DJ Anthony Martin has been in the music business for over 25 years. He provides the beats at a variety of Southwest Florida night spots and is a regular at Nooshi Lounge and Sanibel Steakhouse club nights. coastalbeat.com got a chance to ask Martin about where he’s been, where he’s going and for advice for DJ wannabes.
coastalbeat.com: How long have you been DJ’ing and how did you get started?
Anthony Martin: I have been in the business for a little over 23 years now... A group of my friends invited me to a school dance they were spinnin’ at and I had fun. So I saved some money, bought the equipment & practiced every day after school. I started working in clubs when I was about 16 ... It’s been non-stop ever since.
CB: What’s the most memorable experience in your DJ career?
AM: Working for WSXR 91.5 / POWER 89.5 THE SPARK radio back in the late ‘80s early ‘90s. It was great to see all the live acts that we book, Sir Mix-A-Lot, 2 Live Crew, freestyle artists like Johnny O, Company B, Nice & Wild.
CB: What advice do you give to DJs just getting started?
AM: Be positive, stay focused, don’t accept $50 a night just because you want to be a DJ. Know your equipment and your music and never let your ego get the best of you… have fun.
CB: What’s the hardest part of being a DJ?
AM: Losing focus at work … An off night with mixes not going the way they should, playing the wrong type of music at the wrong time (it happens). And when people grab my arm while I’m in the middle of a mix just for a request.
CB: What are listening to right now?
AM: HOUSE MUSIC BABY!!! Austin Leeds Live from Miami.
CB: Explain how you developed your style, and where your influences came from?
AM: I used to listen to Dj Felix Sama & Dj Laz back then, way back when they used to spin freestyle ... I would try to pick up the stations from Miami every night just to listen to mix shows. I would pick up on what they were doin’ and added my own style to the mix.
CB: Do the scantily clad dancers at Sanibel distract you from work?
AM: Uuummm, no comment. No not really...They do have a nice … hey what was the question again?
CB: You perform at Nooshi and Sanibel, so are you a sushi man or a steak man?
AM: BOTH! I didn’t like seafood until I had some sushi, It was great! As for steak, I’m there.
CB: You’re a parent, is there a new generation of DJ Martins on the way?
AM: It would be nice, but no. I don’t think his mom would like that too much. But I’ll leave it up to him when he gets older.
CB: What do you miss most about doing radio?
AM: Doing mix shows. That’s why I got into radio. I wanted to bring something different to SW Florida. I had a late night show from 2 a.m. until 6 a.m. Sunday morning, it lasted for 3 months until the show was taken off the air...ssshhhh. It was on the air without permission from the boss, so the program director put a stop to it to save his ass. I was left out to dry. I’ll be back on the radio someday.
CB: How did Main Event Promotions come about?
AM: Well Scott and I knew each other for a long time now...since we were teens. When we were living in Ft Myers, he came up with the idea to put together a promotional company. I moved back to Naples and he followed after for more venues and we have been doing great ever since. And I would like to thank everyone that supports us at our venues.
CB: What do you do for fun?
AM: I like to go to the movies, shoot a game of pool, hang out at home, do the dad thing when my son comes down to visit ... I know, I’m boring. Any single ladies out there wanna date?
CB: If you hadn’t become a DJ, what would you have done?
AM: I would still be in lawn care. I was working for my grandfather when I was in high school.
Check out DJ Anthony Martin Thursday’s at NooShi Lounge inside Noodles Italian Cafe & Sushi Bar and Saturday’s at Sanibel Nites inside The Naples Sanibel Steakhouse. He is also on the Web at these sites:
www.maineventpromotions.net
myspace.com/maineventpromotions
myspace.com/djanthonymartin
amartinmix4u@hotmail.com
- |
Comments » 0
Be the first to post a comment!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.