Still Spinning For Weeks, Months and Years To Come
By Esther Sanchez
I have been dwelling in the desert long enough to remember a time where groups of young people who shared a passion for a blossoming local music and dance culture would organize events on a weekly basis at locations ranging from empty warehouses in North Palm Springs to somebody’s mom’s back-yard in Cathedral City to somebody’s uncle’s ranch in Coachella. It was during that time a kid named Damien Beebe was building the foundations for a career that would eventually take him to every corner of the globe. Most of us who were around during those seminal years are not the least bit surprised by his success. We knew back then that D.J. Day was the real deal.
Lately, I have been referring to Beebe as, “the DJ’s, DJ.” I meet and associate with DJs on a regular basis and most of them who have been around for a while all feel the need to give props to Day. He has been mentioned to me numerous times by some of the younger cats who saw him as an inspiration. They also saw him as a guy who set the skill bar very high. Striving to push through the obstacles that occur naturally with humble beginnings, it took fierce determination, radical focus and unquenchable passion for Beebe to become the world-renowned artist that he is today.
When Beebe and I got together at the Ace Hotel where he is the resident DJ at their weekly, “Reunion” in the Amigo Room, he was admittedly exhausted from having just flown in from Philadelphia. He was also still riding the emotional high from what he referred to as a, “life-changing” experience at the first ever, “Playlist Retreat” held in the opulent home of DJ Jazzy Jeff. Yes, folks…….as in, “DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.” Beebe was one of just over 2-dozen DJs on the planet who was invited to stay at his home for several days while sharing with and learning from one another. The artists were all hand-picked and invited by Jeff himself. To be there was to be at the top of your field. Definitely not a place Beebe would have imagined himself, way back when.
Beebe: “Jeff was pretty much the reason I became a DJ. When I was about 13 I had ‘Rock the House’ which was DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s first album. I would listen to the track, “He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper” over and over. I analyzed all of the scratches intently but I had never really seen anyone scratching, visually. I asked my mom for turn-tables and that Christmas I got sort of a record-player with a cassette-deck attached. Needless to say, I was disappointed. She did not have the means to buy me what I wanted but I was really determined.”
The father of 2 boys proceeded to describe to me impressive life hacks that he, as a 13 year-old kid McGyvered the limited tools he had in order to make music.
Beebe: “The first time I tried to get up and DJ was at a house party with real turntables and mixer and I was nowhere near ready. I didn’t know how to use a mixer or anything and it was disastrous. People started booing and they pulled me down from the tables. I was crushed.”
Beebe paused for a bit while gazing up at the mountains behind us.
Beebe: “You know it’s moments like that when you have to decide. You are either going to accept it and lay down or you are going to say, ‘F*** that. I’m going to come back here and show these people what’s up. I loved it too much to give up. For an entire year I had precision focus. My friends Manny (DJ Magneto) and Marceleno Ancheta (DJ Mars) would let me practice with and use their equipment because it was a long time before I was able to afford any of my own. I am eternally grateful to both of them and their families for that. If it wasn’t for those people who nurtured me and my art, I would definitely not be sitting here today. So eventually I ended up at another party and the guys from the party where I was booed were there. I had practiced so hard that my situation was severely different than the year before. Long story short, that night I was validated for the first time as a DJ.”
After many years of sharpening his skills as a DJ and producer while attending conferences and playing in venues ranging from back-yards to stadiums, all while working day-jobs……. the co-founding member of Innernational Crew decided one day to upload a track of a remix he created onto a message board that caught the attention of a German record label. That moment of recognition and the eventual success of said track launched Beebe beyond the confines of Southern California and eventually cemented his place as a local artist who has reached iconic success in his field. Ever-humble in attitude, Beebe takes it all in stride……Beebe: “I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities I have had. It’s pretty surreal when I think about it because to me, I’m always going to be some kid from Palm Springs.”
Check out DJ Day Thursdays for Reunion at the Ace Hotel.
For more on DJ Day and to find out about appearances….
