BOLDFACERS

Gyrating Gear

Where should an aspiring DJ go to gear up? “That would be Guitar Center or Daddy's Junky Music. Both stores have a wide selection of new and used audio gear perfect for the rising DJ,” DJ 3no says.

How to Turn the Tables

“What you need first and foremost is confidence. When you pick a song in a party setting, even if it's on your iPod, you have to believe it's the right choice. If it's not, you will know. Someone will give you a crooked eye,” DJ 3no says. “Next, you need a killing music library, one that no other DJ has. You need all the hits, but you also need exclusive remixes or wacky tunes that you can throw in to throw people off. It's very easy to mess up a mix. And last, you just need experience. If you do it once, you will do it better the next time and the next time.”

Club Thumpin'

DJ 3no says, “The clubs I know have the best DJs are The Estate and Royale, mostly because these places host DJs that are not from Boston.” Eno goes on to say, “Most Boston DJs just press play and get paid.”

Itchin' to Scratch

“Because I was originally a house-party DJ, I began with the latest and old-school hip-hop mixes.” DJ 3no continues, “Once my name began to grow, the crowd began to change to a more house and top-40-remix scene. My favorite mixes are still hip-hop though. Mostly hip-hop and dubstep.”

World-class Spinner

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Boston’s Symphony Hall has hosted many a celebrity in its 111-year history, but if the walls could talk, surely they'd be riffin' about DJ 3no's performance. Not that he was solo. Hardly. He was one of 90 musicians performing what he hopes will soon be the anthem of the world -- actually, make that the universe.

3no is pronounced "Eeno," which is short for Enoghene Ajueyitsi, his Nigerian birth name. (Good call on shortening that up.) His parents, both teachers, left Nigeria for more opportunity in America, moving to Washington, DC. When their boy showed early symptoms of a "lack of appreciation" syndrome during middle school, they shipped him back to Nigeria to learn about his culture and the differences between life there and life here. 3no was happy when he laid eyes on the White House again.

He was a changed kid when he returned. Instead of turning to street life, he devoted himself to finding ways to bring people together. And though he admits it sounds cheesy, he recognized music as a universal language. As a student at Berklee College of Music, he helped to gather 90 musicians from 90 different countries, who cordoned themselves off at Boston's Back Bay Hilton Hotel. "Write a song," they were told. "Write a song that speaks to everybody." A short time later, “Rhythm of the Universe” was created. It’s more than a song; it’s a movement, spearheaded by composer/director Emir Cerman and conductor/orchestrator Simone Scazzocchio. It aims to be a modern-day "We Are the World," the 1985 group-hug charity single, written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie.

3no hopes that we will all soon hear “Rhythm of the Universe” at Fenway Park, the World Cup, and the Olympics. He hopes that his musical career as a hand percussionist and DJ will take off too. Until then, he's spinning at local clubs, assisting rising stars like Shea Rose and DQuest, and spreading the gospel of his inspiring anthem. A sold-out gig at Symphony Hall is a good start.

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