We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful DJ A-SKI. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with DJ below.

DJ, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I’ve been playing records since I was 3 years old (1976). My parents and siblings had a huge record collection which gave me a huge advantage in gaining an eclectic range from Motown to Krafwerk in addition to my family being musically inclined as well. We had a piano, guitar and drums at my disposal which also gave me hands on experimenting in sound. My Great Grandmother was a Piano Teacher that studied Classical which was the basis of our musical foundation. By the time I was 4 years old, I was playing 45’s and LP’s at our family functions. Family friends and associates actually wanted to hire me to play house parties but my Mom hesitated due to me being too young.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My first taste as a professional actually started in middle school. There was a girl named Melinda that I had a crush on, I use to make her free mixtapes. Somehow, word got around about my tapes and I would sell them for $5 a piece to the guys. As time went on by high school, I was making tapes for dance crews. My first big break was from 1580 KDAY Mixmaster and LA Legend DJ TEE. He was the DJ for our pep rallies at Dorsey High, I would always look over his shoulder to see what type of gear he was using and watch his style. One day I gave him a mixtape to audition as an opener for the pep rallies. He liked the tape so much, he featured it on the Saturday Night slot on KDAY. It was a very definitive moment for me, around that same time I met MARLEY MARL (Legendary Producer) at Career Day. Marley shared encouraging words and great advice. I was making beats as well with the “Pause Button” loops. Eventually, I would produce events in my college years at Santa Monica College in addition to playing and producing campus events which lead to me working with the Pico Partnership Youth Program which was designed to assist and mentor At Risk youth.`My first radio experience was working at KCRW as an intern under the leadership of GARY CALAMAR and TOM SCHNABEL, I also went on to work behind the scenes at record labels such as Virgin EMI, Interscope and a few other indie labels. I became a Host/Producer/Content Creator for the SCION brand’s online radio show. My experience as a DJ and Creative has allowed me to assist in the reinvention of DTLA behind the scenes as a Creative Consultant in addition to consulting for other artists. My company Unique74 was established around the mid 2000’s to house the various services I provide. My goal is to go above and beyond in producing memorable events and projects. My musical taste and background spawned me to open up my own online record store brand ROTARY SLANG where we specialize in Soul, Funk, Disco, Jazz, Latin, and many other genres. Our client and customer base is all over the world from the US to Japan and beyond. It started as an inside joke whenever people would see me at record stores, they assumed I worked there. As a result, not only did I help the customer but I turned them on to other titles.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Being able to use my gift to empower others has been an incentive for me to keep going and become better. We all need each other to reach common goals and tap into our true potential.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

It’s something that has sparked my interest. It’s at the infant stage where we really have not yet seen it’s full potential. However, the direction could be fruitful as many of us witnessed the rise of what use to be called Information Superhighway. It’s still growing and should be taken into consideration for future conversations.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.unique74mag.com
• Instagram: ROTARY SLANG
• Twitter: Mr Unique74

Image Credits
Photography: Cesilia Ochoa