Artist Interview: 1-on-1 with DJ Brett Ortiz

When I lived in Scottsdale, I wrote for Relentless Beats. I worked closely with Ryan and Yousef and created a ton of content. I also attended a laundry list of shows and got the chance to meet several local artists. That is where DJ Brett Ortiz comes in! Brett worked closely with Relentless Beats, and has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in dance music. Brett and I have stayed in touch since moving to Naples, and the other day I realized I hadn’t interviewed him before. I reached out on Facebook and we scheduled an interview. This is long overdue, and I am very happy we were able to do this… It is my absolute pleasure to introduce you to DJ Brett Ortiz.

I met you when I lived in Arizona. We both worked for Relentless Beats and I would see you out around town almost every weekend. Are you still in Arizona? Still working with Relentless Beats? Still performing all the time?
Yep! I am in Old Town every weekend unless I am out of town for a special event. I DJ every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and occasionally fill in other nights during the week. I still DJ and work with Relentless Beats and am good friends with Thomas Turner. Since starting AZ Rave Fam, with performing every weekend and my other businesses, I am no longer part of the day-to-day operations at RB.

You produce a lot of remixes. When you produce a remix, do you need the original artist’s permission? When you are done with the remix, do you send it to the original artist?
With a true remix, you need the artist or record label’s permission. Other than that, it’s basically a bootleg. So, technically what I have out are bootlegs or just special edits and mashups I create for when I DJ.

I noticed you haven’t uploaded a song to SoundCloud in over 2 years. Where can folks listen to your music online?
SoundCloud actually removed a lot of my music and mixes due to copyright. Whenever you upload a track, their program scans it and detects other artists’ music. I don’t understand why some are still up there when others have been taken down, but I just leave them up there more for the memories. Currently I upload my live mixes to Evermix.

Tell me about Arizona Custom Hats and Apparel.
Arizona Custom Hats and Apparel originally started with me selling hats and shirts with different sayings on them for some extra cash. I was having them made by local printers, but after paying them I was barely making an money from selling them. So I bought my own embroidery machine and started making them myself. I noticed the market for people wanting one-off designs or just a couple hats and then it slowly grew from hats to shirts to us now offering a full range of promotional and print products.

What’s The Porch?
The Porch is a new concept from John Dolan. He’s part owner of BEVVY. You might remember him being the owner of clubs, Wild Knight and Jackrabbit Lounge, in Old Town Scottsdale. The venue has a very homey feel to it with throwback, nostalgic and current music, homemade dishes combined with your local sports bar food as well as many healthy food options. It’s a great place to sit back on the swings on the patio, play outdoor drinking games in the grass or watch your favorite sports team on tons of TVs throughout the venue. Kind of feels like you’re at a house party. Looking forward to him opening more in the future.

You sign all of your Facebook status updates ~B~. When did you start doing that and why do you continue to do it? I love it, by the way.
So the ~B~ started back in the AOL instant messenger days. Everybody had a signature at the end of their bio and that was the one I created. Then when two-way pagers came out and text messaging first started it was my signature with those also. And it kind of just stuck over the years, just sort of my way of signing out and ending a post or message.

Some people hate it; some people like it; I find it funny how many people actually recognize it, so I’ll probably continue doing it indefinitely.

Speaking of Facebook, you get a lot of engagement on there. How do you stay motivated to post relevant content, and what keeps you engaged when your friends comment on your posts?
Honestly, I just post whatever is on my mind, and that can be taken positively or negatively. I’ve never been one to filter my opinions or thoughts – I don’t think anyone ever should. I respect everyone’s opinions on topics, their feedback and perspectives. I think people are becoming too afraid to speak their mind nowadays. Everything you say needs to be politically correct or you have the fear of being attacked for your opinion. My entire life I grew up as being the weird kid who listened to “techno,” wore bright colors, and was the chubby kid much my life. So I guess over time I grew tough skin from it. I know a lot of people don’t agree with me on topics. Like I said, it’s fine, but we should allow for debate and constructive conversations, not bashing each other, screaming, yelling, punching, fighting, and shaming others for having different beliefs or feelings on topics. Lots of people go to my page, whether it be for entertainment purposes or to argue and debate – there’s a little something for everyone. And it’s funny because a lot of people come up to me in person and agree with what I have to say or find what I say funny, but they would never post anything like that on their social media platforms. Even some people even send me posts asking if I’ll post it just to see what the reactions will be.

You’ve shared the stage with some pretty big names over the years. Who is the biggest name you’ve had the chance to work with?
I’ve had the great privilege to share the stage with most DJs in the top 100. From the big time legends like Armin van Buuren, Tiësto to Skrillex, Avicii and Hardwell, to up-and-coming DJs who may become tomorrow’s next big act. There are guys who used to open for me and are touring, playing massive music festivals, and having successful careers of their own.

Las Vegas is the epicenter for dance music in the United States. Scottsdale isn’t far from there. What are some of your favorite clubs in Sin City?
I honestly don’t travel to Vegas much unless I’m going to EDC Las Vegas. Scottsdale and Phoenix have such a huge bar and club scene, and every big act either being a DJ hip-hop artist or band will come through AZ. So there really isn’t much need to travel to Vegas anymore. Do you like OMNIA Nightclub the Marquee, but that could be just because they book trance DJs.

The DJ Mag Top 100 is loaded with big names like Hardwell, Martin Garrix, David Guetta, Armin van Buuren, Carl Cox and many many more. Do you take that list serious? As a DJ/producer, do you strive for that sort of recognition or are you focused on what you are doing right now?
I’ve never really taken the DJ Mag Top 100 seriously. It’s more of a popularity contest than a talent contest. But even at that, how do you judge talent? They are all successful, they’re all good producers and/or DJs for the most part, and everyone’s taste and likes in music is different. I think every DJ would love the recognition of being in the top 100, but there’s 100 other DJs who are amazing that aren’t on the list. Of the Top 100, I’d say 90%, if not more, dance music DJs, there are tons of amazing hip-hop DJs turntablists that don’t get recognition. Curious, did DJ AM ever make the list when he was alive? And there are many on the list who we consider themselves an artist, not a DJ, so the list is flawed in my eyes.

A lot of DJs have a podcast. I love Armin’s A State Of Trance and Tiësto’s Club Life, among others. Any plans to produce a podcast anytime soon? If you did, what would you call it?
I used to do a podcast back in the late 2000s. I had to actually one was all house music and the other was country music. But after SoundCloud started removing everything I released, I noticed even though there are other platforms out there, it was hard to convert people over to them. So it kind of just fizzled out. I always get the itch to start one up, then you forget how much actual work goes into doing it, and time is always a constraint for me.

There are a lot of great restaurants in Scottsdale/Phoenix. Where do you like to eat? What are some of your favorite restaurants?
I’m a foodie and fatty at heart. I haven’t cooked a meal and probably 3 or 4 years. I eat out every single meal. If we’re talking high-end I really like Café Monarch, Dominick’s Steakhouse or Steak 44. If you’re talking something quick and simple, I love pho from Tea Light Café, or for a chill dinner spot, I always go to AZ/88. I try to at least try out a new restaurant once a week and find all the hole in the wall places.

Who are some of your biggest inspirations?
Now digging into my own past and why. Honestly, everything I do is for my family. I like to be able to provide them everything they want and need never having to worry about anything. And, I honestly get a lot of pride and joy out of seeing people having a good time and creating memories. I always say I’m like the guy in the background playing the soundtrack to the memory you’re currently creating.

I tell people I listen to “electronic dance music.” But it goes so much deeper than that… I love trance/techno/house, but I also like digging into deep house, non-vocal trance, and using Spotify to discover people I’ve never heard of. How would you categorize the entire industry?
The term “electronic dance music” was created by the record companies to appeal to a mainstream audience. I still use the term “dance music” or “house music.” When you talk to people my age or older, the mainstream term they use is techno, and younger generations call it EDM. I understand that EDM is supposed to be the umbrella term for all genres, but I’m stubborn and I can’t stand the term. EDM came from house music, so that’s what it is to me.

What can fans expect from a live performance?
With my live performances you have to separate them into two categories. You have a club DJ open format and then you have the house music and trance-side DJ.

One of the main reasons I love trance music is the journey. I always say Tiësto was the best trance DJ because he could take you on a journey with records. You could feel emotions, happy, sadness all through the music. And during this, the sound progressively gets harder and more upbeat. So I always try to replicate this when I’m spinning house music or trance. Many of my sets start very slow melodic, and through that I’m progressively increasing the tempo, increasing the energy in my hopes of taking you on a journey in sound. A lot of the older crowds really love and appreciate that. What is hard is to connect with the younger crowds because they’re so used to drop after drop after drop. I’ll sometimes get comments and see posts from the younger kids saying my sets are boring. But, I always get excited when I see the other kids posting, and whether they be like that, start off boring, but by the end I was having a blast, or, and seeing it actually clicked and they understood exactly what I was doing. And that’s when I feel I have done my job as a DJ, and capturing them and educating them.

Then you have the club DJ. My style is totally different playing open format. I don’t play just the top 40, or what’s hot right now. My goal is to play music that you have memories associated to them with and hopefully throughout the night create more amazing memories with it. My club sets are anything any genre, any decade with no limits. I do a lot of word play, I try to take new tracks that sampled old tracks and mix them together so people can make the association. I like to get people singing along and I like to get people to not feel embarrassed to dance. When you can get a whole crowd comfortable enough to be in the venue together, all races, all sexes, all shapes sizes and different age demographics dancing and singing together, that’s amazing. Know one wants to admit they know all the words to Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like A Woman” or Justin Bieber’s “Baby.” But everyone does!

It doesn’t have to be a DJ, but what is the best concert you’ve ever seen?
I like such a wide range of music, it’s tough to pick just one.

I saw Drake recently. He had great energy in the crowd and I had a good time. Kenny Chesney puts on a amazing show every time I’ve seen him. I’d say in the last year the best show I’ve been to hands down, is Bruno Mars. I don’t think people realize how great of a talent he really is, and his shows from the music, dancing and visuals are so well put together.

Then seeing someone like Andrea Bocelli and you’re just mesmerized by his voice and sheer presence.

What’s next for DJ Brett Ortiz?
Honestly, this is been a real battle for me lately. If you asked someone who is Brett Ortiz, depending on the demographic you speak to, you’re going to get a different answer. One crowd was gonna tell you he’s a trance DJ, the other is going to tell you he’s a country DJ. Other people will say that he is the guy that opens up for a lot of big-name DJs. And others are going to be like, that’s a DJ that plays 90s and 2000 music at BEVVY.

I have a lot of friends and DJ associates of mine who have really dove into producing, and are now traveling and DJing around the world in their specific genre. And others are open format or hip-hop for sports teams, big artist or radio stations. I think my biggest asset is also my biggest flaw drawback. I can play any genre at any specific time, but I’m not known for one specifically. In an ideal world, yes, I would love to travel play trance music hands down. But if I made it as a trance DJ, I’d probably still be seen if I can get booked somewhere else, play hip-hop or top 40 because I have so much fun doing that. My other thought is just riding it out how it is now and trying to grow and mentor a lot of the younger talent out there and help them get to the next level.

Thank you for doing this. It is long overdue. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Thank you so much for listening to me rant. It’s been a pleasure talking to you and seeing you grow over the years in your own endeavors. Many don’t know but I live in pain 24/7 and suffered a major spinal injury many years ago. I spent six months in bed, learned how to re-walk, physical therapy, chiros, was poked, prodded, stem cells, hot, cold, clinical studies, you name it, I did it. I was constantly injected with drugs, medications, steroids, took every pill known to man. I was severely depressed and pretty much given up on life. Then one day I head Michael Irving’s Hall of Fame speech while I was in bed, and he ended his speech with the saying that I say to myself every day. Whenever I’m going through something, I repeat it, but at the exact moment it got me out of bed, laser focused and never took a painkiller again and I have never complained about my injury again.

“Look up, get up, and don’t ever give up. You tell everyone or anyone that has ever doubted, thought they did not measure up or wanted to quit, you tell them to look up, get up and don’t ever give up.” – Michael Irvin

~B~