Stephen Curry and Co. uncorked the roars at Oracle Arena on Sunday, putting on a clinic in three-pointers, breakaway dunks and timely thefts during the first game of the NBA Western Conference Semifinals. But, the energy of that victory wasn’t supplied solely by the men on the court and their adoring fans. Credit is also due to a man few would likely recognize—a behind-the-scenes expert who dials up the excitement with music.
DJ D-Sharp, the official DJ of the Golden State Warriors, keeps the crowd and the players hyped—not by orchestrating the chipper thuds of in-game noise that lead the familiar tribal chants of “De-Fense!” and “Let’s Go, Oakland!”—but with a live-mixed set, which he spins as the players warm up.
“In any sport, when the (players) walk into the arena, they got their headphones on” says D-Sharp, a.k.a. Derrick Robinson. “The marriage between sports and music is something you can’t deny. They go hand in hand.”
Once the game begins, D-Sharp heads to section 122 to prepare for his fourth quarter set. He believes this second set has the power to change the direction of a game.
“The other night, they were down,” he says. “So, I mixed that Drake sample—‘Steph Curry with the shot’—with something from the Bay Area. The crowd got into it. Next thing you know, the team started going.”
His role in inspiring the crowd and the players has not gone unnoticed.
“David Lee, Shaun Livingston, even Luke Walton, they come over and ask me ‘what do you got today?’” he says, adding that he didn’t realize his work on the ones and twos had much of an impact. “They appreciate it. And, I never knew that. I just do it as a job. But, those guys need it to get pumped up.”
Rocking an arena is a unique challenge, D-Sharp says. “In the club you can let a song play. But, during the game, I can only play like maybe half a verse, then go to the hook, and from that into another beat over this new hook. Then, some oldies to please everyone.”
In 2001, the Warriors were among the pioneering teams to sanction a DJ. Back then, DJ Solomon ran the show. Solomon, a friend and influencer, brought D-Sharp for guest spots at games, and introduced him to digital mixing.
Three years ago, Solomon passed after a car accident during a tour in Thailand. It was a bittersweet opportunity for D-Sharp, who took his mentor’s place. Since then, D-Sharp has emphasized distinctive spinning.
“I like to showcase what a DJ can really do,” he said. “When I get those chances, I gotta captivate the crowd. I want people to know this is D-Sharp.”
