Needle Exchange: A DJ Questionnaire with DJ Gwizski

His go-to records, his craziest gig and the music you should never ask him to play.

IMAGE: Courtesy of James Vance.

Years DJing: I started collecting records in 1998 and began DJing club residencies in 2002. My friends back then said that was too quick of a transition—back then, the norm was five to 10 years DJing in the basement, perfecting your craft, before you dare step into a club. Times have changed a bit since then.

Genre: Modern-, electro- and boogie-funk, '90s R&B, West Coast rap and club slaps on the weekend.

Where you can catch me regularly: At #OnTheOneTues, my five-year-running weekly dedicated to funk, every Tuesday at Swift Lounge; last Thursday at Century for Return of the Mack, a night of '90s R&B and West Coast classics; and every Friday and Saturday at Vault Martini, mixing up club classics from the past 20 years.

Craziest gig: I can't speak about anything crazy without putting reputable people on blast, but a fun one that comes to mind is the time I was DJing an underground hip-hop show and saw Shock G from Digital Underground sitting at the bar. We called him up onstage and he performed "Same Song."

Related: "Gotta Have That Funk? Omega Supreme Is the Label to Get It From."

My go-to records: Tuxedo, "Number One"; Thundercat, "Oh Sheit It's X"; Anderson Paak featuring Sir, "Already"; Dam-Funk, "The Sky Is Ours"; Cassie, "Me & U"; One Way, "Cutie Pie."

Don't ever ask me to play…: Any song while I'm in the middle of a mix. If you see me cutting in a record and fading a song out, take a knee.

NEXT GIG: DJ Gwizski spins at Vault Martini, 226 NW 12th Ave., on Friday, March 10.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.