by SCOTT C

New York’s answer to Diplo’s Hollertronix parties has got to be the ass-shaking mega-blend of the Rub, where DJ Cosmo Baker, DJ Ayres and DJ Eleven have managed to sidestep the hype for a sweaty, mash-up-style house party leaving no genre unturned. This week, Cosmo Baker treats Montreal to a little bit of the same goodness he’s been playing at parties for Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams, Paris Hilton and Allen Iverson, before being whisked off to join A-trak’s Sunglasses Is a Must tour for the month of May. This Philly native has shared regular gigs with good friends King Britt, ?uestlove and Rich Medina, but has been riding the wave of popularity that the Rub has brought to his New York crew. The Mirror spoke to Cosmo at his home in Brooklyn.

Mirror: Do you have any experience DJing at weddings or strange special occasions?

Cosmo Baker: I’ve done DJ work for weddings, bar mitzvahs, art gallery openings, in-store events, all that good stuff. To be a working DJ, especially in the beginning, you can’t pass that stuff up. Especially because, lots of times, the money is real good. As for some strange experiences, I once DJed for Jessica Simpson at a press event. I spun all her music—which I had to take a weekend crash course on—as well as Outkast’s “Hey Ya,” Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice” and M.O.P.’s “Cold as Ice,” so that she could come out on stage and make an announcement that she was endorsing a new breath mint. I played for less than an hour and I made a lot of money. One other time, I DJed for a sunglasses company at a convention in Las Vegas. I got paid almost $4,000 for spinning 20 minutes. It was super strange. They had little people walking around the party with trays strapped to their heads, and on the trays were small grilled-cheese sandwiches. Man, I was super hungry but I couldn’t bring myself to grab some food off some dude’s dome.

M: What are your feelings about the business of mobile DJ services for all occasions?

CB: I’m not mad at it at all. In this world, we need services like that. They do stuff I can’t or won’t do, and vice versa. Those dudes can’t rock a club on some crazy action, and at the same time, lots of big-name DJs wouldn’t even know where to begin to do a private corporate event. To me, it’s all about the balance in it, though. Just remembering that no matter how much you want to be progressive and educate people through music, there are times and places for that. At a wedding, the audience most of the time won’t care about what rare funk 45 you have or that new Baltimore club record. They just want to dance and have a good time.

Schmooze moves

M: Do you buy into the celebrity game? Or are you not impressed by famous people in the room anymore?

CB: Man, not really. I’m kind of a shy dude in general, so I’m not really tripping on meeting people. The first couple times I met some of my favourite rappers, I was just in such awe that I would play the back and not even approach them. Then, as things got bigger, I remember meeting dudes like Bruce Willis or Jamie Foxx, and they were like super cool and down to earth. So I guess it’s all relative. I mean, it’s weird to me when I go to another city and people ask me for my autograph or to get pictures with me. Just the other day, here in Brooklyn, somebody stopped me while I was at the grocery store, like, “Oh my God, you’re Cosmo Baker!” I thought to myself, “This is weird, because I’m just trying to buy some milk here.” I’m just a regular dude, you know, so that trips me out much more than seeing celebrities.

M: Do you pass out CDs or business cards at a high-profile celebrity affair?

CB: Sure, why not? I usually don’t sweat people though, and most of the time at high-profile events, if I’m spinning, I don’t really have time to network. However, because I’m spinning, people come up to me, and so that’s always the perfect opportunity. But I always like to pass out CDs because, in a way, it’s giving back to the people who come check me live.

With DJ Naes and Masterbeater at Saphir
tonight, April 20, 11 p.m., $7

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