. Spent the early part of the afternoon organizing for an upcoming European run this Fall. When you see me on the set, especially overseas, folks don’t realize the amount of planning that went into the nights. Months in the making…

The Music Lounge launch @ Movida, a lounge in the West Village, was a success, but there is still lot of work to be done to create awareness about the party and the vibe we’re trying to bring. The highs were so great from the music. Now, I’m just trying to let folks know about what we’re doing. It’s always hard building a movement in the beginning and asking for support from folks. There has to be some learning curve time for folks to really understanding what you’re trying to do, when it’s outside the box. However, the email responses and phone calls were enough to fuel the fire. Nuff thanks to the lovely talents of J.Rawls (supaproducer!), MiddleChild (Isn’t she lovely?), and Erro (freestyle singing?!?!).

You remember the days in the trenches, when you’re basking in the son. Word.

7PM: Met with Qool Dj Marv, DJ Obah, and DJ Small Change, for a building session organized at Obah’s crib. I feel good running in the circles that I run in, because folks are about their business, motivated, and ready to create. I think there was a mutual respect given and received from everyone in the room, and it did not take us a long time to map out exactly what we needed to get done. May 1 st deadline to submit 3 tracks for a collaborative 12” release.

We’re each submitting three, and one from each DJ will make the record. The criteria is -one for the dancefloor, one headnodder, and as my man Qool Marv would say, “one for the chin scratchers.”

10PM

Ended the day with some red wine and catch-up with some friends at a local wine bar. We built on the range of things. The line of the night came when my man described how he proposed to his wife. He’s an Algerian cat, who was living in Paris at the time and was doing the long distance thing with his lady, so he decided to go on a vacation to Guatalope (French speaking) to seal the deal. He’s sitting on some rocks by the ocean, and proposes to his lady by asking her if she’d like to build a house with him on these rocks. That was it. Incredibly poetical, my man’s game is off the hook.

Wednesday 3.22

9AM

Key Span has got me. I moved into this apartment last July and the gas was already on. A couple days ago, I received a notice that unless I put the gas in my name it’ll be shut off. I called and try to set it up, but because I’ve been using the gas for over 7 months, I had an outstanding bill. I think its part of the plan to let you ride it out and than hit you with the back invoices.

This morning was spent running to Key Span, the bank, UPS, the health food store, and middle eastern grocery store (best HUMMUS is in downtown BK. Believe that!).

3PM

Just getting back to the pad, and I’m over an hour late for a session with my man L.E, a cat I often get up with to work on music. The pace of NY and the running never seems to let up, but I get to the studio, make my tea and get in my work zone.

I don’t know about how others work on music, but I specifically have to get into a zone and shut out the world when I’m creating. The phone is off. Emails/Myspace is not accessed. It’s labtime.

8PM

Building on the phone with my man J.Rawls about how to get the Music Lounge night off the ground. He’s gonna reach to Kweli and see if he’ll come down to rock with us. Once heads are in the door and see what we’re doing, I have no doubt that the night will go into autopilot, but it’s getting over the hump in the beginning.

This night is a long time coming, and I have a list of artists that I will be reaching out for. I want to bring other artists together that may have never collaborated, but are open to feeding off the vibe and creating on the spot. My tastes in music range so I’d like to reflect that in the night. Look out!

Saturday 3.25

9AM

Getting ready to spin in the Adidas store in SOHO. Many folks I know and work with are in Miami this week for the Winter Music Conference/M3 Summit, but I couldn’t afford to leave NY with launching this new Music Lounge night. I think I’ve been carrying the weight of wanting to be @ South Beach the entire week, but I keep it moving.

11AM

Start my set @ the Adidas store. I know they are constantly booking DJs to spin while folks get their shopping on. It’s kinda cool and awkward at the same time to play for shoppers, but I love the music I play so it’s all good. The staff is very appreciative of my set. My man Josh, who is living in New Hampshire right now working on his dissertation, passes through, so we have an exchange for a moment. Do my thing, and the DJ after me gets into the straight radio/club set. I’m clueless to these joints, and after sticking around to hear his set for a minute, I’m not wanting to get up on these tunes at all.

My 3:45 meeting is cancelled so it’s back to the borough.

8PM

Some homies come through the pad for a scheduled listening/relaxing session. I’ve been better about scheduling these downtime sessions once a week. I feel they make the grind more productive when you get to chill out a bit before going back to work. This night is nothing but comedy, and it feels good to build with some friends I rarely get to kick it with. Nights like these are essential!