About

“My approach is to be unselfish as possible” says DJ Tony Schwartz.

Keeping people happy on the dance floor is Tony’s motive, and his ability to mix across multiple genres – from rock to hip-hop, country to funk, oldies to pop – has proven to be a winner night after night. Seamless transitions – with the occasional “Oh, no he didn’t; that’s my jam!” surprise record dropped in from out of nowhere – Tony keeps it simple: just play good music at exactly the right time. And from private events to massive music festivals, and everything in between, it’s established Tony as a one-of-a-kind party rocker.

Tony began DJing while attending college at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. Quickly graduating from basement frat parties to Seattle nightlife venues, Tony developed his signature style opening for each evening’s headlining DJ. “Every DJ should pay their dues and learn how to open,” Tony says. “Anyone can rock a party playing current hits and party classics; opening is where you learn how to program and build a dance floor. It’s where I learned how to mix a little spice into my sets without clearing the floor.”

Through the years, his sound organically evolved at the same time the industry was transitioning from analog to digital. “Before college, I was inspired by DJ Scene on Seattle’s KUBE93. Every day, I would listen to Scene’s 5 pm mixshow, ‘The 5 O’Clock Traffic Jam’ and wondered how he did this transition or why he mixed in that song. Scene was a master of the hip-hop genre and probably why I loved hip-hop/rap music. When I finally got my first DJ setup, all I mixed was hip-hop and Top 40.”

“But one day I was at the gym, and I heard Scene drop the acapella of Snoop & Dre’s ‘The Next Episode’ over the instrumental of AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’ and I lost my mind. It was like the scene in the Run-DMC & Aerosmith video where they literally tear the wall down; such a crazy cool concept that very few DJs were doing. The late DJ AM was a master at it. It was the early days of the mashup era, and it opened my eyes to open format mixing and the freedom to play multi-dimensionally.”

“Growing up, the only genre my parents let me listen to was country music. Until junior high, country was all I knew. But once I was exposed to other music genres, I started absorbing it like it was going out of style. Now, when I listen to a song, I think of other songs from other genres I’d mix with it. And that’s where the creativity comes in my mixes: DJing isn’t just about figuring out what to play next and if my dance floor will react favorably to it, but how to present it to my crowd. Presentation matters.”

After a few short years working the Seattle nightlife scene, Tony left to DJ exclusively in the private events industry, where he has established himself as a marquee private event DJ. However, Tony would return to the nightlife and concert scene in 2014, when he was asked to DJ in-between sets at The Gorge Amphitheater for Watershed Festival.  In the years since, he has opened for some of the biggest country artists in the industry: Tim McGraw, Big & Rich, Kip Moore, Dustin Lynch, Jon Pardi, Lauren Alaina, Maddie & Tae, Justin Moore, Dylan Scott, and more.

With a stellar reputation as a reliable party rocker due to his creative programming and solid DJ fundamentals, Tony is currently the performing DJ for all special events hosted by 98.9 The Bull, as well as those hosted by Fortune 500 companies, local celebrities, and discerning brides and grooms in the greater Pacific Northwest region. Tony strives to push the bar and change what it means to be an “event DJ” one event at a time. Combining the latest innovation in technology with creativity of all parties involved, the marquee private events he DJs at have become one-of-a-kind productions that very few can match.

When not performing, he’s usually running the day-to-day operations of his entrepreneurial ventures, working out, paddleboarding, or catching up on all things Seahawks and Red Sox.

DJ Tony Schwartz
DJ Tony Schwartz

“Nothing beats the feeling of a great open format set. When you can get the entire place jamming to country, hip hop, classic rock, and pop… it’s magic.”

Festivals & Concerts

  • 100.7 The Wolf’s Hometown Throwdown 2017
  • Deck The Hall Ball 2016
  • 100.7 The Wolf’s Hometown Throwdown 2016
  • 100.7 The Wolf’s Hometown Throwdown 2015
  • Watershed Festival 2014

Notable Performance Venues

  • The Gorge Ampitheatre
  • Climate Pledge Arena (formerly The Key Arena)
  • Lumen Field (formerly CenturyLink Field)
  • T-Mobile Park
  • Cheney Stadium