This week, Hang the DJ is serving up DJ Wena Natty, who plays from a vast palette of genres—all in the name of dancing—when he gets behind the decks in Portland.

How did you decide on your DJ name? What’s your real name?
I drew inspiration from my recent trip to Chile. “Wena Natty” is not only a widely used “cat call” by Chilean men, but draws its meaning from a cultural inside sex joke. My real name is Nathan, so not only did it fit but also caught on as my nickname with the people I was hanging out with down there.

As the Rapture say, “People don’t dance no more, they just stand there like this” - how often do you encounter this?
“… They cross their arms and stare you down, and drink and moan and piss.” I encounter that more often than I’d really like. Portland has serious ability to bring some heat to the dance floor but there’s an air of hesitation for people to get down to new and unfamiliar music. Half the time it takes a ballsy few to get the party ignited. I do my best to bring out a mix of both old and new to keep things runnin’ smoothly.

Ideal crowd?
Every DJ’s wet dream: 12:30/midnight, when the number of girls begin to outweigh the boys on the dancefloor, and everybody is one or two drinks away from losing all inhibitions. They’re just putty in your hands at that point and ready to get it on.

How do you feel about requests?
Aren’t requests strictly for wedding DJs? I attempt to accommodate when I can and I’m probably nicer about it than most, but it just grates on my nerves after awhile.

Do you have a funny/weird/etc story about a particular request or requester?
Oh hell yeah! I was DJ’ing at a Halloween party that had been hooked up by a friend-of-a-friend. It was an older crowd that was as unfamiliar with my styles as I was with their tastes. I brought everything I considered “crowd-friendly” in my mind, but to no avail. I got bombarded HARD for requests for everything ranging from G. Love & Special Sauce to Boston to Ozomatli. Even when I stepped up to requests for tracks that I DID have, no one seemed to give a shit. It was a rough evening for everyone I think, especially for the dude in the corner sitting in a pile of vomit.

Do you DJ full time? What do you do outside of DJing?
I DJ Tuesday and Wednesday nights on a weekly basis, but outside of that I’m a rabid music fan and a full-time student at Portland State University.

Where can we find you?
I’m at Trust Lounge (903 NW Everett) on Tuesday and Wednesday nights starting at 10 pm. It’s free and we usually go until late or when everyone calls it a night – voluntary or not. Other than that, the occasional house party is always a good time.

How’d you get your current main gig?
A good friend of mine had been bartending at Trust Lounge for a few months and wanted to try having a DJ play Monday nights during summer. I opted to give it a shot and the owner was pretty stoked on what I played. I’ve been there since around the start of July.

How long have you been spinning?
I got my start in playing techno in ’99 and played consistently at clubs/parties around Oregon until 2004. I went on a hiatus at that point, but came back into spinning this year. I’d say a total of 6 years or so.

What are your thoughts on vinyl vs CDS vs laptops?
And, thus the infinite debate…. Vinyl will always be my number one. It’s what I learned to DJ with, it’s what feels familiar to my hands, and there’s a genuine aesthetic quality to playing records that’s irreplaceable. I’d like to think it would prevail despite the number of technological advances that we’re seeing these days. Laptop DJ’ing not only requires the least amount of work or skill (i.e. instant “beat-matching”) but also a total yawn to watch. To me, CDs feel like an inexpensive and easy way to build up a sweet collection of music, especially with the temptation of “free” downloading at your fingertips. Get your tracks on Beatport dudes! CDs also seem like they’re losing their edge fast these days, compared to the niche that Serratto is serving now; still CD-DJ’ing works for some people. I guess it all comes down to “diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks”.

What songs will we find ourselves dancing to with you?
1) Tronik Youth – “We Are…” (Punks Jump Up Mix)
2) JT – “Lovestoned / I Think She Knows” (Justice Remix)
3) Simian Mobile Disco – “System”
4) Prince & The Revolution – “When Doves Cry”
5) Holy Ghost! – “Hold On” (Blackjoy Mazego Groove)

How would you describe yourself in five words or less:
Better live than on disc.

What genre do you play?
Like most DJs, I try to defy categorization or being pigeonholed into one genre. But I tend to lean towards a musical clusterfuck of 80s, mash-ups, electro-punk, techno, disco, booty/B’more jams, and new French house.

Links:
DJ Wena NattySpace

Photo by Pat Anthony