In 1994, Richard Moore, aka DJ Daddy Spleece, fell in love with reggae. It didn’t just become his favorite music, it became his obsession.
“I was like, ‘that’s it for me. That’s all I’m going to listen to. That’s all I’m going to play,’” Moore says.
At the time, Moore was living in Fresno. In the coming years, he became a prominent reggae/dancehall DJ, playing pretty much anything from Jamaica. He got weekly reggae shows going at various clubs pretty much every night of the week, and would bring live reggae bands to town. In other words, he helped create a serious reggae scene.
When he moved to Santa Cruz nine years ago, he didn’t need to build a scene—venues like Moe’s had been doing that for years. Fortunately for him, the demand for reggae music here is high. He spins at various events in town—usually at Moe’s—hosts a weekly reggae radio show on KZSC every Tuesday morning, and even maintains the website santacruzreggae.com.
“Since moving to Santa Cruz, I fell back in love with roots,” he says. “I really focus there as far as the radio goes. On a proper club night, you’ll still find me playing the newest dancehall off the island.”
Specifically, what kinds of tracks he plays when he’s hosting an event runs the gamut as far as popular favorites and obscure gems. “I like to give the people what they want to hear, but I like to give them what they need to hear, too.”
His name was given to him years ago by a friend; it’s a combination of “spliff” and “peace.”
“They said, ‘you know you’re one of those guys that can’t have one without the other,” Moore says. “That’s not true for me anymore, these days, but the name stuck.”
INFO: 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $20/adv, $25/door. 479-1854.
The best for sure!
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