Biography information about DJ Bolivia:

Jonathan Clark, aka. DJ Bolivia, is based in Atlantic Canada, where he runs a university nightclub for eight months of the year. On this page we have a DJ Bolivia photo gallery, interspersed with excepts from an interview taken by Chris Goudreau of "Energy" in Edmonton, in July of 2003. But first, a short YouTube video, to give you a quick overview about DJ Bolivia:

Chris: "Tell us about yourself, growing up, that sort of thing ..."

Jonathan: "Well, I grew up in Atlantic Canada, in Nova Scotia, and didn't move to New Brunswick until I started university. I wasn't very involved in sports or that kind of extra-curricular stuff when I was growing up. Most of my time outside of school was spent working with computers and music. I've studied a lot of instruments over the years ... violin, drums, woodwinds, guitar, and keyboards. I've let most of those slide though since I finished high school, although I still play the piano a lot. I've played classical piano for about three decades now, so that's where I learned a lot of the musical background that's been pretty helpful in my DJ'ing. For a while, while I was in university, I played various instruments in a band called Loose Gravel. We went through dozens of band members, and had a lot of fun. Looking back on some of it now, I cringe, although I'm happy to say that there was some real talent in that band occasionally. Just don't let me sing."

Chris: "How did you get started into DJ'ing, and who has influenced you the most?"

Jonathan: "I started off playing music as a DJ at small parties and dances in high school, and then did the same with residence and off-campus parties in university. I also played keyboard and guitar in a band during university, playing events like like rugby parties and semi-formals and so on. Anyway, that was about the extent of it, until I got hired at the campus bar as a DJ in 1990. I played there for a while, but didn't really enjoy it - the musical styles then were changing rapidly, and didn't match my tastes, so I moved into a bartending position. In late 1993 (by then I was the Manager of the bar), I hired an unknown young DJ from the local high school who had a good radio show. His name was Shawn Cole. He ended up completely turning around our music situation over the next couple of years, and turned us from an unimpressive bar into a real club, playing cutting edge music. He and I did a lot of musical work together, and he was actually the one who taught me to beat mix properly, around 1994 or 1995. Since then, I've played a lot of private events, but not much as a public DJ until the last year."

"As far as influences go, obviously Shawn would be a big one, although he isn't a well-known name as a DJ anymore, since he's working as an audio engineer out west right now. In terms of professional DJ's, I would have to say that I've mostly been influenced by Canadians, such as Sean Keating, Max Graham, and Jay Hamilton. But I've always been a big fan of Mark Farina, Sasha, Digweed, hm ... Danny Teneglia to some extent."

Chris: "What have you been doing lately?"

Jonathan: "Musically? Or otherwise? Well, I'm a pretty busy person, to be quite honest. I still run the university bar, which is a full-time job, eight months a year. A couple years ago I opened a small restaurant too, which ties up quite a bit of time. On top of that, I'm finishing up a couple more university degrees, including my MBA, and of course, dabbling in a bunch of music and video and website projects. Oh, and every summer I work on the west coast, running a camp full of tree planters. That always surprises people, but I've been doing it for about 14 years. It's tough work, but I really enjoy it. I guess other than that, I haven't really been doing anything. No time."

Chris: "Tell us about your website."

Jonathan: "I started that in February of 2002. It's really surprised me. When I first started it, I thought it would just be a small and fun project on the side, not a serious marketing tool. However, it has turned out to be a lot more popular than I ever expected it would. As of [November 2003], it's been online for about eighteen months, and has gotten about [75,000] unique visitors from around the world, and that number is growing every day. I've distributed about [5,000] copies of my demos that way, which has been fantastic publicity. In some ways, it may be a little more publicity than I had hoped for. I occasionally end up in venues in places around the Maritimes and have strangers come up to me on the streets who recognize me as the DJ from the website, which is a bit unnerving, but I guess it's a good thing."

Chris: "What was the hardest gig you've ever played?"

Jonathan: "That's an easy one to answer. Well, I have two answers. For live "instrumental" work, I opened a musical variety show several years ago, doing a solo playing grand piano and singing Gordon Lightfoot's classic, "If You Could Read My Mind." I'm not a singer by profession, so I was pretty nervous during that one, since there were almost a thousand people watching. Normally the crowds don't bother me, and often make it easier as a DJ, but I knew a lot of people in that audience personally and it was a bit nerve-wracking. As far as the toughest DJ gig goes, it's kind of funny. I played on Cyber DJ's [an internet radio show] a couple months ago, and the only "audience" in their studio (in person) was Sean Keating, who hosted the show. And it was the most nervous set I've ever played. I was scared that if I screwed up a mix, he'd rap me on the knuckles with a ruler or something. I think he rolled his eyes at a few of the tracks I played, but I guess it turned out pretty well in the end."

Chris: "Here's an old cliche question: If you were stuck on a desert island, what ten albums would you bring with you?"

Jonathan: "Hm, this will be fun. You'd probably be surprised by my choices. I don't think I'd bring any electronica, not because I don't like it obviously, but just because I'd want conventional music.

1. "Throwing Copper," by Live.
2. "Five Days in July," by Blue Rodeo.
3. "Californication," by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
4. Led Zeppelin's second album.
5. "Fully Completely," by the Tragically Hip.
6. The first "Decade" album by Neil Young.
7. The first Stone Roses album from around 1988.
8. The first Coldplay album.
9. "Blood on the Tracks," by Dylan.
10. "Ten," by Pearl Jam.

If I had to pick a top mix, my all time favorite would be "House Drum & Bass" by Ann Savage and Max Graham. I might actually want to trade some of the CD's for a couple books, though, if I had the chance.

Chris: "Do you do any producing?"

Jonathan: "Yes, I've got a small studio at my place, and spend a lot of time doing work there, but I can't really talk about that yet. Wait until after Christmas, when I can start releasing some tracks."

Chris: "What's in your future?"

Jonathan: "I don't really have any set plans. I'm going to keep going with my current jobs for a couple more years, and keep DJ'ing as an important sideline. Probably after the summer of 2005, I'll retire from planting and maybe some other pursuits, so I can concentrate more on music. I don't know if that will mean a lot of touring as a DJ, but it will certainly mean a lot more production and studio work. One of my main goals for the next two years is to learn to scratch properly, and learn a lot more hip hop, just to build on my overall skills as a DJ. Hip hop is obviously not my main genre, but I think it's important to appreciate and understand all types of music. I may also try to do a bit more touring in Atlantic Canada this upcoming early winter and spring, just for fun, depending on time constraints."

Find DJ Bolivia on Facebook or Twitter:

DJ Bolivia's account on Twitter is www.twitter.com/djbolivia.
On facebook, go to: www.facebook.com/djbolivia