The Cherry Fund may be importing much of its talent from other cities, but there are many local aspiring DJs that should not be overlooked. Among them is the very talented Darryl Strickland. Darryl has played an integral role in almost all of the Cherry events thus far, and he will once again reclaim his slot spinning at the Pre-Party Pump at Results, The Gym. This may not be a traditional dance party (the weights and gym equipment kind of get in the way), but it does offer the perfect opportunity to listen to the spirited sounds of our hometown hero while squeezing in that final workout before Saturday’s main event.

Darryl moved to our nation’s capital 10 years ago from his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since then, he has worked very hard at establishing his name in the area. He has played just about every bar and club in DC, including the occasional gig at Velvet Nation, but you can now find him each and every Friday night at one of Washington’s premier strip clubs, Wet (spinning records, that is, not dancing – at least not any more).

Darryl thrives on versatility and variety. “I can play a wide range of music,” he explains. “I try to figure out the crowd first before I decide what I’m going to play. If they’re feeding on a certain type of music, I try to stay within that realm, but I also throw in stuff that is unique and different. I try to expose them to some music they’ve probably never heard before.” Although he certainly does occasionally intersperse the requisite harder beats, his sets are primarily comprised of high-energy vocal tracks.

What sets Darryl apart from many other DJs is his devotion to creating something different for his crowds, whether it be his own personal edits of songs reconfigured at home on the computer or special sound effects mixed in live during his sets. He’d like to venture into commercial remixing in the future, but he just hasn’t found the time yet to take that next step. Like most aspiring DJs, Darryl works a day job. As a junior network administrator at the Department of Commerce, Darryl’s life is consumed by technology. But he loves it, playfully describing himself as a “computer freak.”

Although Darryl doesn’t foresee his DJing becoming a full-time career, he would like to travel more often to out-of-town gigs. He’s certainly off to a good start this month with play dates scheduled in Ohio, Denver and Pittsburgh, including the weekend after Cherry at Club Axis in Columbus. Much of Darryl’s summer will be spent in Rehoboth Beach where he’ll be spinning the Love Party around July 4th and several other weekends at Cloud 9.

Darryl’s ultimate dream is to find “a residency at a dance floor [where] they allow me to play what I want instead of trying to control what I play.” Until then, he’s happy to contribute his talents to Cherry’s great cause. “I think anything that helps our community is important,” he says. “That’s why I like to be involved with Cherry every year as much as I can. If it helps bring money to the organization, I think that’s great. I don’t ever want to not be involved because it’s like my city, so I want to represent DC and Cherry. Hopefully next year I’ll have one of the dance floors.” (Hint, hint!)

This year’s Cherry CD, produced by Platinum Sponsor Centaur Records, features the creative mixing talents of Darryl Strickland. You can purchase the CD for $18 at the Welcome Center or online at www.cherryfund.com. You may also visit Darryl on the Web at www.darrylstrickland.com.