Faces Of New Bedford #168: Julian Juan

Meet Julian “DJ Jules Flava” Juan, 36-year-old DJ and streamer. Julian grew up in a Puerto Rican family that was always listening to a diverse selection of music. This atmosphere pushed him to want to become a singer but after realizing he didn’t have the talent for it, he pursued becoming a rapper as a teen.

It wasn’t until he saw DJ Jazzy Jeff spinning live on TV, that he knew what he was meant to do musically. Being a teenager, he would save as much as he could from his Papa Gino paychecks to save up for the equipment he had researched, in magazines and from local DJs. As a student in the Upward Bound program, he was paired up with DJ Wal-Gee, a local DJing legend, who showed him the ropes. Once he got his equipment, he began DJing wherever he could, from parties at his Alma Mater of UMass Dartmouth to their radio station.

Wanted to expand his reach as a DJ, he reached out to DJ Pup Dawg at JAMN 94.5, hoping to land an internship, which he did. He’d put together weekly mixes and help out at the morning show, fulfilling well beyond his 14 hours of required service. After months of deliverance, he was welcomed on as a part of the team.

Since at the station, Julian has been able to expand his reach building relationships with recording artists and business. Not only does he work for the station DJing, but doing private events and weddings. He has even recently started streaming on Twitch, interviewing celebrities and artists, all while playing old school video games for their online audience. He is also using Youtube to educate people on thrones disease, vlogging his own journey on finding a help from his illness.

Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com.

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.