Today we’d like to introduce you to Quentin Johnson a.k.a DJ SMOOV Q.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up around music all my life and you can pretty much say it’s in my bones. One of the most well-known things about me is how well I can and love to dance. I still remember stories from when my grandparents who raised me would get reports or calls from my elementary teachers not for bad behavior but for two things talking too much and dancing! Fast forward the way I got into djing wasn’t how most big-name respected DJs and producers started, as in I didn’t say when I was a kid, “when I grow up I want to be a Dj”. My true passion was football where I went on to Texas State University to continue playing after high school, things didn’t go as planned like most things in life. Like most college students, one of my favorite weekend activities was partying. The way djing came about like I said earlier, I was really good at dancing and got really well known and popular through that exactly. I would go to a party with 200-300 people and start a “dance circle” and next thing you know I have what looks like the parted sea effect group of people chanting “ay ay ay” while watching dance and getting the energy up… See where I’m going.
My first light bulb DJ moment was when one day a group of me and my crew who I would party hop with arrived to a frat party with about 50-60 people. If you’ve ever been to one of those they can either get really crazy or being snooze fest of slow country music dragging in the back with several small circles of people talking drowning it out. On the way to parties, I would usually be “aux guy” in charge of music because I seem to know what to play and when to play it at the right times, so I jokingly tell the host, “man you should let me plug up my iPod” and surprisingly he was like “yea sure” next thing you know it goes from a funeral to rager and the rest was history. After about a few months of the iPod party takeover, I said maybe I could take this further and actually learn how to DJ and maybe even get a little profit. Remind you I am a college student so I didn’t have a lot of money, but I did have an HP laptop and there was this free program out at the time called Virtual Dj, where you didn’t need physical equipment just a laptop where you would manually load a track to the left and right, and control everything from a mouse. Technically my first gig was in 2011 at a friend’s birthday apartment party where I believe I made $50. It was my laptop and a borrowed Bose house surround system that I just plugged into the side of my computer party was successfully shut down by the police, but not before packing out the apartment and after that, the buzz of DJ Smoov Q got around. The inspiration for my name though I wish was a deeper meaning came from the way I was with the ladies which is how I got my wife, but since maturing and growing in my skill set, I say is because of my smooth, seamless transitions while performing. It wasn’t until 2012 that I had my first official gig with where I played for UTSA sorority probate.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing in my life has been easy, but every test put in my way, I passed. I was raised by my grandparents since I was weeks old, which I attribute some of my music knowledge to older decades as well as my old soul sometimes. I always laugh because I say I have a combination of my grandmother’s party/function organizational skills and fashion sense, while I have grandfather’s hardworking – get your hand’s dirty mindset as well as laid back life is too short to stay mad mentality. Now, where am I going with this is these traits help not only mold me to the man I am today but help to have the Dj career I have today as well. Let’s just summarize the filler things in my 11-year career I’ve had two laptops stolen, gigs where I’ve practically had to track down someone for compensation and also my favorite equipment malfunctions. All things that would deter someone to continuing the path of those careers which may I remind you Djs unless you’re a big-time name weren’t really respected and seen as they are today.
Also while in the growing part of my career, I had an unexpected blessing on in the fall of 2013. That is when I welcomed into the world my beautiful daughter. I was only 25 and went from late-night djing and partying to now late-night still Djing then coming home to a different type of “bottle service”, I wouldn’t change it for anything because she is one of my biggest inspirations. Earlier I mentioned how my grandparents raised me, thats not to say my mother wasn’t in life, but to keep it brief they agreed since my mother had me at only 19 years old that would be able to provide me a better quality of growing up. In 2013, my daughter being born was a huge thing my family being that she was the first baby in 25 years a.k.a since me. It meant even more to my mom because it was her first grandchild and also her do it all over again the right way moment with my daughter. Unfortunately, February 13, 2014 I was on my way home from a gig and I receive a call from a family member at the hospital that my mother had an accident and was stable and started “taking a turn for the worst” and that “I needed to get there” noted this 4 am in the morning after djing, drinking mixed with exhaustion. It was hard because part of you wants to hope in the car and drive to Houston (for those unfamiliar, it’s a 2.5-hour drive from Austin), but I just had to respond, “I can’t, I been drinking and I’m so tired ‘ and the last thing my family is needing something to happen to me when they dealing with one emergency already. Sadly I get a call no more than 30 mins later I get a call “she’s gone” and that truly was one of the hardest things to have gone through. All I could do I pick up my sleeping daughter and just hold her vow that the life she gave me would not been wasted.
Also, a little side information my mother could sing almost angelic they would compare her to Whitney Houston for the notes she could hit, and even though my daughter was only a few months at the time – now eight years old I see some much of my mother in her because she loves to sing! Well if that wasn’t enough earlier, I had just gotten my first residency on 6th street at Bar 512 which has built up my confidence enough to have entered my first DJ competition which was on February 14, 2014, the day after my mother’s passing. I contemplated all day long with a good buddy of mine who had hung out with me all day since I didn’t have any blood family that lived in Austin. Well, I decided to do it, I remember telling myself I know shell be up there with me, I am thankfully for the support of friends that came out that night. When I was called up on stage, I got on the mic and the first thing I said was, “just letting yall know my mom just passed this morning, but I’m up here doing this because she loved music and I know she’s up here with me” the crowd went completely silent from shear shock and respect. I gave it my all and though I didn’t win I gained the biggest thing to help vault my career and that was major confidence. I always say even to this day that if could get up in front of a bunch of strangers and do a contest right after losing my mother no gig will be too big for me and I never looked back.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Well, I am a Dj in Austin originally from Houston, TX I went to Texas State University which is what brought me to central texas which is when I fell in love with the area. I always tell people that aren’t familiar with the Austin scene we have some of the most diverse bars and people creativity you might ever see. Also, hats off to any dj that holds down a residency at any spot downtown because the thing that makes it harder than any other market in the u.s is that we have several bars yes, but on top of that we none of those bars and night clubs don’t charge cover or admission like say a Houston or Dallas market. Example being 6th street one of the most visited downtown nightlife in America with pre-covid about 60 bars active running at any given time next door to each on just the 6th street blocked only. Given that information, if someone doesn’t like what you’re playing or your skill, energy, etc. they’ll just leave and go to the next bar without hesitation. Gms and bartenders take note of that so even if you started all doing well and then you start getting comfortable or slacking they are quick to replace you. It’s not pretty but keeps you on your toes. I don’t see Djing as a job I have one during the week for that so Djing and music are my outlets on the weekends so for the last ten years playing downtown I treat every night with the same energy and excitement like it’s my first night. Over that time span, I’ve held 10 different residencies and played about 30 different venues in Austin downtown alone. I always said before I hang it out…which isn’t happening anytime soon. That I wanted to play in different cities across the country so far, I successfully dipped my toe in Houston so the journey continues.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Outside the “don’t take life for granted” thing that everyone and mostly been my mindset. I would say first and foremost my family was blessed to not have lost anyone to the virus, and I was also lucky enough to have a full-time job that when things shut down was considered essential. If anything, it gave me time to brush up on my craft and organize my music crates with extra weekend downtime. Also when the bars open back up it was like Christmas I came back hungrier and even more ready to DJ because you realize that once it’s taken away how much you miss it.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djsmoovq/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.mixcloud.com/DJSMOOVQ/
Image Credits
Photographer Lorenzo Marez Visual Media
