Bodalia is the genre-blending DJ and full-time doctor who’s breaking all the rules and building a community while he’s at it. From performing at Tomorrowland via a Mixcloud-run contest to supporting Fatboy Slim on tour, Bodalia’s story is one of hustle, heart, and strategic creativity. 

We spoke to him about launching his career on Mixcloud, the lessons he’s learned from the global stage and why he’s on a mission to help the next wave of DJs build meaningful, lasting careers with his DJ academy, Bodalia’s DJ Accelerator.

Tell us a bit about your journey with music and how you got started as a DJ.

Bodalia: I’ve been playing music since I was a kid. Playing instruments like saxophone, piano, clarinet, guitar and playing in bands. In my mid-teens, a friend’s brother had a home studio and I wanted to get into producing and DJing. Later on when I got to university, I wanted to find a way to use my music knowledge in a slightly cooler space going to clubs, festivals. I started to look at what the biggest DJs were doing. I reverse engineered how they were building their careers and looked to implement those tools and strategies, so that was the beginning of the music for me.

How has your experience on Mixcloud factored into your journey?

When I was around 20, I wanted to get myself out there as a DJ and I stumbled across Mixcloud, a platform that allows you to upload mixes without any issues with copyright. Uploading mixes consistently was part of my early strategy so I could build a catalogue. I bought some decks and noticed that Mixcloud were running DJ contests at the time. That’s when I saw the Tomorrowland competition and I thought, “you’ve got to be in it to win it.”

So I entered and made a 25-minute mix. I really focused on the quality of the mix and went for a genre that was a little different to what everyone else was playing. Everyone was playing House, EDM, and chart music, but I was really feeling Nu-Disco and that if I dig a bit deeper with my track selection that will show I’m different in terms of my track selection.

I was just trying to figure out how to get myself higher up those Mixcloud charts because I knew that the judges were going to listen to the top 50 mixes and then pick their favorite 20. Then the favorite 20 would get flown to Barcelona for the final. Part of my strategy was believing that listening time was important. I thought it’s better to have people listen to 75% of a 20-minute mix versus five minutes of a 45-minute mix. My mix was jumping up and down the charts, people were engaging and it built momentum. I think it ended at number four out of thousands of mixes for the competition. I got flown out to Barcelona. The final was there, held over three days. I had the wildest experience of my life and won the contest.

What doors did winning the competition open for you?

Being able to play at Tomorrowland…I genuinely couldn’t have had a bigger launch pad. I was playing at the biggest festival in the world on an incredible stage that was floating on water and on the lineup either side of me there were big names. Backstage, I was meeting my heroes. Armin van Buuren approached me. I met Marshmello in the lift but he didn’t have the helmet on. So I didn’t know it was him at the time! It gave me that credibility that I needed at that point in time.

But honestly speaking, it was a platform and I had to use that platform in the most optimized way because other people have won similar competitions, but I didn’t see them securing more opportunities after it. I was relentless with reaching out to people and using that as a springboard. That’s how I got my first release on Ministry of Sound because I was building hype for myself. I was pitching myself to radio stations to share the journey, to share my story and getting a lot of organic press. I think Mixcloud gives you this solid platform to give you some momentum, but that momentum will die off unless you really grab hold of it and run fast with it.

What are some of the most interesting things you’ve discovered about your Mixcloud community?

I have built a following on Mixcloud and that’s just come through over time. When I do put a mix up, it’s incredible to see the followers, the Mixcloud community engaging, writing comments, showing love for the track selection. That’s what means a lot to me as a DJ. The community part of Mixcloud is powerful and also the special thing about it is I view it as an expert community. So those who have accounts on Mixcloud tend to be lovers of dance music and music in general. It’s great to be part of.

In amongst your creative career, you’re also a full time doctor. How has it been trying to balance both?

I never know how to answer a question about balance because I do this through obsession, passion and dedication. Having big dreams and seeing that if other guys can do it, I can also do it. I can’t imagine a life where I wouldn’t be doing music. I’ve had to become very smart with managing my time and adjusting my work hours, but this all comes down to relationships as well. I can get time off work when I need to because I have built relationships with my hospital and promoters and bookers who know that my schedule is a bit mad. So they will help me out with a set time that works for me. But the driving force is just my absolute love for music, my passion for the game and the hustle and building my career as a DJ.

You’ve gone from the Tomorrowland DJ competition in 2016 to supporting the likes of Fatboy Slim on tour. What have been some of the best lessons you’ve taken from your journey so far?

The best advice I’ve ever had is to understand people and be able to work with people so that you can build a team. You can’t do this alone. If you want to go far, you need to be thinking in terms of how you can outsource parts of your DJ career to other people so that you can focus on the bits that you enjoy. That could be anything from branding or artwork, photoshoots, having your mix mastered before it goes online to make it sound extra like more polished if you really want to.

Building relationships with people at every level is key because you never know when you might need them. Be a genuinely kind person who thinks about giving before wanting something. Last year I was backstage with a few major artists. I got to interview artists like Laidback Luke, Meduza and Alok. Alok’s got 30 million followers. He’s the biggest DJ in Brazil and we spoke for 15 minutes and the conversation was so genuine that he delayed his upcoming interviews. In fact, I wasn’t supposed to be interviewing him. I just grabbed him. You just have to remember that DJs are humans as well. So you just need to be kind, approachable, trustworthy, relatable. Speak to them like a friend.

Tell us about your DJ academy and how it works.

I receive hundreds of messages and emails every week from DJs and producers who are struggling to get to the next level. Producers, other busy professionals, those who are tight with time because they maybe have a family, that have been doing this for 10-15 years and just seen no growth. I’ve enjoyed replying to most people because I can help them. But what I really wanted to do was find a way of being able to share the tools, the knowledge, the strategies, even individuals and teams I’ve worked with. Just as a way to show DJs who are serious about this that they can do it for themselves as long as they’re willing to put the time in. 

The academy is on an invite only basis. I want to make sure that whoever has access to these resources is going to put the work in. I want to understand what they have done so far and where they want to go to make sure that the resources they’re using are going to actually make a difference. The first thing that I ask them to do is to give me some background on their journey, the things they’ve tried and their goals. Then I explain to them what the academy entails. Within the academy there are around 10 hours worth of video recordings and tutorials that I have created on things like branding, social media, building a radio show, things like that. I’m giving them the knowledge and the tools that they can apply to themselves.

What do you hope to achieve with the academy?

I want to take the mystery out of the music business because there’s a lot I’ve learned over the last 10 years that isn’t what I initially thought things were like. So to be able to give people those insights is really exciting to me. From the academy, students have gotten opportunities to collaborate with myself and other guys in the community who are doing incredible things. We’ve got a doctor in the USA who’s played at Miami Music Week. We’ve got a guy in London who plays at Ivy Asia and Nobu in Mayfair, high-end events. So really it’s just about showing that anyone can achieve their goals and then some.

“Fatboy Slim picked me to support him on tour and told me I’m a good DJ! That was a huge moment for me.”

What are some of your tips for creators on Mixcloud who want to follow in your footsteps?

I’d say to people, aim for those high level goals because it genuinely is possible. But the only way you’re going to get there and be able to compete with the best and be alongside the best is to build your career like a business, alongside the passion. Be organized with your time. Be consistent and persistent. You need to think outside the box as well when you’re reaching out to people. Give before you take and be patient. The nuance that I try to explain to upcoming DJs is you can be patient but you must be doing all the right things and then that end goal will eventually happen. 

There are a lot of DJs who are doing various things but they’re not following an organized plan or a strategy or thinking strategically about how often they should be uploading their mixes or putting out content. How they should be branding themselves and getting their voice out there. They’re just kind of plodding along and that’s not patience. So I think patience works really well when you are doing things right because it will eventually happen. It will happen.

You must’ve had some amazing moments in your career so far. What are some of the proudest?

A highlight was being invited by Fatboy Slim to be his special guest during his UK tour. I was playing in Brighton to 4,000 people and I played right before him. No feeling can describe it. Like, he’s a legend and he selected me. He came into my dressing room before my set and the fact that he actually took time to say hi meant a lot to me. He told me he personally selected me and I’m a good DJ and he listens to my mixes. That was a big moment for me.
 
I’ve also been able to do events which I never thought I would be able to as a DJ. I DJ’d at London’s New Year’s Day parade to 500,000 street spectators and it was broadcast globally to an audience of 500 million people.

You could be playing at the maddest place, things you never even expected. You meet amazing people as you go. I do this as well because of who I get to work with and who I get to nerd out with, whether it be production or music, sending recommendations. Without the people I wouldn’t be as passionate, so it’s definitely an honour.

What’s next for you?

I’ve not released any music for two years, and creating music is what I love about being a DJ and an artist. So this year I’m planning to release something every four to six weeks. I’ve got music in the bank. We’re just in the process of discussing with labels, building a release strategy. I want to continue helping as many new and passionate DJs as I can to do the same things that I’m doing but in their own career. I have a few guest mixes coming up on some amazing radio shows that I’m going to be posting on my Mixcloud page and feeding my audience there. With my journey in general, I’m curious to see how far we can take it and what doors we can open.

Follow Bodalia on Mixcloud.