Today we’d like to introduce you to House Ninja.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m the House Ninja: superhero, DJ, and music producer. If Marshmello were managed by Marvel, you’d wind up with something like me – a heroically themed DJ and producer who uses his platform to raise awareness for social causes.
I was born out of an early exposure to music, a passion for costumes and theatrics, and a fascination with all things tech.
My mother was a professional musician and tried very hard to introduce all her children to classical instruments. As a child, I dabbled in trumpet, guitar, flute and of course, piano but didn’t stick with any of them. What did stick with me was a love of costumes. I used to dress up at every opportunity, including the doctor’s office. One day my mom took me to the doctor and I was missing my costume: the doctor was immediately concerned and asked, “what’s wrong with him?”
That love of costumes and theatrics continued on through college. I founded an improv comedy troupe, was part of a medieval reenactment group, and loved going to gaming conventions.
After college, I was recruited into a shadowy high-tech career. I can’t go into too much detail, but that job gave me the opportunity to travel a lot. While traveling, I found myself enjoying the club scene and EDM music and was lucky enough to visit clubs all across the U.S. as well as in Germany and Japan. I loved dance music, club culture, and everything Japanese.
Several years back, I started to feel like something was missing. I discovered Ableton Live and fell in love with making music on my computer. “Practice” no longer felt like a daily chore but rather something exciting that I could lose myself in. Suddenly all these pieces… the music, the theatrics, the technology, the love of the club scene… they all fit together and I realized I wanted to be a costumed DJ and music producer.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. Time remains my biggest challenge. I got a much later start than most DJs, so I have a lot more commitments I need to honor. I have to work very hard to be efficient and prioritize first things first. At the same time, this late start has turned into a major strength: I bring a lot of maturity, professionalism, and life experience to the table when dealing with club owners, booking agents, and promoters.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Ultimately I’m an entertainer and I’m really proud of my performances. I always include some original tracks, remixes, and mashups. My favorite right now is a track I released this year called Arigato which exemplifies my style. Arigato is a house music track featuring a Japanese vocal and Taiko drums during the breakdown. My current music catalog though is pretty diverse, for example my most popular song by streams is a Latin pop track called Ven Pa’ Ca.
I work very hard at music selection and my mixes. I research the venue and try to think about demographics and what the crowd would like that still fits broadly within my “house music” genre. I love to mix harmonically when I can so that two songs gradually just morph from one to the next. I also like to mix thematically: I’ll find songs that have similar themes, words, or hooks and then blend them together.
Finally, I take a lot of pride in my costuming, stage decorations, and flow performances. My costume shifts depending on the venue but always features a hood, mask and tabi (split-toed) shoes. For example, I had a residency in June at StillFire Brewing in Suwanee and went for a “ninja on vacation” appearance with a floral Hawaiian shirt. For more underground venues, I have a more aggressive look sometimes featuring body armor and LED bracers. I also incorporate flow arts if the stage is large enough: I’ll pull out my LED nunchucks (“flowchucks”) and put on a short flow performance if I’m playing an extended mix or a long mashup.
I’m fortunate enough to have my own equipment so I’m available for private parties as well as club and festival bookings.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Find credible sources of information. Network in person when possible and find ways to help others. I started having more opportunities to perform since the pandemic receded and I started going to events again in Atlanta. That’s when I was introduced by DJ Outer Limit to a local promoter Emerald Summers Presents, and I started having more regular opportunities to perform. Finally, make yourself practice daily and try to learn something new each day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.houseninjamusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseninjamusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HouseNinjaMusic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/houseninjamusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/HouseNinjaMusic
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/houseninjamusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1ae3583RgeqvbLKaFbUpq7
Image Credits
DeAngelo Williams (NavySkyPhotography.com), Emerald Summers Presents, B-Riel, GC Barger
