Craft & Culture with Eli Escobar
We recently sat down and caught up with DJ, record collector and producer Eli Escobar to throw questions and thoughts around creativity and cultivating your craft.
If you’re not acquainted already with the NY musical powerhouse that is Eli, now is your chance.
CM: Hey Eli, first of all thank you for getting involved with this series. This is one I've been especially excited for! For those that don't know, could you tell us who you are and what you do?
Eli: Hi! I’m Eli Escobar from New York City. I’ve been a professional dj for almost 30 years now. I am also an obsessive record collector and I make my own music as well which I’ve been releasing since 1999.
CM: There's not many that can claim to be a mainstay in the NY DJ scene for over 2 decades, however, you've managed to cultivate an undeniable presence in the city. Are there any key insights to your craft that you can credit for your long and reputable creative output?
Eli: It may sound corny but I honestly just love what I do. So I’ve never had a specific goal or endgame in sight, I just wanted to be able to keep doing this for a living. I suppose when you stick around long enough, and you really care about the quality of what you’re doing and creating, people catch on and you get to a place where you suddenly have a following and can throw your own parties. I am eternally grateful for the little space I’ve carved out for myself here in NYC and around the world, but honestly I really never planned it out like this.
CM: In a fast paced and ever changing world, there can be many flash in the pan moments, overnight successes and trend driven motives. In contrast to this, there are authentic, artistically immersed creatives that constantly drive to refine their craft and shape their scene. How do you see the importance of authenticity within DJing and creativity as a whole?
Eli: I think it’s very important and most people can see through you if you’re following trends or just getting involved with a certain scene for visibility, to make money or other shallow reasons. On the flip, someone who is presenting a true passion for their art and an investment in creating something special for their community will feel the appreciation and rewards from those folks. It may not be overnight, but it will come.
CM: Some of my most joyful moments on the dance floor have been provoked through DJs switching the rhythm and jumping genres mid set, those off guard moments can take you to some very special places if you let them. Simultaneously, you have earned a reputation for weaving sounds across Disco, Electro, House, Techno and beyond. What is it that drives you to explore music in this collage-like approach and as a curator, how do you invoke those powerful dancefloor moments?
Eli: I just love music too much to be restricted by something as meaningless as genre or tempo. Despite having some phases early on with hip hop or alternative music, I have always consumed it all and at an alarming pace haha. So once I started DJing I took all the different stuff I loved and figured out how to weave it all together into something cohesive. This was also a fairly normal approach to djing here in New York so it’s not like I was any kind of trailblazer. I have a lot of emotional ground I want to cover when I play and I do let the crowd guide me as well. Sometimes it’s just not the right moment to play something that I really want to play but I always do my best to figure out how to get there eventually. And when you have a certain expertise in multiple styles of music, you can control the mood and direction of a night in so many more interesting ways.
CM: Spirituality and music have long been connected and served an important role in the city of New York. Is nightlife a place you find solace in or do you prefer to recharge in another way?
Eli: Oh absolutely. I learned during the year of COVID lockdown we had, how much I depend on it. I am in traditional therapy but I also use nightlife as a very therapeutic ritual. It’s beyond necessary for me. I am able to connect with a lot of joy and pain and grief and everything in between when I play music or when I hear music out.
CM: With a long and respected career in your chosen field, what would be your advice to any creatives looking to pursue their creative ambitions?
Eli: I don’t know. I never had a plan B. I should have! But I just went right into it. Moved downtown the minute I left home even though I couldn’t afford it and just made it work by busting my ass and throwing myself headfirst into what I knew I was meant to do. That was my approach. I don’t know that New York is as forgiving of a place as it was then but my suspicion is that it’s always been a make it or die trying kind of place. I just think you have to make sure you have realistic expectations and your love for what you do should be greater than your ambition.