Luther Masanto (DJ ShyGuy) photographed at an event in Syracuse, New York. Credit: Photo courtesy of Luther Masanto.

Luther Masanto fashions himself a tastemaker. 

Masanto, who goes by DJ Shy Guy, is one of a group of DJs trying to spread the art in Syracuse’s nightlife. 

This Friday Masanto and two other local DJs, DJ 40 and DJ Bianca, are collaborating for the Lovers and Friends: R&B Night at The Song and Dance at 115 East Jefferson St. The ticketed event is expected to play hits from the late 1990s through the mid-2000s. 

“The DJ sets the vibe, sets the tone of not only events but in many settings,” Masanto said. “Whether it’s through the music, through the demeanor they have while playing the music, and with their fashion.”

Masanto, a 2012 Syracuse University graduate, has lived in Syracuse for close to a decade. Since Masanto has made DJing a professional pursuit, he’s worked with other Syracuse DJs to bring DJing to more audiences in places that may not have always hosted the art form.  

Some of his current ongoing DJ projects include weekly “Open Decks” DJ sessions at McCarthy Mercantile and “On the One Center” at Destiny Mall, which was created by DJ Bella J.

Masanto has performed at other venues, including The York, Taphouse on Walton, Funk’n Waffles, Westcott Theater and Emerald Cocktail Kitchen. 

Masanto’s appreciation for music started through dance. He trained in styles like jazz, ballet, and tap dance. Through dance he developed an understanding of different rhythms and sounds, he said. He studied at the National Dance Institute in New York City, and an African dance troupe in Brooklyn. He later danced in the Kalabash Dance Troupe at Syracuse University. 

“We were constantly interacting with music, I wanted to try to figure out how to mix it in real time,” Masanto said. “I always admired the DJ culture of it, I just didn’t understand it at the time.” 

Central Current staff spoke with the Brooklyn native of Grenadian descent during an over-the-phone interview. Masanto shares the story of his introduction to DJing, discusses his influences, the significance of camaraderie in the DJ industry, introducing people to new sounds, and his experience with being a young DJ of color in Syracuse.  

Luther Masanto (DJ Shy Guy) plays at the weekly Open Decks DJ sessions at McCarthy Mercantile in downtown Syracuse. Credit: Photo courtesy of Luther Masanto.

Q&A with Masanto:

Central Current: When did you start your DJing career?

Luther Masanto: I used to try to make these mixes on Audacity. I was like I’m going to make a crank mix because I was trying to learn all the dances and, honestly, I wanted to put them all on one track. 

And, that’s kind of how I started. I made that mix in Audacity, which was cutting and pasting a bunch of stuff. I didn’t know anything about (beats per minute) and keys, and music theory. I just kind of wanted it to work. Once I got a virtual DJ (a multi-leveled free DJ app). Essentially, what it does, it provides an interface with two turntables that you’ll see traditional DJs use. But it’s all digital and you can do all of it from your laptop.

At the time I didn’t have a laptop, I was borrowing a friend’s laptop. I used to go to his apartment every day and practice on a virtual DJ for a couple of hours. 

CC: What do you think the importance of a DJ is?

Masanto: I didn’t truly understand the impact of a DJ until this year. By leaning more into it and seeing just how much a DJ can shift a culture or create a culture.

CC: How did dance influence your DJ career?

Masanto: I was a part of the National Dance Institute when I was younger. I wanted to be like the next Alvin Ailey. I was in this institute learning jazz, ballet, and tap dance. A lot of people don’t know that I used to tap dance during my preteen years and even into high school. I was always involved with dance and that’s where my love of music really started. 

There was another one I did for a year that I really loved called CREATE, It was an African dance troupe. That’s where I learned rhythms and more complex moves. The National Dance Institute was very traditional in the sense of technicality. CREATE was very traditional in the sense of cultural dance and learning Afro dance styles to older Caribbean dance styles and infusing some Latin dance styles, too. That’s where I learned most of my cultural rhythm and understanding of sounds and instruments.  

CC: Is there anyone in your family that is involved with music? 

Masanto: My uncle was an accomplished pianist. I remember looking at the Grenadian national anthem, I was curious and doing a history lesson. I looked at the paper to see who helped compose it and my uncle’s name was on it. I thought that must be a mistake because Masanto is not a common name, so I asked him before he passed. And, he was like ‘yeah, it was one of the things I accomplished.’ 

CC: Who were some of the first DJs you met?

Masanto: Some of the first DJ’s I ever met were DJ Willy Wonka and DJ Fiasco, both were SU alumni. 

I met these guys and I was like ‘man, what they’re doing is cool’ and I wanted to learn it. They showed me the [DJ] interface, what you can do with it, how far you can go with it, and put me on to a lot of music. They both were Caribbean, so that was something I connected with quickly. They gave me a lot of tips on how to play for a crowd, play what people want to hear versus what you want to hear. 

CC: Do you feel as if there is a calling for your type of DJ style in Syracuse and how has that involved in your years living here?

Masanto: I think for a while I tried my best to figure out where the niche was. For a while, I was fighting the idea of staying in Syracuse long-term. I think when I finally accepted that I wanted to stay here and I want to cultivate something here that’s when I finally started to feel I can introduce something different, like adding different styles, introducing people to new music that I personally listen to, and hearing what they like and finding ways to connect it with other cultures and other styles.

Instead of it being a calling, I just try to fit where things were and elevate it a little bit. Syracuse has a very culture that is often overlooked.

CC: Do you have a DJ style or technique that is unique to you?

Masanto: What I try to bring to DJing is sort of a deconstructive method, so stripping away certain elements to showcase similarities with style. I think my style is more-so minimalist in many ways of taking something that can be complex. I really like to blend and mash songs of very different styles together. 

CC: Why do you think it’s important to play music in different spaces throughout Syracuse? 

Masanto: It’s so important to be in these different spaces because not only does it usually bring out different crowds of people, but it also gives people new experiences. A lot of the architecture and buildings in Syracuse are historical landmarks in their own right. It’s important to have these different experiences just to showcase how much there is in Syracuse as a city. You go to different places because they all provide a different ambiance and a different feel.

[At} a place like The Song and Dance, I can tell you when I went there it was so different than any other experience that I’ve had. It makes it feel like the DJ is a performer. It really establishes DJs as artists. I like that you can go to these different venues, like The Song and Dance, and have the chance to display your own style.

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Yolanda Stewart was raised in the Bronx, New York City. Before choosing a career path in journalism she found a voice in writing plays, short stories, and a myriad of other creative outlets. She is a 2022...