Interview: DJ CJ (Crooklyn Clan & 914 Hit Squad)

Published on 7/13/2012

New York’s DJ CJ (Chris Jones) is a talented DJ,  remixer, producer, and one of the founding members of the “914 Hit Squad”. DJ CJ along-side DJ Dino Roc and Johnny Mac (the other members of 914 Hit Squad) together make some of the hottest remixes on the world-famous CrooklynClan.net remix site.

How did you get into DJing?
The summer between 7th and 8th grade I went to my first club for a teen night. I went with my friend who was a promoter and when we pulled up the line wrapped around the block. We went inside this massive room that within half an hour was jam packed with over 1500 people. We went up the 20 foot ladder to the DJ booth and I was at home.  I met the DJ quickly as he lugged in about a million records. The entire night I stood there watching him and the crowd reaction and from that point I knew what I wanted to do!  Later that week I went to NYC and bought my first pair of Technic 1200’s.

How did you get into producing?
Now years later me and a fellow DJ “Dino Roc” and I are a few stores away from each other doing corporate in-store sets and would meet up during our breaks and talk shop.  We could both see the scene changing in a big way. Mash-ups were all the rage and we both had ideas for our own. I would get some of my tracks from a site called crack4djs.net and told Dino that we should “get on there”. We were brainstorming ideas for our name and came up with the 914 Hit Squad.  914 is our area code and Hit Squad I guess was just fate because just about every track we made together became a hit. Our first 10 releases put us in the site “Top 20 Artists” and there was no looking back. Not one month went by that we weren’t in the Top 5. I think we both surprised ourselves at the amount of response we were getting. A few months later this guy from Florida started hitting me up sending me some of this tracks and ideas and they were pretty dope. After numerous features with us we brought him on board as our newest member. You know him as Johnny Mac. With our newest member on board we locked into the #1 spot for a few consecutive months.  Before we knew it we were getting moved up the ranks to the World-Renown Crooklyn Clan The Vault.

Who are some of your influences?
The DJ that influenced me the most is DJ AM.  I got the honor and privilege of opening for him and it was amazing to be alongside him and watch him work because he just made it look so easy and smooth. Musically, my influences are Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, Stevie Wonder, The Roots, Whitney Houston, Pharrel, Daft Punk, and the Beatles just to name a few.

Where are some of your favorite places to DJ?
I would DJ every night of the week in New York City. The energy in indescribable and it truly is the city that never sleeps! I’ve been blessed with opportunity to have played in Mexico, Canada, Dominican Republic, Miami and have always been greeted by some of the best crowds, staff, and memorable experiences that I’ve ever had.

What is your “go-to” track that gets the people going every time?
“Empire State of Oasis” it was the first mash up Dino and I produced as the newly formed Hit Squad and was our all time best-seller. A perfect blend of a New York anthem mixed with one of the ultimate crowd favorites thanks to DJ AM. To me its timeless…

What is in your DJ bag?
Macbook Pro with charger, headphones, needles, control vinyls wITH butter rugs, control cd’s, Serato box, RCA cables, USB cable, flash drive, 2 mp3 cds, sunglasses, sharpie, and gum

What is your favorite album of all-time?
This is a tough one! Going to have to go with Michael Jackson’s Thriller. It’s legendary!

Who would you like to work within the music industry?
Dino Roc & Johnny Mac… They got skills!

What do you like to do when you’re not DJing or producing?
I’ll let you know when I take a break.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Hopefully still doing what I love and loving what I’m doing.

Follow DJ CJ
Website: djcjnyc.com
Facebook: facebook.com/djcjnyc
Twitter: @djcjnyc
SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/914hitsquad
Crooklyn Clan: crooklynclan.net/914hitsquad