We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marlon Turner . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marlon below.

Marlon , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

Honestly, I am happy being a full time Dj, because being able to get paid to consistently to be creative is a dream come true. As a Dj my role is always the same which is to provide good music for the audience but the best part is that I have the creative freedom to do it the way I want. Having creative freedom or any freedom for that matter is very rare to have at any job which is why I don’t take it for granted. Since i have worked regular jobs in the past I know that most people never even get a chance to have any creative input at their job and are just strictly told what to do. Having regular jobs like that can be very depressing and unfulfilling and can really silence the creative side of a person. I have wondered sometimes what my life would’ve been like if I continued working regular jobs and I just know for a fact I would not be happy with that life and would not been able to experience the freedom I have as a Dj,

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 name is Marlon Turner aka DJ Throbak and Im from Los Angeles CA and grew up in the South Bay. I have been djn since 2001 so I have over 20 years of DJ experience. In 2001 I got my first pair of turntables I took just a handful of dj lessons to understand the culture and to learn the basics of djn, Since then I have DJ’d all over the LA County, Orange County, Long Beach, the Inland Empire and even internationally in Thailand and Uganda for multiple clients and various gigs ranging from clubs, lounges, clothing stores, weddings, block parties, corporate gigs and DJ competitions. When it comes to the music I play I do not limit myself with music genres, what I play ranges from Hip Hop, Rap, R&B, Oldies, Pop, Reggae, Reggaeton, Edm, House, Merengue, Lo-fi etc.. I just believe in learning as much music as you can so that way you expand your music knowledge and it allows your audience to be bigger instead of just limiting yourself to only a handful of potential clients. I think what sets me apart from most djs is that I’m very good with improvising and thinking on my feet. For instance I pay lot of attention to the crowd when i’m playing music. I look to see who is singing along to the song, or who is having the most fun on the dance floor, or paying close attention to what the host is saying so that way you can play a song to go along with what their saying to the crowd, One example that stands out for me is times when I would dj “The Compton Open Mic” along with the host Jennifer (Jay Bee) would sometimes starting singing a song straight acapella just to warm up the crowd or keep them entertained and so I would right away go to my library and find the instrumental or actual song she is singing and then slowly fade it in with her singing on top it which would then get the audience to start singing along. By the time the song finishes everyone including myself and the host are all smiling, clapping, and laughing because for just a quick moment a bunch of strangers all just had fun together singing a song I that played. I try my best to be very present and communicate as much as possible with my clients so that way they know I’m there to help them if they need anything or my assistance whether it be with the music, equipment or announcements. There have been multiple times where I have helped multiple clients who were panicking moments before an important part of the event but I was there to help put out the fire. One situation that happens a lot is when someone is goin to perform a song or dance and they hand me their music on a cd or usb and the music doesn’t play or they brought the wrong song. What I usually end up doing is going thru my library to see if I have the song if not I pull up the internet find the song and then download it just minutes before there suppose to perform. Its moments like that where I want clients to know even though something isn’t going the way you planned there is no need to panic or get upset there is always an alternative way to solve the problem. I’m there to help you fix it without it even being noticed by the audience. My goal as a dj has been to just always be a pleasure to work with and for you and your guests to always have a good time, As dj throbak I.will always provide good music, good times, and leaving a positive good impression.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I believe that my mission with Djn is to be able to dj at least one time in every state, country, town, and village on this earth. I know that sound crazy and farfetched but why not dream big I’m already living a dream now because dj’n is my fulltime career. So a new goal of mine is to be able to dj all over the world for all races and groups of people at least one time in their hometown. Not only will it introduce me to new music and sounds from all over the world but it would allow me to be so much more creative with my djn because I can blend my style with all the new and different cultural music I’ve experienced from my travels. It will be blending my two favorite passions together traveling and music. Someone once told me that, traveling is like discovering music you may not ever see every place on the earth just like you may never hear song thats ever been made but why not try to see and discover as much as you can while you are here. So thats alway spoke to me because my soul wants to discover as much as it can on this earth through music and traveling.

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

CREATIVE FREEEDOM, is the most rewarding aspect of being a DJ. That and having more control of my work time are the best things about being a dj. I say all the time that dj’n is like playing the longest game of find the match. When you’re dj’n you are basically trying to find the next best match for the song that you are playing and since there is basically an unlimited amount of music in the world that means theres lots of different matches that you can possibly go with for that the song. It’s just up to you through practice and trial and error that you find those songs that match together. Once you find enough songs that match you can have a music playlist that works for hours or even a lifetime because with so much music the matching game can go on forever. So knowing that dj’n gives me that much creative freedom is definitely rewarding to be able to get paid to be that creative is priceless. Since most dj’n work is gig work and not a typical 9-5 it allows me to have more time for myself. I only have to work the times of the event/gig which can sometimes just be a few hours on the weekends or even just 8 hours for one day out the week. For instance working a full day to dj a wedding can be equivalent to a paycheck from a two week work schedule. Instead of working those two weeks I only needed one day and the other days mine to do whatever I need to. Thats the other rewarding aspect of being a creative more time for me I wouldn’t change that at all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://djthrobak.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dj_throbak/
• Facebook: DJ Throbak’s Beats & Mixes & Productions
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/marlon-turner-ab99bb2aa
• Twitter: @djthrobak1024
• Youtube: @djthrobak
• Other: https://audiomack.com/dj-throbak-1