DJ Suavesmooth to bring fusion of music to Out In The Park; Second City Outlaws featured

DJ Suavesmooth – with more than 20 years of experience as a DJ and on-air talent with multiple weekly gigs in the city and suburbs – will be one of the headliners at the annual Out In The Park on Saturday, September 11, at Six Flags Great America in north suburban Gurnee.

DJ Suavesmooth will bring a special line dancing set, featuring a fusion of country, rock, hip hop and more. “All of the songs I play will have line dances that are paired to them, but also will be popular to non-line dancers,” he said. “We will be featuring The Second City Outlaws dance team, (which will be) leading the lines so dancers new and experienced can follow along.”

Celebrating its 10th year, Out In The Park brings the rainbow flag throughout the popular amusement park. Out In The Park, presented by BestGayChicago.com, is a private night in the park to celebrate diversity and benefit the Second City Outlaws. The event runs from 7:30 p.m. until midnight, with three DJ areas and more.

“I’m honored to be one of the DJs for this amazing event,” said Joshua Ahlgren, aka, DJ Suavesmooth. “So many people look forward to Out In The Park every year and I actually get to be a part of it this year; I’m so excited.”

DJ Suavesmooth, 39, who lives in Aurora, is a resident DJ at The Piazza (Aurora), Basecamp Pub & Eatery (Lisle), Altiro Latin Fusion (Wheaton), with monthly events at Ember Tap House (Lockport) and Lucky Star (Bartlett).

“I have always had a passion for music and entertaining people. After being inspired by DJs on TV, movies and radio, I saved up all my money to buy two turntables, a mixer and microphone. I perfected my craft, and when I was ready, I DJ’d my first gig in front of an audience,” said DJ Suavesmooth, who was 15 when he got his first DJ gig.

“My first day, I was very nervous but made no mistakes, and even got some compliments. I knew at the end of my shift, I wanted to do this for the rest of my life.”

DJ Suavesmooth has worked across the city and suburbs, including at 31st Street Harbor – with a packed crowd on the floating docks and he played the cha-cha slide. “At that moment, the crowd started to do the ‘1 Hop this time’ (and) the dock began to rock. Then we get to the part (where the crowd) says “6 hops this time” The Dock begins to shake so bad, that a bunch of liquor bottles hanging from the ceiling in the mobile bar dropped, breaking on the ground. Luckily, we had such a great crowd and everyone was happy … I got lucky and didn’t get in trouble.”

DJ Suavesmooth brings a mix of smooth blends, crowd participation and skilled mic work, thus he’s able to adapt to his crowd. “I bring the party wherever I am, no matter the demographic, and I always add a little comedy or humor to my performances.”

He added: “I’m inspired by the people (listening to my sounds), seeing their reactions when I play their favorite songs or request; that is the best.  I love seeing people just let go and dance their butt off.  It truly inspires me to be the best I can be.  I love bringing all different kinds of people together through music and dance. It’s my passion.

“I love this quote from Maya Angelou; it sums it up for me: “My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.”

Now Spinning … DJ Suavesmooth

Favorite DJs: “I don’t have a favorite; I love DJs who are original and can think outside the box. It’s all about being creative to me; I want to hear something I haven’t even thought of.”

A Good DJ Must …. “Be original, know how to read a crowd, and have a vast knowledge of music.”

All-time Favorite DJ Gig: “I got to DJ as a headliner at RiverEdge Park in Aurora, to a crown of more than 10,000 this past July 4^th.  It was a great feeling to see thousands dance to my set.” 

Drinking While In The DJ Booth: Coke or Root Beer in a bottle

Favorite Actor: Al Pacino

Favorite Sport: Basketball

Hobbies: “I collect vinyl records, all genres going back to 1940s.”

Little-known Fact: “I never drink alcohol while I’m DJing, I always keep it professional. I always want to be at 100 percent when I perform; I owe that to the crowd. It’s a respect thing.”

If Not A DJ: “I don’t know where I would have ended up. DJing changed my life for the better. It’s taken me to so many places and given me an outlet to showcase my creativity.”

Boxers or Briefs: “It’s been hard to choose for years until I discovered boxer-briefs, which are the best of both worlds. I even match my boxer brief color to match my wardrobe now.”