Meet Dan Monopoli, aka DJ Monopoli, a DJ who's been spinning for 15 years.
Ever wonder what it's like to work the night shift? In The Know by Yahoo's new series After Hours spotlights real people who've chosen not to work the traditional 9 to 5.
In this episode, DJ Monopoli shares what it's like to work as a full-time DJ.
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
DAN MONOPOLI: As DJs, one of our biggest jobs is just to really curate music, organize it, and be ready to play all styles of music, and play in a way that kind of displays that you know the music well.
There's almost, like, a stereotype that DJs-- you know, it's just it's all fun and games. DJs aren't really working. But I mean, we're really clocking those hours. There's so many ways to be successful and to contribute and find your passions that are long into those wee hours of the night.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
My name is Dan Monopoli, and I go by DJ Monopoli, which many people think is a stage name, but it is actually my last name. And I'm from New Jersey, and I'm a DJ of 15 years.
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DJing was actually, like, something that was kind of always on my radar. But you know, I had a traditional upbringing, you know, go to college, get a normal job. So this was kind of, like, my window of opportunity to really, like, see where I could take it.
Fortunately, I was able to kind of start gigging right away. And the momentum started to build, and I just knew. I knew right away. Like, I was like, this is it.
I knew I wouldn't be able to be a full-time DJ right off the bat. I knew I'd have to work for it. I knew that this was something that I was super, super passionate from, literally, the first time I ever put my hands on the equipment.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I really got drawn to DJs that use turntables and played with vinyl. Something about just actually using the turntable as an instrument, scratching, and really manipulating the music versus just playing it was kind of the thing that I got drawn to the most.
Then, obviously, once I started gigging, and I realized you really need to play a wide range of music, I kind of started to figure out how I can connect what I really loved, which was manipulating the music, and scratching, and kind of having fun with it, and then playing music that people loved, and bringing the two together,
You realize how much your schedule starts to contradict with everyone around you, [SCOFFS] your loved ones, your friends. I'm working on weekends when they're off. I'm working at night when, you know, they want to get together. We're looking at, you know, anywhere from 8:00 to 3:00 AM. So it's really-- that's my eight-hour day. That's my nine to five.
DJing is interesting because you're always in front of a crowd, and, you know, you're playing for all these people, and it's so exciting. But at the same time, there are so many moments that are very, very lonely, and you have to be very comfortable with being by yourself, the car rides in and out of the city.
When I'm playing, I am by myself, and I'm, obviously, having that moment where I'm engaging with the crowd, and we're connecting. By the end of the night, when everybody is heading out, I'm leaving alone, and you're back in your car alone.
And of course, now, you know, having a family-- and, you know, you're missing those moments at home as well. So it's really difficult, especially at night, when that's typically the time when everybody would be gathered around and just kind of enjoying each other's company.
That's when I'm packing up and saying, OK, you know, Love, I'm headed out for the night, and give my boy a kiss, and hitting the road. So like I said, you really have to become comfortable with being on your own as much as our job is-- like, you're constantly surrounded by the energy of others. It doesn't always feel that way.
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You know, people think, like, the world shuts down at 5:00 PM when, like, the traditional nine to fivers, you know, call it a day. But there's really a whole other group of really hard-working individuals that are just starting. And you know, it's not just the DJs, of course. That's the people who are working the night shift on many, many jobs.
When you think of, I guess, successful individuals, I just feel like everybody by default starts to think of people in traditional roles, working a normal job. There's a whole other side and a whole other group of people that are just as successful, ultra successful, that may have a completely different routine.
They may be starting their day at 1 o'clock, and that's like frowned upon by society. And they're crushing it till 4:00 AM, 5:00 AM. It's not always easy, but I love it, and I'm passionate about it as much as I am today as I was when I started.
I'm very, very fortunate to be able to say that. But it's different now with a family and understanding, you know, how important my success is to their well being and not just my own.
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