Conversations with Nyall James AKA DJ Knives

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nyall James. 

Hi Nyall, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started as a high school kid who love to burn CDs for his friends. In college at CSU, I was gifted some old DJ gear, 2 turntables, and a mixer, by a musician who was a complete stranger; he had just overheard my friend and I talking about electronic music in the student store on the campus. That same friend also contributed a stack of vinyl, and I was off on my journey of DJing. I upgraded my setup to include a DVS or digital vinyl system so I could play the music off my computer, and that was when the game changed completely. I started DJing parties and then eventually at real venues. I joined a DJ crew, and that opened the door to even more performing opportunities. Eventually, I started my own crew, and we host and promote events ourselves. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s very difficult to make it in the DJ scene. There is a lot of competition and a lot of gatekeeping. The secret for me has been to work hard at fostering relationships with those gatekeepers and decision-makers and being determined to get them to give me a shot. One of my biggest challenges was moving to a new city and losing all of the connection I previously had and starting from scratch. It took a long time to build back those relationships but it made me even more resilient and hard working. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m most proud of my diversity as a performer. I play open format, which is constituted by a very wide variety of music genres such as pop, hip-hop, top 40, throwbacks, Latin, EDM, and more. As an open format DJ, you need to be able to read a crowd and bring them what they want. You have to have the right blend to make diverse audiences happy, and flow everything together smoothly so it sounds cohesive. I think something that sets my style apart is my unique taste. I’ve crafted my library for over a decade-plus and I’m confident no one else sounds exactly like me. 

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Work hard at making relationships with people, not just the music. Be determined and consistent in making and maintaining those relationships. You will get rejected at first, but the important thing is to not let that deter you or slow you down. 

Contact Info:

• Email: djknivesofficial@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djknives/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djknivesofficial
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/dj_knives
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/djknivesofficial