Anthony Valadez

He chronicles his studio time, his travels and walks with his dog Smedley on social media. But what happens off screen is pure hard work. Balancing his time between DJing, producing tracks, hosting radio shows and shooting videos, Anthony Valadez got us thinking if he has more than 24 hours in a day. And he still took the time to share his inspiring journey!!

N-F : What was the first record you played on your turntable when you got one?

A-V: Probably something by Masters At Work. “I Cant Get No Sleep” by India. It took me a whole to find that record being that I was a kid and had to take buses to get to record stores so once I found that 12’ it meant the world to me?

N-F: What made you realize you want to do music full time?

A-V: I think I enjoyed the way the music felt. The vibe. Going back to that MAW record, I loved the context of it cause it always felt like a night time record so I would play it at night. And then I would find my day time records and so on. Pretty soon music took over my life. I wanted to study Theatre and would DJ at night and somehow my night time gigs took over my life. From DJ gigs came interview gigs with artists and radio and now curating music programs for online platforms in addition to my late night sets in clubs. I love it?

N-F: Were there any DJs that you looked up to growing up?

A-V: Many. Too many. DJ Sneak out of Chicago, Bobbito and Stretch out of NYC, Power Tools in LA. Tape cassettes would float around and would allow us kids in LA to get a dose of new sounds from across the globe. On LA radio there was this dj by the name of Michael Mixxin Moor who would incorporate the sounds of the news from the TV into his dj sets. It was creative and he would layer

these DJ KRUSH/DJ CAM beats with news of the LA RIOTS and it was mind blowing. I loved dj’s who knew how to stand out.

N-F: Tell us a bit about your residency at the Natural History Museum. that's a real cool gig to have!

A-V: I've been the resident DJ at the Natural History Museum for 3 years. My friend Novena Carmel has taken over for this year’s residence but Ill be back doing a guest spot. It’s a fun spot to rock. It’s the true definition of community. You are DJing for hard working folks with kids and families, club kids, music heads all under one roof. And you are surrounded by exhibitions inside the

museum. It’s magical.

N-F: In your opinion, is there such thing as a 'tough crowd' or is it always the DJ's job to know how to impress the crowd?

A-V: Every answer is different from various DJ’s. There are tough crowds but I always love that challenge. My appreciation and collection is so wide ranging that I have so much confidence in what I do. I've rocked parties next to Prince, Puffy, Louie Vega, J Lo and shared the air waves with Gilles Peterson. My spectrum is so wide that I know I can come in and rock it. That takes time and experience. It’s very similar to a boxer mentality.

N-F: Do you refer to anything before you start producing a track ?

A-V: I have maybe 3 albums and a few EPs out that I’m very proud of. Including official remixes out for David Bowie, Ozomatli, Local Natives and I normally don’t talk about it. But when I look back or revisit my old records Im pretty impressed. I'm not musically trained but I know the sound of vibe Im going for before I hit record. It all starts with an idea. And in order for me to get an idea I need to a good space. So, I always clean my place. I refer to cleaning. Then magic happens after that! I think.

N-F: Your video series "what makes you happy" is truly what the world needs now. But we wanna know, what makes YOU happy

A-V :Thank you! Previous guests include Ty Dolla Sign, Fat Joe, Roy Choi, former House Speaker John Boehner and random folks on the street. It’s fun and it’s positive. My existence makes me happy. Maybe seeing my pup happy makes me happy too. But we are on Earth for a short amount of time. So be happy!

Anthony Valadez can be heard on KCRW, & TuneIn and be seen playing at several clubs in LA. Read more about him at www.anthonyvaladez.org