Curators of the night; DJ culture
📰 This story can be found in Issue 003 of The Richmond Seen.
Crowds gather at the “Vibes at Sunset” event in Richmond, 2025. | JXander Media
by Chelsea Jackson | Oct 26, 2025
It’s a new era for nightlife.
Drinking is down, according to a recent Gallup poll, and traditional clubs — once driven by bottle service and top-40 hits – are becoming few.
But the party hasn’t stopped, it’s evolved. And at the center of the shift is the DJ.
Across Richmond, DJs are no longer just background noise. They’re curators, community-builders, and for many, the main reason to show up.
Bars, restaurants, galleries, and more are turning to DJs to create the atmosphere.
✦ Téjon Jones – founder of We Got the Jazz, bridging live sets + curation. (@zairistmiles)
Zairis TéJion got into the craft while in the Army – stationed at Fort Lee after returning from Afghanistan.
What began as casual gigs around the city grew into festivals, art shows, and eventually We Got the Jazz — a traveling series he now runs out of North Carolina but still brings back to Richmond.
“We got the Jazz is a curated event that I normally do at coffee shops or a curated space or art gallery. I do a DJ set of jazz, hip hop, soul, Neo-Soul R&B and for some of them I’ll have a live jazz band or a soul band to accompany me,” TéJion said.
I saw TéJion at the Chromophore Artspace back in August for his We Got the Jazz summer nights series. It was exactly as promised – good music, art, and good vibes.
“A lot of businesses want DJs in their spaces. For brand awareness and to stay up to date with what’s going on,” he said.
The trend isn’t just in Richmond. Globally, DJs are running the scene. Platforms like Boiler Room have helped the draw of DJ sets skyrocket.
In Richmond, demand is high but with so many DJs flooding the scene, it's hard to stand out.
That pushed DJ J.Kirven to build his own platform: Vibes at Sunset – an outdoor series with food trucks, vendors, and the vibe set by Richmond’s own Amapiano king.
What started as him just playing music off a bluetooth speaker at Libby Hill Park quickly drew attention and took a shape of its own.
✦ J. Kivren – curator of Electric Sun Society, focused on immersive sound. (@j.kirven)
Founder of Electric Sun Society, Kirven sees the shift away from bottle service club culture.
“Bottle club DJs would play top 40 to keep people buying drinks,” he said. “Now DJs are the curators. We’re the people making the parties.”
But for those in it for the passion, it’s MORE than just a PARTY – a pure love for music comes FIRST.
“I'm doing it because I actually love music itself, and I love sharing it with people,” Kirven said. “I like to tell stories. Dramatic intros, classical music and interludes to create these sonic experiences. More like a movie, but no visuals. People would actually leave for something that they felt. Something changed in a good way, some type of healing factor. That's why I do what I do.”
For Justin, who goes by DJ JustRoyal, the draw is about more than parties—it’s about freedom. “People are curating spaces where others feel comfortable to dance, to feel like they’re not going to be looked at as weird or cringe,” he says. “That credit goes to the organizers and the sound here, the DJs who make spaces where people feel safe to just dance and express themselves.”
Justin is the organizer behind the music and dance community series: Jamborazo.
He started as a B-boy, dancing for nearly a decade before picking up DJing in 2021 and has noticed the culture shifting in real time.
“Something I see becoming a trend is the DJ being the center of attention—the spotlights, the cameras, people facing the booth. As a dancer, I was used to DJs being in the corner, vital but not the headliner. I don’t love the spotlight myself—I’d rather be in the corner playing music and letting people just have a good time.”
But at the center of it all is community. And as more people step behind the decks, he sees potential.
“You get tapped into a certain part of the city, make friends, see familiar faces. It’s really cool to watch people connect and build each other up,” he said.
“Everyone should engage in something creative. When you throw your own party or start learning the craft, it shows you can make things happen. That’s really empowering—and it’s exciting to see DJing becoming more popular.”
But as anything rises in popularity, there will always be those ready to ride the wave.
Infinite Peace has been behind the decks since he was 16, long before Instagram flyers or TikTok clips.
He created Meet Me Here, a collective and event series aimed at uniting Richmond’s DJs and centering craft over clout – allowing newer DJ’s to perform at their level gaining experience until they’re ready for the headliner spot.
“Meet me Here is a resolution to what I believe is happening to the DJ scene,” he said. “Because there's so many people that believe that they're supposed to be headliner club party DJs, that all these younger DJs are now in competition with each other, and they also are not ready to be headliner club party popping DJs, because they just haven't had the experience that you need to be in that space. And it just takes x amount of gigs, weddings, barbershops, barbecues, club gigs, bar gigs.”
✦ Infinite Peace – blends gospel loops with lo-fi house. (@_infinite.peace_)
For Infinite Peace the rise of DJ culture isn’t new — just back again.
“The OGs understand that, just as anything in life, it's cycles,” he said. “So we're coming back into a cycle where DJing is going outside the clubs.”
But the spirit is new.
In August, a Gallup poll found that only 54% of adults consume alcohol – the lowest it’s been in 90 years.
Instead of chasing a buzz, there’s a new generation chasing the rhythm.
As both a DJ and a yogi, Infinite Peace sees music as energy — a way to connect, heal and educate.
“The art of DJing is really taking two records together, blending them and mixing them appropriately, and being able to share that passion of music that you have with your community. That's the origin of DJ, “ he said.
If DJs are shaping the nightlife, the venues are the stage. Vagabond owner Jimmy Budd has watched Richmond’s music scene evolve — from the electronic wave of the mid-2000s, when acts like Skrillex packed Brown’s Island, to today’s explosion of local DJs filling smaller, more intimate rooms.
For him, the rise of DJ culture comes down to accessibility. “Back then, equipment was expensive — you had to really invest if you were going to take it seriously,” he said. “Now you can get a controller for a couple hundred bucks, and anyone can start.”
What stands out to him now isn’t just the number of DJs, but the wide range of genres they bring. On any given weekend, his venue might host a hip-hop night that draws an older crowd, a global house set that pulls in college kids, or a reggae or Amapiano party that attracts multiple generations.
“That’s the cool thing about the rise of DJ culture,” he said. “It’s introducing so many different types of music. Richmond is open to it — it just took forever to get here. Thank God it’s here. People aren’t coming just to party. They’re coming because they really want to enjoy the music.”
✦ Ohemghi – spins Jersey club + Afro-house at local galleries. (@misohemghi)
For Ohemghi, the scene is booming.
Her sets are built on genre-blending: Jersey club into Afro house, hyperpop into R&B, breakbeat into Miami bass.
“People want to party differently nowadays,” she said. “It’s about energy, pivots, attention spans. You have to convince them a night is worth it.”
For her, DJing is as much about presence as skill. With social media DJs are able to build audiences simply by being themselves.
“That's the main reason I'm able to have the success that I have today, because people genuinely care about me. It gets to a point where it’s not about whether you know how to DJ on vinyl,” she said. “The only thing that matters is can you pack a room?”
But it’s also business. DJs now pitch venues and brand their own events. This rise has put them in control.
“It's about people realizing that they can be their own boss. It's about people realizing that if you see the vision, you just have to get everybody else involved. People see the value in how much money you can genuinely make having people come in for free and actually buy merchandise while they're there, as opposed to charging them cover fees and expecting them to want to come inside and eat as well.”
DJs are entrepreneurs, curators, healers, and influencers. They’re carrying music into a new era. And as the sound shifts from clubs to coffee shops and from alcohol to atmosphere, one thing is clear: the DJ isn’t just setting the vibe. They are the vibe.
In the words of Tranae: If you're looking for the party, follow the DJs.
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