Rusty Redenbacher may appear to belong on a reggae or rock radio station, but his love of R&B and soul music is what makes him the perfect fit as a disc jockey (DJ) on WTLC-FM (106.7).
“I’ve been at Radio One Indianapolis in some way for about 10 years, but the fact that they asked me to DJ on the radio is just awesome,” said Redenbacher. “I love the stuff I’m playing on WTLC. Classic soul, R&B and hip-hop. That’s my favorite kind of music.”
You can hear Redenbacher’s jovial, yet smooth voice as a radio personality and DJing every Friday night from 9 to 11:45 p.m. on his show called Club 1067.
Although he esteems old school music, truthfully, Redenbacher is a lover of music period. His DJ origins actually began with rock and soul music until he found hip-hop in the mid 80s, the time when the DJ reigned supreme. By age 14, he was already good at rapping, but once he was introduced to DJing by a friend, he found another element of the hip-hop movement to love. Over time, he learned how to manipulate the turntables and got a break DJing house and club music at a club in Broad Ripple called The Patio.
“Learning how to program a nice set actually took longer than learning how to DJ. I had to figure out that I needed to play what the people wanted to hear as opposed to what I thought was hot,” said Redenbacher. “I’ve been DJing ever since.”
He went on to say that one thing that differs from being on the radio is not seeing people react to his selection of songs. He truly loves “rocking a crowd” and witnessing happy people.
Redenbacher spends a significant amount of time in a Radio One studio, yet keeps up with DJ trends by listening to local DJs such as Top Speed, DJ JF, DJ Indiana Jones and DJ Paul Bunyon. He also follows DJs on a national level such as Hubert and the Scratch Pickles, DJ Shadow, DJ Red Alert, DJ Chuck Chillout and others.
In addition, he makes his own music, and released two albums recently titled “Lower” and “The Tinkerer.” He will also appear on the upcoming album of Cosby Sweater, a local band.
Redenbacher flies solo but oftentimes lends his talents to his band called ATFU, which stands for All Together For Us. Many may remember Redenbacher from his days with the group the Mudkids.
Like Redenbacher DJ Lite Blu also fell in love with DJing from a friend and local DJ, DJ Metrognome.
“Every Sunday he DJ’d at a club on the far Eastside and I would go up there and listen. The way he manipulated music, I wanted to do that,” said Lite Blu. “Each week, he’d tell me something different like ‘this is how you blend’ or ‘this is how you mix.’ That happened for months until I got my own equipment.”
She also draws from legendary DJs like DJ Jazzy Jeff and Grandmaster Flash.
Learning to DJ came easy to Lite Blu, but she said one of the hardest hurdles she had to conquer in her craft is others’ perceptions of a female DJ.
“They say ‘that’s that female DJ’ or ‘she’s really good to be a female DJ.’ Why can’t I be a good DJ? I’m always combating that situation,” said Lite Blu. “But I do represent for the females. I don’t dress too sexy when I’m DJing or play overly obscene records. I try to represent myself, women, my sorority Zeta Phi Beta and the Black community well.”
Despite her obstacles, she enjoys using music to help listeners express their feelings.
When the twenty-something isn’t rocking a party, or preparing for the upcoming Master of the Mix DJ competition, DJ Lite Blu is listening to her favorite music, neo soul, or serving in the Army National Guard. Lite Blu, whose legal name is Desaray Sherman, is currently an officer candidate. Upon graduation, she will be a second lieutenant.
“I actually just came back from Oklahoma and I’ll be going out again soon,” she said. “When I’m away, I can’t DJ so I’ll hear songs in my head and pretend like I’m scratching.”
Both DJ Rusty Redenbacher and DJ Lite Blu realize they are part of the “new school” of DJs, but acknowledge how quickly the artform is changing right before their eyes.
“There’s a difference between DJing and turntablism. In turntablism, you use records to scratch, beat juggle and make the music yours. It’s your own creative perspective. Some DJs just play music. Anybody can be a ‘DJ’ now,” said Lite Blu.
Redenbacher recalls the days when he would go through seemingly endless amounts of vinyl records, create a set list and carry crates of records to parties. Today he carries his laptop. He is grateful for the lighter load, but believes newer DJs aren’t challenged to take time out to really be with the music.
“A lot of kids never had a cassette player. That’s technology,” said Redenbacher. “There may be skills that fall to the wayside like scratching, but I think some skills remain. We’ve just redefined what DJ means. And if you don’t check for what the new kids are doing, they’ll leave you behind.”
To remain close to their roots, Redenbacher still purchases vinyl records and CDs and Lite Blu continues to educate herself about DJs and artists from the early years of hip-hop.
For more information on Rusty Redenbacher or to check out his podcast, visit Rustyredenbacher.com. For more information on DJ Lite Blu visit Facebook.com/DJLiteBlu.
