Vivian Host is the subject of the latest installment of New York on the Clock. Known as DJ Star Eyes, Vivian has been a DJ for over 15 years. She moved from California five years ago and joined up with Brooklyn’s Trouble & Bass crew. A fan of fast mixing and the D.I.Y. aesthetic, she and Trouble & Bass try to keep some of the rave chaos in New York’s nightlife. Inside THIRTEEN spoke with a producer of New York on the Clock, Bijan Rezvani, about Vivian and the secret life of DJs.

Q. So what genres of music does Vivian play? Any that you’d never heard of before?

A. One of the interesting things about the whole Trouble & Bass crew is that they play a wide range of genres, as she mentions in the video — dubstep, grime, house, techno, Baltimore club, hip-hop, whatever. Most electronic music scenes limit themselves to narrow genre boundaries, but
Vivian tries to keep a more open attitude.

Q. Does she do most of her work here in the States, or overseas?

A. She lives in Brooklyn and most of her gigs are domestic, but she’s traveling all the time. Right now she’s on a Midwest tour, last week she was touring Europe, and this weekend she’s playing a party in Chinatown.

Q. In the film, Vivian talks about life after DJ-ing — does she have plans for the future? Where do DJs go when they retire?

A. I’m not sure what Vivian’s post-DJ plans are, but as DJs will often do, she’s getting more into producing music and just put out an EP this past June.

Q. Does Vivian pull down enough cash as a club DJ to not have a day job?

A. This is her job and how she supports herself, but it incorporates more than listening to music and playing records. Being a part of a crew like Trouble & Bass means producing and promoting events, necessary activity on social networks, and a long list of other tasks. She spent several years as the editor of XLR8R but finally left the magazine in June.

Q. Did she offer any insight into what makes a good DJ?

A. Vivian put a lot of emphasis on the positive performance aspect of the DJ. Who wants to watch a DJ who’s not having fun herself?

Watch Vivian’s story and more of the people that make New York tick on New York on the Clock.