Few deejays ever become as popular as the artists they spin on their turntables. DJ Chachi has gained notoriety in celebrity circles, however, as the hand-picked “master of (musical) ceremonies” in some of the United States’ hottest upscale clubs. As New York’s hottest deejay, Chachi currently enjoys residencies at Tenjune and Simyone Lounge in Manhattan, along with several other venues across the nation.
Upon the release of his Split Personalities mixtape, DJ Chachi managed to squeeze some time out of his busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry – reflecting on his early years at No Exit, his personal strategy for “reading” a crowd, and his thoughts about deejaying in the “Serato age.”
When it comes to deejaying, you have a diverse, open-format. Is there a certain philosophy that guides your approach to deejaying?
Well, I think a couple of factors actually go into it, and my upbringing is definitely a big part of it. My older brother and sister were much older than me. My brother is like six years older than me, and my sister is eight years older than me, so I was a little kid dancing to Michael Jackson, even though I shouldn't have really known who Michael Jackson was, or what freestyle was. And let’s not forget about the eighties hair bands!
[laughing] There was a lot of things going on in my house that I really shouldn't have been aware of. I thank God I had older siblings and my parents. My dad would listen to doo wop, and my mom forced me to listen to Toto and the easy listening station while in the car. This diversity spills into my deejaying, especially with the rise of bottle service in clubs, which forces you to play for a diverse clientele. You have the bankers with the money that are buying bottles, and then you still have the young models that are hanging out at the club, and then you have the younger kids that are still coming out to just party. You have to be able to cater to everybody.
According to your bio, you accompanied an older cousin, who was also a DJ, to his various parties. What lessons did you learn from him that you have carried into your own career?
Well, I can't say that there were actually like tips or tricks that he gave me, but I had the advantage of actually going to go see him deejay at parties. You know, there's something to be said for being able to play the right song at the right times to move a crowd. That's a skill in itself. I feel like a lot of deejays miss that where they just think of kind of like forcing a song on people. Or like this song is a big hit, so if I play it any time in the night, it'll be a good record or it will make everybody dance.
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