Meet your friendly neighbourhood DJ

Being a DJ is definitely more than smoke and mirrors but a bit of showmanship doesn't hurt.

Which is why 22-year-old Dylan Hanson acquired a smoke machine to park alongside his speakers at gigs.

“I wanted my gigs to feel like nightclubs in the city,” he said.

“And I feel like lots of people would enjoy dancing in the smoke to the music - it’s a cool experience for them.”

Dylan, a client with InLife, recently embarked on a journey to become a DJ and has started sharing videos on Instagram.

He came up with the social media handle @your_friendly_neighbourhood_dj.

“I wanted it to resemble me and who I am,” he said.

“I think I’m very kind and I live in a nice neighbourhood and I love being a DJ so that’s where my name came from.

“I would love for my DJ name to be put out there, and lots of people follow me and support me through my journey.”

Dylan who has cerebral palsy and lives in Melbourne’s south east has always loved music.

“Music brings people together from all walks of life whether you have a disability or not, doesn’t matter your skin colour or where you’re from in the world. Music creates a bond for human kind,” he said.

"My aim is to make people open their hearts to the music and to make their hearts feel warm"

Some big names have also inspired him.

“I attend a lot of concerts where I had the privilege of meeting DJ Havana Brown and Joel Fletcher,” Dylan said.

“They taught me to reach for the skies and that anything is possible. And my dream to become a DJ was born.”

When it comes to the technical side of mixing tunes, Dylan uses apps on his iPhone like Soundcloud and Mixonset.

And he’s looking to get a Pioneer DJ mixer to go between his iPhone and the speakers to manipulate music on the fly ie. “scratching” - when DJ’s use the turntable to quickly fast forward and rewind a track that sounds like a scratching noise.

For now, Dylan is looking to grow his social media following as a way to build a profile.

“This is a start to my DJing in getting my name out there and becoming known and hopefully finding an opportunity to show my skills to a live audience with a job opportunity,” he said.

Follow Dylan on Instagram @your_friendly_neighborhood_dj