DJ K-VON is a Miami-based DJ, currently playing a residency at STK in the Me Miami Hotel. We chatted with him about how he got started in the scene, and the skills one needs to become a great DJ.
Tell us a little more about you and your career as a DJ.
Well for starters, I am 28 from New York, and I started DJing around 2009. I learned from 3 DJ’s that I am close with and consider them family. The person who really made me want to DJ just from seeing him rock the parties he played at was DJ Crown Prince, and his younger brother DJ Colione actually taught me how to DJ. I had another good friend named DJ Sharp who taught me the technical aspects of DJing and made me get turntables—the 1210 Mk2 to be exact. As I look back now, the first two years I started I was horrible, but got to play the opening role whenever my friends had to DJ at a club or bar to gain experience. But once I started getting better, I started playing those prime hours in the 12am-2am time slot. Fast forward some years, around 2015 I moved to Orlando and tried to make things happen, it. It took a long time, but I broke into the scene and played at a bunch of spots thanks to another DJ named Prankstisci. In the time that I was in Orlando, I landed the best thing that happened to me that actually propelled me to where I am at now by joining up with a management team called SET Management, which got me into playing at STK. Teaming up with them became possible because of a guy named DJ Martial who is really dope; his style is crazy, and he just so happens to be the founder and CEO of that company. Towards the end of 2016, I got the chance to DJ in Troyes, France. That was the best experience I’ve had so far in my career, thanks to DJ Hamma that lives there and wanted me to come DJ with him. Near the end of 2016, I felt that my time in Orlando was over. There just wasn’t enough for me to stick around for another year and I wanted to keep growing. I started spending time in Miami and ended up finishing the year DJing NYE at STK in downtown Miami, and that’s when people really wanted me to move there. So now here I am starting off 2017 in a city where for the first time, I feel really appreciated for what I bring to the table. The people in Miami show me so much love. To make things even better, since doing work in Miami I met a guy by the name of Gregory Trujillo who added me to his team, so you’ll see me DJ at various parties in the city thanks to him. The last thing I want to add is I love to travel, and to be able to make people enjoy themselves through me playing music is the best feeling in the world—I have had the pleasure of doing that in New York, Atlanta, France, Orlando, Tampa and Miami.
What, in your experience, do you find unique about the Miami nightlife scene compared to other cities?
What I find different about Miami compared to other cities is that the party atmosphere is insane! Places don’t close till nearly 5am, and I love the energy I get from the people when I DJ. The most unique thing is the party experience and how a lot of the venues provide it.
How do you go about finding new music to add to your library? Which genres do you gravitate towards the most?
I am actually in a DJ record pool, which helps me find music. There are many different record pools for DJ’s to get their music. How I go about adding music to my library is simple: I only select tracks that I know have the energy to keep the women dancing and having fun. So I mainly gravitate to the dance records, some hip hop and I am big on Latin music and Caribbean music.
Besides a great ear for music, are there any other skills that you think make up being an excellent DJ?
Of course, there is always the technical aspect of DJing, which is scratching. But other things that do make up being a excellent DJ include being able to blend, transition, choose great songs, and have crowd control. Once a DJ can control the crowd nicely, it just makes the best party experience, which I highly pride myself on.
Follow DJ K-VON on Instagram.
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