The Night My Life Changed

In the beginning of 2006 I discovered dance music. It was love at first listen. After researching the culture behind the music, I discovered that the dance music scene was ruled by DJs, and I decided that I too wanted to be a DJ. some DJs had hundreds of thousands of records sold and millions of fans worldwide, and they were superstars within their genre. One such DJ was Sasha.

I don’t remember when I heard about Sasha. But I fell in love immediately. he was the first DJ I ever heard who mixed, and I loved the way his songs flowed and the atmosphere he created was unlike anything. Listening to mixes was very new to me, and I adored them, especially Sasha’s. I remember listening to the sets on djsasha.com for hours.

Lucky for me, he was playing in Washington DC, only 2 hours from my home in Richmond. I was so excited! I could not miss this! I grabbed 2 of my good friends, counted down the days, and bought my ticket.

The evening came and we began the 2 hour trek to DC, singing along to oldies on the radio. We got so lost when we got there that by the time we arrived at the club (by taxi, and my first ride too) we had completely missed the opening DJ.

Fur was the first major club I ever went to. It had everything: a big light show, podium dancers, a huge main dance floor, and of course deafeningly loud music.

Watching Sasha, I was mesmerized. Again, his set captured my ears and my heart. It was the first time I ever saw a real club DJ.

Seeing the way the audience responded to him was unbelievable. He had them in the palm of his hand, moving their souls with every beat. There was a sense of unity; I felt the emotion of every person there, and that of Sasha.

The defining moment of the night came around 1:30. I was right up at the front, looking up at him in the DJ booth. It suddenly hit me. I had to do this. I had to be a DJ, to control an audience the way Sasha did, to move them the way he was moving me. and in that moment I realized my life’s ambition, my dream. It was a revelation that would define my musical life.

Everything around me seemed to blend together: the lights, the music, the atmosphere. Tears sprang to my eyes as I continued to experience a night that was as epic as it was beautiful.

At 4:30 it was over, and I nearly cried again for fear of losing the sensation that had taken seize of my heart and soul.

I returned home completely obsessed with the idea of being a DJ. I was guided to a tiny record store, where I met my mentor a week later. I spent a year learning from her and other DJs before buying my first setup. At present I have been practicing 10 months, I love dance music in all its forms more than anything on earth, and I dream of the day when I am the one on the decks making everyone dance.

I will never forget the night I spent with Sasha. It truly changed my life.