Fun Facts: I am a Scorpio being that firmly believes that music is the primary reason I’m on this Earth. Sure, I like movies, literature, stand up comedy, and cinnamon rolls as much as the next person, but music – consuming, learning, sharing and attempting to create it – usually possesses my full attention.
I’m a Jacksonville, Florida native. I’ve been DJing full time for the past two decades playing everywhere, including bar/club residencies, special events, weddings, divorce parties, Jacksonville Jaguars games, roller discos, church bingos, radio shows (I once had a show called “The Looseness” and now a music podcast called “CHOONS”), family reunions, music festivals, and livestreams (“Cabin Fever,” “Music Designed To Move Your Behind” and “Sunday Slodown”).
I’m also the creator and chief moderator of SOULTRAINFANS – the longest running and one of the world’s largest fan communities for Soul Train (we turn twenty-five in 2026). I’ve also recently been asked to be part of the five DJ crew on the Soul Train Cruise in February 2026. Grateful to say that I have done many things so far and lord willing, there’s more to come.
Education, community, and enjoyment is the root of all of this, so my main objective is to share music and other fascinating, historic tidbits that may illuminate the way for others to walk freely in the same way as my ancestors and mentors did for me. I absolutely didn’t get here alone and I’m deep in gratitude to represent all those within my village that helped mold me into who I am today.
Favorite genres: disco, boogie, lazer soul, city pop, vaporwave, jazz-funk, and hardcore metal.
Favorite musicians: Roy Ayers, George Clinton, Thundercat, George Duke, Sly Stone, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Jam and Lewis, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, Donald Byrd, Prince, The Mael Brothers (Sparks), Devo, Stephen Laurence Harvey, Senri Oe, Madlib, The System, Kevin Parker, Rahni Song, The Sylvers, Phyllis Hyman, The Dramatics, Weird Al Yankovic, Kashif, Miles, Art, Sarah, Ella, Della, Nancy Wilson, John Barnes (sr. and jr.), The Funk Brothers, Vulfpeck, Zulu, Hatebreed, the Angelas (Winbush and Bofill). I’ll stop here because I admire a lot of folks.
Q&A:
When and why did you start collecting vinyl and DJing? Do you remember the very first record you ever purchased?
My parents always said that the only way to get me to stop crying as an infant was blasting music, so I’ll say that I’ve been an avid music listener since birth. Music was always there and easy to lean on. My grandfather was the longtime general manager of the first Black owned and operated radio station in western NY, WUFO-AM (which is still in existence). My mother is a radio pioneer, being the first Black woman to program radio in the state of Florida as well as the first DJ to have an on air mixshow in Northeast Florida.
I am fortunate to have been born into and surrounded by that and to say records, tapes, and CDs of many different sounds were always around for me to explore, especially in my parents garage, their music rooms, and at my grandparents house where I usually spent my weekends growing up. Used to dig through everyone’s collections and studied all of the music and liner notes.
I remember specifically getting excited finding The Sylvers I and the 12-inch single of “Shame” by Evelyn Champagne King early on in these spaces.
Mom’s coworkers (she was in commercial radio my entire childhood and that also later became my first job) would call me trying to figure out when certain records came out and who played on them. Somehow, I always had the answer.
I started DJing through mom. I was going through some of her old mixshow tapes and pestered her about learning. After a few weeks, she taught me the basics and I was blown away. After my first lesson, she said: “if you really care about it, you will develop your own style,” so I practiced and practiced. I was seven. My first paid gig was at ten.
It’s funny, too: my parents recognized my gift early on, putting me in music theory and piano lessons. I even played trumpet for a long time in church and band (marching and jazz) all through primary school, but nothing had really affected me more than DJing.
You have one of the dopest weekly live DJ mixes on TikTok! What inspired the overall vibe and layout?
I have always been inspired by the free expression and hedonism of the disco era, 80s neon surrealism (or what a lot of vaporwave folks call “aesthetic”), as well as the technical aspects of dance shows like Soul Train, Club MTV, and American Bandstand. The music is supposed to support and foster this vibe and, graciously, it usually does! (catch NickFresh’s live tik tok show “Music Designed to Move Your Behind” every Tuesday at 9PM EST! Link here✨)
Your DJ sets are as much a performance as they are a party because you dance like no one is watching! What’s the secret to breaking out of that “stand still” mode that most DJs get stuck in?
Thank you for these compliments! I cannot and shan’t speak for all DJs as everyone is different and do their own things. Kudos to them, especially if they can make us enjoy ourselves. However, for me, if I don’t feel it, you won’t. I also think that it’s hard not to dance, especially when 85-90 percent of the records I choose to showcase are specifically engineered to make the listener move.
There’s also a spiritual aspect I’ve always understood and respected: Music –and dancing– is a direct connection to the Spirit and it must be fed daily. It’s one of the biggest liberators I know.
What’s your favorite DJ deck of all time and what makes it stand out to you?
Oh, man. I love the Pioneer Rev 7 as far as controllers go. You can midi map it to work in your favor and, since I am on Serato, stems are a game changer! I can actually get my ideas clearly out of my head.
Nothing otherwise will beat two direct drive turntables and a durable, lovable mixer. I’ve had two Technics 1200s, a Pioneer S9 and Boss Dr. Sample for a long time.
Since you are also a very talented music historian and documentarian, what’s one fascinating music fact you’ve discovered recently that most people don’t know yet?
Here’s two:
- The Pulitzer Prize music jury in 1965 unanimously voted to honor Duke Ellington for his lifetime body of work. The board not only rejected the jury’s recommendation, but refused to honor Ellington. Two of the three jurors resigned in protest.
- “Caught Up in the Rapture” was written by Garry Glenn specifically for The Isley Brothers, but Anita Baker snatched up the record before they ever heard it.
You helped induct Soul Train into the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture! What does Soul Train mean to you and what are your favorite Soul Train performances?
I have spent many years attempting to verbalize the profound effect that Soul Train has had on my life. I’ve whittled it down to this: as long as I’ve been alive, music, dancing and entertainment has always been “the thing” for me. Seeing people that looked like they could be my family expressing themselves to and performing music that I loved against affable set designs and crazy stage lighting ALL THE WHILE KNOWING that this was a well oiled Black-owned and operated production got me to realize that Soul Train – for me – was absolutely the ultimate aspiration.
If I’m not dancing on the show, I’m performing. If I’m not performing, I’m the lighting director. If I’m not on lighting, I’m hosting and producing the show and so on. After all, who wouldn’t want to create something that is still permeating through several streams of culture and consciousness nearly two decades AFTER its final episode?! (Soul Train’s last weekly series episode aired on March 25, 2006)
As for performances, there are too many to name, but I will say Kool and The Gang performing Jungle Boogie for the first time (episode no. 86) has the gold standard written all over it. Neither Don nor the dancers had even heard the record before they taped! In the STF community, this performance is the one to which other hype performances that came after are measured.
What’s the rarest or most valuable record in your collection and how did you get it?
“Computer Pop” by Maggotron (1984, Bound Sound Records 1007). One of my favorite record warehouses in Jacksonville was relocating and liquidating their inventory. Rent was due the following week, so I reluctantly went in with my fingers crossed, as it was also the last day for this fire sale. Their main focus was Prog Rock, so while they were out-pricing themselves on those kinds of records, they had no idea (or pretty willfully ignorant) of what else they had acquired – particularly the Black records.
I found SEVERAL gems that day for fifty cents to two dollars that were worth WAY more than that. This Florida electrofunk nugget has been sold on Discogs in the past for as low as $120 and as high as $545 on eBay and I got it for one dollar. It’s in pristine condition and not even warped! haha
What’s your favorite album art and why?
So many to name. When I was a kid, I was ENAMORED with the cover of “Fresh” by Tyrone Brunson. The font of the name of the LP and his name was a great choice. Brunson is on the sidewalk playing his bass in full regalia and all these kids are gathered in line to either shake his hand or dance. Every time I see the record, I get giggly as I was when I was a kid wishing that I was one of the people dancing to whatever he was playing.
Any advice for aspiring DJs and vinyl collectors?
DJs! All of the greatness you want takes time, practice and patience, so enjoy the journey of it all and put in the reps. Learn your music, your machines and step outside of your comfort zone. The musical landscape is vast and you absolutely have no idea what you’ll be inspired by. This way, you might just develop your own style and that’s pretty satisfying within itself. Be present. Your dance floor will always need your attention.
Don’t be afraid of constructive criticism, but definitely be mindful of who is delivering the message. It’s totally okay if you don’t have the most expensive equipment, because honestly, the equipment usually doesn’t matter to the people you’re delivering the sounds to unless you’re playing to a sea of audiophile gooners and gatekeepy DJs.
And finally, get to know the business side of this profession. Heaps of the greatest and talented minds get wrapped up in the material and vices. There is no insurance and protection for those who are in it for the long haul. Protect your ears!
Collectors! Buy records that are an extension of what and who you are, not completely what you think your friends might like. Again, the musical landscape is MASSIVE, but things can get expensive if you’re just out here hypebeasting!
Suitcase turntables and their unchangeable needles will destroy your records. If you’re spending a lot of bucks on albums, don’t you think you should find a turntable and needles that protect your investments?
and finally: there is no “s” at the end of vinyl. it’s both singular AND plural. If you’re reading this (ie. faithful readers of Soultaurean), I know you know this.
***Wow!! Hope you enjoyed this very insightful conversation with the legendary DJ and music historian, NickFresh! His depth of musical knowledge and creative expression is rooted in lineage and shaped by decades of experience, reflecting a true understanding of music as culture, history, and spiritual practice. He bridges eras with intention, keeping sounds and stories alive.
On the dance floor and beyond, NickFresh contributes meaningfully to the preservation of musical culture while creating space for joy, movement, and connection. Follow his musical journey on IG and check out his website www.nickfresh.com to learn more!
