ROUSSO'S RESILIENCE

BY MARC ROUSSO

CRAFTING A GOOD DJ SET IS LIKE TELLING A STORY, THERE IS ALWAYS A BACK STORY BEHIND EVERY DJ. 

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HERE’S THE BACK STORY. I STARTED DJING BECAUSE IT’S SOMETHING I LOVE TO DO. I DJ'D AT CLUBS AND PARTIES DURING MY COLLEGE YEARS AND HAD A SUCCESSFUL DJ COMPANY WITH MY PARTNER JAY. BUT IT WAS A LOVE FOR HOUSE MUSIC WHICH BEGAN SHORTLY AFTER COLLEGE WITH MY BEST FRIEND JOEY. BACK IN THE DAYS BEFORE WIVES & KIDS, WE TRAVELLED EVERYWHERE TOGETHER: IBIZA, LA, NEW YORK, BRAZIL, AUSTRALIA, SAN FRANCISCO, VEGAS, VEGAS AND VEGAS AGAIN. IT WAS LIKE WE LEFT NO CLUB UNTOUCHED AND NO DANCE FLOOR UNTURNED. EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT WAS ALL ABOUT HOUSE MUSIC. WE PLANNED WEEKS AHEAD TO SEE OUR FAVOURITE DJ’S NO MATTER WHERE THEY WERE PLAYING. IT WAS OUR THING.

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SEVEN YEARS AGO, JOEY PASSED AWAY AFTER SUCCUMBING TO CANCER. IT’S BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT LOSS AND OVERCOMING THE GRIEF IS STILL SOMETHING I BATTLE EVERY DAY. I’M AN EMOTIONAL PERSON AND THE DEPRESSION THAT FOLLOWED HIS PASSING HAS BEEN HEAVY.

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RECENTLY I FOUND SOLACE IN DJING AGAIN. LISTENING TO THE SAME MUSIC THAT HE AND I USED TO HEAR AT THE CLUBS TOGETHER BRINGS ME COMFORT. PLAYING THAT MUSIC REMINDS ME OF THE TIME WE GOT TO SPEND TOGETHER, AND IT BRINGS ME JOY.

I’M NOT THE FIRST, OR LAST, PERSON TO CLAIM THAT DJING IS THERAPEUTIC. MUSIC IS MEDICINE. WHAT CONTINUES TO INSPIRE ME IS THE ABILITY TO REORIENT MY FOCUS AND PUT IT INTO MY PASSION — A PASSION OUTSIDE OF MY WORK, MY KIDS AND MY FAMILY — AND PUT IT TOWARDS SOMETHING THAT WE BOTH LOVED: THE MUSIC.

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NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT I DON’T THINK OF JOEY. THROUGH DJING, I’M ABLE TO HONOUR HIM AS IF HE WAS RIGHT THERE WITH ME AT MY SHOW.