It Started Before I Knew It Would Matter.
I’m a Filipino Bay Area–based DJ raised around the craft — moving between nightclubs, private events, college parties, corporate events and cultural celebrations while building every set around the crowd and the experience.
Raised Around The Craft.
My dad was a DJ, so I grew up going with him to private events and watching what happened behind the decks. He taught me the fundamentals early — beat matching, mixing and how records fit together. Sometimes, during his gigs, he would even let me mix.
Back then it was a hobby. I never thought it would become something I would take seriously.
Music was different. I was always a music head — listening across genres and decades, especially oldies and old-school R&B, constantly looking for sounds I had never heard before.
The decks were always around. The career wasn't.
I Accidentally Booked Myself.
Junior year at South San Francisco High School, I was in ASB helping plan our dances. We needed a DJ, and the first person I thought of was my dad — so I volunteered him before I even asked.
Then I realized something: I did not want my dad DJing my high-school dance.
That gave me about a month to fully lock in. I downloaded the latest records, went back to everything my dad had taught me, and practiced knowing I had just put myself in front of more than 300 students — many of them my closest friends.
I pulled it off. The response was positive, and I ended up DJing more dances and events for South San Francisco High School in the years that followed.
“I DID NOT WANT MY DAD DJING MY HIGH SCHOOL DANCE.”
Then It Got Bigger.
At San José State University, I kept doing school dances, but for a while I still never thought of DJing as anything bigger.
At the beginning of my third year, when I was 20, something changed. I started asking myself why I wasn't trying to DJ at my own college. I began taking fraternity gigs, and one of those parties became one of my most viral DJ videos.
That clip gave me exposure and momentum. More bookings followed. I started playing 21+ clubs before I was even 21, and eventually opened for artists including Kalan.FrFr and Yhung T.O — later getting the opportunity to open for Kalan.FrFr again.
The Set Is About The Experience.
I consider myself the definition of open format because I've played events that could not be more different from one another: Filipino debuts, 50+ birthday celebrations, fraternity parties, club nights, private events, corporate events and crowds from different cultures and generations.
Some events call for Bay Area records and club energy. Some need throwbacks. Some need old-school R&B. Some need music that connects with a completely different generation or culture.
The set is never just about me. It's about the experience. Open format isn't playing everything just to say I can. It's being able to step into different settings, understand who's in front of me, and choose the record that makes sense next.
More Purpose. Same Curiosity.
Today I'm approaching DJ GELO with more intention — creating content, sharing mixes and music, and building something that can live beyond one night or one event.
The Bay Area will always show up in the way I mix: the energy, the records, the switches and the culture.
But underneath all of it, I'll always be an R&B head at heart.
The records you came for, mixed for the moment.