DJ Luke Johnstone: Spinning the world over

(Originally published on TobyGo.com)

Luke Johnstone’s DJ resume is packed with powerful partnerships and international clout. The mild-mannered British boyA younger gay man (see “Twink”). Also used to refer to the submissive in a relationship, i.e. “DaddyAn older gay man. He may or may not prefer the company of younger men, but if he does and if he is moneyed, he is likely to be the dominant or top in the relationship. Also, “Leather Daddy.” and Boy.” who has more than a few residencies in San Francisco is a renaissance man who delivers grooves all over the globe.

DJ Luke Johnstone learned his love of playing music from his dad, who moonlighted on his schoolteaching job as a DJ for private parties back when Johnstone was just a kid. But it wasn’t until his first experiences on the circuit back in the day that Johnstone realized just how passionate he was about playing for parties. Through some serendipitous encounters with his eclectic heroes, and by spinning alongside technically skilled DJ legends, Johnstone has earned his place alongside the faithful fixtures of San Francisco’s club scene and has exported his sound around the world.

He currently holds residencies at 3 of San Francisco’s hottest clubs: Industry at Mighty, Matinee at Temple, and Thick at Ei8ht, and regularly plays with some of hottest DJs in the U.S., including Victor Calderone, Peter Rauhofer, Junior Vasquez, Manny Lehman, Abel, Tracy Young, and Tony Moran.

Suzan Revah, aka Circuit Suzy, sat down with Luke, one of her personal dancefloor heroes, to learn more about his work behind the scenes and on the decks.

What motivates you as a DJ, and what do you look for in a dance party?

It’s all about the music for me, and my motivation for producing events is definitely to play. The music is my passion, my heart and soul. For me it’s not as much about the experience and being with friends, which I can do at dinner or at a bar. It’s about hearing a DJ that inspires or challenges me.

What’s your favorite party to play, and what’s your favorite style of music to mix?

I have broad tastes and, depending on where I am playing, you could hear anything from classic house to funky disco house to tribal and progressive house, all in one set. Playing for big crowds is fun, but on the whole I get more satisfaction from playing to more intimate crowds. I think you can be a lot more interesting and experimental in a smaller venue, especially an after-hours party.

I love playing late-night and at the closing parties of the weekend, at places like Thick or Sanctuary, because you can get away with so much more. You can play a really twisted set, and bring out stuff that has people asking “Did he really just play that?”

But everyone has their bad nights, and sometimes you don’t get it right. A good DJ is also continually evolving and learning, with a style that changes over time. I love to get feedback, but very few people take the time to comment, so it’s great to see dialogue online, like with BPM Exchange (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BPMexchange/).

How has the circuit scene changed since you first started spinning back at Bump all those years ago?

Well, there’s much more of a bar scene at the moment, and I think that has to do with a tough economy and fewer people going out. The venues have gotten smaller, so the crowds are a bit more raw and a bit more mixed, which is good. A lot of people still have negative perceptions of the circuit or say it was a point in time that’s past, but there is still plenty of interesting stuff going on out there and people are still pouring their hearts into the club scene.

To keep things interesting, we really try and partner with different groups to create some excitement, like at this weekend’s Fireball event, which is a benefit for the Hairrison Street Fair, and our Thanksgiving event, which will be a benefit for the AIDS Emergency Fund

What keeps you motivated to spin weekend after weekend and do all the hard work it takes to keep the energy up at your parties?

My goal is to provide people with escapism for a few hours, and hopefully the DJ, whether it’s me or someone I’ve booked, is really into that idea, and into the music. Good DJs are entertainers first and foremost, and they want give you a good time, to give you your money’s worth. A good DJ can really make the night by doing more than just selecting tracks and really programming the night. A good DJ knows how to read the crowd just right to deliver something really special.

What are some really special events you’ve got coming up?

This Saturday night’s Industry at Mighty is Fireball, the official Saturday night party of the Hairrison Street Fair. Hometown DJ Jamie J Sanchez is spinning, along with Spain’s Luis Yanguas, and even though it’s a special event it’s still only $15 at the door if you get there before 10, with an open bar from 9-10.

On September 20 we’ll have DJ Pagano back for a unique tag-team set with me at Industry, and the party will officially kick off the Folsom Street Fair. We’ll be working with The Saint at Large to screen The Black Party movie throughout the night.

Then the very next weekend, following the Castro Street Fair, we’ll have DJ Tony Moran at Matinee. After that it’ll be Thanksgiving, and then we’ll be on to Black XXXmas, with I produce with Gus Presents and is one of my favorite parties of the year.

What makes spinning in San Francisco special?

I mainly DJ on the gay scene, and there are some real differences in the different countries and cities I travel to. For example, Sydney still has a big trance scene, Asia is a little more electro and techy tribal, and the U.S. has a distinct tribal sound that doesn’t export too well. And of course there are the bars and clubs in most cities that are more mainstream, where you will find similar commercial stuff, but it’s surprising how different certain cities can be.

Sometimes San Francisco is its own worst enemy, because it has something for everyone and that can make the scene very segregated, whereas in a larger city like Atlanta or DC the gay scene is more of a melting pot. But more than any other city I’ve been to, San Francisco is a town of characters.

Thanks for keeping all us characters dancing under the discoball, Luke!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 12:00 pm. It is filed under Articles, Boy Beats and tagged with Boy Beats, Circuit, DJ, Luke Johnstone. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.