A talented multihyphenate is accurately one way to describe Valentin. Lamar Stephens, known to his listeners and fans as Valentin Lamar, answers the phone at 9:30 pm. I can hear the sound of utensils tumbling around a plate, the chaotic rustling of bagged chips — he’s having dinner, and we begin our interview.
Valentin is a Brooklyn based DJ, Producer and music event guru. Originally from New Jersey, he’s played all over the tri-state area and even scored a film that recently screened at the White House. So, who is Valentin Lamar?
Roderick: Tell me about your musical background.
Valentin: So, my grandfather was a Jazz musician, my mother loved House, and Soul and my father was a rapper. My dad actually made a diss record to my mom [laughs]. She won the beef though, and they’re still together.
Roderick: Hilarious! How’d you get your name?
Valentin: I was briefly part of a DJ collective and they were trying to name me. My birthday happens to be on Valentine’s Day, so they named me Valentin — it just stuck.
Today’s artists can’t be monolithic. They have to do more than their main gig, to make a living, if they’re lucky enough to get the opportunities. Additionally, they have to be a brand.
Valentin began his producing career as a teen, in the mid-2000s, with Fruity Loops and years later fell into Dj’ing one NYE in NYC — he’s been booked ever since. Yet, he agrees that the art of Djing is dying, and there doesn’t seem to be any cure.
Valentin: If you’re an influencer, can stand behind a DJ booth and press play on a playlist, today you can have a career. The value of the art just isn’t there anymore. I’ve gone to certain venues where the DJ is playing a playlist off of YouTube.
Roderick: What are the challenges of being an independent NYC artist and what is making it to you?
Valentin: Thanks for asking that. There’s so much music and so many musicians out there. That’s the first challenge. As far as making it, I don’t have dreams of being a celebrity. I don’t want to lose the reason why I make music; I want to be inspired and inspire.
Roderick: What inspires you?
Valentin: Man, so much, I love Chad Hugos and Pharell of N.E.R.D, Ryan Leslie, Kanye West, and Radio Head to name a few. These days, I’m especially inspired by Brazillian music, Bossa Nova and House.
In Vol. 1 of his EP series Waves, a collaboration with producer Sergio Rivera, Valentin showcases that he’s an expert in creating a “vibe.” On Waves, his house influence shows up more subtly than some of his live shows, yet still has a pronounced role in his music.
Ethereal synths and echoey House pulses softly mixed in the background while Hip-hop kicks, 808’s and dreamy melodies play a balanced lead — a delicate balancing act that he’s very good at.
Roderick: Let’s talk about you scoring Shape Up, the documentary covered being gay in the black barbershop and screened at the White House! How did you get involved?
Valentin: No one knew I was a DJ or produced at the time. By chance, the director and Co-Producer of Shape Up, Derick Middleton, and Aaron Tredwell (Janet Mock’s Spouse) heard my Soundcloud and reached out. I later found out it was screening at the White House. It was amazing and it came out of nowhere!
Roderick: Fun question time! If you were trapped in the current administration’s White House for a day, what song would you have on repeat?
Valentin: [Laughs] For my sanity, I would put Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues” on repeat!
Roderick: Adding that to my playlist now! Lamar, thank you so much for doing this, I’m excited to see where music takes you next.
Valentin: No, thank you, this was cool!
Join Valentin (@Valentinlamar) and other partygoers for his Independence day Cook In event July 3rd, 8:00 pm ET, at the Brooklyn venue Kinfolk. Be sure to keep an eye out for Vol. 2 of the Waves EP series with Sergio Rivera ( @s.e.r.___).
Roderick Thomas is an NYC based writer and director. Email: rtroderick.thomas@gmail.com
