Meet James “Jayski One” Aquino | DJ (DP Sound), Artist, Puppeteer (The Mighty Giants)

We had the good fortune of connecting with James “Jayski One” Aquino and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi James “Jayski One”, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
I love creating, whether it be illustrating, painting, designing or DJing, it still brings me happiness. Once that love for it is gone, then it may be time to hang it up. However, I’ve currently taken a break from late night DJ gigs to focus on other aspects but I still love the art form behind it… cutting, scratching, creative mixing and blends, finding new music… So yeah, I still find time to practice and keep the skills up because I’m still inspired by my peers and continue to do it for the love.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
By day, I work as a nurse but as soon as I clock out, it’s any combination of graphic design, illustration, DJ and puppeteer, in addition to being a husband and father. The artistic, creative side creates a healthy balance to a sometimes stressful and, at times, mundane 9-5. I never wanted my art to be my full time job despite being told that I should pursue it. I felt that doing it full time would take the fun out of it for me personally so I chose other career paths. I’ve always been a doodler since a young age. My dad was an architect and is the reason why I love art to begin with.

Growing up during the 80’s, Hip Hop was starting to gain momentum and the rebellious nature of it was the perfect catalyst to inspire a young teenager, like myself, who was trying to find his place at the time. I was hooked when I first heard “Rockit” in 1983 by Herbie Hancock and the scratching done by Grand Mixer DXT, who went by D.ST at the time. I, like many, tried to copy the scratching with my Dad’s records and stereo turntable, much to his disappointment. I later learned to DJ about 87-88 and was part of a mobile DJ crew called KAOS. At the same time, I started doing graffiti locally, linked up with several crews and started designing some hand drawn flyers for our parties. After the mobile DJ era started to slow down, I became a co-founder of another DJ crew, DP Sound with Phers One and Strife and started doing clubs like Sky Sushi, Glam Slam (Prince’s old club), The Mayan, Star Shoes, Boardner’s, Pig N Whistle, Zen Sushi, The Derby, El Cid… etc…most of which are long gone now but were certified nightlife staples at the time. The crew grew exponentially and we started throwing our own monthly events like Bridges, which lasted over 14 years, What’s Happening and Good Times which brought out acts like Bilal, KRS One, Buckshot, Aceyalone, Nice & Smooth, Venice Dawn, just to name a few. During that time, I was designing all our flyers and ads, which helped put my name out there and ultimately led to designing more and more flyers, logos for brands and restaurants, and clothing for a bigger clientele throughout Northern and Southern California. Somewhere along the way, I started painting canvases with a collective called The DL, which was featured in a Japanese streetwear magazine called WARPED, which was awesome to see our work garner some attention on the other side of the world. One of the paintings featured was eventually sold to ?uestlove, of The Roots, during a party he was guest DJ’ing in the Bay Area and will forever be one of my Al Bundy touchdown memories.

One of the toughest challenges was finding balance and not being so hard on myself when things didn’t work out. Being a husband, father, working a 9-5, freelance designer, artist and DJ was a lot at times and I needed to learn when to take breaks, also, when to pivot so I wouldn’t burn out. I’ve seen way too many friends and peers suffer from health issues because, let’s face it, the late nights can take a toll on one’s well being. Learning to give myself some grace and indulge in self care has been a big focus as of late.

Currently, a greater percentage of my creative time is with The Mighty Giants, a puppet crew comprised of a collective of creatives, fueled by our common love for Hip Hop and anything closely related. We all grew up on a healthy dose of cartoons and puppets as kids so it was a uniquely different outlet to work together and continue to create in ways that spark curiosity and push us out of our comfort zones. I’m excited to see what we can do with our current team….which leads me to point out the obvious… Build with folks you trust and the ones that have good intentions and cut the negative folks out of your squad, plain and simple.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Honestly, I’m not much of an itinerary guy and like to do things as the day comes, unless it’s a Sunday, which might start out at The Rose Bowl flea market for some vintage goods and after working up an appetite, head out to Smorgasburg, where the food selection is diverse. Then hop over to the other side of ROW DTLA and do some shopping at The General Store, Bodega… etc… Any other day would be a toss up. Matcha or coffee in the morning from Community Goods, Damo or Yala. Can’t go wrong with pastries from Porto’s or Okayama Kobo. Breakfast burritos from Cofax, Macheen or Wake and Late. Filipino food from Hi-Fi Kitchen, Kuya Lord, Spoon & Pork, Sampa, and Park’s Finest would deserve a visit. Days would definitely be spent at one of the many museums around LA… Lacma, The Broad, The Grammy Museum, Acadamy Museum of Motion Pictures to start. Make some time to freshen up the hairdo and buy some vinyl & books at The Artform Studio in Highland Park. The Goldline bar, a couple doors down for some evening drinks and finely curated vinyl DJ sets. Escala in K-Town is also a good place to grab some Colombian food as well as listening to DJ sets from a lot of your favorite DJ’s. If Soul Source is happening on any given night, I highly recommend it if you love soulful house music and wall to wall dancing. Also, The Taco Zone truck in Echo Park has always been a staple for late night eats.
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Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First and foremost, my family, especially my wife, Sheryl, and daughter, Jaylen, my crew of fellow creatives, The Mighty Giants, aka the freshest Hip Hop puppets, Silent John, Woes, R2D3, Shandroid, my DJ crew, DP Sound/Bridges crew, especially Adrian Younge, for constantly pushing me to keep creating no matter what, my original mobile DJ crew from the 80’s, KAOS, for teaching me the ropes, DJ Shortkut for all the opportunities in design and being a good friend, SOL/705 crew. The Beat Junkies for being some of the greatest inspirations to be a DJ/Turntablist, everyone who has hired me, bought art or passed along the good word on my behalf, my homies (y’all know who you are) and anyone who continues to inspire me each and every day.

Instagram: jayski_one