Next up…”The Quiet Storm” a.k.a. DJ Destroyer
“HANG THE DJ” - #8
AH The very talented and seasoned DJ Destroyer (government: Aaron Paar) I met Aaron thru Dave Fogg I believe…we have several mutual friends that I’ve discovered over the years. Aaron is one of my favorite DJ’s, his taste is impeccable no matter what genre he’s playing. I’ve heard him dj several times and every time there is something that he plays that I have to run up to the booth to find out what it is. I’ve heard him murder sets from hip hop to house and when we booked him to do SNITCH last year which is mostly electro/future disco etc. he murdered that too. He does his research.
He’s a record head, a music junkie, a whiskey cowboy and just an all around good dude.
He has a weekly spot at The Little Temple in LA on Thursdays for those of you who dig that soulful thang.
Allow me to introduce you to “The Quiet Storm”, a.k.a. DJ Destroyer.
“Me and one of my heroes. “BreakBeat” Lou Flores of Ultimate Breaks & Beats while digging for records….one of my favorite things to do.”
How did you start?
” I wanted to DJ after seeing JMJ in Run DMC’s Rock Box video. The Hip Hop movement of the early/mid 80’s spurred me to get into making pause tapes for my graff & breaker pals recorded from LA Radio station KDAY broadcasts. I worked two summer jobs to buy turntables, practiced non-stop and never looked back.”
What was your first gig and when? Were their any memorable moments that night good or bad?
“First gig outside of doing house parties was in a sideroom at a Rave in the DTLA Warehouse district. I forget which one but I was told to keep it funky and downtempo. I played a bunch of Acid Jazz type stuff. I was 16 years old.”
How long have you been djing?
“20+ years”
What genre are you “known” for?
“I’m kind of known for being a multi Genre DJ. But I lean towards Soulful music geared towards the dancefloor. Whether it’s Hip Hop, Funk, Disco, Reggae, House, Rock or Techno.”
What do you/would you love to play you don’t get booked for or that you’re not known for?
“I would love to get more Disco/House bookings. Taking it to that Larry Levan/Ron Hardy level for a 1000 people who just want to dance is the ultimate peak for me.”
Whats a couple of your new favorite artists or songs in the genre(s) your known for and especially genre(s) that you aren’t know for but really dig?
“I Ced’s “All in My Mind” LP, J Rocc’s “Some Cold Rock Stuf” LP, Dego’s new LP, New Hawthorne Headhunters LP, SBTRKT LP, Random Axe LP.”
If you weren’t djing what would you be doing?
“Probably an Inker at Marvel Comics. (Inking is not tracing by the way).”
What is your hobby or interest when you’re not djing that people don’t know about? (if its something that you can send a picture of pls do, i.e. art, photography, etc.)
“Records, Dank, Whiskey & Kung Fu.”
Whats in your dj bag (aside needles, headphones, vinyl, and slipmats)
“Cables. cords, usb flash drives, usb light, & 5 hour energy shooters.”
How do you deal with requests?
“I deal with requests respectfully and try to be cordial as possible. However, you come at me sideways with something lame….it’s not happening. Some requests I’ll honor if it fits within context of what’s going on at the time. Some requests are actually good. But that’s a rarity.”
Top three re-occuring request situations? (i.e. “can you play something I can dance to”?)
“When playing House it’s either “can you play Pitbull” or “some Hip Hop.”
“When Playing Reggae it’s “can you play some Reggae?”
“When playing Detroit Techno it’s “can you play anything but this?”
Why do you think people think the dj booth is also a coatcheck?
“Some people have no concept of what a DJ is or does. Just ignorance I suppose.”
Who’s the “character” in the club that annoys you the most? i.e. club promoter, birthday girl, makin’ it rain dude, Jamie Foxx on the mic doin his “stump the dj” bit, etc.
“Any dude that asks for a song is quite the most pathetic creature.”
Worst gig you ever had?
“Worst gig was doing a college party in the middle of nowhere. I show up and sitting on the floor was two 1200’s, a Radio Shack mixer and two bookshelf speakers. What’s worse was that the guy who picked me up left early so I was basically stranded. I had to take a 150 dollar cab ride back home to LA.”
Weirdest moment djing?
“So many but one that stands out was this Private Halloween house party up in the hills of Echo Park. Some old guy in his 60’s started going ballistic that he couldn’t sleep and was sick of the music blaring. The thing is, it was remote up there and all the neighbors were present or knew about the party. This guy proceeded to tear through the house screaming and yelling. I was outside Deejaying under a canopy in the driveway. I’m still playing and this guy ends up getting carried out by two dudes and as he passed the canopy he clung on to the posts and was bringing the whole thing down over my set up. I managed to shield the turntables and the situation was saved but the old guy escaped the hold and proceeded to go after me. I put him in check by yelling at him but he then grabbed the mic on the table and threw it at a random person on the dancefloor. He bolted and i chased this fucker around an suv. He came back around to my direction and I knocked him down. He was detained momentarily by some other dudes so I could get back to work. The guy ended up being a loony from the mental hospital nearby. Shit was crazy.”
Best moment djing?
“Would have to say when you are playing the right music for the right crowd and everyone is in unison rhythmically. That’s the best. I’ve had many of those nights and they are always memorable.”
Worst moment djing?
“The worst moments are when no matter what the crowd is just wack. Or you have to chase down your money at the end of the night.”
Tips - biggest and smallest or any short story about getting tipped?
“Biggest tip was 200 dollars for Billie Jean. Smallest was a nickel of dirt weed.”
The Good, Bad & the Ugly of the current club format/scene right now? (pertaining to whatever scene your in, i.e. big room, underground, lounge, cool kid whatever)
“There will always be top 40 pop rooms and there will always be Underground. There are equal bs politics in both. I say forget about all that and forge your own sound, scene and brand. DIY all the way.”
Least favorite thing the dj opening before you or going on after you does?
“If the opener can get bodies moving I’m happy. Setting the table is important. I’ve opened for cats and for me it’s fun to get the energy going without playing all the hits the headliner would likely play. I think it’s important to know who you are playing with so you can create a complimentary balance. If I’m sharing the bill w/someone and they go on after me I’m not gonna hold back. I wouldn’t expect anyone else to do the same to me.”
What would people be surprised to know about you?
“Maybe that I’ve put out records on my own imprint staring in the mid 90’s and have been involved in the LA DJ world longer than the start of my Destroyer moniker which I started in 2003.”
Who are some of your favorite DJ’s that you think people should know about who people might not know about on a mainstream level (name the DJ and what city they’re in)
“C Minus- Los Angeles, Warren Peace - Las Vegas, Cokni O Dire - Dallas, DJ Tomas - SF, Dave Fogg - Las Vegas”
Whats on your ryder?
” Technics 1200’s , Rane 57 or Pioneer 800 mixer, loud monitors, and keep the whiskey and h20 coming.”
Whats your poison? (drink of choice in the booth)
” Duh!”
What will you be/or want to be doing 5 years from now?
“More production & remixing and traveling to other cities and countries to share my musical story.”
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE LATEST MIX FROM DJ DESTROYER:
http://destroyer.podomatic.com/
OR FIND HIM ELSEWHERE:
@djdestroyer
