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DJ Noumenon is living his dream of making a career
in the music industry. Not a second job, not a hobby,
but a career. The road has been long for Noumenon,
but along the way he has DJ’d in three different
markets, started up his music production company (Mussgroov
Productions), produced for Planet Six Records, and
now helps teach at Scratch DJ Academy-NYC. He has
spun alongside the likes of DJ Qbert and members of
the 5th Platoon and helped step the game up for DJ’s
in all of North Carolina (next time you’re down
there, ask about him, you’ll see). This month
we find out about his ‘first’ experiences
and the struggles he went through when starting anew
to live his dream of being a DJ/producer.
Popping his DJ Cherry
Pat
“DJ Noumenon” Hanrahan’s
first time on the decks was
early on in high school. Although
it was his first time, he could
have fooled veteran DJ’s
with his natural ear for music.
“I remember throwing
on the acapella to Pharcyde’s
Passin’ Me By on one
side and Jeru the Damaja’s
Come Clean on the other. They
were a little off and without
anyone telling me, I fixed
it on my own so they were on
track with each other,”
Noumenon remembers. The recognition
of his own natural ability
was to be the stimulus for
his driving force to become
a DJ.
First time he knew
It
wasn’t until Noumenon
hit his later years in high
school that he began to solidify
his decision to be a DJ. Only
months after getting his own
DJ setup, Noumenon had an opportunity
to gig for a friend’s
birthday party. At the time,
he was working a 7 to 5 job
and diligently practicing through
lost hours of rest while studying
the mixtapes and productions
of the likes of Grandwizzard
Theodore, Grandmaster Flash,
and DJ Premier. The hard work
ended up paying off. “I
was nervous because it was
my first official party, but
I rocked it. That night was
when I really started considering
DJ’ing more than just
a hobby. The day was December
27th, 1997.”
Setting
his first sights
After
a trip down to North Carolina
with friends, Noumenon recognized
the potential of his worth
as a DJ in that market. “Most
of the the DJ’s were
wack! Seriously, they had their
CD’s on auto-play and
their beats were all over the
place. It was like listening
to shoes in a drier.”
He again identified his talent
and soon decided to make his
initial big move down to where
he decided to begin his official
DJ’ing career. He always
had New York City as his final
goal but knew that “…DJ’s
in New York [were] a dime a
dozen,” and decided to
hone his skills in another
location.
First Struggles
With
less than $200 in his pocket
by the time he touched ground
in Wilmington, Noumenon was
ready to conquer North Carolina.
However, as with most situations,
things didn’t pan out
as he had expected. “It
got to a point where I was
poor,” he recalls. “Sometimes
I wasn’t eating. If I
could get ramen noodles I was
in heaven.”
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Upon
arrival, Noumenon found that
despite his talent as a DJ,
finding gigs was going to be
a challenge. He wasn’t
able to land a gig until 3
months after he moved into
the area. “I couldn’t
get a job because I was from
New York. They didn’t
like northerners.” With
little money and no job, Noumenon
was in such a bad position
that he had to gravely consider
moving back home and put a
short stop to his DJ’ing
dream. Luckily, he was able
to land a construction day-job
and work weekends DJ’ing
in a retail clothing store
for a mere $5 an hour.
First
opportunity to shine
“It
went from 3 months of not a
lot happening to 3 months of
a lot of stuff going on.”
Persistent with making his
dream a reality, Noumenon landed
gigs and residencies after
paying his dues at the local
retail shop, however was still
not on the radar just yet.
It wasn’t until his friend
entered him into a DJ battle
without him knowing that his
career really launched.
Noumenon was slated to battle DJ Merlin who was,
at the time, the best DJ in NC. He was candid about
his concerns; “Dude, Merlin was gonna wipe
the floor with me.” When he arrived at the
event, no one knew who he [Noumenon] was or what
to expect. Just before performing, Noumenon had
much to reflect on. “I just sat there for
a minute. I missed graduating high school with honors
and I didn’t go to college. What I wanted
to do with my life was exactly what was right in
front of me and I ripped this kid a new one.”
Noumenon, with a spectacular performance that included
an impromptu strip to his boxers while beat-jugging,
won the battle and spread his name as one of the
best DJ’s in North Carolina. With his new
fame, Noumenon landed more lucrative and reputable
gigs, performed with a band (Organics) that consistently
played to sold-out crowds, helped start a turntablist
crew, and started the Mussgroov Productions team.
Noumenon had reached his peak
in the unfamiliar North Carolina
DJ scene with little money,
no handouts, and little opportunity.
It has been just under two
years since he started over
in New York City and armed
with his talent and experience,
is ready to surmount the Big
Apple as a promising DJ/producer.
For
more info on DJ Noumenon, check
out:
www.mussgroov.com
www.myspace.com/djnoumenon
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