Since creating warm-up mixtapes for the Oregon volleyball and men’s basketball teams, Gemineye Mayers, also known as DJ Gemineye has made tremendous strides. If you haven’t already seen him, DJ Gemineye performs live at every home game at Matthew Knight Arena and is planning to expand to Autzen Stadium and other arenas.
Here’s his Q&A with the Emerald:
Let’s begin with your name.
To tell you the truth – this is no joke – this is my name. It fits. I was born in June. I got two sides to me and one of them is trying to get these parties started. I remember my first boss in radio had said, “Well, with a name like that, you might as well be in radio.”
Was there a moment in your life that turned you to pursue a career in DJing?
I really was in love with music. I always wanted to be a musician, but I could never, ever play an instrument. I tried playing piano, tried playing guitar, (but) I could never get it down. But knowing how to mix beats together, that came kind of natural to me. That’s how it turned into DJing: love all different types of music, from old school to new school. I don’t really like to tell people my age to tell you the truth because the fact that they’ll go “Oh, really?” My love for music in the ’90s, that’s when it all started.
A big part of being a DJ is being able to keep up with all different types of music. You must have a wide array of taste? 
I’m an “open format” DJ. That means I like to rock all different types of music. I was a club DJ before I became a radio DJ, so that was my thing when ’90s hip hop started with Tupac and Biggy and all those artists. When Puffy first started and all the east coast, west coast hip hop and all that, that’s when I first got serious about DJing. I can’t scratch, but I can blend. Blending is my main thing.
How did you first get involved with Matthew Knight Arena? 
One of the volleyball assistant coaches was listening to Traffic Jam in Eugene and got a hold of my email and wanted to know if she could have me mix their warm-ups for the volleyball team. Then, one of the assistants for the basketball team promotions, she hit me up on email and asked, “Could you mix a warm-up CD for our team?” But then we started emailing back and forth and it kind of turned into, “Well, why don’t you just come up here and do it live?”
What’s it been like to perform live music for Oregon fans?
It’s a rush, especially at Matthew Knight Arena because I’m right there and people can actually see me on the Jumbotron. Obviously, it’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever DJed for. I love trying to get the crowd going and it just adds another element because there’s always the band, but to have a DJ mixed in with the atmosphere, I just think it adds another element. I think Matthew Knight Arena was one of the first really.
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