Joel Salazar, who goes by the name DJ Leo J, knows a thing or two about music.
“My first piece of equipment were these turn tables that came out in 1972,” Salazar said, pointing to the equipment on a table. “I got them in ’96; they are still in good condition.”
Salazar’s first job — or gig — was in 1999 in Deep Ellum.
“There was this shabby looking bar and they let me bring some vinyl records,” he said. “They were like ‘you can come.’ There was a hole on the roof and, on the second story, when it would rain the water would come pouring through the cracks.”
Each gig helped build his name and reputation. His most recent jobs include a wedding, an event at the AT&T Discovery District in downtown Dallas, The Common Table in McKinney, which he attends every Saturday and Sunday, Puttshack in Addison and the Ruins in Deep Ellum.
“I’ve been doing music and cultural events for about 25 years. I did it full time for 16 years and only worked for myself,” he said, “I have good relationships with the people in the Office of Arts in Dallas and they were looking for additional programming. I came up with a nine-month program that had different workshops at all of the culture centers and that formed into a big party at the Latino Cultural Center in Deep Ellum Downtown Dallas this past June called Cypher Dallas.”
Before building Cypher Dallas, Salazar and his friend Summer founded Battle Grounds, a community where the culture of Hip-Hop and dance come together to share common interests and express themselves freely. It will celebrate its eighth anniversary in January along with Fresh45s — his vinyl DJ night. He plans to work with other community organizations in 2026 for future events, including the City of Garland.
“My goal in this industry is to cultivate and purify cultural events that bring people together,” he said. Behind every story of success comes with a story that sparked the beginning of that success.
“There were a couple of DJs and producers from around the world I knew that were online and, when they would want to come visit the states, they would come and stay at my house,” he said. “They would travel around the states and would go back to the United Kingdom. When they went back, I was like ‘I’m going over there’ and he was like ‘Okay you let me stay at your house.’”
Being able to travel has led him to opportunities in and out of the country. He lived in London for three months to emcee Drum and Bass. Drum and Bass is London’s rave culture that is based on electronic dance music.
“It was not easy getting into the industry,” he said. “It’s all about doing the right thing. Things only become a problem when they are consistently happening. Everybody makes mistakes; that’s not a problem. But, if you’re constantly messing up, or not handling things professionally, that’s when it’s a problem. As long as you can limit those mistakes, people will always look for someone who is reliable. And, if you can be reliable, they will call you over and over again.”
As a DJ who is heavily involved in his industry, his advice for beginners is to do “what makes you happy and find a way to fulfill that purpose.” He also offers DJ classes. To sign up, visit Salazar on Instagram @_leoj_.
