The friends who know me well refer to me as an undercover freak. Believe it or not, that is meant as a term of endearment, as I do have a bit of a Jekyll/Hyde existence. My "day job" is that of a well respected scientist in the field of microbiology. The rest of my time is spent as Bliss, a DJ and a turntablist. It is possible to alternate from business suits and heels to jeans and Chuck Taylors. It is possible to enjoy both medical journals and music magazines. And it is possible to be a consummate professional and a complete goof. How does such a thing happen you may ask? Well, here's the story:
    A few years ago I found myself a college graduate with a good job and I had more or less achieved all the goals I had set for myself in life. The problem with that was I still had a whole lot of living left to do. So after a bit of soul searching, long story short, I embarked on the journey to become a DJ. I will mention that my "moment of clarity" came after seeing MixMaster Mike perform up close. I had always had a passion for music, it began very early with my orange Fisher Price 825. Reading and understanding music always came easily to me and over the years I managed to learn to play the violin, piano, organ, clarinet and sax. I have now more or less retired the conventional instruments and have replaced them all with my turntables.
    Once I had made up my mind, I sought out the best DJ's on the East Coast and then began traveling from my home in PA to Manhattan at least once a week to see them. I was fortunate enough to learn all my fundamentals from DJ J-Smoke. He taught me everything from beat matching and mixing to the best way to set up my equipment. After I got a hold on those skills, I worked for the better part of a year with the brilliant DJ Excess on my scratching techniques. Between the two mentors who so selflessly gave me knowledge, inspiration and endless patience, I became confident enough to start to explore my own talents, and here I am.
    I find that I don't lean toward one genre of music or another, great music spans every genre and every decade. I spin absolutely everything. Although I will admit there is a special place in my heart for old school hip-hop, eighties new wave, and Motown. I love music and I love to share music, my motives for doing so are many. I believe a quote from the fantastic book "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" sums it up best. "You think you're having fun, but when you're on the dance floor, you're rejecting the rules and responsibilities of your daytime life, questioning the values that make you wait for the bus and smile at the boss every morning. Dance in a club and you are rebelling for a while. The music is enough and the escape is from yourself."
    Make no mistake, I am still new to all this and am certain that there is more to learn than I will ever know. But I do know I made the right decision, I'm a DJ and a turntablist. I don't have a residency at The Palms, and I haven't won a DMC championship. But I invite you along on my journey, I promise not to disappoint.