- In the Beginning...

At 3yrs old I was introduced to violin. I was classically trained at Hochstein Music School where I learned the basics of music theory and music composition. I continued to play violin until I graduated high school. We’ve all heard the phrase “Fake it till you make it”, I faked all the way to 1st violin, 3rd Chair. That means I was the 3rd best violin player in the school. I didn’t fake my ability to play violin, I faked my ability to read music. That’s the one thing I never quite got the hang of and still can’t to this day.

Though I couldn’t read music, I had gained the ability to memorize and play an entire song in a short period of time. I would literally stare at the music, take note of where sections repeated and ended, then I would watch the conductor for instructions on how to play all the parts. The conductor controls how loud, soft, fast, or slowly an orchestra plays music.

Fast forward to College, I was an audio communication major. Here I learned how to record audio and modify its properties to convey a message or feelings. I learned how to use sound boards, microphones, computer software, and audio production. I’d use all these tools to create commercials and sound effects. I also took psychology and public speaking classes as part of the curriculum.

By now I’m sure you’d like to know where I’m going with all this. Keep reading!

The College Years...

While in college I wanted people to hear all my hard work from class, so I became a member of the radio station. That’s when I first felt the adrenaline rush of hearing my commercials on the air! I remember thinking “the whole campus can hear me!” I learned to lean on the skills I learned in psychology and public speaking class to grab people’s attention for a purpose. I was approached by numerous school organizations to create commercials for their events.

After a while, commercials weren’t enough! I wanted more opportunities to be heard, and I wanted people to know who I was! People knew who all the DJ’s were because they liked the music they played and called in for requests. I wanted a piece of that action, so I started shadowing the radio DJ’s until I was comfortable enough to do my own show. Every Tuesday I would host “The Throwdown with DJ Shadini”. I named myself after the rapper “Whodini” but put my own corny twist on it using the nickname my Mom called me, “Shad”.

I slowly made a name for myself between people making song requests and producing commercials. I started getting requests for all kinds of projects. I was asked to mix the competition music for the Cheerleading squad, and make some mixes for the students who were Dance Majors. By Junior year, I worked my way up the food chain and became the program director of the radio station. This wasn’t just an ask and receive position, I was actually voted in by my piers. My name is still engraved on a plaque listing all of the program directors at SUNY Fredonia.

Opportunity Knocks...

One night while out at a local bar, I heard that the current DJ was graduating and they were looking for a replacement. I gathered up all the courage I had, walked up to the owner and said “I wouldn’t mind earning some extra cash, I’m here all the time anyway! How would you like the program director of WDVL to be your Weekend DJ?!?” She looked at me for a moment and asked, “Are you really the program director?” Just like a TV show, a couple of my friends listening in yelled “Yes!” One said “He can Throw Down whatever you wanna hear!” I spent the rest of the semester at that bar every Saturday learning how to DJ to a live crowd. When I got home I wouldn’t shut up about it to the point where my parents bought me a Pioneer MK1200 turntable, and a Mixer.

During my 1st year as program director, the radio station got a grant to upgrade their equipment. The head of the Communication department gave me a matching Turntable. I can’t really say it matched because they hard wired it into the radio equipment to keep it from being stolen. By the time they were done ripping it out, it had no audio cord and the power cord was torn to shreds. I took a bunch of cables I had laying around at home and re-soldered all new wires to it and got that turntable back up and running. This was BEFORE YouTube video’s and digital owner’s manuals. I salvaged some needles from some of the other radio station turntables that had been thrown out and used them to get started.

It all comes together

Summer of 2000 was my first time DJing at a club. I spent my whole summer buying records and practicing how to mix and had finally earned my chance to enter the club scene! While DJing at this club, I learned how to create my own vibe and do freestyle mixes. A lot of DJ’s can transition from one song to another, but they don’t make it smooth, make it musical or know what songs don’t work together. All that music education from 3yrs old to high school, the ability to memorize an entire song in a short period of time, how to keep time, everything I learned in college on how to make audio sound clear and balanced, the psychology of how to read the crowd, the knowledge of how to speak properly and sell myself, all that came together that year.

The Rewards

By the end of the semester, made enough money to upgrade all of my equipment, and was consistently drawing a big enough crowd to affect surrounding bars. Their owners started approaching me to DJ for them but I stayed true to the original bar because of the friendship I had formed with the owner, the respect that she gave me, and the fact that she was willing to pay what I was worth for the service I provided her.

I’ve since changed my DJ name to Semi-Stealth, but I still apply all I learned those beginning years to every show I do today.

My First DJ Rig (Yes I still have it)