Christian James - CJ : The Prodigy
CJ (Christian James) breaks Twitch making history with his debut set at the Connective Grooves studio LIVE on Twitch, February 2, 2023 featuring Mar Star, K-Dubb and DJ JSPN. It all started with a phone text from JSPN telling me 9 year old CJ will be playing on his Connective Grooves show. Date and time was set as a reminder to check in. And what a debut it was! Twitch went out of control with the chat going faster than my brain could comprehend. At one point there was a steady 90+ users witnessing this memorable online event. Was I blown away, YES as it made reflect upon myself to think what I was doing at 9 years old (making mega mixes with cassette tapes). Let’s get to know CJ!
Christian James – CJ
twitch.tv/cjswbtw
United Family for Life
House and Urban Development
Family Groove
Meet CJ, the young and talented DJ! Born on April 11, 2013, this 9-year-old musical prodigy hails from Pasadena, California but now calls Folsom, California home. Currently in 4th grade, CJ is on a mission to make his mark in the world of house music.
When it comes to music, CJ doesn’t discriminate. He loves playing all genres of house music, but his heart beats for tech house, which he loves the most (influenced by his mom). CJ’s love for house music runs deep as his parents, Mar Star and K-Dubb, are also house music DJs. Together, they make up the United Family for Life collective and are affiliated with House and Urban Development. K-Dubb is also affiliated with Family Groove and has opened for Derrick Carter and Mark Farina .
What sets CJ apart from other young DJs is the incredible network of mentors and DJs he looks up to. CJ is surrounded by the best in the business, with mentors like J Alvarez (Henotic, Inspire San Francisco), Sean Cantos (HMNI, Selekta, Uniting Souls, LTHM), Jon Anthoni (Nine Sixteen Muzik), Jesse James (Family Groove, Rawvibes, Red Monkey SF), and of course Jason Steinkellner or JSPN (Delta Funk, Connective Grooves, Electrik Soul) who have inspired and influenced him in so many ways. Whether it’s through playing at their events, teaching him about mixing, or sharing their vast music libraries, these amazing DJs have shaped CJ’s unique style and helped him grow into the DJ he is today.
And if he could choose anyone to play a back to back session with, CJ would pick the legendary Doc Martin of Sublevel. This young DJ has already had the chance to play alongside his heroes, and who knows, maybe one day he’ll be performing with John Summit too!
But where did it all begin for CJ? Well, his parents Mar Star and K-Dubb are also house music DJs, and together they form the DJ collective called United Family for Life (UFFL) and are affiliated with House and Urban Development (HUD).
CJ started DJing at the young age of 7 in June of 2021 and has been honing his skills ever since. It all began when K-Dubb switched to digital and got a digital controller. CJ and Mar were fascinated and wanted to try it out too so that’s how it all started and there’s no stopping this young DJ now!
CJ and his family utilize the Pioneer XDJ-XZ controller for their home DJ practice sessions. Recently, CJ has been expanding his record collection with a mix of hip hop and punk rock, which he plays on either his dad’s Technics 1200 turntables or his own Audio-Technica AT-LP60X record player. He has his own portable controller, the Pioneer DDJ-400, which he uses for practice or when traveling. With aspirations to master the art of mixing vinyl, CJ is constantly digging for new music with the help of his numerous DJ friends.
Being surrounded by family in the house music industry has allowed CJ to gain a wealth of music knowledge from a variety of sources. For instance, he has received a USB stick filled with tracks from JJ Flores, gifted to him by Jesse James, and many others have kindly shared their music with him. When it comes to selecting tracks, CJ has a keen ear and chooses every song himself, responding simply with “I just know I like it!” when asked about his selections. CJ’s parents do not play a role in curating his music; he is fully independent in buying, downloading, and organizing his tracks and playlists.
CJ has been making waves in the DJ scene, with multiple gigs in the Sacramento region and a growing presence in Oakland and beyond. He made his live debut at Henotic’s First Saturdaze at Tower Brewing in 2022, where he performed on Pioneer CDJ 900s. He expresses deep gratitude to Jaime (Master Yoda) for giving him this chance to shine. Since then, CJ has also played at events such as House and Urban Development at Oak Park Brewery, as well as Connective Grooves and the Sugar Shack on Twitch. He is grateful to J Alvarez, Aunty Jacky, Mister Anderson, JSPN, and Erika Guzman for their support, who saw his potential from the beginning and gave him a platform to showcase his talents.
As with CJ being a prodigy, we need to know who takes responsibility of this golden child. Who are his parents you may ask? Let’s get to know them too!
Mar Star (mom) used to play house music for CJ when she was expecting him and he was still in her tummy, so his exposure was pre-natal. In addition to Mom and Dad’s influences, CJ attends concerts with his brother and family friends quite often. He enjoys and has seen reggae and international metal bands live in concert, such as Ziggy Marley, Jack Johnson, Cercle Jerks, Melt-Banana, Wand, and Deaf Club. |
As similar to CJ, Mar Star was born in Pasadena, CA, and is from the greater LA area. She grew up going to Doc Martin’s Sublevel underground parties in the late 90’s/early 2000’s while K-Dubb was in Northern California attending warehouse raves at Home Base.
K-Dubb was born in San Jose, CA, and his family moved to Folsom, CA, at age 11. K-Dubb made the move to the city of San Francisco in his 20’s at which point he met Mar Star in 2006 at Ruby Skye Night Club, when DJ Dan was debuting his newly released album, Lift 2. K-Dubb was hanging with Dan on stage and Mar Star was out dancing on the dance floor. Their eyes locked and Kevin signaled to her to make her way up on stage to meet Dan. This was the start of something special They spent the entire weekend together playing house music and sight-seeing throughout the City. They initiated a long and happy distance relationship and enjoying years of attending Stompy Parties, Butter, Wish, Mighty,
and many other house music locales.
Soon thereafter, K-Dubb moved to the LA Area to be with Mar Star. They lived in LA for 14 years and decided to make the move to Folsom, CA, to be closer to their older son (and CJ’s older brother), Alexander Parseghian, who is in his junior year at the University of San Francisco (USF) studying Architecture.
Mar Star worked for NASA JPL for over 21 years and is now fully remote and working from home for a Fortune 26 company, Centene Corporation. Kevin owns his own business, Watkins
Wiring, and does data, cabling and wiring for new office buildings or moves. They purchased properties in the Sacramento area and are real estate investors in addition to being house music DJ’s.
Mar Star and K-Dubb are pleasantly surprised by the thriving/developing house music scene in Sacramento, and its re-invigorated vibrance in the general Northern California area. Sacramento, Oakland, and San Francisco are on fire right now and have come together quite nicely to bring us some pretty amazing house music and events! Let’s keep the momentum going!
In conclusion, CJ will be showcasing his skills as the headlining act at the upcoming Valentine’s event in Oakland on Saturday, February 11th, 2023, from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM. He will be joining forces with talented DJs including Mario Dubbz, Heather B, K-Dubb, Mar Star and Chuy Glasses, all under the auspices of the legendary MC Party Mouth, Erika Guzman. CJ is immensely grateful for this exciting opportunity and extends his heartfelt thanks to Erika. Check out the flyer below for the complete line-up!
Moreover, CJ will be teaming up with DJ JSPN to perform more gigs on Twitch, allowing his music to reach an even wider audience.
If you’re interested in booking CJ for a performance, you can reach out to either his Manager, Joshua Quinley of JMFQ, or his parents. They’ll be happy to help you arrange the details. CJ is continuously growing his presence in the music industry and we can’t wait to see where his talent takes him next!