Meet the DJ

DJ Hill

A 33-year-old from Montreal, Canada, DJ Hill made things happen for himself as a club DJ, promoting his own nights in college, before turning his attention to private functions as an event professional offering DJ, MC and lighting services. His ear for music, flair for design and goal-oriented personality have led to the quick growth of his company, Hill Professional Services, which now serves a wide-range of clients and events on a regular basis.

Growing up in a French-speaking community in the St-Leonard area of Montreal, Evens Hill’s path to a career as a DJ started at François-Perrault High School. Hill describes his school as “a music-oriented space where most students had an instrument of choice.” For the boy who would grow up to become DJ Hill this was the flute, which he played for five years, an experience he now credits for giving him a good sense of musical keys.

However it was his role as a sound technician for school plays that gave the young Evens a taste for the technical aspects – as well as the opportunity to develop organizational skills and an ability to work under pressure – that would be necessary later in life when he became an event professional. At school he also developed a passion for arts, marketing and photography, all of which would influence his later DJ career. Following high school, Evens went on to study on a three-year course at Ahuntsic College, qualifying with a diploma in Graphic Design, before attending HEC University where he graduated as a Communication major.

Starting his DJ career at the age of 17, Hill’s first gigs were working for a local multi-op mobile DJ company performing at private events such as baptisms, first communions and a few weddings. Then, when in college, Hill set his sights on DJing in clubs, but found that none of the venues in town would hire an inexperienced rookie. Unperturbed by this, DJ Hill decided to take the DIY route, promoting his own events together with a group of friends. This allowed him not only to achieve his goal of DJing in a club, but also to flex his creative muscles by coming up with ideas to set the events apart and designing the marketing materials. This proved to be a success, as Hill explains, “Our first event attracted around 2,500 party people and most of the other clubs downtown were empty when we did our events! But the best part was being able to DJ for our own parties, not always easy, but manageable!”

Having established himself as a DJ and promotor, it wasn’t long until the doors that had been firmly closed began to open up for DJ Hill. He was approached by club owners and other promoters and the rest, as they say, is history. Since then he has played at every club in his city, building a solid fan base and excellent reputation, even regularly hosting a weekend show on Virgin Radio 96, Montreal’s most popular radio station.

While still playing regularly at various venues around the province, more recently DJ Hill decided to switch his focus to providing DJ, MC and lighting services for private events. He invested in ADJ LED washes and Vizi series moving heads and now lighting is a big part of his offering to clients. “Any room without lighting is dull! Depending on the circumstances there are lots of ways modern lighting technology can be used to enhance an event. You can’t go wrong with wall-washing and up-lighting, which defines edges and can highlight areas that otherwise people wouldn’t think to admire. Great GOBO projectors can also totally change the look of big empty walls; ADJ’s new Ikon Profile in particular offers multiple ways to create great and large GOBO projections. It’s also easy to go wild with moving head spots, beams and washes; for me these are the most sophisticated lighting tools and I always have then on my setups. I’m not a fan of running lighting in automatic sound active modes, it’s just not me, I like to be in control!”

When it comes to inspiration in this area, DJ Hill has embraced the internet’s ability to connect DJs from across the world. “I’ve been inspired by Mike Sanchez, Stefan Jez from Uptown Express, Brian S Redd with his great YouTube channel and, in particular, Brandon Steward, whose talents and work ethic are very close to what I aspire to offer my clients.”

Being based in Montreal, we were interested to know how much of DJ Hill’s MC work involves speaking French. “I’d say it’s 50/50 English and French. I often have to run an entire event in French, but that’s ok with me as it’s actually my first language! English is my secondary tool for communication and my heritage is Haitian, so I also speak Creole.”

Just from looking at the pictures of his events, it is clear that DJ Hill’s formal graphic design training, as well as his passion for art, has a huge impact on his company today. From his impressive aesthetically-pleasing DJ setups to his immaculate dress-sense while working, the right look is clearly important to him, however DJ Hill is keen to stress that it’s essential to get the full package right. “The demand for my services is increasing every year, and I think that’s due to everything together, from a perfectly clean setup to a strong high-energy DJ set, and a well-programmed lightshow to a well-spoken and presentable MC.”

Clearly passionate about what he does, we asked DJ Hill what he likes most about his work. “When everything goes as planned, when I have a perfect DJ set, when clients are satisfied and when the buzz of this success reaches other DJs and vendors.” Working at many up-scale events, we know that DJ Hill sometimes comes across celebrities while working, and were interested to know how he handles that. “I share the stage with a lot of different celebrities. I’m very humble and easy going. To me, an artist is an artist, some are more fortunate than others, but we all share the same backstage!”

Although he considers himself to be a ‘multi-platform’ DJ, able to play different roles with ease and comfortable with a wide variety of musical styles, if given the choice, he prefers a laid-back feel. “Deep vocal house and classic 90s R&B is what I like to play the most. I enjoy sexy music that promotes a calm and romantic vibe. I could play this type of music for days on end without getting tired of it!”

Outside of work, DJ Hill likes to spend time running and training in the gym, “it keeps me in shape for the next gig”. He also enjoys learning new skills and reading books on art, management and self-growth. However most of his time is focused on his business, whether it’s out working at events, meeting with prospective clients or keeping on top of paperwork. He also puts his design skills to good use designing his own brochures and maintaining an active online presence for his brand. “I don’t sleep much,” he tells us, “but I learn something new and useful every day”.

In addition to being a DJ and MC, Evens Hill brings more to the table to assist his clients with their events. “My musical and event knowledge make me the ideal consultant and an incomparable accomplice for the organisers of all kinds of events.” Taking this concept a step further, recently Evens has put together a team of dynamic artists to allow him to offer all-inclusive packages incorporating photography, graphic design, equipment rental and installation, as well as – of course – the DJ. “Undoubtedly, there’s a big future for the company that my team and I are building.”

With a successful career so far, and the future looking bright, DJ Hill is certainly worth listening to if you are a new or aspiring DJ. His advice? “Talent is one thing, attitude is everything! Be good, and cool! Oh, and practice your craft whenever possible!”

For more information on DJ Hill or to connect with him on social media, follow the links below.

Facebook: /djhillmtl
Instagram: djhillmtl
Email: info@hilleventpro.com
Website: www.hilleventpro.com

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