We recently connected with Corey Williams and have shared our conversation below.

Corey, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

As a child I always had a love for music. Music for me always reminded me of all the states I lived in as a military child. Growing up living in Georgia, My father would drive me to school in his yellow 240z listening to “Ride or die” by DMX (Ruff Riders Vol.1 ). I was always around some form of music. As a child I would visit my grandfathers house where it was like walking into an old record store. There were hundreds of old cd’s and tapes that lined each one of the walls in the living room, all alphabetized and organized by genre. I remember jazz music being played throughout the Kenwood stereo system through the pioneer house speakers. Any chance I would get, I would sneak down the stairs to the basement where he kept all of the old vinyl records. There I would discover records from artists like (Al Green, Bobby Womack, The Isley Brothers, Steevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind & Fire) and many more. In middle school, I would go to the skating rink every Friday night after the football game and there was always a DJ mixing; that’s what initially peaked my interest. My uncle James “Tiger” Cain Jr. was a DJ. In his living room he had his 2 turn tables, a mixer, 2 car subs and an amp set up on some milk crates, hardwired to an outlet. It was there that he gave me my first scratch lesson, taught me how to beat juggle and got me started on the basics. Uncle Tiger unfortunately passed away shortly after My first lesson with him. I still continued to learn how to DJ with my first experiences Djing house parties in high school.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My first official gig as a DJ was college parties at Elizabeth City State University. Playing baseball and DJing parties. My first DJ setup was a milk crate with a 4-channel mixer, a studio monitor, one DJ light and an MP3-CD player. Now my setup for events includes a mixer, two turn tables, up lights, gig bar lights, speakers that vary in size depending on the event, and continuing to add new equipment to my arsenal in order to improve my clients experience. I am so proud of how far Ive come from being a beginner house party DJ in high school, to a professional fulltime DJ for events such as weddings, private/corporate events, clubs, concerts, block parties, you name it. There isn’t an event I can’t do. Everyday I am continuously learning about different genres. and how to best suit my clients. I currently work with several booking agencies in the Hampton Roads area and I am also available to book privately. My goal is to branch out and take my services from state to state across the US..

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a DJ is getting to watch my audience relax, unwind and enjoy themselves, giving them a break from reality through music, even if just for a couple hours. My favorite venues to DJ are clubs where I can play just about anything, mixing genres people would never think to put together and watching their reactions. I have a quote painted in my garage/studio that says “Good DJs play music you want to hear…Great Djs play music you didn’t know you wanted to hear” and that for Me is what it’s all about.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think what helped build my reputation is just going to each event with the mindset of “I want everyone here to enjoy themselves no matter what genre of music I’m playing.” I do My best to incorporate as many genres as I can that fit the vibe of the venue. I have connected with many clients simply by coincidence. They come to the club or event I happen to be DJing, they like my set, follow me on social media where I post flyers for upcoming events and find that I have established a small following of fans.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @djcoreysantos
• Facebook: Djcoreysantos