Although I’ve a native to Arizona for the last 17 years, I still consider the Golden State of California my home. There’s a lot of interesting events, and people both known and unknown. I will feature some of them in this new mini segment called “My Favorite Things Cali.”

This first article is a feature on Darren “DJ Zulu” Battle, a promoter and DJ in northern California who throws parties catered to the “plus size crowd.” Why is he my first feature for this series, you ask? With no shame in my game I must admit I am a chubby chaser and admirer of the full figured women out there. There’s nothing wrong with being on the larger side. Hey, I am totally heterosexual and even think View Askew’s own Kevin Smith and Malcolm Ingram are handsome dudes. There is so much stereotype in the entertainment industry on how a woman should look, and I commend DJ Zulu for breaking such boundaries. Plus he throw’s some pretty great parties, with the best mix of DJs. Last year I had the pleasure of attending and performing at a party he threw in Vegas, and had a blast!

So without further Adieu, check out the interview I did on DJ Zulu.

THAAHUM: How did you get your start DJ-ing?

DJ ZULU: I started at age 14 at Kadena US Air Force Base, Okinawa, Japan. I was naturally into music, and when I started seeing mobile DJs around the island, I wanted to be down. I got my first break at my end of (Jr. High/Middle) school dance. By High School we had relocated to a US Air Force Base in the Tokyo area, and 27 years later, here I am.

THAAHUM: How did “Darrenteed Productions” come about?

DJ ZULU: I was hyping up a Youth Center event that I was promoting and DJing (promoting came naturally about 2 years after I was in this) and I was digging on this girl and trying to get her to come through. I told her that I’d personally guarantee that she’d have a good time. With me trying to get at her and my government name being Darren, I flipped it on her and I said “No, I DARRENTEE you’ll have a good time” I got her number and the name just stuck.

THAAHUM: What made you want to start promoting plus size events? At what point did you realize that there needed to be more events that supported “fat acceptance” and the plus size community?

DJ ZULU: I’m fat girl lover. I’ve always been into chubby girls since high school. When I discovered that there was a plus size community through a friend around 1991, 1992, I started getting actively involved in it. I had stopped DJing for a period of time due to life – being married at the time and not feeling music during that time as much. So I would attend these social events, and they were cool – especially for us FAs (who happened to also be fat), but there weren’t many nightclub promotions at that time except for New York City. By the time I moved to the Bay Area in 1999, I had started DJing again, and it became a main goal of mine to do one here. There had been many social events in the Bay Area, which really was a pacesetter in the size acceptance community that never got its due. Even NAAFA started in this area. There wasn’t any nightclub promotions out west and I aimed to be the first. Many fat people wanted club style settings, and with my background I felt I could provide that for them. All I needed to do was give them the energy that the mainstream nightclubs provided and leave the rest of it up to them.

THAAHUM: What is your goal as a DJ and promoter?

DJ ZULU: As a DJ, I don’t have many goals left. I’m a slam DJ – I’m not the nicest on the mix, though I hold my own. I am a record breaker, though – as the industry knows, by sending me music fresh out the box. I still love to rock crowds, but I feel things differently than others. I’m not a big fan of a lot of the newer stuff out there and I tend to want to rock more house when I am mixing, or old school. As a promoter, I want to continue to introduce up and coming DJs and help get them where they want to go through my promotions and beyond. There are some great DJs within the plus size community right now, but they don’t’ step outside of it and my goals are to help them see the big picture, the long term effects. DJs come and go, same with promoters, but I am an example of longevity in the game – especially in the here today, gone tomorrow plus size community.

THAAHUM: What current projects/parties do you have planned?

DJ ZULU: I still do mainstream joints and look for New York Garage and Chicago House promotions to rock at. As far as plus size parties, we still have the Bay Area on lock and we keep trying to touch the sky and get better at it with our themes and fun. We want to get a piece of the pie in New York City with the help of my good friend Lynx, and I have a huge goal of getting Atlanta on and poppin again since I claim it as my city even though I no longer live there. We are also in the beginning stages of a Big Boogie Nights Kansas City with my girl Deb and, of course, there’s the Late Night Pajama Jammie Jam and Fetish Ball taking place on the strip in Vegas on August 10th.

THAAHUM: What has been the general response since you started “Darrenteed Productions?”

DJ ZULU: Darrenteed Productions has been a blessing for me. The promotions have been great since I started and I’ve met some great people during my career. Some started as just a hobby – like DJ Alvin D and DJ Roonie G, who are now icons in the industry. We were just b-boys in Tokyo trying to do our thing… Look at us now – I’ve got gray hair now and, even though those two would deny it, they do too. But we still do our thing and it’s like a family tree now.

THAAHUM: What do you like best about being in the entertainment business?

DJ ZULU: The travel, the perks of being one of the test audience for record companies, meeting people from various cultures and backgrounds, and it’s a good career if you handle it right.

THAAHUM: What is the most frustrating thing about being in the entertainment business?

DJ ZULU: The drama, haters, those who don’t pay their dues and just starting up thinking it’s easy, the backstabbing… oh, and did I say the haters?

THAAHUM: I notice there seems to be different factions and promoters that have “beef” with each other even in the plus size community. What do you think it would take to have more people unite, since everyone has the same goal of plus size acceptance?

DJ ZULU: Wow, I wish I could answer that question, but I’m not really sure what people could do to unite. You’ve got people from different backgrounds, regions and races – what brings us all together is that we are either fat, fat lovers or both fat and a fat lover like myself. Many egos get inflated – mine included – and sometimes we forgot what we are here for. Many bullshit and some even want to make people who make this a business seem less sincere – which is ridiculous, because 90 percent of those who say that are new to the community. There is nothing wrong at all with being a successful business person through the plus size community. There are people of certain ethnicity’s that do business that caters to them, and there are people of different sexual orientations that have business that caters to them, and do people hate on e-harmony or large connections or what ever for being a dating service? They are a business first, and my promotions are a business first, too. Many who are promoting plus size events don’t even know who paved the way or about the plus size organizations out there – they see someone doing a party, they say “hey, so and so can do it, then so can I” and they try to beat down so and so in the process. They draw lines much like gangs or political affiliations and they speak through second and third parties so they don’t look bad. They never attempt to squash drama – yet they try to portray the image they are never involved. They change their position on things only to draw a crowd. I have the same image and outlook as I have since I started, and that won’t change – my personality is a either you love me or loathe style. I understand that about me, but I don’t take away from my event. My promotions aren’t about me, they are about the patrons! Some want to be treated like icons – some really believe that they are saints by doing fat promotions. We are just like everyone else who got lucky and believed in what we are doing. Some promoters seem to have problems with a man promoting these events because most focus on the plus size woman instead of the plus size person. Being fat isn’t gender specific, so I don’t just focus on women. Lastly, people take it too seriously – the results you put into your vision are the results that come out. Many are snowed for years but it always comes out in the end, I have faith in that.

THAAHUM: Where can people find more information on you and your events?

DJ ZULU: The best way to find out what’s up with me is by hitting my links at www.bigboogienights.com, www.darrenteed.com and www.myspace.com/djzulu.

–Copyright 2007 Keneteph Entertainment

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