On September 10, 2026, Voyage ATL featured Robert Van Liew, better known as DJ DX, in its Life & Work interview series. The conversation covers where it all started, the turn from DJ to producer, the TED stage, and what it has taken to build a career independently.
Where it started: Jersey City, 1998
I grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey and that's really where all of this started — I've been DJing since 1998.
It began with mixtapes: Hip-Hop and R&B blends passed around the neighborhood and online, long before "going viral" was a phrase. A run in Reggaeton came next, and with it the nickname "El Negro."
From curating to creating
In 2011 I started writing and producing my own music instead of just playing other people's. That shift changed everything for me — I wasn't just curating anymore, I was creating.
Since then he has released over 100 original tracks, blends, and remixes, with listeners as far from New Jersey as Latin America and the UK.
The TED stage
The professional moment he points to first: performing at TEDxYouth@RVA in 2022, where he was the only DJ featured that year. Coverage in Disrupt Magazine, NJ.com, and RVA Magazine followed. But he is clear about what he is proudest of:
That kind of trust doesn't come from a good set — it comes from showing up, over and over, and doing right by people.
Building it independently
The interview is candid about the road. On staying independent in an industry that rarely backs its talent:
Nobody's coming to save your career for you.
And on the perfectionism that keeps a finished track on the shelf until it is right:
I'd rather be slow and proud of it than fast and embarrassed by it.
What sets DJ DX apart
Asked what makes his work different, he names range first (R&B, hip-hop, house, Afrobeats, Amapiano, Jersey Club, reggaeton, and old school) and then how clients actually book him:
When someone books DJ DX, they get DJ DX, not whichever DJ an agency happens to have free that weekend.
He also points to published pricing, starting rates for weddings, corporate events, private parties, and the Soul Shades duo, so clients can see what fits their budget before the first conversation.
Read the full interview: Life & Work with Robert Van Liew, Voyage ATL, September 10, 2026.
