Why is Everyone A DJ? An Interview with Gum.mp3
Courtesy of Chris Robinson, 2022, 35 mm film. @cooly.fooly
In 2024, there is no stone left unturned for turning your passions into your side hustles. The age of influence and hobby commodification has not been without an influx of director-photographer-entrepreneurs-models. “DJ” has perhaps been a recent addition to the hyphen lineup. Enter Gum.mp3: a visual artist, producer, and DJ who appeared in the scene after his first live set in 2020. Together, we got into the uptick in people picking up the craft, what finding "success" as a multi-hyphenate means, and how acknowledgment or popularity can hinder and support artistry.
PP: You’ve mentioned that you're also a visual artist. Is that something that has still had your focus since you've shifted to music? Do they fold into each other?
GM: I try to stay active in as many visual practices as possible alongside the music. I was doing cover art for my first couple of albums and designed all my vinyl and CDs. All my merchandise … I make DVDs, I make shirts — I take pride in my skill in both areas and my ability to be a multimedia artist and present the music as a complete experience.
PP: Is it hard to focus on multiple things at once?
GM: It’s okay for me, but it depends on people's learning styles. Different combinations of mediums might work better for some people than others. I'm a very hands-on, experiential learner. I'm also a visual learner, and knowing that about myself has allowed me to sharpen my skills and shape my aesthetics. Many people get caught up when they try to work with multiple mediums because they haven't fully understood their relationship to each medium individually. It can be confusing, stressful, or inefficient. If anything, I got my theory and foundational skills from art school and could synthesize two mediums in a way that made sense. Being like a multi-hyphenate is possible for many people, with the potential peril being that you can get caught up in the idea of being a multi, more so than developing your practice.
Courtesy of Chris Robinson, 2023, 35 mm film. @cooly.fooly
PP: Why is everyone a DJ?
GM: I’ve thought about this a lot. It’s something that has frustrated me but also brought me happiness. On one hand, DJing is a beautiful, communal practice. Or you can try to be a DJ superstar and be super self-centered. Some people like that experience. I truly respect DJing as an art form. I appreciate the DJ as a part of not just a musical community but also a larger, more cultural, and local community. Outside of music, I try to make a difference in my community, using my position and renown as a notable DJ to accomplish those things. DJing is also not hard. It is inaccessible because it's expensive. But is it technically difficult? No, not really. I can't hold that over anybody's head. If someone were to say, “Oh, you're not really a DJ because you can't backspin, or you can't beat match.” Everybody can do that. Once you get over that, you will discover what DJing is about for you.
It’s not about queuing up, backspins, or transitions. Well, it's kind of about transitions. But it's not even about any of the technical stuff. It's about the spiritual and communal element of bringing people together and why you bring people together. Too often, DJing can end up just being entertainment for the bourgeois, and you can end up being a steward of hedonism in that way. You can use it to your advantage as a capitalist or social climber, or you can use it to work on your community towards political means. It can be really communal and liberating.
I understand why it's attractive, and I'm excited that people are participating in the generational dialogue of being a DJ. You are in conversation with the people who came before you and the context in which the music was produced. I wonder if there's some sort of middle ground.
Courtesy of Chris Robinson, 2023, 35 mm film. @cooly.fooly
PP: DJing seems to need that element of the audience to be fully realized. What's your evaluation there?
GM: I learned early on in art school that once you put something out, the art form has its own existence. I'm always, no matter what, talking specifically to Black people in my work, regardless of how anybody receives it. But the audience for producing music? I never really think about that too much anymore. I got caught up in it when I first started, but now I don't care what anybody might think. I'm not as afraid of conflict or how I will be perceived.
When DJing, the audience is more important to me. I think about it a lot, especially with house music. Sometimes, it can feel super tribal, which is really refreshing and interesting. When you're a good DJ, you command a lot of power in the room. Many new DJs either haven't experienced this or don't understand it.
There's so much to be said about how transformative and political that experience can be, depending on where it is and why. People think your medium is the music; in some ways, it is — but it's also the audience. You must be very serious and intentional when working with people's souls.
Courtesy of Chris Robinson, 2023, 35 mm film. @cooly.fooly
PP: As a DJ, there's always the question of playing what you think the audience wants to hear vs. what you feel they need to hear.
GM: I might be in the minority on this, but I always play what I want to hear. Although I know which tracks are crowd-pleasers, I'm quite adamant about not taking requests or having genre limitations. It's not necessarily an ego thing. I know I'm a good DJ, but that's not why I'm asking you to let me play whatever I want. I’m asking you to let me play whatever I want so we can establish a sense of trust so that I can take us collectively somewhere as a group.
PP: How does mass acknowledgment validate or hinder your artistry?
GM: I'm still kind of niche. I have a decent following online and in real life because of my work, but it hasn't coagulated into a celebrity status. I'm grateful for that because I get to reap all the benefits and not have to worry about the repercussions. Viral blips haven't defined my career at all; I haven't had any singular moments that have completely changed my career. It's all been a steady stream, and I think that's how I've been able to avoid any negative pitfalls. I just have to have faith in how articulate I can be in my work. That’s one of the things that happens to pop artists, when the music just isn't sharp enough – when it's not direct. Pop music can lose a sense of rigor when it is super palatable. It's more of a challenge to be articulate, intentional, and vocal.
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