This week DJ Victor Boc put down the headphones and spoke to the Emerald about life, hip-hop and keeping it current.
Emerald: Something distinct about you as a DJ is your age. Would you agree?
Victor Boc: I never say my age in interviews. I never have and I don’t think I ever will. But let’s say I’m older than 50.
E: Why don’t you talk about your age in interviews?
VB: In the beginning I thought clubs would be hesitant to hire me because of my age, but it hasn’t been a problem. I don’t want it to define me because it has nothing to do with my style.
E: What is your style?
VB: What the people want. I don’t put together a set before I get to the club. I let the people decide what they want to hear. I am all about the requests. That’s the difference between performance and club DJs. I am there for the people, and with performance DJs, the people are there for them.
E: Have you had experience as a performance DJ?
VB: I once played for over 22,000 people, but it isn’t the same as playing in the club. I want to be in the very center with people all around me. I love having girls dancing behind me and being right next to people going wild and dancing.
E: When did you start DJing in Eugene?
VB: I came here around 25 years ago, but I started with a radio talk show. I only started DJing at Max’s a year and a half ago. And then this year I started working at Taylor’s on Friday nights.
E: So why the addition of Taylor’s?
VB: Honestly, it was when Eric moved. We met when he was working at Max’s and became good friends. When he moved to Taylor’s he asked me to come along with him. It has been a pretty great experience. The room is much larger and I am playing for a bigger audience on those nights. Plus, I get to play more hip hop in Taylor’s, and Max’s is a little less certain.
E: What is it that draws you to hip hop?
VB: It is so much more complex than the music I listened to growing up. That is one thing I don’t like about people from my generation. They all listen to the same stuff they listened to when they were teenagers, and they think that is all that music is. They can be pretty stuck up. I like hip hop because no song is like the other.
E: Do you put your own spin on the music you play?
VB: Yeah, for example, Wiz Khalifa just came out with a track called “When I See You Again.” It is in the new Fast and Furious movie, but I mixed it up a little. It is still the same song, but if I think I can improve it, I will. I am definitely going to play that at some point this weekend.
E: Where do you see yourself in the future?
VB: I am happy doing this, so I will continue to do it as long as I am happy.
DJ Victor plays at Max’s on Thursdays and Taylor’s on Fridays. For more information on DJ Victor visit dj.victorboc.com