DJs, by nature, are collectors. Between them, New York City-based DJs Becka, Elle, Rob Swift and Phil Vonthron own six sets of turntables, four Apple laptops, two Apple desktops, a stack of iPods, innumerable mix tapes and more than 5,000 records, most of which are digitized on the aforementioned Macs. Their clothing collections have similarly massive variations on a theme. Together, they have close to 100 pairs of mint-condition sneakers, thousands of silk-screened and logo T-shirts and piles of bling. DJwear is casualwear. But to generalize these DJ styles would be as grave an error as grouping breakbeats with techno, something no self-respecting audiophile would dare.
Phil Vonthron
Legal name: Phil Vonthron
Spins: Techno and tech house.
Favorite new record: Adam Beyer, “Fabric 22.”
Closet highlight: A pair of yellow-and-blue camouflage Nike 180 Union Clerk Packs.
Favorite store: Recon on the Lower East Side.
With a dual life as a DJ and a sales rep at men’s lifestyle magazine Complex, Phil Vonthron might have more fashion savvy in him than the average guy. His favorite jeans are a pair of Futura Laboratories premium denims with a small graffiti print on the pocket, and he frequents downtown shops, such as Supreme, Flight Club and Alife — basically the Jeffreys of the underground.
But still, boys will be boys. “Guys don’t have that much choice. I dress from the sneakers up,” he laughs. “When I’m deejaying, it’s simple: a dope pair of sneakers, denim and a T-shirt with a record label or electronics company. The scene is pretty minimal. The look is, too.”
Because the hard-core New York techno scene is so small, many of the fans are also DJs — so in front of your peers, the main goal is not to look like a chump. “You can’t look like you’re trying too hard,” says Vonthron, “but you need to know what’s up.”
Rob Swift
Legal name: Rob Aguilar
Spins: Breakbeats, classic hip-hop.
Listens to: Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, The Doors, System of a Down, Jimi Hendrix.
Hidden secret: An entire closet devoted to dozens of Puma and New Balance sneakers.
True love: Nike Air Max 95.
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There have been some tough moments in Rob Swift’s life. “Nike stopped making the Air Max 95 for a while,” he sighs. “I was so-o-o depressed.” Swift moved on to bigger issues, though: His new album, “War Games,” released on Tuesday, questions the tactics of a certain Texas politician and is Swift’s first solo album since leaving the legendary DJ crew The X-Ecutioners last year. Swift is sponsored by hip-hop apparel company Mixwell USA, but he’s always adding to his pristine Air Max 95 collection (last count: 23) and racks of camouflage and track pants. “There’s a certain look that says you’re hip-hop, and I’m a slave to that to some degree,” he says. “But I try to change it up with small details, the way I tilt my hat, whatever. We have a huge influence with our fans, and they tend to wear what we wear. I think it’s cool that someone could start off as a hip-hop artist and turn into the ceo of a clothing company. I mean, could Donna Karan suddenly put out a rap album?”
DJ Becka
Legal name: Rebecca Wilson
Spins: Hard techno.
Listens to: Techno producers Cave and Preach and DJ Agent Orange, but indulges in Coldplay.
Loves but never wears: Floor-length vintage dresses given to her by her mom.
Favorite designer: Donna Karan
Weakness: H&M impulse buys.
DJ Becka painted every room in her Astoria, Queens, apartment a different color. Her studio, where she records a live techno show every Saturday with Gotham City Radio, is lime green. Her living room is orange. Her kitchen is yellow. This enthusiasm for color extends to her wardrobe. “My clothes are colorful and fun and funky. But electronic music doesn’t always get DJs or fans with the most style.” Though she has her fair share of hoodies and logo T-shirts, when she’s performing, she likes to kick it up a notch. “My boyfriend [also her DJ partner, Agent Orange], hates it when I wear this shirt,” she muses over a belly-baring halter top. She grins. “Everybody else loves it.”
DJ Elle
Legal name: Lauren Wilburne
Spins: Hip-hop, reggae.
Favorite record to play on the clock: Snoop Dogg, “Tha Shiznit.”
Favorite new record: Young Jeezy, “Let’s Get It.”
Signature: Gold jewelry.
Most recent purchase: Marc Jacobs moon boots.
“I’m trying to get rid of records,” says DJ Elle. “You go to people’s houses sometimes, and they are just overrun with vinyl.” Elle doesn’t seem as concerned with shedding clothes. She has a wall of sneakers in her bedroom — mostly Nike Air Dunks, with some Fila thrown in — and a “crazy collection” of tank tops and gold jewelry. Simply ghetto fab? Not quite. “Everybody is watching you when you’re deejaying,” she says. “You have to look good.” In downtown clubs such as Sway, where she has a twice-monthly residency, she stands out from the hyperstyled crowd with upscale, unique pieces, such as a gun necklace made by a friend paired with itty-bitty short shorts. “I do a lot of downtown parties, so everybody influences each other a lot when it comes to what they’re listening to or what they’re wearing,” she shrugs. “It’s always different.”