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"  Back in the early 2000s, I got a request that altered my universe. Okay, I&amp;#039;m exaggerating, but it was certainly one I&amp;#039;d never received before. A party promoter called me with the opportunity to deejay a fashion night at a hip hotel in downtown New York City. It wasn&amp;#039;t the kind of invitation I usually accepted. My friends call me the &amp;quot;no-time guy,&amp;quot; especially when it comes to any form of extracurricular (read: nonwork) activity. My usual response to changing my routine has been a head toss accompanied by a boisterous laugh, then a yes/no nod, and finally, no follow-up. I hate letting people down, but I never have extra time. Getting this out-of-left-field offer made me pause. I found it strangely appealing; I&amp;#039;ve always loved music, and I&amp;#039;d never done anything like this before. So I agreed, but didn&amp;#039;t have the first clue what it entailed. The promoter told me someone would walk me through the logistics and that all I had to do was play my music. Easy enough! I spent the next evening burning CDs\u2014yes, this was pre-iPod\u2014with a mix of songs like &amp;quot;Another&amp;quot; by Notorious B.I.G. (featuring Lil&amp;#039; Kim), &amp;quot;Cold-Hearted&amp;quot; by Paula Abdul, &amp;quot;Smells Like Teen Spirit,&amp;quot; by Nirvana, and &amp;quot;Love Is the Message&amp;quot; by MFSB. When I at last headed out for my big night, armed with several disc-filled books, I was confident I was going to kill. After all, how hard could playing a few CDs be? Answer: A whole lot harder than you think. After I arrived at the venue, a seasoned DJ showed me the machinery at lightning speed and lobbed the terms cross-fader and bpms at me like verbal grenades. &amp;quot;Okay, okay,&amp;quot; I kept saying, but really, it wasn&amp;#039;t. I was lost. After diligently practicing, though, I started to get the hang of it\u2014and by that, I mean songs playing consecutively with minimal scratching. Ultimately, the night was a success, and I was asked back to deejay several times. I was even officially hired for a fashion party for a famous designer, and my name was to appear on the invite. Unfortunately, I had to cancel because, well, I had no time. That was the end of my moonlighting. Today, the DJ world is an art form I truly respect, hence the celebration of it in our music issue. DJs have become the celebrities they were once hired to entertain\u2014which means their looks have become as important as their talent; their unique style is a calling card for the music they play. And what I learned during my brief stint underscored that very idea. First, you aren&amp;#039;t hidden in a dark corner; all kinds of people congregate around your booth, not just the drunk, annoying ones. Second, if you think that people only notice what you&amp;#039;re wearing from the waist up, you&amp;#039;re wrong! More people complimented my kicks when I was spinning than when I was dancing. Understanding that the wardrobe is practically as important as the sound, I&amp;#039;ve gathered an eclectic group of DJs whose music choices and individual fashion sense I admire. I wanted to share what I&amp;#039;m calling their personal style remix, as each has a defined spin of their own. DJ Lindsey (above) was even kind enough to tutor me (again!). Um, not sure I did so well, but watch the video and let me know what you think. In the meantime, listen to these modern music- and stylemakers. And hey, maybe one of these days I&amp;#039;ll try spinning again. That is, of course, if I have time. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/fashion/a11249/how-to-dress-like-a-dj/>