Las Vegas DJ Jason Lema has spread his tunes down under, getting to play all across the country as part of the Miller City Sessions tour. With a huge following at Vegas nightclubs Tao, Lavo and Marquee, and championed by music icons like Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Jay Z, Nicki Minaj and many others who have partied to his music, Jason is a must see DJ! Having already played at Brisbane‘s Victory Hotel, Sydney‘s Cargo Bar, Perth‘s Wembley Hotel and Broome’s Roebuck Hotel, Jason is hugely impressed with Australia’s party scene and managed to find the time to have a chat with us.
How have you been enjoying getting to play at Australian nightclubs?
Loving it. I played Sydney last Friday and Perth too. I’m playing in Broome at the Roebuck Hotel tomorrow. I loved Sydney’s youthful energy. Perth’s got an older crowd, but they were really into it.
How does the Australian party scene compared to nightclubs overseas?
The U.S. is very different. Las Vegas is more glitzy, top end, more attention on bottle service. Australia is about partying and dancing, which is what it’s all about!
How long have you been DJing for?
I started DJing 14 years ago, and I moved to Vegas 12 years ago, but I’ve been doing DJing professionally for 10 years.
What got you into it?
I did it for fun, not for a living. In Miami, where I’m from, I’d see DJs orchestrate these amazing parties, and was just wowed by what they were doing. I realised I wanted to do that too, and I picked up gigs.
What’s been your favourite place to play in Australia so far? What’s so special about it?
Perth, because the people were real and humbling. People let loose, and let the DJ entertain them. There was so much energy there!
Where else in the world have you DJed?
I spent a week in Jamaica and another week in Brazil. I didn’t get to see everything though, so I’m excited about seeing Australia properly.
I can imagine the Las Vegas clubbing scene would be pretty crazy. What’s it like playing music in such a full on party place?
Awesome. People land there with an attitude with “we’re here, let’s party”. You know the saying “what happens in Vegas stay in Vegas”? That is so true. When you go to a city you don’t live in and have money, people let loose.
I’ve been told that you have met a few celebrities when you played in Vegas, like Jay Z, 50 Cent, Nicki Minaj, Christina Milian, Justin Timberlake, T-Pain, Kim Kardashian, Kelis and Rihanna. What was it like meeting all those people? Is it often that you see such huge celebrities at the Vegas clubs you play at?
It’s amazing getting to meet such people. Being Las Vegas and working in nightclubs where celebrities go to party, I see them every now and then. It’s such an honour to have them come up to you and thank you for giving them a fun night out. You meet them on a different level, not as a fan.
You’ve also done sets with DJs like Armin van Buuren and Avicci. What was it like working with them?
Pretty cool. Armin was one of the nicest, non-pretentious people I’ve ever met. He’s very smiley, he’s all good” When I saw him do his thing, it was amazing. Avicci was cool, I played with him in Las Vegas.
Jason still has plenty of gigs ahead of him across Australia, which are listed below. For any more info, head to the Millers Genuine Draft Facebook page.
Melbourne: Friday 5 April, Motel, 172 York Street, South Melbourne
Sydney: Saturday 6 April, Kit and Kaboodle, 33-37 Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross
Adelaide: Saturday 13 April, Glenelg Pier Hotel, 18 Holdfast Promenade, Glenelg
Brisbane: Friday 19 April, Eatons Hill Hotel, 647 South Pines Road, Eatons Hill
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