Mischievous blue eyes peer out from under a baseball cap. DJ Smash Gordon, sporting a gold boombox necklace and enthusiastically chowing down on sushi, looks like a kid. This guy throws legendary parties, represents global artists, and co-runs a record label? He downplays it all so much, one wonders. “I try to keep under the radar,” he deflects.
Baltimorean Gordon graduated from Severna Park High School in 1999, attended Anne Arundel Community College, then Towson University until a professor recognized him as a promoter and he realized he’d already found his profes-sion.
Growing up on his parents’ Rolling Stones, Beatles, and Led Zeppelin records, young Gordon had a Michael Jackson jacket, hat, and moves. “I was obsessed,” he laughs. In middle school, he sold gum from Rite-Aid to classmates. “School friends laugh now saying we knew you’d be Mr. Entrepreneur Guy.”
Gordon went with his high school best friend’s older brother to two Fever parties in 1998, heard of massive raves in San Francisco, where he competed for a year as sponsored pro inline-skater Steez (after Gang Starr’s “You Know My Steez”) Gordon, and back home went to Ultraworld’s Engage at the DC Armory. “I was a super-raver the next week.” He started promoting for Lonnie Fisher of Ultraworld and sneaking into Buzz at Nation.
In 2001 Gordon helped throw warehouse parties for Lotek and DCRaves. When Fisher opened his second Sonar club, he gave Gordon responsibility for hip-hop bookings which led to the popular Knowledge parties. Gordon, who also worked with Elements and started Juiced Productions, took over marketing. Evan Weinstein was hired to do promotions, and after they teamed up to host Ghostface Killah, Gordon became Sonar’s show-buyer and Weinstein took over marketing. In 2007 they founded Steez Promo.
After Fisher sold Sonar in 2008, Gordon and Weinstein left to develop Steez Promo, continuing to work with Ultra-world in producing the legendary Starscape Festival which celebrates its 12th year on Saturday, June 5. “It’s going to be ridiculous,” Gordon promises. (www.starscapefestival.com)
Initially for extra income, Gordon got a gig playing hip-hop at Mothers Grille, later playing electro with DJ Proxxy in Commodore 64 and with MC Messinian in We Don’t Sleep! In May 2009, Gordon was dubbed “Smash” by Baltimore producer Oh Snap!
Now, as Smash’s latest mix, “Smash Your F***ing Face,” demonstrates, “I like to play it all. I’m playing dubstep and next thing I know I’m feeling electro or Baltimore club or hip-hop or drum ‘n’ bass. I’ve got my intros – which I learned from the intro-master, Dieselboy. Not many up and coming deejays get pointers from a world famous veteran,” Gordon grins.
Friends since 2007, Dieselboy (Damian Higgins) and Gordon recently became partners in Dieselboy’s Human Imprint drum ‘n’ bass label as well as SubHuman electro and dubstep sublabel.
Says Higgins, a critical deejay, “Steve is one of the most highly motivated people I’ve ever worked with. He just started deejaying seriously a few years ago and is pretty damn impressive at this point. I’ve shown him a few tricks but he’s picked up skills on his own that have taken other deejays a decade or more to learn.”
“I’ve practiced five days a week for hours each day and gotten decent,” Gordon says. “I’m definitely not the best dee-jay, but I have a good time and I’ve got access to big music. The label and being an agent kind of give me an edge. He who holds the tunes destroys the party.” Gordon co-produced with Baltimore producer Logan a Baltimore club dubs-tep-infused Blaqstarr remix called “Handz Up.”
Packing venues locally, Steez Promo’s resident deejay has started rocking parties across the States, including SXSW, sometimes headlining. Smash, who looks up to Baltimore dance music legend Charles Feelgood, might well be poised to become Charm City’s next icon.
Last October, Steez Promo joined forces with vital drum ‘n’ bass booking agency Circle Management whose roster they’ve expanded to include dubstep, electro and even bands.
Gordon is currently working with U Street Music Hall on dubstep events. Says Uhall co-founder Jesse Tittsworth, “Steve’s an undeniable force in the DC/Baltimore dance music scene. I was fortunate enough to be part of Steve and Evan’s early dive bar drum ‘n’ bass productions. I’m proud to see their impressive roster, regular massive parties and solid following now. Game recognize game, my man has been on his grind and I’m glad to see him shine. I hope he feels at home at Uhall and that this can be another exciting chapter for us all.”
Most gratifying to Gordon “is when I deejay because if I kill it, it’s truly for me and our parties. I love waking up the next day feeling I played a great set — that’s really personally satisfying. But my number one most satisfying thing is when we throw a massive party and people say ‘that party changed my life,’ like ‘the nod’ in that movie Groove. I like it. That’s what happened to me!”
Don’t miss Starscape on June 5. Catch Smash Gordon (www.steezpromo.com) with Dieselboy at U Street Music Hall on Thursday, June 24; 9 p.m.; 18+; 1115 U St. NW, DC; 202-588-1880; www.ustreetmusichall.com
[googleMap name="U Street Music Hall " width="780" height="250"]1115 U St. NW, DC[/googleMap]
