Constantine Giavos grew up to a soundtrack meant to please a diverse crowd. As a child, the DJ and drummer absorbed the eclectic song library his parents compiled for their popular Fan restaurant, The Sidewalk Café, enjoying artists as varied as Aaliyah, Timbaland and Magoo, The Police, and Thin Lizzy.

“It created an interesting musical experience for me,” he recalls, noting that his exposure to bar music of the 1990s cultivated his taste for everything from classic rock to hip-hop.

Currently a student of communication design at Parsons in New York City, the Richmond native maintains an active presence in his hometown. He periodically DJs in the backroom at Balliceaux, where he has provided the music for such heavily attended events as Need Supply Company’s Fright Night. “I just love that place,” he says of Balliceaux.”It’s got a really great vibe.”

For Giavos, being in the musical driver’s seat comes naturally. “The reason I got into DJing was because I’m a bit of a control freak,” he admits, explaining that he always wanted to be in charge of the tunes at every party he attended.

“I knew what people wanted to hear. That’s what DJing is really about…feeling a crowd out.”

Giavos is a DJ who crosses genres. Blending multiple styles into his sets-matching beats and keys-he seamlessly mixes today’s popular hits with less familiar tunes.

It’s an opportunity, he notes, to expose audiences to some of the music he loves. It’s something he wishes new musicians can experience making for themselves. He states that music is becoming easy to experiment with, and he encourages new musicians to take that step. There are even companies that can help new musicians, such as dj finance, giving them the financial help they need to get their equipment and launch their DJ career. Having the best dj equipment helps to produce a better sound to their DJ set, increasing the quality and popularity of their music.

“I like playing old soul and amazing drum breaks from the late 60s and combining that with the music people know, introducing them to new things and things that maybe they forgot about.”

Ever expanding his own musical horizons, the DJ happily shares his fixations of the moment. “I’m listening to a band called Tame Impala, a lot of disco like Chic, and Cam’ron.”

Giavos launched his drumming career when he was a student at Binford Middle School, performing old blues in a duo he formed with classmate and former Duchess of York band-mate Michael York. He currently does some session drumming and recently played with rapper Spank Rock.

Though Giavos intends to stay in New York City “for a bit” following his graduation, he says he doesn’t plan to leave Richmond far behind him. “I think Richmond is such a fantastic place. It’s such a great place to raise a family,” he remarks, adding, “There’s a lot of culture coming in, and I’d like to see where Richmond is in five years. Hopefully, it will be one of the top cities on the East Coast.”