Meet Mike Devious | DJ & Music Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mike Devious and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mike, why did you pursue a creative career?
I believe we as Human Beings should do what we love to do and what we are passionate about. Although a career in music may seem far fetched or out of reach, music is my passion and I’d rather be able to look back one day and say that I went for it despite all of the hurdles and naysayers. I think it takes more courage and resilience to follow your dreams, as opposed to getting a nine to five and playing it safe.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a Disc Jockey and music producer who has been in the game for over thirty years. From a young age, I was always very fond of music and dancing and eventually it led to me wanting to be a DJ and musician. So in the Summer of 1994 I started collecting dance records and bought some turntables with that goal in mind. I taught myself to mix and match beats and in a matter of months I felt comfortable enough to try out at a local night club. From there I never looked back. I continued to build my record collection and kept practicing and getting gigs and making a name for myself. Then fast forward to the late two thousands, the digital age took over and vinyl records became a thing of the past for many. For me though, I wasn’t ready to make that transition. Playing records on turntables was my passion and so it was a hard pill to swallow when I showed up at the club to play a set and the turntables were disconnected, sitting in the corner, being used as someone’s drink table. I knew at that point that I would have to embrace playing digital music on a digital medium if I wanted to stay relevant. Times were changing and the art that I had worked so hard and so long to perfect had become almost obsolete. Although digital formats have become the new standard, luckily there are those who understand and appreciate the lost art of turntablism and the skills that are required to mix and match beats using a pitch control instead of a sync button. If there are any aspiring DJs out there, I would recommend learning how to mix without a sync button first and foremost, because if you are totally dependent on the equipment to do all of the work, you are in for a big surprise if the sync button happens to malfunction. Nothing clears a room like two songs playing at the same time out of sync. This is what we in the DJ world call a “train wreck”. Also, now that anyone can be a DJ, I think it’s important to learn how to produce your own music. It’s the main skill that will set you apart from the rest and make you more marketable for quality bookings. Music production is my number one creative outlet and what a great feeling it is to be able to play an entire set of my own original music, or to hear another DJ playing something that I produced.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of my most favorite places to visit in Colorado is Garden of the Gods. I think it’s a must see for anyone who loves nature and the outdoors. And since we’re in the area, let’s head over to Manitou Springs and hit up the Penny Arcade for some Horse Derby Racing and grab some lunch at the Sahara Cafe. If time and travel were no issue, I would say let’s head down to Pagosa Springs and spend a couple of nights at the Springs Resort and soak in the Hot Springs Mineral Water.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to give a huge shout out to Freebird Funnday. She is my biggest inspiration and without her I probably would have given up on pursuing my dreams a long time ago. She has been there for me through some of the most difficult times, giving me words of encouragement, and pushing me to keep going when I just felt like giving up. She is an extraordinary person and I am extremely blessed to have her in my corner.

Website: https://undergrounddancemusic.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djmikedevious/

Twitter: https://x.com/MikeDevious

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mikedevious

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/djmikedeviousundergrounddancemusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mikedevious

Other: Beatport: https://www.beatport.com/artist/mike-devious/573929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/255MGaxC8mMgFKjBE8Nq1Q