The Visionary’s Manifesto in association with Heart of Cool Presents DJ Suspence!!!
The Suspence Is Ova!! (yes, I used the slang version) The pied piper of house music is in the house of cool as in heART of cool 😉 and if you think you’ve been there and done that well then let me take you to a place where you might have missed out. We are going to go as deep as the house music mixes that DJ Suspence is known for, live and in color half-naked and unafraid as he allows his narrative to flow in a rhythmic fashion. I first came upon this unique individual by way of his Facebook page which flashed across my feed, there seemed to be a genuine energy that exuded from the pictures of him whether it was in the form of modelling or in his so-called element and sacred space of mixing his house music tunes. To view him live on any given Sunday via his Facebook page while he’s mixing house music and giving his old and new fans life is a wonder to behold as he spins the music he dances, smiling and interacting via his intimate body language with both the music and the live audience. What is also very telling is how his fans message with live posts during his free viewing sets and communicate with one another on a high energy and respectful level. It would seem that DJ Suspence has tapped into creating an enclave of faithful listeners and dare I say something of a movement that has attracted both the mature and younger generation versed in the genre of house music. Let us therefore prepare ourselves because the suspence is ova!!
HoC Interview
HoC: How did the name DJ Suspence come about?
DJS: That is an interesting question (laughing) I did my very first event where I was very nervous, I was scheduled to play for my nephew’s graduation where two hundred of his peers were invited but about one thousand kids showed up and so when I finished playing my set around 5am in the morning all the attendees were really hyped up and the police showed up but it wasn’t because the neighbors had called as they were dancing to the music also. The police were doing their normal rounds about the community and noticed the large crowds that had gathered so all the kids were asking what my DJ name was and my nephew told them that my name was DJ Suspence. Later on that evening I asked my nephew why he told the crowd my name was DJ Suspence and my nephew stated that he didn’t know what I was going to play next in my line up of music because I kept jumping all over different genres so it kept him and his friends in suspence so since my last name is Spencer he came up with the name (laughter).
HoC: What type of man were you 10 years ago and has your perception about how you now interact with people impacted your music?
DJS: I think in that time and space I was striving to be a better man and evolve into a well- rounded person pretty much who I was at that time is who I am now just older and wiser. My life’s ambition whether I’m playing for ten people or ten thousand people is that I’m always trying to affect them or have some sort of impact through the music such as bringing about a positive change in their moods or make them think about something that they had not intended to feel my intention is to bring them into a place where there is no darkness. I liken the experience to that of a phoenix rising from the flames in how they may be weighted down with challenges from the past or present situations but my music mixes allow them to remember a time in their lives where almost everyone and anything meant something special and from that spark they can be reborn in that moment. In the respect of how I form an interpersonal relationship with people I try to do things in a global sense albeit through my music, the way I dance, my body symmetry, my genuine character. One of the things I really pride myself on is the cognitive intention of what it is I am attempting to relay to my audience on a given day, I’ll select a few songs that speak to that narrative and then I construct based upon what I have in my head or what I’m feeling from the music library where I draw the records from. So if you listen to my mixes you can pretty much read the song titles that I display so there is an ongoing narrative and experience that can be drawn from my platform alongside my personality and intent within the house music genre.
HoC: How would you describe yourself to someone who wanted to get to know you on a deeper level?
DJS: (Heartfelt laughter) I would say that I’m complicated but not in the worrisome way, I think being complicated can be good if people are predictable or they come across as contrived you probably don’t really feel a sense of kinship with them because most people are not simplistic in nature, we are all complicated on some level so whenever you meet someone and they are giving the air of nothing is wrong and everything is perfect with them that only lasts for so long. I always try to exemplify who I am and whether you like it or not I can only put forth my truth and hopefully we can share along that path and have a unique ongoing experience. I’d like to think that I am a very engaging person and if you take the opportunity to get to know me it allows for us to relate on a higher level.
HoC: Take us into the realm of house music and educate our audience on what house music means to you?
DJS: I’m sure even if you are not a house music aficionado and or fan, it’s more about a feeling and there’s something about the rhythmic beat. It speaks to each of us as a collective and individually which is why I enjoy manipulating that heavy base beat and applying different genres on top of the base which can include jazz, R&B, rock, classic, country and rap I thoroughly enjoy taking those selections and “housing” them up. House music designed to speak to you as you are and where you are in a given moment. I don’t think you can put house music into a box because it’s the one entity that can engulf all those iconic styles of music and still maintain a uniqueness of its own.
HoC: What are some of the best places you have DJ’d and why was it a unique experience?
DJS: I can’t really think of a specific country or town but I think that it’s just a universal sound that you take with you and externalize it. If it’s an audience of more than just me it becomes an experience because I honestly like to have a good time with the music.
HoC: Have you ever met any of the artists that have been featured in your music mixes?
DJS: Yes, one of the things that I highly enjoy in relation to being a DJ is that I’m also a singer/writer/producer and I have put down tracks for some well known artists. I’m being vague intentionally because once you name a favorite artist the others may take offense (laughter).
HoC: What messages do you want your listeners to receive when you are putting together your house mixes?
DJS: The message that I always want my listeners to receive is that life is good, music at least for that particular moment in time should always take you to a place where you can relinquish those negative vibrations where you can release and feel safe and whole within your spirit.
HoC: What other platforms do you plan on creating and or entering?
DJS: One of the things that I am completely enamored with and that I do without effort is a style I created called hip-house where I take classic hip-hop songs and I either produce my own house beat or I choose a particular song and mash it. There is something about the familiarity and tribal nature of hip-hop music where it makes you feel some kind of way, it’s like a dichotomy.
HoC: In your opinion what does the future hold for the house music genre?
DJS: That is a deep question for me because I’m honest when I say that I fear for the future of house music, there was a time when it was more spiritual and resolute in the underground culture, now it has become somewhat more commercialized. There is a nostalgia that I try to recapture and I’m sure that there are those that would debate me on my opinions regarding the relevance and history of house music.
HoC: What would you like to say to your present and future fan base?
DJS: The first thing I’d like to say is thank you, I am just amazed by the love, support and comradery that accompanies this life I’m blessed with as a DJ and my heartfelt intentions in connecting with people who choose to listen. I thank those that have been with me from the beginning and I want to welcome those that are just joining me on this musical journey. You all have made my life even more special with your love and support.
To learn more about DJ Suspence and to experience his thoroughly entertaining and viewer interactive “live Sunday” house music mixes please visit him on Facebook at DJ Suspence.
