Every Friday we spotlight the hottest cats (and kittens) behind the decks in the MHC, grilling them to gain some insight on what it takes, exactly, to get the party rocking, to find out about their most treasured crate digging experiences and what they really think when we stumble up to them half cocked and ask them to play that new song by such and such -- you know, the one that goes...
This week: DJ Big Styles (aka DJ Style N. Fashion), RadioBum and the co-founder of So What!, one of the Mile High City's longest running club nights. These days you can find the always outspoken and frequently hilarious DJ spinning "Chick-Hop©," as he so eloquently puts it, on the weekends at Lime. After the jump, read about the time he once got in a fist fight with a member of Massive Attack over a Bahamadia white label and how he once inspired a certain be-afro'd drummer to take "mad notes" during his set.
Name: DJ Big Styles aka DJ Style N. Fashion
Club night(s): Fridays & Saturday Nights at Lime Cantina in LoDo located in what I like to call the "asshole" of Larimer Square.
Style(s) of music you spin: 100 percent Chick-Hop©DJ Big Styles. A user on Yelp.com once described a night at Lime like "being stuck in a white girl's 21st Birthday party," and yup that's pretty much it.
So what's your story, in 100 words or less? Corrosive young DJ, becomes corrosive old DJ, terrorizes twentysomethings who feel entitled to bark orders at DJs like: "Play 'Party in the USA'......NOW!", or the always empowering: "Are you gonna play my song? I'm in a hurry to leave." Somewhere on the road to resignation, I helped start Denver's most legendary club night: "So What! The Club," became a RadioBum, an actual bum, started making money again, and became famous for being the "funny style DJ" at black night clubs.
Name of a track you can't get out of your head: "Wile Out" by DJ Zinc ft. Ms. Dynamite, and she's nice and shapely in the video too!
Name of an artist you're currently championing in your DJ sets: MAJOR LAZER!!!
Musical mantra: Always play new music, never be afraid to clear the dancefloor.
Favorite DJ experience: Opening for the Roots at the Fox in Boulder back in 1994, with my homegirl Deanna as my hypechick/dancer, and rocking the room off its hinges, and noticing near the end of my set a certain be-afro'd drummer taking MAD notes. I'm just sayin!
Worst request: "Could you compromise your integrity as a tastemaker and DJ?" I get that one a lot.
Worst club faux pas you've committed: Thinking that "club friends" are actual friends.
Most treasured vinyl score: Too many to mention, but I once got into a fistfight with Daddy G from Massive Attack over a whitelabel I have of Bahamadia doing "Paper Thin" by MC Lyte. I have tussled with a lot of famous dudes, don't even ask me about KRS-One.
What other music-related projects are you currently working on? I am currently working on my opus, MelanKanye and the Infinite Sadness, a re-fix of the 808s & Heartbreaks album. Oh and I love to livetweet dance movies. I just live tweeted the MTV movie, Turn the Beat Around.
What's something happening in the local music scene that should be getting more attention? The death of club culture, there used to be rules to this, and a manual. Now the only way to get that old time club feeling back is to be turned away from the door at Suite 200 for being black.
What elements would your fantasy club night entail? People would come to hear the DJ like in the old days, drug dealers would show up but take the night off from being sketchy and just buy rounds, no one would bring cell phones, people would actually dance, clothes would be soaked with sweat and the last song of the night would be "Love's Light in Flight" by Stevie Wonder.
Question we didn't ask you but you often ask yourself: Can we follow you on twitter? I thought you'd never ask! Nothing makes me feel more self important! (Well, maybe breaking some young girl's heart because I won't play Ke$ha for her...good times!) twitter.com/deejaystyles
Next time we can see you spin: This Friday and Saturday night at LIme!
