Artist Spotlight: Crespo Interview

A few weeks ago I was approached by a young man by the name of Andres Ramirez who said he had the chance to interview Daniel Crespo and I really wanted to share this with you guys. Please check out Crespo's pages linked below and enjoy this great read!

CRESPO's Pages:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
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.