How has DJ AM influenced you as a DJ?

man, theres so much to be said!

As the next generation and experiencing a couple of renaissances of DJ-ing, I think the biggest thing I took from adam early on was music IQ & the power of just looking and searching and listening to anything.

when I first discovered him, I was 15. experiencing a huge boom of content. with daft punk out the way and project x, jesse marco, and electro really now in a polished beginning of a commercial state, myspace era was finishing up and facebook was really picking up.

music was limited, but I always craved learning as much music as possible and just connect with as much music that actually speaks to you as possible. we all just have those records that like pushes us as listeners you know? some of them were daft punk. some of the were a tribe called quest. some were in between. I love that I could play different genres and just mix things that everyone could feel, no matter the artist, genre, year. I felt so free as a DJ that my creativity exploded. I wasa huge rock nut, leading into high school and researching seattle grunge, and 80s hair rock, and 70s classic rock, and stuff that I knew people my age were affected by, but weren't really listening to. they were listening to Nicky Da B & Dip. good fridays, and early 2010 blog stuff.

Music IQ always gave me an edge when I was visiting and listening to the bigger DJs in my city too, during the early times, 10 years ago. I knew that if I listened to the songs, did the digging, did the homework, I knew that music and DJing could get me to anyone or anywhere I set my mind to.

now, with some much access to things and having the ability to create things, its never goes away and has actually gotten even more gross how much I'm digging. (whosampled.com hahaha)

but yeah, that crate digging mentality never goes away even when I'm on the pools, on soundcloud finding 15 year olds flipping dilla samples . or just finding an original sample to a song I've listened to for years and years.

I have Adam to thank for that.

I never close my mind to new music. no matter how old or young it is or what age I'm at. we can really tell some really really good stories with the tables & emotionally experience others in unique ways. its start with good ingredients and great creativity that pushes the people, we have the privilege to help with our service to the craft, the people, & each other. that what its about to me and I teach my other homies while we're making DJ edits & remixes on ableton and watching our friends from college, dj giant stuff like electric forest and edc, with all original music. we gotta stay wide eyed & fiening for dope ingredients.

long live the legend.

- a young man from the next generation he was trying to help, Tre Smith.

In 2007 I went to PURE nightclub in Vegas and it was the first real club I had been in. I remember walking in the main room and hearing music being played like I had never heard before. I’m from a small town and that style was never played where I live. I remember being amazed and looking up in the booth and seeing DJ AM on the laptop. I had heard of him a little on TV but never heard him DJ. The whole night went by and that is when I knew that is what I wanted to do. We closed the club and several security guards were walking toward our table and I saw AM in the front of them. I wanted to stop him and tell him how amazing his set was and I thought, it’s 4 AM and he is probably tired. He walked right past our table and gave me a head nod and as much as I wanted to say hi, I was glad I didn’t bother him. After we flew home I bought my first set of turntables and started learning how to DJ. I don’t want this to run on so I will post more later. djamlives

For me, DJ AM stood for being able to do you. We come from a time where you were labeled by your genre. The "Hip-Hop" DJ or the "Flashbacks" DJ or the "Deep House" DJ. DJ AM, along with guys such as Z-Trip, helped blur the lines and genres together. His style on the turntables made me more comfortable to be able to break the typical mainstream music format and just go for broke. To this day!!

I saw one video of DJ AM, and it changed my life. I had just started djing towards the end of high school. And was playing parties in college and had no idea what I was doing. I stumbled across this new thing called Serato, and this video of DJ AM and relative mode where he is scratching Montell Jordan - This Is How We Do it into The Game - How We Do and I was blown away. And that moment I saved all my money to buy Serato. Because of AM & Deckstar the venue I played at booked him and other Deckstar djs. If it wasn’t for that I think a lot of my influence as a dj today wouldn’t be the same. Also my dj career opertunities wouldn’t be the same without that. And still 10 years later I am still fortunate to have that Residency, and others. And have met and played with djs from all over. I have never felt more connected to someone I have never met than I do with him. He will always influence me as a dj, and still does every time I go back, watch and listen. #DJAMFOREVER

He influenced me to be more open to different types of music and to take risk playing different records and too experiment with music endlessly.

Man....hes basically the main reason I became a dj....before i started my brother sent me a link to a video of AM debuting at Palms Las Vegas...I was blown away by his music selection and his transitions n just everything! After that I was hooked I would watch any video of him on youtube and at the sametime practice trying to be just like him....to this day he is still the reason I practice to be a better dj but also to be a great human being like he was

How hasn’t he? That’s more of the question..unfortunately I never got to meet him or even see him play live, but that didn’t stop me from being influenced and inspired by him. His style was like nothing I had ever heard, the idea of blending great tracks from various genres was mind blowing to me!

i came up in the private even scene, doing mostly high end weddings and private parties, and for years, it was always you do a 70s set, then a 80s set then a hip hop, or whatever. The idea that you could NOT be locked into that Really opened me up and I was able to really start getting much more creative with my “sets” and i started have a lot more fun behind the decks

Make no mistake this ALL was because of AMs open format style.

I went on a deep dive of his stuff on YouTube, or soundcloud or wherever I could Get my hands on it, and i would listen and watch (often in awe! Shocked at what I was hearing and seeing!) and it just made me wanna get better and better.

to this day, I still listen to his mixes, and often watch some YouTube clips to get myself hyped up before an event!

He is surely missed