‘I Feel Like I’m Made for This’: DJ Cyn on Providing the Soundscape for Denver Summit FC’s Historic Inaugural Home Match

“I feel like I’m made for this,” DJ Cyn said. “I feel like I was born to be doing this.”

Urban Pitch spoke with DJ Cyn about the emotional Denver Summit FC home opener, how she developed a love for the beautiful game, and why advocating for women is so important to her.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

Urban Pitch: How did you connect with Denver Summit FC?

DJ Cyn: I first DJed an event for them at their brand launch party, which was June or July of last year. I played soccer for 22 years, so I was really stoked about it. My twin sister, she’s my manager as well, and we’re just a woman-owned business. We do everything from professional sound services of anything, like even the block party, we sounded that whole event.

I’ve been wanting to get this job ever since I heard about the team. So we kind of manifested it. We even put them in my schedule, like in my calendar, just hoping. My whole career has been like that. When you put the energy in there and you manifest certain things, it just ends up happening, you know? It was just really cool because both my sister and I played soccer for 22 years. My sister played a little bit longer, but we were just really stoked about that.

How did they reach out to you?

The brand launch party, I think I was recommended or they found me online. They wanted women DJs. They were originally gonna book three women DJs and they asked me for recommendations of other DJs and I think they were only able to get two. So I was like, I need to really bring it.

So we did the block party and I had my sister stay the whole time, too. We were connecting with a lot of people, the workers, there’s a big staff for Summit FC and I was talking to Emily (Raimondi) and I just mentioned, “I would love, it’s my dream to be the official DJ” and all of that. And she was like, “Well, that’s awesome.” And I didn’t realize she’s the CMO. She said that afterwards. It was just cool how it happened because it was just like, I was just talking to people, everybody around there. It was just authentic, organically happened that way. She ended up reaching out and asking me if I wanted to DJ the game. But they also asked me for other events, too. I did the VIP party since we offer all the other stuff, too. I like to call myself a one-stop-shop, because we can do it all.

I was really excited for the first home match. Like it was so cool to be a part of history. And it was just so emotional, not just myself, but like, all the whole crowd. And I did rehearsal, so I knew what was coming. So I got that emotional part out of me, because literally, like, tears were flowing just to see all the videos before during rehearsals and stuff. It’s just such a beautiful thing, because women’s sports are really getting highlighted, and they’re getting the credit they deserve.

Photo by Dustin Bradford/NWSL via Getty Images

What did it feel like being at that historic home opener? It shattered the NWSL record. I was there and the energy was electric. But what was it like for you?

I mean, it was so electric. It was like, it was just so amazing. And what’s wild is that, it was so professionally done. Everything was just like timed so perfectly and everything. It happened so fast. I feel like the whole game, you know, they’re 45-minute halves, but just to see how the audience was so excited, and doing like the wave. It just was so cool. And like, for me to be able to keep that energy up between things, it was a full circle moment for me, actually. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a professional soccer player. It was just very emotional and cool.

I’ve done many cool, very cool things. I’ve opened for a lot of mainstream artists, obviously. I’ve been DJing 20 years without any other job. But this just felt so good because it was more like, attached to me and what I grew up doing. And just to be able to be a part of it? I don’t know if anything beats that. Like a lot of people ask me, “What’s your favorite event that you’ve ever done?” And it’s hard for me to answer them, because I’ve done so many things that I like. But I feel like this is on the top of the list. One of the things. It’s hard to say that because I just have done so much amazing things.

I’ve been so blessed to be able to do those things, those types of events. But this was just, yeah, full circle. My parents have always been proud of me, but I got a call from my dad. Both my parents enjoy soccer, but my dad is very into soccer. They both were born in Chile. They’re U.S. citizens. They’ve been here for so many years, more than half their life. But it was just cool to get a call from my dad about it. They always say how proud they are of me, but for him to say, “that was so cool,” it was just really cool.

I’m just, I’m so happy. Because there’s ups and downs in this career, but just it felt good. And it feels more secure to lock in something like this. It just feels more secure because DJs are constantly hustling. But for me, I think that’s why I’ve lasted so long. I enjoy the hustle. That’s something that keeps the fire lit. It’s part of what I enjoy. I get bored very easily. So I just need constant change. I’m a Sagittarius, but we always need to be entertained in a way. I’m not one of those people that like to just have a residency at a bar and DJ every Friday. I’m not that type of person. But I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of DJing soccer games.

You said you played soccer. Did you play through college or what was your soccer journey?

I did play in college. My parents, both, I mean, more my dad, but my mom also, are fans of the sport. They went to all the games. There’s four of us, four kids that they had. I played in college only for two years. At that point, not like to talk crap about my team or anything, my university, I just played at Metro State, Division II, but I felt like I really went down a level.

I’ve never really been, like, bullied. My sister and I were the only ones that walked on and made it. And for some reason, I don’t know, the girls were just weird with us. I don’t know. It was just strange and like, I’m not gonna stay somewhere I’m not happy and the level I felt I went down. And plus, it’s a lot. I mean, you have to go two-a-days. I wanted a job. I wanted to make money while I was in school, too. I think it was just time to just let it go. I still played for a while, like indoor soccer, with some teams and stuff. But I had other goals. I had other things I wanted to do like music. From there, after I graduated college, I moved to Breckenridge, and I lived there for 13 years. But the first year I moved there, that’s when I started my DJ career.

We can’t plan life, right? We can only do so much, and it leads us where we need to be.

I am not a planner at all. I live so much in the present. Everything just has happened, just go with the flow type things. So everything’s just happening as it’s happening for me.

Me too. People will be like, “What’s your five-year plan?” I’m like, “I don’t even know.”

That’s so funny that you say that because I was just talking about like, I get anxiety sometimes with interviews, some people will be like, “What is your five year goal?” I just don’t know. I mean, maybe it’s this bigger stages like doing more in the sports industry.

I really started my career in extreme sports, DJing X Games and Dew Tours and Burton Opens. I ended up doing Summer X Games. I always liked to be tied into something active as a DJ because there’s no way I could have been just DJing at bars and clubs. I did. I’ve done it so much. I still do. I try to not do it as much, but I don’t want to just be DJing for people that are getting wasted.

I like DJing because music is for everything, for everybody. It’s like you can play at a baby shower. You can play at all kinds of events, especially sport events. It was so cool to DJ while people are coming down a mountain, during the day. It’s very cool. So I just always wanted to do that daytime stuff as well.

People are probably engaged in a different way, too, during the day?

Exactly and you’re more memorable, too. People remember you more. I remember at clubs, people will be like, “You’re so amazing. Oh my gosh. Can I get your card?” They probably lose it by the time they get to their car or whatever. But when I get more new events and the people reaching out, it’s usually when they see me at an event during the day or something where people are more active.

Soccer is one of the sports that embraces music in general and those are two of your passions. How have you seen those intersect?

Well, the thing is, soccer is the most popular sport in the world. So I can play everything from Latin music to Afrobeats to EDM to just regular dance music to old school. And the way the crowd reacts, they’re just all dancing. They’re all excited to be there. And it’s all different cultures. It’s so diverse. It’s just so beautiful. I love it. And everybody’s just so happy, you know?

Especially because it’s women too, at the Summit home opener, it was just so cool to see all that support. I think with soccer, because it’s played all over the world, that’s what maybe sets it apart from other sports. Just different cultures. It’s hard to answer this question, because I’m just trying to think. So many people can relate. And if you think, most people can say, “Oh, I played soccer when I was young, but then I just didn’t want to anymore.” And when I hear people are surprised at how many people would come to these NWSL games, I’m like, everybody almost has played soccer. Either they could cut it, or couldn’t, because it’s a very hard sport to play.

Did you have a favorite club or player growing up?

Of course Maradona and like Pelé because those are some of my favorites because I grew up just with my dad cheering for them. Of course, the Chilean teams, like Colo-Colo, a local team out there. I would always root for Chile, but other South American teams, like Argentina I really liked as well. Of course, United States, I wanted them to do well. But, you know, growing up, they weren’t always the best. But they’re great now, too. Growing up, I was more into where my family comes from. Those are the teams that I would normally root for. I mean, Brazil too, but they were always on the top and I’m more one to go for the underdog.

I’ll never forget when USA, when Brandi Chastain, when she took off her shirt, that’s just such a memorable, historic time, you know. It was really cool, because when I was at one of the Women’s Sports Foundation events, I got to meet a lot of those players from that time that were there. So they had women that used to play on the USWNT and women that still play. It was just cool to see all these amazing women like Julie Foudy. She was there. I got to meet her and take pictures with her. It was just awesome to just be around such incredible women.

I read that you don’t really make playlists when you DJ. But what is your process for preparing for match days or just sports events like that?

So I’ll make like a playlist, like an idea of what I could play. But I always adapt to the crowd. If I see that they’re feeling certain music, then I’m going to go in that direction. So if I play some like Afrobeats song and they like it or a Latin song.

Latin songs you have to play in soccer, too. It’s very popular in soccer. I just kind of go from there and see how people adapt. It was wild, though, during that game, it was just so many people, and like, no matter where I was, or even around me, I had the 14ers, the supporters’ group, right next to me, so it was so easy. So when everybody’s just liking every song, I was kind of going from hit to hit to hit.

But I did plan a little bit for that. I put very high energy music in my list. But I just kind of figure it out as I go. I’ve always been that way, like, I’ve always come up with stuff. People will say, “I loved that mix.” I’m like, “Which one?” I literally play off the energy, and then I come up with cool things because of the crowd feedback.

Sometimes, I’m like, I wish I recorded that. But usually, I try to record a lot of my mixes live. So that kind of helps, but yeah, every time it’s different. I mean, sometimes there’s my go-tos, and I know that’s going to get the crowd for every age. But yeah, I call myself a freestyle DJ. I freestyle to the crowd. But I do have a plan. I’ll make a crate of my music, or like playlist in my software that’s like hit songs. So I did remember what songs go well and with soccer, too. It was nice because Summit FC actually wanted my feedback on helping, “When they make a goal, what are we going to do?” For the intro, they wanted my feedback. So it was really cool to be a part of that. Help them figure everything out.

What does it mean to you to rep Denver and be so involved in the community?

I’m a Denver native, so it means everything. For the first professional women’s soccer team, it means the world to me. Just the fact that I played and I know the game, it means a lot. It means everything. I don’t even know how to say it. It means the world. It’s like, again, like I said, it’s a full circle moment for me. I try to advocate as much as I can for women so just being with women’s soccer and DJing for that is just so amazing.

I care deeply about people in the community, and I think that just naturally shows up in my work. I support movements and human rights. All humans, not just specific humans and inequality, everything that’s going on. I’m part Palestinian. So, it’s wild for me to see how people can say they care about the community and humans, but I guess you don’t see it as much when it comes to people that are getting their basic human rights taken away for so many years. So I try to create inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome and safe. I just make a point to collaborate and uplift women and other underrepresented groups in the industry.