txrradio
actuator

shows & mixtapes

coming soon.

actuator

about

actuator is a dj and game designer interested in dreamy, leftfield sounds that turn the dance floor into a cyberboosted virtual utopia.

spotlight

  1. When did you start DJing/producing? What sounds or scenes shaped your taste early on? What keeps you coming back to sound as a medium?

    I started DJing in 2023. More accurately, I started DJ school in late 2023 at Superior Elevation in Williamsburg. It was a three-month program with near unlimited exposure to club gear and a semi-public space to embarrass myself. I took up DJing for a number of reasons, but it was the perfect combination of free time, good income, and an excuse to use DJing as research for the video game I was working on.

    It took a while to find my people, but I always kept worldbuilding and narrative at the forefront of my sound practice. I’m always referencing a game or some ancient anime or piece of nascent internet culture. Lowkey it all points back to Toonami.

  2. What were some of your main creative challenges in the beginning and how have they changed over time?

    Figuring out the pace of a set was my white whale for the longest time. I’d have these rigid ideas, slots where I’d put this track or that, meticulous set planning and an insane folder structure in Rekordbox. I hated going to gigs unprepared. Nowadays I still have a hard time planning a set, but I know it’s because I need the energy to stay as spontaneous as possible. This might be sacrilege, but I like listening to tracks for the first or second time on the floor. If I can respond to it under pressure and pull off a nice blend, I get a huge rush. I reckon if I do this enough times I’ll know everything in my crate.

  3. In what ways does identity show up in your creative work?

    I’m Black in everything I do first. Just as I’m referencing Y2K, late 20th century anime and pop culture, I’m also looking at Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore. The lineage of club music shaped the pop culture that shaped us. If nothing else, I want to present another permutation of influences for my floor.

  4. How do you think about the role your work plays in the scene—socially, culturally, or politically? If you could shift one thing about the scene, what would it be?

    I think the music I play, and the fact that I’m able to play at all says more about the scene than any of my own contributions to it. The best I can aspire to be right now is an active participant, a passive archivist, and a witness. This scene I came into by way of No Scrubz, FLWRSHRK, etc. was already the queer and Black-forward space I needed. I consider myself lucky to not have felt deprived of any particular quality.

  5. What are your “tells” behind the decks — what makes a set feel like you?

    I’m always fighting the impulse to play. I DJ because I LOVE fidgeting. That means that you will hear a few more fader chops and effects than you’re expecting. Musically, I love a good, dry snare and Jazmine tells me there’s always an element of groove present.