Rhythm and booze

MANILA, Philippines - Armed with a strong, firm grip on music from the underground scene to the Top 40, a unique understanding of how to move a crowd to its feet and an undeniable charm, DJ Nix Pernia (a.k.a. Nix Damn P!) is a force to be reckoned with.

He found his way into the scene when he won the 2011 championship of the Best Buy DJ Spin-Off in LA, moving ahead past a great number of respected DJs from the US. Through his talent for experimenting with what he calls the “really, really old and the really, really new,” he’s since proven himself to be one of the country’s most respected DJs.

Every Nix Damn P! set is a wild tour de force, with his ability to take his crowd to entirely different heights with a kind of energy that only Nix can deliver.

YOUNG STAR: I heard a story about you doing a set once and someone threw a pair of panties at you. Did you ever find out whose that was?

DJ NIX PERNIA: I think it was a promo, because we’ve been doing this night in Black Market called Bad Decisions Wednesdays and it was a birthday and he had panties as giveaways. So it wasn’t used or anything. (Laughs)

What’s the first thing you listen to in the morning?

Very chill music, contrary to what I play at night. Like new disco beats na chill and light pa rin. Like it’s uplifting kasi medyo nakakasawa na kung puro thump thump and tugs tugs na lang palagi.

Who are your main influences as a musician and as a person?

Passionate artists. Like I could say Pharrell and Hiroshi Fujiwara. Ngayon, I could say I’m getting my inspiration from fashion. Now I’m doing my research into the fashion folks.

Would you say you’re trying to translate that style into sound?

Yes. Because I’m inspired by runway music. I like making stories, building sets. Making stories and telling them through music. And with runway shows, it’s like that. You have an intro, you have an ending, and the in-between.

What are you dream gigs in the near future?

I have a group called Motherbass, it’s a drummer duo with Macky Brillantes. We want to play in big festivals like Future Music Festival in Malaysia, Zouk Out. Parang we want to try our sound sa ibang crowd naman. The local scene right now is rich na, it’s growing. I saw that growth. I saw how it was before na konti palang and the now. Basta mostly music festivals in Asia because I want to represent the Philippines to show them to show them this is where we’re at musically.

In an alternate universe, what kind of music would you be playing?

Ma-soul ako eh. I like soulful music. So I guess futuristic soul, some neo-soul that touches the heart, caters to the old and the young.

What’s your favorite prom memory?

I bought a Limp Bizkit cassette tape for a pre-game in the car on the way to prom kasi ako yung ride nila. (Side note: Nix won Prom King twice — but he doesn’t want us to tell you that.)