DJ Vibe

In 1983 hip hop exploded onto the mainstream when sounds from the South Bronx came booming into people's homes and stereos. That same year, Zack Hellman a.k.a The World Famous DJ Vibe was born in New York City.

Today, Vibe has become a leading figure in the mixtape circuit with tapes sold in hip hop shops around the world. Vibe works relentlessly gaining praises from personalities, socialites, executives, club goers, and music aficionados while deejaying globally.

Having moved to Southampton as a child, Vibe started partying at parties and became infatuated with DJs. "I got my first set of decks as a freshman in high school," he states. "They were made for European outlets and my mixer didn't even have a crossfader."

After high school, Vibe worked for Sam Crespo in the promotions department at Island/Def Jam. There he met some of the nation's leading DJs including Big Mike, Craig G, and Tapemasters Inc. At Def Jam, Vibe also met many of the street DJs who work day in and day out to supply the street with the newest music. He began releasing old school mix CDs to the various distributors from Canal Street and Fulton Street to Jamaica Avenue and Fordham Road. "No one had ever just made exclusively Old School CDs so people kept buying mine. I carved out a niche for myself because it was the only way I was able to stay competitive,” says Vibe. Vibe's mixtapes were being sold across the nation, from Chicago to Los Angeles. CDs were even being sent to rural areas in North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, and New Hampshire. Vibe’s CDs gained even more popularity on foreign soil where there seemed to be a greater demand for his style. DJ Vibe mixtapes began appearing in stores in Montreal, London, Paris, Berlin and Tokyo. Mixtapes may have gained DJ Vibe his notoriety, but his work as a DJ is his true passion.

In Fall 2002, Vibe was accepted into NYU’s prestigious Music Technology program where he studied Music Theory and History, as well as audio recording. As an undergrad, Vibe worked as a recording engineer at Carnegie Hall with Leszek Wojcik while spinning at NYC’s leading nightlife venues. In early 2008, Vibe received a Masters of Music from NYU’s graduate Music Technology program. His thesis titled “A Look into the Philosophy and Technology That Enable the Disc Jockey” was one of the first comprehensive works on the matter. Vibe has worked extensively with Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton Live, Max/MSP, and is an expert in Serato Scratch Live. He has experience in audio mastering, acoustics and sound reinforcement, live concert and studio recording, and music synthesis. He also plays piano and bass.

Vibe’s eclectic sets include everything from Disco, Soul, Funk, and New Wave to Hip Hop, R&B, Reggae, and Rock ‘n’ Roll. On the turntables nothing is excluded from the mix and this has been what has continued to make DJ Vibe so popular. Sitting among stacks of records in his Brooklyn studio, Vibe continues to search for that lost record that still deserves to be played. "DJs are responsible to give life to new music, but we also must keep old music alive. The latter seems to take up much more of my time."