A DJ's Journey

After 25 years behind the decks, I've learned that every DJ has a unique path.I'm DJ Deckard, and I'm launching 'A DJ's Journey' - a podcast that explores the stories behind the music with the legends who shaped our scene. Where every beat tells a story.

A DJ's Journey is a music podcast hosted by Deckard, with 12 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Deckard hosts A DJ's Journey, a music show with 12 episodes published.

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  Episode #22

  DJ History: Donald Glaude on Seattle Rave Culture & 35 Years Behind the Decks | A DJ's Journey

  Aug 5, 20261h 11mS1

  DJ history, first-hand: Donald Glaude on 35 years of Seattle rave culture, from The Underground to the festival era. In Episode 1, DJ Dan told us Glaude handed him the mic and christened him a star. In Episode 22, recorded after Dan's passing, Glaude tells the other half, and how Dan paid it forward into the Funky Tekno Tribe. Beatles records at six. Learning to mix on a Radio Shack mixer. Eight-hour Friday nights at The Underground. The pre-EDM road with Dan, Fatboy Slim and Carl Cox. The Vegas residencies at Drai's and ICE and the deliberate choice to trade EDM paydays for community. It peaks at Joshua Tree, in tears, "I took them to church" and a defiant second act. One of American dance music's most electric showmen, at his most human. The oral history of dance music, told by those who created it. New stories every week in The Crate Letter: adjsjourney.beehiiv.com

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  Episode #21

  DJ Qbert - Turntablism, the Invisibl Skratch Piklz & the Universal Language

  Jul 22, 202655 minS1

  DJ Qbert, the most decorated turntablist in DJ history, joins Deckard on A DJ's Journey. The first US turntablist on the show traces the line from the Excelsior District and the Filipino mobile-DJ crews that built West Coast DJ culture, to back-to-back DMC World titles (and being asked to stop competing), to the Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Wave Twisters, the QFO, and Thud Rumble. Along the way: DJ Muggs' advice about respecting your gift, why he hears scratching as a universal language, and the rule in hip hop that the more you give away, the more comes back. Listen everywhere podcasts are available The Crate Letter: https://adjsjourney.beehiiv.comA DJ's Journey - the oral history of dance music, told by those who created it.00:00 Intro00:45 The Musical Roots of Qbert03:55 The Journey into DJing and Turntablism06:47 The Rise of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz09:29 Innovations in DJ Hardware and Techniques12:44 Wave Twisters: The First Animated Hip-Hop Movie15:38 The Evolution of DJing and Spirituality17:51 Collaborations and New Projects20:57 The Future of DJing and Upcoming Tours29:21 Innovative DJ Tools and Projects31:19 The Evolution of Vinyl and Digital Music33:48 Embracing Technology and AI in Music37:45 Health, Wellness, and Creative Energy43:13 The Universal Language of Music46:35 Learning from Great Musicians50:23 Future Projects and Collaborations#DJHistory #DJQbert #Turntablism #ScratchDJ #InvisiblSkratchPiklz #DJCulture #HipHop #ADJsJourney #DJPodcast #WaveTwisters

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  Episode #20

  Kelly Reverb on the Starck Club, Lone Star Records & Getting Sober (Part 2) | A DJ's Journey Ep. 20

  Jun 26, 20261h 16mS1

  DJ history you haven't heard: Kelly Reverb returns to A DJ's Journey — our first-ever two-time guest — for a deep dive into 1980s and '90s Dallas dance music. From the legendary Starck Club (designed by Philippe Starck, "ground zero" for MDMA before it was criminalized) to Lizard Lounge, the original Hard Rock, and the night Jerry Jones turned up on his dance floor, Kelly maps a scene the history books skip. He tells the DIY origin of the iconic red-white-and-blue Lone Star Records, the hand-stamped "Fuck You We're From Texas" white label, and how his track "Go Get On It" (as Southside Reverb) landed on the soundtrack to Blade. Then the conversation turns: the MP3 crash, the open-format grind, the alcoholism it bred, and five years of sobriety that sparked a creative renaissance with co-writer Chad LeMans. Part 2 picks up where Episode 3 left off. The oral history of dance music, told by those who created it. Subscribe to The Crate Letter at adjsjourney.beehiiv.com. CHAPTERS 00:00 The Dallas Club Scene: A Historical Overview 03:04 The Starck Club and Acid House 05:58 The Rise of DJ Culture in Dallas 09:07 Influences from the UK and Chicago House 12:05 Radio and the Dallas Music Scene 14:59 From DJing to Producing 18:10 Renegade Soundwave and Local Artists 20:56 The Shifting Dallas Scene 27:07 Turning Point: The Aha Moment 28:52 DIY: Starting My Own Label 30:30 Collaborations and Early Productions 33:32 From Idea to Reality: The First Record 35:20 From Local Gigs to Touring 39:32 Reflections on Career Choices 40:43 White Labels and Remixes 42:43 The Music Industry: Challenges and Luck 48:40 The Rise of Lizard Lounge 52:08 The Decline of the Record Business 55:12 Adapting: The Shift in DJing 58:05 The Struggles of the Entertainment Industry 01:01:50 Rediscovering Passion and Creativity 01:05:50 The Journey to Sobriety and Music 01:09:42 The Evolution of Music Promotion 01:13:22 Legacy and Impact of Music 01:17:22 Adapt or Get Off My Lawn

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  Episode #19

  Breakbeat, Funk & the DC Underground: Rusty Belicek of All Good Funk Alliance | A DJ's Journey Ep 19

  Jun 3, 20261h 28mS1

  Rusty Belicek found a Slick Rick tape in an Oklahoma parking lot at age 11 — and it set everything in motion. From DC's 18th Street Lounge to opening for James Brown to building All Good Funk Alliance with Frank Cueto, Rusty tells the inside story of breakbeat's mid-tempo underground. Topics covered: the Star Wars soundtrack as first musical memory, finding forbidden music in a Seventh-day Adventist household, meeting Frank at NOVA, the Funk Weapons label, DC's Go-Go scene, 18th Street Lounge residency, Swing the South production breakdown, opening for James Brown, the wedding DJ sacrifice, Burning Man and Funky Town, scene vs. community, and the hardware store as creative discipline. Listen on all platforms: 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-djs-journey-dj-podcast-dj-history-insights/id1804651291 📧 The Crate Letter: adjsjourney.beehiiv.com 📸 Instagram: @adjsjourneypod Chapters: 0:00:00 Intro 0:01:24 First Musical Memory: Star Wars Soundtrack 0:02:36 Off the Wall, Thriller, and the Sister's Record Collection 0:03:33 Punk Rock, Fugazi, Depeche Mode 0:06:06 The Slick Rick Tape: An Oklahoma Parking Lot Origin Story 0:08:05 Oklahoma to the DC Area via the Air Force 0:09:08 Meeting Frank Cueto at NOVA 0:10:50 The AGFA Sound: Trance-Techno Meets Hip-Hop and Breaks 0:13:22 Maxi Records, Choosing Mid-Tempo Over House 0:16:04 Going Full-Time: Labels, Day Jobs, Economics 0:18:00 The Wedding DJ Pivot: Kids and Sacrifices 0:22:33 18th Street Lounge: No Top 40s, Full Nights 0:24:45 U Street Music Hall: Opening and Closing 0:26:40 Winter Music Conference: First LP Deal 0:28:37 Go-Go: DC's Indigenous Sound 0:30:50 Baltimore Club: BYOB and Mark Farina 0:35:06 Swing the South: The Production Breakdown 0:41:25 How AGFA Changed Deckard's DJ Philosophy 0:47:35 Record Store at 16 and Learning to Beat Match 0:51:03 Burning Man: Funky Town and Early Bassnectar 0:55:55 Opening for James Brown: The Briefcase and The Splits 0:59:30 Ghetto Funk Origins 1:01:10 Whistler: Matthew Alien and Vinyl Richie 1:04:30 Z-Trip, Uneasy Listening, Cut Chemist 1:07:45 Where AGFA Is Now 1:10:00 The Hardware Store Life #breakbeat #AllGoodFunkAlliance #RustyBelicek #DJHistory #FunkMusic #DCMusic #NuFunk #ADJsJourney #DJCulture #DJPodcast

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  Episode #18

  DJ History: Damian Harris on Founding Skint Records, Creating Fatboy Slim & the Big Beat Boutique | A DJ's Journey Ep 18

  May 20, 20261h 32mS1

  DJ History from the architect's chair. Damian Harris founded Skint Records, designed the Fatboy Slim logo, started the Big Beat Boutique, and A&R'd Norman Cook into the biggest DJ on the planet. Now he tells his side of the story. From punk gigs with his brothers in Canterbury to acid house in Brighton, from living with Norman Cook to watching "Santa Cruz" become Skint's first release — Damian traces the full arc. He walks through the A&R instinct that signed the Lo-Fidelity Allstars in two minutes flat, the night he played a Justice remix in his office and said "this is the future," and the moment he walked away from the label he built. This is the companion episode to Ep 17 (Fatboy Slim). Same story, other side of the desk. First label boss on A DJ's Journey. Damian now runs Vicious Charm, his own independent label. 🎧 Subscribe to The Crate Letter: adjsjourney.beehiiv.com 📸 Instagram: @dj.deckard Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Damian Harris and Skint Records 03:42 Musical Beginnings: Punk to Hip Hop 12:19 Art School and Early DJ Experiences 16:53 Brighton: A Musical Hub 17:41 Life with Norman Cook 21:20 The Birth of Big Beat and Skint Records 30:13 A Historical Coincidence: The Birth of Skint Records 31:51 Transitioning to Label Ownership 35:05 The First Releases: Building a Foundation 37:15 Instinct and A&R Decisions: The Early Years 39:32 The Promise of Lo-Fi All-Stars 40:43 The Big Beat Boutique: Origins and Evolution 45:42 The Big Beat Boutique Era: A Cultural Shift 49:26 Balancing Multiple Roles: DJ, Producer, and Label Owner 51:40 The A&R Pipeline: Finding New Talent 54:29 Curating the Big Beat Sound 57:08 The Evolution of Breakbeat: Diverging Paths 01:01:48 The Evolution of Breakbeat and DJ Culture 01:02:42 The Rise of Fatboy Slim 01:05:40 Navigating Success and Pressure 01:08:44 The Shift in Musical Genres and Personal Growth 01:13:11 Challenges in Creating Iconic Albums 01:17:57 The Difficult Decision to Leave Skint Records 01:18:27 Exploring New Ventures and Creative Freedom 01:21:04 Returning to Skint and the Changing Music Landscape 01:26:03 Future Aspirations and the Vision for Vicious Charm #DJHistory #SkintRecords #FatboySlim #BigBeat #BigBeatBoutique #DamianHarris #MidfieldGeneral #Brighton #UKBreakbeat #ADJsJourney #DJCulture #IndependentLabel

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