Mixing the Monk
DJ Monk Mixes Old School and Visuals

If you were to ask DJ Monk when his obsession with music started, he’d simply reply “since I was a child.”
    The Michigan-native turned Florida DJ has carried his childhood passion all the way into adulthood and has not looked back since. The Tampa resident and former Florida State student has created one of the most unique sounds in the Panhandle state and has turned his enjoyment of music into a multi-faceted career.

The Multi-Media Monk
    If you mix a bit of punk rock with classical and add a little bit of soul, you’re bound to come up with something interesting. The audience is getting the best of all genres, but they never can pinpoint exactly what it is that adds the flavor to the song. That’s what makes Monk’s music so mysterious, but unique.
    “I’ve always been a collector of music,” Monk says. “Today, music is a revival of the old music that is mashed together with new music, and that’s what gets me inspired.”
Although he had been a collector of music his entire life, it wasn’t until he became a student at FSU that Monk got the chance to hone his skills. A few friends noticed his massive record collection and invited him to play in a club.
    “Although my friends showed me a few techniques, I was basically self-taught,” he says. “You can hear my influences from any style of music because it all intertwines.”
After almost 15 years of spinning, mixing, and mastering his craft as a DJ, Monk recently decided to broaden his knowledge and turn his passion into a business venture called Hallucination Records. The company’s endeavors include video work, music production, Web sites and working with up-and-coming artists.
    “I enjoy working with everything in entertainment — especially running a record label and trying to get other groups and artists involved in what we do,” Monk says. “Working in the studio with my partner, TrackMack, and developing new talent is what I love to do.”

In Demand
    Promoting Hallucination Records and staying at the top of the DJ game in South Florida has kept DJ Monk on the speed dial of club promoters throughout Florida.
    “I produce music and prepare remixes, along with releasing new material,” he says. “I travel as a DJ, so I go from club to club around the country to promote Hallucination Records and to DJ at the some of the hottest spots in the country.”
    When he’s not on the road promoting the business or being a guest DJ at another club, Monk usually can be found at his home club, The Boombox in Tampa.
    “Boombox is a mash-up of new and old music,” says Monk. “It’s all music videos, and we mix dance music and off-style music from the ‘70s to today, which makes it exciting.”