Why I’ve Always Looked Forward to Playing " New Old " Music You've never heard – And Why DJs Today Should Too by DJ Alex Gutierrez

DJ Alex Gutierrez

After more than 45 years behind the decks, one thing has never changed for me: the excitement of discovering new " Old" music and bringing it to the dancefloor. Back in the day, that’s what was expected of DJs. We were the tastemakers the ones who dug through crates, scouted obscure record shops, listened to promos, and stayed up all night searching for that next sound that would blow people’s minds. It wasn’t just about playing hits. It was about introducing hits often before anyone even knew what they were.

Today, it feels like that spirit has been lost.

Walk into too many venues now, and you’ll hear the same 30 tracks played in the same order, night after night. Audiences, oddly enough, have started to expect it too. Many come wanting to hear the exact same thing they heard at the last place they visited. But to me, that’s never been what this job is about.

Every time I program a set, I’m thinking: how can I make this different? How can I make people feel something new? I’m constantly changing my playlists, weaving in tracks people might not know alongside the ones they do because that’s where the magic happens. That unexpected track, that left-turn moment that’s when you see heads turn, feet move, and people feel something they weren’t expecting.

Too many DJs today are more concerned with twiddling knobs and throwing their hands in the air than actually curating something fresh. That’s not DJing that’s pressing play on a pre-approved playlist. And let’s be honest: one of the biggest complaints I hear about DJs is that they’re predictable. That you can guess the next track before it even drops. That’s not entertainment that’s routine.

As a DJ, I see myself as part magician, part storyteller. I want to pull rabbits out of hats—to surprise, delight, and challenge my audience. I want them to walk away thinking, “What was that track? I’ve never heard it before, but I loved it.” That’s the feeling I chase every night. And it’s the reason I still love what I do, even after all these years.

So to the next generation of DJs: dig deeper. Take risks. Don’t just give people what they already know give them what they didn’t even know they wanted. That’s the real job. That’s what makes DJing an art, not just a performance.

Comments

Los Quinces by Alex Gutierrez

It’s funny how an old picture can pull you straight back into a moment you thought time had buried. Suddenly you’re not just looking at it—you’re there . You feel the same rush, the same ache, the same quiet hope you carried then. All those emotions and experiences, the ones that shaped who you became, come flooding back at once. This picture did that to me. This was my inspiration. Chapter 1 I wasn’t very popular in high school. Not tragically unpopular , more like Cuban-background-noise unpopular. I was there, but no one acknowledged my existence unless they needed an extra chair or to chase the ball when it went out-of-bounds.. I hung around some popular guys, hoping popularity was contagious, like the flu or bad cologne. Nothing rubbed off. For most of 10th grade (which I hear they now call freshman, because apparently everything got renamed), I was completely invisible. At lunch I’d sit quietly, pretending to be deep in thought, while eavesdropping on the table next to me liste...

"Marshmellows: The 70s Shoe That Left No Footprint... Until Now" by Alex Gutierrez

"Marshmellows: The 70s Shoe That Left No Footprint... Until Now" The decade of disco, bell-bottoms, and shoes that were as bold as the music. One such iconic creation was the Marshmellow shoe. For those of us who lived through it (or just wish we did), the Marshmellow was the shoe to wear, with its distinctive white rubber bottom that felt like walking on clouds. They were a mix of style, comfort, and an undeniable sense of swagger—perfect for the laid-back, yet fashion-forward vibe of the era. Fast forward to today, and I can’t help but notice a curious trend. Everywhere I look, I see new men’s shoes sporting that same exact white rubber bottom, the same sleek, cushy feel that made the Marshmellow so unforgettable. But here’s the thing—no one seems to be giving a nod to the original Marshmellow brand! It's as if that piece of 70s footwear history just vanished into thin air, with the new shoes taking all the credit without a single shoutout to the legacy that came...

The Story Of " El Brazo Gitano" Esmeralda Kepest and her gift to Cuba by Alex Gutierrez

Esmeralda Kepest was born in a small Romanian village where fortunes were read daily, skirts were always long, and soap was considered more of a rumor than a requirement. A gypsy by blood and by body odor, Esmeralda grew up believing true love would magically appear. Unfortunately, after scaring off half of Eastern Europe, she realized love might need… better weather. So in 1942 , armed with a suitcase, jangling bracelets, and absolutely no deodorant, she sailed to Cuba , because in her words, “Cuban men forgive everything.” Historic miscalculation. In Havana, Esmeralda was a vision,big eyes, mysterious smile, flowing dress, " Tremenda Jeva" by any standards until the breeze kicked in. Men would approach confidently, flirt for three seconds, then execute emergency exits worthy of wartime drills. One had to suddenly “check on his mother,” another remembered a “dead dog,” and one simply ran away yelling, “Ay Dis Mio !!!” But Esmeralda was no fool. She was a gypsy, strategi...

DJ ALEX GUTIERREZ

Search This Blog