Reporting by Max Levin

This is Part 1 of the RAVE DJ Interviews. For more, check out the interview I had with student DJ and RAVE opening act Bunny Beanie (a.k.a. Joseph Godslaw ‘23) here.

The morning after WesRAVE, I had the privilege to sit down with headliner DJ Reach (a.k.a. Semu Namakajo ‘01) at the end of his first visit since graduation. Before he was due back to Manhattan, he and I met at the picnic table outside his freshman dorm in Hewitt 8. Somehow, we were only interrupted twice…

How was WesRAVE? I heard that went really well.

It was exciting, and I think it was a big success. The turnout was pretty large. I think about 200 students didn’t get in because it hit capacity, and public safety came by to kind of sort that out. But I think that for those who did make it inside, it seemed like it was well-overdue, a good kind of return to campus, celebrating and partying.

I mean, like Adin said, this was pretty much the first big event [on campus] since COVID. You’ve been the biggest guest on campus since the pandemic started; I’m guessing that must feel very prestigious for you!

Absolutely, I mean it’s– I have so many emotions that I felt last night, and even [sic] feeling today, getting a chance to walk around campus. My career as a DJ really sort of was solidified here. My interest in kind of just the hobby, I began when I was in just before high school, but I kind of just collected records – vinyl back then, you know about 25 years ago, almost 30 years ago – and on campus I ended up, as we sit here, in front of Hewitt 8, my freshman dorm, which was filled with records and DJ paraphernalia. Myself and another freshman Jahi Sundance Lake, we both became the freshman DJs, and that journey has taken me to South Africa, Brazil, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Malaysia, so many places all over the world, and to come back here really was a full-circle moment to be back on campus and to feel that, you know, just really being honored to be able to play again and kind of just having that electric experience.

Yeah, like it all started right here, meters away!

Literally, yes.

What was Wesleyan, besides your origins as a DJ here– what initially brought you here? What did you study? All that.

I was a sociology major, and African American studies; and what brought me here is actually I went to a small, I guess you could say liberal-arts-focused high school in Brooklyn, New York. It’s called Saint Anne’s. It’s a small school. Wesleyan felt very similar to that environment in that it was a small student body and I felt a sense of community just when visiting. Another alum, who was actually kind of the person who introduced me to Wesleyan, and he had been a camp counselor of mine; his name was Shareem Brown. I can’t recall what year he was, but he was a mentor to me in ways, and he said “you’ve gotta check out Wesleyan.” I came here for a tour, and I had the best time; I felt welcome… and I ended up applying Early Decision, because I felt so welcome and the sense of community was really strong.

So it was a natural progression from St. Anne’s, basically?

Absolutely, absolutely. And looking back, you know I considered staying in New York where I grew up and maybe going to NYU or trying for Columbia – my dad went to the Columbia School of Journalism – but I am so happy that I chose Wes. It was everything I could have asked for, from the academics to just the friendships. My closest friends to this day– I made lifelong friendships, and we still talk, and I’m sending them pictures of Hewitt 8, and [telling them] about last night’s show.

Still all from here, yeah. It’s also nice to just be somewhere else, besides New York.

Yes, yes.

Like it’s nice to be in different places. You were just talking about all the places you went to DJ; I think that’s very important.

Absolutely.

So, what else facilitated the Wesleyan experience for you back when you were a student here?

Yeah, well you know I had a love of music, and I was interested… so I grew up in Harlem, New York City, and early on I kind of was attracted to and came into contact with hip hop culture, [which] kind of included break-dancing, graffiti, DJ-ing, and rapping, MC-ing, all of which I tried at one point or another in my life. My DJ name, DJ Reach, actually came from being a curious New York kid who was dabbling in a little graffiti, and that became my nickname. That was very short-lived, and I ended up using that name for DJ-ing. But, you know, my curiosity about music carried over into Wesleyan and social movements, and so that’s what kind of ushered me into sociology I feel. And then music-wise I studied, I was in a jazz class again with my good friend Jahi Sundance Lake here at Wes. I studied drums as well under I believe Anthony Braxton, I’m not sure if he’s still here…

He is not. I took Intro to Experimental Music.

Oh wow.

My professor, Paula Matthusen–

Oh, yes!

Anthony Braxton was a big part of that class, and she would reference Braxton many a time when talking about the curriculum. There was a lot about New York as well, like the New York School, Fluxus, and intersections of a lot of abstract art and new ways of thinking. Braxton is still definitely a big part, even if he’s not [in residence] here anymore.

Sure, and really just to further tip my hat to Braxton, he had such an experimental approach and really illustrated restructural logics within the faculty of music, and that opened my mind up to music production and embracing such a wide variety of music which ended up actually playing a role in my career as a DJ. So I think when I sort of hit a breakout point in the New York City DJ scene and Las Vegas DJ scene, it was because I was playing a wide variety of music that many other DJs weren’t playing. There was a small community of us that were kind of experimenting, and I think that Anthony Braxton at Wes had a big influence on that for me.

Yeah – you had a broad spectrum of sounds and instruments you were working with, and you decided to hone in on one and you just brought all your inspiration from there. I think with Braxton, you could also point to stuff like his Ghost Trance work –

Yes!

Like working alongside your performers sort of like invisual, invisible – invisual’s not a word –

[laughs] Invisible, yeah.

…those kinds of connections, and that sort of interplay that comes around spontaneously like that.

Yes.

I think that is a pretty big factor to his work as well.

Absolutely, I couldn’t agree more.

So, what are you doing now?

So now I’m 30 years into my DJ career actually this year, which is a milestone for me, and really, still, I’m somewhat in shock; I still kind of can’t believe it’s been such a long journey. But along the way, I had the good fortune of sharing a stage with Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Cardi B, Stevie Wonder, which I have to say is one of my most magical DJ experiences.

Yeah, that’s huge.

Reach: And so just having had, among others, having had experiences like that I feel so fortunate about my experience in DJ-ing and with music that I began an agency [Play Music Artist Management], actually, with my wife; where we manage DJs and have worked with recording artists and song-writers. We manage about 60 different artists and we do everything from booking the talent for live shows, as well as negotiating record contracts at times for artists, and we also do weddings and special events as well, and corporate events. The NFL is one of our clients and some other, you know, kind of household name brands. So I’ve kind of gone on to endeavor into the kind of entrepreneurial side of music. I mean I can always see myself playing music and performing and DJ-ing, but I feel a responsibility to kind of share some of what I’ve learned and try to empower other artists.

Yeah. You have a reputation now with all the people you’ve worked with, and what you’ve carved out for yourself; and you want to share that with new talent.

Absolutely, absolutely. I think that’s just as fulfilling as performing myself. It’s funny I was nervous coming back, regardless of how many shows I’ve done, the thousands of shows, I was nervous playing at Wesleyan last night, which is rare.

This place, literally right here— this was where you started.

Literally, literally. I would play music with my balcony door open, and I think that's how other students got curious and said, “Who’s playing that music?” I kind of kept my door open, and people would come in. I had my turn-tables set up, and then we would just sort of jam. And that’s how I met some of my closest friends. It was really just organic and really just music being the common denominator and the universal language that attracted all of us together as a group of friends, and then just in the Wes community.

You and [Sundance Lake] made that space communal.

Right, right, absolutely. We would have – I don’t know if many people know this but Jay-Z actually performed at Wesleyan. I don’t know if the rumor has been floated around. But it was a MoCon Dining Hall, which doesn’t exist anymore I don’t think.

R.I.P.

R.I.P. MoCon! But it used to be right here. Responsible for my freshman 15 for sure. But [at] MoCon we had a concert with Jay-Z, and 15 people showed up… [laughs].

Ah… that would not happen now.

Right. And actually some of the artists that performed at MoCon for the concerts that we had there ended up back in my room, DJ-ing and free-styling and, you know, I had a radio show on WESU, so it was really an awesome experience.

Yeah, that’s awesome, having that kind of connection.

Sure, sure.

So, just bringing it full circle, you were really happy with the turnout for WesRAVE and you felt like you did well, sort of like returning to where this all started?

Yes, I want to tip my hat to Adin [Dowling ‘25] and the entire staff. Lily Goldfine [‘25] actually was one of the people who, one of the students who I think brought my name up as a potential participant.

I think Adin told me about that when we were scheduling this interview. Adin told me that Lily brought up your name, and he was like, yeah, why not?

Yes, I work with her dad actually! It was an unexpected connection and really exciting. Yeah, I think it was a huge success. Adin and everyone did a wonderful job, and I really felt the energy of Wes in that room, you know, just seeing people dance. You know, no judgment, everything was just organic and inclusive, and everyone seemed to be having a really good time.

Did it remind you of how Wesleyan was when you were here?

Absolutely, it really did. I had a really nostalgic moment, and it reminded me of parties that we used to do at X House and Psi U and DKE occasionally, even in-town house parties and things like that, so it was a full-circle moment for sure.

Okay, thank you for taking the time to speak with me!

You as well, Max, thank you so much, definitely, I really appreciate it.

Transcribed by Maisie Wrubel ‘26, with edits by Max. RAVE pictures by Kseniia Guliaeva ‘25.

Thanks again to DJ Reach for this wonderful conversation (and providing photos), and thanks to Adin for helping coordinate this interview.

Reach can be found (reached?) on Instagram @djreach.