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I can distinctly remember when I first fell in love with the turntables and House Music. The year was 1991, I had just graduated from high school and was doing what every 18 year old would do, hang out with friends in search for that perfect party. My road dog Jess and I went over to our friend Arturo Yanez, A.K.A. Artie The One Man Party's house to meet up and go out. We walked through his garage and there, practicing behind the decks, was Arturo’s older brother Paco, spinnin’ records. He was mixing some of that deep, vocal house from back then, I was hooked! My first reaction was to shout “MAKE ME A MIXED TAPE OF THAT!” Well, the tape never came. Finally, after constantly begging, Art pointed at the gear and said, “There are the turntables, that’s the mixer, here are the records, the tape deck is up there, pop in a tape, hit record and mix your own damn tape!” I was up for the challenge and haven’t stopped spinning since. Art and Paco helped me with the basics and I was constantly practicing at their house even when they weren’t there! Mrs. Yanez (God rest her soul) took me in as one of her own, even fed me at times. Soon I was able to beat match and I was on my way. I then needed a DJ name so I turned to my friends for help. Being that I was a lanky, 6 foot 3 inch tall youngster, I was bequeathed the name “DJ Stretch”.
With my friends Carlos and Izzy attending San Diego State University, I was asked to drive down to S.D. and spin at numerous events that they promoted, mainly for "Club Detour". At the time, San Diego was saturated with Hip Hop DJ's and there was a thirst for House Music, especially with an L.A. vibe. I quickly became the House DJ for all of their events and was called on to spin time and time again.
After about 5 years of spinning at backyard house parties and in San Diego events, I finally got a break in 1995 at a local premier night club called Pepper’s in the City of Industry. My buddy Dan was the opener at Pepper’s on Sunday nights called the “Opera House”. After a while of spinning from 8pm to 9pm to an empty dance floor, Dan asked me to fill in for him one night, then another, then another, until finally I was the regular opener. After about 4 months, what was once a huge 21 and over crowd for a Sunday night, was beginning to thin out. The promoters along with the owners decided to open the doors to all 18 and over, and it was an instant hit! Finally all of those who couldn’t wait to become 21 and go to Pepper’s didn’t have to! The energy on the dance floor was amazing; most couldn’t drink so the dance floor was constantly packed! Soon, Tuesday nights became another 18 and over night called “Foreplay” and much to our surprise it was also a great success. With Tuesday’s opening up I got the chance to spin at a better time slot from 10:30 pm to 11:30 pm, soon after the line up became the same for Sunday nights. This also opened the doors for me to spin at other clubs in Los Angeles such as Florentine Gardens in Hollywood and The Stock Exchange in Downtown Los Angeles. I was a resident DJ at Pepper’s for about 4 years until the club closed down in 1999. Making plans to get married in 2000 to my then fiancée Rosie, I decided to take time off from spinning.
Although on hiatus, I would still spin at events when requested to. I was known for my Classic House and Latin House sets and was asked to spin here and there. After almost 5 years away from the clubs, I finally decided to purchase all new equipment and did so in September of 2005. I also went with the latest technology and picked up M-AUDIO TORQ, (sorry Serato fans, TORQ just has way more to offer, loops, samples, effects and much more). With the ability to spin mp3’s using vinyl, I now have the opportunity to branch out to other types of music and have found a liking for other genres such as Hip-Hop, Old School, Reggaeton, Break Beats and so on, but my heart will ALWAYS belong to my first love, House Music.
With the years (and weight) piling on, the name “DJ Stretch” was no longer a good fit for me. I needed a more refined DJ name so I turned to my boy Antonio Arebalo who suggested I just go with my given birth name, so DJ R. Mora it is. With a new DJ name and a “Return” to the decks, I am looking forward to networking with other DJ’s out there and am also looking forward to what the future could bring...