DJ GAY BASH

Interview by Steven Logan | Photos by Shea Petersen

After a break from music post-college, DJ Gay Bash moved to Chicago two years ago, started gigging and has been on a wild rise ever since.

You get booked. How do you start putting together your mix for the set?
It varies. I sound my best when I’m really inspired, so sometimes it’s an idea or atmosphere I want to give.

I just built one inspired by a manga I was reading at the time. I called it “I’ll Show You the Inside Me”, because that’s the fourth chapter of this manga The Summer Hikaru Died. But one of the characters is no longer human, he’s somewhere between a spiritual entity and a normal boy. But he has a hole in his chest. He tells his best friend, “I have a hole in my chest, I’ll show it to you.” It’s this kind of homoerotic scene where he puts his hand in the guy’s hole and he’s scared, but he obviously has feelings for him.

And the thought of that scared me and intrigued me, so I just tried to make a mix that felt like accompaniment if you read that chapter.

I was in therapy years ago, talking about staying in touch with my inner child, and the question was “What’s one thing you did as a kid that you stopped doing because you felt like you had to grow up?” I used to read manga, I had a small collection, and when I got to high school I sold them all off. Then when I was in therapy, I stumbled upon a manga series that seemed interesting, started reading it, started recollecting, and I actually collected a good amount of stuff that I used to have.

You’re booked a lot, you play a lot of places with different vibes and aesthetics. How do you curate different sets for different audiences?

I often do try to think about what other people who be there might want to hear, but make sure it’s something that I like too and make sure that I’m bringing my own spin to it. 

I’m not the biggest listener of pop music, but I have been challenging myself to listen to more pop music. And find pop music that speaks to me. I’m not someone who goes off popularity, there are popular songs I will never play because I just don’t like them. Making sure what I consider what the crowd might want, as a performer, is important to keep in mind though.

That’s what I do for the most, but some nights I’m gonna play what I need to play. I’m allowed to be selfish. If I have an inspiration, I need to get that out and scratch that itch.

You said you’re challenging yourself to listen to more pop music - what do you find challenging about pop?

I came from a classical music background, and I feel I used to pretty pretentious about what was good or bad music. I came to realize more and more there is no such thing as bad music really - it’s up to interpretation - but I enjoy music that is a bit more challenging, that might take a few listens. But there is music that is made to be easy to listen to, and I appreciate that. Sometimes there is music that makes you just want to feel emotion.

Is there an example that does that well for you?

I will say, recently I have found a couple remixes of “Outrageous” by Britney Spears, and I’ve been obsessed with that track, the original, any remix, is so good. Okay, I’ll drink the Kool-Aid.

Great pick. Your classical music background - what was that like? Did you play an instrument?

I played percussion for like 10+ years, and I played steel pans - an instrument from Trinidad and Tobago, I played that for 6+ years and studied it in college.

Does any of that background carry over into your DJing?

A little bit, I was talking with friends recently about studying percussion at a professional level, it’s about texture and how you are hitting and adjusting the instrument to sound the way you want it to in the music. That has made me super cognizant of the sounds I’m hearing in music, and one thing it’s let me do is think up blends in my brain of tracks. I’ll be listening to one song, and lights will start going off in my head.

Studying it also taught me to take time researching artists, understanding their inspirations, and that informs what I choose in my tracks.

How do you go from classical music to DJing?

I did my senior recital, and then I was burned out, did not want to touch the instrument, thought I didn’t want to play again. A couple years went by, and I knew I didn’t have the means to play again, but I felt disconnected with music at the time and I was in a low point in life, had shit else going on. so I thought I might as well do something that has inspired me for a long time. I started DJing in my room, I think that was 2023? Then I’ve been going ever since.

I moved to Chicago in May of 2024, that’s when I started gigging. Before that, I was posting mixes online, reaching out to people in Chicago trying to get booked. But when I moved, I hit the ground running. I think the day after I moved I did a STANKBUGZ set. And then I was just trying to get booked.

Moving to Chicago somewhat recently in the grand scheme of things, how did you find the Chicago scene?

I’ve lived in Illinois my whole life. But I got out of a relationship in early 2024, had more time to go out. At one point every weekend I was going out to what I could in Chicago. Before that I went to Queen, which I feel was many people’s first queer nights. I’d also been going to Hidden Ideas for a bit, but hadn’t really explored the scene out side of that. I was already online as DJ Gay Bash, so I was following people, getting to know people, showing up to their shows. I was just like everywhere at one point, trying to meet people and be seen. Kinda what you have to do if you wanna start DJing. Nobody books someone they’ve never seen out. Or at least it’s harder to remember you.

So come out! Turn out a lot, support other people you love in the scene. It’s important to really make connections.

Your visual presentation online is pretty unique from what I’ve seen, with the monthly flyer drops. How did those get started.

I did 11 months last year, I skipped December. It started in 2024, when I moved and felt like I had to do a rebrand and lock in and be active online and have a brand. DJing was a big gift to me, because it was something that I assumed I couldn’t do and it wasn’t until 2023 when I gave myself permission to explore it and do it. And surprise, I was not bad. And it was kinda the same with my flyers. 

The idea of these visuals came from when I was younger and making music, I would have all these album concepts, a shoot I wanted to do, but assumed I never had the means. But with the flyers, it was like “Why not do that?” Create a Bash cinematic universe if I really wanted to.

My original inspiration was like late 80s/90s gay lifestyle magazines, but also K-Pop albums? I own the first New Jeans EP, which is so good, but in K-pop albums they have stickers, photo-cards, packets, they have member profiles. I was so inspired by that because if you wanted to become a fan of New Jeans it was almost like a manual.

What’s your favorite flyer?

That is a hard question! I have not thought about it. Maybe the January I did, inspired by a Valentino campaign. I was so captured by the shoot, so I tried to emulate it myself.

And what about your favorite thing you’ve worn while gigging?

My fit for Boots at Thalia Hall with Big Freedia. I had a custom singlet made by Compton Quashie. It was airbrushed, I looked like DJ Gay Bash the super hero, space cadet. It was my first custom piece, made for me. Again, having a custom outfit, I assumed I could never do that. And it was so on theme!

What makes a good crowd?

You have to be ready to dance. Not everyone has to be an amazing dancer, but you have to move. If you’re in the crowd, and you’ve decided you don’t want to dance, it’s disheartening. Energy. But also, I’ve had plenty of people that didn’t seem like they had the most energy, maybe because they were taking it in and being present. Then they’ve had so much to say after the set.

And also just like manners. Be aware, let’s not be rude, keep our hands to ourselves. If someone doesn’t want to talk to you, respect that. Making sure everyone is safe is important. The party I do, Putopia, at California Clipper with the collective, we have such a good time every time, because we’ve been able to create a space for queer POC and trans POC. And a lot of people come up to us, and say there are a lot of parties where they don’t feel comfortable, before Putopia. I’ve never had a bad crowd at Putopia.

How long have you been doing Putopia?

I think since last year. Putopia is our first resident party, the other party we’ve been doing since 2023 is Semi-Hard, the one in the grassy area at Hollywood Beach. That’s not a resident party, you don’t have a resident party at a public park.

Do you ever adjust plans for your mix on the fly, depending on the crowd?

Sometimes I’ll listen to the sets before me and the soundscape is different than I thought. Sometimes I’ll play a track, and get a reaction from the crowd. And you’re like, “I want that again", so you now want to keep going with that momentum.

What’s the worst thing someone’s ever requested.

Let me be so clear, I am not a request DJ. I was paid to curate music for the night and perform, you’re not. I’m gonna play what I have on my USB, thank you. But the worst thing….this was after the whole Nicki controversy, and it was in a gay bar, and someone requested a Nicki song. It was a straight woman. Me and Mary K were playing back-to-back in the booth and as soon as we saw it we were like “Uh-uh.”

There’s been a lot of discourse on the death of clubbing, younger people not clubbing as much - what’s your reaction to that?

When we think of club culture, we think of a specific era, and we’re not in that era anymore. I feel like especially after Covid, after being isolated for so long, some people hungered to be with other people after that. Some people decided, maybe they don’t like being around people. But one thing that I know fully came out of that, was people were more afraid. Whether it be about health, interpretation, life, anything.

I witness a lot of people who are scared to take risks. We ask, “Where did all the club kids go?” People are scared to be looked at. To do something different, to do something odd. And I feel like it is my duty when I go out to try to gag! And that’s why I’m able to do it. 

I remember being in line for Queen once, and I had these six-inch pumps, they were like rhinestoned. And this guy in front of me was like, “Oh my God, I love your shoes, they’re so cute. I could never wear that.” Why? I pulled them off the shelf, you can do the same thing. Unless you don’t feel comfortable, but then ask yourself, why you don’t feel uncomfortable. If you love watching people perform, but you feel like you could never do it…why? No one’s telling you you can’t. Somebody didn’t tell them they can’t. And if someone did, they did it anyway. Take the risk.

People fear being different, but I feel like when you are different, that’s when you find the people you’re most similar to. And so I dare everybody to just be bolder. Fear is a thing that holds a lot of people back, it held me back for a really long time. But shed that. Allow yourself to be what you think is cool and exciting whenever you’re out in the scene.

If you feel like sharing - what are you future plans for DJ Gay Bash?

I think my goal is always to elevate, so even if I’m doing the same thing it’s gonna be elevated. I know I want to return to making music. I produced music years ago and then stopped for a long time ago. But I want to come back under the DJ Gay Bash name and reinterpret the soundscape and the world that I’ve built.

I also want to travel a lot, spread the DJ Gay Bash gospel, and connect with people. I’ve rarely left the Midwest and I want to see more of the world. Everything’s just gonna be more sickening.

I know you have a side gig working in fragrance. What would your celebrity signature scent be?

I have a scent that I do often wear when I’m DJing as DJ Gay Bash. It’s called Gentle Fluidity Silver by Maison Francis Kurkdjian, and it smells kind of metallic, a tad bit masculine but really elegant, which I feel like suits me. But I often often envision what a DJ Gay Bash scent would smell like. I know it would be a little musky. Some fruit in there, some florals and spice. I love a peppercorn, a saffron note. It’ll come.

And what will the bottle look like?

The bottle! It would have to be a mylar balloon. To match my logo.