The unpretentious charismatic Dorian Alvarez is a veteran in the DJ business. His professional alias is DJ Dorian Gray, and in addition to spinning at cruises, private parties and at proms, he is currently working at Café Brand in Jersey City.

We recently caught up with the DJ.

EM - How long have you been a DJ?

DG - I've been a professional DJ for more than 15 years.

EM - Where have you performed?

DG - Clubs and private venues all over the tri-state area including The Hard Rock Café, the Fashion café, the top of the Empire State building, and the Rainbow Room in New York City. Locally I've played the Sand Bar, Willie McBride's and Bar None.

EM - What is the key for a good DJ?

DG - Being able to read a crowd and play the right music at the right time for that crowd.

EM - What do you spin?

DG - All CDs on the world's most advanced CD players, the Pioneer CDJ 1000s. With these decks I can do anything that is done with vinyl (including scratching) and much more. As far as the type of music I spin, I cover a huge variety of styles, including house, hip-hop, reggae, trance, R&B, Latin, old school, '70s disco and popular '80s.

EM - What compilations have you released?

DG - Nothing commercially, but privately I've released and sold compilations of just about every type of music I play.

EM - Where can people see you?

DG - Presently I play at Café Brand and spin for City Lights and Skyline party cruises out of Manhattan.

EM - Why did you become a DJ?

DG - From my early teens I always had a love for a wide variety of music, and being introduced to different sounds from around the world old and new.

EM - What professional plans do you have for the future?

DG - Just to keep doing what I do best - play lots of different music for lots of different people, and hopefully open up some minds and turn a few on to new sound they aren't familiar with.

EM - What is your opinion of the music scene in Hudson County?

DG - For the most part Hoboken has many more venues with live music and DJs than Jersey City, but some newer places in downtown Jersey City such as Café Brand are starting to make their mark on the music scene (mostly with DJs). My only gripe is that most people seem to have tunnel vision when it comes to music, and only appreciate a small sample of what's out there. This makes it hard for new and creative places to exist in the area.
DJ Dorian Gray spins '80s music on Wednesdays and Latin music on Thursdays at Café Brand on the corner of Fifth Street and Jersey Avenue in Jersey City. For more information call (201) 459-9947 or visit www.djdoriangray.com. q