In this week’s Hot Seat is the talented DJ Em, a.k.a. Mr. Kabooooom, who most of us know as resident DJ at Soggy Dollar Bar. The energetic DJ tells us about his DJ journey, youth in Paramaribo, his new gigs and his passion for getting the crowd going.
Please introduce yourself.
I go by the name of DJ Em, also known by most as Mr. KABOOOOOM! I was born and raised in Paramaribo, Suriname, and moved to St. Maarten at the age of 17 (I’m now 40). I made St. Maarten my home and I really love it here. Over the years, I have performed at hotspots such as Sunset Beach Bar, Bliss Nightclub, Le Shore, Tantra, Sopranos Piano Bar, Walter Plants Square, Carnival Festival Village, Loterie Farm Pool Parties, 3 Amigos, Sonesta Maho Resort, Soggy Dollar Bar, Buddha Bar, Music Cafe, Saint Barts, Saba, Rhythm N Booze, Lotus Nightclub, Jungle Club, Prive Nightclub, The Saint Dive Bar, Captain Frenchy, Rainbow Cafe, Coco Beach Bar, KKO Beach Bar and Roxxy Beach.
How did you get started in the music industry?
Wow, that’s a mouthful, but I will make it very short [laughs]. It all started in Paramaribo at the very young each of nine, because my uncles were DJs as well. At first, I really fell in love with the equipment, as I was amazed by what all these buttons could do. I felt attached to them and started with cassettes and vinyl records – no computer, no controller. Those were really the good ol’ days of real DJ-ing.
What is your favourite thing about being a DJ?
I really love music, and the way of interacting with my people by watching and observing every movement of their body: Are they sitting or standing? What genre of music really gets them going? It’s just amazing to see how you can make them go crazy, jump, turn up, scream, make noise, hands up, etc. [laughs].
What can we expect from you this year?
At the moment, I am really just focusing on my residence gigs, private events, private villa bookings and weddings. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I’m at Soggy Dollar Bar. On Sunday afternoons, I play at Loterie Farm. Every third Saturday of the month, I’m at Karakter Beach Bar. You can stay up to date with me via my official Facebook Page DJ EM and my Instagram DJEM411.
What would you advise your younger self, or other people looking to get into a similar profession?
Stay focused, don’t get distracted and follow your own advice.
