Q: Where did you emerge in this wide world?

Tyrxne: I was born and raised in the Bronx, but I spent every summer of my childhood in the Dominican Republic.

Q: Was there a particular artist or writer who influenced you, made you want to make music?

Tyrxne: Red Man has a line on a song with Method man, I forget the name of the song but he said “You sick and tired of wack rappers? Then act now!”. That made me want to rap.

Q: Do you play an instrument, and when did you first pick it up?

Tyrxne: This question doesn’t really apply to rap but I did try to learn the guitar. I got decent, but I didn’t have the drive to dig deeper.

Q: Any particular stimulus that inspires you to create? 

Tyrxne: I create even if I don’t feel like it, so I don’t really need a trigger. But being upset can inspire a lot of creative energy.

Q: Are you influenced by current events, political news, visual art, climate change ?

Tyrxne: I’m not afraid to tackle politics and current events but I can’t say my art is focused on that. My music is more introspective.

Q: Do you have any rituals/superstitions when you are about to perform, or while you are performing ?

Tyrxne: If I can get a meditation in at some point before the show. I’m good.

Q:. Even though there seems to be great camaraderie among musicians, do you sometimes have to cross the line between camaraderie and competition, and use your elbows if necessary?

Tyrxne: I never look at other musicians in a competitive way. It might sound corny but I only feel in competition with myself and I’m happy when anyone else succeeds.

Q: Final question: You are on Death Row and Esquina is doing the catering. What dish would you choose? 

Tyrxne: Normally I’m vegan so I would choose the Chilli Relleno. But since I’m on Death Row, I’m definitely going for the Pork Belly with the Tamarind glaze. If I’m allowed to order sides, I want some Platanos too.

Q: As a DJ living in NYC, what inspires and shapes your current sound? 

CFLO: I play for a wide range of people, and moving to New York really expanded my musical abilities based purely on the need to satisfy such diverse demographics. I play “wide open format” which I usually describe as “Rick Ross and Diana Ross.” And learning to dig deep and play tracks I couldn’t get away with in other markets has forced me to reach even further out of bounds.

Q: Do you still prefer the velvet touch of vinyl when you spin, can you tell us your 5 most treasured pieces of wax?

CFLO: I prefer turntables and a mixer to CDJs, mostly for the feel of the physically spinning disc. I find it's easier to manipulate when I’m in the zone.

Q: What's different about an LA or say Atlanta, crowd, as opposed to a New York crowd?

CFLO: New York crowds are more open to hearing everything, musically. Our sets go until 4am (meaning a 5 or 6 hour performance) so to maintain the dancefloor DJs are required to play lots of classics. I’ve noticed young people in New York who may not know a song notice the “older” (read: my age) people on the dancefloor enjoying the song, and maybe they feel out of the loop, and they’ll tolerate the song that they may not know… whereas in other markets the younger clientele refuses to get on board with music they don’t immediately recognize.

Q: How do you deal with peeps who want to re-edit your playlist?

CFLO: If you mean people who come up with requests, without a tip in their hand, I usually just smile and say "OK, sure!” and then never play that song.

Q: What is usually the hottest point of the night?

CFLO: Usually 60-70% of the way through a set . As an example: 11-4 a.m., the hottest segment would be the 30 minutes surrounding 2a.m. But I usually deploy a push-and-pull technique, where I make the dancefloor hot then cool it off, over and over throughout a 5 hour set. It’s a marathon, not a sprint! 

Q: What takes it all down to dawn after the midnight heat/beats period?

CFLO: A perfect wind-down is an art. I call it “landing the plane” - do you want people to be pissed off when the lights come on or ready to wrap it up? With about 20 minutes to go, on a crowded night, I flip it to 90s/2000s RnB classics (Mario “Let Me Love You", Bobby Valentine “Slow Down”, Usher "U Don’t Have To Call”, Ashanti “Rock Wit U” all have super sexy vibes, but slow it down and get people in the mood to take their partner home and wrap things up.

Q: Do DJs get as much action as they did in the 80s?

CFLO: I’m not sure if this question is sexual in nature, but from what I’ve heard from my peers, the stereotype about DJs getting around isn’t necessarily true. Who wants to wait around until the lights come on at 4am?

Q: As a DJ living in NYC, what inspires and shapes your current sound? 

PETEY COMPLEX: My friends, the venues and people I work with, and other DJ's that I look up to. For occasional extra inspiration I listen to random mixes people recommend and watch YouTube videos of live sets by DJ's I admire. Honestly, just living in NY is a big influence musically, because you are exposed to so many different types of people and every culture has its own soundtrack.

Q: Do you still prefer the velvet touch of vinyl when you spin, and what are your 5 most treasured pieces of wax? 

PETEY COMPLEX: I will always prefer vinyl to any other medium. I can manipulate the sounds exactly how I want them and with more precision with vinyl. 5 treasured pieces of vinyl? Hmmm, off top I'll say Gang StarrStep in the Arena album, EPMD Business As Usual album, World Famous Supreme Team Hey DJ original single (which took me forever to find), Les Baxter Hell's Belles Soundtrack which is pure fire, and Ladi Dotie by Slick Rick - the first Hip- Hop record I ever heard. 

Q: What's different about a Miami crowd as opposed to a New York crowd?

PETEY COMPLEX: When I spun at Blackbird Ordinary and Wood Tavern in Miami I noticed the groove you set was vital. They were very in tune with what I was doing, a very open and willing crowd because they trusted me. And they were there to dance! They tore up the dance floor from beginning to end! NY crowds can be a little too focused on whether they know the song or not. It's easy to lose their attention if they don't immediately know it. I think as NY DJ's we are trying to work on that. Trying to open people up to music they don't necessarily hear on a regular basis and getting the crowd to listen instead of immediately pulling out their phones to check Twitter or whatever [laughs]

Q: How do you deal with peeps who want to re-edit your playlist?

PETEY COMPLEX: It depends on the day and the person trying to get in your ear. I think we all try to keep it professional but there will always be rude, drunk people that will test your patience. I don't mind a request if it's in good taste and is in line with what I'm currently playing. But please, don't ask us to plug your phone in to hear your request. If you are out in the clubs doing that you might get yelled at and not always by the DJ! Thank god for the staff we work with because they are the ones that come to our aid and tell those people to go away.  

Q: What is usually the hottest point of the night? 

PETEY COMPLEX: I try to get it super poppin' between 12:30am to 2:30am. That's my favorite time of the night. 

Q: What takes it all down to dawn after the midnight heat/beats period?

PETEY COMPLEX: I always like to wind down my nights with music that makes people want to make out and make bad decisions. Doesn't matter what genre, it's just gotta make people wanna get close and hop in a Uber together.

Q: As a DJ living in NYC, what inspires and shapes your current sound?

DASH SPEAKS: Soul music and everything that was inspired by it - funk, soulful disco, soulful house, and of course the hip hop that samples it.  

Q: Do you still prefer the velvet touch of vinyl when you spin, and can you reveal your 5 most treasured pieces of wax?

DASH SPEAKS: Absolutely! I’m a huge record guy, always digging and always expanding my collection. The record I searched for longest was the 45 of I Wish I Knew How It Feels to be Free by Nina Simone. The 45 of Rockefeller Skank and Praise You by Fatboy Slim was another one that took me forever to find. Those are the two that really stand out.  

Q: What's different about an LA or say an Atlanta crowd as opposed to a New York crowd ? 

DASH SPEAKS: New York is the toughest city to play. There are great DJs in every city but the sheer size of the nightlife community here means that you really have to bring it. One any given night there are so many good DJs playing in so many good venues here, so New Yorkers have no tolerance for mediocre DJs. That’s why it’s the best! But like Frank Sinatra said, “If you can make it here, you’ll make it anywhere.” 

Q: How do you deal with peeps who want to re-edit your playlist?

DASH SPEAKS: Not sure I understand the question..[laughs].

Q: What is usually the hottest point of the night?

DASH SPEAKS: Esquina is unique in that the energy here is amazing early, and stays great late.  

Q: What takes it all down to dawn after the midnight heat/beats period?

DASH SPEAKS: It depends on the night. But 90's R&B into 60's soul is one of my favorite ways to wrap it up.

IZM: As a DJ living in NYC, what inspires and shapes your current sound? 

GETLIVE: NYC's underground scenes always inspire. Mix that up that with current audience taste, as well as what I feel is needed to be put out to the people musically.

IZM: Do you still prefer the velvet touch of vinyl when you spin, and can you tell us your 5 most treasured pieces of wax?

GETLIVE: Vinyl still? Yes for sure.

5 of my fave pieces of wax would be:

• 1. Low End Theory Album
• 2. Watch the Throne Album
• 3. N**** in Paris 45
• 4. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit 45
• 5. Any 90s House Classic that I have on vinyl

IZM: What's different about an LA or say, Atlanta crowd compared to a New York crowd?

GETLIVE: Different perspectives for sure. There's a lot of history that still prevails when it comes to clubs and nightlife culture in NYC.

IZM: How do you deal with peeps who want to re-edit your playlist?

GETLIVE: They can copy the recipe but they can't duplicate the sauce.

 IZM: What is usually the hottest point of the night?

GETLIVE: Primetime now is between midnight and 2 a.m., but in the good ol' days of NYC nightlife, 2am was primetime.

 IZM: What takes it all down to dawn after the midnight heat/beats period?

GETLIVE: A cooling mix of vibes and nostalgia.

IZM: Ok, thanks for your time. Now get some sleep!