DJ Natural Nate® has declined the overwhelming majority of interview invitations over his 27-year career. The reason is simple: he can only give complete honesty, and most interview formats are not designed for complete honesty. Here's what makes a great DJ interview, why he almost never does them, and what made the Real Talk With Real DJs conversation different.
Why DJ Interviews Matter
DJ interviews are cultural documents. The best ones preserve knowledge, document history, and create a record of what the craft looked like at a specific moment in time. A great DJ interview is not a promotional appearance, it is a genuine conversation about the music, the culture, the craft, and the person who has dedicated their life to it. The interviews that matter are the ones where the DJ says something real, something that reveals their actual relationship with the music, their actual experience of the culture, their actual understanding of what the craft requires. These interviews are rare, which is why they matter when they happen.
What Separates a Real Interview from a Promotional Appearance
Most DJ interviews are promotional appearances in interview format. The questions are safe, the answers are rehearsed, and nothing is revealed that wasn't already in the press release. The DJ talks about their upcoming release, their upcoming tour, their gratitude for the support of their fans. This is not an interview, it is marketing. A real interview asks questions that the DJ might not want to answer, and creates a space where the DJ can answer them honestly. The difference is visible immediately: in a real interview, the DJ says things that are surprising, things that are uncomfortable, things that reveal something true about who they are and what they believe.
DJ Natural Nate's Philosophy on Interviews: Why He Declines Most
DJ Natural Nate® has declined the overwhelming majority of interview invitations over his career. The reason is not arrogance or inaccessibility, it is a commitment to honesty that makes most interview formats unsuitable. When he sits down for an interview, he gives complete honesty: the real answer, not the politically correct answer, not the answer designed to avoid controversy. Most interview formats are not designed for complete honesty. They are designed for promotional content. The mismatch between his approach and the format's expectations has led him to decline most invitations.
When I sit down for an interview, I don't know how to give anything except complete honesty. That makes most interview formats unsuitable.
The Real Talk With Real DJs Series
The Real Talk With Real DJs series, created by Jaime Arturo (Poorno James) for The-Lost-Art.com, is one of the few DJ interview formats designed for genuine conversation. The series has been running for years, featuring DJs who are willing to talk honestly about their careers, their craft, and their experiences in the culture. The format is relaxed and conversational, not a formal interview, but a genuine discussion between people who share a commitment to the culture. This is the format that DJ Natural Nate® was willing to participate in, after years of declining other invitations.
The Florida Interview: What Made It Different
The circumstances of the DJ Natural Nate® interview made it different from any other interview he had done. The Florida trip, the private warehouse event hosted by Disco Dave and Michaela Foley, the time spent with the crew at Axel V's studio, all of this created a context of genuine community and trust. The interview happened not in a formal setting but in a space surrounded by people DJ Natural Nate® genuinely respects and considers friends. That context made the conversation possible in a way that a formal interview setting never could.
It never felt like an interview. It felt like friends sitting together talking honestly about the culture we've all devoted so much of our lives to.
Questions Every DJ Should Be Asked
The questions that reveal what a DJ is actually about are not the questions that most interviewers ask. Not: what releases do you have coming up? But: what was the hardest moment in your career, and what did it teach you? Not: who are your influences? But: what have you failed at, and how did that failure change you? Not: what's your favorite track right now? But: what do you believe about this craft that most people in it don't? These are the questions that produce real answers, and real answers are what make a DJ interview worth having.
What the Best DJ Interviews Reveal About the Craft
The best DJ interviews reveal things about the craft that cannot be learned from watching performances or listening to mixes. They reveal the philosophy behind the choices, why this track, why this moment, why this approach. They reveal the failures and the lessons: the gigs that went wrong, the opportunities that disappeared, the moments of doubt that every serious artist experiences. They reveal the values, what the DJ believes the craft is for, what they think it requires, what they think it means. These revelations are the reason DJ interviews matter.
Where to Find Authentic DJ Interview Content
Authentic DJ interview content is rare and worth seeking out. The Real Talk With Real DJs series on The-Lost-Art.com is one of the best sources. The Podomatic Up Close and Personal Podcast, which featured DJ Natural Nate® in Episode 119, is another. Look for interview formats that prioritize genuine conversation over promotional content, formats where the interviewer is willing to ask difficult questions and the DJ is willing to answer them honestly. These interviews are the ones that will still be worth watching in 20 years.
