DJ Mochi is a Chicago-based DJ, producer, and event curator. He is recognized for his worldwide outlook on music, seamlessly weaving together crowd favorites with lesser-known gems and remixes spanning the globe. From Hip-Hop and R&B to Afrobeats and Dancehall to Amapiano and House, his selections transport audiences to clubs around the world.

Mochi got his start spinning records as a student at the University of Oregon, where he hosted several radio programs on KWVA 88.1 FM. Since relocating to Chicago in 2016, he has brought his sound to dozens of venues across the city, landing residencies at local hot spots like Soho House, Ace Hotel, and Blind Barber.

In 2020, amidst the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mochi co-launched Global Currency, a live-stream event on Twitch celebrating international sound system culture. Since landing a new home at Sleeping Village at the start of 2022, the event has quickly emerged as one of Chicago’s hottest dance parties. As a brand, Global Currency has officially partnered with Red Bull, featured top DJs from around the country, and headlined multiple music festivals to date. 

Mochi’s versatility as an artist has led him to a variety of high-profile bookings. 
He has  performed at Soulection's “Link Up” event, spun official after-parties for Afrobeats superstars like Burna Boy and BNXN (FKA Buju), and directly supported global talent, including Tame Impala, Lizzo, Tierra Whack, and Juls. Mochi frequently travels throughout North America, appearing on stages in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Toronto, Denver, Indianapolis, and Portland. 
In 2022, the Chicago Reader recognized Mochi for “Best career breakout by a DJ” in their annual Best of Chicago edition.

For Mochi, music is a universal language that has the unique power to connect people. His mission as a DJ is to build a diverse and forward-thinking community, open to fresh sounds and experiences.

LOLAWOLF is Zoë and Jimmy. 

New album 7/3/20
New singles out now
Not Diana http://lolawolf.ffm.to/notdiana
Whole House https://lolawolf.ffm.to/wholehouse

Follow LOLAWOLF on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/lolawolfspotify

contact info:  morton@innitrecordings.com

Listen to all the music that I've been listening to lately here on Soundcloud.

SoMo—aka Joseph Somers-Morales—will never forget being on stage as a kid. At six-years-old, he sang at a popular club on historic 6th Street in Austin, TX.

“I was way too young to be in a bar,” he laughs.

However, his life took a bit of a detour away from music for quite some time. It certainly loomed in the background, but he had other things on his mind.

“My dad was in a jazz rock band called Duck Soup, and he wasn’t always there,” admits SoMo. “Because of the lifestyle, I just wanted to grow up, be normal, and have a family. My mom really raised my brother and me. I didn’t fight music, but I didn’t necessarily embrace it either. I wanted to do my own thing.”

Throughout high school in Denison, TX, that’s precisely what he did. He played football and hung out with friends, distancing himself from the proverbial “stage” as much as possible. However, in 2009, music called to him in the strangest and most serendipitous way. Receiving a piano from his mom for Christmas, he taught himself how to play by ear and recorded a cover of Chris Brown’s “Crawl”.

Uploading the performance to YouTube, it soon went viral. With his brother John’s encouragement, he teamed up with producer and engineer Cody Tarpley and continued to cut covers periodically over the next year. Prior to the release of Drake’s Take Care in 2011, he recorded a medley of the entire album and dropped it on the album’s release day. That medley would go on to garner over 4 million views, and it started to solidify the SoMo phenomenon.

Throughout 2012, the singer and songwriter began to buckle down and work on his first original music. His efforts in the studio yielded the independent debut mixtape, My Life. A powerful, palpable, and passionate collection, it merged R&B spirit with pop soul, showcasing his dynamic voice and songwriting prowess. Released for free on his birthday September 11, My Life opened up SoMo’s world.

“It was important to stand out,” he goes on. “On My Life, we implemented different styles to show I could write over any type of music. At the same time, it’s a cohesive story about my actual life since I started making music. There are party moments. There’s heartbreak. There’s love. It’s real.”

My Life spawned his first hit “Ride”. Without any radio support and no label at the time, the track began selling 10,000 digital tracks weekly, while its music video directed by Dan Gotti accumulated over 3 million views. It offered a fitting introduction to SoMo with its sexy hook and slick, soaring, and seductive sound.

“It just happened one night,” he remembers. “A girl came over, and I was drinking some red wine. I started playing the piano, and I hit my favorite chord. I wrote the hook right away. I was deeply in love with this girl and the song essentially says, ‘I’m going to ride. I’d die for you. My love is forever’. Of course, there is that sexual element though. It’s fun.”

Simultaneously, SoMo released a cover every single Sunday as part of his “SoMo Sunday” campaign. Speaking directly to his fans, he offered up new music each week, and the series has accrued 50 million-plus views on YouTube.

As “Ride” continued to gain steam, SoMo hit the road for a sold out headline tour. Struck by all of his success, Republic Records reached out and offered him a deal in October 2013. Now, he’s prepping his self-titled major label debut for a 2014 release. For the artist, nothing has changed though.

“That’s why I’m calling the record SoMo,” he reveals. “That name has been with me for so long. In seventh grade, a girl wrote me a note and called me JoSoMo. I thought it was cool so I made an AIM screen name JoSoMo. All of my football teammates and coaches started calling me SoMo on the field. This is who I am.”

Ultimately though, it’s his intimate, infectious, and irresistible music that’s going to make everyone remember that name. “When I sing, I really mean it,” he leaves off. “If I’m singing about a woman in the studio, I sing into the mic like it’s her ear. If I’m singing about something sad or happy, I’ll put myself in that mood. My music is driven by emotion from the inside. My motto is, “If it sounds good, people will listen.”

Tavaras McDaniel is following