After just returning from a successful tour with Sammy Adams, DJ Braun Dapper is mixing up Mondays at the W Boston.
“The whole thing we’re trying to do here is to make something unique that you can’t find anywhere else,” says Dapper. As the W Boston’s music director, Dapper aims to amp up the Boston music scene—and as a DJ who’s been spinning for 17 years, he has the material to do it.
“Every W does their own thing but I saw the direction White Shadow [the W’s global music director] was doing with music and it was very interactive, so, we’re trying to jumpstart from that.”
And what better way to kick it off then to release a video montage of his tour with Sammy Adams? The video, which follows Sammy Adams around his tour bus and offers an insider’s perspective of the tour, is an introduction as to what Dapper has in store for the upcoming weeks. With these types of behind-the-scenes videos, Dapper hopes to attract a following and create a movement that goes beyond online interaction to include special performances, events and even art shows to liven up any Monday.
“Art and music are super tied into each other. Especially in a lot of urban art or pop art, it’s like, ‘What was he listening to when he made this?’ You can kind of tell--for me they are super linked.”
The W already has a reputation among the music world, standing as the hotel-of-choice for many artists on tour, including recent guests of Timbaland and Lil Jon. Thus, Dapper plans to use this reputation as leverage to create a brand and online presence, but also to attract more than the typical crowds that flock to the hotel lounge for pre-show and pre-club drinks.
“I feel like a lot of times a lot of DJs will say, ‘Forget it,’ and bow down to play what they think people want to hear. That’s cool at times, but it kind of ruins what you’re doing and makes it not special anymore.”
This authenticity is what Dapper hopes to continue to contribute to the music scene, as he’s stuck with this attitude and played an interactive part in the DJ industry, since he first broke into the scene after channeling inspiration from his first rave and Boy George performance.
“That was the first time I was ever at a club and saw someone flying through records. He was drinking, spinning records—it was like, ‘Wow, I want to do this.’ It’s like you’re a puppet master.”
So, Dapper turned his record collection into a career and became a master himself, thriving on the feeling of looking out on a crowd, reading a crowd and keeping them hooked.
“I think that’s the difference in what you get with someone who’s just starting out, they are like, ‘I’m playing this, it’s what you’re getting.’ But sometimes if it’s not working, you gotta switch it up.” This is why Dapper likes to focus on just one or two people each night to feed off their energy, and stay motivated to keep turning out tunes to get the positive reaction he’s looking for.
“I love playing good disco music,” says Dapper on his music of the moment. “You forget how amazing these songs are, just how orchestrated they are. I mean it was the beginning of house music, so the beat’s there.”
Yet, you never really know what you’ll get from the eclectic, soulful DJ, as it all depends on the evening, his mood and of course, the crowd, or type of venue. Follow it all on W Boston’s Facebook and stay tuned for video releases including interviews with Czarface and Huey Mac, entertainment nights and know that any Monday you need a pick-me-up, the W is around to do just that—and if you’re lucky enough, Dapper will be too.