DJ Purple (the duke of House): Blog

It is now six days before my next big gig in Salt Lake City and I have decided that now it is time to re-tool my “brand”, re-evaluate my “mission” and present a renewed “package”. In other words I will put a new “stamp” on my love of music and show everyone what DJ PURPLE will bring to the table.

I have been a DJ since 1993 and I have purchased music since 1983 – add in my lifetime appreciation for music in that I’ve listened to it practically all my life. My love of music is as strong now as it has ever been. Now I am at the point where I feel that my eclectic taste in music can no longer be held back and kept in bondage by “imaginations” and “strongholds”. What I mean in a literal sense is that while the function of the DJ is to entertain there is certainly room for education.

In my reinvention I am incorporating several different catch-words that will now define DJ PURPLE - Purple: royalty. Duke: a ruler of a territory. Spiritual: of the spirit or [...]

I immediately went to work on submitting a photo since I felt as though I had no time to lose. I took a series of full-body shot, as well as head/shoulder shots, and finally found the one that I liked. I was able to email the chosen shot the same night that I received the email. However, in my excitement over the news that I was selected as a finalist I forgot to ask which CD got everyone’s attention since I did remember sending two mixes. Response follows:

“'Twas the green one, "Soul Revival"”

Sometimes it pays to stay in your element…

This milestone actually took root 3 months earlier, thanks to my subscription to 5 Magazine, which is based out of Chicago. I had only begun my subscription in May, and was able to purchase all of the back issues so that I could get caught up. I got right on track with the June 2008 issue, which featured a call for DJs to submit their best mixes for the 5 Magazine DJ Series Search. The DJ Series began with the March 2007 issue and was presented as a monthly featured House mix submitted by DJs who were either up-and-coming or very well-known. Also featured would be a profile where the reader would see what’s on the DJ’s mind. When the June 2008 issue was released Volume 15 of the Series was well in circulation and so the staff decided to hold a contest. The rules were simple: record what you want as long as it’s something you’re proud of, keep it under 78 minutes and send your mix in ASAP. The judging would be performed by a panel of the magazine staff, the owner of KStake [...]

I am taking a class called "The Impact of Music on Life. So far I think the class will be enlightening. I had to post an essay in response to a study question. The one I chose was this: "How are ethnicity, class, gender, and region embodied in country music, hip-hop, or some other music that you know about?" Naturally I chose House Music, and here was my response...


"Study Questions 8 and 15


Question 15

There is a class/genre of music that is very much misunderstood, and this question affords me the platform to address it. This genre is called House Music. The reason that House Music is misunderstood is because it is typically an “underground” genre, meaning that it is prevalent in after-hours nightclubs and college radio stations. House Music got its beginnings in downtown Chicago via the night club. The majority of the patrons at the time were young Black men, but soon all sorts of people from various other parts of town were frequenting the clubs across the city. In [...]

Today I have just deleted a guestbook entry that stated that I never played at Rinaldo's Nightclub in Peterborough, UK. This is the second time I have done so. This is also the second time that the person who signed the guestbook failed to identify himself/herself. This is the beginning of a VERY DISTURBING trend. I now feel that it is necessary to educate the people.


To begin this discussion, I DO NOT APPRECIATE BEING CALLED A LIAR. If I put a location down as having played there, then I played at that location. I have no reason (or motivation) to lie.
There are several reasons why I would list a club, pub, hotel, etc., as a “location played”:
1. I was an opening DJ.
2. I was a headlining DJ.
3. I was the closing DJ.
4. The location was used for a special occasion for which I was a DJ.

Need I go further?

Simply put, if I play ONE record at a club, pub, hotel, etc., then it goes on my resume`.


Oftentimes I played at a place as a warm-up DJ, which would mean [...]