Jun 2010 DJ Sulli
Real Name: Sean Sullivan
Alias: DJ Sulli
Hometown: Reno, Nv
Age: 39
Profession: Professional photographer
Hobbies: Rock Climbing. music production,
Affiliations: Amfibius Recordings, Soul House Media, HouseFreaq
Q: When did you get into electronic music and what made you decide to become a Dj?
Well, I'm 39 now ... when I was about 22, I had been going to parties for about 6 months when I decided I wanted to be on the other side of the decks. At that point I was being influenced musically by some of the original Reno djs, guys like Olivier Desmet, Richie Rich, Mike Ameci and of course Christophe. I bought my first records in the fall of 1992, I learned the hard way on these two cheesy turntables and a dumpy lil' Gemini mixer. I played my first event that following spring up in Tahoe, a lil' house party and I just wrecked the whole time ... it was bad! It took me years to really feel like I had the concept down and could stand before any crowd and play with confidence.
Q: What genres do you play and what others do you have an interest in? Which is your preferred style to play out?
These days I would call my sound "Soulful Tech House", it's basically a techy edged groove regularly infused with housey elements. The soulfulness is generally my constant, and I like to move it forward with a driving tech-house undercurrent. For me the kik is always center stage, its the pulse and has to be felt on the floor.
Over the years I've dabbled with other genres, I carried a jungle set for a couple years and actually played a couple really fun shows that were straight Jungle. But I've always come back to house, it's what moves me and hold my interest.
Q: What are your latest accomplishments as a DJ?
My "career" as a DJ, if you want to call it that, has been one long string of fun and memorable experiences. Some of course are bittersweet memories for one reason or another, but they all have played a role in sculpting who I am as a DJ and an artist.
For me, my biggest accomplishments musically are probably my records. I was lucky to get in the game before vinyl dried up and managed to eek out a few releases before everything went digi. Since then, I've been fortunate to get a bunch of trax out, but digi releases just aren't quite as gratifying as vinyl. Something you can hold, and look at, as any DJ will tell you there's just something about it.
I miss the days of going to SF for a day and record shopping. Tweekin, Star Alley, In-House... Trolling through bins of vinyl, pulling new releases off the wall... It was a big part of the "DJ experience" for me and I most definitely miss that.
Q: You have been a part of the Reno scene for as long as I can remember. What was your first party playing in Reno and what was the experience like?
Early on I played a few small events, house parties, etc... But my first "real" Reno event was probably "Dusk", it was at a warehouse out in sparks in the Fall of 93. I had been living back in OC, I had a lil' record store down there called Curb Wax. It was in the back of a skateboard shop called Lido Skates down on the Newport Peninsula, it was a lil' before its time and right up the street was Dr FreeClouds Mixing Lab run by the infamous Ron D Core. He came in a few times and we chatted, great guy! After I shut down he bought a bunch of my stuff and put some of my mixed tapes in his store. He was one of those guys who was really down for cause and community.
At this same time I was working on the senior photo staff of Snowboarder magazine, and they asked me that summer to go to Norway to do a story for the mag. So I went to Norway, and it was just amazing! And I happened to bring my records, I went into this club called Barrok and somehow talked my way onto the decks. DJ Geronimo was the resident, and he let me play for a couple hours. I was nervous as hell, The place was super swanky! But I was hungry to play and somehow I pulled it off, afterwards the resident DJ and I became good friends. That was my first experience playing a real club, after that I came home and moved back to Tahoe for the winter. It was that fall that the Dusk Party happened and I was able to step up in front of a Reno crowd for the first time.
Q: What was the first party/event that you threw in Reno and how did that go? Who was on the bill, who did the sound and what venue etc?
I'm not sure what the first Reno event was, sadly those days are a bit of a blur. I do remember however throwing a few events around late 93 in this lil' Mexican restaurant Casa Margaritas and more importantly in their warehouse in back. That was a great space, it's now that Lingerie store next to Melting Pot. But those parties, Harmony they were called, they were fun! We had a few different DJs including some from out of town... These guys Vitamin D & Nique from Denver, and another guy Bobby Reno, there were also locals like Scoobie and Richie Rich.
Q: Any strange requests, odd happenings or just weird things ever happen while you were ever playing? Or your most memorable gig?
I played a big rave in Seattle once with this Gal Jacqueline Christie, at the time she was a pretty well known NYC DJ and she was the headliner at this huge party. So, I'm up after her and its about 5 min before i'm on. She appeared to be having a rough time of it, it was dark around the decks so i brought over some of those lil' glow bracelets and put em up by the mixer so she could see. She seemed grateful...So... She has this huge cd book sitting on my record box, and I carefully picked it up and moved it over a foot or two so I could sort out my music... and she just flipped out! Started screaming at me about touching her stuff, calling me names, she was super harsh so harsh that I started laughing out of shock... I didn't know what to do, I asked her to chill, said I was sorry, I couldn't stop crackin' up though and she just got more pissed. So she gets off and her record is playing out, and its a huge packed room at Naf in Seattle, had to be close to 1000 people in just this room and there were 3 rooms going... So I get up there and I turned it down a lil' and was like "Cmon, lets hear it for Jackie Christie"! ... Everyones kinda half clappin', the people up front saw the drama and were laughin... right then she turns around just flustered as hell with all her record bags on her shoulder and she says "you better check yourself before you wreck yourself"... Ah man, It was a sad moment, I drop that one now on my bros sometimes just to put em in check! Ha!
Q: You have done some international traveling with your DJ career, would you care to share with us a few of your memories? Any upcoming international gigs?
For me playing overseas has always been the ultimate goal. The reality of it is... while the US has an amazing scene, as far as giant, packed, raging dancefloors are concerned... to really get that true "big room experience" you have to leave the country. And for me, Latin America is where I've seen it go off the hardest. For some reason, Latin people just know how to get down. There is this freedom of expression that is part of their culture, they are wayyyy less self-conscious than we are here in America. As a result they just let loose when they're out...
My playing internationally has gone through 2 phases in the 18 years I've been spinning, the first was during the 12 seasons I spent shooting for Snowboarder. This job allowed me to travel globally to shoot, and during these trips I would book shows along the way. From 1993-2003, I probably made close to 2 dozen overseas trips and tried to play as much as possible. Japan, UK, Italy, France, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand.... I even played a show in Hobart Tazmania once. The Tazmania crew was awesome and they played great, we were totally in tune music wise it was really cool!
My second phase of international events has been just in the past few years, I played a series of shows in Costa Rica and Argentina in 2005. And since then I've been able to go back a couple times to Latin America, In Cancun I was walking down the street when I happened upon this giant billboard for my show. that was such a trip!!!
Last summer I played in the Patagonia region of Argentina in this town called Bariloche, that show was at Pacha which was a huge milestone for me. They're a big well known chain of mega clubs, but this is one of their smaller more exclusive venues. Anyway, they serve this really unique liquor down there called Fernet, people mix it with coca cola and just lose their minds! That was quite an experience and the crowd was absolutely nutz!
I will be going back to Argentina in July to play a spot called the Shamrock Bassment in Buenos Aires, it will be my second time playing at this venue. The last time was just amazing, the club was so packed, and the owner of the club took such great care of me and my bros ... I look forward to getting back there again this summer. I also will hopefully be playing across the river in Montevideo Uruguay, I've tried to make that happen a few times but it's been an elusive destination for me. So hopefully this will be the year!
Q: Where would you say you had the best time playing? (venue, city, date and why)
As any DJ will say, it's those very rare times when all the pieces fall into place and shit just pops off.... These are the moments that justify everything. I've played in front of some big crowds, but its those rooms where its wall to wall, sweat drippin and the whole joint is moving together hands in the air... These are the moments I live for and tend to happen more in smaller more intimate spaces.
Around 2005 I had a series of shows at Sunday Tea Dance @ the End Up in San Francisco that were, for me, just about as much as you could ever ask for as a house DJ. Legendary venue, knowledgeable, discriminating crowd that was wayyy up for it, and a virtually perfect sound system/DJ set up. They have the rotary rane mixer, and a perfect monitor... But more than that, at the End up it's all about the crowd and the vibe, and when it gets going it's straight up DJ bliss.
Another night that has been ultra memorable for me is Flammable up in Seattle, run by Sea-Town Veteran DJ Brian Lyons this night is arguably the longest running house weekly in the country if not the world! He's had every artist you can think of in to play, and in turn his night has an ultra loyal following, I would say these shows, the End Up and Flammable are the two parties that I feel most honored to of gotten to play.
But while these shows were the cream ...For me, My stint in 05/06 as resident at the Liquid Lounge here in Reno was the best series of events that I ever got to be part of. During that time, a lot of things were clickin, House was peaking in Reno and around the country, my label Amfibius was taking off, I was in the studio non-stop, and every Fri and Sat Liquid just raged! The thing that made it so special was that it was friends, working together, with the support of the community.
We had an awesome group of people working together, Myself, Ahn, Dave Marsh, Ryan James, and an amazing supporting cast that always brought the energy. I'm proud of what we, as a crew, were able to accomplish during that time. The success of Liquid allowed us to bring in a constant stream of out of town djs, Jay Tripwire, Rick Preston, Jon Lemmon. The beauty of it was, we didn't give a shit about the money, we just wanted to rock! And I think for that reason, the dough just rolled in. But we turned around and sunk it back in to the program. After about 6 months of completely off the hook nutty-ness the owner got wind we were pulling mad loot at the door and shut us down.
Q: What format of music are you playing music in these days? What do you prefer and why? (vinyl, cd, laptop etc.)
I play vinyl and CD's, no laptop. I still don't trust it not to funk up. Seen it happen too many times, and its always a complete disaster when there's a problem. for now, I'm cool with my system, it works for me.
One thing I do though is, I tend to edit all my trax before playing them out. I will take a track into Abelton and make it a lil' more friendly to what I'm doing. Almost everything I play has some form of edit in it.
Q: What's the one track that never leaves your record bag or Cd case?
Theres a few trax that anyone who's heard me play has probably heard me drop... This one track, Star is Born by Chocolate Puma, the Scumfrog Remix, I wore in groove in that thing. I think if I had to I could probably choose 20 trax from all time and play the rest of my sets off those 20 tunes, over the years some trax have just stood out above all the rest.
But that said, I always try to bring new music into my sets. I try to get at least 4 to 6 new trax into my rotation before each weekend that I'm playing.
Q: Who are your favorite Producers and or Dj’s that you listen to, play or have been influenced by and why?
Over the years there's been a few people who have come and gone from my consciousness, holding onto that winning formula of sound and vibe once you've found it is a real challenge for most artists. Like a lot of people, I was heavily influenced by San Francisco early on. The Wicked crew was big for me, and in particular Jeno. He just has that real natural gift for making two good records into something even better.
It seems like most artists tend to evolve through a number of different styles through their career, rarely do artists maintain a spot in my programming over many trax. I'll like a certain artist for a few releases, then their sound will change and I'll move on.
Q: If you didn't become a DJ/Producer/Label owner what else do you think you would be doing when you're not at your day job, or is that your day job?
For me, I've been fortunate to never have to make DJ'ing my main job. Photography has always been my bread and butter, these days I'm in school full time working towards my masters in Photography. I currently teach a college course called "Winter Adventure Photography" and I'm hoping to teach photo full time once I have my degree.
I think for some people, the mission of making a career out of spinning has the potential to corrupt the art form especially here in Reno where opportunities are limited. You end up having to compromise your sound, or play any event just to make money. Some local DJ's like EJ, or Freez, have managed, through hard work and a careful cultivation of their vibe, to make a full time "career" out of being a DJ here in Reno without selling their souls. I think the reason these guys have succeeded is because through it all, they've remained a positive force. They don't slander people, or troll the forums looking for trouble, they don't get hot and bothered by what other people are doing. When you talk to them, they clearly love the music and don't really get caught up in the drama. EJ in particular, he is arguably Reno's most "successful" DJ. When you talk to him its easy to see why, he always has a big smile and hand shake for ya... and, he is clearly passionate about dj'ing, of course the money matters but it's not the primary motivation behind his actions.
But others aren't so lucky, and when money becomes the driving force behind what you do, when it drives your motivation... it ultimately changes it. That of course is not to say dj's shouldn't be paid, but the money comes naturally to those who put their heart and soul into it.
I think if a person aspires to be a "professional" DJ, they should look to these guys as examples of what must be done, and what they have to look forward to as a full time DJ in Reno. Of course, if you have a goal to make the world your "oyster", step one is gittin' the funk out of Reno and into one of the big cities, then putting your heart and soul into it.
Q: Have you noticed a decline in attendance at events or clubs you play, and do you think it can be attributed to a possible loss of interest in the music?
For me I think it's different than most because I am, and will always be, a "House" DJ. House music, obviously, is not a mainstream genre, It's a total niche sound. These days the crowd it draws is generally one that is looking specifically for House when they go out.
So yes, I think there has been a loss of interest in "House Music", but not necessarily other genres. And this is obvious by the proliferation of the "EDM" DJ, one who plays a variety of Genres. These days, a DJ that can float between house, breaks, D&B, dub, hip hop and back again... These are the guys that are gonna play in front of the most people because they touch so many more bases.
But on the downside of that, by playing "anything for anybody" you end up performing for these sort of Dumbed down, commercialized audiences that really don't give a shit about what you're doing. As long as they can pump there fists and Freak their partner... it's all the same to them.
Q: I know you have your own label, please share with us the information behind the label as far as where the name came from, how long the label has been running, track names, artists and anything you may be working on in the near future we can look forward to hearing. (also add a link to a website or sites where we can find your music if you like)
My first label was Scarabtrax, that ran from around 98-02 and put out 7 vinyl releases. We had a lil' record store down next to Java Jungle too that was built around the label. Running that record store was one of the funnest times in my life, for those who weren't around ... We stayed open for about 6 months, but one day we had Donald Glaude play in store and it just got out of control. the store was packed and we had probably 300+ people out in the street, Donald was destroying it on the decks, it was just crazy! But the next day we had an eviction notice on the door.
My second attempt at a label was Amfibius Recordings started in 2003 when I was living up in Seattle. That label did relatively well, we put out 26 releases over a 5 year period. I also was blessed through Amfibius with an opportunity to release some of my own music, we had a P&D (Pressing and distribution) arrangement with an outfit in NYC called Rhythmic that allowed for full creative expression at a minimal expense. We managed to get 13 vinyl releases out before the bottom just dropped out and Digi took over, Amfibius carried on but rhythmic became obsolete because there was nothing left to distribute. We worked directly with the digi sites, and with vinyl out of the picture it completely changed the market.
A label though is alot of work, and the market is extremely fickle. Bottom line you have to have amazing trax, or huge names, or both ... to get anywhere. I don't think Amfibius every made much money, but I don't think we lost money either really. It was a total labor of love, and while the money was elusive there were/are other perks to having a label. Mainly freedom to put out your own music, and the ability to play bigger shows and reach a more global audience.
Just last week I reached out to a promoter / DJ down in South America, he instantly wrote back and knew who I was. He said he had one of my releases... That right there is what makes doing the label so awesome.
I think if I had one more mission to accomplish with Amfibius, it would be to release some Reno artists. But it's tough, there's not a lot of people making music here and even less of them producing house music. I'm excited for Jeremy Curl, he's worked hard at his craft and has an album coming out now. I think we all should support his effort, in a sense by putting out this record his is the voice of the Reno underground.
Q: If you had a chance to play anywhere, anytime and with anyone of your choice what would you choose?
Ya know, I'm a huge fan of Dave Pezzner, and we've got him coming here June 26 & 27... Playing alongside him, here in Reno, is really as much as I could ask for these days. Sure, its always fun to perform with big names or in giant venues in front of huge crowds. But nothing beats gittin' down with friends, here at home, with one of the real masters like Pezzner performing.
We had Jeno in last Nov, that was a huge milestone for me. I think the thing that keeps me motivated here in Reno is, it's always a challenge. Sometimes it pops off, other times it doesn't. But it's always been like that; after throwing so many events here over the years, that unpredictability is what keeps things interesting.
Q:What are your thoughts on file sharing websites and blogs vs. file purchasing websites?
That's a tough question... in the current financial climate, everyones kinda broke. So I think we all rejoice a lil' when we come across trax we like that we can download for free. But ultimately this shorts the artist. Some producers, especially up and coming artists, put their trax out there to get promo. But more often than not, people have bought these trax then put them up for people to get for free.
The thing is, any producer worth his salt keeps an eye on where their music is going. If you are trying to make a living off your productions, you're stupid not to be paying attention. Also, alot of times I think once the track has sort of "ran it's course" in regards to sales, and reviews, etc... the pressure is off to "sell" the track and one can let the sharing sites give them free promo. Ultimate your music is your calling card, every single time your name pops up somewhere it enters the public consciousness. Whether you sold it or gave it away, it all works in your favor.
For many artists, especially bigger names, alot of their success comes in the form of bigger, higher paying shows. Even large main stream acts these days are giving away their music to build their fan base, then they play sold out venues for jacked up ticket prices and make a killing.
I think for an artist it's all about finding a balance between production and performing, making sure new stuff is only available for sale, then as the sales wane, letting the trax slip out for free. As a dj on the never-ending quest for new music, I think if you pull down a few free trax, and buy a few, your supporting the cause in a fair manner.
Here is a link to "Ten Free Sulli trax":
http://www.sendspace.com/file/twm2ef
Q: Any suggestions for other artists or promoters, either up and coming or just in general?
I think the biggest thing is, don't let your integrity be corrupted by money or outside influences. Do what you believe in and let the chips fall. It's not always gonna work in your favor, but when it does it's worth it.
More often than not, the experiences end up being bitter sweet, alot of elements have to align in your favor to have that "ultimate DJ experience". There's always something that can or will go wrong... learning to stay positive in the face of adversity, taking lessons from the disappointments, these are habits that can make a difference in every aspect of our lives.
For any DJ who desires to take their craft beyond Reno... I would say again, stay true to what you do. Find a sound that you just can't get enough of and make it your own. And if you want to play big shows, and be taken seriously ... master your art form. If your just up there playing records, with no real direction, the people can feel that. My most memorable sets, for me, came at times when I was playing all the time.... I had my head in the game big time, and I knew my music. Practice is a big part of that, learn how to harmonize your mixes, play records that are in key, create a flow ... "a message" that you express to your listeners through the music.... This is what will ultimately set you apart from the rest.
Q: Anything you would like to add or get off your chest?
Not really, I'm happy here in Reno and like where I'm at with things. I think we all, as members of this scene, wish for more. More people, more energy, more good venues... But there's a finite amount of each, and everyone wants their piece... the Reno scene is kinda dog eat dog, more often than not I feel like it's a "competition" more than a "community" and that's a bit tragic in my opinion. I don't think people mean to be that way, its just human nature. It's like that just about everywhere, we are fortunate to have what we have and I for one am grateful to be part of it.
At the end of the day, who really cares how many people you've played for? In the immortal words of Kiley Howard "You're only as good as your last set".
I think that no matter what we do, as people, or DJ's, we can't please everyone. There will always be someone who disagrees, or takes offense to something we say or do. I'm sure someone out there will find fault with some things I've said here, whomever that ends up being ... I'm sorry bout that. It's not intentional, I don't think it's possible to express an opinion without someone taking offense.
I see people say some rough stuff online sometimes, the web gives people the ability to go off without having to take the heat face to face for their words or actions. If you look at society right now, the media, the faceless nature of the Internet... We have all inadvertently become accustomed to just writing what we want online, but as anyone who has used text or email can attest, when we say things through writing that are NOT accompanied with the body language that comes with face to face communication... it's easy for things to come off the wrong way. We've all seen compliments taken as insults, it's a sad bi-product of our "connected" world.
Everybody has their own reasons for doing the things they do, I think if we could all be a lil' more accepting of one another, the positivity would become contagious!
Before I go ... there are so many people here and around the world who have helped me along the way, its impossible to mention them all ... so I just want to give a shout out to some of the local people off the top of my head who I think deserve a quick mention....
Jill @ 210North - It wasn't everyones favorite spot but Jill put her whole life into that club and that's really all you can ever ask of someone. She also made the Jeno show happen, so for everything she's done for me, and this scene as a whole... I for one am so thankful!
Champagne and Bacon - These guys have brought a sense of professionality to the Reno scene that it has never had, they work their asses off to make great shows happen and we are fortunate to have these guys doing there thing. There efforts give this scene legitimacy and in the end, everyone benefits from that!
Sean Murray - His Hustle event has given house music a real identity here in Reno, he's brought class and heart to the scene and I for one really respect that. His lil' family has been going through some really difficult times lately, so if you see the "Save Sarah" icon, its a great opportunity to give something back.
DJ Ahn aka Sean Carlson - He's been a close friend and side kick for going on 10+ years now and he is one of the most naturally gifted dj's I have ever known. He epitomizes that true house music vibe, if you see his name on a flyer and haven't heard him... do yourself a favor : )
Frankly, there's a lot of people here who have shown they are worthy of great things... but unless they make a concerted effort to get their voices heard outside Reno ... they will probably spend their DJ careers wallowing in obscurity because this town is so far off the radar to the rest of the world.
And Lastly... the unsung heroes at NVraves.... you guys have been the backbone of this lil' scene for a long time now. Your effort generally seem to go unnoticed, as if the forums just create and manage themselves... So on behalf of every poster on this board I say THANK YOU for everything you guys do.
And good Night : )
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