CITIZEN TEN

CITIZEN TEN

Citizen Ten is but one of many personalities offered by creative multihyphenate and SmartBomb Oakland mainstay, Justin Tuân Smith. For the past 25 years, his varied DJ narratives have been a direct reflection of his unique, lifelong musical adventure: a classical violin child prodigy raised in a traditional jazz household, only to be corrupted by SoCal punk, reformed by the 90’s Westcoast underground hip-hop movement, rinsed by illegal drum n bass raves, and profoundly affected by the heavy drums and experimental sounds of vintage psychedelic rock. Sprinkle in his nostalgic soul and R&B leanings, add a dash of turntablism, and what you get is the delicious recipe for San Francisco’s legendary Change the Beat crew (of which he is also a core resident): bold, thoughtful, and wildly diverse curations that consistently challenge listeners and also happen to bang.

B&W photo Vince Moy