There are countless reasons why folks move to the PHX: new jobs, lower cost of living, uh...hotter women.
DJ mig50 came here because of the Shizz. The 26-year-old musician became a die-hard member of the local music discussion board while living in Missouri and decided to relocate to Phoenix in 2006 because of both his Shizz friends and since "there was a lot of cool stuff happening [here]." (He'd already spent some serious scrilla flying to the Valley to check out some huge shows).
Besides bringing his eclectic music tastes and ample record collection, Cameron also brought a wry sense of humor that's helped him conjure up such unforgettable DJ nights like the bygone Yacht Rock night at the Ruby Room (where he played cheesy 80s soft rock whilst wearing a captain's hat). Then there's his current bi-weekly shindig NOVA at Tempe's Yucca Tap Room where it's all about disco and other spacy music. He's also a part of tomorrow night's "Fresh" at the Ice House Tavern that's being put on by Emperors of Japan frontman Tony Poer. The pair are planning to pump out old school hip-hop while dressing in tracksuits and other gear that's straight outta a Run DMC video.
It's not the goofiest thing we've seen him do, however: While DJing at a Minibosses show in 2007, mig50 put the drum breakdown portion of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" on repeat while simultaneously pounding out the same beats on a drum kit for more than five minutes straight.
Suffice it to say, if there's a DJ night going on that mig50's involved with, it's guaranteed to be a memorable experience.
Name: Cameron Rosewicz
AKA: mig50
Club night(s): NOVA every other Sunday at the Yucca Tap Room in Tempe (next one is August 15).
Preferred genre(s): NOVA is all about getting out a bunch of great disco that most people aren't familiar with -- loads of synthed-out, cosmic, Italo, funky, and solid disco/dance tracks. Tons of hot vocoder and arpeggiator action. Aside from the disco, I still have an enormous soft spot for 80s music (ranging from radio-pop to new wave to metal to whatever) and play that consistently at other gigs. I also have some newer stuff I throw down from time to time (m83, Battles, etc), and once in a while I'll play some rock 'n' roll. Once in a great while I'll even get the itch to spin some Yacht Rock. Really just depends on what the gig calls for and how I'm feeling at the time.
Weapon(s) of choice: Technics 1200's with Ortofon needles/cartridges and a Stanton mixer.
What's your musical background: I started playing bass when I was 16, picked up guitar a couple years after that. I've been playing in bands since then, and started with the DJ'ing a couple years ago.
How did you get started as a DJ: One of my friends and I were on a road trip and had this big discussion about 80s music. He had a regular 80s night in Philadelphia, so the next time I was there I DJ'd with him, based on that conversation. A few months after that, Mike Montoya said he was going to start DJ'ing weekly at the Ruby Room, so I invited myself to join him. Cut my teeth there and started getting more gigs.
How did The Shizz change your life: Without the Shizz, I never would have come to Phoenix, so my life would be totally different. I would most likely still be bored in Missouri. Pretty weird to think that a message board/community can have that of effect, but hey, here I am.
Why did you dock Yacht Rock: It ran its course. It was almost a year of spinning the same stuff to less-and-less of the same people. It was fun while it going strong, but it couldn't last as a regular event. I'd still like to do another one-off Yacht Rock at some point, however.
What's with the space theme of NOVA: I'm making an effort to play a lot of tracks that are on the cosmic tip, so I felt the spacey theme was appropriate.
What's a better way to travel - in a spaceship or on a yacht: Spaceship, obviously.
Is wacky/goofy shit a regular part of your gigs: [It's] definitely not typical, but when I get a great idea, I run with it. I guess the zaniest thing I've done recently was mix the music from the Sega Genesis game Moonwalker (from an actual Genesis) with an a capella Michael Jackson track (from the b-side of a single) the last time I spun at Bikini. I screwed up the last half of it, but the first half was pretty great. I should give that another shot...
Where do you get your music: Revolver Records, Stinkweeds, Eastside, and Grandiose when I'm digging in the city. If I'm really wanting something that I can't find anywhere, I'll order online. I always dig when I'm out of town, so a decent grip of my vinyl comes from record stores in different cities as well.
Number of records in your collection: I'm not completely sure on this. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000.
What's the "crown jewel" in your collection: I guess the closest thing would be "Back to Heaven" by Number One Ensemble. I first heard it a few months ago when I was listening to a top 100 countdown from an Internet radio station and I fell in love. After some research, I found it was super rare and super expensive. I kept an eye out, and found there was a repress of it, and after some more searching found someone selling it in the states (thus avoiding importing it). It's such a ridiculously great track that I spin frequently.
Last album purchased: Solange, Robots are Un-American.
What's the track you can't get outta your head currently: I've been going between "With Your Love" by Donna Summer and "A Little Respect" by Erasure for the past few days.
Where can you be found when not DJing: Sitting at a cubicle, talking to people about their Internet problems, riding my bike around the city, digging for records, drinking in bars, practicing with bands, playing out with bands, reading comic books, zoning out at home.
Best experience as a DJ: The Shizz Prom at the Ice House Tavern back in May has been the best in recent memory. That was a total blast. We put a lot of effort into it, and it totally paid off with all the people that dressed up, showed up, and blew it out. From what I remember, it was incredible.
Worst experience as a DJ: Spinning to empty bars. It's happened more than I'd like to admit, but hopefully those days are behind me.
