CRESPO's Pages:
Website
Soundcloud
“Hey man, sorry I
didn’t come sooner, had to set up my gear, wanna get a drink before we start?”
Were the first words spoken by the super friendly Daniel Crespo, more commonly
known by his DJ name of simply Crespo. His open demeanor and relaxed attitude
speaks towards the humble beginnings of this now state wide name. In true
Florida style, Crespo is all about diversity and wide selection, with the
upbringing and music to prove it. There is really nothing negative that can be
said about this man. With a can-do attitude, friendly smile, and candid
outlook, one would be hard pressed to call this man cocky, hubris, or even
mean.
Daniel Crespo started
out on his path to becoming a DJ his freshman year here at Florida State
University. He laughed thinking about those early days, “I just had two little
decks and a crappy mixer and I would just go knocking on house party doors and
asking if I could DJ,” he recalls, “most people would just let me play since
all they had going was an iPod anyways.”
The endless nights
practicing would ultimately pay off for Crespo as he ran into the DJ who would
ultimately help him refine his style and give him some of his first gigs, the
DJ RBK. “I remember when I met RBK it was at a random house party. I was just
transitioning at the time by syncing up tracks and then just back spinning, it
was very hard, very abrupt,” Crespo explained, “and then RBK just came up and
said, ‘here, let me show you how to transition a little better’ and before I
knew it he was helping me learn more about mixing and even some production
work.” RBK would help Crespo master his sound and spread it to others, which
would culminate into his Greek-sponsored mixtape “Your Official Guide to Spring
Weekend.”
From this, Crespo
would go on to perfect his sound before finally being given what he considers
to be his first “real gig,” a night at Baja’s side room. With the go ahead from
Mr. Solano, RBK, and the group of individuals who would go on to become
Committee Entertainment, Crespo got to work on the set that would mark his
entry into the Florida electronic scene. “That was the first set that I had
practiced for six hours straights,” Crespo confessed thinking back on that day,
“I was honestly still nervous going into Baja’s that night and had the
butterflies. Thankfully, as soon as I hit play everything just kind of went
away and I got into it.”
Indeed, if there
is anything that can be said about Crespo, it is that atmosphere and the crowd
means everything to him. His diverse upbringing as a Latino raised in Chicago
along with his wide ranging musical tastes have been put to great use in his
style since he is a firm believer of two mantras that he iterated time and
again. “I always play to the crowd and remember that the crowd is bigger than
me,” he stresses, “it should always be about the music but no DJ should just
get up there and think ‘well, I’m going to play what I want whether these
people like it or not’ because you’re there for the people no matter what.” The
fact that Crespo listens to everything from country to dubstep and even played
piano growing up makes for very comforting news to anybody headed to his shows,
he will not only make sure that his crowds are jamming, but has the musical
background and experience in other genres to make sure the job is handled
properly.
The one common
theme in speaking with Crespo is his constant love for his fans, for those
starting out as DJ’s, and for the love of music. “I love meeting people,
helping others, and just remind myself why I started doing this and to never
let it be about anything other than music.” For those who have seen this man
play, the statement is no lip service by any stretch of the imagination. Always
surrounding himself and others in positive energy, Crespo doesn’t mix music. He
mixes emotions and far off memories together and wraps it all in his love for
what he does before sending it through the speakers and letting it guide your
feet.
