October 13, 2023 | Story and Photos by Valentina Sandoval
Basketball goes quickly when you are playing with new people. Movements are sudden and mistakes are made, the mix of sweat and balls squeaking overwhelms your senses. But as you get used to it, the game slows down and everything gets closer.
Jordan Ortiz feels the same way when he works on a DJ set. From his years of playing the sport, he has come to realize that every song he chooses is another play in the game. The people and sounds get louder by the second as he stands before his setup. The songs go five times faster, and they leave behind a buzz from the climax of their beat. But when people start to sit and the hype dies down, Jordie reminds himself to bring the rhythm back up; the set is not over.
Ortiz had to wake up earlier than usual on the morning of his first event. He had played at many bazaars, markets and parties, but tonight was the first one with his name on it: JORDAY. He organized the nighttime party along with his friend, Dayanna Peek, and they coordinated to wear matching denim outfits and red hats.
Ortiz describes himself as “captivating.” Not only because of his looks or his street style fashion but also because he enjoys himself and his craft — and people notice that.
“I think I’m eye-catching behind the DJ booth,” said Ortiz. “You make who you are, you know.”
Dayanna Peek, who goes by Day and uses they/them pronouns, is a local artist, photographer and event planner who often works with Jordie. They said his style and personality are often reflected in the music he plays.
“He’s very outgoing but calm, and I feel like his DJ style can emulate that,” said Peek. “He has a really good match of really cutesy pop music and hardcore rap and trap music.
Peek said their constant involvement in the creative scene, as well as their respective journeys to becoming recognizable by the Gainesville arts and music communities, brought them together at the perfect time to create their own unique event.
Ortiz spent the entire week before JORDAY promoting the event. The morning of the event was no exception; Ortiz spent it editing a radio show for promotion and had to run to make it on time to DJ for an international food festival.
Ortiz’s days can be hectic, but he doesn’t let the pressure or stress overshadow the music. Between a mix of R&B, rap, trap and reggaeton, he doesn’t just play the music — he feels it. The setlist is spontaneous; he freestyles and dances along with the rhythm booming out of oversized speakers.
Music is what Ortiz enjoys the most; it helps him get through a long day of work. While he works regular jobs at Olive Garden and Germain’s Chicken Sandwiches, he also spends time preparing for future events. He works hard to hype himself up and let the right tunes guide him into the right mood.
Choosing a setlist is not a complex process. It comes organically while messing around with his friend, Angel, and his cousins. After trying out different options and playing the same two songs over and over for an hour, he finally decided to stick to reggaeton that night.
The genre was led by his favorite Bad Bunny beats and his Puerto Rican and Colombian heritage. Ortiz feels like he takes that heritage for granted, but he is trying to better his Spanish and learn the slang and traditions he has strayed from.
The epicenter of his Latin American connections was in his hometown in Deltona, Florida.
Deltona was filled with Puerto Ricans; it was filled with bodega-like stores and people who pronounce their Rs like Ls when speaking their native tongue. “Delrico,” people call it.
Ortiz spent his childhood observing his grandparents’ hard work and spending time in their Deltona home. They were diligent with everything they did. Now in their late 80s, his grandmother spends her time working at home, cooking and cleaning while his grandfather works on crafts and on his crops. The word used in Puerto Rico would be “jibaro,” or someone who farms the land, and Ortiz remembers it because of a recent Bad Bunny interview he watched.
Watching interviews has always been a crucial part of his learning. There were never any tutorials or “how to’s” explaining to him how to use a camera or a mixing board, but instead a set of interviews, videos and movies that he used to observe people’s behavior.
From Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Camila Cabello to ASAP Rocky, Steve Lacy and Tyler the Creator, he spent hours on end watching their mannerisms and behaviors to understand how to work on his own performance. Analyzing every movement and action they made helped him build the brand he presents today.
Ortiz got into modeling to generate more self-confidence, and just like with music, he never sticks to a single style.
“I’m trying new things and mixing up styles,” said Ortiz. “I want to be half Pharrell, half ASAP Rocky; half streetwear, half high fashion.”
He implemented this mixing idea for a How Bazar gala when he wore a fancy two-piece dress and his pair of Nike Air Force 1s. This was the first event where he infused feminine elements into his style. He felt hyper-aware of his exposed hairy legs and the eyes on him, but he likes experimenting, and despite the looks, he felt confident.
While playing at JORDAY and at every set, Jordie also makes sure to wear his necklaces. Three of them are from his grandparents and one from a childhood best friend; they are his good luck charms. Before putting on any performance he gives the chains a blessing and gets ready to give his best.
After finding some pictures of his dad with stylish outfits, he believes that he might get his sense of fashion from his dad, despite the fact their relationship has never been close.
He doesn’t know much about his dad’s life, and that is one thing he wants to do differently; he wants to leave this digital footprint as a trace to follow for his future kids and whoever looks up to him. He wants to bring people with him along his journey and help them understand why he does the things he does.
Throughout the entirety of JORDAY, the venue was filled with people taking pictures and videos. Ortiz played one of the last sets of the night, but as he played a mix of famous rap and his original songs, the crowd surrounded him with phones, professional cameras and lights, keeping record of every second.
That is also why he is working on a documentary where he will film himself going to therapy for the first time, as a way to eliminate the stigma around it and to be vulnerable and authentic in front of the camera.
“I think people that go to therapy are brave,” Ortiz said. “I’ve never given it a chance so I want to show my first time to people, to keep the transparency.”
Mental health has always been an obstacle in his life. He’s always had a lot of insecurity surrounding his looks, and he tends to be his own biggest critic, but the music, the fashion and the art help him gain the confidence to cope with his dark thoughts.
He found out about the importance of finding these therapeutic outlets the hard way after he tried to end his life when he was younger. He failed, by what he believes was an act of God.
“I have more faith now because of that,” Ortiz said. “I got another chance, so I really wanna use it better.”
Now he lives with this second chance and tries to make the most out of it, to hold on to those creative coping mechanisms and help those who need them to survive, too.
Ortiz’s best friend, Angel, often reminds him to not be so hard on himself. He tells Jordie to get out of the mode where he shuts down the moment he makes a mistake, to accept the slow along with the fast.
In the same way they’ve helped him be kinder to himself, Jordie helps his friends discover their callings. He is currently guiding Angel to find his artistic passion, and Day credits him for convincing them to get their first Sony camera, sparking their love for photography.
When the sets get slower and quieter, he begins to quiet down. too. In these softer moments, doubt begins to creep in. But then his friends are there to cheer him on.
“You’re killing it! You’re killing it!” one of his friends exclaims.
After the set and the party are over, he lets himself celebrate. He tends to be the first to beat himself up and call out any mistake he makes, but with time, he has learned to celebrate his wins before falling into self-criticism.
As a people-watcher who learns by seeing others work their craft, Ortiz feeds off the energy from the crowd he plays to. It has taken him some time, but he is finally learning to let go of his doubts.
It’s exactly when you start getting used to the rhythm that he gets to change it up, put on a song you never expected or wear an outfit that might shock the crowds. It is when the party starts dying down that he brings it back up, as his energy and passion fill up the room once more and make the game pick up the pace.
“I’m not done yet,” he says to me about his future in the arts and the creative scene of Gainesville. You can tell by the way his words hang in the air. It’s not just an aspiration — it’s a promise.