First things first: M.Dot's name has nothing to do with either Michigan's or Maryland's Department of Transportation. But it could, especially when you consider this DJ's moniker does, in fact, have something to do with moving large groups of the public. In fact, it might take the DOT from both states just to handle the masses for which M.Dot spins each week.
See, M.Dot is the official DJ for the Florida Marlins. And if spinning for a crowd as large as that held in Land Shark Stadium doesn't amount to much to you, well, you need to get a better abacas.
Daytona Beach-born and Miami-raised, M.Dot now cribs it over in Naples, which is about the closest a cat can get to being far from the madding crowd without leaving the Sunshine State. That's not to say M.Dot's out of the action, mind you. It's just that he needs that bit of space to free his mind enough to go off each and every time he spins in front of nearly 40,000 baseball fans.
And when M.Dot's not commuting across Alligator Alley for another Marlins weekend home team stand, he's flying off to perform with Jamie Foxx. Yep, you heard me. M.Dot mixes it up for one of America's most beloved actors-cum-hitmakers, dropping in the beats and shouting out the prompts that make the singer stage so effectively. And he'll be behind the smooth crooner throughout the Southern leg of his "Blame it On" Tour.
The Foxx hook-up is all part of M.Dot's place in the pantheon of DJ Irie's Artist Related, a full-service DJ management agency that boasts some of the biggest names in South Florida spinning. M.Dot and Irie go way back, a full decade in fact, and he was one of the first signed to Irie's firm. DJ Irie is, of course, the Miami Heat's official DJ, and the two share a similar way of working a crowd, with crowd-pleasing choices and loud shout-outs. So it's only natural for Irie to tap M.Dot when he needs a like-minded headspinner to step in at his usual spots.
The back-and-forth between M.Dot and Irie also crosses over to the basketball court, and the dotted DJ now holds it down for the Miami Heat's Summer Jam. It's an annual affair, recently held in the American Airlines Arena, and it serves the kids from every summer camp in the region. The Jam's also a bit of a give-back, for both the Heat and the city that hosts them, and M.Dot's spot sounding off all the action might be one of the most inspiring bookings a DJ can get.
Naturally, no DJ gets to the top of the pecking order without cutting his or her chops on the dance floor, and from the time M.Dot dropped at the old Angel he's been flooring all over the place. Mansion, Cameo, Space -- you name it, he's spun it. And later this summer M.Dot will be back under cover of South Beach darkness when Dream hosts its annual DJpalooza, which will give the man a chance to prove he's worthy spinning for a city-sized crowd all over again.
DJ M.Dot's Top Five:
1. "Never Would Have Made It," Marvin Sapp
2. "Human Nature," Michael Jackson
3. "Check the Rhyme," A Tribe Called Quest
4. "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana
5. "It's Tricky," Run DMC
DJ M.Dot, at the Florida Marlins vs. Chicago Cubs games. Friday, July 31, Saturday, August 1, and Sunday, August 2. Land Shark Stadium, 2269 Dan Marino Boulevard, Miami Gardens. Ticketmaster.com
