The Chicago selector discusses creating safe spaces through music, genre-bending and the power of nostalgic storytelling
DJ Cymba is a Chicago-based selector, host and event curator who has mastered the art of blending nostalgia with contemporary sounds. Known for seamlessly mixing hip-hop, R&B, funk, soul, gospel and trap, Cymba creates experiences that transport audiences through time while keeping them grounded in the present moment. He has performed at major festivals including Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago and Bom Da Lot Fest, while also touring independently and internationally with acts like Heavy Crownz and Elton Aura. He sat down with Eddie Precise Lamarre for Rolling Out’s Who’s Spinning? to discuss his craft, his city and the intention behind every set.
What elements shape your signature sound, and how has your style developed as your career has grown?
I’m a huge fan of hip-hop. I grew up on hip-hop, and as far as genres go, hip-hop, R&B, gospel, house. I try to lean on nostalgic feelings. Me playing certain songs that unlock memories for people, I get a kick out of that. The older I get, the more I realize when I first started DJing, I was rarely the type of guy that keeps up with new trends or new sounds. I personally feel like there was so much music made before I got here, before my generation got here, that we haven’t fully indulged and got a chance to fully enjoy. Sometimes I think, man, I wonder what that week was like when Thriller dropped. Just classic albums that are classic now, but in the time it probably was new. I lean more on the nostalgic feeling of just dropping a song and seeing people’s faces light up. I want you to remember where you were the first time you heard something, or if it’s connected to a memory, what memory is that. Hopefully it’s a good memory so you can be fully present and enjoy the time and space that I’m currently in.
Which three emerging artists stand out to you as innovators in today’s music landscape?
The girls are running things. I really appreciate Rico Nasty. I feel like she’s still finding her footing. When we talk about that level of mainstream, in my mind there’s always mainstream, underground, this purgatory area where you’ve been doing it for a decent amount of time but you’ve moved past one level and haven’t really hit the other one. I would definitely give it to Rico. My number two, I would say Larry June. I feel like I got onto Larry June maybe late, but he’s still very much emerging. Over the last year and a half, the traveling I’ve done, being in California and really tapping into that sound, Larry June absolutely got it. That’s the perfect riding-around music. I’m not big on lifestyle rap, but he makes it so smooth for me. I can appreciate the dialogue, the storytelling, just the way he creatively flips this idea of what lifestyle rap is supposed to be while also being authentically himself. That third spot might go to Premo Rice. He’s Larry-adjacent. When he came to Chicago last year, Promontory was sold out, bustin’. A lot of people rock with his music.
What are some of your favorite venues to DJ?
Promontory definitely feels like home. Over the last five years, I’ve gotten really close with A Liv One. I sometimes stand in for my homie Bo House. He produced Mother Nature’s season mixtape and is signed to Closed Sessions. A Liv One has been like a second home to me. I literally sometimes feel bad because I compare other venues to A Liv One. It has nothing to do with the actual space or sound system. It’s just the vibe, the people. As a DJ, I can come in there and pretty much be myself. Those nights that I stand in are throwback hip-hop and R&B nights. I’m full range. I can just do whatever I want, and that really aligns with me. Another great venue recently is Hoste in Pilsen. It just opened this year. Beautiful, amazing. Shout out to my homegirl Natalie. She’s doing amazing things over there. Outside the space being beautiful, the staff is amazing. I love to go places where I’m respected and I’m loved. In any industry, you find yourself either as a creative or somebody in the industry constantly having to prove themselves. I don’t mind running down my resume, I don’t mind telling people I’m him, but I love when that respect or that love is just there.
How do you blend multiple genres to create a fluid and intentional musical experience?
I think it’s leaning on the nostalgia. Once you get people in a certain comfortability, my whole thing when I DJ, when I curate events, any space that I’m in, I try my best to create what we’ve coined as a safe space. I take that super to heart. Anytime I’m DJing, anytime I’m curating an event or space, I want people to feel comfortable enough to take their cool off. That’s always been my thing from jump. I recognize that I’m a DJ and I work in nightlife, but I’m very much an ambivert. I’m not an introvert, I’m not an extrovert. I can turn each on. My preference is I would love to be inside my house enjoying my rent, but I know there’s times where I have to go out, shake hands, kiss babies, have a good time, support the homies. In order for it to be a safe space for you to be able to do that, I think the music plays a large part. Wanting to lean on that nostalgic feeling lets people know this should be a space where you can be fully yourself. Nobody wants to go into a space and feel like they gotta hold up the wall, look over their shoulder, constantly observe. Me playing songs that maybe you haven’t heard in a long time activates something, ignites the child in you. We always say children are the closest thing to God. The level of creativity you felt as a kid probably won’t be compared to when you are as an adult. So trying to unlock that feeling, trying to unlock how comfortable you can be. If you can remember most of your childhood or the things you grew up on, the goal is to try to play something you feel comfortable with and maybe introduce you to something else.
How do you balance new technology with the foundational skills every DJ should keep sharp?
Recently I was asked to do an all-vinyl set, and I realized I’ve been handicapped for so long. I’ve been in this box where I’ve only leaned on the technical or technology side of how to DJ, and I haven’t gone back to my roots for real. It was an adjustment, but I love it. Anything that can help us DJ more efficiently, I’m all for it. I haven’t used a hard drive in three to four years. Not if I didn’t have to. If a place has Wi-Fi, most places have Wi-Fi, I can just connect straight to Tidal and DJ directly off the streaming service. Throughout my day-to-day, I’ll add songs to a playlist just called Serato. I’ll add songs if I’m out and I hear a song or somebody tells me about a song. Soon as I open up my laptop and it’s time to DJ, I go to that Serato playlist, it pops up in Tidal and boom, easy money. Why make your life harder? I’ve been through three laptops and five hard drives. For what? In ten years, I’ve been DJing off Tidal for like the last four years. I try to take care of my stuff, but you can’t really account for when a hard drive crashes. Now I’ve learned to just only DJ and check my emails maybe. I don’t even download songs anymore. I just want to make sure this lasts for as long as possible.
Which three albums or songs shaped your musical mindset and influenced the way you approach this craft?
William DeVaughn, Be Thankful for What You Got. That’s the one. Again, nostalgic. People remember Martin, the character Jerome used to always say diamond in the back, sun rooftop, digging the scene with the gangster lean. Found that song and fell in love with it. There’s absolutely a Michael Jackson song, Heaven Can Wait. When you look at Michael Jackson’s career and see how he constantly reinvented himself, that being an early 2000s joint but still feeling solely like Michael Jackson, it created this idea of how possible it is to jump through time. Seeing how you’re able to apply yourself to a new time frame did it for me. There’s a Cashmere song, an underground house mix that’s a popular Chicago house song. I grew up on that song. That song allowed me to really feel like no matter where I am in the world, no matter where I DJ, I’m always gonna feel connected to Chicago or house culture just by playing that song. House is a steady rhythm, right? It makes it easier to go into a different genre. Another one would be Johnnie Taylor, Last Two Dollars. Simple, but it makes you feel. It’s the relatability of it. When I want to play certain songs, I want to play stuff people can relate to. That song is part of my childhood. My auntie played that song every time we went to the laundromat. She would use her last two dollars to play Bobby Blue Bland and BB King and Johnnie Taylor. It’s a pivotal part of me wanting to DJ. These are the songs that remind me of why I fell in love with music.
What do you think makes Chicago DJs different from anyone else in the world?
Chicago naturally influences the world. The fact that we do influence the world, a lot of influential people, things, culture comes from Chicago. The DJs are the best because anything you do and you’re from Chicago, I feel like Chicago sets you up where you can survive anywhere in the world. When you travel and you go to LA and you run into somebody from Chicago, there’s a kindred spirit. There’s something you both know that no one else knows. Going back to the DJ aspect, what makes them great is the ability to adapt. Chicago is so big. It has so many different cultures. You have to constantly find yourself in situations where you can literally DJ a birthday party, a baby shower, a link card party, a repast. Music is so necessary to any type of event that you absolutely gotta be able to put yourself in the game and do what needs to be done.
Connect with DJ Cymba
You can find DJ Cymba on all social media platforms at @djcymbaofHuey (Cymba is spelled C-Y-M-B-A) and visit his website at djcymba.com.