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Aldean’s DJ keeps the party spinning
By John Benson
It’s official, country has gone hip-hop.
Whether it’s Florida Georgia Line collaborating with Nelly or kicking out a Dr. Dre cover live in concert like they did a few weeks back at a Cleveland show, or Blake Shelton incorporating elements of rap into his studio material, Nashville artists aren’t afraid to give their young audiences what they want.
For further proof, how about the fact DJs are now obligatory openers on major tours featuring the Music City’s biggest artists? Take Dee Jay Silver, who returns to Northeast Ohio spinning tunes before Jason Aldean performs tonight at First Niagara Pavilion and Sept. 19 at Blossom Music Center.
The DJ/remixer/producer has been going strong for more than a decade with his unique brand of high-energy, party rock country style of music allowing him to open for the likes of Brad Paisley, Jake Owen, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Rascal Flatts and Justin Moore. The host of syndicated radio show “The Country Club with Dee Jay Silver,” which can be heard on nearly 60 stations nationwide, is known for his up-tempo mixes and memorable mash-ups.
Silver said it all started around the turn of the century when he would consistently blow the collective minds of people in honky-tonks from coast to coast.
“I remember the first live mixes I started doing was Run-D.M.C.’s ‘Walk This Way’ with Alabama’s ‘If You’re Gonna Play in Texas [You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band],’” said Silver, calling from Charlotte, N.C. “I would do that live or David Lee Murphy’s ‘Dust on the Bottle’ with J-Kwon’s ‘Tipsy.’ It was funny how the songs go perfect together.”
As for the audiences at the time, he laughed, “Oh, they’d either look at me like I was crazy or I was awesome.”
It’s easy to put Silver in the awesome category today. As the first country DJ to be signed to a major Nashville label, he released his debut effort, “Country Club,” in 2013. The EP included mashups of Alabama, Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Jake Owen and Love and Theft.
While mixes and mashups have been his life for years, Silver is about to reinvent himself with the release of his full-length debut featuring all original-material. Just as rising hip-hop stars get notoriety early for their mix tapes before venturing into the original realm, Silver is following suit with a project he promises will include plenty of big-name acts contributing their talents. A lead single is due to be released later this year.
“I’m going to write it and produce it,” Silver said. “We’re going to keep it country. We’re going to give it an opportunity to cross fan bases and make country music fans younger while providing people that wouldn’t give country a chance to go listen to Aldean and Florida-Georgia Line.
“So with country music, we’re going to knock that stigma off a little bit.”
If there was any stigma attached to Silver being known as a country DJ, he dispelled that a long ago. Today, the producer has credibility in the EDM community proved by a residency at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas.
When asked which crowd, the country or EDM audience, is wilder, Silver didn’t hesitate.
“It depends on what time of night,” Silver said. “But the country people come to party no matter what time it is. And it’s always a good time in Ohio.”