Interview: Blair Johnson
Catch WRIR 97.3 fm’s Saturday night house DJ in the patio room at Electric Jungle on Friday, March 13th at Loso.
Blair Johnson is a co-host on Turnstyle’s long-running USA Frequency radio show on WRIR 97.3 FM. He has been a reliable and steady source of house and techno beats on the radio in RVA. You can catch him monthly on Saturday nights in that 3rd week rotation. He also features local and regional guest sets too. He has decades of experience and really techy house beats that we LOVE. We are super stoked to get a rare IRL set from him in March. We asked him to answer a few questions ahead of his set at the next Electric Jungle. This special event is on Friday, March 13th at Loso (Broad Street, Richmond VA). You can catch him heating up the patio room. His last week’s radio mix is up now too in the archives, run it back for your listening pleasure. Read on, Tune in and vibe out!
What does the Richmond scene mean to you personally?
I think creativity as an outlet is important to everyone. When you build a community around your creativity, you find more people like you. It’s that connection that makes all your work worthwhile. It can be promoting, djing, producing, dancing, fashion, the list goes on. Richmond has a lot of that, with everyone contributing on all levels to foster music and nightlife.
How long have you been dj’ing / producing? What are a few of your favorite current producers and record labels?
My interests began in the early 2000s. I was a hip hop dj at school, who then got into parties and clubs shortly thereafter. Production started back in 2019, when COVID hit. Some of my influences are artists like Delano Smith, Jay Tripwire, Frank Roger, Satoshi Tomiie, Chez Damier, Nick Holder, Miguel Migs, and Felipe Gordon. Labels are Seasons, Deeper Shades of House, Real Tone, Compost, and Nordic Trax.
What keeps you invested in underground nights like Electric Jungle? What can people expect to hear from you at the event?
My roots are in the DnB nightlife. I’m a house dj/producer that gravitates towards the DnB scene. Diversity is key and so is balance. Having a solid blend of drum n bass with house and broken beats are always the way to go.