Terrier fans at Holly's Nightclub in Yorkton this week will see a familiar face in the DJ booth.
Nathan Murray will be putting out the tunes Thursday for Ladies Night, and again this Saturday.
Murray said his interest in being a DJ actually had its start in the city.
"The first thing I remember doing was going to Freedom Sound in Yorkton after I got a little bit of money, and I bought this little tiny mixer that I could fool around with the songs and change a few things, and it became really fun for me and a few of the guys on the team started getting interested in it and we would sit downstairs at Deb's (Deb Robichaud, my billet in Yorkton) and watch YouTube videos on how to mix songs," he said. "(Justin) Lamontagne, (Tyler) Giebel and I would try to match the YouTube videos and when we got even close to making it sound the same way we would get all excited."
In time, Murray said he upgraded his gear, and his path was set.
"Eventually I upgraded to a Numark Mixdeck and I thought that was an amazing piece," he said. "Eventually I came home from Yorkton to White City, I bought two turntables and a mixer. They're all industry standards in the world of Djing.
"I got a job with Platinum Music in Regina, and never looked back."
Murray said he was never sure he had a knack for Djing but it has become something he enjoys, and others seem to like what he does.
"I never really did have a talent for it, I just started fooling around with the mixer I first bought and my friends thought I was alright," he said. " I went to a wedding with DJ Douggie in Yorkton who is with Freedom Sound, and that's what made me want to do it. I had a lot of support from Freedom Sound (John Anaka and Doug). I am still in contact with Douggie now and then to see how it's going. He's a great guy with a lot of energy and I'm glad he brought me into Djing."
So what makes a good DJ in Murray's mind?
"Some people think a good DJ is the mixing, but it's not," he offered. "That's the smallest part of it.
"A good DJ is someone who goes out to an event every night and gets everyone up and dancing. It's all about the song selection, placement, and the beat.
"It's also how well you can use the microphone along with your equipment. You have to search the crowd and see what their feet tell you. If they're up and moving all night, you're a good DJ, no matter what equipment you have."
Murray's first big night of controlling the tunes also happened in the area.
"My first 'bigger' night was out at a grad in Langenburg," he said. "There was a lot of high school people there which is cool and the boys on the hockey team which was definitely a lot of fun.
"A full dance floor is always pretty exciting. I always like to see a packed event with lots of people. After a very solid night when I know I did really good there's that feeling on the way home that you just can't beat, some nights I can't even sleep because I'm too excited with how things went."
Interestingly Murray's biggest thrill as a DJ so far was not a paying gig.
"I think my biggest highlight which isn't even involved with my music company I work for, is when I was Djing at Craven at a camp site beside mine with my friend Cory," he said. "We got our music turned off because the crowd was so big.
"It's definitely the most people I've played in front of as they told me it was a good 500 people.
"But I'm hoping we can make it like that this weekend as well."
Murray said he is definitely looking forward to his Holly's gig.
"Holly's will mean a lot because it's almost like my home town and I get to play in a different environment," he said.
"I'm so used to going out to the rink all the time to try to get some wins, the only difference is I don't feel any pressure when I DJ. I'll do everything I can do this weekend and I'll be very excited to see who shows up."
And Murray said the rush of playing to happy crowd equates to big games in hockey too.
"I'd say my best weekend would compare to the rush of a Melville home-and-home weekend," he said.
