The secret to the success of Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa’s nightlife venues isn’t much of a secret—we have the best DJs in the business. Not just Atlantic City mind you, but anywhere.
Sunday’s resident MIXX DJ Paul Castro just makes that point even clearer. And he may be the ultimate A.C. DJ having moved here as a teen after growing up in Colombia. Castro, who goes with his own name rather than adopting a DJ moniker, has been spinning in southern New Jersey since the late 90s.
Castro—who also appears at Izakaya Mondays—revels in an old-school style designed to get the club to explode. In part of our series of Borgata in-house DJ interviews, we asked Paul some questions about his career, his influences and what you can expect when he takes over the nightlife sounds at Borgata.
When did you start DJing and what influenced you to start DJing?
I started DJing in 1991, I was watching Video Music Box in the 80’s and in my country of Colombia we never saw Music Videos. I saw an LL Cool J video and noticed the many close ups of the guy playing music in the background (Cut Creator LL Cool J’s DJ) and back then most great MC’s and Groups always had a great DJ whether it was DJ Muggs with Cypress Hill or Kay Gee with Naughty by Nature, it all made me want to DJ. In 1991, in high school, music was a focal point too, if you had the craziest parties you got popular. So I learned to DJ and started my own party. 23 years later the proof speaks for itself.
Who are your favorite DJ’s?
I have managed to be influenced by many different styles of DJing that there are too many to name. As far as the old school DJ’s, there was Kid Capri, DJ Lethal, DJ Muggs but further into the present I have grown into performing EDM and have moved more influence in to Erick Morillo and Tiesto.
What was your first feeling on being Star struck?
I did a show in Colombia performing with Onyx and Das Efx. Later we are kicking it talking about music and these are people whom I’ve watch every day in my teens. That was just a great feeling.
What is the most amount of people you have played for?
80,000 people at the Rap al parque Hip hop festival in Colombia.
What are your predictions for the state of music?
I think the state of EDM is now branded to stay here for a long time. It will evolve; the more people love it and get educated into the different genres (Deep House, Trap and Progressive House), the more those branches will reach the masses. EDM always has had the reigns in an underground movement. As far as hip hop, it has broken back full circle. I think from the party down south beats to just New York style, great lyrics and beats with songs that you can recite the words to over and over like we have heard in the 90’s evolution.
What was your favorite party to spin in the last year?
I DJed with Fedde Le Grand Memorial Day Sunday last year and there were no computers, all CDJ’s, no tricks. I got on at 10pm; he started at 1am and finished at close to 3:30am. Then, he had me spin with him all the way till close to 5am and no one wanted to leave. Most DJ’s just leave, but we just killed this party. We had no choice but to close while everyone was still partying with the lights on.
What Kind of Equipment do you usually work with?
Classically, I like to use turntables, it is what I grew up on: a couple Technics turntables and a Pioneer 900 Mixer. Although, as far as EDM with CDJ’s I can use 2,3,4 channels and with that there are no cue points – you are for the most part blind without Serato and looking at the formation of songs through tempo and transition.
Is there a particular song that rescues the dance floor?
In playing with many international DJ’s, they are gonna play their songs regardless and just being from the area locally, there are a handful of records that I know work that I can pull out of my back pocket.
What is your favorite song by your favorite artist?
John Dahlbach is more of a sound designer, he is someone that always seems to push the envelope for me in EDM. You can hear a lot of repetitiveness and he has a completely different sound from record to record. So with that being said, I don’t have a favorite song of his but I just love to see what his next record will be. He always surprises me.