Known for his Top 40, Hip-Hop and Rap style remixes, the crazy tongue-hanging antics of DJ Brryce Fersher come in high demand these days. His residency at Chicago’s Scarlet, have made him a mainstay in the LGBT community and beyond.
Curating the popular Sunday night “Takeovers” in Boystown, Brryce has incorporated different genres and themes making the Sunday-Funday nights one of the most sought after events in Chicago.
Here DJ Brryce Fersher talks about Pride in Chicago, his time at Scarlet and turning 28!
BP: You just turned twenty-eight years old. How do you feel?
BF: Tired… Just kidding. [laughs] I feel great. I got to celebrate at work and AJ took me to see Taylor Swift the day after, so no complaints from me.
BP: When and how did you come out and at what age?
BF: I came out a week before I turned 20. I remember being at a house party, seeing this guy and thinking “I just want to kiss him”, and I did. My coming out was pretty blatant: I decided I liked guys and that was that. I would say I was pretty comfortable coming out, and have only gotten more happy with my out-ness.
BP: With you so busy at Pride, what has it come to mean for you?
BF: For me, Pride is about celebrating our community and how great we are. I am very fortunate to work in a gay bar in a big city surrounded by amazing queer people, but there are many people who are not that lucky. I feel that Pride is important, especially for young people, because it gives visibility to us. Part of the fun of celebrating Pride at Scarlet is creating an environment where people can unabashedly be themselves, out and proud.
Check out DJ Brryce Fersher's PRIDE Top Ten
BP: You’re in high demand as a DJ. What got you wanting to do that as a career?
BF: If you were to ask me this question two years ago, I would have never imagined I would be a DJ with a residency at my favorite bar. In hindsight, I wish I started earlier.
BP: You’ve been with Scarlet Chicago for how many years? What keeps that experience fresh?
BF: It will be six years in September! It’s crazy when I think about it, but I’ve honestly never had so much at Scarlet. When AJ took over as general manager last year, it was like a hard reset for the bar. Now, I feel like we have created an environment that is more inclusive and diverse than we have been in ten years. What keeps work fresh is being allowed to be creative and continue to plan and execute new parties and events. The key to being successful in a bar is growing with your customers.
BP: You work with your boyfriend A.J. How do you separate work, with life?
BF: Separating work and life is not always easy, but it definitely keeps us on our toes. Working on so many of our weekly and monthly events means a good chunk of our time at home is spent talking about these events, planning new events, brainstorming on how to make our parties more fun and to reach more people. But looking at how successful this past year has been makes all the work worth it.
BP: What’s next for DJ Brryce in the coming year?
BF: I am looking forward to what the rest of the year has to throw at us. We have both Pride weekends upon us, where I will be playing at the RedBull stage on Saturday, and Market Days is around the corner. For my DJing, I am at Scarlet every Friday night, along with our monthly parties: Hot Sugar ~ Women of Hip-Hop, Rap & R&B, Rated R! ~ Rihanna Party, and our newest event ALL THAT ~ 90s Throwback Party.