Best described as a down-to-earth Chicago native whose skill exceeds his modest nature, Ignacio Ceja, more commonly known as DJ IGGY, has a reputation for transcending party-goers to the pulsating realm of music. With an innate ability to read the crowd's energy and an unwavering passion for leaving his audience with effervescent memories, he reigns supreme as an innovator in Chicago’s nightlife scene.

A hobbyist turned professional, the DJ started his journey burning CDs and playing house parties in 2009 before knowing his fate of performing for crowds of thousands. Entering the scene at a time in which his fellow, and now just as notable, Chicago creatives were as hungry as he to claim a spot in a community that was booming with talent and potential acts as an indicator for his still-very relevant drive. “I remember [my mentality was], ‘I'm gonna take every opportunity I can.’” he reminisced. A moment in which drill music dominated the people's parties marked a period in time that would soon act as a form of self-discovery for the zealous DJ. “I was playing [a lot] more hip-hop those days. Not that I don't anymore, but I feel like I was really playing it at that time. Drill inspires all types of music worldwide now, but at that time, it was a whole different era. Over the years, I started to discover what I’m passionate about playing, which helped me shape my sound and the brand of my parties.”

Allowing his culture to take the forefront of his mixes, an IGGY set demonstrates a variety of dance music, from House to Latin sounds. “I feel like my sound definitely describes who I am; my background, my roots,” he proudly shared. “My parents are from Mexico [and] I was born here, and I feel like I bring a lot of that sound into my sets. For example, lots of Reggaeton, and sometimes I'll even do Bachata or Salsa, but overall, sounds from all over the world [have] really inspired me.”

The better half of duo groups Global Currency, a pandemic-birthed live-stream turned Red Bull-sponsored function, and Latin-dance party Agua, IGGY has established himself as one of the most sought-after DJs in the city. From intimate club settings to dominant festival stages, his seamless transitions and genre-defying mixes leave audiences mesmerized and craving more.

Since initially sitting down with the flourishing DJ a year ago, immense growth has occurred overnight, making an impenetrable case for manifestation. “Honestly, the goal is to take this outside Chicago and keep it growing,” he previously shared. “[I want] to get other communities involved and bring these parties to new cities and hopefully, you know, keep building a fan base [like the one] we have in Chicago.”

IGGY has secured momentous achievements between speaking this intent aloud and now, including a namesake tour through Global Currency that found him in Toronto, a Paris Fashion Week debut, and a partnership with Jose Cuervo Tequila’s DJ Collective. I sat down with DJ IGGY to step into his rapidly growing world.

Here we are again! How have you been since we last chatted?

I've been well, you know, just staying busy [and] active this summer. Ever since I left my 9-to-5 job last year, things have just been picking up for me in a blissful, grateful way. Things have really been picking up [with] my parties and my own gigs, so it's been great. I’ve been able to travel a lot, do more stuff outside of Chicago, and meet new folks and new friends.

During our initial interview, you discussed your hopes of existing outside Chicago. How does it feel knowing you made it all happen a year later?

It feels great. I never thought that I was not capable of doing it; I knew that I was able. I just really had to put all my focus into it, you know? I think when I had the 9-to-5 job it was stopping me from certain stuff so I couldn't put my all in it, all 100%, but I was able to figure it out and now I feel like the reason things have been working out is because I just put my all in it every day. Figuring out new venues, new gigs, discovering new music, discovering new upcoming DJs, discovering new cities… I’ve been putting more time into my craft and it's just paying off.

You’ve come a long way from house parties. Can you talk about playing for larger crowds and whether it has shifted how you view DJing?

I was doing house [and loft] parties; obviously when you [first] start something, you're just so nervous. Even to this day I still get nervous before big shows, but I feel like I was meant to do this. It feels normal and natural to me. But yeah, of course, there are times, now, when I play for bigger crowds… I just opened up for Drama at a sold-out Thalia Hall show and that's a huge room; it feels a little intimidating, but honestly, it just feels good. I love playing for big crowds and seeing people dance and move to stuff that I'm playing [and] music that I love, that I'm able to share.

From Chicago to Coachella. We have to talk about how it felt to get that call and the feeling of taking one of their stages.

[DJ Chava] and I got an email from our good friend, Alicia, and she was like, ‘Hey, are you guys interested in playing at Soho Desert House at Coachella weekend one?’ When we saw the email, honestly, we were shocked; like, this can't be real, especially because [Agua] had just sold out Schubas two months before. We went from Blind Barber to Schubas to Lincoln Hall to Coachella.

We got booked to open up on Sunday at Soho Desert House [at Coachella]. The lineup that day was stacked; it was wild being there [because] it was my first time. There were a lot of people there, and the fact that they're hearing [us] DJ is just crazy. It was a great experience for me and Chava individually and as a party; we played all types of music like our signature sound which was lots of Latin music with edits and remixes. We just kept it fun [and] high energy. Honestly, those two hours [of performing] went by so fast because we were enjoying the moment. We hope to be back soon. We’re so grateful for the love and support that we've been getting from the whole city of Chicago.

What’s been your favorite opportunity thus far?

Wow, that's a really good question. I started working with the Tequila brand, Jose Cuervo, so that's been really cool. It's been a great opportunity to learn more about the partnership side; it's also a collective so it's been awesome to work with people that you look up to and also DJs that are your friends. There are going to be some cool events later this year that I'll be doing with them… I think that's probably one of the biggest opportunities that I've had in the last couple of months for sure, for myself, [outside] of my parties.

What do you hope to achieve with your parties?

Wow, another good question. I love these. Honestly, there's no limit for me. I just want to keep growing each day and taking it to the next level; I think anything is possible, you just really have to put your mind to it and really believe in yourself, you know? Anyone can do anything. You just really got to put your mind to it. Also, you’ve got to remember to always ask for help. And work with your friends. My parties are successful because I've been working with friends. I've been working with DJ Mochi on Global Currency, I've been working with DJ Chava on Agua, and I feel like that's been helpful. I want to be consistently selling out my parties. And then from there, I feel like I want to take it to a bigger venue and then obviously take it to the festival stages and travel the world. I feel like there are a lot of countries I still want to play in, [specifically] a lot of places in Europe. Since I left my 9-to-5 things have been skyrocketing and going in the right direction. I feel like I'm on the right path, but, you know, just got to take it day by day.

Speaking of taking your talent outside of the city… You’ve already begun to do so, but the fact remains: Chicago is home. How does it differ or compare to DJing in other cities?

Obviously, being a kid from the city, I know what people want here [and] what they enjoy. It's easy to play in Chicago because I'm from here; for example, I could play juke music, and people go crazy. There’s certain stuff that I play here that I could get away with. But playing in other cities challenges you and makes you better because the music you know that's going to go up here [in Chicago] doesn't necessarily go up the same way; like, in Paris or Toronto or London, it just doesn't work that way. So, I feel like when you play in other cities, you really have to read the room - just really just vibe out and see what they’re moving to.

For example, this is a funny story, but I played in Detroit the day before we played Toronto, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I'm going to go and play my Global Currency sound and play music from all over the world and lots of cool edits and stuff.’ I started playing all this house music, and there were a few people there. It wasn't a huge crowd, but there was a good amount of people… by the end of my set, just one person was dancing. I was in my head like, ‘Wow, I just cleaned.’ I just cleared out the dance floor thinking I was, you know, killing it. [In reality] there was one loyal person that enjoyed my set and stayed there; I was like, ‘Wow, that's cool.’ But also I was like, ‘You know what? I'm going to stay true to myself and play what I love to play.’ I want to play the stuff that sounds like IGGY, you know? It was funny, but it's all part of the learning process. Not every city is going to go up the way Chicago is, and you just have to understand that and move on. But overall, Detroit was a great venue that we played at with great staff; it was just one of those moments where I thought I had the crowd, and it just didn't work out that way.

I’m so glad you referenced that iconic DJ IGGY sound. Last time we spoke, you said, “My sound describes who I am; my background, my roots. My parents are from Mexico, and I was born here [Chicago], so I feel I bring that into my sets.” Has your sound evolved since, or does this remain true?

No, it's still the same, I just think that now, since I've been growing more and my parties have been growing as well, I feel like people come to my parties to hear what I play. [Listeners] trust me with the sound and they want me to do me, and that's what's been beautiful about Global Currency and Agua. At my monthly [party] at Easy Does It, people go there to dance, not stand around to look cool. People are there to move, meet people and just sweat it out. [Since] the last time we talked, I think my sound is still the same [as] I'm playing lots of dance music and electronic music, but I do throw in Latin Music and Reggaeton to Cumbia and Norteñas to Afro House and Baile Funk; I mean, you name it. It sounds all over the place but I think that describes my style.

You previously shared with me that you still get butterflies and nerves when prepping and that you treat each gig as though you’re still a rookie. Are you still approaching your sets the same way, or has your pre-show process evolved? 

Honestly, I still feel the same way, I still get nervous before sets. I don't know why. I've been doing this forever, but it's just like… I really have a passion for music and for DJing and my sets and putting music together, so I feel like I'm always prepping before a show. Every time. It doesn't matter if I'm doing a guest set or if I'm doing my own party, I'm always prepping a set, you know? I dig a lot because I don't like playing the same music or repetitive songs. I try to do new transitions but yeah, I'm always prepping, to be honest.

What's the most rewarding part of what you do?

Coming home and having a late-night snack. I love it. [Laughing] No, no. It just feels really good to make people laugh and smile. You never know what someone's going through before they enter that party, and I think my goal as a DJ is to make your night a special one [so you] leave everything that you had before coming into that party or to that room [at the door] and just forget about it. That's [often] the reason people go out; is to have some drinks, meet, or have a good time. It makes me happy when I'm behind the booth and focused. I have a really shy, quiet personality, and [I’ll] talk to people at these parties, but I'm just very in my zone to ensure that I'm doing my job right and giving a quality product or experience.

Do you have any advice for young DJs who are trying to enter this scene?

Have fun with this. Go out and shake hands, meet people, support other parties, and maybe check out events that have a sound that you're into or DJs that you look up to. I'm not saying that I don't take this seriously, but I [am] saying have fun with it, you know? Learn the craft, and get to know it. I would say anything is possible; I started with a house party in 2009, from a basement to a loft to doing events for free [while] just trying to get to know people and do stuff, events that I was like, “Wow, I think this is  the type of event that I want to do later on in my career.” After the years you start to learn what sound you like or what music you love to play, but honestly, it's just going out there. Like I said earlier, meet people, support [and] listen to DJs in the city that you already look up to, and practice. Just have fun with it. That's the bottom line: having fun with it because once you don't have fun with it, what's the point of doing it, right?

* * * *

Catch DJ IGGY’s next set alongside DJ Chava, Mo Mami & J Santos

Saturday, August 19th, 2023 at Lincoln Hall

* * * *

Keep up with DJ IGGY on Instagram & Soundcloud