24 year-old, Cuban born DJ Chino has been making his rounds as of late. Keeping his name familiar in the South Florida nightlife scene while still expanding his brand day-by-day. Chino is part of DJ Irie’s coveted Artist Related group of DJ’s. And he’s also representing Team Pitbull and has been down with the Pitbull camp for years. With humble beginnings, Chino started DJing small get-togethers and such, but then graduated to Metropolis in Downtown Miami (at 17 years old at that). Which from there, fast forward a few years and he is now DJing almost a different venue every single night of the week. He’s been able to take what was once a hobby, and turn into his full fledged career. We caught up with DJ Chino to see what he’s been up to and what he’s got planned for the future. Read below…
The305: How did you link up with the Team Pitbull movement?
I got involved in the whole Pitbull movement when I was about 18 years old while I was working at Metropolis. Pitbull, at this point in time, only had one album out, M.I.A.M.I. and was going through some ups and downs in his career. I introduced myself to his manager Mike Calderon, telling him I was a huge fan of Pit’s and how I always showed him love, playing his records and all that. Mike saw that I was focused and grinded hard, so he put me down to DJ a few of Pitbull’s birthday parties and a couple of album release parties. This is when I actually met Pitbull for the first time. We clicked instantly as well. He has a great personality and is a hard worker, so I guess he saw the same in me. I believe in his movement and supported him as he went through the up’s and down’s with his former label which made our relationship grow stronger. My role in the team today is more then just business, we are great friends. We can even say like the Cubans do “somos hermanos”. We are definitely more like family. I am also his official DJ. And the story continues…stay tuned!
The305: Fill in the blank: “To be successful as a DJ, you need to ________________.”
Stay humble, work hard, grind harder, be professional, not fuck people over, be a good person, network, have personality, read your crowd and adapt to it, and make sure your audience is having an unforgettable night.
The305: What was the moment that you knew that you’d be DJing full time?
I always had my job aside from DJing or as my parents would say, “my real job”. Until about 2 years ago, I was really getting a bunch of bookings and it was getting hard for me to balance my 12 hour shifts at work and my long nights out rocking clubs. So that’s when I made the decision to become a full time DJ. I gave up my job of about 4 years and took a risk. Like Pit says, “scared money don’t make no money”. I wasn’t scared though. I knew that with all the hard work I was putting in on my DJing and my studio work, I would be just fine. Here I am, 2 years later…a full time DJ and i couldn’t be happier. And I think this is just the beginning for me.
The305: What’s your favorite thing you love about Miami?
You already know Miami is the “Magic City”. I love Miami because of the culture, the food, beaches, weather etc. But my favorite thing is the women!! Owwww they’re serious!! [Laughs]
The305: Most memorable memory through all of your DJing experiences?
I think the most memorable one was in Miami working at Phillipe Chow on South Beach on a Thursday night. I was just about done [for the night] when Pitbull and Jamie Foxx showed up. There were about 20 people left inside, but we rocked out until 4 in the morning playing nothing but Team Pitbull classics like Trick Daddy “Can’t Fuck With The South”, Juvenile “400 Degrees”, and a bunch of Uncle Luke and Uncle Al. And of course I had to give it a Spanish flavor, so I threw down some crazy salsa. It felt like I was playing for thousands of people with the amount of energy there was. It was awesome. Good Times.
The305: So I hear you’re like at a different venue like every night of the week? How’s that been?
Man, it’s been crazy, thank God! For the past couple of months I’ve working like crazy, but i love what I do, so I dont see it as work. Just gotta keep grinding and keep people partying.
Mondays: Love Hate on South Beach. Tuesdays: I rotate through the Delano and Automatic Slims. Wednesdays: Blue Martini in Brickell and i recently did the Jive Turkey party at Louis Lounge. Thursdays: I’m at Phillipes Chow inside the Gansevoort Hotel and also at Taverna Opa inside Dolphin Mall. Fridays: Florida Room inside the Delano Hotel and doing a few guest spots over at Cameo in South Beach and Bongos with DJ Laz and the Power 96 crew. And not too long ago I did a huge event at Mansion Miami with DJ Irie and Lebron James for the Miami Heat home opener. And Saturdays: I’ve done a few guest spot in the hip hop lounge inside LIV. Blue Martini in Brickell and i recently did the Jive Turkey party at Louis Lounge.
The305: Any last words…or anything else you would like to mention?
All I wanna say is that this is just the beginning for me and you will be hearing more from me soon with God’s help! I’m currently working on my fourth mix called “Pregame and Play Me”, which will have a lot of club favorites to get you pumped before you go out. Also look out for my mixshow on PlanetPit.com coming in 2011. I wanna say thank you to Dro the305.com for taking the time to do this interview. Also wanna give a big thank you to all the promoters that have been looking out for me. One time Vitamin C, Angel, Javy and Victor. Also to Red Caliber and Mike Vice. One time to Tommy and Michelle Pooch. And my boy Otto too. Also everyone at Artist Related, my brother DJ Irie, Bronwen, Claudia, Lil Natalie, and Shobie. Everyone at Team Pitbull, Mike and Pit I love you brother! My dawg Vein! The whole band, The Agents. Sagia and Nayer. The homie Big Syphe and Buddha! Sokodak.com, Planetpit.com, and one time Big Teach, Issac and Ben. The Miami Dolphins. And my boy Pancho for always believing in me and holding me down. I love you all!
More info: twitter.com/miadjchino and facebook.com/miadjchino
Booking info: [email protected] or 305-532-5886
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