Fresh Beats: Meet Hudson Valley spinner Tommi Calamari

If classic disco and EDM are your jam, then head straight to the next dance party curated by the busy Hudson Valley spinner Tommi Calamari. This lifelong “crate digger’s” love of music and vinyl was fostered by parents who were avid record collectors and by getting his hands on his first 12″ maxi-single as a child in the 80s.  His time in San Francisco in his 20s led him to create a weekly gay bar night when he arrived in Kingston, which led to his popular monthly party, Queenston.  

Before you catch him spinning at events like Urban Bear Upstate at the Stockade Tavern, get to know him by reading the interview below.

INSIDE+OUT: When did you first become interested in music, and how did you start your DJ career?

Tommi Calamari: Most children born in the mid-80s, like me, eventually got their hands on a 12″ LP. I can’t honestly remember a time in my early life without music and physical media being part of my everyday life. My mom and dad are avid collectors. I found endless enjoyment in flipping through my father’s record collection, unknowingly imprinting my mind with the dazzling cover art of music I knew nothing about yet. I started my collection of vinyl LPs and 45s in 2001, spending time with my dad after school and on weekends crate digging together. In 2014, I decided to move to Kingston from San Francisco, where I had spent the majority of my twenties falling in and out of bars and nightclubs purely as a patron and partygoer. What I had observed about my new home was the need for gay nightlife. Out of that need, I started a casual weekly gay bar night in Uptown, spurring a successful monthly party, Queenston, at the beloved and now shuttered BSP. I had no idea what I was doing then! I had never produced an event, but I knew I needed a DJ and I had a record collection, so… that’s really how it all started for me. 

Describe what makes you unique in the DJ space, your favorite music to spin, and your favorite kind of place or event to work.

As a vinyl-heavy DJ, I know people love to see a 12″ LP on a turntable! There are more and more vinyl DJs out there now as the media has become popular again, and many folks listen to them at home, but a real piece of wax is still mesmerizing to a partygoer. 

Lately, contemporary EDM has been something I have been dabbling with during my live sets, but 70s and early 80s disco records will always be my bread and butter. When I got to San Francisco, I had what I would call 101 knowledge of disco music, the hits. We’re at 301 and beyond at this point. I would call it an obsession; there’s a lot of research involved out of the DJ booth.

Whether I am involved in creating the environment that I am playing in or not, spaces that capture the iconic magic of the nightclubs involved in the birth of dance music excite me. But I also DJ weddings with Get Down Upstate. I love, love!

What have been some of your favorite experiences DJing in the Hudson Valley?

Over the years, I have been very fortunate to play opening and closing DJ sets for some of the artists, musicians and friends that I admire. However, Queenston holds a very special place in my heart. My first foray accomplished more than I could have imagined, none of which would have been possible without the trust of the BSP staff (shout out to Mike Amari!), the local drag talent, and all the folks who showed up to get freaky with us. It has been many years since Kingston has seen Queenston, and she is still talked about fondly. 

What is your go-to song to spin when you need to pump up a crowd that’s not feeling it?

When this happens, you have to put on a record everybody knows:  Sylvester’s song “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” is my go-to.

What are your three favorite desert island discs?

• Amanda Lear – I Am A Photograph (1977)
• Asha Puthli – L’Indiana (1979)
• Janet Jackson – Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)

Give us a mini-biography – where you were born, where you live now, what you may do outside of DJing.

I was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and currently reside in Kingston. When I am not DJing a party or wedding, I am often preparing for my next one. I do all of my graphic design as well!  You can’t stop the music! 

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Follow/Connect with DJ Tommi Calamari website | Instagram | Mixcloud for wedding and private event bookings.

Contributing writer Sal Cataldi is a musician, writer and former publicist living in Hudson Valley NY.

Photos courtesy of DJ Tommi Calamari + Featured Photo by Kevin Muth

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