Some DJs have a routine. If you hang around the same club long enough, you’ll hear the crowd complain that they play the same music, in the same order, every week. Not DJ Chucky Brown. “I do everything in the moment,” he says. This spontaneity doesn’t mean he’s not in control of the crowd. “You make the night,” he says of his philosophy for mixing all genres (but specializing in indie rock and electro at both overflowing venues and intimate events). “You throw bait out. If you start with Azari and nothing happens, throw out some Datarock or Lcd Soundsystem, if that does not get the reaction maybe take it more commercial like Le Roux or the Ting Tings, till you find something. I can go deep on everything and we can take it wherever you want it to go.”

Despite this bravado—and unlike some DJs who tend to make their performances a way to brag about their musical knowledge—Brown, who is more charming and considerate than you would expect a guy who spends most of his time in loud dark places to be, he just wants the crowd to have a good time. “All I want is to make people go crazy,” he says. “That is my super specialty.”

He’s headlined exclusive events thrown by celebrity tastemakers, such as Hamilton, Rent, Star Wars, Justin Timberlake, Missy Elliot, and Nelly Furtado

“It’s super corny but it’s true,” he says. “A lot of DJs play for themselves, but my goal has always been to give the crowd a night that can go on forever.”