One of the most renowned names in Switzerland’s DJ scene is the young shooting star DJ Cruz. DJ Cruz (Vincent Dubinsky) was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland to a Swiss mother and an American father. He was first exposed to “scratching” while listening to the DJ at the downhill skateboard races he used to compete in.

At the age of 15, a friend gave him an old turntable and ever since that day Cruz has been working the decks.

He actually started DJing when vinyl was in, searching for records mercilessly for that next new sound, spending all that he had on LPs. With an early transition to Serato, he was able to explore the musical world limitlessly.

Cruz sold his Mixtapes in front of Clubs attracting a lot of attention from the partygoers and another DJ, who then invited him to do his warm ups, eventually playing in Clubs before he was legally allowed to enter them.

In 2007, Cruz then 17, won the ‘Rookie DJ of the Year’ award and also got the amazing opportunity to have a residency at one of Switzerland’s best known club, the Kaufleuten in Zurich.

At 19, Cruz decided to leave the safety and security of his well paying job at a private bank to follow his deep-rooted passion for mixing and producing music.

Cruz, now 21 years old, has worked his way up Switzerland’s nightlife circuit and has rocked the crowds at the hottest and most outstanding parties and clubs both in Switzerland and internationally, including his own night at Club Saint Germain with his party label ‘Cruz Unlimited’.

The key to his steadily growing success is his totally open format approach to mixing Electronic Dance Music, Hip Hop, Rock n Roll, together with his knowledge of club music, fueling his sets with energy and innovation.

As DJ Cruz’s popularity has grown, he is now venturing into his own music productions with his first release “Are You Ready For This” getting spun by DJs around Europe. The success of his first release launched his career, transcending him from being a DJ to also becoming a new young music producer.

With his jam-packed agenda and a tireless work ethic, he is off to conquer his constantly expanding international clubbing landscape, having already played some of the best Clubs in London, Cannes, Paris, Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg and other cities.

He’s played with such legendary Stars as:

  • Tinie Tempah
  • Kelly Rowland
  • Will.I.Am.
  • Akon
  • Snoop Dogg
  • DJ Chuckie
  • Dirty South
  • Lil Jon
  • Ludacris
  • Jamiroquai
  • DJ Premier

and with many more to come…

crossfadr: When you play, are you sets pre-planned or off-the-cuff?
DJ Cruz: I obviously have routines, edits, transitions etc. but I never pre-plan a set cause I always read the crowd. In venues, I’ve played a lot of what I know works, but especially when I play new venues, its very important to watch the crowd reaction. I’ve ended up playing a heavy house set at Hip Hop parties and vice versa, now a days a lot of party people are very open minded to music.

crossfadr: Are you currently in the studio producing? If so, what are you working on?
DJ Cruz: Yes, I am. My first record I’ve released is called “Are You Ready for this” (download at www.djcruz.com or http://www.youtube.com/djcruztv#p/u/4/QfnYJTD2nrQ) and very soon I’m releasing 2 new songs, one of them called “Storm” which I produced with Cedric Zeyenne from Zurich.

crossfadr: What do you think about the digital DJ movement?
DJ Cruz: It’s an incredible movement and Serato must be one of the best inventions of my time. Its great while traveling and you always have all your music with you so you can really play specific for every crowd. I myself use Serato with Turntables and Vinyl, nothing compares to Vinyl.

crossfadr: Name some other DJs you are feeling?
DJ Cruz: I like how far Swedish House Mafia, Erick Morillo, and DJ Chuckie are taking electronic music. As for party rockers, I like DJ Vice, DJ Magnum from France or Jesse Marco from NYC.

crossfadr: What advice would you give to up and coming DJs?
DJ Cruz: Practice a lot, be yourself, don’t try to copy other DJs, put yourself out there, be patient even if there are times where the bookings are low and always be grateful for the chances you get.

For Booking Requests email: bookings@djcruz.com
www.djcruz.com
www.youtube.com/djcruztv
www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-Cruz/165438536814862
www.twitter.com/deejaycruz
www.soundcloud.com/deejaycruz