Freeman’s music career grew out of practice and passion. As a boy, he got his hands on as much vinyl as possible, and when he was barely into double digits, started to wire old turntables together. “There weren’t that many DJs back then,” he recalls. “I was just getting really inspired by some of the UK DJs and people like Carl Cox who were mixing on several turntables. And then I was trying to recreate that at home.”
He bought his first professional DJ setup at age 15 after landing a gig at a nightclub. “I had to quickly get the set planned out, go buy some vinyl, and then get a fake ID,” he says. In fact, he used to spend more money on vinyl than what he was paid for playing gigs. “So I never really saw it as a career,” he says. “I always saw it as an expensive hobby.”
When Freeman arrived in L.A. in 2001, he found his way to Amoeba Music, combing through vinyl to build his collection. He started trading tracks with other musicians, a practice he still draws inspiration from today. In the early aughts, he got a job DJ’ing a party at a film festival and was quickly absorbed into the Rolodexes of Hollywood party planners. His music was just the right level for guests to mingle and slip into just the right mood.
Fast forward to 2023 and you’ll find him curating Saturday night’s nu-disco dance party at a club below the West Hollywood Edition Hotel; working as a music supervisor for luxury brands; and spinning in Las Vegas. “That’s probably the easiest set,” he says of Vegas, “just to play bangers.”
Freeman also notes that collaboration is a key part of producing music. And finding ways to stay inspired. From Coachella to the Getty exhibition to a recent music festival in Brazil, he can immerse himself in the sounds and art. He says he gets his inspiration from “not being scared of pushing boundaries on creativity,” a sentiment that also runs through Tim Walker’s work.
And sometimes, he goes to the beach. “I just go and take a surfboard and no music, sit on a board out there, watch the sun come up, and get a few waves,” he says. “And that’s my peaceful place.”
