A few years ago, my friend Jared and I threw several house parties and a couple of big pop-up dance parties around Nashville. Jared's main responsibility was DJing and my main responsibility was planning. Bringing people together and watching them let loose in a too cool for school town is still one of my favorite things, and over the course of event after event, I naturally became interested in the art of DJing, too.

In 2015, I came back from Christmas break and kicked off the new year with my very own controller (thanks to Jared, who had just upgraded to a new one and gave me his first one). For those who don't know what a controller is, it's what DJs use to DJ:

I spent the year warming up and figuring out how to work the controller - essentially mixing-in and out of songs (with a few 101 lessons from Jared). In August, we threw a pool party and I spun for a quick half-hour before Jared took over. About a month later, Jared was asked to spin a Halloween party that he passed off to me. That's when I jokingly decided my DJ name was going to be Anniethesia, because "my beats hit so hard they knock you out" (it's so lame it's cool, right?). Anyway, I had the best time at that Halloween Party, and a few months later, I got a call from a friend of a friend - a gal that was at the party - asking if I would DJ her wedding. I bit the bullet and started prepping for what ended up being one of my favorite weddings I've been a part of, and since then, I've had the opportunity to DJ several other weddings.

Regardless of whether it's my bedroom, my living room, a barn or any other venue, getting to play the role of DJ is always a good time. I don't call myself any sort of artist. My favorite thing to do is surprise people with want they want to hear - they just don't know it (that's why songs like Space Jam make it into my sets). I'm not planning to pursue the lifestyle of a career DJ, but I do keep planning to do gigs here and there. I can tell you that it's a lot of work, but it's worth it - I know it the moment folks hit the dance floor and reminisce about those moments when photos pop up a few weeks later. See for yourself below, and see ya next time on the dance floor.

Musings

DJ Anniethesia