Most people work harder so that they’ll have more time to relax and do nothing. DJ Noodles is not like most people. He’s gone from humble beginnings in upstate New York to residencies all over Florida, an almost daily Dash Radio show, and wildly popular remixes that have caught the eye of artists like Pitbull. We spoke to him on his movement of #NoodlesNation, the future of radio, and of course, his favorite noodle dish.

Starting from the beginning, how did you first get into DJing?

When I was in high school, I saw 'Juice'. 'Juice' made me find my way into my parents' basement, grab a turntable and eventually buy a really cheap $90 Gemini mixer. I kinda started playing with records I could find around the house and the basement. I fell in love with it immediately. I quickly was able to get my first job at a vinyl record store back when we had a lot of those around. I wound up running the place throughout high school. I later bought it, years later and owned it for a short period of time before Serato killed that business. Being able to jump right into the proverbial scene, being around all the DJs in my city-I grew up in Buffalo, NY-at that time, late 90's, early 2000's, the east coast Hip-Hop was where it was. The south hadn't taken over yet. It was a vibrant time to get into it.

 

" 'Juice' made me find my way into my parents' basement, grab a turntable and buy a cheap mixer."

 

It's crazy how you mention 'Juice' because a lot of DJs bring that same movie up as the original inspiration that got them into DJing. It makes me wonder where a lot of DJs would be if that movie never came out.

Absolutely. For myself, I'm pretty sure I would've wound up here, one way or another. I was an avid music fan at a young age, at that time, particularly Hip-Hop. It was my fandom of Tupac that drew me to that movie in the first place. I was already a Tuesday morning at the record store kind of kid, buying all the new CDs, waiting in line for the store to open when the new Jay Z CD came out. 'Juice' certainly was the first thing that I was exposed to that showed you that DJing wasn’t just the guy at your second cousin's wedding that you went and saw. It put it in the context that we all know it now.

One thing that I think is so cool about 'Juice' influencing so many kids is that at the end of the day, 'Juice' was a movie based on real DJs. It was about a DJ battle, routines, tricks, as well as making sure you kept the crowd into it. Whereas a lot of other mainstream examples of DJing at that time, and even today, is so much less based on DJ skill and talent and more just on "show." It's cool that this era of guys, including myself, was first exposed to it in the truest form vs. guys today watch something on MTV. The next thing you know they have a computer program and they're stealing music, and now they're a DJ. No one can say that it did anything bad for the genre or field.

Right. So how did you come up with the name DJ Noodles?

I'm Italian. I love to eat a lot of pasta and my real last name begins with an "N." When I first started out I didn't have a DJ name. It kinda got crazy during those first few parties and kind of just came up with it from there. It fit.

I have to ask then, what’s your favorite noodle dish?

My grandmother and aunt's spaghetti and meatballs. Old family recipe.

Classic. From your DJ name, out came this whole #NoodlesNation movement. How’d that come about?

That's really exciting. I think that it's really cool-the space we're in. People are really becoming passionate about the artists and music that they're a fan of, whether Justin Bieber and the Beliebers or the Noodles Nation movement that started on its own, before I even went to Dash. The name of the show at Dash is more of a reflection of me starting to get feedback from people during my time at Sirius. I didn't even invent it. Some random person somewhere, who should get credit for it, put the hashtag up on the internet during one of my shows and I ran with it. So when I went to Dash I thought, what better way to identify this new show than to make it not just about me but what I represent. I started to have guest DJs on and I'm in complete creative control. It's guest DJs that I fuck with that maybe don't have an outlet. Last week I started off with DJ Heat who is part of my team. Obviously I take care of my team first but next week DJ Class is going to be on the show. You go to any DJ's Serato, they got a DJ Class record. Any format. Any DJ. Class is in between getting a new show going so it's cool to give him a chance to come over and be a part of it, too.

 

Speaking of your new show at Dash Radio, how do you see Dash fitting into the future of radio and music?

It's hard to contain my excitement about Dash Radio. I think Skee, shout out to Skee, and the team that he put together over there are some of the smartest guys in the business. When I say business, I mean marketing and music. They're smart on all levels. They figured out a solution to finally finding something that's a long term alternative to traditional radio. There's a lot of problems with Sirius XM's business model, going forward. It's really hard for me to tell some 15 year old kid, who wants to hear my show, that he has to spend $20 a month to hear my one show, one night a week. He can go and basically make his own show with my records on my Soundcloud or listen to Pandora and use records that I've produced that come up or catch me on my regular radio station.

What Dash Radio is doing is eliminating the expense of satellites which are expensive and giving the power back to the people to dictate what's cool. It's not Sirius, so that's not competition. Pandora isn't radio, anyway you cut it. It's a computer telling you what it thinks you like. This is the radio that I fell in love with--Dash Radio. It's like saying, "Noodles is a dope DJ. I saw him at the club," or "I saw a show of his. I want to hear what records he wants to play tonight, not my iPod's computer system or some suit at Beats Music." Or "I like Skee so I want to hear Skee's radio station."

 

"Dash is not just going to be on your phone or your computer. Dash is going to be everywhere."

 

It’s interesting how you say that it’s an alternative to traditional radio because I kinda see it as going back to the roots of traditional radio, when it wasn’t so corporate.

Absolutely. I think traditional radio has shareholders to answer to. Clear Channel, now called iHeartMedia, is one of the largest companies in America and in order to make a decision, they have to be able to back it up on paper. I understand why terrestrial radio does what it does. I don't necessarily agree with it because when you make a decision based on statistics and trends and spreadsheets, you lose the fact that music is about feeling. Music is about making someone's day better or making them forget about a breakup or making them dance at a party. I don't know a lot of people now who turn on their local radio station to be the soundtrack to their get together. They're using a playlist, Pandora, or they're beginning to listen to Dash. I think that's the element you start to lose in most terrestrial stations. Some people have that freedom. I'm fortunate because of the terrestrial radio I'm involved in, since I get to pick and choose which ones I take. Nothing against the guys who have to do that, either. We all have to get ahead and build our name. You just gotta make the best of it.

Internet is going to be in cars next year. I was looking at cars the other day and all of the '15 models on one brand are putting WiFi options in them. Dash is not just going to be on your phone or your computer. Dash is going to be everywhere. They're doing it right. It's not a backyard operation where it's going to get shut down or something. It's a legitimate company and they're the first people to do internet radio for real.

 

Getting to the music, you’re heavy in the remixes. As someone who grew up on east coast Hip-Hop when a remix meant a different beat and some new rhymes, how do you feel about the loose use of “remix” today?

I think that it's evolved. On one hand, you're right. You've got the Mr. Probz "Waves" record. They just put out a remix with T.I. and Chris Brown on it. There's a place for that because that's cool and it has all this star power. People who otherwise wouldn't have it are going to discover it because they're a Chris Brown or a T.I. fan. But I think that the whole idea of a remix and why I've been drawn to it early in my career, is it's being able to take something apart and put it back together your own way. Like I've been putting out original records and if I ask someone on the street and said, "Do you wanna listen to this new song from Noodles or do you want to listen to this T.I. remix?" Chances are they're going to say the T.I. remix. When they do that, it gives you a chance to put your fingerprint on, and rebuild something. The thing I love the most is when there's not one remix. I listen to the stuff that everybody does. I probably have 15 different remixes and bootlegs of Calvin Harris "Blame" in my Serato. And I probably reach for a different one each time just because it gives you a fresh take on records, that in general, become more monotonous. Not just with radio but in this country people get really into something and they beat it to death, and then they're done with it. I can say, "I'm gonna play this R3hab mix," or, another one tomorrow. And now I'm able to play one of the biggest songs in the country, five different ways. That's what's so cool about remixes today. It extends the life of records.

Yeah, so EDM remixes have flourished but Hip-Hop remixes, not so much.

I think Hip-Hop remixes... it's getting a little ridiculous putting the same five artists on every remix. I don't think you bring value to songs when you do that. Like you said, do a Bad Boy remix. Switch the beat up, take a classic sample and flip it, and then add some other people.

 

" 'RCA is pressuring me to turn in this Pitbull remix from yesterday.' That's a great problem to have."

 

Exactly. So as you juggle your podcast, Dash Radio show, and other radio shows on top of live shows and remixes, how do you stay sane?

It's very difficult. I try and unplug every day for a while and hang out with my daughter and my wife and shut down and leave my phone in the other room. Sometimes it's only for 10 minutes at a time. At the end of the day, I feel like I'm the luckiest guy in the world. These are great problems to have. Like, "Oh man, I have to go do another mix for radio in Miami," or, "RCA is pressuring me to turn in this Pitbull remix from yesterday. I'm late." That's a great problem to have. I'm not sleeping as much as I used to. I'm really lucky to have good people on the business side. There's nothing worse than not having anything to do.

As you sleep less, how do you still find time to find new music to include in all of your mixes?

Getting out to the clubs is everything to me. Going out and hearing records live and hearing other DJs play records I maybe don't know about or haven't played yet, and seeing reactions... Noodles Nation, the whole basis of that show and HITS 97.3 in Miami on Fridays, is really party driven. I don't play a lot of sad or lyrical records. I try to focus on the happy. You can hit the gym with it or clean the house or have people over or bounce between club to club. You can't be everything so there are some areas I'm not as up to date as I used to be. As I've grown up, there's a place for everything. For me, playing a show and people responding, those are the best things about being a DJ.

Then how do you approach doing a live show or creating a mix vs. attending one? I saw that you were at EDC recently.

Everything is kinda homework. I had a great time and it was really cool to see guys who I'm a big fan of. I'm a huge Flosstradamus fan and getting to see their show in that environment was a dope experience. I also like Brillz. I knew I had some of his remixes but I had never seen him play. I walked out of there a huge Brillz fan. I told a few people about him already. It's also homework. It's interesting to see how the energy went up when Dillon Francis went on the Main Stage because Dillon Francis doesn't just play one thing. My biggest takeaway is that, no offense to the big names that killed it, but there was more energy around the Trap stuff like Dillon Francis that did a little bit of everything because I think that's more of a reflection of what the kids are in to today, as opposed to, "I like Progressive House. Period." People say, "I like that record by that guy and that Hardwell record but Drake is my dude and that new Jay Z and Beyonce is crazy." That's what an average kid is listening to.

I totally agree. With all of your remixes and some original stuff, do you have any plans for an album?

Album, not necessarily because I don't really think that an album lends itself to the genre of today's Electronic open format vibe. I have an EP that's 80% finished in the vault. I have a couple singles that we're finishing the plans for December/January. There's a lot of music. I probably have more than an album's worth of music but put together it doesn't feel like an album. There's a very good chance that you'll see an EP from me, first quarter next year.

I saw that you produced a Riff Raff track titled, "Instagram.” Do you think that you could share some social media advice or rules for the DJs out there?

(laughs) Okay, #1: It never goes away. I've talked to a promoter one time who mentioned a picture I had put up maybe 6 months/8 months ago. I barely remember even posting it. I remember what picture it was and it wasn't anything controversial. You realize whatever you do is there and you can't control who sees it and it won't go away. #2: Try and interact with your fanbase as much as possible. Without these kids, we're nothing. I've never seen a bunch of DJs get in line to pay full price to go see a bunch of other DJs. It's the kids and the fans and the listeners and the club goers--being able to interact with them and give them a piece of you or have a little experience. There used to be these three high school girls, I think they were some of the first people to start this Noodles Nation. They would listen every Saturday night on Sirius. It was cool to see them become a part of the shows and talk to other listeners, tagging other people. And #3: try not to bore people with club fliers and "Hit me up to get on the guestlist."

Last Call

1. What is your favorite movie of all time?
Goodfellas/Godfather.

2. As a young DJ, who was the one DJ you looked up to?
I always look up to the creative guys like Green Lantern or Kid Capri or DJ Premier. People who put their stamp on it. DJ Premier.

3. As a DJ, what's your biggest pet peeve? People that never spun vinyl and don't show respect to the art form.

4. What is your current DJ set up at home? I'm a big fan of the Pioneer DDJ SZ as well as two, black original 1200's and a Rane 57 mixer.

5. What’s your favorite record of all time? "Juicy".

You can catch DJ Noodles on Dash Radio’s LOUD channel Monday through Friday 9-10pm and Saturday 10pm to midnight. All times EST. You can listen to his podcast, Sunglasses and Advil, on Future FM and on iTunes. For the Orlando Magic fans, he’ll be spinning at Mid-Week Magic at Ronas & Ritas all season long. You can also listen in to his shows on HITS 97.3 FM in Miami Friday and Saturday nights, and WiLD 94.1 FM in Tampa Bay on the morning show Monday through Thursday.

To stay on top of all his mixes and remixes, make sure you follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also check out his bio and more at Digital DJ Pool

Bryan Hahn's favorite noodles dish is Japanese soba, in case anyone is asking. He's on Twitter: @notupstate.