When it gets dark, Palm Springs native Jeff Ferguson exchanges insurance for house music
By Craig Michaels
While most people are happy to let their record collection sit in the garage, Jeff Ferguson treats each plastic disc as if it were a priceless jewel.
You can often find the Palm Springs native working as an insurance broker in his Rancho Mirage office, but he admits that he spends countless hours in his free time looking for a certain record or a specific sound.
“I can’t wait to open the package, smell the vinyl, and pull it out of its sleeve for the first time,” he said, sounding a lot like a kid on Christmas.
Vinyl, as a “plastic,” is the second-most-produced plastic in the world today. It’s facts like this that Ferguson, aka DJ Fergie, is quick to point out when asked about records.
It all started in 2002, when he got into the house-music scene in Orange County. He started going out almost every weekend and quickly fell in love with house music, which was enjoying a nice surge in popularity—and that popularity continues to this day.
Due to the cost of buying turntables, a mixer, all of the records, amps and speakers, Jeff started out collecting CDs. A self taught DJ, Ferguson at first had a hard time understanding the art of “beat matching,” but soon learned exactly how it was done. He eventually landed his first DJ gig playing house music on the patio at Bananaz in Palm Desert, which has since vanished, much like Ferguson’s CDs. While most DJs were going digital due to cost and convenience, Jeff became fascinated by the personality of pressed vinyl.
Today, much of the vinyl he buys is made overseas. The average cost of a record is $10 to $15, and thanks to the financial benefits of his day job, his collection is up to about 800 records.
These days, Jeff takes his cue from names such as David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Tiesto and Deadmau5. His DJ career has taken him to some interesting places, but he said his most memorable event was the BPM Music Festival in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, earlier this year. The 10-day festival showcased more than 200 DJs.
When Jeff is not behind his turntables, you will find him hanging out with his best friend and new fiancée, Jessica Jean. She’s an artist/singer/model who has a singing contract with Sony.
If you want one of the valley’s premier house DJs to spin at your next event, you can reach Jeff at (760) 774-3026, or IspinVINYL@yahoo.com.
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