DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love: Meet 5 talented DJs who have shaped Charlotte’s music scene

With advances in technology, many newcomers have been emboldened to enter the professional DJ space. This doesn’t mean, however, that old-school DJs are now obsolete. As it turns out, there is room for everyone — from the musical maestro charged with getting the party going to the sonic sommelier focused on serving up musical Easter eggs that only a music head would appreciate. Charlotte’s musical tastemakers offer all that and more.

While the Internet has changed the ways people acquire, share and enjoy music, DJs are still in the unique position to be tastemakers by breaking new tracks to their audiences and curating distinctive real time playlists that bear their own stylistic hallmarks. Over the past four decades, Charlotte has given rise to a diverse pool of local DJ talent known for sustaining a following.

Meet a few of them:

“I always took pride in getting the newest records.” — DJ Stacey Blackman (@stacey.blackman)

“From (DJ) Voodoo, I learned crowd management,” says Stacey Blackman, himself a staple in the local community known for his proclivity for House music as well as his longstanding lunchtime mixes on 105.3. Blackman bought his first set of turntables in the early 80s, when he was still in junior high.

It was hearing the record “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel,” with its varied genre samples from artists like Chic, Blondie, and Queen that sparked Blackman’s interest. “I wanted to know how they made that record and put all that music together, so I researched it. After that, I started cutting lawns to save money for my own set up.”

His long run may be attributed to his diverse musical taste that he credits to his uncle’s record collection growing up. “I’ve never really been into the mainstream. I’ve played different stuff, always,” he says.

“I’ve always viewed DJing as a form of ministry” — DJ Outlaw

For DJ Outlaw, his booth perch was a nightlife pulpit that spread music as its Good News. Part of a cohort that shaped the local House music scene in the ‘90s and early to mid-2000s, he got into DJing through a fellow UNCC classmate who would occasionally let him practice on his turntables as well as help tote his record crates to gigs. Eventually he was able to parlay this into regular gigs at The Ritz and The Arena. Outlaw stresses that in those early years, he was truly doing it for the love of music, not the economic return on investment.

“To put it in perspective, I would get $300 to play Friday and Saturday night, but I would first have to drive to Greensboro and spend $75 to rent an amp and two speakers. But I loved it.” He also found opportunity being part of the Power 98 Street Team. “We would have meetings once or twice a week and get a bunch of new records — so there was always something new to work into your set.”

Outlaw also credits the CIAA’s arrival in Charlotte as opening up even more opportunities for DJs to showcase their skills to locals and visitors alike. He also notes longtime friend and events producer Michael Kitchen’s (Sol Kitchen) support of the local DJ community through his provision of a platform for local DJs at CIAA and other social events.

“I treat my sets like jazz – they are always very improvisational.” — DJ Smitty (@thatguysmitty)

Though last week marked the final Wednesday that award-winning DJ Smitty would play at local favorite Soul Gastrolounge, he is careful to credit owner, renowned DJ, and longtime friend Andy Kastanas for giving him his start.

At the time, mainstream and trance music dominated the local market but then one night he saw Mark Farina DJ and a light bulb went off. “It suddenly clicked to me that it was art,” he said. The next day, he put his first DJ setup on layaway. “I paid it off in three weeks and just started to learn how to mix and develop my style.”

Kastanas initially helped him build his record collection and from those records he made his first mix tape. Soon he was playing throughout the QC – including a 14-year weekly residency at Soul. Next month he will begin Wednesdays at Vinyl and will continue his regular schedule at Merchant and Trade, Supperland, and other local establishments.

“I want to have a different vibe – like a boutique does,” Smitty says, when asked to describe his style. “Charlotte has been blessed with some really great talent. There is truly a solid DJ community here – both tastewise and technically.”

“Reading the room came naturally” — DJ Fannie Mae (@djfanniemae)

This September marks 10 years that creative polymath DJ Fannie Mae got her start after purchasing a DJ setup and hunkering down in her bedroom as a student of “YouTube university.”

Though she already had a mature and well-honed musical sensibility – thanks to her dancer mother and musical director father – her determination and healthy self confidence allowed her to acquire the skills needed to pilot a playlist in real time. Her determination helped her secure early gigs throughout the city, but her demonstrated talent is what afforded her repeat bookings.

The first DJ for the Charlotte Ballet, official DJ for Charlotte FC soccer, and creator of the popular event “Sainted: A Trap Choir Dance Party,” Fannie Mae is unstoppable. Not only is she sought-after talent on Charlotte’s arts and culture scene, but she is making her own music (check out her latest track, “Hit Me”) and is developing her own women-only DJ academy that will launch this year.

“At first, my musicality taught me enough to get started – and my technical skill developed over time,” she says. When asked about her numerous creative endeavors and projects in the works, she can’t hide her excitement. “I look forward to opening myself in different creative ways,” she says.

“You’re selling enjoyment” — DJ Mina Marie (@mina_marie_jamz)

For DJ Mina Marie, the loss of her father in 2019 marked a turning point as it pushed her toward a new commitment to fulfill her dreams. The NYC-native and professional dancer came from a musical family and had always toyed with the idea of learning to DJ. For a long time, however, the busyness of life got in the way. Late in 2019, an injury sidelined her from dancing so she took the opportunity to get behind the turntables. Her friend DJ LeBron encouraged her and after one lesson, he told her she had the knack.

Soon after, LeBron set her up with her first gig. “I was nervous – and thought it was too early, but he said, ‘if I wait for you, you’ll never be ready’ so I took the leap.” Now Mina Marie DJs full time for private events as well as venues like 1501 South Mint, Fahrenheit, the Babe Cave, and Kate’s Skate. Her style features hallmarks of her East Coast upbringing with lots of ‘90s hip hop and R&B. The goal is to always get people moving. “I know how music makes me feel and I love to get people in a good mood.”

In conversations with these local DJs, all were quick to give credit to others in the industry from whom they’ve learned and to whom they’ve listened over the years. From the seeds of legends as well as the current generation of DJs like DJ K-Nyce, Tut, AHuf, Skillz, Tramare, and many more — the mixed music landscape of Charlotte is alive and well and ready for every audiophiles’ listening pleasure.

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This story was originally published August 24, 2022 at 6:00 AM.