Interview with DJ Anti-Purpose: How Jake Alshammiry Fell in Love with DJing

I had the opportunity of interviewing Jake, learning more about his journey with music and his story as Anti-Purpose. “I’VE ALWAYS HAD A STRONG LOVE FOR MUSIC” Jake shared that in his freshman year of college, he had a realization that music was something he wanted to pursue seriously. His favorite genre of music to listen to and play is Electronic Dance Music or EDM. The overarching term EDC holds many unique genres but Jake especially enjoys Dubstep, House, Techno, and Experimental Bass music.

The Dream

With Jake’s already deep-rooted love for music, everything clicked when he attended his first-ever EDM show. He knew that from there on out, he wanted to inspire others with his music and share his own music on stage for everyone to listen to and enjoy. That show made him realize how music artists can illicit emotions and feelings like nothing else; putting on a show is not just about the music but the atmosphere, environment, and overall experience you get. Mesmerized in the crowd, Jake says, “I want nothing more than to be on the other end of that, being the artist who gives other people that same experience I had”. With that goal in mind, he had his course set out for him.

He has been DJing for three years now. This journey began after he asked himself the question, “what if I learn how to DJ?”. Jake gives credit to his friend Mateo Fernadez for introducing him to mixing music. It was no question that he immediately fell in love with it, sharing with me how there are endless possibilities on what you can do on a DJ board; he knew he needed to create a musical journey for those listening to his mix. He took that thought of what if in his head and changed it to I should. In early 2020, he bought his first board, a DDJ S3B, to get more serious about his pursuits and with the board being as basic as it gets, he was able to really take the time to learn everything he could about it.

After a year of playing on his DDJ S3B board, Jake attended Electric Daisy Carnival 2021 in Las Vegas. This was the most pivotal point in his journey as he recognized that each artist who performed at the event ventured a unique path to get to where they are. This was the moment he knew his dream was “very attainable and possible with hard work and dedication to perfect his craft.”

Anti-Purpose

Getting more serious and gaining experience, Jake pursued playing at Eugene’s very own college bars, Webfoot and Fathoms. A single Thursday night slot flourished into a weekly ordeal. Jake shared that from playing at a bar/club setting allowed him to gain experience in reading and understanding his audience, knowing what kind of music one should play. Climbing up the DJ ladder, Jake created his stage name, Anti-Purpose, which has now been seen on multiple EDM show line-ups in Portland. Alongside playing shows and at bars, Jake has been involved with Up & Up Festival Oregon.

What advice does DJ Anti-Purpose have for aspiring DJs? “be humble and supportive of other artists, and in doing so, you’ll get love and support back; that and being a good person in the music community”. Jake shares that this is the key to gaining connections, and putting yourself out there is important as it is impossible to do it all yourself. Finding a team and support system will help you achieve your goals.

Music has become a part of who Jake is today. With big dreams to chase, Jake hopes in years to come that, he will be playing at bigger shows and music festivals. He is excited to release his own music, hoping it makes his listeners happy and inspires them the way he was.

Find him here!

Bookings: antipurposewav@gmail.com

https://www.instagram.com/antipurpose.wav/