Words by Howin Wong
JoySauce Radio: Consider JoySauce Radio our own personal song recommendations—from the tunes and videos our writers love to DJ-produced mixes of dance floor bangers—all from Asian and Pacific Islander artists around the world.
DJ Pauliewog, aka Paulie Morales, is one of the hottest up-and-coming techno/house DJs on the Los Angeles scene. Listening to his sets though, you wouldn’t know this Filipino American DJ just got on the 1s and 2s within the last couple of years—instead you hear a seasoned veteran. This is because Morales has actually been a long-time raver, collecting and expanding his electronic music collection for years, but only recently unleashing his deep knowledge of dance music on us all. His sound? Well, his triple fire astrology signs should be an indicator of how he sets the dance floors ablaze. A mix of acid, techno, and deep bass, with fast bpms, DJ Pauliewog doesn’t fuck around—he lights it the fuck up.
Cofounder of LA-based Asian nightlife party QNA, Morales is also a fashion and casting creative who knows how to put the right people in the right place and time, figuratively and literally. As a DJ, he also knows how to properly place tracks and tunes that keep us grooving all night long, which is why we wanted to feature him for this month’s JoySauce Radio DJ.
Check out the mix below as you get to know Morales a little more:
“This funky electronic mix takes you through a journey into my mind and music I’ve been vibing to lately: groovy, somewhat mental at certain points and upbeat at other points, space cowboy cyber punk.”
“It features some incredible Asian artists I love: Carptainer, Nakamura Minami, Xiaolin, Haruka Salt, Sunju Hargun, Que Sakamoto+NT, and D.Dan.”
DJ name: DJ Paulie Morales
Location: Los Angeles
Zodiac Sign: Aries Sun, Leo Moon, Leo Rising - triple fire baby!
What is your favorite thing about DJing?
I love expanding my taste for music and exploring different genres that I may not have been into in the past. I’ve been on a progressive house train recently and loving it!
Why is music important to you?
I’ve met some of my best friends through various music scenes, so in a lot of ways music is almost synonymous with community for me. Also I’m sure a lot of people feel this way but music can just get me going. A lot of mornings I’ll wake up, put my AirPods on and blast music, and I’ll suddenly get a spurt of energy. No coffee for me! That’s my psychotic Aries ass.
In addition to being a DJ, Paulie Morales is also a fashion and casting creative.
Courtesy of Paulie Morales
Dance music aside, what do you like to listen to?
I can get into some rock and indie.
Do you play any instruments, and if so, which ones?
I don’t—I wish I did though! I would probably pick trumpet if I could go back in time to my childhood years.
Who are some of your favorite DJs?
Boris, DJ Tool, Avalon Emerson, Ariel Zetina
What are some of your favorite parties?
QNA aside;)? Most of the parties that I love are queer focused…So definitely BubbleT and Papi Juice. Also FIST and Mala Junta.
Where is the craziest place you’ve partied or deejayed?
New York City hands down. So many ad-hoc DIY spaces. I’ve been fully gagged by some of the spaces I’ve danced in…Some have felt like I was in some Vice documentary on New York nightlife culture! There’s one space in particular in Greenpoint, Brooklyn that is so sick. I remember my first time going there, and there was someone in a parked car around the corner from the venue and they would hand you shoe liners to put on because you had to trek through mud to get to the building.
Favorite tracks to play out?
Anything Megan Thee Stallion to get people down and dirty.
Where would be your dream gig?
Somewhere in Asia—maybe Tokyo. I love the culture there so much.
Favorite guilty pleasure track?
I’m a Lady Gaga girl, so “Rain on Me.” Sonikku does a remix that is really fun.
Favorite secret weapon track?
“Hold me Closer”—it’s having such a moment and I’m here for it! Or something from Renaissance (Beyonce).
DJ Paulie Morales has met some of his best friends through various music scenes.
Courtesy of Paulie Morales
Any horror stories from DJing?
YES! I was playing Catch One, which is a huge club in Los Angeles, and the volume wasn’t up on one of the tracks so I was only mixing one song! I realized right away but that made my stomach sink.
What’s next for you as an artist?
We have some exciting QNA parties in the works—Lunar New Year and Pride—which are our two biggest parties, so those will be a whole thing. And more DJ gigs between Los Angeles and New York!
TRACKLIST:
- Luminous (4am Mix) - Syzygy
- Scope Zone (Youandewan Remix) - Liquid Earth
- Puk Codes - Spray
- Space Bells - DJ Headshot & Matris
- HO! - Steve Marie
- Pinseeker - Gene on Earth
- Ratenplan - Spray
- Organo - DJ Life
- Entropic Nature (Biodive Remix) - Aiden Francis
- Future - DiSKOP
- Ghosts on the Rocks (T. Jacques Remix) - Occibel
- Hell’s Club (Holding Hands) - DJ Mau Mau
- Data Writer - Aloka
- Utopia - Jimmy Batt
- Circulate feat. Lulah Francs - Demi Riquísimo
- Pree Me feat. なかむらみなみ (Carpainter Remix) - Roska, Nakamura Minami*
- Safe With Me - Xiaolin*
- 2001 Shibuya - Haruka Salt*
- Pigeon Attack - Sunju Hargun*
- Kanazuchi - Que Sakamoto+NT*
- Ultimate Revenge - Maara
- Slingshot (Roza Terenzi Remix) - Solar Suite
- Celestial Bodies - D.Dan*
*Indicates Asian artists
You can follow him on Instagram and Soundcloud.
DJ Paulie Morales’ dream gig would be to DJ somewhere in Asia.
Courtesy of Paulie Morales
Published on December 29, 2022
Words by Howin Wong
Howin Wong is a LA-based brand strategist, DJ, and JoySauce's LA-based wearer of many hats. In addition to being JoySauce’s brand director, his new show 'RuleBreakers' will be debuting later this spring.
Art by Robinick Fernandez
Robinick Fernandez is a prolific and visionary creative director whose work blends the worlds of art, architecture, design, and fashion. For two decades Robinick Fernandez connected art with design for global brands, and his work has left an impact having navigated across many countries and cultures including Europe, Asia, the United States and beyond. For his next venture, he celebrates his Filipino American roots as Creative Director for JoySauce, being committed to cultural storytelling, sustainability, forward-thinking design, and conscious content .