DJ Irie

You are the resident DJ for the Miami Heat. How has this affected your career as a DJ?
I've been the official DJ for the Miami HEAT for 6 seasons now and it has had a HUGE impact on my career. My career really went to the next level by my 2nd season with the HEAT. Playing to the 20,000+ HEAT fans night in and night out, very influential people get to know your name and what you do. I've been hand picked to play huge events for the likes of Microsoft, Barcardi, and Elini Watches to name a few, and have done numerous private parties for NBA superstars like Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, Magic Johnson, Alonzo Mouring, Allen Iverson, Caron Butler, Malik Allen, and Pat Riley.

How did you get started?
I got started DJing kind of by accident because by nature I'm a record collector. At the age of 15 I had already amassed a collection of over 3000 records. I personally didn't think it was a normal habit for a 15 year old to collect vinyl with no hopes of being a DJ so when a good friend of mine came to my home and saw all these records all over the place she exclaimed that I must be a DJ to have soo many records and as to not look like the biggest geek. I concurred. At that point, she made it known that since I was a DJ I just had to DJ her NYE party that was coming up in a few days. Somehow she got me to agree to do it. I borrowed equipment from my parents and other friends and by some miracle pulled off a half way decent party. Enough so that her Dad who was the Manager of the Miami Planet Hollywood restaurant at the time offered me a job as the in-house DJ of the restaurant. The rest is history.

Where else have you been performing recently?
I just recently got back from a European tour (with most of my shows in Germany), I did 2 huge parties in Puerto Rico, where both nights I brought out my man DJ Diesel (Shaquille O'Neal) who took over the turntables and dropped a crazy set! I also played New York and the Bahamas.

What is your favorite kind of venue? Why?
I really love outdoor/poolside venues. I find that I'm able to just get to a whole different energy level when I'm performing outside. I guess it's just the feeling of being free under the stars or something.

You are a long time believer in the Stanton brand and products. Why?
When you try to think of a company that's been dedicated to professional DJ products for over half a decade, only Stanton comes to mind. I truly believe if you ask any professional DJ to name a brand of DJ products that he/she trusts your will hear the name Stanton. The #1 reason why I believe so much in Stanton products is because in my demanding workload I need a product I can rely on and Stanton has never let me down.

You've also used FinalScratch 2 recently. What tweaked your interest in the unit and technology?
I'd been doing my research on new DJ technology and came across the FS2 product. Immediately I knew this was my answer to my dilemma at Miami HEAT games. The space in my DJ Booth is very limited and I have to carry such a wide variety of music to the games I always ended up having to leave something behind that I would've liked to have with me. FS2 was the answer for me to have any and all the music I needed at my finger tips using up a fraction of the space.