Meet The Crew
Geno
Head button pusher, terrible dancer and bad pun aficionado, Geno is your Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party host. Geno grew up in Westbrook, Maine where radio stations played hairbands 24/7. But a Q105 listener who was a friend here in the Tampa area would send him cassettes back in the early 90s of the beats and great radio shows here in Florida. Other than Dance Party USA (remember that show!?), those cassettes were the only way Geno could hear good house music, freestyle, new jack swing, dance, pop and hip hop. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Geno began to visit Florida often and fell in love with the weather as much as the music. It was hearing artists like Darude, Alice Deejay and Sonique that made Florida feel like home and in 2002, he took the first radio job he could find in Florida that played that music. Unfortunately that job was in Tallahassee so that didn’t last long. Geno left for the west coast and did a morning show near San Francisco for a few years before returning to New England to work for WBCN, a legendary rock radio station in Boston. When WBCN signed off, Geno knew there was one last move he wanted to make and packed his bags for Florida. After 5 or 6 years of bouncing back and forth between Q105 and its sister station WQYK, Geno got the chance to take over The Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party.
DJ Paul S
DJ Paul S
When Geno took over the Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party, he scoured the web looking for some good beats to revitalize the show. Every time he searched YouTube for a particular SNDP song, a DJ Paul S mix kept coming up. Geno reached out and asked if Paul wanted to become “resident DJ” for the show and DJ Paul S has been blowing our minds ever since! Paul was a DJ in the tri-state area back in the mid to late 80’s and early 90’s when Freestyle music was at its peak. He started playing in local bars and then famous night clubs. Enjoy his mixes on the Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party AND on The DJ Paul S YouTube Channel! They remind him of how back in the day, life was so simple and fun, hanging out with friends, and enjoying the sounds of Freestyle music! Paul says “Long live FREESTYLE MUSIC!”
DJ Hoof
He always had the best song requests as he did his commute Saturday nights from club gigs in Ybor and St. Pete. So we made him a SNDP DJ! DJ Hoof became fascinated with mixing dance music since he heard it done on the radio when he was 10 years old. He has done every type of DJing you can think of, rocking nightclubs, school dances, weddings and radio. Some of his favorite SNDP artists include Black Box and Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam. His favorite dance record of all time is Snap – Rhythm Is A Dancer. Find him at DJHoof.com and follow him on social media at @DJHoof to see where he’ll be performing near you next!
DJ Nestor Cruz
Nestor started DJ’ing at age 14 in his native island of Puerto Rico. After working at his cousin’s mobile DJ service, he really wanted to get work at the clubs. But he was only 17. So that required dad’s authorization. 30 years later, Nestor continues to rock the party at some of Tampa Bay’s hottest party spots. He even provides the beats for those working out at F45 in Wesley Chapel. Follow @DJNestorCruz on all social media to find out where he’s bringing the party next!
DJ Slice
What else do you need on your resume when you are Stevie B’s official DJ? Slice tours the world with The King of Freestyle! Slice will blow your mind with unique remixes. You wouldn’t think a guy his age could be an old school aficionado, but Slice is just that. If you missed it when Freestyle Explosion came to Tampa, listen to Geno’s interview with DJ Slice and check out his homepage at MBMDJSLICE.com. Find Slice on Facebook and Instagram @DJSlice215.
Speedy Jr.
Speedy joins us from just 10 feet down the hall at Q105’s sister station 92.5 MAXIMA. Speedy Junior is a regular in the local Latino scene in Tampa Bay, but his second love is the music from the 80s and 90s! He spins at Avalon Event Center, Gen X Tavern, The Kennedy and Jackson’s, and is honored to be spinning on one of the stations he grew up listening to, the legendary Q105! Check him out at djspeedyjr.com, on Insta and Twitter @DJSpeedyJr. And be sure to subscribe and get all his exclusive mixes you hear on the show (and some you won’t) on mixcloud.com!
“Cassette Guy Clay”
Remember that guy we mentioned that used to send Geno cassettes filled with Tampa radio back in 1990? They lost touch… until 25 years later. While guest hosting the SNDP, he gave a shout out on the air to that friend, thanking him for sending those tapes. A listener who knew the friend heard it and now almost 30 years later, Geno and Clay are buddies again. Clay gives us good feedback on songs that were popular here in the 80s and 90s so we can truly take you back.
Those People Who Yell At The Top of the Hour
At the beginning of every hour, we bring everyone into the studio… DJs, producers, phone screeners, street team members, and anyone else roaming around the building for the big “Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party” chant. The chant is a tribute to a national radio show Geno grew up listening to in the 80s. “Open House Party” was hosted by one of Geno’s radio heroes John Garabedian. In the 90s, a mutual friend introduced Geno to John. OHP was heard all over the world, yet was broadcast live from John’s basement in the suburbs of Boston. Big time celebrities and musicians would hang out in that basement all night talking to listeners on the request line. It was almost like OHP was the original form of social media, connecting music lovers all over the planet. The energy and fun of the show fueled Geno’s love for radio. At the top of the hour on OHP, John gathered everyone around his mic to chant “All Coool, All Request, Open House Party!” Geno modified it for Q105 and you’ll hear it every hour every week as a tribute to John who retired from Open House Party a few years ago.
