1. How did you first discover West Coast Swing, and what drew you to become a West Coast Swing DJ?
Before West Coast Swing, I had no touchpoint into dancing, but it has always interested me because of my musical background. 10 years ago we went to try Finnish 'barn dances' and to be honest I didn’t like them at all.
But during one dance, a follower asked me to be her register partner for a weekend workshop of this new, modern partner dance called West Coast Swing. Even though I had never heard or seen it, I agreed to try it, and I was hooked from the very first day!
At that time, teachers were doing everything in these workshops: teaching, judging small competitions, social dancing, and playing music
One of the teachers pushed me to try DJing since we were often talking about WCS music. Within a year, I was basically playing music at the majority of Finnish West Coast Swing events.
2. Can you share a particularly memorable or interesting experience you've had as a West Coast Swing DJ, and how did you handle it?
One of the most memorable moments in my DJ career is related to comp DJing.
For this particular division, we agreed to have one song spotlight, so I was prepared for that concept.
Well, during the finals there was some miscommunication and after the first song the MC shouts: “Get ready for the second song…”My heart literally skipped a beat at that moment but my brain started to work immediately: what songs do I have, etc.?
Long story short, I ended up searching for and buying the songs for the rest of the dancers while they were still competing. Even though it was super stressful, I felt like a winner afterwards since the audience didn't notice this little incident!
3. What advice would you give to someone who's just starting out as a West Coast Swing DJ?
In my perspective, you need to always remember one of the main things about being a DJ: keep the dancers happy!
Most of the time, that means you cannot play all your new favorite songs or remixes.
Secondly, get to know your music. Now we have all these streaming services with almost unlimited music, but I urge you to try to keep your song library compact enough so you actually know what your options are.
And finally, even though we can dance West Coast Swing to basically every song, it doesn't mean that every song is West Coast Swing music.
4. Outside of West Coast Swing DJing, what are some of your other interests or hobbies that help inspire your music selection or style?
Nowadays, I don't have many other hobbies involving music, but in my previous life I used to play saxophone and that has helped me to understand music and how to build my sets.
I think most of my inspiration comes from listening to other DJs playing their sets. I enjoy trying to figure out what they are playing next and why. Also, seeing the reactions of dancers to certain songs gives me inspiration.
5. Is there anything else you'd like to share with our audience about yourself or your journey as a West Coast Swing DJ?
I hear questions why I started to do West Coast Swing DJing and what my motivator is to do this.
For me, this is my way to pay back to the community. The West Coast Swing community in Finland and Europe has given me so much, and by doing this I feel like I can actually give back something.
Whether it is delivering sweet, sweet rhythms as a social DJ or stressing out as a comp/head DJ.
6. Lastly, share with us any upcoming events or projects that you're excited about!
I'm super excites of our local WSDC event Finnfest where I work as ED. So if you know any good social DJs.. You know how to contact me.
Kommentarer