DJ Silence no longer bashful
It’s always interesting to hear the stories behind DJs’ noms de turntable. Take DJ Silence, who wasn’t always DJ Silence.
Actually, says the guy known in real life as Jeff Cochran, "my first DJ name was ‘Bashful.’ ”
That name came one night when "I was dancing and making out with my girlfriend in the middle of the dance floor," he said.
A friend who was DJing — Las Vegas clubgoers would know him as DJ Alpyne — saw Cochran, got on the mic, and directed everybody’s attention to Cochran.
"I just kind of ran and hid in the corner, red-faced, and (Bashful) instantly became my name," Cochran says.
These days, as DJ Silence, Cochran’s resume includes dates at an array of venues all around town, including Aliante Station, where he plays Saturday nights in the ETA Lounge.
Cochran, 32, says that, while growing up in Southern California, he liked music but only in a casual sort of way.
That changed when he moved to Oregon during his early 20s. He was working in an RV factory then, but sometimes would hang out with Alpyne, who worked at a club there.
One night, Alpyne asked Cochran if he’d like to learn how to DJ. Cochran said yes, and found DJing "more and more interesting every time."
What was the appeal? "It was pretty much trying to control the crowd, making them go crazy and having fun," he says.
Later, while working as a technician for Alpyne’s mobile DJ company, Cochran had his first chance to solo when a scheduled DJ didn’t show.
"From then on, I was practicing more and more," Cochran says.
Cochran moved to Las Vegas about nine years ago and supported himself by working other jobs — bar backing, busing tables, even clerking at an adult store — while also working to establish himself as a DJ.
Today, Cochran can be seen in several venues around town, including Krave nightclub on Thursdays and Fridays and the ETA Lounge at Aliante Station, 7300 Aliante Parkway, North Las Vegas, where he plays at 10 p.m. Saturdays.
By the way: Cochran lost that "DJ Bashful" name when he moved to Las Vegas.
Why? Because, he says, "I didn’t feel I was bashful anymore."
