I'm Friends With the DJ
I’m Friends With the DJ is a podcast hosted by AJ the Silverfox, featuring real conversations with DJs, producers, performers, and the creative people who bring the energy to the dance floor, the day party, the club, and everywhere in between.
From music and event culture to personal stories, creative journeys, and Quick Mix moments, this show goes beyond the booth to get to know the people who make the scene feel alive.
Because life is more fun when you’re friends with the DJ.
I'm Friends With the DJ
Episode 11 - DJ Mark Oz
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A DJ can pack a room and still crave quiet when the lights come up and the night ends. That tension sits at the heart of my conversation with DJ Mark Oz, aka “the wizard,” as we talk through how he’s building a bigger career while staying true to the sound that made people stop and ask, “Who made that track?”<br><br>We start with the real-life shift of moving from Miami to Chicago and what changed after two years in a new city: a steady residency at Luxuria, a return to traveling gigs, and a clearer sense of direction. From there, Mark tells the story behind his name and why the “wizard” idea isn’t just branding, it’s a promise to bring magic to the club through emotion, timing, and intention. If you care about DJ identity, artist branding, or what it takes to grow in nightlife without burning out, you’ll hear the honest version here.<br><br>Then we get deep into the music. Mark breaks down Tribalacha, his fusion of guaracha with Brazilian tribal energy and samba percussion, built around call and response so the beat feels like a conversation. He shares how he learned production on YouTube, how mashups helped him find his voice, and how a first international gig in Mexico flipped a switch when he heard other DJs playing his tracks again and again. We also touch the personal moments: being introverted offstage, adjusting to Chicago life, grieving the loss of an elderly cat, and the excitement of new projects like his track “Goofball.”<br><br>If you enjoy DJ interviews, electronic music production talk, and the stories behind new club sounds, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves the dance floor, and leave a review with your favorite moment from the conversation.
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Why am I friends with the DJ? Because life is more fun when you’re friends with the DJ.
This is I'm Friends with the DJ.
Welcome And The Chicago Move
Welcome back to another episode of I'm Friends with the DJ. It's your host, AJ the Silver Fox, and joining me today is a very good friend of mine. This is this conversation has been years in the making. I, of course, am talking about the wizard himself, DJ Mark Oz. Thank you so much for joining me. So excited to have you here. So, Mark, tell me, how have you been? What's going on? I've been great. Um, I'm completing two years now that I moved to Chicago, which before you remember, I was living in Miami when I was coming here. And it has been great, uh, very different, I would say, but professionally, professionally wise, it has been a lot productive. Amazing. That's awesome. So do you have like a home club in uh Chicago that you play at regularly? Are you still traveling for your gigs? Yeah, uh last year I made a quick stop because I got married, so I was doing other stuff. But this year I got back traveling again, so I've been going even out of the country. I had my first international gig in Mexico, which was amazing. But I do have the residency at Luxuria in Chicago that has been for three years, I would say. Awesome. That's so cool. You know, so tell me a little bit about why how'd you come up with the wizard and why Mark Oz? And how'd you come up with that name? Oh
The Wizard Name Origin Story
my god, that's a funny story. Um I always wanted to be a DJ since a child, and I had a friend of mine who grew up with me who said, why instead of doing Marcus, which like you split it up like Mark Oz, which is still Marcus, and the OZ, the Oz, you can use the the wizard of Oz, and that's when it started, and then I never took it out. At the beginning, I was a little shy with the name, sounded very funny, but then after a while I feel like people got used to it, and then I got this conception of bringing magic to people in the clubs. That's what I tried to give them that experience to them. I fucking love that. I had no idea, but like that explain that explanation makes so much sense. Market, Mark, I that's amazing. That's and you know it's true. When you say you create magic, you really do. I mean, tell me about your sound, tell me about like the magic you create, like what what inspires you to do that? Well, I I first started as a producer, a music producer. I was not very experienced,
Learning Production And Finding A Sound
but I learned uh watching YouTube videos. So I started doing a few meshups, which is basically connect two songs together and I started playing it. After a while, a lot of people were asking who's the owner, who's behind that track that it's so good. Why don't you become the one who actually goes there and express the intention that you did the music? So I started doing the DJ, very basic in the beginning. Nowadays it's been a while, so I got better. But it was basically to give them the emotions of how I created and why, and give a little bit of the Brazilian sound, you know, bringing a little bit to the Brazilian sound. I love you know, you know, and I remember, so I'm gonna take everyone back, and and when when we well, actually, okay, I'm gonna go way back. So I first met you through the phone when I was in Guadalajara
Tribalacha And Call Response Beats
with the boys. Of course, I'm talking about the the Bearhouse boys, Rudy and Jesse, um, where we were at Erica Abiza's birthday event, Abiza Fest, and was it Tyler or I forgot who called FaceTimed you. And I was like, who's that, Daddy? And whatever, you know, and and then you came for Rudy's birthday, and we talked for hours, and you were telling me just like how you the the way the music sounds and the way they talk to each other, and the whole I never can you uh explain to everyone like it was well I created a style, so I didn't just want to be a producer, I just didn't want to be another one. I said, if I'm gonna become a producer, I will try to bring a new genre, a new style. So I always love to the Mexican guaracha, Colombia, or the guaracha in in general, and the I carry my Brazilian roots. So I created a new style that's called Tribalacha, which is the Brazilian tribal with the guaracha, so I fuse them, which is basically bring the Mexican with Brazilian samba percussion. And then when I met you in their house, uh Rudy's house, I remember I created that song called Tribalacha. And then I told you how it worked. It's basically they are talking to each other, one is talking, and then you do that bum bum blah blah blah bum, and the other one responds. And when I showed you the track, I remember, oh, it makes a lot of sense to me. It seems like you can't do a conversation. It was the the the sound, the beats were talking to each other, and it was I'd never heard it like that. Yeah, we call call response. Yeah, literally you put a sequence where we call the call, and then the other one is responding to that first call. And people don't understand because uh it's just for you to feel it. So it's very intentional when you do that because it makes you dance and understand what emotions they are trying to do based on that call response. So it could be happiness, can be sadness or whatever I'm trying uh message I'm trying to give to the the crowd in there, you know. You know, and from that discussion and that conversation we had, I just the way you light up when you speak about your music, it just it's amazing. I mean, clearly you're very passionate about what you do, and it shows in your music the magic that you create for us. And I I mean I could go on talking about how amazing you are so much, but because you truly are like it's it's amazing. Um, but but so what's what's next? What's what's what's on your horizon? What's going on? Um I've been wanting to expand my career internationally,
Mexico Gigs And New Confidence
which I started this year. So I did the Leon likes to party, which when I got there, I was telling the the guys uh for me sounded like a DJ conference because I met pretty much all the producers and DJs that I've been working on online for so long, and I was actually meeting them in person, and how this brought a lot of ideas and things to a point where I didn't even acknowledge how much my sounds is out there because when you're not present in every event to know what the DJs are playing, you keep thinking that oh maybe only I am playing that track, but no, I went to Mexico and I was joking with them today that my tracks have been played five times in Leon Likes to Party, which was my first time. So it was an honor. Um I cried. I I saw one Colombia DJ at Korea, which we became very good friends now, that he played my one of my biggest songs, which is the to the bang, to the bon. Yes. And I don't I I I still have the Mexico in my head because it's all that I needed to complete the confidence that I was looking to be seen. Yeah. Because that's what we want to. Right. We want to be appreciated for bringing you guys so much joy because that's my intention, you know. Well, I mean, you your magic is working because you have us under a spell, and I I couldn't be happier to to to to see you again and and experience it every time that I play you on SoundCloud or you know, or whenever I'm looking at my Instagram stories and someone has one of your tracks in the background, which is amazing, you know. But you know, so so that's DJ Marcos. What about Marcus? What about like what
Introvert Offstage DJ Onstage
like tell me a little bit? Like, what do people not know about you? That would be surprised to find out. Um, even though I sound very extrovert, Marcos is a very introvert person. I'm not very sociable. I don't, besides my work, the clubs, I don't enjoy being around too much people. And I enjoy being my bubble, that's who I am. Uh studying, learning, and trying to be my best version because being from another country that you know, and building a life abroad, it's something that requires a lot of uh self-introspection, right? So I could define myself as someone introvert, extrovert, and fun, I guess. I hear you. That makes sense. You know, that's that's one thing that a lot of DJs that I I meet with and I I talk to, that's a very common thing that they all have. You know, it's just they they're they're very introverted, like you said, but then when they're behind the decks and spinning, it's just like their persona comes to life and it's like it's like night and day. Like you are just like two different entities almost, you know. Um so so Chicago, how's life in Chicago? It's great, it's trying to adapt a little bit with the the windy and the cold and everything. It's a big change for Miami. Miami, right? You went polar opposites, but opportunity-wise, I would say I'm in love with Chicago. I don't have any plan. I just renewed my new lease, so I'm staying there for 15 months more. Uh, I live with a such an angel, which is my roommate, which I can ask for a better person to be in my life. And I feel like I'm surrounded by good people like you and like all everyone that I've been meeting along the way, not only in Chicago, but I feel blessed for having you guys in my life. Well, and the trust me, the feeling's mutual for all of us. I could definitely say that. Um, so I was looking at your your story recently. Tell me about your little orange friend that you have. Um, your little orange friend, your
Losing A Beloved Cat
you have a pet, a cat. Oh, that's something. The what? The cat, right? Yes, yes. So it's my roommate's cat, but I have to tell you guys that we had to put the cat down. Oh my god. Uh last week uh or two weeks ago. Uh she's 17 and a half. Oh, she was not doing very good. We were already expecting, but no, like uh, I think it was better for her. Right. We loved her. I felt now I felt how much she is missed because I used to spend more time with her because I worked from home. Yeah. So, but I can't complain. It was two years of having my little pain in the ass every day in there. But now I have uh a friend's cat, yes, which I've been helping, taking care of. Uh so it kind of fulfilling that time that I'm needing to recover. Oh my god, I'm so well. You know, 17 years is is a very long time. She lived a very long life and and brought joy to a lot of people. So um I'm sorry, I brought that up. That's crazy. I'm so sorry. But um and we don't plan to get so soon yet. We just wanna um live a little bit, and yeah, maybe later we might do it. Of course. But you know, it's been 17 years for him, and even for me, it was like two years and a half. So uh it was a good experience. Yeah. So have you had a pet before? In Brazil, we treat animals differently. They usually stay outside, they are more a protective animal, they are not like emotional support. So that was my first experience having an animal going to my lap and uh crying for attention and this kind of so that's why for me it was something very good, to be honest. It's so interesting. Yeah, you know, I mean, the Brazilian culture is completely different, and you always think, I mean, I never think of like, no, I mean, everyone has like a house pet or something like that. So, you know, that's very interesting to hear that. Um, have you been back to Brazil or I'm planning to go this year, but
Brazil, Big Goals, New Music
for 10 years I haven't gone back. You miss home. But I that's what I'm saying. I feel like this year I could say has been being my year. Yeah. I I don't know. I I this year, it's my year. I I have nothing else to say. I agree. Everything is going the way I was dreaming for. Good. You know, and and actually, since um since I met you, I have noticed just like your growth as a person, your growth as a DJ, you're just I mean, you're you're really doing it, and I I couldn't be more proud of you. Um, I absolutely adore and love you. And um, so tell me what's your next sound that you're like, do you have a new music coming out? Or so much projects, including Rudy. He's in the line for it because he's owing me another song. But we keep that on the side for now. Right. But I just made a sound called Goofball. Okay. I was not giving too much power to that music because as it sounds the name, it's a very goofy lyrics. But I've played and I'm probably gonna play it tonight. I've been having a lot of good feedbacks, was with one of my friends, uh Gustavo, he's from Brazil but lives in Fort Lauderdale in my in uh Florida. And I'm hoping that it's gonna have it's a very clean, different tribalcha that I try to make it more powerful because I've been learning more. Yeah. But I still have this year, to be fair, after going to Mexico, my lineup projects from three, it went to 20. It's like everyone wants to make a souna. Good. Yeah, it's that's amazing. That's so exciting to hear. So, you know, I there's a there's one thing that I like to do when I first interview someone. Um, I I have something called the quick mix. Uh-huh. So it's just like fast, quick answer. I'm gonna just
Quick Mix Favorites And Fun
random questions, and then you just, you know, first thing that comes up, okay? Are you ready for the quick mix? I guess so. Okay, you have no choice. Um, okay, so first things first. Are you a day or a night owl? Daytime, nighttime? Daytime. Daytime, great. Um, are you a mountains or ocean person? Ocean. Ocean. Um, and are you for breakfast? What's your favorite thing to eat? Uh egg with uh tostito salsa. Oh, I love that. I love that. Um when you go to the gym, what's the first um workout that you do? Uh usually chess is my favorite. They well, yes, trying to get a bit. Good. What's your sign? Capricorn. Capricorn. Is that January or December? December 23rd. I love it. Um, and who is your um idol in music? Um, I have a few, but I would say Nina has always been. Nina Flowers, of course, everyone's. My inspiration. Um and um who's your favorite DJ to work with? Neo Flopis from Mexico. He's been the best to work with so far. Love that. Well, that was a quick mix. Very good. Thank you so much. You've had it. Good job. You made it very, very good. And you know, I just just in closing, I just want to say I'm so proud of you. You're doing amazing. Keep up the good work. And any tell tell um tell everyone where can they find you? What are what's your socials? You can find me on social media. Uh, it's DJ Mark with
Socials, Gratitude, Closing Words
K, the wizard. Um, SoundCloud DJ Mark Oz, but the DJ is like D-E-E-J-A-Y. And yeah, I think those are the two that I use the most. Perfect. Well, you heard it right here, guys. Um, with DJ Mark Oz, my very good friend. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you again soon, I hope. I have one thing to say. Yes, please. This guy is an amazing person, an amazing friend. And I've been since the day we met, that day of the conversation with the music. I couldn't stop love him so much. And the way he danced, no, the way you dance and enjoy not only my songs, but the parties. I wanted to know that I carry a lot of uh I'm very grateful to have you in my life. And I genuinely saying the feelings mutual, thank you so much. Well, you've heard it right here. Um, and why am I friends with the DJ? Because life is more fun when you're friends with the DJ. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll talk to you soon. Bye, guys.