The Tribune

By LESH

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

SATISFYING his listening audience is all the drive he needs to keep pushing himself in the entertainment world.

Local deejay Leonardo McIntosh, known to many as DJ Hardness, said once he knows he has given his best to put on a good show at an event, he is pleased.

Since branching off into deejaying with the local entertainment company “The Baker Boyz” in 2000, DJ Hardness said he has never stopped delivering.

“When I started, the Baker Boyz were travelling to Eleuthera for an event and they were short of a DJ so I played for them. It was DJ Payne, Yellow, Mixalot and myself. The stage was open for me so I just took out a few records and started playing,” said DJ Hardness, sharing his story.

“After that I just started asking them to be apart of their events. We were doing two shows a month. In 2004 it became Baker Boyz featuring DJ Hardness and I was like wow,” he said.

Shortly after, his deejaying name was born. “A friend of mine, this pool player that I would play with from time to time, would always call himself the hardest player in pool and one night I ended up beating him at his own game. I told him he wasn’t the hardest anymore, I was. So walking into pool halls back then, people would say ‘Yeah Hardness’ so I just took that with me when I came over to deejaying.”

Being apart of the Baker Boyz team, DJ Hardness said every event was a memorable one for him.

“We did a show in Freeport in 2009 and it wasn’t featuring anybody, it was just Baker Boyz and myself on the headline. Usually when Baker Boyz travelled to do a show, they would bring an artist with them. Whether it was international artists like Da’ville and Lady Saw or a local artists, they brought someone,” said DJ Hardness.

He said he also got the opportunity to open for international artist Waggy T.

Going into an event, DJ Hardness said he evaluates his crowd while he makes his set up to play.

“ When I am setting up for an event I know everyone at that place is depending on me to make sure that they have a good time. At the end of the day you can have a bar or a hang out spot but if the DJ isn’t right, you are not going to have an awesome party,” said DJ Hardness.

He has done many local shows, but none internationally as yet. Playing abroad is something DJ Hardness looked forward to at one time, but now, he is content with his Bahamian audiences.

“I went away in 2010 and I realised that they are too hard on Techno music abroad and I am not really a Techno fan. I am an all around DJ but my preference really is playing for a more mellow crowd. I am getting older now so I look forward to playing for the mature audience,” said DJ Hardness.

Offering advice for aspiring deejays in the Bahamas, DJ Hardness said: “Do you and don’t look at how other people talk so that you can mimic them. If you like a deejay, take something from that deejay but don’t go out there and try to be them. You are only going to catch a sore throat trying to imitate somebody else. My thing is if you have the only mic, people are going to listen.”

He praised efforts to shine light and recognise local deejay talent.

“This is great what you all are doing here with (DJ of the Week). At one point there was also a DJ award show but it stopped. I still have to give props to Lady Tan and Future Entertainment Promotions for organising that event and taking it to the level that it was. I liked the idea of the awards because it had us all working towards a goal to try win the DJ of the Year award. I’d like to see that again where more local deejays are being recognised,” said DJ Hardness.