DJ Alive On Arrival brings his Midwest flavor to every dance floor he performs in front of.
@djayeoaye This mix made come from behind the DJ Booth. #tulsa #party #beatking #fisherrr #dance #fypage #dj #mashup
Based in Tulsa, the DJ plays an array of music and occasionally jumps from behind his booth to dance with the attendees to all types of music, including the Texas jig and Tamia shuffle. Arrival was the official DJ for the Black Venture Summit in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and his sets included everything from 2000s hip-hop to 1990s R&B, a mini-Spanish set, line dances and Midwest jig anthems like Yung Nation’s “Work Work Don’t Stop.”
During his set, Alive spoke to rolling out about his career and tips for aspiring DJs.
How long have you been DJ’ing?
Man, honestly, surprisingly, only for like a year.
I got my DJ equipment on Father’s Day last year, so I’ve been doing it for a year — but every day for a year, every single day for the past year.
Are you based in Tulsa?
I’m based in Tulsa.
I’m from Houston originally … I’ve been here for about a year and a half, so I’ve been turning up Tulsa.
Where do your ideas from mixes come from, like the 90s songs over modern hip-hop instrumentals?
I used to listen to a whole bunch of old school. The oldies stuff of the stereo, like my pops had.
I get my old-school feel from my parents, but I like to mix the old school with the new school. It’s just something I would really want to hear.
I’ve been usually mashing up old school-new school ever since, and I got good at it.
It looks like you take requests while mixing?
Absolutely.
Again, I’m for the people. That’s the thing.
Some DJs don’t like requests. … I like requests personally because I want to make sure if I play something, the person who’s going to request it is going to dance.
I’m definitely all for a request — anything that can keep the vibe going.
I’m playing salsa right now, and I got some more salsa queued up because people are dancing to it. I give the people what they want.
What percentage of your sets are what the people want versus what you want to play?
For me, I’ll probably say like 50-50.
So 50 percent is something I want to hear, but I know the people also want to hear it.
Sometimes, I’ll test some songs and be like, “Alright, this is my jam. Let me see if y’all rocking with it or not.”
So that’s kind of, like, 50-50 for me.
What advice do you have for aspiring DJs?
If you have a dream, about anything — whether it’s DJing, music, rapping, art, or fashion — go for it.
That’s the thing. I’ve always wanted to DJ. It took my wife getting my DJ equipment for Father’s Day to get me going. But once you get the equipment, you have to work every day at it.
If you want to be a DJ, go for it. I’ve been DJing for a year, and I got over 30 gigs this year. Let me go run it up.
Who are you playing in your free time?
Right now, I’m playing a lot of old-school 90s R&B: Aaliyah, TLC, Destiny’s Child.
I’m in my R&B bag because it’s about to be fall. The fall season is coming up, so you have to have your R&B ready.
Are you listening to Coco Jones, Victoria Monét or Laila!?
Honestly, I’m a big fan of Laila! I’m a big fan of her album [Gap Year], which just came out last week. I’ve been jamming it every single day. I love Coco Jones, her and Laila — [they] are bringing some new flavor to R&B.
