Jake Goldsmith on Why Every Single DJ Should Know How to Dance

By Benjamin Leatherman Fri., Jan. 25 2013 at 7:00 AM

Categories: DJ Dossier

Jake Goldsmith is one funny dude. Whenever we get to speak with the 30-year-old selector and member of the Rebel Disco collective, he tends to be quick with quips or some sort of wittiness that always makes for a lively interview. Such was the case when Up on the Sun had a chat with Goldsmith recently for this week's DJ Dossier, which - as you'll read - is filled with plenty of wisecracks about his lack of dancing skills and a secret crush on Ryan Gosling.

This same spirit of fun tends to flow through both his sets and those of every member of Rebel Disco during their Wednesday night Push Push affair at Bar Smith. "It means you can dance and sing with a group of DJs that don't take things too seriously, we try to have fun," Goldsmith says. "Playing fun music for fun times. No aggro nonsense."

Name: Jake Goldsmith

AKA: Goldsmith

Current Gigs: My residency at Push Push on Wednesdays is my priority right now, but I do have a Saturday thing with the Rebel Disco crew coming up on Saturday, February 16, at Bar Smith.

Preferred Genres: Disco, house, acid, techno, but of course I play a lot of other things...funk, soul, boogie, proto, no wave, kraut...etcetera.

How did you get into the DJ game?
I used to skate back in El Paso with a group of friends. We would all hit the local spots together and travel to out of town contests together. So we were very influential on one another. One of the older guys in the group started scratching hip-hop records and we were all blown away by how cool it was. This was the '90s. That sorta spread throughout the group and one by one [and] we all picked up DJing, breakdancing, and other forms of street culture. I played breakdancing shows, skate events and raves early on.

Was it a crew?
No, nothing like that, just ghetto kids doing what ghetto kids do -- raise hell.

What's the most hell y'all raised?
We once were arrested for skating on a school roof.

What's your mantra as a DJ?
Real DJs dance.

So rate yourself as a dancer.
Oooh...a high four maybe. I'm a much better DJ. I'm not awful, though. I can have a good time.

Are we talking Elaine Benes bad?
Not that bad.

What's the best thing about being a DJ, in your opinion?
Nothing, it all stinks! Just kidding. Honestly, it would have to be sharing the music you have personally formed an obsessive relationship with. It is a true feeling.