By Craig Michaels
Growing up in Seattle, WA, Timothy White (DJ Twitchd) is proud of the fact that he has been living in the Coachella Valley on and off most of his life. In addition to mastering the art of mixing music, White comments on his accomplishments as a dancer, “I used to be a co-director of a dance company in Seattle called Street Level, and a local dance instructor. My ex-partner and I started that company, which was very successful for four years. We did street shows, school performance, theatrical performances, etc. The style of dance was a combination of hip-hop, jazz, modern, and a little ballet. I loved that time of my life, and am grateful for the experience it gave me.”
White has been dancing in clubs and events since he was 17; about the same time he began frequenting local underground raves in Seattle, where he was introduced to electronic music. The young dancer fell in love with the energy of the experience as well as countless talented DJs. White purchased an old used turntable from Goodwill, which he and his three friends would take turns practicing on with records they had collected. Eventually, White bought his own equipment and began spinning, mixing, and buying more music. “I started from the ground up. No instructions. No lessons. Just lots and lots of trial and error (more error than anything else,)” remarks White about his early years.
Upon graduating from College of the Desert, White’s passion for spinning House music was ignited when he began spinning local underground desert cities raves. Over the past 16 years, he has broadened his playlist a bit but confesses House music is his specialty: “Some of the specific categories of house that I adore are electro, filtered disco, Latin, techno, hard-house, tech-house, glamour, jazz-influenced, vocal, hip-house, and inspirational,” emphasizes White. There is only one thing White likes more than playing underground house music and that is, dancing to it! You can frequently catch White dancing while he is playing.
Introducing some of the local nightclubs to the underground electronic music has been a slow process for White who understands the top 40 commercialized radio played music is what sells and feels comfortable to most people. Although he knows his sound is regularly accepted and sought out in larger cities such as Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, White has his heart on staying in the Coachella Valley for a while. He currently resides in Rancho Mirage with his partner and would like to make the career progression from the underground to international DJ and producer. White excitedly admits, “I am just now beginning the journey of building my own studio at home by purchasing the necessary software and equipment. I inherited all of my grandmother’s personal vinyl collection when she passed and have a goal to incorporate a lot of that music into current dance music.” Songs from Nat King Cole, the Andrew Sisters, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Sergio Mendez, and so many more from the decades reaching from the late 20’s to the early 60’s—are what White dreams of integrating with his original underground house music. In fact, there is a very established genre called “Electro-Swing,” that does just that–and White explains, “I would love to learn from it and have that be my gateway into the world of production.”
If you would like to contact DJ Twichtd you can find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djtwitchd
Written by Craig Michaels
Musical Affair Entertainment
(760) 619-3276
