DJzone DJ Magazine

What started as an extended tour of duty in Iraq ended with an extensive bash this spring when American DJ’s favorite GI, Sgt. Corey Johnson, and his U.S. Army unit celebrated their safe return to Germany.

Johnson, a.k.a. DJ Hypnotiq, threw the welcome back party April 8 at the Megadrom Club in Schweinfurt to honor his fellow soldiers, who had been serving in Iraq since March 2004. A huge turnout of 2,215 people attended the party, which was sponsored by American DJ, who provided invitations, banners and other promotional materials free of charge.

American DJ officials first became acquainted with Sgt. Johnson when they learned that the DJ was using the company’s American Audio Pro Scratch 2 CD player to entertain his fellow troops in Iraq. While Johnson was stationed there, American DJ sent him a care package of all new gear, which the Bronx native used to give his spirit-lifting performances and hold DJing classes during his free time.

“Sgt. Johnson is a brave young man and a slammin’ DJ who made a difference in the lives of other soldiers,” said Scott Davies, general manager of the American DJ Group of Companies. “He brought his talent with him to Iraq, so we supplied all the DJ equipment he could possibly need.

“Then when he told us about wanting to hold a welcome back party for soldiers who had served in Iraq, we thought it was a great idea,” Davies added. “We immediately signed on to sponsor the event.”

A contingent of American DJ representatives, including marketing director Brian Dowdle, traveled to Germany to show their support and join the festivities. Among the highlights of the bash were live performances by two nationally renowned American Audio endorsers, DJ-emcee Sparky B and recording artist DJ SKILZ, whose lightning fast moves and digital scratching technique really got the party going on the dance floor.

“I’d like to thank American DJ, Sparky B and DJ SKILZ for being there and helping put on such a great show,” said the 26-year-old Johnson. “Ever since I became such a big fan of American DJ and American Audio equipment, I’ve wanted to see DJ SKILZ play live in person, and that dream finally came true.”