Today we’d like to introduce you to Jose Murillo Cruz.
Hi Jose, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a 25-year-old male that was born in Ecuador, raised in New York City, and now living in San Diego. Throughout my childhood, I had a very high interest in music and the way that DJs and music producers would take over areas and people would be in such a great mood right after the events. After finishing high school in NYC, I enlisted in the armed forces and luckily got stationed in San Diego, California around 2016. After a few deployments and years passed by, I became close with many people that enjoyed the type of music that I listen to. Little did I know that some of those friends would be going to the Hard Summer Festival in 2021. My friends knowing that I was a bedroom DJ & Producer, they asked me when I would be up on the stage and showing people what I’ve got. In the end, I ended up taking that challenge and I began talking to a very good friend of mine that goes by “Charlie De Ville”, and he ended up connecting me to a crew that hosts events in the San Diego area. After meeting them and showing what I had to offer, they invited me to play at several shows.
Since starting to DJ in public under the name “Ollirium”, which is actually my last name spelled backwards with an extra letter in it, I’ve made several good friends and had some great experiences as well. It’s so crazy to me that I have had moments where I’m walking down the street or hanging out at a club or bar and I get recognized by somebody that has seen me play. It’s little things like that, that makes me feel like I can actually reach the point of having a fan base that supports me and what I do. To get to where I am today, I can only thank the many amateur and veteran DJs that I have befriended either by connections or walking straight up to them and talking to them.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I can personally say that as an introvert starting out as a DJ in San Diego is not easy. I’ve had times where I would second guess my skills, where I would be too anxious to talk to the people around me, or I just personally feel like I didn’t perform as good as people say I did.
The biggest obstacle at this point is myself and I learned recently that I need to give myself more credit for what I do and make.
Aside from that, some unrelated struggles were attending online college during the past year and a half, having a physically and mentally demanding day job as an aircraft mechanic, traveling to other places in the U.S, which would make me miss out on some shows to play at, and devoting most of my sleep time into producing music, which is already a very hard thing to do.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an Aircraft Mechanic by day, and DJ/Music Producer by night.
As a aircraft mechanic on what is known as the MV-22, I have devoted the past 6 years into getting to know it very well and adjusting to the never ending working lifestyle. At work I am known as one of the few very creative people that we have, that makes going away gifts/projects for those leaving our workspace or command that are very unique and mostly handmade. I tend to spend hours upon hours into making sure that what I make is not something somebody can just buy at a store or that looks generic.
At home, I have several hobbies like woodworking, drawing, painting, wiring and electronics, freelance photography, freelance filming, image editing, and video editing.
I don’t think of producing music as a hobby anymore. With the amount of time, I spent attending college classes for a degree in music production and sitting in my home studio almost all my weekends, I can say that what I make from time to time makes me very proud to do what I do, especially when I get to test out unreleased music during my sets.
I think what sets me apart from others is the way I produce music. I tend to do collaborations with some close friends of mine and they are just mind-blown on how I can flip a random song into a modern house genre remix and have it ready to play either within minutes or a few hours. The reason they are mind blown is because they say that to do what I do; it would take them weeks or months to even begin the project.
What matters most to you? Why?
To me, what matters most is the music, the people, and the experience that comes with what I do. I say this because I believe that music is what brings many of us together and the feeling of being part of a music-related community feels so good. The experiences are one of a kind every time. Sometimes there are ups and downs that I have gone through but learning from them has helped me become better in what I set out to do.
Pricing:
- DJ: 1 hour = $100
- DJ: 1 hour 30 mins = $150
- Mix & Mastering : Pricing is on my website
Contact Info:
- Website: ollirium.squarespace.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ollirium_official
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/ollirium
Image Credits
Alfredo Lopez
