Shaquille O’Neal screwed up, and he admits it.
No, not because of his comments about Denver Nuggets three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. This has to do with music. The 52-year-old basketball legend, who lately has poured himself into a second career as an electronic dance music producer, invited up-and-coming DJs to email him their work. As a multi-platinum-selling rapper with a quartet of albums, Shaq has lately positioned himself as one of the biggest champions of, the bass-music genre.
And yet, as Shaq, who will headline at Red Rocks Amphitheatre for the first time on Oct. 27, wrote on X in January : “We messed up… my promo inbox is flooded… y’all went crazy sending me your new music…. and it actually impossible to go through 74,500 emails…”
Fortunately, as he also wrote, he’s found a software pipeline to route the flood of submissions. Shaq’s DJ career is something to look up to, as his towering pop-culture stature is backed with legit banger tracks and a deep, abiding love of the genre’s history. In one, the menacing “Bang Your Head” (currently at 6 million streams on Spotify) Shaq laughs before announcing “Diesel in this mother******!” and dropping the bass amid a flurry of aggressive beats and fuzzed-out notes.
We caught up with Shaq (aka DJ Diesel) via email in advance of his gig in Colorado to talk music, package tours, and why Denver is the bass capital of the world. (Note: he declined to answer a question about Jokic’s commanding playoff performance — or if he regretted how things shook out in the immediate aftermath of the MVP announcement on live TV).
The Denver Post: Why did you choose Red Rocks Amphitheatre for this Bass All Stars event? Did you come out to scout it before booking it?
Shaq: I have done Red Rocks a few times now and every single year the shows get crazier and crazier. Denver is one of those markets you really need to build in, and RRX is an incredibly special venue, so to come back as a headliner this year is super rewarding.
Q: What were your last visits there for?
A: I was there with Dillon Francis and Bear Grillz for our co-headline shows of course… but now it’s time for Shaq’s Bass All Stars to venture to the mountains.
Q: You’ve mentioned “bespoke stage design” for this show. How closely did you work with the production team on the visual feel and style of the stage setup?
A: My team and I are actively working on this now. We are designing a fully custom stage that I have teased a time or two in the past… but never have done at this scale. It is going to be one of those shows where being in the crowd will be more fun than being on stage… just trust me on this one.
Q: While curating the concert lineup, were there specific things you looked for in the artists, or is it more of a gut/emotional reaction to their music?
A: This is a SHAQ’s Bass All Stars so I needed to make sure we were bringing the BASS to RRX. With any lineup it is important to have variety so I have some of the bigger guys like Riot Ten and Habstrakt and then the next generation of bass with Celo, Stoned Level, Benda and Kozmoz. I personally think this is one of our best lineups to date.
Q: You’ve said you like to challenge yourself by learning from the best, so who are your favorite newer musical artists these days?
A: Great question – I am inspired and learn from artists across all genres. In the bass world I really take inspiration from guys like Skrillex, Crankdat, Sullivan King, Fatboy Slim and many others.
Q: Related: You’ve worked with and played alongside some of the biggest names in music, from hip-hop to EDM. Who haven’t you worked with yet that you’d still like to?
A: I would love to work with EPTIC, Space Laces, Subtronics, John Summit and/or Tape B. I love electronic music from bass to house. Whoever can cook something fire I am down to work with.
Q: Do you still invite email submissions from up-and-comers, given the initial crush of submissions earlier this year?
A: Sure do – I have a promo link for fans to send me new music. Check it out on tstack.app/diesel.
Q: What’s your home studio setup like? Do you have a room dedicated to it? (Is that the “lab” you’ve mentioned in past interviews?)
A: I have a full back house, which was originally just a gym, but is now a studio as well. I have my big desk, monitors, mouse, keyboard, an audio interface, a makeshift vocal booth and all of the other necessities. NGHTMRE was over in the studio not too long ago.. what a blast.
Q: You’ve been a musical artist, emcee and DJ for a long time, but only recently has Denver become an epicenter for bass music, with multiple artists moving here from the U.S. and elsewhere. Are we boasting too much to say we’re the epicenter for bass music?
A: Denver is the bass capital of the world… hands down… but sure some other markets have been super receptive to the scene and shown out like never before. Orlando for example, L.A. as another, and even Dallas – where I have my festival – continues to support bass music like never before. To see the spread of bass music globally (which I really feel when on my EU tour) is something incredible to witness.
Q: Red Rocks has a less-than-10,000 capacity, which is smaller than some crowds you’ve played to (a lot smaller in some cases). Do you tailor your setlists to certain sizes of crowds/vibe/cities?
A: Of course — every set is something new. I work on updating my playlists with my Executive Producer Brian based on how songs perform in other markets and the responses we see from fans online. At this point in my career, I have toured around the world and have a pretty good gauge on what works where which is a really helpful starting point compared to where I was years ago.
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