DJ AM

In the 70s, DJs like Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and Afrikaa Bambaataa helped cement the integral role the DJ plays in Hip Hop. No longer stuck to one specific genre, the DJ scene has evolved and is now one of the most creative outlets in music. One person who manages to stay at the top of his game is DJ AM.

Adam Goldstein’s interest in DJing began in the Golden Age where most of today’s great DJs found their inspiration: the ‘80s. “I first saw the 1983 Grammys where Herbie Hancock played ‘Rockit’ live. His DJ named Grand Master DST was up on stage cutting and I said, ‘I need to make that sound.’ I knew I wanted to do that then.”




AM’s genre crossing sets are refreshing in an era of overly conscious, one-trick-pony DJs who would rather reinforce their overly-conscious rep than play an actual party set. How did he manage to master the elusive party scene in LA, when so many others miss boat the boat?

“Well I like all kinds of music… I was very much a ‘Hip Hop and Soul (rare groove)" DJ when I first started. Then one night I decided to play George Michael’s ‘Freedom.’ I saw how loud the crowd sung along to it and I was hooked on making people sing, not just dance. That is how I started reaching for the different kinds of records. Then, I think a lot of DJs caught onto this and do something similar now.”

As one of the most highly sought after DJs in America, AM plays parties for an A-List roster of stars and is a regular at some of America’s top clubs. Achieving this kind of popularity is not easy by any means, especially when the US has completely saturated DJ market, full of cheap wannabe-hipsters.

Some might even be quick to brush AM off as something similar, but all doubt will quickly disappear as soon as you see this guy in action. He moves seamlessly between songs and genres, respecting the dance floor and playing to the crowd like no one I’ve seen before. And technically, he’s good. I mean really good. His skills are face melting and will make you want to retreat back to being a bedroom DJ for the next six years, wondering where it all went wrong.

As well as having numerous residencies all over America and jet setting all over the globe playing parties, AM is also an avid businessman who owns his own club in LA, called LAX. That’s a lot of pies to have fingers in; surely juggling all these enterprises gets quite hard?

“Yes! But I love it. I never wanted a 9 - 5 and I never have to have one. I love being my own boss and I LOVE to DJ. I believe I was born to do this.”

So why the hell is he coming to New Zealand? No offence NZ, we’re tight and you’re cool, but you’re also small and quite far away from America. Turns out an important DJing tool used by DJs all around the world is made right here in Aotearoa. Serato Scratch LIVE, a Kiwi-made vinyl emulation system, is essentially a bottomless crate that proves indispensable for multi-genre quick-mixing mavericks like AM.

“


Jazzy Jeff and DJ Sizzahandz were the first to tell me about Serato [Scratch LIVE]. I had seen DJ Solomon on Final Scratch and it sucked. I tried it and the latency was so bad I said, ‘I will never be a Digital DJ,’ just like I passed on the corny ass CDJs when they came out. I have Technics tattooed on my wrist as my only tattoo. I love the turntable. Once I saw, felt and heard how amazing SSL sounded, I was hooked. I said it before and I will say it again: SSL is the best thing to happen to DJing since the turntable. I love it.
” Shucks. I guess it kind of makes sense for him to come down and join in the fun. You can catch DJ AM at Serato X – The Tenth Anniversary Party on Friday 6th June at Bacco and Montecristo. Tickets are $40 from Real Groovy and Conch Records.