There’s not too many of ’em left. It’s a different game nowadays, and standards have left the building. DJ Enki is not one to buckle, though. There’s something to be said for standing your ground and leaving the arena with your reputation intact. With that something being said, let’s welcome to the stage....
The man has been DJing for 25 years. He’s shared the stage with the likes of Z-Trip, Just Blaze, Shortkut, Nu-Mark, DJ Scratch, Large Professor, Diamond D, J-Rocc, Melo-D, Kid Koala, Rob Swift, Apollo, Jazzy Jay, Peanut Butter Wolf, and a host of others. He was the main resident for the infamous Money$hot weekly in San Francisco for two and a half years, during which it got named one of the top 5 Hip-Hop weeklies in the country. He flexes his collection of 7-inch vinyl as an OG resident of Oakland's 45 Sessions crew. And he's rocked dancefloors from coast to coast with thoughtful selection and skillful presentation.
Born and raised on the East Coast, Enki grew up listening to DJ Red Alert’s show. Like most DJs who started their obsession with the turntables in the late-’80s to mid-'90s, his church was the local hip-hop radio show, hence the religious practice of sitting down and listening intently as soon as the clock struck. He attended college in North Carolina, where he connected with longtime friends and music cohorts Faust & Shortee, who schooled him on advanced turntable techniques.
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Like so many DJs of his vintage, Enki applied his knowledge of music and his crates full of breaks to production, chopping up samples in the tradition of the classic hip-hop that inspired him to get into the game in the first place. But he's not strictly boom-bap--catch him crafting roller boogie, bouncy funk, or even highlife styles on his debut record, "Kung Fu Kwaku."
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Enki moved to Northern California--Oakland, to be exact--20+ years ago, and he's been holding it down for The Town ever since. That makes him official. Catch him rockin’ the party these days like a true master, making you nod to that joint that you had no idea was about to be your favorite. It’s likely to be self-produced.
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