We were lucky to catch up with Marco Incampo recently and have shared our conversation below.

Marco, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

When I was younger I’d watch videos of Avicii djing and it helped me become more interested in the craft. Eventually I saw him perform live and I was blown away by it and it increased my interest in DJing. I eventually saved up money to buy my first little controller and I would watch YouTube videos on how to DJ. I learned how to beatmatch, mix properly and create a killer setlist. Knowing what I know now, I would’ve focused on learning how to DJ, but also how to produce music too. If I learned how to DJ and produce music at the same time, my learning process would’ve been quicker and I would see the big picture. In order for a DJ to get to Avicii’s level, they have to produce their own music too. The essential skills for learning how to DJ were patience and listening. I needed to learn patience for the technical skills such as beatmatching, but also for when I open up for an artist. It is my responsibility to get the crowd to the dance floor to dance, that way the energy is right for the headliner. I also trained my ears listening back to several mixes I’ve recorded, because it helps me know where I could’ve equed something differently or better aligned a beat. The obstacles that stood infront of my learning was making time to DJ. I was in school at the time and had all these extracurriculars, but once I was home I’d do my best to start djing again.

Marco, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Marco Incampo, and I’m a DJ that goes by the name Milli Marco. I got into djing from watching Avicii perform and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Since then I learned how to DJ on YouTube and practiced extensively. This led me to doing my prom dances in high school and doing college parties. Eventually my senior year of college, I started to break out into the nightclub circuit. I would play at this one bar regularly, then another bar would reach out to me and it became a snowball effect of getting consistent bookings. I also run a music podcast with one of my best friends from college and we’ve created really cool events in Charleston, SC that have involved DJs and other musicians. In addiction to djing, I also produce music too. I create mashups, which involves taking one acapella and putting it over another instrumental. That has helped me understand the dynamics of music tremendously, that it led me to producing my own house music.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Simple, show up to events! As a DJ, there is a lot of pressure on us to bring in a crowd to a venue. Even doing events with JusMusic, my business partner and I make sure that people show up. There’s no better feeling than having a crowd of people there to see you perform or conduct an event. So if someone invites you to a show or event that they’re throwing, go to it!

How did you build your audience on social media?

I built up my audience mostly from DJing and posting flyers from where I’d be performing at. Recently though, I’ve been doing more content creation in addition to posting about where I’m playing. I’ve been able to grow my following a lot faster from some DJ content that is relatable to someone starting to DJ or DJs that have been in the industry for years! I try posting about DJ tutorials or just funny content that relates to Djing. My advice for those starting out is to post as much as you can! There are times where I feel cringey filming myself, but the more consistent you are with it, the more likely you are to go viral! If you go viral, you might never know who would see it!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @millimarco_dj
• Facebook: Milli Marco
• Youtube: Milli Marco
• Soundcloud: Milli Marco

Image Credits

James Hahn Photography
David Seginer Photography