DJ’s who chose to obscure your identity, how/why did you do it, how did it go for you, and would you recommend it?

Being low profile and letting the music do the talking is totally chill, however I’m so over the whole mask thing. It’s definitely became a gimmick, if I pick a random tearout / riddim DJ from my local scene there’s like a 50/50 chance they wear a mask on stage and it’s soooooooo corny.

Masks to me look like a marketing strategy at this point. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't project that you're in it for the music to me.

I mean, Im 45 and look like I like to bake cakes in the kitchen with an apron on, am on the PTA, and that I like to craft things. To be fair, all of those things are true, but I also grew up in Brooklyn NY in the 90s and love to spin hiphop and I also produce beats so sometimes. When I play live, people are more shocked that Im playing what I play at first and they often try to take pics or video me. I dont love it, but I know its part of the deal. I dont OBSCURE my identity, but I do like to be out of the way where I am not the main focus. Also I do have alternate producer names from my DJ name so that people dont know Im a woman at first- but that is just personal preference. Those that DO know me know those names, but I try not to have QUEEN or MISS or LADY or any of that in my name when I do beat battles.

Went by my real name and was confused with another DJ. Got called a tosser when a fan of theirs turned up expecting the other guy. Funny thing is that the famous guy doesn’t play with his actual name. It would be like Maceo Plex playing as Eric Estornel or Claude VonStroke playing as Barclay Crenshaw.

Every time Deadmau5 makes one of his inflammatory statements in the media, I think, this is coming from a guy who's famous for wearing a mouse helmet.

You trying so hard to not seem like you care about clout is in itself another form of clout chasing. Just dj dude

Do whatever the fuck you want. Everybody's got a damn opinion

Hiding your identity like it is something worth hiding. Screams gimmick to me. Being a genuine person with a real passion for music is what i want to see as a dancer and as a peer. I want genuine people and genuine music and real connections.

Attention for poc or queer artists does not take away opportunities for other artists, it just adds to the community.

I don’t obscure my identity per se, but I do use a DJ name that is not my legal name. Not because I want to be cool, but because there’s a folk musician from the hippy era that I share a name with. I wanted people to be able to find me, not that person.

You’re already a nobody though.

I wear a mask as a way to escape whatever is happening in my life and to make the brand less about a singular person and more about the world that I’ve built and music/atmosphere surrounding it.

Makes it easier for my DJ day job to digest I’m working elsewhere.

Look up Underground Resistance if you aren't already familiar. They used simple bandana masks to obscure their faces in the early days for this very reason; it was all about the music and the message. People knew who they were and it's not like you can't see who is who behind a bandana but it gets the message across what your listeners are supposed to focus on without being overly gimmicky, hot, uncomfortable, etc. (Tbf tho I think in the end they dropped it and Mad Mike might have said in an interview that it became gimmicky so there's that.)

When I started DJing in clubs at 21 there was one I worked that was very boujee in ways. Like less of a “come let loose and dance” place more of a “I’M OUTSIDE EVERYBODY NOTICE IM OUTSIDE 😝” place. I would give my all in the mix, each time doing three hour sets with journeys in sound and every time I was there people I don’t know would try to crowd the booth and shit to seem more poppin or whatever. I got annoyed by taking my craft seriously only to be noticed for my appearance, specifically I began feeling uncomfortable with drunk gals coming to the booth only to compliment how I look and to stand next to the dj with requests. So when I started hosting my own events I would mask to remind all parties involved this shit is about the music fr, not just for play and looking cool but about separation of all life outside of the pumping beats and four walls that build our house at the current time.

Do both. Be awesome, be loud. If you want your face out there, do that. Here's a thought .. green screen your head literally out. I'd follow a headless DJ 😆 Just do whatever the fuck you want. All the grief that say John Summit gets for "staging" his media shit... That's the industry and he's making bank. His productions are good, let him fuck around with awkward extras on bleachers if he wants lol. Fuck it. Just don't cause harm and you're likely good

I’m 45. DJ for 15 years. I’m basically retired last year so I just focus on music and art now. Not caring about the money and just being passionate about your craft is proving to go a long way for me. I really stepped up my game last year and have been booked so much this year because of it. I use my last name as my DJ/Producer name so no anonymity for me. I’m not famous by any means but if things keep going this way, I’ll probably start booking around the country. I don’t mind my name out there, but I’m not trying to be an attention whore. I just wanna play music for people.

I think the way you differentiate yourself is the actual content you publish on your social media, marketing, and website. Minimal photos of you djing, spinning, in the booth, or you dancing. Focus more on photos/videos that demonstrate the vibe you create, the people you draw, and the dancing they do. You make your DJ brand the things around you, not “you” yourself. That’s how you avoid being viewed a clout chaser. Yes, you still become a brand in the process, but that’s fine.

I’ve concealed my identity and keep a low profile for a number of reasons.. mainly because I come from a time when playing in a corner closet was the norm and the dance floor was a place for the people to party, not just stare at the Dj.. I also prefer to not be recognized and noticed in public, when I was at the height of my career folks would come up to me on the streets in nyc all the time, and that always freaked me out.. I prefer to control who knows me and why.. I’ve also done so to get around contractural arrangements..

Personal opinion from someone very new to DJing, so take it with a big grain of salt.

Wearing a mask is not sending the message you are hoping to send, it's a gimmick and it still centers the DJ as a focal point of an event. In no way does it change that energy, if anything it makes it more obvious and glaring.

What I prefer, where possible, is to go the old school route of having myself set up somewhere away from the center of attention. I've even sometimes played from the bar, with my back to the venue for most of the evening. Encourage people to connect with the music and each other, not the DJ, that's the magic.

No one gives a shit

Personally, I think masks these days are a bit cheesy and if anything lean more into the whole social media / gimmick / lifestyle side.

Unless you are independently famous outside of music, 99% of people don't really care what you look like, nor will they remember.

You don't have to "look cool" for instagram. Most underground music (house, techno, etc.) DJs I know wear pretty basic clothes - black top and jeans or something like that... and sure posting on socials is pretty important these days but most focus on pictures from their shows... often showing the crowd, or video clips showing the music - not like vanity shots of themselves.

why do you so badly need a gimmick for people to believe that you’re in it for the music? you do that through djing. if you want to wear a mask you should, but your reasoning seems flawed

I used to loove the concept like 15 years ago. In theory, anonymous DJ's are cool to me. In reality, it usually comes off as gimmicky and cheap unless you're already a big name. A DJ wearing a mask at a local venue for a crowd of 50 people is just kinda weird to me. But if they're good, I don't care either way!

Unless youre already a well known producer 9in a different genre) I think its pretty silly, the whole mask thing. Idendity is a different ballgame, IMO though, and the concept of secret 'pseudonym's is one of the most wonderful things about underground dance music (dont know what youre into but thats my game) . I had been producing for a million years - since 2001 my first house vinyl release - and had kind of burned out for years.. I got back into things a few years ago, but Ive always loved a lot of different genres and wanted to try my hand at electro, so started doing just that under a totally different name. Its been really rewarding and fun to just have absoluetly zero expectations placed (not like im some huge name or anything but maybe a few people would see a release under my old name and expect it to sound like groovy deep tech house) so I just love the anonyminity and freedom to have this secret project that I can feel comfy doing whatver the fuck I please that suits the vibe and narrative of the pseudonym. Its helped me really grow as an artist and break free of some negative patterns and remind me that its al about just making good music that makes me (and hopefully a few others) happy.

As an audience i think it that costume/mask adds to the experience instead of just a dude in a t-shirt. Makes it more interesting visually. In the end unless you have very distinct look, it's just a guy with a beard in sunglasses.

I have had similar considerations in the past. While I don't yet perform, to me it seems interesting that people tend to correlate not hiding your identity with "maintaining appearances", which I don't think is necessarily the case. I think that it is perfectly reasonably for somebody to not hide their identity while still caring only about the music. You can show your face on stage and still not play pretend every time a camera or question shows up. You can have a name and still embrace the community as equals.

Of course there are other factors to consider. Is djing your primary income stream or will you be fine without worrying about conforming to expectations to secure your income? At the end of the day, I feel like wearing a mask/hiding your identity is in some ways less authentic, and I do not think that just because you present yourself completely that you must immediately become a sell out.

Don’t be a mask dj