Better Know A Twitter: The DJ Gospel
"I find it funny when people on Twitter ask me if I am a real DJ — do you think a barback is making this stuff up?"
Twitter serves as a popular sounding board, allowing us to express ourselves 140 characters at a time. However, many who are active on the social media platform choose to keep their identity private. One such anonymous must-read Twitter account is The DJ Gospel, a wildly popular feed focusing on DJ culture whose owner intentionally remains anonymous. In a rare interview, we talked to the person who has made it their mission to spread the DJ Gospel.
What prompted you to start The DJ Gospel? How did you come up with The DJ Gospel's mission statement?
I started The DJ Gospel mainly because of the decline in talented DJs that have flooded the industry with the advancement in technology over the last decade. There seems to have been some type of thinking among young and new DJs that just by buying gear you are automatically a proven DJ and therefore should be given gigs immediately. It just does not work that way, you have to earn your stripes as the old saying goes. I own a nice camera, but I have never stated that I am a professional photographer. So as to why people buy gear and think they are a pro is a mystery to me. The mission statement — Spreading the Gospel to DJs worldwide and making the nightlife experience better for everyone else. If these tweets offend you, then they are about you — came from being a bit fed up with the way both guests and DJs act in nightclubs. All DJs get overwhelmed by ridiculous requests and see things that one could only dream of, that just comes with being a DJ.
The event that led me to really start the DJ Gospel was that I had checked the Twitter feed of the club I was DJing at after I had got home and noticed another DJ that I had never heard of was there and he stated that the club was absolutely packed and going bananas but the DJ sucked. I thought to myself that this guy really stood in line to get in to tweet something like this? I would understand it if you would say "Hey I don't really care for the music here, but this place is packed." But this was a "DJ" that wasn't working on a weekend. Was he bitter? Did he wish he was the DJ? I have no clue, but the funny thing is the guy is now a follower and constant retweeter. A lot of my tweets have offended some people mainly the ones that use the sync button, or free DJ software programs. Ninety-five percent of the time it is in fact a new DJ that just wants to be a DJ for the fame and attention. If I can help a few DJs change their ways or at least get a little bit more passion about DJing, then I figure I am doing a good deed.
From reading your tweets my guess is that you come from a time when DJs played vinyl and DJ culture, DJs played in DJ booths, not stages and the culture was a bit more underground. What can you tell us about your history? Are you a DJ yourself?
Yes, I am a DJ. For 20 years now I have been a nightclub and mixshow DJ. I find it funny when people on Twitter ask me if I am a real DJ — do you think a barback is making this stuff up?
Social media appeals to the narcissist in us, yet you remain anonymous. How come? Will you ever reveal your identity?!
I'm not doing this for the fame; I think The DJ Gospel is in all of us. I often get tweets and direct messages from DJs around the world some famous and some that are not, that suggest that I mention something about a certain topic or something that is bugging them. For now I will remain anonymous and keep spreading the gospel.
Your Twitter account has grown to attract a lot of followers. Does tweeting your thoughts offer a more immediate satisfaction? Do you feel a special responsibility now that you have a lot of followers?
I am thankful to all of the followers. When I started this a year ago I had no idea that it would reach 23,000 followers. I guess DJs have the same thoughts and run into the same problems around the world no matter what language or genre is involved. I still keep doing what I have done since day one, if I see, hear or think of something I tweet about it, much of it is from personal experience as wild as some of the tweets may sound
Are there any tweets you are especially proud of?
There is not any one tweet that comes to mind — there are so many that have been retweeted and it is amazing to see how many people they reach if those Twitter statistics are correct. 900,000 people reached is just so wild to think of that have seen a tweet of mine. Some of the trends we started have been fun to read "#ThingsDJsHate" was a good one; I think it was trending for a couple days, even Justin Timberlake chimed in on that one with some humor.
Are there any DJ Twitter feeds you particularly enjoy?
There are a few that make me laugh or are on the same thought path as I am on, @StuffDJsHate, @djENRIE, @ztrip are ones I can think of off the top of my head, Also there are quite a few DJ gear review accounts I keep up with like @DigitalDJTips and @DJTechTools.
Can you tell us in 140 characters or less when the last time a DJ changed your life?
There are so many that have inspired me over the years. I love to hear a DJ mix in a variety of genres and make it work, that's life changing
