As part of our ongoing Last DJ Set series, where we’re talking to a wide range of mixers about their last gig before government-ordered lockdowns and travel bans went into effect in March, we asked revered Los Angeles-based house music DJ/produced/remixer Eddie Amador to recall his final set before quarantine.
Ahead of the release of his remix of Jason DeRoche’s “Always Gonna Be” out July 10 on Deeplife Records, Amador recalls his final set before lockdown and describes how he’s been using his time in quarantine to master the Pioneer DJS-1000.
When and where was your last DJ gig?
Eddie Amador: Los Angeles the Sunday night before L.A. got locked down. It was a great gig in a cool art space downtown.
How did it go?
The place stayed full all night. People filled the club as if it might be the last party for a while. Who knew it would take this long to recover from the pandemic and how severe it would be. I think we all assumed it would be over in a month or less.
What was your mindset going into it?
As always, my mindset was to engage the crowd and give them my interpretation of great house music.
I was unsure how this last night would go. In fact, people had just started wearing masks to the club and it was a strange view at times. It reminded me a little of a unique fetish/masquerade.
Where had you played previously?
The week before I had been in Denver, Colorado and Phoenix, Arizona. Both of those clubs were full-on with no masks required.
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Did any tracks, in particular, go over especially well during that gig?
Normally, all the tracks I select in a DJ set go over very well. The three that stood out on the last night were two of my own tracks — “Shout It Out” and “When I First Felt House” — and “Undisputed Queen of Disco” by Hatiras.
What is your best memory from that gig?
The view of everyone getting down with masks on.
Everyone can’t wait for clubs and festivals to begin again. What do you miss most about DJing?
I deeply miss interacting with people and seeing them happy. And I miss delivering quality music and creating memories.
How are you keeping your skills sharp? What have you been working on during the lockdown?
I have been taking this time to master the Pioneer DJS-1000. Wow! It is an incredible machine. For a producer that also DJs, it allows me to be really creative while live in the mix. I didn’t have time to learn it until now! Also, I have had time to finally start putting together my new label called Nu Soul, which will be launching soon.
A lot of DJs have been doing live streams and working on tracks. What have you been working on during the lockdown? How can fans support you right now?
Since I have been mostly occupied learning new live DJ techniques here in L.A., I have not been pursuing live streams at this time. Plus, there have been many copyright problems with streaming, resulting in the pulling down the shows. However, should this virus situation not be resolved by October, I believe us DJs will have it all worked out and then I will look to stream sets too. For now, please hold tight stay safe as I am creating a lot of music that’s coming out very soon!