How long have you been in New York?

I’m 33. I would say 32 of 33 years.

You are a native New Yorker?

I am.

How would you describe your DJ style?

It’s tough to really label my style as one particular thing. I just call it the Commish experience; meaning that whenever you go into a Commish party you may not know what you’re going to hear. I can go in and play a South ‘N the City party, or like this past Tuesday I was playing straight dancehall for most of the night in the Bronx. Did I think that was going to be a straight up reggae party? No clue, but that’s what it happened to be. Those were the people that were there and all they wanted to hear was Vybz Kartel.

So you go with what moves the crowd.

Right. For example, I did the Halloween costume party for Heidi Klum a few weeks back. It was a high end party and apparently there were a lot of celebrities in there. I didn’t see anybody there were so many people. They wanted to hear classics and rock; that’s all they wanted to hear. It just depends on whatever party I’m doing.

You do it all.

I try to.

How do you connect with the masses?

My twitter account @djcommish and my website djcommish.com. Between those two and my radio shows I try to keep as up to date as possible and reach out to people as much as I can. I also put out my mixtapes and random mixes on my Facebook page. You have to keep yourself relevant. In this information age everything is in an instant.

Tell us about your radio shows.

All City Live Radio is Sundays from 3-7pm on WLIUBK.org and iTunes radio. It’s based out of LIU’s Brooklyn campus in downtown Brooklyn and it is a show that’s kind of geared toward up and coming artists. The music format is oddly enough a lot of old school stuff so we bring the old to the new. On All City Live we interview everybody; artists, athletes, movie directors, authors, activists. I want to say that show has been on for about 3.5 years. People listen from all over the world.

The other show that I do is on Urban Latino Radio.com and that is Monday – Thursday from 4-6pm. There I play a lot of new music. It’s basically a new music type show; new hip hop, new r& b, new reggae. I interview artists as well but not as much as All City Live. At Urban Latino Radio I mainly interview up and coming artists. I try to keep the music going on Urban Latino.

I’m also on Music Choice which is a 24 hour music channel on cable TV. I have a couple of shows on there once or twice a day.

Where in the world has DJing taken you?

Djing has taken me as far west as LA and as far south as Miami. Some of my favorite places were Phoenix and Chicago. Those are great places to play. DC was different… Boston. I’ve been to the Caribbean a few times.

Bringing it back to New York City, about what element of nightlife do you have the most savvy?

Nightlife has changed so much I don’t feel like I’m an expert on anything anymore. The quality of events is not as consistent as it used to be. Club owners are suffering because they’re paying outlandish fees. The rents are astronomical, the cabaret licenses are basically unattainable; there are all these fees that they have to pay. Club owners feel like they have to go through the high end clientele – strictly bottle service just to break even or make a profit. And that kind of alienates the typical partygoer. When you’re pushing $500 bottles and being hard to deal with at the door it takes away from the luster of nightlife.

A real partygoer has to follow whoever it is; their favorite promoter, their favorite DJ. They have to follow them because they don’t know where else people are going to be. Finding a residency is hard now. It helps me and my brand because I’m engaged with my fan base.

It’s 10 pm on a Wednesday night and you’re with four friends. Where would you be?

On a Wednesday night in the city there’s always something going on as far as a corporate event or an exclusive industry event. If not that then I probably would end up at a hotel like the Gansevoort. The Gansevoort Park Avenue, I would go there.

What sets the Gansevoort apart from the crowd?

Well during the summer it’s a roof top type setting with a pool, so it’s great atmosphere. Then they have a downstairs level that’s a lounge with a DJ and it’s pretty cool; they play some pretty cool hip hop, celebs roll in there and it’s just a cool environment.

Give us your playlist for partying on a school night; Sunday to Wednesday after work and/or nightlife.

Sunday:

Sunday has a pretty good reggae party at the Belmont Lounge. That’s been going on for about 12 years or so. That’s a pretty good reggae party, if you don’t mind the weed smoke.

Monday:

There are so many Monday night football parties going on right now in New York. Highland Park is pretty good on 34th between 2nd and 3rd .There’s a spot called Bounce I hear that’s pretty good on 21st between 5th and 6th.

Tuesday:

I’m usually doing my spot in the Bronx on Tuesdays, a spot called Oze Tavern on 138th and 3rd Avenue. It’s a $2 Tuesday thing. You can go in there with $20 and be drunk. It’s an interesting party, I actually have a good time with it, and that’s my first time ever doing a regular party in the Bronx.

As far as the city goes there’s always Greenhouse late night. Kiss and Fly has been going on for a few years too, and that’s always a good party. That’s a good time; mixed crowd, fun.

Wednesday:

As far as Wednesdays are concerned, yeah I would say Gansevoort, and maybe Tenjune.

Can you also share a playlist for a weekend Hip Hop/Top 40 club experience?

Friday night hip hop spot would be Providence. Katra Fridays and Saturdays is pretty decent. Dream Hotel is pretty decent Fridays and Saturdays. Grace Hotel is pretty decent Fridays and Saturdays. Taj is pretty decent on a Friday night.

Eventi Hotel’s Bar Basque is pretty decent on Fridays and Saturdays too. Mixed crowd, top 40 stuff. It’s pretty good.

Finally, tell us about any upcoming DJ Commish appearances.

I have a lot of private events. Dec 10th Diva Soho, South ‘N the City will return next month, and an anniversary appreciation party Dec 27th. I’m working on the venue now.