New Jersey-based disc jockey Brandon “DJ Fade” Metz is elated to have got his first international gig at the recently concluded staging of Dream Weekend in Negril.

“This opportunity to DJ at Dream Weekend directly came from the founders. It was always a goal of mine to play at one of the biggest festival in Jamaica especially since I have a personal attachment to the country. For months, I dug even deeper into my roots and started to play for more Caribbean crowds. This was important to prepare myself on how to properly play for that specific crowd. Jamaica is the hardest country to DJ for. You can be an awesome open format DJ, but if you don’t immerse yourself into the dancehall space and find out who the popular artistes are from the streets, you won’t do great. The hottest artists that patrons know their songs word for word don’t chart on [the] Billboard charts,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

DJ Fade played at the parties Celebrity Playground and Mawnin After. Dream Weekend was held between July 29-August 1.

The disc jockey, who has played for A-list celebrities including Rihanna, Lebron James and Swizz Beatz, says visiting Jamaica is now something he can cross off his bucket list.

“DJ-ing at Dream Weekend was literally my dream coming true. It felt like the ultimate challenge to me at the same time though. I spent countless hours in preparation to execute my style of DJ-ing to please the crowd,” he said.

DJ Fade said it was almost inevitable for him to venture into his field, stemming from a musical family.

“Music is in my blood as my father was a professional DJ and my mother was involved with the music business. For as long as over a decade, I have been professionally playing music. This path was written for me, my God given talent is ability to control the vibe of a crowd and produce records that impact people all over the world,” he added.

Adding that Ding Dong is his favourite dancehall artiste, while Sanchez is the reggae winner in his eyes, DJ Fade says the ‘Dream’ crowd was highly receptive of his sets.

“I got a really great response from the patrons and the Dream Team. I felt so accomplished knowing that the Dream team enjoyed it, because I have high hopes to play every year,” DJ Fade added.