We recently connected with Ozzie Mandias and have shared our conversation below.
Ozzie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
This is a very good question. And the answer to that is, it took a very long time to figure out. I started DJing when I was 14 years old. I did not have my own equipment. And my mother did not have the disposable income to buy it for me. I was able to negotiate with the roller skating rink I went to all the time on times I could use their setup to practice. It didn’t take long before it become problematic; timing and all.
Since practicing wasn’t consist enough and because I knew a lot of DJ’s, I decided to organize parties. And at these parties, I would watch as much as I could.
Years later, I’m in Los Angeles for acting and came across an ad for a DJ at this sports bar called Que’s. I took on the mindset of “Fake It Till You Make It” and went in for the interview. Once I got there, the manager asked me to spin for about 10 min. As I was waiting for the other DJ to finish up, it took about 2-4 minutes before that notion “Fake It Till You Make It” went out the window. I went over to the manager and told her I’m not going to waste her time and I’m not going to make myself look like fool and how I would need more practice and hoped there were other positions available. She looked at me exhaling and said I was a breathe of fresh air and thanked me for my honesty. I ended up getting a job as a bouncer. I met a lot of people and made some really good friends Que’s.
I started saving money to buy equipment from working at Que’s. And when I finally moved back to Boston, I started to buy equipment. I began to make mixes and published them onto different sites like Mixcloud. I made a serious effort to make a new mix each month and began to get feedback from listeners. For a long time, I was questioned if I should really DJ house music and a singer from Australia reached out and said she loved my mixes and that I should visit England. After 3 months of feedback from her, I jumped on a plane and went to England. I met up with some contacts and one of my friends. We ended up at MOS one of those nights. And little did I know, I finally remembered a promise I made to myself at 19 years old; “I am going to go to Ministry of Sound, I don’t know when, but I’m going”. In that moment of remembering, I had to sit down because I started crying and it was such an emotional experience. My friends asked what happened and I told them. It turned into a celebration. But at that moment, I knew, I was suppose to be part of the house music genre.
Ozzie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
A former trumpet player [I may start playing again], I discovered house music as a teenager. Since I didn’t have equipment to DJ, I recorded music from the radio stations with my radio to make mix tapes.
Years later, I began doing parties as a way to stay connected, make money and network. Once I purchased my own equipment, I was able to practice more. And rather than wait on others for an opportunity, I created my own destiny and produced my own house music events ie “Sunday Soul: Boston” now, “RooHu: Boston”[rebrand].
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
It’s definitely a goal of mine to contribute my part, whatever my part is. And in doing that, I am giving myself the therapy I need.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
I use to get upset when things didn’t work my way. I’d be upset and hold on to things. I had to change my perspective and began to look at every obstacle as an opportunity to grow.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/djozziemandias
- Facebook: facebook.com/ozziemandias
- Twitter: x.com/djozziemandias
- Other: facebook.com/roohuboston instagram.com/roohuboston
Image Credits
Eileen Slavin