Today we bring you the second installment of the November Three Stars, an interview with DJ Will Eastman. Yesterday, we reviewed Plastic Explosives, the new album from The Caribbean, and tomorrow this Three Stars will conclude with coverage of the Routineers. DCist Kyle Gustafson assisted in the preparation of this piece.
DJ Will Eastman
Since 1998, DJ Will Eastman has been haunting the clubs of DC, spinning the newest and best in pop (indie, Brit, electro, soda) for DC’s audiophiles and duffshakers. He’s hosted Bliss, a monthly indiepop dance party at Black Cat, since September of 2000, making him one of the longest tenured DJs in the area.
We caught DJ Will as he spun tracks between acts for the Black Cat’s Katrina benefit last Friday evening. His sets were different animals from what one might hear at Bliss, constrained by limited time, band sound checks, and crowds that fled to the bar while the stage was briefly empty. He didn’t disappoint, nonetheless, playing a mix of old and new, beat-heavy and melodic, and he appeared to use the styles and sounds of the bands to guide his choices, making for some nice transitions throughout the night.
Visit him at: http://www.blisspop.com
See him next: November 18, Guest DJing at Marx Cafe’s Taking the Piss. The next Bliss is December 2 at Black Cat, where Eastman turns the stage over to Annie for a guest performance.
Questions for DJ Will Eastman:
Bliss is five years old. Does that now make you a grizzled veteran? How has the scene changed since you started?
It doesn’t seem like a long time, but I’ve learned a lot. I feel like Bliss keeps getting better and if I no longer feel that from month to month I’ll start to worry. I get excited about new music and eager for each month’s gig, so I’m happy.
The scene is healthy. Clubs and events come and go and right now there are a lot of great dance nights in D.C. and Baltimore. I think in the future, in general, things will be even better.
What made you want to become a DJ? Do you remember the first song you ever played at Bliss?
Specifically, I don’t recall the first song played at Bliss but it may have been “Blue Boy” by Orange Juice.
I was promoter of an indiepop event series called Anorak City (after the Sarah Records’ band Another Sunny Day song of the same name) which paired bands and dj’s. I got tired of going to shows where the sound guy played music, well, totally incongruous to the artists performing live and wanted to create parties with live band performances and dj’s that held together. Fairly quickly, I started djing myself and loved it. It also helps justify my ever-growing record collection!
