Name: DJ Astronaut
City: Dallas, Texas
Current venues where he’s currently spinning: Multiple places throughout the United States, not one set location.
Style/genre: Open format, but mainly hip-hop, rap, top 40, urban pop.
Social media handles:
Rolling out’s Master DJ series spotlights DJs recognized in their respective cities who are making an impact in their communities. DJ Astronaut has been spinning for a variety of audiences and showing off his turntable skills since 1992. He plays a wide range of musical genres, sampling from top 40 and jazz to hip-hop and house.
A couple of months ago, we experienced DJ Astronaut’s mixes during a special evening recognizing Sisters with Superpowers in Dallas and wanted to know about his out-of-this-world talent on the ones and two.
How did you come up with your DJ name?
I love [outer] space, but I’m also following my childhood dream of becoming an astronaut by studying aerospace engineering at the University of Texas in Arlington to get my Ph.D.
What or who were your early passions and influences?
DJ Jazzy Jeff has always been my main influence [not only] because of his turntable skills but also because he could merge multiple genres together to please a bigger audience. Jazz music is my passion, but I grew up listening to Southern rap, including Outkast, Ghetto Boys, UGK, 8 Ball & MJG, No Limit Records, Cash Money Records, and also Timbaland, 2 Pac, and Pharrell [Williams] of The Neptunes.
What new music are you playing now?
[I am playing] DaBaby, 21 Savage, The Weeknd, French Montana, Yella Beezy, Lil Baby, and Doja Cat.
Name three musicians who you believe changed the world.
[They are] Michael Jackson, Pharrell Williams, Luther Campbell aka Uncle Luke, Luke Skywalker and Luke of 2 Live Crew.
Who is your favorite artist you like to play/mix?
Anything from Pharrell because his beats will be strong and captivating for whatever audience he made it for.
How do you define your style?
I’m very versatile and cater to every type of crowd. I get my energy from them, and even if it’s a small crowd, we party as if we were in the hundreds.
