DJ Darrick D, also known as Lt. Col. Darrick Duran, plays "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers on the first day of classes at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 21, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — When a party at this airlift hub in western Tokyo needs an experienced beatmatcher at the turntables, “DJ Darrick D” steps up.
Air Force Lt. Col. Darrick Duran, commander of the 374th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron, moonlights as a disc jockey, a sideline he picked up as a student at Fresno State University.
“He’s our go-to for any of our major morale events,” the 36th Airlift Squadron’s commander, Lt. Col. Kira Coffey, said by phone Wednesday. “Being a commander myself, I think it is impressive the amount of time and effort he puts into being a DJ on top of being a commander. It’s a testament to his passion for doing that and just how phenomenal of a person he is to be able to balance his job and DJing so well.”
“DJ Darrick D” said he started his music venture at age 6 with a drum set bought by his father. Seven years later, he put his drumsticks aside in favor of competitive wrestling. But he couldn’t resist the urge to spin vinyl. While at Fresno State in 2000, he bought turntables and records and learned to match beats.
Beatmatching is the foundation of DJing, Duran said. The DJ mixes songs with the same speed and time so the beat syncs up seamlessly while transitioning to the next track.
Duran noticed he had a knack for DJing, so to make extra money, he started working the turntables at Club Dance, a hip-hop and R&B nightclub in Fresno, under a mentor, DJ David Harris.
“He was a music lover, and it was easy because he learned fast,” Harris said via Facebook Messenger on Sept 1. “He had started slightly before I met, and he fit right in.”
Duran was working at the Fresno County Health Department when his wife, Alena Duran, talked him into joining the Air Force as a public health officer. He commissioned in 2005.
Duran took command at Yokota on June 28, 2022. By day, he oversees the active-duty clinic at the 374th Medical Group, along with the mental health flight, public health, audiology, optometry and physical therapy.
“After I joined the military, I was under this impression that I had to leave the DJ scene,” Duran told Stars and Stripes on Aug. 28. “My wife and I used to joke about ‘You can't do both; you can't be an officer and a DJ’.”
How the tables have turned: Since 2009, Duran has been the DJ at squadron holiday parties, group holiday parties and promotion events on Air Forces bases. Most recently he worked the decks at the airlift squadron’s combat dining-in and the first day of classes at Yokota High School on Aug. 21.
DJ Darrick D, also known as Lt. Col. Darrick Duran, plays "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers on the first day of classes at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Aug. 21, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
The most challenging part of being a DJ is programming an entire event, he said. The Air Force Ball, for example, unfolds in stages, like the social hour, dinner and dancing, which require changing music styles.
“At dinner you shouldn’t be playing Metallica for a formal event, you would play some smooth jazz instrumentals, songs that people are familiar with so that they can kind of listen and be like ‘Hey, I know that song,’” Duran said.
Also, the audience is composed of people of various ages and backgrounds, so the DJ must find music that everyone enjoys.
“We always call him up because we know that he gets the vibe of whatever we're trying to do,” Coffey said. “And he goes and researches what kind of music he should be playing so that everyone is in the right mood to celebrate appropriately.”
Duran said he is very influenced by ‘70s soul and R&B; some of his favorite songs are “Midas Touch” by Midnight Star, “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers and “La Vida Es un Carnaval” by Celia Cruz.
“I feel like even though it's extra work and time, it's something that I really like doing,” Duran said. “And it's my way to connect people because music brings people together.”
