Felix Sama – From Radio Roots to Rockstar Mindset on the Virtual Sessions 9/4/25

Summary

In this Virtual Sessions episode, Felix Sama joins host Darran Bruce from Miami to share his journey from radio personality to full-time producer and entrepreneur. Beginning with early experiments mixing on turntables and tape decks, Felix recalls the thrill of hearing DJs on Miami’s Super Q and creating his first hot mix that landed him a spot at Hot 105. His passion quickly grew into a full-time career in radio, production, and eventually television.

He reflects on milestones like working at Telemundo’s Mundos channel, where he introduced reggaeton stars like Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam to broader audiences, and creating video mixes before the format was widely recognized. These experiences not only built his reputation but also expanded Latin music’s global reach. Felix highlights how media visibility helped transition him from local recognition to international stages.

The conversation explores his entrepreneurial ventures, including launching a DJ entertainment company, starting Rhythm City DJ School in South Florida, and leading USA Breaking, a nonprofit promoting breakdancing competitions nationwide. For Felix, creating platforms for DJs and dancers has been just as rewarding as performing.

He also introduces his upcoming project, Rockstar Mindset, designed to help artists and professionals tap into their inner confidence through coaching, interviews, and think tanks. Felix emphasizes originality and persistence as keys for young DJs, urging them to produce their own music, find their niche, and bring something new to the table.

Beyond music, Felix shares personal passions like racquetball, scuba diving, and family life, balancing ambition with health and discipline. His philosophy on success centers on creating value for others, producing music that inspires, and collaborating with like-minded artists to leave a lasting legacy.

Topics

0:06 – Early career beginnings in Miami radio and Hot 105
1:25 – Inspiration from DJs and first experiments with turntables and tape decks
4:47 – Collecting records from disco to freestyle and early influences
6:35 – The digital era, music pools, and the art of track selection
12:17 – Telemundo, Mundos, and pioneering reggaeton exposure
15:47 – Founding Rhythm City DJ School and building a DJ company
17:28 – Leading USA Breaking and promoting national breakdance competitions
26:39 – Defining success through creating value and meaningful music
32:05 – Launching Rockstar Mindset to inspire artists and professionals
54:28 – Racquetball, scuba diving, and balancing music with personal life

Call to Action

Follow Felix Sama on Instagram @djsama and TikTok @djfelixsama.
Check out his label at Real Vibes Music.
For more interviews, exclusive mixes, and live sessions, visit thedjsessions.com.

[Darran]
Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of the DJ sessions presents the virtual sessions. I’m your host Darran and right now I’m sitting in the virtual studios in Seattle, Washington and coming in all the way from Miami, Florida We have none other than Felix Sama in the studio with us today. How you doing today Felix?

[Felix Sama]
What’s going on Darran? Nice little intro you got there, man. I saw all the graphics flying around I was like, okay go ahead with your superstar status.

[Darran]
You know, we’re working on a jingle for we’re working on a jingle for we got some producers and stuff We’re kind of always looking for new ones, you know I forgot to hit a mute button right there That’s my server in the background replaying the episode. So at least I know we’re going live, right? So much for being here today Wonderful pre-show interview or I guess interview almost was an interview We had before the series getting some of your background listen to a lot of my background though And we’ll talk about that stuff later but we’re here to talk about you and what you have going on down there in the city of Miami and you are akin you’re like a brother in the sense of the world of Media production because you were a radio personality and TV host Before you transitioned in becoming a full-time producer. When did that process start?

[Felix Sama]
What got you into the game and let’s hear that history Yeah, man, I mean it started in my early 20s I think I was about maybe 24 25, but this is like 10 years ago. I Always, you know, I would hear it You know DJs mixing on the radio and I’d be fascinated by the master mixes that we said There was a radio station out here called super Q and they used to do these master mixes on the weekend Okay and then I would go to parties and I would see DJs mix in and I saw that the DJs had all the girls around them and everything I was like, man, maybe maybe that might be a good job for me to have And I just you know started off like most of our us DJs. Well, you know the equipment’s done changed but you know back then it was Turntables, I’ll be honest with you. My first setup was a turntable and a tape deck All right, so I used to I used to play the tape deck and mix into the turntable That’s how prehistoric it was back in the day.

But anyway fast forward, you know Learn the art of mixing and then we would practice in my room all the time And then one of my friends was an intern at a radio station So I put together a hot-ass mix Gave it to him and said give it to whoever you got to give it to that can give me a job there And he gave it to the the head mix show DJ there. His name was Phil Jones Phil heard it He said wow, this guy’s incredible. I want a meeting with him and I Sat in the meeting and they said yo, we want you to be a part-time mixer on the radio It was hot 105 at the time and that’s how I started my career From doing part-time mix showing to on-air talent to producing the morning show and it just kept going on and on and I made It a full-time career

[Darran]
you know, that’s funny because I had a similar experience where we I was in high school and We had the first ever video production class I was 17 years old a senior in high school first ever video production class in the state of Washington and I had been playing a video camera since the age of six and but I came out of that class and the teacher loved me because I knew how to work the camera and understood what VHS decks were and doing deck-to-deck editing of VHS decks, but Walked right out of that into a hip-hop Public access television show at 18 years old and worked on and off of that for about eight years as I kind of over glorified production assistant and and then, you know left that to go pursue my dreams of being a television producer and walked into my first year of doing that exact the show to to Fox and the rest kind of was history after that and then moving to online platforms and as you know The industry has grown and changed over the years and distribution has become What I like to refer to sometimes in the electronic music industry as zero barrier entry point Content wise quality content wise. It’s still a little hard you still got to produce compelling stuff that people are gonna want to watch and listen to and Keeping up to date on that can be a obviously a full-time job as you know Yeah, you mentioned that you used to spin on decks and a cassette tape Mixing them. You showed that in your early days Remember the first ever record that you bought and is it worth mentioning or is it embarrassing?

[Felix Sama]
No, it’s not embarrassing I think it was a Stephanie Mills record Was one of the first records I ever bought I know sugar hill gang rappers the light was definitely one of the first records that I ever bought So those are the ones that I remember going to you know Specs music and and digging in the in the stashes over there And then that’s how I started my collection man. And then disco was big back then. So a lot of disco records Saron Foxy these are like, you know classic, you know artists and producers from back in the day and and you know a Lot of funk, you know like cameo and stuff like that But the Barclays and all this really man nostalgic stuff that we used to collect and then freestyle The freestyle genre came into the picture and I used to collect a lot of the freestyle music So I really had no like one genre of music that I would collect.

I would collect everything that was appealing to my ears.

[Darran]
Mm-hmm you know and and obviously back in the vinyl days is again talking about that barrier to entry being Limited back then because you did they only pressed a few thousand records that went out nationwide or worldwide You had it in your you had the golden candy in your crate But nowadays, you know people can access and everyone can a million downloads in one day or a hundred thousand downloads in one day in their library do you feel that the the age of the DJ even though while the barrier entry is gone that they that it’s lost some of that in the art of finding that golden track that may have only made it to To vinyl that now everyone can act get access to that.

Is that has that changed the game obviously as in the barrier entry?

[Felix Sama]
In terms of access to music right now, you know If you know where to go you could basically get whatever you want and as fast as you want it You know, especially if you’re in a digital pool, you know You just gotta be that one that’s gonna sift through, you know, the new stuff that just came up, bro Yeah, you got like freaking 300 songs that come out in one day You know, I mean so if you’ve got enough time to go through 300 songs man, good luck Especially if you’re doing different genres if you’re doing reggaeton and house and hip-hop and you know I’m saying and and dancehall and all of that boy. Good luck, buddy.

Cuz you’re gonna be doing that all day long. So Whichever way you cut the mustard Yeah, it’s a different game, but you still have to have an ear you still need to know how to position that song properly You’ve got to know when to play the song where you’re gonna get the most reaction So there’s still a skill set that you need to have in order to be a bona fide pro, you know a pro DJ

[Darran]
Exactly, you know and that’s I remember when I first started the show. I was gonna learn how to DJ I’m not a DJ a lot of people mistake this for the fact the show be in the DJ sessions that I’m a DJ and I’m like, no, I just play one on TV I’m not a real DJ Because I wanted to do what I did best was being an exec and doing the video and the Technical stuff that goes on behind the scene the lights camera action I like that tech stuff and since I was a kid, but I also like the contracts negotiations sitting down and talking with you know Major partner companies that you are with and want to give a shout out to Megan over at mn2s for arranging this interview It’s not big and being on the back end of doing this stuff, but this is fun I mean, I never was supposed to even be a host of my dang show, you know, but the show must

[Felix Sama]
So, you know

[Darran]
Yeah, it’s it’s been very interesting seeing that happen over the years But when I went to learn how to DJ I remember the first person said to me he said I go How long do you spend looking for tracks each day?

Yeah, I was like three to five hours. I don’t know what Yeah, what I mean, even if I spent half of that amount of time an hour an hour and a half a day Two hours a day. I mean, hey, I got Netflix and chill time.

I gotta keep going on. You know, I got shows I like to watch I’m a movie guy.

[Felix Sama]
That’s it. That’s a real professional DJ They’d be if he spends three to five hours a day. Yeah, I would be doing that as well I don’t spend that much time because right now most of the events that I’m doing are throwback events So I don’t need to do a whole bunch of research.

I still do my research Don’t get me wrong because especially now that I’m gonna move more into doing EDM Venues and things of that nature. I got to do a lot more research and and and homework, but yeah That’s the time you have to a lot to that because if you’re gonna stay on top of the game and you’re gonna be on Top of the food chain you you need to be the one that’s that’s up on one if you know what I mean Exactly exactly.

[Darran]
I just wouldn’t have the time to do that. I we’ve joked around the idea of me back in the day I wanted to be one of the world’s known as the world’s first ghost DJ Unfortunately Paris Hilton built beat me to that but you know I’m sure it’s been knowing other people out there But it was kind of just a running joke that you know, I could get up there I remember talking with somebody back in the day I was working for Apple and I said and this came because I was backstage at a show won’t name the band I was watching But I saw the the guy the DJ for the DJ portion of the set They had a limited set set up, you know, they didn’t have a full band set There’s a whole studio track. The guy was behind the decks. He pulls out an iPod Audience couldn’t see his hits play on the iPod Sets it down and then he’s kind of DJing over the top of that because it’s probably coming in the Oxford But all the back track of the music that was needed to hit for the song was played on that iPod I’m like, wait a second.

Why couldn’t a DJ just do that? And I got an argue with my co-worker at Apple He’s like he was a DJ goes no people would know people would know I go How would they know if you’re up in the DJ booth back when the DJ booth was hidden, you know up here and you hit play How would they know if it was really banging you really put a nice bang and mix together?

[Felix Sama]
Yeah, you didn’t hit a play button and you’re up there Yeah, you could you could easily there’s DJs out there that pre-record their mixes and pretend like they’re live all the time Exactly or or they practice their mixes.

[Darran]
So well, I just saw this something on base. I won’t name the artists I don’t know who the name of the artist is memorize the moves and the mixes And they know exactly their point. They know their cue point.

They know everything because it is a stage show, you know, I get it Guys do it live.

[Felix Sama]
Yeah, we pre-recorded Get you Don’t do that.

[Darran]
Yeah well now you got all the people backstage with the phones and everything now and it’s like you get the people in front of the crowd and there’s Yeah, and it’s a you know, you’re being filmed right now, don’t you is it some of these times I watch this I’m wondering is this a parody video is somebody letting somebody jump up on the decks and just pretending like hey watch this We’re gonna let you come up here. Just pretend you’re hitting the buttons and we’re gonna make a video It’s gonna go viral that it happened at the show and then it’s not even a real thing Maybe but I think some of these people getting called out on it now But you know going back for very about people faking it to make it we don’t need to talk about that I want to talk about Breaking it. What was the first thing that you first incident that you could think of that?

Was your biggest break for your career that launched your your your overall? I’d say DJ career because we’re the DJ sessions because it sounds like you already, you know Where you did mention going in the radio station and getting approved there But really did you consider that a big break or was there a bigger one that kind of launched you?

[Felix Sama]
That was a big break for me to be known Locally, right? Even though you know people would come down here to Miami We’re talking like the 90s early 2000 people would come down here to Miami They would record the mix shows and then you know I would give phone calls from promoters that lived in the Cayman Islands or Curaçao or wherever it is They’re like, hey, we got your mixtape. We want you to come down with how much you want So, you know you would get a lot of bookings through the mix shows that they would record but What made me an international artist was when I started working at Telemundo I worked for their second channel, which was called Mundo’s the first TV show I did with them was called upbeat.

I came up with it. This is before video mixing was ever even, you know, nice. I Came up with the concept to do video mixes on my show.

So what I would do is I would Record a mix and then I would find the videos to those mixes and I give it to my editor and I go do me a favor and listen to my mix and edit it accordingly so it translates to the audio and That’s exactly the way I used to end my show and now we’re gonna go into this bad boy mega mix And that was the beginning for I for for me and for what I’ve seen that was out there video mixing But aside from that it was it was a cool show because we introduced reggaeton music to the market We would fly in Daddy Yankee and Nicky Jam Tango Calderon So all these artists, you know These superstar reggaeton artists that were really just starting their careers or only famous in Puerto Rico Came on to the show and we had a big platform We were on all the different countries and the u.s. And all the cities so they were getting major exposure on the roof We kill which was the second show that I did.

It was a two-hour interactive show So we did it live in the studio and we had correspondents that worked in LA Correspondents that worked in New York So we would toss to different cities and then we would play music videos and have content within the show We the setting the the set looked like a rooftop. That’s why we call nice and We did that show I did that I was on that show for about two years And we traveled all over the place. We would go live at clubs in in in Honduras Puerto Rico Colombia you name it.

We went all over South and Central America and the show was a hit man Let me tell you we had a lot of fun and we broke a lot of good music

[Darran]
You sound just like like I said brother akin to exactly what I’m been Wanted to do here for years and gonna be doing here shortly as we talked about pre-show stuff You know, we were really ramping up in 2020 to do some awesome stuff But then you know something happened there. I can’t remember what it was. It’s something something little world happen Yeah, you know awesome stuff, you know when you’ve done all of this and been at that level Can you pinpoint What the maybe the best business decision you’ve ever made when it comes to in regards to your career?

Was there another definitive moment that you said? I’m switching this or I’m doing this or I really realized I need to learn about this and that Made leaps and bounds in your world as far as the entertainment world Is there one defining moment that you can think that really? Launched that

[Felix Sama]
When I started my DJ entertainment company, you know, I basically said look I’m getting a lot of exposure So let me start this DJ entertainment company and then I would hire out DJs to do the weddings the bar mitzvahs Affairs and things of that nature and then I started the first DJ school down here in South Florida This was back in 2000 with my partner Corey Feldman We started the Rhythm City DJ school and that was a business move that I’m very proud of as well

[Darran]
nice, you know, I’ve Worked with people in the past that have done the same kind of ventures and you know It’s it’s I think those types of I actually asked people from time to time Do do you think that DJ and should be something that’s taught along with other music programs in school if they still teach? Music programs. So I mean when we were in school you had band you had choir Yeah, you know yet, you know, yeah Table is a man.

You don’t have to turn to do some turntable ism in there now, you know And you know, I think that would be awesome to see a more Funded with grants or or education, you know us ourselves.

[Felix Sama]
I know you have colleges that that have DJ programs now I’m not sure that I think I don’t know if it’s Berkeley But I I heard and I saw in the news that there’s especially overseas There’s like schools overseas in Asia then like that’s like a regular curriculum, you know, like it’s it’s part of the system.

[Darran]
Yeah you know What is it gonna go on is as you mentioned that you have started your organization as you have a nonprofit That you run is that the same organizations and running since then or is that a different nonprofit that you have different nonprofit?

[Felix Sama]
I became president of USA breaking About five years ago and we promote breakdancing throughout different cities basically we’re a 501c and We do events where breakers and DJs can kind of find a safe place to do their competitions We’ve done them in New York. We’ve done them in LA. We’ve done them in Vegas down here, Miami We hold a lot of events as well and it’s a good way to give these kids a place where they can exercise be healthy and learn the art of breaking and DJ and so I get a lot of satisfaction out of doing that with my partner speedy legs and the rest of the Board members shout out to to USA break and we’re looking to ramp up in a heavy wave to finish out the year

[Darran]
well, it’s definitely a definitely a Awesome. Thank you for setting those things types of things up working with us and building that kind of infrastructure within your community Promoting that worldwide.

I think that’s something that’s missing in a lot of markets that I’ve seen is the fostering of legacy or the fostering of growth You know a lot of people get into this and you know You want to be the like you mentioned early in the show you wanted it? You saw that you were at the house party You saw the DJ and is surrounded by the girls and getting the attention as I want to be that Where you didn’t just make that your career end right there. You took it to the ninth level 10th Keep going level and that’s awesome, you know to build and leave legacy within the communities I think that’s something that gets missed a lot with people in a lot of different art form genres But you see this happening a lot in the electronic music world is I mean, I call it out now in my market I’m not afraid to say anything about it.

But you know, our market has a Ceiling and that ceiling is is very low because of the lack of middle management management Fostering that you really the best somebody could achieve in our market is maybe playing in our local nightlife scene Yeah you know insomniac isn’t coming here and picking cherry picking DJs out of Seattle going here come be on the main stage with us or You know, you know, you know all the big festivals They aren’t doing that and and you know, you and I know this game is run on money You know if you have money nowadays, it’s it’s you’re in talent can be fleeting But if you have one if you put some money behind you can be up there on some stages or have the followers and Likes and all that accolades on what’s now people are looking at. I mean, I talked to 30 year veterans and their Producers know everyone in the industry and they’re not getting booked for shows Because they want the Instagram people they and their their socials are down, but this person’s socials are up. Yeah, and it’s like, okay And you know, I bring this up from time to time the pie graph of back in the day, you know There used to be 80% Talent and in music and 20% promotion now, it’s 80% social media promotion and 20% is your talent or skill?

You know, and I don’t get in the whole debate of you know, vinyl versus sync button versus digital versus AI, you know Blah blah blah blah. It’s like yeah, I was just seeing something that Paul Oakenfold did an article and you know, he’s like Hey, you know you got to embrace while technology is kind of made the barrier for entry as we mentioned almost zero You still have to embrace technology and what’s moving forward you can’t just pigeonhole yourself and think oh I’m stuck here and it’s gonna come back one day And you could be looked at in history is like I don’t know who is that person and they’re not in the history books anymore Yeah, you’re right Unfortunately, you know in our market I know this happens probably in a lot of the when we talk TV talk, you know DMAs and and you know Seattle’s and then the top two in the top tier two right there almost tier one We’re famous for some stuff. But you know, you got markets like Miami, New York, Chicago, LA, you know coming to play San Francisco coming into play and you kind of say well, what’s gonna make somebody want to you know Pick somebody from Seattle to go play in any of those markets when they already have thousands of people There’s tens of millions of people in those markets.

We got two million Yeah, you know, so how do you stand out any advice that you may have? Basic in a kind of nutshell advice you would have to an up-and-coming Producer slash DJ to break out of those smaller markets and then we got the internet now, too Which is wonderful for collaborations But any advice you could give for them to break through out of their local market?

[Felix Sama]
Genre like if there aren’t organizations like you’re set up Yeah be special No, seriously be special bring something new to the freaking table You know what? I mean like really do your homework figure out what’s gonna separate you from the rest of the DJ’s that are out there Find your niche, you know, I’m saying and hone in on that do your homework practice You gotta bring something new to the table If you’re just gonna wait for the break part of a song and mix out of it that shit ain’t gonna get you to the next Level, I’m sorry, but it’s not you’ve got to be unique, you know I’m a big advocate of DJ’s producing, you know, if if you’re not producing Maybe that will start to separate you, you know produce your own music do your own mashups, you know I mean find something original that you bring even if it’s from other songs and elements that already exist But fine put your spin on it You know what? I mean find something that you can do that’s going to separate you from the herd.

That’s that’s the advice I know it’s generic but that’s the advice I would give to DJ’s That are on the come up right now. It doesn’t matter if you’re from seattle or india You know, I mean if you’re doing something different and and people are gravitating to you on social media Then that means that promoters are going to notice you as well And that means that you’re probably going to get a phone call at some point in time or you need to do your research and push Your performances to these promoters and tell them look, you know, this is what i’m doing I think it’ll work at your venue. You got it. You got to sell yourself, bro

[Darran]
You know and that I’m glad you brought that point up because as we were talking pre-show, you know I gave you a little bit of our launch strategy what’s going on behind the scenes You know, we’ve been doing our show for 16 years And with the advent of podcasting and live streaming blowing up over the last year, especially in 2020 I think there was a 200 300 growth in podcasting You know, probably even more than that in live streaming for those that wanted to go that route as well um But you know what’s going to set our brand different from a different interview show or a different dj show that’s out there You know, and I believe content is king So i’m trying to acquire and get you know, 60 to 100 hours of content a month So people our brand would be you’re coming back. You’re seeing something new Every three four times a day there’s 700 news stories or there’s multiple interviews that there’s exclusive mixes or there’s syndicated content From other people coming in as a collective of all sharing or new music in our music section Those kind of things that people want to come back and it’s not the look at me.

I’m the Darran bruce show This is i’m trying to get this information to share with other people what we find is cool I mean heck probably if the internet wasn’t here. I and you weren’t coming to seattle. I never would have known about you unless I Literally if it was back in the day and we go, you know early 2000s, you know, I mean, yeah the internet okay, yeah ww.com is all there but really I mean we would have been still hyper focused in our blinder market unless I went to Bernie music conference in 2009 and maybe saw you at a pool party and said let’s connect and you handed me a business card I got your phone number, you know, i’m like what’s up, maybe we gmail with each other back and forth But you know that that collaboration can happen now Around the world in in real time.

I mean this is live interview. We’re real really right here. It’s awesome stuff.

So um that being said Um, you know excellent advice is is find your own niche find what you want to do stand out from the rest be different And that’s going to attract somebody. I mean Yeah, the eyeballs that are looking at us now.

[Felix Sama]
I can’t share the information, but I told you some stuff we’re working on before Be told that’s what captivates me, you know What captivates me like, you know when i’m scrolling which I shouldn’t be doing as much as I do sometimes but what? When i’m scrolling, you know, I i’ll stop if I see a dj doing something that’s cool You know what? I mean?

But if I see a dj just you know top five, uh edm songs I probably won’t you know stay but if i’m scrolling I see, you know dj Doing a mashup live or something, you know that that’s really unique. I’m like, okay, go ahead You got my attention what you got rock with it? You know what I mean?

[Darran]
So There’s something to be said about being original Yeah, and you know that that being original and and trying to stand out from the rest of the crowd There’s usually a a motive behind that and that word could be defined in one simple word success You know, how would you? Define success as a dj producer not just for you yourself, but for somebody out there saying hey that You’re successful. You’re doing what you want to do.

Is it a beatport top 10 hit sold out tour?

[Felix Sama]
What are your thoughts on that Success for me is creating value for others That’s success for me. So When I say that I say When I produce this music i’m producing it For everyone that wants to hear that message because every song has a different message um your last call for love That song right there I wrote that song because a lot of times you’re in a relationship and You’re getting sick and tired of the cheating you’re getting sick and tired of of the disrespect And you get to the point where you’re like, okay, it’s ultimatum time either We’re going to straighten this out and do what we got to do in order to get back in love again Or this is the last call. It’s not the last call for a drink.

It’s last call for love. I’m moving the hell out so I find that Doing that for me gives me satisfaction and if I can Make people feel good through producing music then to me that’s a win and that’s being successful so I don’t know if I answered it exactly the way you wanted it to but I Want to provide as much value as I can through my music to the masses

[Darran]
I can’t hear you anymore I muted my I muted my mic because I was checking your instagram feed to see if anyone had any questions over there But no, uh, you know, everyone’s version of success is different.

Um, you know, and that’s a very you know, um I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to that question Um, you know a dj might be successful just playing for their playing in their bedroom a dj might feel successful They’re even just mixing tracks You’re right got it down, you know, they might not have to play parties But they’re like I mean I think their goal is a performer as a musician or in the music business is to Go out and get an audience in some shape or form not just playing your bedroom or do your even if you’re just playing House parties, you know.

Hey, I like playing music. I don’t want to be on the stage I don’t want that but i’m i turn the party out I’m up there and the girls come and surround me and I like and have fun, you know or guys or whatever you’re looking for Yeah, I mean to me to me like don’t get me wrong.

[Felix Sama]
Yeah. I want grammys. Yeah I want, you know 50 000 plus arena.

I want all of that, but that’s not the main motive bro It’s it really isn’t for me. The main motive is working with like-minded Producers artists and djs that I genuinely genuinely love to work with Putting great music out there that people actually that that actually makes them feel good And and that’s that’s really like the main core for me and then everything else is is an extra add-on bonus for me

[Darran]
you know, it’s it’s some a friend of mine asked me once back in the day who I started all this stuff with when I Got on that public access television show and after years of doing this he came to me and he said so Darran When did this stop?

Be when did this start becoming about the money? And you stopped being fun for you. I said, uh, it never was really about the money.

It always has been fun It’s fun getting the money But the money that I want is not your version of what he thought of just lining my pockets with dollars and being rich My money was running a successful corporation that I could have facilities studios staff Alerjet black american express card so I could fund and do the things and projects that I wanted to do And earn a profit with that company being in business not a failing in the red Zone company and be able to pay people create jobs create legacies with that and and No, no offense to my homeboy, but that takes capital to run a company So yes, I had to make my brand and forth and look at making moves that would be revenue generating as a business owner Yes, as opposed to a hobbyist or an extreme hobbyist That never puts it on the books never has a business license doesn’t have a domain name doesn’t have a website You know doesn’t have any marketing or pr or you know, they’re just trying to wing it and then claim they got something and it’s like that’s Lots of people out there like that and I can I I support all of them if they came to me knocking on my door Just like what happened in 2020 knocking.

How do I do this? How do I make this you’ve been doing this for years? What secrets do you know?

How do you get so many views and make it in the top 10 on twitch? Okay, right there. I gotta stop.

I’m not giving you all my secrets Yeah, especially if you’re gonna be my competitor But i’m still there to help others in if they’re starting out brand new they’ve been in the industry for years You know, if you hit me up and have a technical problem you go Darran. How did you get around this? Hey Information right to you Felix.

Boom. You just saved me tens thousands. However hours dollars From a quick question just by networking with somebody Yeah, you know and I think that’s that’s that could be a size of success as well So again, no right or wrong answer to that question, but definitely yeah right on right on point and congratulations for that I do want to talk with though you do Uh something that I thought was really interesting.

I want to talk with you about you made a note of this to me Talk about but I want to talk with you about it because it fits right in line with almost what I just said You do This greatness coach. What is tell us about your greatness coach thing? Is that a program?

Is that uh, what is that all about?

[Felix Sama]
Yeah, it’s it’s it’s something that I that i’m developing and uh, we’re almost ready to go public with it But it’s uh, it’s called the rock star mindset Okay, so basically everybody’s got a rock star within them and some people don’t know how to tap into it So I want to because of all the experience that i’ve had throughout my music career and dealing with you know radio and tv Just you know ups and downs peaks and valleys through all that i’ve got a lot of personal experiences that I can speak on to help djs artists Musicians even people that don’t come from the music business How to get over the hump how to be in front of people and present themselves properly.

So we basically want to Give you the opportunity to find greatness within yourself So that’s what the rock star mindset is all about I do a lot of interviews with celebrities and djs And we talk about overcoming obstacles. We get into a whole bunch of different topics and through all these Conversations we’re going to compile them all and make them available on a website called Felixlama.com And that’s where you’ll be able to have a community where you can pay a subscription And be a part of all the uh The flyaways that we do all the think tanks that we do all the mindset all the high ticket offers You could be a part of all of that depending you pick and choose what you want to be a part.

[Darran]
Mm-hmm That’s awesome. You know, I’ve I’ve that is a definite undertaking and i’m super excited to see when you get that launched out there Let us know about that because absolutely that’s exactly the type of information we want to share To our viewers and again, you know, like you said, I believe you’re right There is a rock star within everyone but in the current let’s say u.s education system It’s not set up for you to go after a career like that anymore.

I mean obviously When you hear that they’re cutting music programs, they’re cutting arts programs, you know, and they’re focusing on education I mean when I was a kid we had wood shop sewing art class metal shop wood shop Choir band this is in grade school and in the middle middle school six through nine six through eighth grade And then when you went to high school, they had auto shop and electricians class Electric class, you know electro electronics um I mean, I took a futurism class and i’m just wondering what the curriculum is like now are they they aren’t really Focused on the arts as much as that.

I hear i’ve been to high school. I look at the curriculums So hitting the world after getting a high school diploma and saying hey, I want to go do this Where do I go and you’ve got to go to the streets almost? I mean I used to go to barnes and noble and grab a book off the shelf and the library didn’t have it barnes and noble Had the latest edition of the business book I wanted i’d sit there in barnes and noble and read the book because I didn’t have the money to buy it Put it back on the shelf or I’d go to guitar center And i’d play on the gear in the guitar center People were spending thousands of dollars and be in the manual the guys would be behind the camera They knew me and they’re like Darran you want the manual i’m like, yep, give me the manual I sit there for three hours playing with the gear all around with it before I spent thousands of dollars on it

[Felix Sama]
You know exactly so it’s it’s an ecosystem man, you know all the more reason to have a community like that where you can Rub elbows with professionals that are are in the game radio programmers radio personalities You know singers that have been doing it on a high level for 30 40 years For you to be able to sit there imagine going on a retreat where we’re going to produce your next song and we’re sitting down and we’re chilling and we’re vibing and writing music and It’s it’s it’s going to be a blessing. Not only that because it’s it’s not only for musicians It’s also for people from all different walks of life. You could be a dentist.

You could be a you could be a lawyer You still need to have that rock star mindset man If you’re going to be on top of your game and that’s really what it’s all about is about finding the best version of yourself

[Darran]
Yeah over the years what what you just said to to um add to that Is I have two business degrees and I am a huge fan of small business independent business And it’s kind of like a second passion.

I’ve consulted dozens of other people on companies starting their businesses up and now i’m literally doing work with a with a friend of mine who’s starting up her own business and I’m putting down a list of all the stuff you need to do that They don’t tell you what to do in in order and I can jump start and get that business business ready You know back in the day it used to be seven things that i’d say if you do these seven things I’ll take you seriously, which really weren’t that hard to do, you know now it’s a list of like 25 30 things but there’s no book out there to tell you what to do and why to do this and then You can have pay somebody to do it all for you. But then you’re sitting there.

It’s like great You gave me the garage. You gave me the tools And you gave me all the manuals how to fix cars Now, what do I do? You know go out there and sell it go out there and sell it You know, you gotta go knock on everyone’s door and say i’m a mechanic.

I’m a mechanic. I’m a mechanic, you know and sell it

[Felix Sama]
No, what you need to do is you need to find a life coach that can teach you how to sell see

[Darran]
That’s what you need to do there There’s the other point of this and I go people While i’m not i’m not looking down on anyone that has a job or business doing this but unfortunately in the industry what I get concerned with is and I Don’t necessarily battle it but seeing people that take advantage of people that don’t know That’s what happened to me a lot in small when I was starting my small business everyone wanted a dollar To help me out. Help me out.

Help me out when somebody could have come along with a clear conscience said, you know, what? Just read this pamphlet by the sba small business administration It basically walks you through on everything you’re going to want to do to start a small business And that’s out there that information is out there But like again, you can’t necessarily teach not everyone’s going to get their path to rock star in their own way You can and if you could help them with what through your program would do is get them to identify those key markers or key goals From other industry professionals going you’ll start I hear the ring tone. I mean, I’ve done hundreds and hundreds of interviews.

I hear the same things and then i’m like Hey, I should adapt that or maybe somebody hears what we’re talking about and they adapt that from what Felix said, you know that kind of stuff is really Good information that needs to be heard out there and reinforced over and over again

[Felix Sama]
Um in a way, so you’re you’re absolutely right there and and you know, there’s a lot of great free information out there There’s only one. Well, there’s a few Situations and problems with it.

Sometimes you don’t know if it’s justifiable or if it really works, right? You’re you’re going up on youtube and you’re you’re you’re you know Trying to find your answers to questions that you have. That’s all cool and dandy You know you go to reputable people that you know have a good, you know Five star rating on youtube or whatever the case may be what i’m getting at is yeah You’ve got a lot of great free information online, but if you want the gems You got to go to the pros and the pros want to get paid and there’s nothing wrong with that They deserve to get paid There you go.

And you know what it’s going to give you value that you can take Up to the next level.

[Darran]
Well, just like I was doing the consulting for my friend I was as a joke and i’m probably still gonna do this I wanted I used to say oh i’ll charge 2500 bucks to do my business consulting services I do same with websites I kind of build websites for people that would Get them up and running so they could do it themselves and not have to pay a developer tens of thousands of dollars To fix a typo on their website, you know, you know, it’s that kind of stuff But I wanted to type in all the everything I was going to do and throw it in the chat gpt And say as a business consultant And basing it on this information of what i’d be set up. How much would this cost somebody now to do this for? Say six thousand dollars five probably twenty five to thirty thousand dollars of the work when I look at it If I was if I was getting paid as a consultant and I was working with somebody say 10 to 15 hours a week Yeah, I could easily see that being billed at 75 to 100 bucks an hour as you should

[Felix Sama]
Yeah

[Darran]
For six months minimum to get them up and running to answer questions and be there for them and the work that would go into That game and you know, that’s okay Two thousand three thousand dollars a month maybe times six.

That’s eighteen twenty thousand plus tax and change You know if I had five clients doing that a year Okay, i’m making a good 100k a year um Just business consulting, of course They’re probably going to refer me out to other clients and then i’ll bring up and build the organization like that But the point is is yeah, it’s but I want to make sure the people I work with though Are ready and in that rock star mentality mindset one of those biggest things you got to look at the negatives or the Parachutes or the rocks or this the molasses is what I just came out of I was talking to you That can get in the way and prevent you from growing And there’s a lot of mental prep you have to go into when you’re your own Business owner. It’s one thing and a lot of people don’t understand. It’s working for your own company.

You are everything And you can’t compare that to a 40 hour a week job where you clock in and clock out you know, there’s a punch clock or even going into an office infrastructure a lot of people I Not necessarily used to laugh but i’ve worked for companies like nordstrom’s and apple and was at the top of my game top company accolades for sales and customer service in those organizations And uh, you know when you walk out you got to remember You don’t have apple and nordstrom’s paying for the infrastructure of the store Paying for the buying of the clothing keeping the heat and lights on and the infrastructure in the marketing to draw customers to come Into that and they think they can sell When usually a lot of people that are over glorified customer service agents And they’re selling because the customer’s walking through the door coming into them They’re not out there knocking on the door saying come come come to me when you become an entrepreneur Like you said earlier You’ve got to go dock on people’s doors and be out there and abn abc for those that don’t know Always be networking always be closing, you know out of one of my favorite movies glengarry glen ross, you know It’s just the truth you you and it’s all on you and you’ve got to understand you’re wearing those 14 15 26 38 different hats Until you can plug people into those or find people to collaborate with and work with and say oh I can source that out now. I can source that out now, you know You got to be yeah, you got to be mindset ready, right? Mindset ready.

Absolutely.

[Felix Sama]
You got to cut all the fat out of your life, right? Yep. You got to eat, right?

Yes sleep, right? Yeah, you got to work out, right? You got to have a not even balance You just got to know how to timeline yourself so that you put systems in place to make you successful yeah, and and you know the biggest one I Whatever the poison is it doesn’t have to be drugs or alcohol.

[Darran]
It could be food or lack of a sleep or lack of Um, you know getting sidetracked Um, you know, you got to really prioritize when you’re doing this stuff. I know with your resume alone. I hear you It’s almost like it reminds me so much of myself Yeah, yeah We’re on the grind man, you know somebody that same person I worked with a long time ago He’s still my best friend to this day knowing me since I was 18 years old for like 12.

What? jeez 29 years. Yeah, something like no way I don’t wait.

Yeah 29 years only since I was 18. Anyways 30 some odd years. He’s only 32 30 33 years Um, you know, he asked me do I ever go back and watch my old footage?

And I go no He goes why not? I go because I was there and I produced it and I got more footage I gotta produce if I sat back and watched every episode of mine From day one of just the dj sessions and I had that on eight hours a day Okay, you don’t have enough time in a day anyway every 10 days would be 80 episodes So that’d be 100 days would be 800 episodes Okay, that would take me a full year eight hours a day to get through my entire library And i’m not going to sit there and just watch every single episode with it on in the back. Why?

[Felix Sama]
Unless you’re learning or trying to Change a certain, you know Part of the show then I can see okay. Let’s look at this. Okay.

Let’s do it better You know, I can see that but yeah, no, man, it takes too much time.

[Darran]
Exactly So yeah, I always laugh at some of the things i’ve been Suggested in the past going. Why would I do that?

[Felix Sama]
But anyways love them Watch a whole football game anymore. I just watch the highlights Serious, I love I love football, but I cannot sit there and watch a three-hour football game. Yeah, exactly

[Darran]
You know when when it comes to we talked about a little bit about planning for the rockstar mindset Being in the rockstar mindset, what is one of your worst habits that you still have or have been having to work on or maintain Constantly make sure you don’t slip back and and have it affect you have you have any number one bad habits like oh Hey, I I succeed i’m still working on that anything Do you have or or and or a piece of advice on how to clear that out?

[Felix Sama]
You know i’m doing pretty good, you know, like in the last two months. I lost 12 pounds but every now and then, you know, i’ll uh, I’ll get a little bingy I’ll get a little bingy and i’ll go on my cuban, you know rice and beans and and and ropa vieja and platano maduros So I know you’re making me hungry for lunch Just not going overboard with the with the with the food. That’s not so Eco-friendly, you know what i’m saying?

So I gotta watch it because I I will Do a deep dive if if I if it gets too tasty You know instead of it just being a weekend retreat It’ll turn into a all-week binge and that’s what I gotta stay away from so I gotta be real disciplined when it comes to that um working out You know, i’m pretty religious doing it at least three to five times a week So, you know sometimes i’ll especially when you when you’re coming back from vacation It’s the hardest to get back in the gym, you know, I mean i’ll take like a week off when I come back So that sucks. I hate that But other than that man, um, the only other thing that can get me is like a good program on netflix like, you know, um What’s the name of that? What’s the name of that uh program that was on for a while?

I forgot the name of it Anyway, like one of those series that comes on that you just get hooked to i’ll like want to watch the whole series You know what? I mean? So I try to try to stay away from from watching, you know, uh, 10 episodes in one day You know on the weekends or something like that So that those are my only like the downfalls that that I might grow into

[Darran]
Sounds like we got the same same same same bad habits I’m, i’m a foodie myself and when I cook everyone sees my food pics online They’re like Darran who is eating all that food you I i’m italian.

I was raised to cook for So it’s like any meal any meal I make I have to now kind of like I at least cook double meals now But I used to cook for like six to ten people and I wasn’t trying to food prep It’s just I don’t know how to cook single portions. Yeah, and then I piled two servings on my plate and I you know everyone would think that I eat the whole damn plate, but no I’d eat One and a half of it maybe and put the rest of the leftovers and leftovers everything else But yeah, I just uh, that was a big one, but you mentioned losing weight over 12 months You know me jumping back in the saddle after the eight and a half month hiatus and getting back into things I actually gained 25 pounds just just sitting in the studio chair Setting everything up and being back You know from 7 in the morning to 5 p.m You know, you’re talking 10 hours in the chair You know and then still getting up and trying to stay healthy without then going to make them a big meal And doing the netflix, you know, that’s kind of my after work routine stuff Yeah, but i’m looking into some vr workout programs here.

[Felix Sama]
So you got to do it man. Your health is wealth, bro You got to do it man. Yeah and work out on your legs Legs, that’s the foundation of your body, bro.

Okay, I do I do legs twice a week Religiously, I usually wear these when i’m watching my shows i’m down here You gotta do your leg exercises calf raises the whole night You got leg extension squats do it all man because That is gonna give you The foundation that you need to you know, well, you don’t you’re not a dj But if you’re djing and you’re gonna be djing for six seven hours, man That that when you get older that’s that that could be a problem with your back But if you got if you got your exercise in check, you’re gonna be good.

[Darran]
Absolutely You know, uh switching back to a little bit of topic about talking about new and up-and-coming people And and and protégé or legacy Um, you know if you could take one non-famous person Uh and put them in the spotlight who means a lot to you other than a direct friend or family member Who would that be and why? Non-famous person what like a dj Somebody that you does there thinks deserves the spotlight could be a dj producer dancer business mentor anyone that you would say, you know, this person really Yeah, there’s I know you have a you have a list.

[Felix Sama]
Yeah. I got quite a few people Yeah, i’ve got i’ve got um, you know musicians and programmers that I work with Um, and they’re so talented But uh, you know, they they like just doing that programming they don’t really want to be out in the spotlight Um, so there’s quite a few there’s one guy named jimmy that uh that works with me He’s really good at uh at programming beats um, he helps me with the breakbeat stuff that I do and uh Yeah, I I always encourage him to be an artist man But he he likes, you know, like some people just want to be session players man. What can I tell you? But yeah, so so talented and that’s what he wants to do then god bless him You know, I mean, but yeah, he he can very easily be a rock star very easily and you know, you recently Um signed on board with mn2s, correct?

[Darran]
Yes Awesome, and congratulations on that super organization Um, like I said working with megan over there to put us together You know one of the things that they’re looking to help you with is or you’re looking to work with them on is getting your music out there to the digital streaming platforms And can you tell us why that is so for those that don’t know? Or maybe be looking at this of course everyone has online like you said they can jump on a youtube video and say do this but why Get the help of an organization do that. Why not?

Just do that yourself what’s what what made you make the choice to want to jump in and get that behemoth of a company that Come in and help you out there Yeah, well, you know, they’re new to me too.

[Felix Sama]
Uh, one of the things that piqued my interest in the beginning uh with mns2 Is I saw a dj that they signed I forgot his name forgive me But they signed a dj and he was promoting them On his social pages and I was like man. This guy’s like cheerleading the shit out of these people. They gotta be good Uh, or or or at least so far they’re good You know So I said well hell let me let me go do my research and then I did a deep dive and I started Learning about their history, you know the the different uh talent that they represent Uh the licensing deals that they’ve brokered in the past and I went up on their website and I was like, okay You know, I wanna I want to set up a call with them and uh, really, you know get get a chance to talk to the movers and shakers and who’s in charge and who would be the the the the the person in charge of running the distribution department, um for for the brand and all of that and uh I met georgie and I met megan and they were like super nice and you know We went back and forth, you know with the agreement, uh, and we finally came to terms and and i’m happy with What I was presented with and I believe they’re happy. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be where we’re at right now And and you know right now what what the main thing is to promote the heck out of what we got going on So my first single is featuring mellow d Uh, she’s a singer out of africa.

She’s incredible. She’s amazing. I love working with her As a matter of fact, i’ve got like three or four songs, um that i’ve produced with her but um this uh your last car is just It’s it’s an it’s a phenomenal record.

Um, we’ve got more remixes on the way uh, so i’m really excited about working with them because Here’s the thing they they took the time to sit down and we did a think tank session, right? Well, we talked about the promotions. We talked about the marketing They gave me some ideas that I should be doing on my socials So they had a lot of great advice to bring to the table and I appreciate that You’re not going to get that on a lot of these.

Um Distribution platforms i’m not going to mention any names, but there’s a bunch of them out there, right? There’s a bunch of platforms where you could upload your music like distro kid. All right, I mentioned one like Like like distro kid and uh, ain’t nobody gonna be calling you trying to you know Trying to groom you or or give you advice.

So that that was a you know a breath Excuse me a breath of fresh air and um, I like I like I like the way Everything’s been done so far. So now, you know, the goal is to try to get it out there especially with my music I got very commercially house edm vibe music Because of all my radio background i’m used to hearing hit records all the time. So that’s my mindset Yo, let’s make a hit.

Let’s make a hit record. Yeah, we’ll do versions that will live in the clubs That’s cool. But my main thing is to make hit music.

That’s what i’m all about So, you know with that being said, you know, i’ve i’ve got all my you know radio ties Thank god that i’ve I still got a lot of uh, my relationships Uh with great people that are still doing radio. So, you know, we bounce ideas back and forth. I throw them my new music They let me know.

Oh, yeah, this could fly right now Oh, no, you may you might want to do another mix or whatever the advice is but um, it’s just great to be in the community and now that i’ve retired from radio to really get a chance to Produce full time and and and and just own the craft

[Darran]
Mm-hmm You know after all of this What do you prefer other than eating and trying to prevent yourself from binge watching netflix?

What do you prefer to do when you’re taking a break from all this stuff? I mean, do you get downtime? Yeah, I play I play racquetball and I And I scuba dive challenge Yeah, you you play racquetball.

I grew up with a racquetball racket in my hand What what what where are you are you a b or c or a uh, my dad was world Class top in the game.

[Felix Sama]
I’m talking about you dad.

[Darran]
I’m talking about you used to throw used to throw racquetball No, my used to throw racquetball tournaments and like when I say I grew up in health clubs My dad oversaw the whole for 42 health clubs. Okay support services racquetball as part of that So I grew up my daycare was a racquetball court growing up. Nice.

All right, you go to the club He goes go back to court 10 and take this rack and take this ball and go play Okay, so you got a little bit of game. Yes, I got game. I got serves upon serves I got a little bit of game To be able to jump into a court right this second, but you know if I had a teleporter Felix I’m jumping in it right now.

You got a court reserved for us. I’m coming down. We’re having fun Are you still a avid racquetball player?

Or you haven’t played in a minute duck the water riding a bike I can I can get up in there. I can get up there Okay.

[Felix Sama]
All right.

[Darran]
Well, my dad just turned 89. It’s turned. No turned 89 this year My dad’s 89 too.

He’s still allowed. Yeah, he’s not still allowed. He’s still Sometimes able to get on a pickleball court and play pickleball probably not racquetball a little too fast for right now, but yeah Yeah, i’ve gotten to the pickleball stage and there’s a lot of young kids that play pickleball It just doesn’t pique my interest right now.

No, it’s resurging and it’s kind of hitting that research They got the pickle and chick pickle And chicken chicken pickle something like that.

[Felix Sama]
I saw that. Where did I see that? I know there’s one in arizona, but in wyoming or something like that I was at a I was at a conference and I saw that I was like, wow, that’s pretty cool Yeah, so it’s kind of making a resurgence.

[Darran]
It’s a quick easy game. It’s not as heavy as tennis You know quick light fun, you know But so yeah racquetball scuba diving and scuba diving and spending time with my kids Well, I gotta get my paddy license and come down there because i’m sure there’s some great places to be in. Oh, man Lobster trapping bro.

[Felix Sama]
You’ll love it.

[Darran]
Ah Now you’re now you’re talking like now you’re talking about palette Awesome the keys the penny camp well Felix. We’re looking to also get an exclusive mix from you. Is that correct?

Yeah Awesome.

[Felix Sama]
We’ll look forward to getting that is there anything else you want to let our dj sessions fans know about before we let you go Not just you know support Uh much appreciated very grateful to be on this platform. Thank you very much. Yeah for taking the time um on this interview if we can give everyone my socials and uh, yo Just follow me man because i’m i’m fun to be with best place for people to go do that at at dj sama on instagram And we also have real vibes music on instagram.

That’s my uh, that’s my distribution label But yeah at dj sama, you’ll be able to grab me there and then on um on tiktok. It’s dj Felix sama Awesome.

[Darran]
Well, thank you again for coming on the show today I know we’re going to be following up with you because we took an hour pre-show and we’re supposed to take 20 minutes And so there’s a lot of stuff we’re going to talk about collab. I’m looking forward to following you your career your businesses And everything you got going on down there in Miami.

[Felix Sama]
Thank you, man. Peace.

[Darran]
Appreciate you Absolutely on that note. Don’t forget to go to our website the dj sessions.com Find all our information socials there. We have over 700 news stories a month that get published We have 2700 past episodes live interviews exclusive mixes our new music section We even got a vr nightclub and mobile app you can download take us on the go See some cool stuff coming out that way some sprinkles that have been added to the sites But all that and more can be found at the dj sessions.com I’m your host Darran coming to you from seattle, washington in the virtual studios. That’s Felix Sama coming in from Miami Florida for the dj sessions and remember on the dj sessions the music never stops