Meet The DJ
Joe Casillas (JoeMD) 
One of the amazing things about the DJ industry is that no matter who you talk to, no one has the same experience. Some may be new to the business while others have been doing it for man years; some may keep their business humble while others are striving to celebrity status. No matter the DJ, they all have amazing stories to tell. Joe Casillas is no exception. As a DJ of over 36 years, Joe has seen and done it all. His focus is on weddings and special events, but he also holds a residency at QCs 20/20, one of the largest night clubs in LA for 11 years.

When talking to Joe, we knew he appreciated the many milestones the mobile entertainment industry has seen. His lighting setups are unique to his style and have helped him push his unique brand amongst his many events. A big help in creating his light rigs is how self-contained lighting has become. In the past 3 decades, Joe is seeing more BANG out of smaller fixtures. Gone are the days of needing 300A of power + road cases full of lights to flood a certain area. LED technology, particularly COB, is pushing the envelope more and more without pushing power demands. Joe loves how LED technology allows endless possibilities of color changes, and even GOBO projection.

Joe also got to witness another fun part of lighting history: the inception and growth of the ADJ group of companies! Joe talks about his ADJ collection: "Oh think I own just about every light ADJ has developed since its inception. But my Favorite lights that I currently use are the Inno Beams, Flat Par QwH5x and Mega Tri60.” Of course, an impressive collection of lighting needs a proper foundation. Joe continues, "My favorite use of trussing is building my own DJ booth to house my lighting, turntables, CD Players and/or MIDI Controller, TV monitor and Speakers. I can pre-wire my power and DMX cables within the Truss to save time during setups and tear downs and most importantly makes for a very clean setup.” Indeed, if you haven’t seen his Global Truss DJ Booth, you must see it on his Facebook albums- it’s a sight to behold!

Joe’s humble beginnings trace back to 1978, as part of a dance team with New York’s own DJ Tony T. Tony T mentored Joe by teaching him the art of turntablism. Adding to that, Joe recruited his wedding DJ, Johnny Martinez, to teach him everything possible about being a DJ and MC.

Since then, Joe Casillas has been an UNSTOPPABLE force. He has performed at dozens of LA hot spots and productions. He truly has a career that he wakes up each day with the ambition to push even further. He credits his achievements to the support of his wife, family and friends.

36 years, think about what a huge chunk of DJ history Joe has seen—it’s breathtaking! He is someone who has seen the ups and downs, trends and fads, and of course the marriage between sound and lighting. He leaves us with a piece of advice to all DJs, new or veteran: "Continue to grow in your knowledge and skills. Be willing to change with the times and always remain humble.”

Joe Casillas, A.K.A. JoeMD, is the CEO of PDJI Professional Disc Jockeys, Inc. You can reach Joe on his Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joe.casillas1.

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