Harmonic convergence

By Rick Abasta

WINDOW ROCK-The man behind Apple MacBook Pro and Rane Serato with industry standard Technic 1200 turntables is Jason Allison, 30, of Ft. Defiance.

Allison is also known by his stage name, DJ Abel Rock.

Employed with the Office of Youth Development in Ft. Defiance, Allison has provided multimedia experience for the program.

So far in 2009, he performed over 50 shows across the reservation and surrounding metropolitan areas.

The decision to become a deejay wasn’t originally his goal, but it was something that happened by accident.

“I had a cousin who pursued deejaying in the beginning, but he had no place to keep his equipment,” Allison said. “So I let him keep it in my room and whenever I was bored, I messed around with them.

“Eventually, I started to gain passionate interest in the art and I started to understand the concepts, philosophies, and techniques to becoming a ‘real’ deejay,” he said.

Eventually, he would meet many people along the way who would mentor him. He said he’s still learning today about deejaying, another indication of the unending learning opportunities found in technology.

Today’s deejay is a lot more diverse than earlier disc jockeys and Allison is constantly keeping abreast of the latest trends in the business.

“It’s very different than when I first started. Back then, we had crates and crates of heavy vinyl records,” Allison said. “Most of the time, the clubs stuck to one particular formula.

“You were either going to rock a hip hop club or techno club,” he said.

That all changed in 2005, with the release of Serato Scratch Live, a revolutionary computer using digital mp3 files, he said. The program allowed deejays to utilize their mp3 collections as records in real time.

“Pretty soon, you’d hear 70s and 80s, rock, and of course hip hop,” he said.

The elements were blended together for a unique sound that would formulate the mash-up movement, he said.

“Now, records that were impossible or rare are just a click away,” Allison said.

He said today’s music scene is diverse, even on the club circuit.

Mixing a Fleetwood Mac song straight into the new Britney Spears track, followed by a Notorious B.I.G. number, and then into a Journey mash-up isn’t a rarity.

“It’s so fun because I try to rock music that everyone knows and can sing along to, young or old,” Allison said.

Obvious radio and MTV and BET heaters are on the mix, along with the full range of musical genres for a standard DJ Abel Rock event. He’s a regular deejay at Sauce in Albuquerque, B Lounge in Farmington, and several local venues.

It’s no secret why people book the Navajo DJ. The man knows his music and music is his business.

Allison boasts nearly 10,000 songs in his music collection. It’s comprised of originals, remixes, electro, hip hop, house, underground, indie, trance, disco, nu-disco, old disco, 70s, 80s, 90s, alternative, etc.

20 years ago, he started out his collection with a cassette tape of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” at the age of four.

“I think music is very important for Dine’ youth. Music can define a persona, self-image, dialect and lifestyle,” he said. “Music can bring hope, faith and joy.”

Working for the youth has opened his eyes to many things from Navajo kids.

“Dine’ youth are beautiful and a lot more powerful and smarter than we might perceive them to be,” he said. “Our youth are some of the most resilient, smart and underestimated individuals in society.”

The youth must be encouraged and supported, especially by our Navajo leaders, he said.

Allison’s final message to the youth is straightforward: “Keep striving and help change the negative stereotypes that we carry with us. It all starts with you.”

Information: www.myspace.com/djabelrock