Meet Elliott Reed Jr. a.k.a. DJ Ellz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Elliott Reed Jr.

Although he’s been spinning just five years, Elliott Reed — a.k.a. DJ ELLZ — already has amassed enough of a following to be recognized as one of Dallas-Fort Worth’s foremost DJs including winning the Dallas Voice Reader’s Voice Award for BEST CLUB DJ 2017, and we think we know the reasons. One is — and this is a shocker — he doesn’t think the music should be all about himself. “I play what I like, but really what people like. It’s not about me, it’s about people having a good time even if they’re having a bad day.” He steers clear of too much EDM, settling in on R&B, House and even pop. “I love Rihanna a lot, as well as Ariana Grande — vocalists who can really sing. I like making people happy with my music.”

A California native, his music was very much influenced by his parents who listen to a lot of R&B, so even at a young age, music was always an outlet and source of strength. Even though he started out his music career as a producer, ELLZ made the official shift to DJing in 2014 for house parties. While friends brought the food and drinks, DJ ELLZ supplied the music. The inspiration to become a DJ however, happened a few months earlier in 2013. “I was walking down the street in West Hollywood, California and some people invited me to hang out on the party bus for a birthday party.” Upon boarding the bus, he noticed people were reserved and really quiet, so he decided to plug in his phone and play some songs to change the mood. As soon as he did, everyone started to dance and have a great time and the entire atmosphere of the party shifted. “That’s when I realized I could really connect to people through music.” What a powerful gift that is!

Along with being recognized as Dallas’ Best Club DJ, ELLZ has had the honor of being a frequently requested DJ for venues such as The Fashion Expo, The Westin Dallas and Aloft Hotels, BJ’s NXS, The Tin Room, Marty’s LIVE, Cedar Springs Taphouse, Sunset Lounge, Studio 80, Beauty Bar, The Henry, as well as countless private events and fundraisers. You can currently catch him DJing in various venues throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area. To catch DJ ELLZ live, check out his latest bookings under the shows section. You can hear him some of his latest music on Soundcloud, Mixcloud, and all music streaming platforms as well as all major social media platforms @ItsDJELLZ.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One struggle that I faced was building the audience, it’s hard to get people to want to come out to hear your music when you are new and especially when it is on a weekday. Another issue I faced was, finding my sound and also playing music that people relate to from today’s hits to past jams.

What do you do? What do you specialize in?
I am known for being versatile in my music selection and being able to play to any crowd and create an ambiance… a vibe.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment would be being able to have multiple residencies and all the charity event that I DJ at that raise money for amazing causes.

Contact Info:

• Website: DJELLZ.COM
• Phone: 3107174389
• Email: booking@djellz.com
• Instagram: Instagram.com/itsdjellz
• Facebook: Facebook.com/itsdjellz
• Twitter: Twitter.com/itsdjellz
• Other: Mixcloud.com/itsdjellz

Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.