When goth-glam club Voyeur graced the Gaslamp Quarter in 2009, it changed San Diego nightlife forever.
Eerie Renaissance paintings decorate the walls while a cornice adorned with gilded skulls encircles the main room, and a near life-size horse lamp guards the door. From the bars to the bathrooms, TV screens project live video from the club that is captured by a series of lipsick cams. Though all eyes are on you when you’re partying at Voyeur, patrons aren’t phased, as their eyes are fixated on the massive L.E.D. wall that sets the stage for resident DJs, live bands, guest DJ acts, live art, go-go girls, circus performers, and whatever varied entertainment stunts the unpredictable Voyeur masterminds have up their sleeves for that particular evening.
See for Yourself: View new San Diego nightlife photos at Voyeur.
Voyeur is the first club of its kind in San Diego, and though we locals praise the venue for endless reasons, Voyeur is most well renowned for the music. Voyeur has gifted San Diego with such huge name acts as Calvin Harris, Kaskade, Don Diablo and Laidback Luke, but on any given night you are guaranteed a good show with Voyeur’s killer lineup of resident DJs. You know their names and you know their music, but do you know how music fuels their fashion trends? Well we just couldn’t take the suspense any longer, so we’re now shining a well deserved spotlight on Voyeur’s resident DJs to get to know the people behind the beats.
Anthony Ross is producing music under three aliases right now to singlehandedly ensure a continuation of the electronic music movement, but at the end of the day, he’d rather just be a grey Weimaraner named Weylin. Mr. White gauges how awesome events are based on how hard he’s sweating, and at Mc Donald’s, he’d order a combo meal of Laidback Luke, DJ AM and Erol Alkan, with maybe a side of Albacore Tuna. Rifat Ziadeh considers the Voyeur crew his family and grows tomatoes in his backyard while bumping Daft Punk. DJ duo Deth Hertz knows how to party, is inspired by the legendary Pink Floyd, boasts a penchant for bathrooms, Voyeur’s tall and handsome Ian Forbes, and mind altering substances. Brazzabelle, the budding Nuclear Physicist turned mix mistress, gives us the dish on gluten free pizza and why she’d make a good gummi bear but horrible superhero.
Can you handle this? Get ready to go beyond the beats with Voyeur’s Resident DJs.
Voyeur resident kicking off the show: Anthony Ross.
Aside from owning the world’s cutest dog, dating local P.R. “it” girl Danielle Gano and funding El Camino by investing one burrito at a time, Anthony Ross is perhaps Voyeur’s most notably recognized resident DJ. We had chance to sit down with Anthony Ross and find out what inspires him, what local spots he frequents, what Voyeur stud he’d rather marry – Owner Johnny Shockey or Director of Operations Farley Lucas – and what he’d do with an elephant if the team here at DiscoverSD were to send one over. We’d like to note: No animals were harmed during this interview. Turn up his never-fail track “Voyeur” that he wrote specifically for the club with Darren Mase and discover the real Anthony Ross.
DSD: What was the first record you ever bought? How do you choose your set lists? Who is your favorite DJ internationally? Locally?
Anthony: I bought Fatboy Slim's Star 69 record first then Bassement Jaxx - Red Alert! I usually have a pretty good idea what I’m going to play and generally sift through promos by the middle of the week. I think Danny Howells and Groove Armada are my favorite DJs internationally right now. We have a good variety of different kinds of genres of talent at Voyeur and, collectively, they’re my favorite San Diego DJs.
DSD: If you had to, who would you rather marry: Shockey or Farley?
A: I'd have to say I'm a sucker for the bad boys (hypothetically speaking of course). Farley, while he looks good in a vest, just doesn't do for me what bad boy Johnny Shockey does in one of his sleeveless black T-shirts. Johnny is also a hopeless romantic and has tried numerous times (outside of his wife, Dee's, knowledge) to sweep me off my feet.
Get to know Anthony Ross in his exclusive San Diego DJ Spotlight.
Voyeur resident next on deck: Mr. White.
Mr. White may live in LA, but we’re going to ahead and give this DJ honorable local status for likening his resident homebase Voyeur to what ‘80s hair metal, Deep Techno, and Gangster Bling might look like if they “got together and had a baby.” This self diagnosed obsessive compulsive mix master sits down with DiscoverSD and explains why San Diego rocks and why Voyeur is the place to do it. It seems as though Mr. White may actually be a superhero, because having heard his sets, we’re pretty sure he can make us dance on command. As for the x-ray vision, we’ll just pretend he’s naked too. He gauges how awesome events are based on how hard he’s sweating. When aliens visit from outerspace, he suggests they hit the San Diego Zoo over SeaWorld. At Mc Donald’s, he’d order a combo meal of Laidback Luke, DJ AM and Erol Alkan, with maybe a side of Albacore Tuna. But mostly we love Mr. White because in his spare time he’s down to chill and watch a few old school episodes of Growing Pains.
DSD: How did you first start DJing? Best event you’ve ever played?
Mr. White: I'm one of those DJs that has been DJing since I had baby teeth. I did dances in high school, basketball games etc. – anything I could get my hands and my parent’s speaker system on. DJing just spoke to me. Guitar speaks to some people, or a certain sport... but I like any medium where a bulk of the skill involves careful selection and preparation... Cue in the OCD commercial... Best event/gig varies from week to week. As soon as I’m done with a gig if you came up and asked what my best gig was I’d probably say that one. Depends how hard I'm sweating.
DSD: When all the partying is done, how do you chill out? What are your favorite local spots to grab a bite?
MW: I’m a sucker for a good TV series. In my spare time, which is very little, I like watching The Office, 30 Rock, Family Guy, or old school joints like Quantum Leap or Growing Pains... Grub wise I like Neighborhood Burger in SD. Although I don't think I've actually eaten a burger there?
Get to know Mr. White in his exclusive San Diego DJ Spotlight.
And now give it up for Voyeur resident: Rifat Ziadeh.
His DJ sets are about as “uplifting” as his name, he’s usually smiling, and if he had his way he’d spend his time away from the turntables underwater as a fish. Rifat sits down with DiscoverSD and explains that what makes his “residency” at Voyeur unique is that it truly is one big family. From the owners to the bar backs, Voyeur is not just a venue, it’s a home. 2 years after being passed down his first set of turntables, Rifat can be found performing sets alongside the world’s most internationally recognized DJs in what we can only assume is his version of domestic bliss. Oh, and did we mention he grows tomatoes in his backyard while bumping Daft Punk?
DSD: Who is your personal favorite DJ internationally? Locally?
Rifat: I have sooo many favorite DJs it’s hard to just pick one, but at the moment I would have to say Axwell internationally. Locally there are two that I have to give credit to: Andy D'arrigo and Anthony Ross. Axwell's production and DJ skills are amazing, once you see him DJ you'll understand why. Andy and Anthony are both local up and coming DJ/producers that not only work fulltime jobs but also are laying it down when comes to DJing and music production.
DSD: If you were a superhero what would your power be?
R: There are two super powers I've always wanted – one is to be able to fly, the other is to be invisible.
Get to know Rifat Ziadeh in his exclusive San Diego DJ Spotlight.
Comin’ up on the ones and twos, Voyeur resident DJ duo: Deth Hertz.
So, they won’t tell me their real names, but Deth Hertz is quickly becoming one name every night owl will agree is synonymous with mind reversing bangers and our favorite romantic-goth electronic music headquarters, Voyeur. Opening for internationally recognized DJs such as Felix Da Housecat and inspired by the legendary Pink Floyd, this DJ duo boasts a penchant for bathrooms, Voyeur’s tall and handsome Ian Forbes, and mind altering substances. Want to know how these party animals chill out, what superhero powers they dream of, who was peeing in a champagne bucket at the club, and where they think the music industry will be in five years? They could be messing with me, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this team of resident DJs definitely knows how to party. For the purposes of this interview they’ve opted to go by “A Virgin Tear” & “Special Guest TBA.” Maybe it’s better we don’t know their “real” names…
DSD: What was the best event you’ve ever played?
A Virgin Tear: Underground parking garage… Amsterdam... sweaty, dirty, with people literally throwing drugs at us. Pretty fucking epic stuff.
DSD: Which tune never fails to get the crowd going?
A Virgin Tear: Play Paul, “La La Land”. Unbelievable Green Velvet re-work from member of the Daft Punk family. A classic built from a classic.
Special Guest TBA: Electric Six, “Dance Commander (Benny Benassi remix)”. Vocals from Jack White.
DSD: How do you see the music scene evolving 5 years from now?
A Virgin Tear: I see the Delta Fiasco becoming fucking massive. And San Diego getting more and more edge. I think L.E.D.’s bookings at Voyeur have already taken SD to another place, I see that getting even deeper, darker, and dirtier... Outside of that, I’m not really sure.. I’m hoping it involves less people staring at computers, but I’m not holding my breath on that.
Special Guest TBA: Isee some of the old pioneers fading away, and some new ones filling in the gaps. So many unreal, young producers ready to claim what’s rightfully theirs.
Get to know the Deth Herz duo in this exclusive San Diego DJ Spotlight.
And now for Voyeur’s stylish resident femme fatale: Brazzabelle.
Comparing her home turf to a “religious experience” Voyeur’s only resident “chick” sits down with DiscoverSD and admits the real name her hippie parents gave her, talks about why she takes off her pants behind the DJ booth and clues us in on what new trends we can expect to see out of fashionista DJs this year. The budding Nuclear Physicist turned mix mistress gives us the dish on gluten free pizza, why she’d make a good Gummi Bear but horrible superhero, how to properly pronounce the capital of Congo with an Italian accent and what you can never eat for breakfast. I’d stick to music if I were you Brazzabelle – because you’re wrong … the answer, is dinner.
DSD: We’re guessing Brazzabelle isn’t your real name? What is your real name, and why do you call yourself Brazzabelle?
Brazzabelle: My real name is Boots. Yes my parents were hippies. Brazzabelle was conjured up at a roundtable of sophisticated colleagues one glorious evening (as I’m sure you may recall being one of those sophisticated individuals yourself Marie Elena) stemming from the capital of Congo “Brazzaville” and sounding so much better with an Italian accent…
DSD: You’re pretty fashionable. What trends can we expect to see you rocking this spring? What’s your go to “I need a dress now” spot in San Diego?
B: DJ fashion is quite a conundrum, since you may have a fierce outfit on (shoes especially), but you can never really tell when you’re on stage since you are behind the booth and you are covered from the chest down. This is why I am always looking for the perfect ‘top flare’ – my favorite spot for top flare (and I’m not just saying this cause I am a resident at Voyeur) is Haven Boutique for the great accessories, especially the Norwegian wood harnesses. I’ll also definitely be rocking some doctored (altered) bikini tops and crop tops to party through the heat; if you make it yourself you know no one else will be wearing it.
Get to know Brazzabelle in her exclusive San Diego DJ Spotlight.
Want more? Visit these crazy resident DJs weekly at Voyeur.
See for Yourself: View new San Diego nightlife photos at Voyeur.
