‘iPhone DJ’ mixing big tunes on his handset

While much of the music industry has transitioned from vinyl records to digital platforms like Serato, one deejay has remained committed to the roots of his career.

Unable to flip between vinyl as he once did, Ricardo Williams says the closest alternative he has found is using his iPhone. The 40 year-old told THE WEEKEND STAR that despite his music career spanning more than two decades, he has become widely known for the skilful way he performs using the device.

"Dem call me the iPhone DJ because me pressure the laptop deejay," he said. Williams stressed that using an iPhone to play music is not due to financial limitations, but simply a personal preference and a need to be different.

"I was in the United States, in California, and I saw everyone playing with a laptop. I didn't like the laptop situation. I just wanted to do something different, so that's how I started using the phone. I found an app that gives me a record feel," he said.

After performing in the United States for some time, Williams returned to Jamaica in 2013 following the death of his mother. This decision, he said was so he could better care for his five younger sisters.

"I didn't want them to feel like they didn't have anyone," he said, noting that his style of playing has remained unchanged.

"From 2013 until now, straight iPhone, no laptops. I even have backup phones. I played at a sports complex once with 14 sounds, and I was the one who mash up the place all night," he said.

Williams vividly recalled that the first time patrons saw him performing from his phone.

"Everyone turned paparazzi. They had never seen this before. They were excited, everybody was like 'Bow, bow, bow!' They couldn't even wait for me to start playing," he said, laughing at the core memory.

After years of perfecting his craft on an iPhone 6s Plus, Williams said many people are still surprised when they realise he does not use a laptop. He said he doesn't even own one.

"I overrun the laptop DJs, and I'm using one of the first iPhones. I have other phones I could use, but this one allows me to use the headphone jack," he explained.

Growing up in the Waterhouse community of St Andrew, Williams, who performs under the name Cash Cartel, said that he started playing music around age 13.

"I used to go to Stone Love to play records, and they had to stack crates for me to stand on," he told the news team, adding that during those early days, he earned the nickname "Fast Mixer".

"That name came because I could mix about 100 songs in 10 minutes or less, everything on point. And remember, those days it was records. I had to be taking them off and sometimes holding them in my mouth. Now I could do even more with the phone," he said.

Williams said he has created dubplates for clashes with laptop DJs, utilising entertainers.

"I even have Johnny Osbourne saying, ' No laptop sound, I don't want no laptop sound to test the laptop sound'," he sang gleefully. According to Williams, the phone is easier to manage than a laptop.

"It feels like I have two turntables. It just feels like I have a console in my hand. I have no disadvantages," he explained. Williams said he plays in Port Royal every Sunday, and has been all over the island, playing with many big sounds and selectors.