Dante’s Enferno has established himself as one of the Twin Cities’ most electrifying DJs, bringing an unprecedented blend of technical mastery and crowd-commanding charisma to venues nationwide. Now touring nationally with the “‘We Them Ones” comedy tour, Dante has expanded his reach beyond traditional DJ sets. He recently spoke with rolling out while on tour.
How has Minneapolis’s rich musical heritage influenced your approach to DJing?
Minnesota is a melting pot of people, and I’m not just talking about white and Black […]. So, it helped me mold my sound to adapt to any room, whether EDM, house, Afrobeats, reggae tone, hip-hop or R&B. Prince came into Karma nightclub in the early 2000s one night while I was DJing. He gave me the thumbs up, which I felt he was telling me I was doing a good job.
How do you maintain energy throughout your sets while reading the crowd?
I feed off the crowd when I DJ. Once I [feel] out the crowd, you can sense the genres or the type of era of music or the kind of rap or the type of R&B that they vibe to. […] I start with clean R&B, hip-hop and smooth music that gives people the time to come in the door, mingle, network, have a few shots and drink. By primetime, you hear all the high-energy dance music and sing-along songs.
How have you adapted to digital technology and streaming?
I have an external hard drive, so I can access 400,000+ songs at any given time. With digital streaming and the internet, you have access to way more music now. The technology of the equipment and the things that we can do now have definitely enhanced my skill set […].
What’s been key to maintaining versatility in your sets?
Networking, friendships and business partnerships throughout the years. Staying up to date with music and what people are listening to.
What was your most memorable performance?
We had a concert with Travis Porter in 2011 or 2012 at Karma Nightclub. The song ‘Make It Rain’ had just come out, but no one really knew who they were. A blizzard happened in February on the same day as the concert, so we thought no one would come out. Travis Porter brought girls on the stage to dance, and there was a white girl demanding to be on the stage, so I let her on. She did a cartwheel handstand into the splits and dropped into the splits. Money begins to rain down from the top floor.
How do you balance career demands while staying innovative?
I go to the gym almost every day and do not drink. I have also DJ’d four or five nights a week, every single week, for 15 years while doing my day job and raising kids. Working out, staying healthy and eating healthy are important.
