DJ of the Month

DJ Chameleon

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Introducing WRUV’s April DJ of the month: DJ Chameleon

Cam – AKA DJ Chameleon – is a new DJ as of this semester, and you can tune into their show, Hearing in Color, from 10PM-12AM on Thursday nights.

While the genres and themes change with each show, one thing remains the same: Half of DJ Chameleon’s show is in English, and the other half is in Spanish. Cam loves hanging out with other DJs, engaging with their listeners, and the radio in their room is always tuned to 90.1 FM. Even with their late night show, they almost always have a friend or a trainee in the booth with them. And if you ever tag along to Hearing in Color, they might interview you on-air.

Cam has Spanish speakers in their family and is a Spanish minor, but they say their favorite artist, Bad Bunny, really helped with learning conversational Spanish. Cam listens to a wide variety of music: Nina Jirachi, Bladee, Jane Remover, Mitski, Led Zeppelin, Marty Robbins, Willie Nelson, Steely Dan, Modest Mouse, George Clanton and everything in between. One of their favorite concerts was Mitski’s tour for Laurel Hell in 2022, but they also love going to local Burlington shows!

Outside of WRUV, Cam studies Sustainability, Ecology, and Policy. Even with a busy schedule of 19 credits, being an RA, and working at Skinny Pancake, they always make time for Volleyball. Cam also loves to read and bike!

Read the full interview below! You can tune in to DJ Chameleon’s show, Hearing in Color, from 10PM-12AM on Thursday nights on 90.1 WRUV FM Burlington or at wruv.org

Anna: Hey Cam, congrats on DJ of the month.
Cam: Thank you so much.
Anna: Do you want to introduce yourself, maybe your name, pronouns, DJ name?
Cam: Yeah. Yeah. I’m Cam. DJ Chameleon. My pronouns are they/them. I just started this semester. I trained last semester. And I ran for news director unopposed. So next year I’ll be on Eboard, which I’m really excited about.
Anna: Where did you get your DJ name from?
Cam: Oh, that’s a good question. I was trying to think of things that sounded like Cam. Originally, I was DJ Juice because I love juice.
Anna: What’s your favorite kind of juice?
Cam: Apple juice, thank you. I also was thinking I wanted to be DJ OJ, like orange juice, because I think that sounds cool. But then multiple people told me that it sounds like O.J. Simpson. So I switched gears. So now I’m DJ Chameleon and I try to do half of my show in Spanish. At least like when I can, when I don’t get too carried away. So, in Spanish, it’s DJ Cameleon, it’s easy to say. It’s like the same thing.
Anna: Do you speak Spanish?
Cam: I do, yeah. The idea is that every show – my show is called Hearing in Color – I choose a theme for every show and then try to do half in English and half in Spanish, even if it’s not perfectly half, but that way people can hear the same kind of genre, but in a different language.
Anna: What have been some of your themes that you think?
Cam: Okay, so recently I did movie soundtracks. I love getting calls. A few people called in and were like, “This is great.” So I played a few of my recent movies that I had watched, loved, or had really liked the soundtracks and then some like Spanish movies that I had seen. I did a local music show, which there’s not really much in Spanish, so that was mostly playing English. And then things like punk, EDM, shoegaze, it’s really interesting to try and do a deep dive and find Spanish speaking artists for those genres. It keeps me engaged. So when I’m prepared, it goes well. I’ve been trying to spin vinyl lately as well.
Anna: Do you know Los Walters? They’re from Puerto Rico. Like a synth, indie pop duo.
Cam: Okay, I don’t know Los Walters. That’s interesting.
Anna: I went to Puerto Rico for spring break and I wanted to see if I could find some cool Puerto Rican artists to listen to before I go. And I found them.
Cam: Puerto Rico has a lot of really good indie pop artists come out of there and then like EDM too.
Anna: What’s been your favorite part about being involved with WRUV?
Cam: Yeah, I would say. Probably meeting the people, and like now that I’m lucky because I have a few friends who were already involved, Anna and Izzy, and a few of my other friends are DJs. So it’s great seeing people around. And also just the feeling of being in the booth, it’s so neat. I love opening the curtains so people can say hi, and honestly, having people engage with my show is the best, like, when people call in. I have kind of a weird slot. It’s Thursday 10PM to 12AM. So a lot of community members are usually listening. I have a little radio in my room and it’s like always on WRUV. So I listen to a decent amount, and I like listening to what other people are playing you know? And sometimes I recognize their voice or it’s one of my friends.
Anna: Do you prefer to be in the booth solo or do you ever have friends come hang out with you?
Cam: Honestly, most of the time, there’s someone in there with me. I had a lot of trainees, shadowing my show, which was great for the volunteer credits. Or I just ask whoever I run into and say hey, I’m going to my show and they’re like, oh, let me come. So I’ve honestly, my only shows that I did alone were my graveyards, which were, you know, graveyards. And maybe, like, 2 this semester. So partly that is what makes it a little bit difficult to lock in and not get distracted, but it’s also really fun having people there. I interview them, like “What did you eat for breakfast today?” It’s just funny.
Anna: Do you have any, like, favorite artists, albums, or songs?
Cam: Oh, this is such a hard question. Well, my favorite artist is probably Bad Bunny. I’m not gonna lie. Bad Bunny is one of my top artists for like 3 years. I just love him. And he was low-key, someone that really helped me learn conversational Spanish because I had been speaking it. My mom is from Spain or her mom is from Spain. And so I had been hearing it, but not really practicing. And so I used to literally analyze the lyrics, just read the lyrics and learn them. Other than that, I’ve been into Nina Jirachi lately, who’s like an EDM. And a lot of my friends when I got here, put me on to like Bladee and Jane Remover, I love the cloud rap and hyper pop. I’m also a big classic rock fan, Led Zeppelin is one of my favorite bands. And I lived in Colorado over the summer, so I started listening to a lot of old country. So I like Marty Robbins and Willie Nelson and Steely Dan. And today I was listening to Modest Mouse. I try to pick up an album to listen to because I don’t know, my playlist started getting boring. I listened to a lot of George Clanton when I study. I think he’s probably my top artist as well. Yeah, so I try to a good variety.
Anna: I feel like it’s fun to have so many different kinds of music to listen to for like different moods.
Cam: Exactly, different moods.
Anna: So did you learn Spanish through school and then like music and stuff has helped?
Cam: I had been hearing it. With my grandmother, I’d practice or like I’d listen in. So, I didn’t really start learning until like freshman year. I was always pretty good in school at the Spanish classes because they’re just so easy and not really well structured at all. So, I started, honestly, it was Netflix and I would listen to podcasts of all different dialects and like different accents. And then I have a Spanish minor here. So I get to speak 3 times a week in class. And it’s tough when you don’t consistently practice, but I did go to Spain when I was 16, and that really helped, being surrounded by it, being immersed in the culture is what really helps you learn. Aside from Bad Bunny. A lot of Netflix shows and TED Talks in Spanish. That’s probably the best way. And Duolingo, honestly.
Anna: So you minor in Spanish and you’re majoring in Sustainability, Ecology, and Policy (SEP)?
Cam: Yeah. I originally had a minor in plant bio, but course selection is hard. It’s just such a headache. SEP – applied ecology – and Spanish.
Anna: Any other hobbies or things you do outside of WRUV?
Cam: I was in a band from my 1st ish semester until last semester. And sadly, we broke up, but we were really good friends before, so it’s fine. And then a few of my friends and I are trying to get something else off the ground, so I’m really excited about that. I try to read as much as I can. I’ve been reading a lot of Kurt Vonnegut recently. Right now I’m taking 19 credits and I’m an RA. Oh, I work at Skinny Pancake. So not a ton of time. I love to bike when I can and I do make time for volleyball. I play volleyball like probably 3 or 4 times a week. Because I played in high school and I love it. It’s the best part of my week. I’m really looking forward to summer when I have more time to read, knit, and learn how to crochet. First summer in Burlington. It’s gonna be awesome. If I can make it through the semester.
Anna: I think summer in Burlington’s kind of the best time of year. Have you been to any good concerts recently or do you have a favorite show you’ve been to?
My favorite concert ever that I went to was Mitski in my sophomore year of high school. I love her to death.
Anna: What do you think of her new album? Honestly, I liked it. I have such nostalgic attachments to Laurel Hell. Probably Be the Cowboy’s first or second. Then Bury Me At Makeout Creek is my favorite. I have that on vinyl and I listen to it all the time. Puberty 2 is also up there. I used to work at a library and I would literally just listen to her entire discography all day. And so it’s downloaded in my brain. Anyways, I digress. Mitski was great. I waited for like 8 hours to see her. I was like, barricade, and it was so theatrical.
Anna: Where did you see it? I’m from Portland, Oregon and I saw her there.
Cam: Oh, yeah. I saw her in Boston.
Anna: It was outside and in the sun, and we were waiting in line all day too, and my friend got heat poisoning and had to run out of the pit and throw up in the middle of the show.
Cam: People were yakking left and right. It was crazy. I was holding on for dear life and it was so much fun. I was so close to her. I used to go to a lot of concerts. I don’t know how I had this money, but Rina Sawayama. Also one of my favorite artists. I love her. She had so many different outfit changes, awesome concert. Recently, I have been going to a lot of local shows. One of my favorite shows I’ve been to was at Junktiques this Halloween. With Scrum and a few other local bands and a few of my friends were playing. Vibes were so good. I will be seeing Mt. Joy with my sister, because she loves Mt. Joy. And I’m seeing Don Toliver with my friend. I love Radio Bean.
Anna: Love Radio Bean
Cam: They’ve been doing some small concerts. Then back home, there’s a decent amount. I saw Glass Animals in Worcester and that was awesome. I love WRUV. It’s great. I’m having a great time. And whoever nominated me, that was nice. Shout out to them.
Anna: Congrats on DJ of the Month!