Check out our first DJ Q&A with Apollo XO to learn more about what The Underground’s Thursday night resident loves about the industry!
Q: Where do you draw influence from when creating your set?
A: I honestly don’t pre-create sets — everything is freestyle for me. In the club, it’s all about the crowd and its reaction, and making the crowd “breathe” and function as one unit through the music. I try to be as original as possible when I’m deejaying, but if I do borrow a transition or idea that I hear at another club from another deejay, I always try to put my own spin on it to make the final product my own.
Q: Who are your idols in the DJ business?
A: Ruckus, Diplo, Chuckie and DJ Snake are all on my list for sure. They’re all absolute monsters at what they do and each one has his own style, way of doing things. I’ve definitely been able to learn a lot from these guys in the last few years.
Q: Have you noticed any growing trends in the industry these last few months?
A: I would say that dance music is coming back heavy into clubs — not that it ever really left for real, but there was a point in which nightlife was reflecting a lot of hip hop. Nowadays, a lot of hip hop is so slow and there’s not really a lot of energy in the new hip hop songs coming out. It’s way cooler to play dance music and upbeat remixes of things which I always liked anyway.
Another really notable trend lately is the latin/dancehall takeover and I love it — I’m so glad that’s becoming a “thing” in the club and just in music in general. That’s the type of music that really gets people moving.
Q: You’ve collab’d with some of the biggest names in the music industry — any cool projects coming up?
A: I have a few projects in the works… I’m trying to get cleared for a potential tour with a big name artists before I move to Europe this Fall. Other than that, nothing I can officially speak on yet … but stay tuned! Follow me on Instagram @apolloxo to keep up with what’s next.
