Part 1: DJ Reach and Las Vegas
DJ Reach is not just a name, it’s a promise. If you’re lucky enough to catch his set, you won’t just get hip hop, but an encyclopedia of music history spanning a good three decades. From Michael Jackson to Bon Jovi, Bel Biv Devoe to Bob Sinclar, much like his moniker, DJ Reach’s vocabulary stretches far beyond his 28 years, with a fresh, yet nostalgic sound that’s made him one of the most sought-after DJs for the nation’s A-list elite.
Keeping residency across the country at the ultra-exclusive Tao Las Vegas and Marquee New York earned Reach (born Semu Namakajo) a place in this generation’s DJ prodigy pantheon along the likes of DJ Berrie, Steve Aoki and Samantha Ronson. Beyond his weekly gigs, Reach keeps busy, playing high-profile parties like Madonna’s “Confessions Tour” after party, Playboy’s Super Bowl Bash and Jay-Z’s infamous 24-hour Hanger tour.
In part 1 of our DJ Reach series, Clubplanet caught up to the jetsetting New York native to chat about playing Vegas, the death of mash-ups and the resurrection of house music.
Clubplanet: Being based in New York, what’s it like playing Vegas every week?
DJ Reach: Vegas is the Super Bowl of partying and DJing—and playing at a club like TAO is like being the starting quarterback. You’re the one controlling the energy and the music, not to mention you’re playing on a Friday night which is probably grossing more money than any other club around the nation.
CP: Sounds like a lot of pressure.
DJ Reach: Having that as your call of duty separates the men from the boys. If you can’t take the heat, it’s gonna show when 1000 people are in front of you. There’s nothing more satisfying than being at the nucleus of a 1000-man party. Vegas is unique in general because it’s an intersection of people you can’t find in any other city. People come from all over the world ready to party on a level that they won’t even go near at home.
CP: So what do you play? The usual hip hop and mash-ups?
DJ Reach: I’m not really big on mash-ups. I think what caught their attention was that I was one of the first people in New York to play Guns n’ Roses then Jay-z right after, or Bon Jovi then Biggie. I wasn’t blending the two right on top of one another, but I helped to start that open format. The tough thing at the time was that nobody was using CDs or computers like now—it was about vinyl. Already having 10,000 records, I started digging for rock and roll records when everybody else was still digging for hip hop. That was one of the things that changed about the DJ game from when I went in it—if you didn’t find it, you didn’t have it, so you couldn’t play it.
CP: And nowadays?
DJ Reach: Once Serato Scratch Live and other programs came around, everybody quickly picked up DJing. I was one of the absolute last DJs to switch over. I was a little afraid of the technology and thought it was selling out and cutting corners, but I finally had to get my feet wet. And once I started and got on the laptop, I could bring 10,000 songs to the club instead of the usual 800 that I’d struggle to carry.
CP: Where do you see club music heading?
DJ Reach: House music is really coming up strong and people are embracing it more. They’re listening to the newer high-tempo tracks from Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland—that’s the way things are going right now. It was rock for a little while, but I think house and other electronic music are infiltrating the speakers, soundwaves and dance floors. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.
CP: Do you take requests?
DJ Reach: Actually, I think I’m one of the friendliest DJs. DJing is such an incredibly complicated and precise activity, and on top of that, drunk people are coming up to you with requests. There’s at least ten birthdays a night, whether it really is or not. But I always try to take requests because you never know who is coming up to you making that request. It could be someone who wants to hire you for the next huge gig that’s gonna change your career, like a private party for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
CP: What would be your dream DJ job?
DJ Reach: I’m a music producer and songwriter, so I’d love to hear songs that I’ve written for artists like 50-Cent, Usher or Justin Timberlake. As an open-format DJ, I look at the big house DJs like Paul Oakenfold, Tïesto and Erick Morillo playing stadiums of 30,000 people, and that’s what I want. I’ve done 3,000 and 4,000, but I want do 10, 20 or 30,000. Rocking a stadium one day is an experience I want to have on my resume.
Stay tuned for part 2 of our interview with DJ Reach, where he talks about his work with Stretch Armstrong, the death of NYC nightlife and spinning for trust-funders.
For more info, check out www.myspace.com/djreach1 or catch DJ Reach every Friday night at Tao Nightclub at the Venetian.
Tao Nightclub
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
