DJ Escape

DJ Escape doesn’t mind when people compare him to Vin Diesel. He’s got Diesel’s looks and Diesel’s charisma, and the power Diesel yields in Hollywood matches that which Escape holds over gay clubland.

The gayest part of DJ Escape has to do with from where he hails: Queens, N.Y. Every other facet about him (sigh) is straight. But that doesn’t deter his mostly gay following from packing nightclubs across the country to experience the wonder kid live.

“My music is more adapted to the gay party community,” says Escape, who estimates that about 90 percent of his gigs are for gay crowds.

He says he has a lot in common with gay men. “Gay guys know music and they party from night until the afternoon. They’re always ready to tear the dance floor up, just like me.”

Escape believes the American dance scene is experiencing resurgence.

“The scene is more fun than ever,” he says. “All of a sudden, the industry is back to high energy, happy music. The dark, monotonous beats that took over dance floors in 2001 are history. It’s all about vocals and base-driven beats, which I love.”

Re-working classic and modern mainstream songs is Escape’s specialty. He draws inspiration from DJ giants Eric Morillo, Junior Vasquez, Danny Tenaglia and Victor Calderone.

Escape comes to Bacchus House on Saturday, April 29. For more info on him, visit www.djescape.com.

Rocket: What new songs have you been working on?

DJ Escape: Luz Divina’s “Crazy,” Gwen Stefani’s “Crash” and Lauren Hildebrant’s “Dance With You.”

Rocket: How do you select the songs you remix?

Escape: Either people hire me to remix something – and if I like the song I do the mix – or I like to mix popular songs that my crowd will like to listen to.

Rocket: In the past, you’ve collaborated with Gomi and DJ Guido. Are you co-producing with anyone right now?

Escape: Right now, I’m working with a guy named Dom Capello, and I’ve also recently done some work with Johnny Vicious

Rocket: Why have so many top DJs become producers?

Escape: When you’re a DJ, you have an ear for what people want to hear, and as a producer, you try and make what the crowd wants to hear. I guess it’s the next step.

Rocket: Which do you prefer, DJing or producing?

Escape: I definitely prefer DJing – it’s my passion and it’s where I’m most creative. Most [of the] time I take ideas from what I do live and incorporate them in my tracks in the studio. I love feeding off the crowd’s energy.

Rocket: Dance floor music has changed dramatically over the last year. How has your sound changed?

Escape: I play a wide variety of music. I don’t just stick to one sound. The beginning of my nights are usually more house and disco type records; peak hour I play tribal vocal anthems, popular oldies and some new electro. Even when I’m playing to the younger crowd, I throw in some hip-hop/reggaeton. So where the sound may have changed, I play so many different things that the thing changing for me is the records I play.

Rocket: Have tastes changed or have the people on the dance floor changed?

Escape: I think it depends on who you’re playing to. People still like the tribal sound and they love the vocals, and I’ve been playing these kind of records for years now. The younger kids are into hip-hop, reggaeton and pop, and I’ll play a few and then bring it back into dance – songs they’re into but remixed into dance. The electro sound is pretty big right now, but more so for the straight crowd.

Rocket: DJing has become a business. Do you view yourself as a businessman?

Escape: Yes. It’s a full-time job, thank God!

Rocket: Besides music, what other factors are important in order to keep your DJ business strong?

Escape: I guess my image. I’ve been told that I’m great “eye candy,” so it sure helps. Also, myspace.com, as being extremely responsive to my fans and I’m always making new ones.

Rocket: What’s your secret weapon?

Escape: Right now, a mash-up I did with “This Joy” and “Moving Up Boy.” It’s huge!

Rocket: What do you have coming up for summer?

Escape: Well, I’m excited to be returning to San Diego this month. I have a lot of gigs coming up: Boston, Ft. Lauderdale, Vegas, L.A., Montreal, Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Arizona and lots of great stuff in New York.