School Is Now in Session: The DJ School Champions Dallas’ Next Generation of DJs

Julio Rivera was 19 years old when he first felt the electricity.

It was 1999, and he was in the Camuy River caves in Puerto Rico. Drum and bass music vibrated off the walls. Las Cuevas De Camuy, a rave held inside the national park, was underway. Lady Miss Kier, former member of the disbanded dance music group Deee-Lite, was behind the deck. She entranced Rivera.

Then, British jungle and drum and bass DJ Jumpin Jack Frost took the stage.

With each electrifying beat Jumpin Jack Frost spun, Rivera’s heart rate rose. The fast breaks and heavy bass sped his racing heart up to 180 beats per minute. As his heart rate soared, visions of himself behind the deck flashed before his eyes. Jumpin Jack Frost unknowingly inspired Rivera’s journey to becoming Dallas’ Shaman of Universal Language, aka DJ S.O.U.L.Jah.

“The combination of those two performances and the amazing backdrop of rainforests and a cave, I really couldn't have wished for a better beginning of this journey,” Rivera says.

After relocating to Dallas in 2001, Rivera walked into Brook Mays Music Co. and came face to face with salesman and scratch master DJ Ivan G. That day, DJ Ivan G sold Rivera $3,000 worth of DJ equipment including a Pioneer DJ DJM-600 Pro DJ Mixer. That night, Ivan G spent eight hours teaching Rivera how to use it all.

Eighteen years later, Rivera visited Pro Rehearsal Studios. Gilbert Najera, known artistically as DJ Titan, had built a DJ studio intended for streaming. The studio was equipped with 10 DJ setups, including five Technics turntables and five Pioneer turntables. As the two beheld the room, a light bulb came on.

“Why don't we start a DJ school?” Rivera asked Najera.
By Feb. 15, 2019, Rivera and Najera began teaching the inaugural class of The DJ School. (The school recently learned that Pro Rehearsal Studios will be closing at the end of July and is looking to relocate “ASAP.”)

“It's kind of a full circle of 23 years of hard work and tears and everything in between,” Rivera says.

The DJ School is a one-stop shop for DJ knowledge and equipment. It offers an introductory six-week DJ course titled DJ School 101. A secondary course, DJ School 102, builds on the primary course’s foundation. Private lessons are available, and the school functions as a retailer for all the equipment necessary to practice the artform.

“The DJ School is my life's work summed up into a room,” Najera says.

In a span of two decades, Rivera and Najera have each accumulated accolades.

Rivera has performed alongside artists Erykah Badu, Too $hort, Rita Ora, The Temptations and more. On June 10, he opened for Duran Duran at American Airlines Center. He has been recognized by the Observer, D Magazine and Modern Luxury Dallas for his artistry. His footprint is all over Dallas.

“You name a club, and I've either held a residency there, thrown a party there or just DJed there,” he says.

Najera’s career has taken him from Dallas to Los Angeles, New York, Denver, Miami and Cancun. The internationally known DJ’s story is rooted in Dallas history. Najera held a 15-year residency at the now defunct Lizard Lounge. The former nightclub was lauded by the Observer in 2020 as a “rite of passage for anyone in DFW who could claim to have some form of edge,” and became a tastemaker for goth and electronic and dance music. Najera was a cornerstone for more than half of the DJ-driven nightclub’s life span.

“Titan is one of the best DJs in the United States, and 100% the best drum and bass DJ in the United States, hands down,” Rivera says. “There's a reason why he still gets booked to open for every drum and bass party here in Dallas.”

Rivera, who transitioned from a drum and bass DJ to an open-format DJ, says many students at The DJ School aspire to be house, techno and electronic music DJs.

“Dallas is a huge house music city in the world, not in Texas, not in the United States, but in the world, and it's simply because of the club It'll Do,” he says.

The 21-and-up club is a Dallas anchor that prides itself on selectivity and hosting the best of the best electronic dance music DJs. The club has become an epicenter for aspiring house DJs. Rivera and Najera are turning those aspirations into reality.

The school’s curriculum is founded on the DJs’ experiences working in Dallas. It's 20-plus years of gigs and hard work compressed into a six-week course. The DJs pour from their wells of wisdom and experience to create a well-rounded academy.

The DJ School, in Room 15 of Pro Rehearsal Studios, has velvet black walls. Three decks valued at well over $10,000 sit on a center island. The components’ names and descriptions read like something found in the cockpit of a modern jet fighter: two Technics Quartz SL-1200MK2 vinyl turntables with a Pioneer DJM250MK2 two-channel mixer, a Pioneer DJ XDJ-RX3 two-channel all-in-one DJ controller performance system, two Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 professional media players and a Pioneer DJ DJM-A9 DJ Mixer.

“To learn from The DJ School, you have to get through the fundamentals,” Najera says.

Within five minutes of the first class, students are placing vinyl on the Technics turntables. The instructors teach the fundamentals of precision, including hand placement.

Najera lights up with enthusiasm as students learn the definitions of a bar, four beats and phrase. They eagerly listen for the rhythm as they tap their fingers and bob their heads.

A quarter of the way into the first class, students are using Chris Karns' “Visual Vinyl Volume 2” for beat juggling, switching between two decks. The goal is to cue the song using baby scratches on the first deck, then switching the crossfader to transition to the second deck and letting the song play at the same time. The audience shouldn’t hear the switch.

By the end of the first class, students can cue a song, make a baby scratch, beat juggle and participate in a call and response, where one student performs a series of baby scratches and another student mimics it.

Tokens of wisdom such as how to properly wear headphones, the purpose of the headphones, how to listen to a room, what different song edits mean and their purpose and different DJ subcultures are sprinkled throughout the lesson.

In the following sessions, students learn about RekordBox DJ software, where to find music and how to properly obtain it. As the course advances, students learn how to blend music “on the one,” fade and mix music.
Joel Salazar, Dallas DJ Leo J, says a rise in technology has pushed aspiring DJs to forgo formal training. In the 10 years he has been a DJ, technology has advanced greatly. Now, Rekordbox and DJ software brand Serato have mobile DJ apps on the market. Users can learn the basics of DJing through these apps, but he says an app is no replacement for the mentorship and opportunity a seasoned professional provides.

“There is no replication for 20 years on the job,” Salazar says.

Dallas’ culture is DJ-driven. The demand for DJs goes beyond nightlife. Bars, restaurants and retail spaces are increasingly opting to have DJs on site

The DJ School is one of many options that helps meet demand. In Dallas, Jay Clipp’s Keep Spinning Academy offers 10 DJ classes, including a master class with DJ Spinderella. Clipp opened Spin the Spectrum, an inclusive DJ academy for neuro-divergent individuals, with speech and language pathologist Courtney Willis in 2022. DJ Dan Quinn runs OontzKids DJ Academy for children, and Ivan G offers free DJ workshops for children through Legends DJ Factory.

“DJs could come in, without going to school, there's plenty of DJs that do that,” Salazar says. “But at the same time, the more you are out there, the more you put yourself out there and network with other DJs and like-minded people, that's how opportunities create themselves.”

Enrolling at The DJ School streamlines students into a community. Each class has its own group chat where students can lean on one another. There, they reach out to instructors and their peers with questions, advice and recommendations. “Julio and Gilbert have created a wonderful community,” says Mia Mecham, manager and mother of The DJ School alumni DJ Twig. “The DJ School alumni help support each other, from sharing tips to passing along gigs to loaning each other equipment; there's a strong camaraderie.”

Najera and Rivera’s school has graduated over 100 students, ranging in age from 8 to 61. Mecham’s son, Asher Mecham, is the youngest.

“We're really lucky to have him, really lucky,” Najera says. “We've learned a lot about teaching with him.”

Asher has grown up before Najera and Rivera’s eyes. He has taken DJ School 101 and over 20 private lessons with Najera. Now, he is an incoming high-school freshman with a DJ business and over 50 gigs under his belt.

Mecham says her son has been able to learn valuable life skills through DJing such as time management, relationship skills, financial literacy and balance.

Many of the school’s referrals come from word of mouth. Alumna Sarah Hacks, DJ Será, recommended the school to fitness instructor Antoine Howard.

For Howard, the DJ school provides the best of both worlds. Rivera is business-oriented. Najera homes in on the technical.
“S.O.U.L.jah understands the business side of it, and how it plays with the craft. Titan is more of a technical guy. He's extremely technical. He's the board,” Howard says. “The way that they align is perfect.”

He says Najera provides students with skills that transform a set into an experience that can be applied to current audience tastes and culture.

Najera and Rivera continue to practice their craft. Their methodology is both lived-in and fresh.

“They're living what they are teaching,” Howard says.

The school teaches aspects of DJing that are often overlooked. Behind the production, theatrics, electricity and adrenaline of DJing is logistics. Once the lights turn on and the sun rises, DJs are accountable for their marketing, management, finances, engagement and networking.

The last two-hour instructional session of DJ School 10 is strictly business.

“I don't mess around when it comes to the business side of DJing,” Rivera says. It’s his favorite class to teach and one he takes pride in.

The founders teach pupils “how to make money out of their ideas.” They instruct students on filing as a business, opening business accounts and securing a website domain.

The seasoned DJs educate students on pathways they can follow in DJing such as taking on club gigs, private events and corporate events. Howard, a professional fitness instructor, plans to use his newly acquired skill set in his career.

“Music is an extremely valuable part of the energy and intention of a [fitness] class,” the fitness instructor says. “If fitness is my life and I love music, then why not be in charge of it?”

The school’s alumni roster includes Casie Farrell, who graced the Observer’s December 2021 cover alongside Rivera’s protégé DJ Luv Ssik. Other former students include Lady Vanity Roux, Nick Stracener, DJ Honey T and DJ RomiQ.

While there are no industry-wide set rates for DJing, students can learn what rates are fair through their mentor’s experience. They are able to lean on their instructors to navigate compensation.

DJ Bri-Z proclaims herself as a “product of the best.” She graduated from The DJ School in 2021. By day she's a developer and at night she's behind the deck at Dallas hot spots. She holds a residency at Komodo and has DJed at Canvas, Candleroom, Curfew and Hero. She estimates that she makes from $1,000 to $2,000 monthly from DJing.

The instructor duo prepare students for the good, bad and ugly that comes with the profession.

“It’s a toxic industry, I'm not going to lie,” Rivera says. “It's been tough at times to keep a level head in this industry because there's so many different aspects coming at us that are so toxic, from the hours, to the environment, to the people and just the temptation of all these libations.”

The instructors instill the discipline and awareness necessary for a successful DJ career.

After students complete the six-week course, they are given two weeks to prepare for graduation. To graduate, students must perform a 30-minute set in front of an audience at a public venue. Each student is allotted lab time for a one-on-one with one or both of the instructors during that preparation period.

“The nerves drop drastically when you see that there's so many resources readily available to help you succeed,” Howard says.

Labs are the school’s “secret weapon.” Najera says they are true light-bulb moments and he insists that they happen. Howard entered his lab with Najera ready to forfeit the graduation performance. He left equipped for the challenge.

“The way he reaffirmed me was perfect. I love that,” he says. “I love how he guided me along that scale of confidence.”
For 2023, The DJ School has partnered with Green Light Social for graduation. The instructors see the event as not just a milestone but as a springboard for careers.

“These graduations are auditions,” Rivera says.

Sarah Elledge graduated in July 2019 as part of the third class of The DJ School. Elledge is an accountant and looked the part, but under the glow of the chandeliers at swanky club Candleroom, the venue for her graduation, she took on the moniker DJ Slay.
The accountant wearing plastic-rimmed cat-eye glasses took the stage and plugged in. Then she unleashed a hard trap set that blew Rivera away.

“She taught me to never judge a book by its cover,” he says.

Elledge's set included “Throw Some D’s” by Rich Boy, “Big Titties” by Rico Nasty and “Twerk” by City Girls. She closed the set with “Chase the Money” by E-40 and Quavo.

“Man, when she did her set, her energy behind the deck was infectious — ahhhh — amazing, amazing performance,” Rivera says.

Candleroom management thought so too. She was booked to return on the spot.

Elledge regards her graduation as a core memory.

“[At graduation] there is nothing but love and support,” Elledge says. “It really is a spiritual experience for all of our graduates. Few nights in my life compare to graduation. It's up there with [my] wedding.”

Elledge now manages The DJ School. She works alongside the DJ duo to provide a fruitful experience for students.

The school graduated its 22nd class on June 11. The graduates performed their first public set at Green Light Social.

Students took the stage of the Vegas-style, high-energy club. Howard performed as DJ Eaaz in front of a massive 50-by-30-foot screen displaying his logo as family, friends and his fitness circle took over the dance floor. Lights beamed, illuminating dancers as Howard christened his DJ career with a trap set. The audience was euphoric.

“He had the set of the night,” Najera says. Green Light Social management immediately showed interest in inviting Howard back.

Graduations are open to the public. Family, friends and Dallasites are encouraged to attend. Rivera says it is much like a kindergarten graduation: everyone is proud and encouraging.

“In the next five years, I guarantee that The DJ School alumni will be the majority of the resident DJs in Dallas, mark my words,” Rivera says.