“No Requests… please” with Ryan Moses

Welcome to the Hive, where the rhythm meets passion! Today, we're thrilled to host Ryan Moses, aka The Vibe Setter, who's here to share his secrets on crafting unforgettable nights. As a DJ, Ryan wears many hats - entertainer, storyteller, and emotional architect. He's taken on the exciting challenge of shaping the nightlife experience, one beat at a time. Join us as Ryan dives into the art of vibe curation, revealing what drives his passion for conjuring emotions through sound.

•  Tell me about your stage name, what led you to attach yourself to that stage name? Would you consider that another identity or ego?

- Well, Ryan Moses is who I am.. like my actual name. I had other names that I went by in college & when I was living in DC, but I wanted to have a name that rolls off the tongue well and that fits in professional settings. Also, I got tired of my old name, Stigga Savage (or Stigga for my DC people). I noticed that a lot of people introduce themselves by their stage name but I never did that lol. I don't have an interest in showing up as a persona or anything like that, I show up as myself at all times. Using my name as my stage name was also a form of self-acceptance. I'm happy with who I am, I show up as myself and I will continue to be myself going forward.

• What insipires/inspired you to take on a DJ career? Do you remember that certain push to help you jump off the porch?

- My upbringing as a DJ was pretty isolated in my opinion. One day after graduating from high school I downloaded this DJ program called Virtual DJ where I taught myself how to DJ from the trackpad of my laptop. For the first couple of years, I was just the guy who would mix beats in the car while my friends rapped. I always had a hard time rapping so DJing was my contribution to the cypher lol. Being around my creative friends pushed me to take my craft seriously. When I saw how hard they worked and how eager they were to learn as much as they could about their craft, it inspired me to dive deeper into my own craft, which was only a hobby at the time. I developed the skills within those first couple of years but college is where I gained that first-hand experience of running a party & controlling the crowd. I did every event imaginable in college from the club to the dorm room and everything in between. I never realized the impact I had as a DJ until people on the yard would refer to me as "Stigga". Seeing people appreciate and believe in what I was doing was what made me see it... where I was finally like "oh, I can really do this"

• Who was your biggest influence [music-wise] growing up? 

- My family. When parents would go to and throw parties all the time with their friends. It's something really easy to look over, but as a child, I saw the impact music had on people. The women would scream when their song came on and the guys sitting around the table would turn to me and be like "What you know about that boy?!". When family functions would happen there was a different genre of music being played, but the same impact on the people listening.

• I noticed you dipped your hand in different genre pot of music these days. A more calm, warm, house  type of music that you’ve included into your mixes/sets. What motivated you to drift into that lane of music? 

- Well, house music is what I grew up on in Chicago, so it's always a part of me. When I lived in DC I leaned on that as I went back to the drawing board to redefine myself. I dove into house music more because I got frustrated with the music from the "black scene" in DC. The same songs were on repeat, and the songs themselves didn't make people dance. The clubs where the majority of black people go to in DC are really just a flexing contest between strangers, and the DC venues & owners prey on that. In my opinion, that is a negative environment, and it shows by the type of people who go to those type of places and the things that they consider to be fun. I wanted to play music the way I wanted to and not be forced to play a specific genre so people could spend money. Even though I don't do house music sets anymore, I felt the need to dive into something else while living in DC to satisfy my peace of mind.

• Definitely growing a Buzz around DC, Chicago, Cali area. What do you have planned next?

- Right now I'm concentrating on staying consistent. My monthly mix series on Soundcloud titled, No Requests, is doing very well. The connections I've made throughout the years across various states are coming to fruition. I also had my debut international DJ set coming up at the end of 2024 that I was super excited about

• For all the creatives out there that are hesitant to take that next step into doing something they enjoy or trying to pursue, what piece of advice would you leave them with to help give that push off the porch that’s needed?

- Just start.. and if you like it, keep going. If you get stuck, ask questions. The resources are out there. Whatever you do, just don't stop. You never know where this thing will take you