Mario “DJ Chonz” Rodriguez has had a long, illustrious career DJing for several radio stations and working alongside popular hip hop artists.
Born and raised in Denver, Rodriguez has worked for several Denver radio stations, including KS 107.5 where he was on the air weekends, afternoons and nights. After leaving the station, he did some mixing for Flow 107.1 mixing before leaving broadcasting in 2022. His career has included shows from opening up for hip hop artists Drake and Lil Wayne to touring with the Wu-Tang Clan. But now, the long-time Denver DJ is focused on the next generation of DJs.
In 2018, Rodriguez and his wife Brenda Rodriguez started the Denver DJ School with his former business partner, DJ Stacks. Located at 1339 W. 38th Ave., the Denver DJ School is focused on empowering and supporting the community in fostering entrepreneurship and skills needed through the art of DJing.
DJ classes are offered to beginners and those who are more advanced in DJing with the goal of helping DJ’s careers advance to the next level. The school also offers courses in podcasting and music production.
“We hope (our students) are satisfied, and that we can provide the knowledge to pursue (DJing) as a career and that they will have all the proper tools to be successful. We’re a DJ school, we sell all the equipment, anything you need to be in the business,” said Rodriguez. “We’re a 360 shop. We can tell you what equipment to buy, and no one needs to go anywhere except stay at the Denver DJ School. They know we’re going to give them the best deal we can and give them the best opinion.”
Outside of his Denver DJ School location, Rodriguez has brought DJ courses, music production lessons, and podcast- ing classes to middle school students at Lake Middle School where he oversees the school’s Multi-Media Department.
In his classes at Lake Middle School, students are reading and writing daily, and they’re learning how to communicate in public, Rodriguez said.
“What we’re doing is we’re doubling down on the language arts and the mathematics. They’re learning these subjects without even knowing it,” said Rodriguez. “It’s kind of phenomenal what we’re doing on the middle school level.”
Rodriguez noted that other schools have expressed interest in his curriculum. And while he has enjoyed his DJing career, Rodriguez hopes to positively impact the younger generation through the courses he offers.
If you or someone you know is interested in the Denver DJ School visit denverdjschool.com call 720-615-0009.
“There is nothing better than creating something from nothing. That means if you start a night, and there’s no one on the dance floor, and you cultivate a party and a vibe, you create that,” said Rodriguez. “That’s the best part. You can create the vibe you want. It’s obviously not as easy as that, but if people are going for a specific event to listen to you and what you do, and you can create that vibe — it’s a pretty cool feeling.”
