Taking A Spin With DJ Three X

Being a DJ involves more than simply spinning records. It takes a great deal of practice and dedication to master the complexity of DJing. Possessing the ability to keep a crowd dancing while making a set flow nicely is no simple task.

Highly acclaimed artist, Frank Broughton, also known as DJ Three X, of Pensacola, FL has blessed the game with his musical prowess since 1992. When he’s not spinning records, Broughton is planning his foray into cinema with his media company Vybe Café and being a community leader in the DJ world as a member of The Senate DJs out of Philadelphia. He is currently shooting the web series “40 AF” co-starring Jamal Woolard who played the Notorious B.I.G. in the biopic “Notorious.”

I had the pleasure of catching up with DJ Three X (DJ3X) to get a feel for what the music scene is like for the renowned DJ. 

Photo courtesy of Frank “DJ Three X” Broughton.

LP: What inspired you to be a DJ?

FB: I've been around music all my life. My dad was a musician. He's been playing in a band since way before I was born. I traveled with him and some bandmates of his that I look at as my uncles. We’re all still close to this day.

LP: So, you started out as a drummer?

FB: I started out playing the drums and the keyboard. There were drums around the house. Musical instruments were always around. As a kid, you always want to play with the stuff that your parents have. I keep musical instruments around my house today. I have pianos, guitars, and didgeridoos for my kids, so they’re introduced to it.

LP: What techniques do you use to engage your listeners?

FB: I let them engage me. I can say that I want this night to go this way, but let's say it's a group of girls at a birthday party. I'm looking for a real chill night, you know. I’m looking to play some throwbacks, maybe some singalongs, but you know, I got 12 women in here ready to party.

It’s whatever works for them. I can keep my flavor in it, but I’m going to give them what they want to hear and play along those lines. I can still do my throwbacks. I can still do my R&B. I can still do whatever I want, but I've got to stay engaged with what they want to hear.

LP: What would you say is the most rewarding part about being a DJ?

FB: Honestly, just, watching everybody have fun. To me, the biggest reward is when you hear that “Ohhhh!” because they hadn't heard that song in a long time! I just brought back a memory to somebody.

LP: Do you have a set that is most memorable for you?

FB: I don’t. Honestly, there are pieces of sets throughout the years that make it worth it for different reasons. It could be the atmosphere, the zone that you were in, or the zone that you put other people in. If I had to narrow it down, it would probably be my first paid set.

LP: If you could eternally be stuck in one year's music scene, which year would it be?

FB: The summer of ‘94 to the summer of ‘95. That’s when soundtracks were hot like the “Above the Rim” soundtrack. That's when R&B and Hip-Hop were first starting to merge into their natural element.

LP: What is one mistake you see a lot of up-and-coming DJs making?

FB: Not getting out of their comfort zone. You must be willing to expand what you do just a little bit. I hear a lot of DJs telling me what they don't like. You don't have to play it all night. Some play trap music all night. There's so much that you can incorporate into that.

Add a little bit of that old stuff, some of the new stuff, and a little bit of your up-tempo R&B. Even EDM (electronic dance music)! They have EDM stuff to me that sounds harder than a lot of this trap stuff. It’s called “Trap EDM”!

DJ Three X on the 1s and 2s.

LP: What is your opinion regarding the difference between old-school DJing where everything was restricted to vinyl and modern DJing where most tracks are never put on any physical medium before or after release?

FB: You had to be dedicated to being a DJ then. It wasn't like “Hey look, I'm going to go to Guitar Center, buy this board and I'm going to be a DJ tonight. I'm going to go do a gig tonight with music that I got off YouTube”.

If you can rock the crowd, I don't care what you use. Did you keep the people happy musically? If the answer is yes, then rock on DJ.

Want to Vybe with DJ Three X for your next event? Book him for DJ services or sound design and consulting at djthreeex.com or email vybecafellc@gmail.com for more information.