Post by Adam B on Jul 19, 2005 10:10:36 GMT -5
DJ Cue - Cuttin' and Scratchin' From CT To Iraq
by Adam Bernard
When DJ Cue got his first gig spinning records at a family member’s party at the age of 15 he never imagined it would take him all the way around the world. He never imagined he’d be cutting and scratching in front of crowds of over 3,000 in Spain. He never imagined he’d be DJing at a Naval broadcast facility in Iraq entertaining American troops. He never imagined he’d have one of his mixtapes make it all the way to Greenland. But that’s exactly what happened.
At twelve years old it first hit, the passion for the turntables. A neighbor had just bought two of them, and even though he wasn’t cutting or scratching, just the playing of the records intrigued a young DJ Cue. Cue would venture to the neighbor’s house and quickly became acquainted with the instruments. “I was able to really play with them and touch ‘em and feel ‘em and that became an obsession."
His infatuation with the turntables brought Cue to another friend’s house, or more precisely, basement. It was in this basement where Cue taught himself how to cut, scratch and mix records. “I self-taught myself everything that I do,” he explains. Though he’s still unsure of how well his first party went at the age of 15 he jokes that his growing skills did net him something on that day, “they fed me so I guess that was good."
Once high school was completed Cue found himself with few options. “If you don’t go to college you go to the service, it’s one or the other,” he notes, “or you become a drug dealer.” Cue entered the service, but little did he know his six and a half year stint in the Navy would turn out to be just the boost his burgeoning career as a DJ needed. “I lived in Spain for about two and a half years and it was one of the best times in my life,” he reminisces, “you go out there and you get treated like a king, especially if you speak both languages, English and Spanish, you’re in.”
From Spain Cue traveled to Germany, France, Greenland, and even Iraq. It was in Iraq where he used his status as a DJ to really get ahead. “It gave me an opportunity to get out of work sometimes,” he explains, “when I’d get put on shifts I used to trade off with a friend of mine like ‘look, take my shift and I’ll play anything you want.’” The record would get played and Cue would get more time to spend on his passion. The people willing to take his work shifts weren’t the only ones appreciative of his skills, though, Cue is proud to say “even the captain gave me a letter of certificate stating that he thanked me for giving more morale to the ship.”
Once he finished his time with the Navy he returned back home to Connecticut to DJ at some local clubs. Spinning everything from Hip-Hop and R&B to Salsa, Meringue, and even Techno and House, Cue didn’t have much of a problem finding work. In 1990 he also started DJing on WXCI in Danbury. Cue and a another DJ, Billy Busch, had an extended mix show. After his time on WXCI Cue found himself at WVOF in Fairfield on Sunday’s with Marquis from 203 Music Clique. After Marquis left the show Cue got a new timeslot and a new day and in October of 2003 he added Hip-Hop Journalist Adam Bernard (AKA Adam B) to the show.
While DJ Cue may have never expected to DJ all over the world he already see the possibility of his two year old son doing something similar. “I went to Guitar Center the other day and the first thing he did was grab the turntables and started playing with them. It’s probably in his blood, because no matter what he hears he’s jumpin up and down. He’s got music in ‘em.”
After 20+ years of DJing Cue sill loves the vibe he gets when he sees a crowd react to something he plays. “It’s an awesome feeling to watch that crowd jump and roar,” he notes, “interacting with the crowd is a phenomenal thing.”
Whether it’s making a crowd of over 3,000 roar with his self-taught turntable wizardry, or making a radio listener’s ears jump by breaking a new record on his radio show, one thing remains constant, DJ Cue is always ready to rock the house wherever that house may be.
For more information and booking info contact:
DJCue@optonline.net
by Adam Bernard
When DJ Cue got his first gig spinning records at a family member’s party at the age of 15 he never imagined it would take him all the way around the world. He never imagined he’d be cutting and scratching in front of crowds of over 3,000 in Spain. He never imagined he’d be DJing at a Naval broadcast facility in Iraq entertaining American troops. He never imagined he’d have one of his mixtapes make it all the way to Greenland. But that’s exactly what happened.
At twelve years old it first hit, the passion for the turntables. A neighbor had just bought two of them, and even though he wasn’t cutting or scratching, just the playing of the records intrigued a young DJ Cue. Cue would venture to the neighbor’s house and quickly became acquainted with the instruments. “I was able to really play with them and touch ‘em and feel ‘em and that became an obsession."
His infatuation with the turntables brought Cue to another friend’s house, or more precisely, basement. It was in this basement where Cue taught himself how to cut, scratch and mix records. “I self-taught myself everything that I do,” he explains. Though he’s still unsure of how well his first party went at the age of 15 he jokes that his growing skills did net him something on that day, “they fed me so I guess that was good."
Once high school was completed Cue found himself with few options. “If you don’t go to college you go to the service, it’s one or the other,” he notes, “or you become a drug dealer.” Cue entered the service, but little did he know his six and a half year stint in the Navy would turn out to be just the boost his burgeoning career as a DJ needed. “I lived in Spain for about two and a half years and it was one of the best times in my life,” he reminisces, “you go out there and you get treated like a king, especially if you speak both languages, English and Spanish, you’re in.”
From Spain Cue traveled to Germany, France, Greenland, and even Iraq. It was in Iraq where he used his status as a DJ to really get ahead. “It gave me an opportunity to get out of work sometimes,” he explains, “when I’d get put on shifts I used to trade off with a friend of mine like ‘look, take my shift and I’ll play anything you want.’” The record would get played and Cue would get more time to spend on his passion. The people willing to take his work shifts weren’t the only ones appreciative of his skills, though, Cue is proud to say “even the captain gave me a letter of certificate stating that he thanked me for giving more morale to the ship.”
Once he finished his time with the Navy he returned back home to Connecticut to DJ at some local clubs. Spinning everything from Hip-Hop and R&B to Salsa, Meringue, and even Techno and House, Cue didn’t have much of a problem finding work. In 1990 he also started DJing on WXCI in Danbury. Cue and a another DJ, Billy Busch, had an extended mix show. After his time on WXCI Cue found himself at WVOF in Fairfield on Sunday’s with Marquis from 203 Music Clique. After Marquis left the show Cue got a new timeslot and a new day and in October of 2003 he added Hip-Hop Journalist Adam Bernard (AKA Adam B) to the show.
While DJ Cue may have never expected to DJ all over the world he already see the possibility of his two year old son doing something similar. “I went to Guitar Center the other day and the first thing he did was grab the turntables and started playing with them. It’s probably in his blood, because no matter what he hears he’s jumpin up and down. He’s got music in ‘em.”
After 20+ years of DJing Cue sill loves the vibe he gets when he sees a crowd react to something he plays. “It’s an awesome feeling to watch that crowd jump and roar,” he notes, “interacting with the crowd is a phenomenal thing.”
Whether it’s making a crowd of over 3,000 roar with his self-taught turntable wizardry, or making a radio listener’s ears jump by breaking a new record on his radio show, one thing remains constant, DJ Cue is always ready to rock the house wherever that house may be.
For more information and booking info contact:
DJCue@optonline.net