Steven Aguirre’s family was born in Ecuador and moved the United States. At first, the family lived in Weehawken, but then they moved to Kearny and in 2007, he graduated from Kearny High School. When he was finishing up school, he knew he had to do something worthwhile since he already had a son at a young age.
So he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, went off to Parris Island, South Carolina, for training and then spent time in the Middle East, including in Iraq.
But then after time, he came back to the United States and at first, he lived in California. But ultimately, he wanted to come home and so around three years later, he and his wife and family came back to Kearny. But what does a man no longer in the military do?
Well, for starters he had various jobs, including sales, but his real ambition was to be a DJ. But not just a DJ — he wanted to make it big. And it sure seems he is well on his way.
Aguirre says he is being recognized for his incredible talent as a DJ and is doing what he loves at weddings, sweet 16s, corporate events and more. And pretty remarkably, he’s done it all so far based on one thing and one thing only.
“It’s all been word of mouth,” he says. “I don’t have a website. But I rely on word out mouth. I love music, all genres, and I play for the crowd, not for myself. I think people quickly realize I have a firm ear for that. I play what they want to hear. And as a DJ, that is important.”
It sure is.
His love for being a DJ — he goes by the name DJ Senseless — dates back to when he was a kid. In fact, when he was much younger, every Christmas, he’d look at all the packages that were for him — and he secretly analyzed the boxes to see if any looked like they could contain a turntable, his ultimate gift.
“It never happened,” he says. But eventually, his wife got him what he wanted — and the rest is history.
When he first started in the business, Aguirre says he would often do parties, shows and the like for free. It was a great way for him to perfect his craft and so people would see what he was capable of doing. But for the last 5+ years, he’s getting paid to lead the way at these events.
“I’ve done shows in New York City, Hoboken, Jersey City and it’s opened so many doors,” he says. “And because things have gone so well, promoters have picked me up.”
Recently, he performed in the New York City Puerto Rican Day parade on a float titled “Fighting the War on Cancer.” Soon, he will be doing shows for Fashion Week in Manhattan. And his name continues to leave its mark on people.
Ultimately, he hopes it turns into a full-time career, where he won’t have to work in sales anymore as he currently does (though keep in mind, he seems like a born salesman, with a gregarious personality.)
“It’s about my personality,” he says. “I get along with everybody and I love to help people out. My wife told me I should be in sales a long time ago and she was right. But eventually, I want to provide for my family as a DJ, where I won’t need two or three incomes to get by. I am well on my way.”
That, for sure, is an understatement.
Follow DJ Senseless on social media at @dj_senseless_. His next big event is a boat cruise out of the Sky Port Marina in Manhattan July 20 for Colombian Independence Day. If you’d like to attend that cruise or to hire him for an event, give him a ring at (201) 889-7862 or send an email to bookdjsenseless@gmail.com. You won’t be disappointed if you do.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.