Today we’d like to introduce you to DJ Ninja Noize.
DJ Ninja, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’ve always been into music since I was a kid. I would play with my mom’s vinyl records, or break them. I didn’t know what they were at the time and thought they were frisbees. Anyway, I used to always record songs from the radio with a boombox and make my own compilations. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I was collecting music at a very young age. I was probably in 5th grade at that time.
I got into flute when I was in the middle school band, of course, all the kids made fun of me because I was one of two male flute players and first chair at the time. I dabbled around with the guitar, piano, and drums as well but they never really stuck to me.
One day my best friend at the time, Raniel Sta Ana (DJ Steez now), asked me if I knew what DJing was, specifically scratch DJing? I had no idea, so at the time, he emailed me a small video and we looked it up on AOL. He told me about DJ Single, Krackernuttz, and other well-known DJs at the time (the year 2000). I saw them scratch, and I was like, “Wow! I want to do that too!” So we both got into at the same time.
I got my first pair of turntables when I was 14 years old. I convinced my aunt to buy the Gemini Mix Master starter kit for me. They were a cheap set of belt driven turntables and 2 channel mixer with only gain adjustments and no hamster switch. But who cares, it was better than nothing!
I was so excited to try it out, start scratching, and then I got a rude awakening. It was a lot harder than I thought. I thought I could just put on any vinyl record, move it back and forth, and it would make that iconic scratch sound that most people know of. I was so wrong. And no joke, the fader on the mixer started bleeding just 2 weeks after practicing.
Here’s another obstacle, I didn’t know that buying vinyl records to add to my music collection would become so expensive. I started to hustle in high school, I would save my weekly allowance and not eat lunch at school. If I got hungry I asked the other students to let me have their leftovers. It got to the point where they would make vulture sounds every time I walked by the table (they called me “The Scavenger”), but they still let me have their food, and I’m really thankful for that. I used to download music off of Napster, make albums, burn CDs, and then sell them to the other students. I didn’t know that was illegal at the time, but that’s what I did to make money to buy music and better equipment.
At the time, I had no YouTube to teach me, but we did find some VHS videos of DMC battles at Mars Music and Guitar Center, and that’s where I found out about DJ Qbert and Mix Master Mike. I watched those videos over and over and tried to emulate their movements. It was so hard, I felt like I was going to get carpal tunnel syndrome from practicing and I even almost gave up because I was not getting the results I wanted even after three months. And that’s just scratching.
Some of my friends found out I started DJing, so they asked me to DJ their birthday party. I was excited because this was going to be my first time playing out. It actually turned out to be one of my worst nights ever. I could see the faces of my friends cringe as I was train-wrecking on every mix. Why was I train-wrecking? Because I didn’t know how to mix! I only knew how to scratch. That’s when I found out, I needed to learn how to match the tempos of every song. I almost gave up that night too. I will always remember one of the guys at the party coming up to me, “Hey Chris, don’t quit your day job…. I don’t think you’re cut out for this.” Man, I was pissed… I wanted to give up but at the same time, I wanted to prove everyone wrong.
I’ll try to be brief from this point. I practiced my ass off every day after school while I was in High School. I didn’t have a mentor and I was self-taught so it took me a long time to get my skills to where they are now from trial and error. I still wasn’t that good yet, but eventually, I was getting hired to DJ some school dances, ROTC formals, band gatherings, and small parties. I was throwing my own parties and marketing myself as a DJ.
After High School in 2004, I enlisted in the US Marine Corps, and I put the DJ life on hold, but not for long. I got stationed in Japan and about 2 years in I was really missing DJing. Since I was making my own money now, I was able to buy some Technics and a Rane mixer while I was overseas. I networked with the locals and started DJing every weekend during my days off.
I got deployed to Iraq in 2007 and then when I got back, I hosted a huge event in Downtown, Houston at Bar Live to celebrate. That day was the day that I realized I had a breakthrough with my DJing skills. Not only I am able to DJ, I realized I developed another skill with event planning and networking. So I was able to lock in some connections with other DJs before I went back to Japan.
I continued my service overseas and DJed part-time until 2009, and that’s when I returned to Houston. I had a hard time transitioning, and I didn’t realize how hard it was going to be for me to adapt to civilian life. I started DJing again in Downtown, Houston with DJ Mark Q, however, I started having some issues with my mental health. I went to the doctor to see what’s wrong and they diagnosed me with PTSD. I was having anxiety attacks, rage episodes, depressive episodes, etc. Some of the promoters and other DJs started calling me Crazy Chris, and my DJ name at the time was Crisis, so that didn’t really help. Anyway’s I pushed through DJing at places like Blu Riches, Taisho, Cain, F-Club, Orange Lounge, Bar Bleu, E-Club, and most of the places I used to DJ at are already closed down because that’s just how the industry is. Clubs/bars/lounges open and close on a regular basis. I kept DJing until I couldn’t take it anymore. My mental health started to suffer a lot, so I decided to take a break and get some help.
I had to take a step back for a few years and let myself heal. I went to see Psychiatrists, Psychologists, attend therapy sessions at the VA hospital, Yoga, learned meditation, attending Tony Robbins’s conventions, etc. I was doing anything and everything to get myself back to normal.
During that time, I dedicate some time to teach new people on how to DJ since I wasn’t able to find a teacher when I was a kid, so I’m open to teaching anyone who asks, my only requirement is that they buy two turntables and a mixer so I know they are committed to learning. I’ve seen a lot of people give up over my 18 years of DJing, and I found that people who acquire their own equipment by any means necessary have a lesser chance of quitting.
Fast forward to 2019, I am rebuilding my network and getting booked for gigs again. I am also hosting my own event on August 16 this year as a “Kick-Off” to let everyone know I’m getting back in the game. It’s going to be hard, but I’ll be back on regular rotation slowly but surely.
I went back to school, studied at the Art Institute of Houston, and graduated with a BS in Audio Production. I got into Audio Engineering, Live Sound, Sound Design, and Music Production. Then I interned at AMR Studios and AF productions, and now I am working on producing my own music and getting back into the Houston scene.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a rough journey overall, and the biggest challenge is to stay persistent. There are a lot of times where I feel like giving up, but I just keep going because I love it. At one point I thought I would never become a DJ, but I kept practicing every day. I found that perfect practice makes perfect and staying consistent is the key to success. Also, I had specific goals that I wanted to achieve, and by being laser-focused and taking massive action, I was able to overcome all the obstacles in my way.
DJ Ninja Noize – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I have a passion for music and the science of sound. I love Turntablism, scratching, and Hip Hop as well as electronic dance music. I am also a Sound Engineer so I can also provide other services I provide are Audio Recording, Mixing, Mastering, Sound Design, and Audio Restoration.
With my team, we service weddings, corporate events, birthday parties and more. We have some of the best quality equipment and lighting. Everyone I work with, including myself, have over 15 years of DJing experience, so we definitely can rock the party anyway y’all like.
What sets me apart? I like to incorporate Kung Fu and Martial Arts in my online content. Also, with my knowledge as a sound engineer, I always make sure the best quality sound comes out of the speakers. My expertise also makes it easier to communicated and work as a team with the sound team on deck at any live venue.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment of my career is teaching other DJs and watching them succeed. I love to help out as much as I can and contribute to the evolution of our craft. Other moments are DJing for events like Hot Import Nights, and traveling overseas in the Philippines and Japan, and every time I watch the crowd jump and go crazy. I love that I can help people escape their everyday life with just a few hours on the dancefloor. Finally, meeting and making friends with outstanding people in this venture has been a huge blessing.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.djninjanoize.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/djninjanoize
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/djninjanoize
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/djninjanoize
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
