Turntablism Archives

This is James Allen Celles, my beloved brother who unexpectedly passed away on New Year’s Eve at the age of 45. He was one of the best human beings I’ve ever known & I want the whole world to know how much I love him. He leaves behind a loving wife, four children, & a multitude of loved ones who all miss him dearly.

I met James in high school through my other brother Anton who was very kind to take me under his wing & introduce me to his dj crew. I was a scrawny freshman and aspiring dj. James was a junior, well-liked & one of the best djs at school. His dj name was DR. JACKLE ( a play on Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde) which was an acronym for James Allen Celles Kicking Lyrics Eternally. Along with my other brother David, they co-founded the dj crew PMD (Precision Mixing Dynamix). In my eyes that crew were gods among men. At various house parties, I studiously observed their stellar technique & mastery of song selection & crowd control. They weren’t just djs, they were storytellers through music.

I practiced extra hard every day just in case they opened up “tryouts” for PMD. Fortunately, that opportunity did come later that year when I performed an impromptu set at David’s bday party. The following week, James and the crew officially invited me into the crew!

It remains one of the greatest days of my life.

As a mobile dj crew, we spent a lot of time together since most gigs were a full day affair, & some weeks we had multiple gigs. I learned so much by being around James. Obviously, he was smart, talented, business minded & a great leader. But he was also so much more.

He taught us how to have fun, be silly & how laughing at onself can be healthy. He showed us that you can do the splits at any occasion, location, & to any song, even slow jams. He taught us how to drive stick shift & how to drive backwards using only side mirrors. He taught us how to scratch without using the crossfader while simultaneously giving a thumbs up. He taught us how to lift equipment twice my size & weight. He was our McGyver and taught us how to build with our hands or creatively fix broken things, including Tricia’s recovered stolen car.

He showed us that gorillas do exist in the mist and that magic is real. As a martial artist, he gave us pointers on how to survive at The Kumite.

He taught us how to eat huge portions of food in one big-ass bite. He taught us business, economics & the value of investment & to think long term. He taught us that it’s ok to not know everything but to also always stay learning. He taught us to dream big but to be patient, persistent & detailed.

Most importantly, he taught us to prioritize friendship, brotherhood, & family over everything. He taught us to be humble, selfless, & generous with our time & money, especially to those who are less fortunate, depressed & lonely. He taught us to respect & appreciate the wisdom from our elders. He taught us that when you hug, hug strong & from within your soul. He taught us to see the beauty in all things.

He taught us that when you love, you love hard & with everything you got. He taught us to live like each day was your last.

Little did we know that his last day would come so soon, especially after seeing him alive & well just 5 days before. It hurts deeply knowing that’s he’s gone. He was such a bright light & the world seems so much dimmer now. Our faiths are heavily being tried.

But as his wife Anfissa powerfully said at his memorial service, he was taken away from us because he was too good for this earth & received his wings because he maximized his time here living & loving to the fullest each day.

James, you won at life & we will celebrate you for the rest of our lives.