In 1988, when Michael Jackson was Bad and the Beastie Boys had a License to Ill, DJ Davey Gold was just finding his niche. And what a niche he found.

Gold realized at the age of 18 that he had a knack for DJing. Since then, he has taken his craft to every possible level. He has gone from doing mobile gigs to performing at weddings to becoming a nationwide DJ, bouncing around the country.

Gold got his start at a mobile company called Precision DJ in his hometown of Princeton, N.J. :I started taking on not only private parties, but also club events where I would book other DJs at the nightclubs.: Gold says. “That sparked my interest a little bit, so I took on the responsibility of just doing the nightclub end of the business and then got heavily involved in the nightclub sector of DJing, specifically in the new dance and non-commercial venues.”

Gold worked his way up to partner before leaving Precision DJ. He then got a resident DJ position at a club with a weekly radio show on 97.5 WPST. The show was broadcast to about 500,000 people, which gave him widespread recognition for the next eight years.

“So now all of a sudden, I had a national radio mix show on the air and would play music every Saturday night live at the club over the airwaves,” Gold says. “That caught the attention of a lot of record labels. Record executives would visit me at the club and give me promotional records and CD’s with the hopes of having their music played on the air. From that point, I just basically became really interested the record label industry.”

Record Moves

For five years, Gold was Director of Promotions for Strictly Rhythm & Groovilicious Records in New York City, a label he says was the world’s largest independent dance music label. Meanwhile, he continued to DJ across the country at top clubs such as New York’s Tunnel and Webster Hall, Boston’s Avalon and Miami’s Shadow Lounge. “I had a few agents who would book me in these venues across the United States, I was able to leverage my position at Strictly Rhythm to bring our recording artists along with me to perform as well,” Gold says. In addition, Gold became road manager for some of dance music’s most recognized artists such as the Vengaboys, Darude, and Ultra Nat.

Gold’s most recent project has brought him back inside the club to run Trenton, NJ’s newest and most talked about dance event, PLAY (formerly inside Kat Man Du). Gold uses his background in the music business to hype his gig. “I spend a lot of my time on PLAY because I take this very seriously. I’m not just DJing but coordinating what goes into the party such as planning the guest DJ schedule and theme nights, booking the DJs and other talent as well as oversee the flyer design and promotions for PLAY.”

Staying involved in the music industry, going to industry events and other clubs during the week to see other DJs is also a huge part of his job. “You just have to be in it to win it.” Gold says.

Musical Influence

PLAY events features only the best in EDM (Electronic Dance Music) from underground, progressive and electro to vocal, trance and current commercial dance hits. “There are just WAY too many clubs playing Mash-Up’s, Hip-Hop, and Mega-Mix medleys. It’s really out of hand. People want something different”, Gold says, “and we are doing just that.”

Whatever Gold does in the future, he says the key to making it in the DJ business is hard work and diligence. “The DJs who are really going to stand out are DJs who are loyal and committed to dance music and in it for the music – not just money or fame.”

“It’s the folks who are truly talented; who have not only the technical ability to mix records, but the ones who practice for countless hours in their bedrooms; the ones who are patient and persistent in finding the work, throwing their own parties and banging the pavement. That’s the formula right there.”