DJ Five stays behind the tables, either the turntables or the poker tables. He must sleep sometime, but you couldn’t prove it. He’s on and moving twenty-four hours a day. From Cerritos, California, where he first got on the turntables, he moved to Las Vegas to start honing his skills on the poker tables, too.
Five’s love for hip hop spans decades, and that love has resulted in his emergence as one of the top DJs in Las Vegas. In 2004, he was voted #1 DJ by Las Vegas Life Magazine. Why does he love Vegas so much? In his own words, “I can smoke, drink, text message, dance, mix, and cut all at once,”.
But Five doesn’t just play Vegas. He’s toured through San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. He’s friends with other DJs across the nation, getting and giving love whether he’s got visitors, or he’s the one doing the visiting.
Where does his unique, hip hop inspired sound come from? Five takes inspiration from DJ Jazzy Jeff and DJ Premier. He’s worked to polish his craft by mimicking some of their work with his own flare and style. He’s spent years paying close attention and following hip hop trends and industry movements. That keeps him on his toes and on top of what’s next in both hip hop and electronic music.
Together with DJs Vice, StoneRokk, Cobra, OB-One, and Graham Funke, DJ Five is a part of the Abe Froman Showmen, a crew that’s aimed at preserving DJ culture and bring DJs the respect that they work so hard for. They focus on great mixes, music, and technical skills to bring the music back to DJing.
