About Me
THIS IS MY MUSIC PAGE - FOR MY PERSONAL PAGE, PLEASE GO TO:www.myspace.com/djgantjohnsonThank you for your interest in me and my work! I may reveal my age by doing this, but believe it or not I have been DJ'ing since 1984. I am originally from Chicago and was unexpectedly thrust into DJ'ing through making mixtapes for break-dancing "battles" that me and my friends were getting into at the time. My friends and I were merely making these mixtapes in my bedroom on equipment hardly suitable for DJ'ing. In Chicago at that time, there were several incredible mixshows being featured on the radio from black radio stations in Chicago like WBMX and WGCI and on local college stations like WNUR or WKKC which we recorded, bought the records played, and tried to emulate the mixes. There was also a short-lived, often ridiculed disco station called WDAI that I secretly enjoyed. I actually still have all of those mixtapes!!!We traditionally wore the RUN DMC style Adidas complete with fat laces or Nikes with other intricate shoelace weaving techniques and often donned our color-coordinated nylon track suits. We then took the music around on our beloved boomboxes and practiced moves in my friend's basement or sometimes rollerskated or skateboarded in front of a local church.After finishing high school, I put away the break-dancing gear and ended up attending college at The University of Wisconsin - Madison, double majoring in Afro-American Studies and Communication Arts. Another DJ friend of mine, his little brother and I ran a very busy mobile DJ business on campus for most of my time there, catering to many black and white fraternities and sororities as well as many other local clients. We also were collecting and trading mixtapes from NYC, giving us a window into other styles of mixing and music not always present in our tapes from Chicago. There weren't too many real nightclub DJ opportunites there or back in Chicago, so when I graduated in 1991 I immediately came to NYC to further pursue my DJ career. Since then I have been continuously honing my skills and NYC's multicultural mix has broadened my musical horizons.From 1999 - 2004 I co-founded and ran a small independent dance music label called CAPTIVATING RECORDS along with DJ Will (Automagic). We managed to put out five 12" single vinyl releases during a very difficult time for everyone in the music industry. We were the executive producers for each project, giving us the creative freedom to license and release our own original songs and tracks, material from other artists, as well as our own remixes of those singles.My main passion, goal, and focus has always been within music and DJ'ing and it is very clear to me that DJ'ing is a gift that I have been blessed with. And even after all these years, I still enjoy sharing and celebrating this ability and music with those who want to listen. This journey has taken me through several clubs, bars, lounges, and even restaurants in NYC and beyond!As a veteran DJ, I feel obligated to mention that there are a lot of people out there claiming to be DJs these days but very few of them possess the dedication, mixing skills, experience level, and the musical or technical knowledge to truly consider it their profession. It takes a lot more than a laptop with a few music downloads, a CD wallet, or two i-pods to make an event or party happen successfully as a DJ.The tracks I have posted on this page are a few examples of my work that I have produced by collaborating with others. If you want to hear more, just let me know!MUSICALLY YOURS, GANT
