He’s got the beat

From JMU to D.C., DJ Mark Maskell continues to expand his growing business

By Jess Novak, senior writer
Posted on November 29, 2007

From his small dorm room at JMU to D.C. clubs, Mark Maskell has made a name for himself in the DJing world in only a few short years.

Maskell, who plans to graduate in May, runs a one-man, multi-faceted business, including professional DJ-for-hire, nightclub DJ, promoter of his own company, Restless Promotions, and sound and lighting technician. He has played at events ranging from JMU fraternity parties, weddings and proms, as well as local venues including Rocktown Grill, Mainstreet Bar & Grill and Isis in Harrisonburg and MCCXXIII, Ultrabar and RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

“I was always into the technical stuff,” Maskell said. “From middle school when I did the morning announcements, to high school where they made me tech director for the entire school my freshman year…and that was only after two or three months of experience.”

Upon arriving at JMU, Maskell bought a 12-channel professional mixing board, lights and speakers and kept it set up in his dorm room in Logan Hall.  He remembers having one of the biggest sound systems and  craziest lights in the dorms — enough to be the first recognized dorm in the “JMU Cribs” feature of The Breeze in 2002.  

After being recognized in the newspaper, Maskell gained recognition both on and off campus as people realized the potential of having a DJ with professional equipment at weekend parties. This amplified interest helped catapult Maskell further into his newfound profitable hobby.

“Once I started getting recognized for DJing, I also started getting involved with WXJM,” Maskell said. “I started with 2 to 5 a.m. Wednesdays and increased to a midnight to 6 a.m. show, often with 10 a.m. classes to follow. Once I even had to train a girl from 6 to 8 a.m. after doing my own six-hour show.”

Maskell utilized the extensive hours of on-air exposure and technical experience to perfect his turntable abilities and radio personality and continues to DJ every Wednesday night. He is also known for his marathon sessions on-air, the longest of which took place finals week of 2004, where he stayed on the air for 15 hours.

He also took the initiative to create the WXJM Webcast.  Once it was fully functional, stable and reliable, other local stations including WMRA were able to set up Web broadcasts by following the same design. The online stream enables listeners from all over the world to access the JMU student-run station.

“I didn’t know how to do it, but I figured it out,” Maskell said. “I thought, ‘Why not get listeners from all over?’ So I just went for it.”

These common traits of taking initiative, figuring things out and putting in the extra time to improve and promote have helped make Maskell the entrepreneur he  is today. However, Maskell also credits his childhood friend Matt Rofougaran, the director of promotions for Panorama Productions, for helping him discover his passion.

“Matt got me a job promoting at the club after my freshman year,” he said. “That job changed my life. It’s where I learned everything I know about promotions and nightlife and decided that’s where I belong.”

Through his experience with Panorama during school breaks, Maskell gained the necessary skills to throw his own events and prove himself as a DJ.

“I own a night club in D.C. and know about DJs,” Rofougaran said. “Mark is very diverse in terms of what he plays, has an awesome light show with great sound equipment and he can mix, which is rare . . . Very few go the extra mile when it comes to events and he really does.”

Once Mark started working in nightclubs, his business really took off. 

“It’s been an absolute explosion in the past few years as people catch on,” Maskell said. “I can cater to anyone, any type of event, with any music, any theme, anywhere.” 

However, Maskell becomes most passionate when the subject of what makes a DJ worth the money is provoked and emphasizes the importance and potential of live, interactive entertainment only a DJ can provide by responding to the crowd and making full use of turntable skills.

“A DJ can make or break a party,” Maskell said. “No one understands how important they can be.”

Unlike many people who call themselves DJs because they have speakers and a laptop, Maskell is a professional performer who spins on turntables, beat matches, scratches, samples, drops, mashes-up, mixes, reads the crowd and adapts his style in response. 

“I certainly never thought about having a DJ at the Future Fashion Show,” said Travis Tucker of concert production company, Blame it on the Train, “But DJ Maskell offered to help us out and provided the event with great music and lights, setting up a terrific atmosphere for the entire evening even though it was on short notice. He really made the event flow seamlessly.”

Maskell loves his job and it is obvious in the energy he exudes, not only throughout his live performances, but through the way he describes what he is and what he’s done.

Maskell hopes to continue expanding his business in the future, and is currently seeking work in radio either on-air or in technical production after graduating in the spring.  He’ll have a degree in ISAT with a concentration in Telecom, with minors in Math and Physics.

For more information on DJ Mark Maskell and all his endeavors, visit djmaskell.com and tune in Wednesdays from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. on WXJM (88.7 FM) for Maskell’s show with co-hosts John “DJ Fraggy” Hall and Darren “Lt. Watts” Watkins.