A: Fans of the Flintstones may recognize "Zetox" as being the home planet of The Great Gazoo. Gazoo has been Andrew's alter-ego since grade 7...When choosing a name for his DJ alter-ego, Andrew thought it only appropriate that the name be derived from the mythology of Gazoo.

Meanwhile, the term "Radio Free" is a reference to the radio stations which were set up by the CIA as part of 1950s Cold War strategy, going back to Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia... But perhaps more importantly, "Radio Free Europe" was also REM's first single, and is a great rocker. :)

As a side note, fans of alcohol may recognize "Zetox" as being a British drug derived from volcanic ash that is supposed to prevent hangovers. Make of that what you will...

Q: How did this whole DJing thing start?

A: Being a general music fan pretty much since childhood, Andrew DJed at parties for friends and family all the time. He also once DJ'ed a corporate Christmas party for a friend's company. However, the real birth of RadioFreeZetox was in 2006 when the DJ at ConCept had to cancel his appearance, and Andrew was part of the team asked to help fill in. Much to his surprise, there was a great reaction, and RadioFreeZetox started being invited to DJ (or bid on DJing) at other events...

Q: What does RadioFreeZetox charge to DJ an event?

A: It depends. RadioFreeZetox has been involved with fan-run not-for-profit events for many years, so he knows that budgets are tight... For a not-for-profit event that he was planning to attend anyhow, his price is fairly minimal. Let him know what your budget is, and he's sure to be reasonable, especially for the people he knows. :). For a not-for-profit that he wasn't planning to attend, he will ask at a minimum that some or all of his transportation costs be paid for, as well as some or all of his hotel costs and memberships. For other events, he will probably charge fee on top of that. But really, since RadioFreeZetox has no plans to go professional, it'll still be a fairly low fee - just enough to help slowly pay off the equipment/software that he has purchased for his DJing...

Q: Will RadioFreeZetox DJ any non-fandom events?

A: RadioFreeZetox DJ's for fun, and part of the fun is working with a familiar (or at least sympathetic) crowd. He'd certainly consider DJing at other events being put on by (or at least recommended by) people he knows. But as for stuff beyond that, it's fairly unlikely... But hey, invite him to DJ, and you never know...

Q: Will RadioFreeZetox bid on DJing at Polaris?

A: So long as Andrew remains in charge of the Constellation Awards and they continue to take place on the same night as the Polaris dance, that is very unlikely...

Q: What equipment does RadioFreeZetox use when DJing?

Starting with Ad Astra 2008, RadioFreeZetox has gone digital! Although he still prefers to have a couple of CD players provided as a backup, he is now trying as much as possible to stick to using his laptop. For mixing, he uses OtsTurntables, a great piece of DJing software that he recommends highly for "laptop DJs"!

Just having a laptop and software isn't enought though, of course. In order to fill the room with sound, he still needs the venue to provide an appropriate mixer/amplifier, speakers, and backup CD players. He is looking at purchasing a proper mixer of his own in the future, to make life easier on venues that have no equipment of their own.

In order to interface his laptop to whatever audio system is in place and provide the best sound possible (and also be able to play one track while cueing up another in his headphones), RadioFreeZetox uses a Behringer U-Control UCA202 "Audio Bridge In A Pocket". This is a great piece of hardware that adds RCA and optical (TOSLINK) outputs to your laptop - essential if you are going to make folks party all night!

Q: Ok, so, let's cut to the chase here. What's this about a "request policy"?

A: In order to try to balance requests with maintaining a fun dance flow for everybody on the floor, RadioFreeZetox has certain guidelines about requests. Here they are, in a nutshell:

1. RadioFreeZetox prefers to get requests in advance, via email or facebook. His music collection is large, but there's always gaps. If you let him know in advance what you want to hear, he's far more likely to have it on hand!
2. When you make a request, it's best to say what time you'd like to hear it! It sucks to get to the dance and find out that your request already played. Of course, he can't guarantee that he'll play it exactly when you want it, but he will certainly try to not play it before that time, anyhow.
3. You are absolutely welcome to bring your own CDs! However, please be sure to label the case AND the disc with your name on them, or it could get lost in the shuffle. Masking tape works really well for this.
4. Since people prefer to dance to what they know, RadioFreeZetox may reject obscure songs, no matter how much you love them. It's generally annoying when the dance floor clears just so one or two people can dance to that really obscure song they love. Now, if it's a song that RadioFreeZetox thinks may fit in well, he *may* play it. Your best bet: If you send the request in advance, he'll check out the song and try to figure out if he can make it fit.
5. Similarly, If the dance floor is full and your request is radically different from what's playing, you'll just have to wait... Again, a radical shift in musical styles is a sure way to kill the dance floor. Be patient, and as people on the floor tire of the current mood, RadioFreeZetox will try to get to your request.
6. Slow songs, in particular, are hard to insert into the flow at fandom dances. So if you have a slow song to request so that you and your sweetie can dance cheek to cheek, make the request early. In general, RadioFreeZetox will try to clump slow songs together IF there is indeed a demand for them.
7. There are some songs and genres that RadioFreeZetox just doesn't play. Deal with it. Country is generally a nono. Most HipHip and Rap are best left to the big dance clubs and BET. Thrash and speed metal... unlikely... And Disco? Disco, in particular, is very very dead. Abba doubly so. Now, that said, with enough bribes, he may play a modernized remix of a disco classic. Yeah, he's even found a version of "Dancing Queen" that he can be convinced to play, with a good enough bribe. :)
8. RadioFreeZetox does not play "The Timewarp" at midnight. Period. It's been Done. To. Death. by every fandom DJ out there, and he's tired of watching people flee the room when the opening notes play... RadioFreeZetox would rather start some new Midnight traditions. Go to the Midnight Song Poll to help pick what will play at midnight at the next event!
9. For all the reasons above, RadioFreeZetox does not guarantee that he will play every request received. Requests are all well and cool, but in the end, it's impossible to play everything requested while still keeping everybody on the dance floor happy.