Fresh Beats: Meet DJ Lemonade

If it wasn’t for roller skating, Josh Lemonade may have never added the “DJ” to his moniker. The Minnesota native was turned on to spinning records by memories of going to teen nights at his local rink, where DJs fueled his passion for speed on eight wheels.

Today, DJ Lemonade @joshlemonade combines his love of skating and music with an accent of old skool hip-hop in his frequent gigs at Skate Time in Accord and other rinks like Roller Magic in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Read on to hear more about a man whose greatest love seems to be curating sounds that turn roller rinks into roller discos.

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

DJ Lemonade: I first became interested in music when I was a young boy, listening to artists like Trick Daddy, Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Kim, Jay-Z, and many other hip-hop artists with my mom. I also listened to Metallica, Queen, System of a Down, and many other bands with my dad. My parents each had their own different tastes in music. I then found these two often merged as a teenager in my friend groups, on TV, and in video games.

When I was about fifteen, I went to the roller rink with a few friends, where I heard the DJ playing horrible music, but all the talented skaters I saw had me interested in returning. When I returned for the teen night, I reminisced about all the music I had heard growing up and became a regular skater. I began to chat with the DJs there about music and being a DJ until I was old enough to get a job at the rink as the “DJ.” I wasn’t what I am now. Just a kid with a flash drive and some music to share with the skaters! From then on, my interest in music continued to explode, and I discovered something new every week.

Fast forward to 2019, when I moved to NYC from Minnesota and began attending Adult Nights at roller rinks in Long Island and Newark, NJ. (NYC didn’t have a proper indoor rink at the time). This was when I was introduced to a new world of DJing to explore! From then on, I started collecting music, and soon enough, the pandemic shut down the outside world and allowed me to purchase a DJ Controller to begin my journey as a DJ officially.

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

I am unique in the DJ space because I am very good at reading the crowd. Starting as a roller-skating rink, DJ taught me to play for many different crowds and other musical genres and eras. It has ultimately made me interested in many kinds of music. But if I had to pick my favorite music to spin, it would be any soulful record or hip-hop sample. I appreciate how songs today get their sound and become very inspired when I hear what might have been going through a producer’s head when sampling a classic track. Growing up skating and DJing in roller rinks, I have become very passionate about skating itself—an advocate for the skate community and people involved in the skating rinks nationwide. I enjoy playing music for people rolling on eight wheels.

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

Some of my favorite DJing experiences in the Hudson Valley include not only the roller rinks but also the time I spun at Happy Valley with my friend DJ Ethical Drift. We haven’t only played there together, though. He and I also occasionally DJ together at Skate Time in Accord, blending unique sounds and grooves for everyone to enjoy! 

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

When a crowd isn’t quite feeling it, my favorite song to throw in is a classic house track like “Hot Music” or a funky track like “Is It In?”

What are your three favorite desert island discs?

Picking three would be tricky for me because I’m not mainly a die-hard fan of particular artists/groups. But, if I had to choose, I would pick Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 2 for its hard-hitting production. It has songs to get me hyped and cool me down.

Also, Metallica, the Metallica album. I always called it “the snake album” growing up because of the album art. I’ll thank my dad for this one. I still like to rock out with my fiancé to this! Although I don’t play it while DJing, it’s an album I’ll always love.

Last, but surely not least, is Barry White’s All-Time Greatest Hits. I play many of these songs during the grown and sexy moments at Skate Time. I love the production of the Love Unlimited Orchestra and the feeling these songs have. I feel like everyone knows Barry White, and if it weren’t for skating, I may have only known a couple of his songs.

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

I grew up in Rosemount, a suburb of Minneapolis. I spent my younger years skateboarding, dancing, and tinkering with computers. I got into roller skating, thrifting, and photography in high school and moved to New York City when I was 21. I lived there for three years on and off due to the pandemic. During this time, I learned to DJ and, during safer times, made many friends and connections with artists and DJs. I moved to Jersey City in late 2022 and have traveled more and more to the Hudson Valley for tranquility and peace. Growing up in Minnesota, I rarely saw more than a big hill, so being surrounded by the mountains is a unique and new experience.

Outside of DJing, I enjoy roller skating. I also enjoy shopping for vintage records, skates, and clothing. My fiancé and I also enjoy cooking with one another and spend a lot of our time traveling on the road to go skating and explore new places. 

Photos courtesy of DJ Lemonade + Nils Schlebusch

Follow/Connect with DJ Lemonade via Instagram

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

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