Artist profile · DJ
Admiral Blackbar
“If I can’t party to it, I won’t play it.”
- What does your DJ name mean?
- Hilariously enough, it has nothing to do with DJing! One of my favorite franchises back in the day was the Star Wars franchise. Admiral Ackbar was a character I always found to be really dope, and I decided to base my Xbox Live Gamertag and DJ name off of that. Naturally, being Black I had to put my own twist on it, so yeah. Its also amusing because folks that don’t know me associate the name with the famous Ackbar quote “It’s A Trap!” and think that I’m going to play Trap or other Heavy Bass Music. But I’m almost ALWAYS playing Tech House. Hilarious.
- What is your relationship with the music that you play?
- If I can’t party to it, I won’t play it. At any given time in a set (regardless of what my facial expressions might show), nobody is enjoying the track I’m playing more than me. As a result, any chance I get to play music is a shot of serotonin for me. It also means that I’m subject to play any genre, at any given time. Eric Prydz track followed by Walker & Royce? It just might happen.
- Why and how did you pick up DJ’ing?
- Why, you say? I picked up DJing for 2 reasons. 1. I was already going to a lot of electronic music shows, all the time, and had lots of ideas in my head about how a set of songs should have been played, or what would have worked better. 2. All my friends were DJing and it was a popular thing at the Afterparties/Events they were throwing. The “How” came by way of the 4 Degenerates that I’m proud to call my Mentors: Donnie, Edwin, Jerry, and Steven. All of these 4 Trashcans have housed me, practiced with me, had patience with me, and built foundational pillars in my arsenal to get me where I am today. I am forever grateful to them.
- What is the best set you’ve ever seen?
- Although I constantly name it as a “Top 5 Set”, I believe my favorite set of all time is Gesaffelstein @ Coachella Weekend 2. I actually went to Coachella Weekend 1 and it was so crazy I had to go back to Coachella the next weekend and watch it again. And somehow (See: Acid), it was even better. Miss those days.
- Where do you find new music?
- Shows that I go to and Shazam at, Sets that I hear online and track it down via 1001 Tracklists, and Beatport. Since virtually all of my music is purchased via Beatport, I spend a decent amount of time hunting through artists + labels and checking back through their releases. If one of those artists does a track with somebody else, I check them out too. Modernized “crate digging”, if you will.
- What is an underrated genre in the current electronic music landscape?
- Minimal Tech House doesn’t get enough credit outside of those Cokeheads/K-Holers that camp out at Space Miami all the time, but its really good stuff.
- What is the weirdest venue or gig you’ve spun?
- During Covid and the Livestreaming days, we streamed a DJ Set from the backseat of my car while my buddies drove around Los Angeles. While this sounds whatever, keep in mind that my car is a Hyundai Genesis Coupe. And yes, we named it DeGen (or Degenerate Genesis Coupe Adventures).
- What are you planning to play for us at Twenty:Four?
- Primetime 130+ BPM basic bitch Tech House, Bass House, Brazilian Tech House, and other 4-To-The-Floor Bangers. If you’re expecting some complex technical masterpiece, then I’ve got really bad news for you.