Today we’d like to introduce you to Clinton Martens.
Hi Clinton, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
As a child, my mother would always play an oldies radio station that played mostly 50’s and 60’s music and that started my fondness for old school music. In my middle 30’s I learned a lot about Northern Soul music and being a vinyl DJ from my mentor Rico Dejoie. I would go out to venues and bars in KC but the music often didn’t really connect with me. I thought I could learn what it took to DJ and then see if I people would respond to the kind of music I wanted to play and hear. I slowly started to get gigs and build up my record collection. I briefly worked at a record store in north KC called Earwaxx Records and I really cut my teeth there exploring so many different types and eras of music. I got the “bug” real quick and I just learned as I went along. I slowly progressed to where I am today.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has been a slow and steady path of progression. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve DJ’d shows where I was paid a portion of alcohol sales and there were times where no one showed up. I would setup my equipment, DJ for 4-5 hours, and get paid nothing. Now I I’m grateful to have regular gigs at The Ship, Nighthawk, Fern Bar, Museum of Kansas City, and, most recently, as a resident DJ for the new Morton Salt Amphitheater in Riverside, MO. I also have a radio show called “In The Groove” that airs every Monday 12pm-2pm on 90.1FM KKFI. I simply did what I loved and then figured the rest out as it came at me. It took the shows where no one showed up in the beginning of my career for me to appreciate being apart of a Santana show at Morton Salt Amphitheater in late August.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Music is my therapy…it’s my close friend. I’m a vinyl disc jockey. I specialize in the 7 inch 45 RPM format. I’m classified as DJ Selector. I have a vast record collection of over 16,000 records. I span the genres of Soul, Funk, Disco, Boogie, Garage Rock, Classic Rock, Neo-Soul, Breakbeat, Reggae, French Pop, Salsa, Cumbia, Punk, and many more. I’ll often bring 250-300 records to a show but I might only play 80 of them in a night. I have to read the room and come prepared with a myriad of musical options. I love connecting the music together in a tasteful and entertaining way.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Some people think that because I’m a DJ that I go out, stay up late, and party hard but I haven’t had a drink of alcohol in over 18 years. If I’m not DJ’n, then I’m probably at home watching “Antiques Roadshow” on PBS or watching the birds outside of my window.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djthundercutz?stkn=OGVoaWc3dmVhbW1k&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19VaURbAxL/?mibextid=wwXIfr
