Today we’d like to introduce you to DJ Swavor.
DJ Swavor, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Sneakers and music have ALWAYS been my passion. I was always the guy in school that had all the shoes. I was always the guy in school that had all the music. I used to make “mix” CD’s in high school and college to help fund my love for sneakers. To me, there was no music without sneakers and vice versa.
After college, I moved to Dallas in 2008. I used to go out a lot in my early 20’s and I would always listen closely to the popular DJ’s in the city at the time. Since I knew so much about music and what kind of music people like from doing my mix Cd’s, naturally the thought of being a DJ would always pop into my head.
On one drunken night in 2010, I bought all the equipment a person needs to DJ. My life hasn’t been the same since that night.
Collecting sneakers is not a hobby to me, it’s a lifestyle. I look forward to every sneaker release Saturday like it’s Christmas. So, when I became a DJ, I saw there was a lane to be the “Sneakerhead DJ” here in Dallas since I saw no other DJ’s showing a passion for sneakers like myself.
A lot of people may not know my name, but there’s not a night that I’m DJing that I don’t hear someone say “Hey, you’re that DJ with all the sneakers!”
Has it been a smooth road?
The road to making a name for myself has not been easy. I have the same struggles most beginner DJ’s have:
No opportunities to showcase my skills.
No knowledge of how to control a crowd (mainly from no experience due to lack of opportunities).
My first couple of years of DJ’ing were horrible, I bombed many gigs. The thing that separates the real DJ’s from people that just liked the “idea” of being a DJ is when you’re not doing good, do you give up or keep trying to get better?
I went even harder to perfect my craft. On my lunch breaks at work, I would drive to the nearest Guitar Center just to practice DJ’ing (every guitar center has a DJ setup).
Eventually, over time and through networking, I got better at DJ’ing which led to more opportunities to showcase my abilities.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the DJ Swavor story. Tell us more about the business.
The DJ Swavor/#SneaksAndBeats365 brand is me basically trying to show how dope SNEAKERS are through DJ’ing. DJ’ing has given me a platform to show other people my passion for sneakers through social media and in person.
I also have an up and coming YouTube Channel for my blog series “Ottoman Box Openings” where I take a look at and review brand new sneakers that I have purchased. I get a large number of my sneakers before they actually release in stores so it gives people a chance to view shoes before they spend their hard-earned money on them. (Youtube.com/djswavor)
As far as DJ’ing, I specialize in helping people have a good time during that 2-4 hours they are at the club. I’m known for my high energy and always playing songs that people can dance to.
What set’s me apart from others is that I play ALL eras of music in the club. I want a 40-year-old having fun to the same songs a 20-year-old is having fun too.
Another thing that sets me apart is my selection of sneakers in my collection. I would venture to say that NO other DJ in Dallas is on my level when it comes to sneakers.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
DJ’ing is so popular in 2019. Every gig I’m at, it never fails that at least one person will ask “can you teach me how to DJ?”
Nine times out of ten, they are just talking. But the fact that so many people are even remotely thinking about wanting to learn shows me that the DJ’ing industry will only get bigger in the next 5-10 years.
The downfall of that is that the craft itself has become watered down. Computer programs and YouTube video on “how to DJ’ have made it to where anyone with iTunes can basically become a DJ.
The more people that become DJ’s, the less the actual art of DJ’ing has relevance.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.youtube.com/djswavor
- Phone: 5125606621
- Email: djswavor@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/djswavor
- Facebook: facebook.com/djswavor
- Twitter: twitter.com/djswavor
- Other: Soundcloud.com/dj-swavor
Image Credit:
Santos Paris (@santosparisphotography)
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