Dominic “Goldenchyld” Cueto spins the soundtrack for the South Bay’s nightlife scene at weekly and monthly parties like Rubber Soul, Tasty, Soul Therapy and Return of the Boom Zap. He likes to call himself a “DJ Daddy,” choosing to be a full-time DJ over a gig in the corporate world. Known for his work with The Bangerz DJ crew and MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew season winners The Jabbawockeez, Goldenchyld was named the regional champion of Red Bull’s Thre3style DJ Challenge in February 2011. When not working on new tracks in the studio, he’s frequently found firing up the dance floors at clubs like Myth and Cardiff.
Name: Dominc “DJ Goldenchyld” Cueto
Age: 31 a.k.a. “old enough to know better”
Occupation: DJ
How long have you lived/worked in San Jose?
I’ve lived in San Jose for about 29 years. I lived in Oakland and LA for awhile.
At what point did you decide to stay in San Jose and pursue your career?
I made the decision while I was in LA; things got really busy for me in the Bay Area while I was in LA and I kept having to go back and forth. So I just made the decision to come back. It just made sense to come back, I have a lot of family and work affiliates here.
What is your favorite genre to spin?
I feel like the term “genre” is very constricting because that means I can only stay in that lane. So I guess my favorite genre, or my favorite situation to play in, would be one without rules. There’s no genre lines, I want to be able to play a reggae track, then a hip-hop track, then a dubstep track, then a whatever track simultaneously. I think my favorite scenario is not having to play with rules.
What is your best DJ memory?
I don’t know, I feel like they just keep getting better. I feel like every year something bigger and better has been happening for me, and I’m really happy in that way. It just keeps getting better with time. Recently, doing the Music In The Park over the summer was a great show.
What drives you as a DJ?
As a DJ, you get pleasure out of playing something that impacts people, or playing something that makes them go home and go, “What was that that he played?!” I think just the ability to have an impact on people and leave impressions on them through music is what drives me.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a DJ?
I would be working in the corporate world as a salesperson. I worked in a very corporate world before I made the switch to being a DJ full-time.
What was the last good local show you’ve attended?
Music in Cannery Park with Breezy Excursions. That was cool because it was almost like a variety show; they had rappers, a bike show with iMiNUSD, they had all kinds of stuff going on and all kinds of vendors.
If there were one person (dead or alive) you could see perform live, who would it be?
It would have to be Michael Jackson during the early ‘80s.
Where is your favorite local spot to go out at night?
I really like Cardiff a lot, its a cool spot. I’m really starting to like Myth, that’s a really cool spot. If its not music-related, I like to hang out in Japantown, I think its a cool little area.
Who is the most interesting person you know in San Jose?
That’s an impossible question, there are so many interesting people in San Jose that I meet all the time and I don’t think I can single any one person out.
What’s your favorite thing about San Jose?
I think that a big part of it is familiarity. I’ve been here for forever, I know my way around, I know a lot of people. I think in recent times there’s been a recent surge of people being proud of San Jose. It took awhile for that to happen and I’m happy to see it happening. We have a culture out here now and I think its something we struggled with for a long time. Its more prevalent now, there’s more community organization happening, especially with the younger people now. We’re starting to have an identity.
