A Three Line Email in 2009 Started a 15 Year Radio Relationship

On December 3rd 2009 at 6:47pm I got an email from a DJ named Nick G.

It said —

"Can you send me a mix to run on my show — Ghetto House Radio. We can use your Adrenaline mixes. Just need 30 minutes. 320 quality. Thoughts??? Holla ASAP."

I wrote back immediately.

"Yeah that's no problem. Let me know how long."

He replied — "Need it by tonight."

I sent the mix.

I had no idea I'd still be doing that show 15 years later.

What I Was Doing in December 2009

At the time I was recording approximately 20 hours of mixshow programming every week.

Z100 New York. KTU New York. Hot 95.7 Houston. And my own hour long show on SiriusXM BPM called Adrenaline — a show I hosted and produced entirely myself.

I was simultaneously programming for two of the biggest radio stations in New York, one of Houston's top stations, and a national satellite radio platform — all at the same time.

Nick G's email arrived in the middle of all of that.

I said yes anyway.

Because in this industry you always say yes to the next opportunity. Even when your plate is already full. Especially when your plate is already full.

What GHR Is

For those who don't know — Ghetto House Radio is one of the most respected specialty dance music mixshows in American radio.

The flagship station is KYLD in San Francisco. The show airs on approximately a dozen stations around the country including iHeart stations and independent stations. It streams live on the iHeartRadio app and every mix eventually gets posted on SoundCloud.

Over 15 years GHR has featured virtually every major name in electronic music — Kaskade, Afrojack, and dozens of others who have come through as guest mixers.

It just celebrated its 1,000th episode on air.

That's not just a milestone. That's a legacy.

My History With GHR

I've been a guest mixer on GHR since 2010 — thanks to Nick G who reached out that December night, and Josser, the on-air personality who has kept the show's energy and vibe exactly right every single week for 15 years.

Josser is genuinely one of the best in the business at what he does. The show works because of his personality and presence as much as the music.

Over the past two years they've been utilizing me more frequently. I'm honored to still be in that rotation after 15 years. Playing the newest dance music releases on a platform that reaches audiences across the country is something I never take for granted.

What SiriusXM BPM Taught Me

The Adrenaline show on SiriusXM BPM that Nick G first heard was where I was doing some of my most important work in 2009 and beyond.

My show aired every Saturday night right before Dave Aude, Bob Sinclar, David Guetta, and Kaskade.

And during that run I was the first person on SiriusXM BPM to put Zedd and R3hab on the air in North America.

At the time they were unknown outside of Europe.

Within a few years Zedd won a Grammy and became one of the biggest DJs in the world. R3hab became one of the most streamed electronic artists on the planet.

I didn't know that then. I just knew the music was good.

That's what 35 years in this industry teaches you — trust your ear. The data catches up eventually.

The Full Zedd and R3hab Story

How did I first meet R3hab in Houston? How did he introduce me to a 21 year old unknown producer from Germany named Anton Zaslavski? And how did that casual email chain turn into opening for a Grammy winner at House of Blues Houston two years later?

That story is coming Friday. And I have the emails to prove it.

What This All Means

A three line email from Nick G on a Thursday night in December 2009 started something I couldn't have predicted.

1,000 episodes later GHR is still going strong.

And I'm still here — still mixing, still discovering new music, still saying yes to the next opportunity even when my plate is already full.

The through line of my entire career has been that simple.

Say yes. Do the work. Trust your ear.

The rest takes care of itself.