The Diversity of DJ Psycho
by Adam O'Connor
Dezi Magby goes by the moniker DJ Psycho. But in reality, the dude is anything but a raging lunatic. Ridiculously down-to-earth and modest, yet as knowledgeable as anyone in the business, you could say that he's a pretty damned good DJ.
"I still practice every day, somewhere between three and five hours a day," says Magby. "Not that I feel like I need to practice, it's just that I wake up in the morning, and I have music in my head. I can't not do that. Music is my being."
If you think it sounds like Magby is pretty devoted to his craft, you're right. It's with that devotion that he's able to consistently play some of the most solid and unique sets that you're likely to see – anytime and anywhere. "I pity DJs and listeners that listen to one type of thing all the time," he says. "That's narrow! I never play the same set or the same genre a second time. I have a whole house full of records, so I can do that."
The other devotion he has, besides playing the music, is who he's playing it for. "I'll go out to Traverse City and bang it out," he says. "When we were doing the free DTM [Detroit Techno Militia] shows, there would be a legion of kids from up north and out west in the front row."
Since he originally hails from Flint, it's not hard to see why Magby would be all about providing a good time (and a killer set) to anyone in and around metro Detroit. But is he concerned, as he's seen lots of things change in the past three decades in the industry, about what's in store for music and DJs in the future? "Mediums are all going to change," he explains. "Don't blame it on that – it's not that everyone's got a laptop – it's that there are so many opportunities for things to be discovered, there's just more ways for people to get stuck."
Check out a DJ Psycho set, and you'll totally understand what he's saying. You are guaranteed to not get stuck on any one thing. Don't be surprised if you hear Peter Frampton, Alexander Robotnick, Neil Diamond or the B-52s. He's game for pretty much everything. "We're all playing somebody else's records, somebody else's music," says Dezi Magby. "Why get all stuffy about it?" | RDW
DJ Psycho at Movement Electronic Music Festival • 5/28, 3:30 p.m. • Hart Plaza, Made in Detroit Stage • movement.us • $45 per day; $80 three-day pass
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