Today we’d like to introduce you to Edwin Zaga.
Edwin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I became a DJ at 16 years old, it was during my transition from sophomore to junior in High School, summer of 2008. I remember being the kid who had many hobbies, such as, skateboarding, drawing, magic tricks, video recording/editing, soccer, etc. One day a friend invited me over his house and while we hung out he was playing music through a software called ‘Virtual DJ.’ I was so intrigued by this software that I had to download it the second I got home. Days went by and all I did was study this software from head to toe. All of a sudden, music became my number one interest.
I would spend about 6 to 8 hours a day downloading/mixing music, or listening to other DJs from local radio stations. I was amazed at how cool it was to be able to mix music, it gave me a unique feeling. My parents saw how interested I became in this new hobby that they bought me my first CD player set up. This included two CD players and a mixer. I sat in front of my moms desktop and burned CD’s for hours and hours. I would stay up all night practicing on my CDs. This hobby took over my life so much that I would finish DJ’ing almost every night at 6 am, which is when it was time to go to school. I dedicated so much time into this that I was ready to label myself as a DJ.
Throughout the first couple of months, I would offer my DJ’ing services to a couple of friends who were known to have house parties. They would have weekly gatherings and I would be the DJ at the time. School also became a huge factor in my career; they gave me the opportunity to be the DJ at many of their functions. I would DJ the pep rallies, high school dances, fundraisers, any activity the school had. Little by little my experience and name as a DJ grew and I knew I was ready to move on to the next thing, clubs.
During that time, All Ages Teen Parties were a huge thing. Many high school students would go to these clubs where they had parties for anyone under 21. I managed to meet the promoters and landed a spot as a DJ. In my head I thought I made it, this was it. These new gigs encouraged me to keep pursuing this feeling I kept getting from playing music for people. Nothing else mattered at the time.
The more I played at clubs, the more I realized I needed to start getting paid more for my service. This was a learning time in my career, from a business perspective. I realized I was being underpaid. When I discussed finances with the promoters, they weren’t happy and weren’t willing to work with me. I then became unhappy working clubs; I knew it was time to move on to the next chapter of my career.
I was introduced to a private event company by one of my DJ friends. I knew there was another side to DJ’ing I never touched before, the private event industry. This company took my talents to another level. I would now be put in events I had never done before, such as sweet 16’s, quinceańeras, bar/bat mitzvah’s, weddings, and so on. It became a challenge adjusting to a different kind of format, but I didn’t let that stop me. I embedded in my head that I needed to use this opportunity to help me master the art of DJ’ing so that I could be ready for whatever comes next. I emerged myself into this new world of DJ’ing private events; I loved working every single weekend. Every event was a new experience.
Working many private events gave me the opportunity to meet people all over South Florida. At one of the events, I met a radio DJ who I looked up to. He was very nice to me and invited me to many radio station events that he would play at, I then knew what I really wanted to do. Throughout our friendship, he introduced me to a lot of people who were in the radio and real club scene. I figured out that this is what I wanted, to be known in radio as a DJ. I then shadowed my friend for a couple of years, waited patiently for an opportunity to come by where I could pursue my dreams of being part of a radio station.
Three years went by that I would shadow and work events for a local radio station. I didn’t ask for pay; I knew there was something here that was more valuable than money. The opportunity opened up where the station was looking for extra staff; I knew this was my shot. I was able to land an interview with them and because of all of the previous work I had done for them in the past, they all knew me. I was super nervous and excited for just even being considered to being a part of the team.
Weeks went by and I didn’t hear from them, I thought maybe they went with someone else and that the opportunity was gone. Meanwhile, I kept going hard at my private event gigs. I remember being at this event; I was DJ’ing at when I got a phone call. It was the radio station; they chose me to work with them. I was shocked and couldn’t believe this was really happening. My dream was finally coming true.
Couple of years went by and to this day I’m proud to say I work for the #1 Media Company in the United States, iHeart Media. They introduced me to another level of DJ’ing that I dreamed of achieving in the beginning stages of my career. Being a part of them also exposed me to other DJ colleagues who are main club DJ’s and have helped me achieve the goal of DJ’ing high-end clubs in Miami Beach.
My journey as a DJ up to date has been one crazy ride, I’ve done just about any kind of event there is. DJ’ing is a huge part of my life and it made me who I am today. From the good and the bad, I’m ready to take on whatever challenges DJ’ing will bring. DJ’ing is truly an amazing career.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There weren’t many challenges along the way other than time. Time was a huge adjustment in my life. I had to learn that if I wanted to really do this full time, then I need to be ok with the times my career required of me. What does this mean? Well, DJ’s don’t really have the regular schedule a normal career does. For example, most parties (in the private event industry) happen Friday/Saturday evening. Which means no weekends with friends or family. Also, nightclubs schedules are completely different than a private event or regular career. Normal hours at a club here in Miami are 11pm-4am. But let’s not forget holidays, many people with regular careers can actually enjoy a holiday with their loved ones. It’s very difficult for us DJs to do so due to high demand. There have been many times where I had to work during Christmas, New Year’s Eve, my birthday, family’s birthday, special dinners, etc., the list goes on and on.
Please tell us about DJ Zaga.
I have specialized in the art of turntablism. I like to be the DJ that everyone knows as a ‘Turntable DJ.’ One of the things that I’m most proud of is my versatility; I can be put in front of any crowd and play the right music every single time. All of this I’ve learned from my private event experience.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I honestly wouldn’t do anything different. Everything in my career has been amazing from the start. Met great people along the way, some became family.
Contact Info:
- Email: DJZaga92@gmail.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/DJZaga92
- Other: https://www.mixcloud.com/edwin-zaga/
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