Spartytunes: What advice do you have for young and aspiring DJ's?
MikiWAR: The good ole advice question... Man that's a tough one for me, because I feel like I'm still a young DJ even though in some eyes people feel I've accomplished a lot. In my mind, there is still much more to do, and that should be the mentality for anyone. You're going to see a lot of things that give you that instant gratification, but it's always about the bigger picture. It's not so much about where your going, but the route you take to get there. I would say the biggest thing is to remember you're doing it for the love and fun, just like in the beginning.
Spartytunes: Can you tell me about Project Spin Artists and how you got affiliated with them?
MikiWAR: Sure. For those who don't know, PSA (Project Spin Artists) is a DJ management company, founded originally by Adam Contreras (@ADAMakaPUN). I think that's how I originally found out about him, on twitter. I saw the name through a close friend then, and now even closer, DJ Eddie Boy. Eddie was dj'ing some great gigs; so I asked him if he was getting any help to be placed at those venues. He introduced me to Adam about a year ago right before I did this cruise ship thing. While I was gone for four weeks, he did a lot of work for me like branding and marketing, and that's what I was missing. It felt like every time I went out of town, even though I was working and getting paid, I was missing something to stay relevant. As silly as it sounds, if you're not in the scene or tweeting as much, people start to forget about you. PSA was that crutch I needed to really keep moving.
Spartytunes: Now I've been to Infusion San Francisco, but tonight were at Infusion Los Angeles and with it opening up, what is your role?
MikiWAR: You probably know more about Infusion S.F. than I do, but I know they have set an amazing nightlife standard and I'm proud to say I've confirmed my first date up there on September 29th. Being a "Brand Ambassador", it sounds so important... I mean I grew up here in the 818 [L.A. area], and for those who don't know the "Infusion" brand in L.A. is located at Universal City Walk. I grew up here, went to two different high schools to play basketball, so my network expanded early on without thinking how it would help. Now it works out, because since Infusion brand in L.A. is so new, they needed that local face, that local branding that fortunately I've been able to provide. When you walk in you get that Vegas feel, and even though Hollywood is just down the street, coming here you can avoid the crazy traffic and the weird hot dog lady. It is a unique venue, and pretty massive at that; the major plus for me is that the talent is huge. I am a monthly resident along with other great DJ's like Dainjazone and Zeb. Currently are highlighted nights are "Reflex Wednesdays" with DJ Reflex and Fridays. On Fridays, we have a Skam Artist, which is huge, because last Friday we had DJ Five, and it is hard for me to say these words about any DJ, but he is my favorite DJ, hands down. The talent at this venue is second to none and a large part of that goes to E-Rock, S/O (@DjErockSF1), he is the music director, and I have to thank him for getting me involved.
Spartytunes: Tell me about your affiliation with DJCity, and what is coming up?
MikiWAR: DJcity.com originally only sold records and dj products. Long story short, I went to a concert sponsored by Scratch Academy. Soon after, I went over there with the advice of DJ Dainjazone (@DjDainjazone), who I've known since I was about 13 years old. He told me about the place, and I just wanted to check it out. Back then DJCity and the Scratch Academy used to be in the same building. I spent a lot of time in that building past how much they told you to practice and what not. I then went on to be an assistant and intern at DJCity. Some of the S.A. work would come into DJCity and vise verse. I used to package records for DJCity when they would ship them out. I'd help out organizing, and that of course meant we got first dibs on the new records. That was kind of my ulterior motive. I actually used to package records with Kev Nish, of Far East Movement, just to put it in perspective of where they're at, and hopefully where I'm headed. DJ Phenom, who recruited Dainjazone and I into the SpinAddicts, helped start the digital record pool. With the success of that, they wanted a new way to market DJCity. When we first started the show, it was a live audio stream. We would start it in a small chat room on AIM with about 20 of our closest friends. After about four shows, we realized our biggest selling point would be our guest DJ's. So with the help of DJ Phenom (@Phenom_DjCity) and DJ Quickie (@DjQuickie), S/O to them, we had the funds to build 4 [barely] soundproof walls that would be later named the "WARZONE". U-Stream had launched not too long ago, and I figured why not add a visual for our audience, and of course it helped us connect with our audience with the chat room option. The rest it history...
Spartytunes: That perfectly leads me to my next question, what happened to the MikiDZ show?
MikiWAR: It is dearly missed. In the end, for us there never was an end goal. We did this show because we were a fan of these DJ's and it was fun. The show was pure and an amazing experience that we were fortunate enough to share with our peers. There were plenty of DJ's we would have liked to have that could have added a little more, to the resume, but at the same time, we hopped in the U-Stream bubble at the right time, but I think we got out at the right time. It became saturated with a lot of people trying to copy our idea; and I don't want to say copy, because it's flattering to see people using our format, and I support them as well. At the end of the day, we wanted to leave things on top; and I can confidently say we produced collectively one of, if not the greatest DJ show on the web. Looking forward, we have some new things cooking that you guys have seen a little of like DJCityTv.
Spartytunes: Now you have the podcast on Podomatic, iTunes and with that blowing up, how is that going?
MikiWAR: I get goosebumps when I think about it. I check on these things every day like I'm an addict. I have to say that the podcast was originally inspired by DJ Scene (@DjScene) S/O! He really just put me on stats, and how it helps with marketing. Again with the drop of Beezo.net, we hosted our mixtapes there like many others, and DJ Enrie, S/O (@DjEnrie), did a lot of great work. I had to find a new outlet to place my mixes for my following. Podomatic is a blessing. It's a way of expressing myself and showing my creativity that I used to get away with on the MikiDZ show. I use music that I like and don't just put of generic popular tracks together; I actually do all my podcasts live if I'm in town. If I'm not, I'll bust it out on Ableton.
Spartytunes: How did WAR (We Are Royalty) get started?
MikiWAR: It's funny, because everyone thinks I run or own WAR clothing. It has nothing to do with me, but it does. The back story on my name isn't hard to figure out if you know my real name and you speak Spanish. WAR is Guerra, like my last name. And to add to this, I don't know if this is going to be on or off the record (IT'S ON, NO WAY I WAS LEAVING THIS OUT), but Dainjazone wrote me a Valentines card years ago when we were like 14, and it said "To MikiFikiMike", and the Miki kind of just stuck, and that's how MikiWAR was berthed. The clothing was created by my younger brother Andy War from his bedroom, who actually just graduated from UC Riverside. He guerrilla marketed it, and got the right people to support him. Fortunately, Dainjazone and I were able to help. We also had a "little show" to help, and we made sure our friends had it on. It's something I am really proud to wear, my name. I feel like it represents us, and it shows my brother's hustle. He used to be barely be able to make a stick figure on a computer a year ago, and now he does full fledged clothing. I can say you can look for some new stuff coming out from WAR clothing soon. Everything has been on hold recently, but we are coming back soon.
Spartytunes: Your mixtape, "The Next Chapter", which I posted and a few remixes on DJCity, you haven't been putting out too much. Can we expect some new stuff coming soon?
MikiWAR: Yea man! I've been kind of laying low. I used to be really bad with just putting anything out as soon as I came up with, and it would bite me in the ass sometimes. I would put an extra snare somewhere, or I didn't master a sound properly. I've learned it's just better to do something right the first time and be proud of the time I put into it. I'm in the studio now gearing up. I have some personal remixes, that I am going to start letting out in remix packs soon. As far as the mixes go, which I really take pride in, and spend a ton of time on it, I have a lot of ideas I am sitting on; but I am waiting for some new tracks I want to expose. I don't want it to sound like anything else, but I can say there is a major mix in the works, which I can't really announce yet, but it's about 30 minutes long, and it's going to be intense.
Spartytunes: Any last words?
MikiWAR: I appreciate you reaching out to me to do this. It's an honor to be interviewed by anybody, and to be able to express what I'm all about. Going full circle with the new DJ's question, I still feel like I'm a new DJ; I feel I haven't been in the game long enough. And I think the youth are important. S/O to DJ Inferno at Power 106 [Biggest Hip Hop Radio Station in LA] and I wish I could tell you his twitter name, but he has one of those underscores! (@_Inferno) He was really one of the first guys to come up to me and ask for advice, and I'm really proud of what he has done. His marketing is crazy! S/O to Alex Gonzalez (@Aleks_Exact), I've been teaching him since day 1, and I'm proud of him. He's doing a great job. He's opened for Dainjazone and I at some great venues. My success thus far is a huge reflection of being surrounded by so many seasoned DJ's. Don't put down the young DJ's, because we have to teach them; it's up to them to listen. And finally, in due time, if you work hard, stay hungry, stay humble, then your time will come.
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