No local DJ, except for maybe his mentor Riz Rollins, radiates such a strong, pure love for the music he spins as does DJ Eddie. Thankfully, Eddie's (last name: Nonog) vinyl arsenal is among the best in the Northwest. (Fellow DJ Paul Edwards states that Eddie possesses the city's finest record collection.) Over the last two decades, Eddie has established himself as an omnivorous music lover with impeccable instincts, a connoisseur of many genresâheady techno and ambient, especiallyâwho has DJed everywhere from Chop Suey to SeeSound, Re-bar, Aristocrats, and Mantra. He's a holy goof who always drops the perfect track.
Born and raised in Seattle on AM pop radio, Eddie bought records instead of candy as a youth. He was intrigued by electronics and synths from an early age, digging the Arps and Moogs on Stevie Wonder's 1972 LP Music of My Mind and Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond." After hearing Kraftwerk's 1981 electro smash "Numbers," though, Eddie knew there was no turning back, and he plunged headlong into electronic music.
Eddieâwho DJs two sets at the Phoenix Festival July 22 and 23, www.phoenixfest.comâ has never been a gung-ho self-promoter, but he's done his share of high-profile gigs, including opening for Bootsy Collins at RKCNDY in the late '80s. "This is my glorified hobby," Eddie says. "I always try to stress the importance of me having a good time. [laughs] It's important: that's what you carry through the music."
Eddie elaborates on his approach through an anecdote. "At Mutek, when [Bruno Pronsato] was about to go on, I asked him what his modus operandi for his set was going to be. He said, 'I'm going to start out sexy, and hopefully by the end I will have blown it all.' That's how I attack the dance floor. I hope that can happen just out of the sheer love of music and movement." Artists Eddie will likely play at Phoenixâan annual outdoor electronic-music fest that appeals to the scene's more psychedelically inclined aficionadosâinclude Bruno Pronsato, Lusine, Cut Copy, and the Field.
According to this veteran of Seattle's dance scene, "I can't ever teach anybody how to DJ. You figure out your own plan and path. You can get all sorts of info from people. I watched Riz at Worldbeat night. There's this method to the madness, but everyone's got a different way."
Even after all those years of spinning, Eddie muses, "DJing is a chemistry I still have yet to figure out. That's why I keep on doing it. I used to be that DJ who would get crowds to this crazy pointâand then I would play a downtempo song. Just because I thought it was like the coolest thing. It was appropriate in some crazy way to let them have a breath and to impart a different texture. I think of it like this: You're walking through a funhouse, and you don't really know what's ahead of you. But do you really need to know?" â
