DJ Camilo: The International Club King of Queens.

DJ Camilo, deejays with the same intensity of a great boxer preparing to finish off his opponent. The energy that he brings to the dance floor is enough to start bidding wars by rival promoters to book him for their events. And though he’s carved out a great reputation as “The International Club DJ,” he still performs with the hunger of a deejay trying to get into the game.

With two shows on New York’s premier hip hop radio station Hot 97, including “ The Lights Out Show,” which is the first ever reggaeton show on a hip hop station and a nomination for best club DJ at this years Justo’s mix tape awards, Camilo is leaving impressive foot prints on the world of deejaying

In this exclusive Entertainmentonfire.com interview, DJ Camilo chops it up with EOF’s own David Lopez to discuss his transition from streets to the fame.


Entertainmentonfire: How did you get the DJ name Camilo?

DJ Camilo: Camilo is my middle name. That’s my real name, Juan “Camilo” Sanchez.


EOF: What’s the most important move you’ve made throughout your career to get you in the position your in now?

DJ Camilo: Number one, the mix tapes are very important. Number two; just being so hungry to really pop off… the ambition is the most important thing.


EOF: How did you get down with the Heavy Hitters?

DJ Camilo: The Heavy Hitters was started by DJ Enuff and DJ Threat. I was the first dude they put down. I knew Enuff for years, so when they started the crew they were like I need Camilo down with us, basically!


EOF: In your opinion how has Deejaying expanded the expression of music?

DJ Camilo: Deejaying is everything man because we’re the ones that deliver the music, we’re the ones that set the tone out there, the mood to the music. We’re key in this whole shit. Sometimes we make a wack record sound good. Even when deejay’s blend and remix their own shit, they give it a whole different vibe.


EOF: What form of deejaying are you most comfortable with, a laptop (Serato Scratch program) vinyl or CD’s?

DJ Camilo: At this point in the game, whatever it takes for me to rock, I fucks with all of them except for CD’s. I don’t fuck with CD’s at all.


EOF: Why not?

DJ Camilo: It’s just not in my blood. I like Vinyl. I’ve been a vinyl junkie from the beginning of time, that’s how I got brought up deejaying. Now with technology and things changing there’s a new program called the Serato Final Scratch that everybody’s using, so I just move with the times, that’s what I’m using now.


EOF: When you first started spinning what kind of music where you playing?

DJ Camilo: When I first started deejaying I was doing hip-hop of course, but I was also into free style and house music heavy. Back in the early 90’s that was very big.


EOF: Although your primarily a hip hop DJ, do you feel being Latino gives you an advantage as far as pleasing a crowd, and how has it had an impact on your career?

DJ Camilo: Honestly, I think coming up it was harder for me because you got to understand hip- hop is black based. Me being this Latin kid, it was a little tough for me to get accepted.

As far as the advantage, I think I stood out from the rest, and me coming in with my own style. I think I stuck out, I think that worked out quite nicely!


EOF: Yeah, and your Colombian, there’s not too many Colombian hip hop DJ’s on the radio?

DJ Camilo: Yeah, I don’t think there’s any. Yeah, you’re right.


EOF: How was Strictly Live formed?

DJ Camilo: Strictly live is more a family than a crew. Strictly Live started in my neighborhood (Jackson Heights, Queens), DJ UDA, Spin 1, Diz 1, Jugaknot, and Big Ed, We’re all boys before we even deejays. Now that we on the radio and doing mix tapes we took it to the next level.


EOF: What’s it going to take for Jugaknot to blow up as a rapper?

DJ Camilo: Right now, we’re in the time of age, we’re hip-hop is very stale. It’s very hard out their in 2006 to put new artists out there. Number one, you coming out of New York, which NY is not popping right now, lets keep it real. Number two, he’s a Latin artist where automatically they think he’s Latin, he’s a reggae ton artist which he’s not, he’s a hip hop artist from the giddy up. So it’s very hard, but hard work and determination b. We playing his records, a lot of people over here in NY are playing his records. People like NV, Enuff, Absolut, Green Latern, Cipha Sounds, Kay Slay; we all got their support.


EOF: You hosted Aztek’s mixed CD; can you explain how that happened, and your relationship with Roc La Familia?

DJ Camilo: When Aztek got signed to Roc La Familia, I didn’t know him. The guy up at Roc La Familia OG Juan introduced me to him. He’s Colombian, from Houston though. We kicked it, and ended off being really cool and when he asked me to do his mix tape, I said no problem and got it popping. As far as me getting involved with Roc La Familia, that was just talk. Nothing really got done. So we kept it moving.


EOF: How did you put on to do radio on Hot 97?

DJ Camilo: I started filling in for Enuff in the morning, when he couldn’t make it back in the days with Star and Buckwild, grinding kid, doing shit for free, getting up early in the morning, do what ever it takes to get down. Finally, when they needed some new blood up there I got a call from the head honcho asking me if I wanted to do the Saturday shift, I was like
No doubt, let’s get it popping.


EOF: You still doing the Saturday shift?

DJ Camilo: Nah, I’m doing Fridays and Sundays now. Friday’s its called “ The Heavy Hitter Hour,” 7pm every Friday. And Sundays I got the “Lights Out,” show, which is a reggaeton show at 8’o clock, the first reggaeton show on a hip hop station.


EOF: What’s your favorite night club to Deejay at?

DJ Camilo: Deep night club, Strata, Blvd, Life. Decko Lounge in Jersey is another spot.


EOF: Why Deep?

DJ Camilo: Deep is my home, I been deejaying there for three years, people are their for me, and how can I not love that?

For the latest on DJ Camilo log on to www.DJCAMILO.com