The Tribune

By LESH

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

THE BEST is yet to come for DJ Turbulence, who has been involved with music since primary school.

“I started playing violin at Uriah Mcphee and ended up in the National Youth Orchestra playing French Horn and trumpet, then Roots (Junkanoo group),” the deejay told In Ya Ear.

He said he got connected to deejaying while in school in Atlanta.

“My friends from Trinidad would just be in the dorms messing with equipment for hours. And it was just another instrument for me to learn and make music with,” he said.

DJ Turbulence said for the past two years, he has been known for spinning at the Islands of the World Fashion Week event. He said it was definitely an experience creating the soundtrack for such an awesome show.

“I’m also the deejay for pretty much all the Junior Achievement Bahamas events, and occasionally I do small events with Melissa Sears Fashion. Apart from that, most of my recent events have been private functions and wedding receptions. My most recent reception was on a private yacht for Robert Quinn of the St Louis Rams.”

DJ Turbulence said it is a joy to work as a full time deejay employee at the Atlantis Resort. During the day, he said people can find him at one of the resort’s pools, and most nights from Thursday to Saturday, he can be seen and heard playing in Aura Nightclub.

While he has not been able to play abroad since taking on deejaying as a full time job, he said he has a few opportunities in the works for Las Vegas and Atlanta this Summer.

For DJ Turbulence, he said the party never really stops. He said when he usually takes a break, he still finds himself practicing new mixes, looking for new music, working on remixes and the list goes on.

“I tread a fine line though, because I have to be considerate of my significant other, “Punkie” Frankia Sturrup. This profession will take its toll on your personal life if you don’t make time to stop and smell the roses with that special someone,” said DJ Turbulence.

Like many deejays have noted, he said if a person wants to become a deejay, they have to do their research on the craft and learn the proper techniques.

“You should also research the music you’re going to play as well. There are lots of resources that catalogue hits online, for example, Billboard. It’s more than screaming over the mic and slamming tracks in. Practice makes perfect. A good basic knowledge of music theory would help as well,” said DJ Turbulence.

DJ Turbulence said he wish is for deejays to take more risks and start to break in more new music, rather than following the same old playlist.

“In one night I went to three clubs and heard the same set of songs played in almost the same order. A deejay is as much an educator as he/she is an entertainer. They should teach the audience about new music sometimes, rather than always playing it safe with what you know is playing on the radio. The music scene in the Bahamas is growing and I hope more artists build relationships with deejays because they are the ones who present the finished work to the masses,” said DJ Turbulence.