Omari Eternal is a multidisciplinary artist with roots in the Twin Cities and talent that takes them around the country. Thinking of DJing as a way to paint a picture, Omari Eternal’s mix shirks genre in favor of a message for liberation and unity.

We chatted with Omari Eternal about their background and intentions for the mix. Read a transcript of the interview edited for length and clarity below:

What made you want to become a DJ?

Music has always been a huge cornerstone of my life. I met my partner, Pauli Cakes, in 2020 and they showed me how to mix and blend music. It changed my perspective, and that's how I got into DJing.

How would you describe your DJing style?

Very eclectic, sporadic. I like to use many different sounds. I'm not afraid to bend genres. I'm not afraid to bend social norms.

What have been some of the most gratifying moments for you as a DJ?

The most gratifying moments have been when I'm DJing and I look up and see people having a good time. Dancing, not on their phones, just present in reality. That's a really hard thing to do in this day and age, to get a person to pay attention to something. It's the attention economy, after all.

You're an artist in a lot of different rights. What are some of the other media that you like to express yourself in?

I'm a tattoo artist and I also draw. Pretty much any medium that I can get my hands on, if it can make a stroke, then I probably will use it.

How does DJing tie into all of it?

It's all connected. I see myself as a painter. No matter what I'm doing, whether it's making music, DJing, or tattooing, I'm putting a painting together for people to view. That's how I see it.

What do you have in store for us today?

Today, we're gonna be going into my mind a little bit. I also want to draw the parallels between the struggle in Palestine to liberation in general. There's a parallel between the Black struggle and the Palestinian genocide that's happening currently today. That's something I want to try to convey through my set, if possible.

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Stay tuned for new mixes on Carbon Sound every Wednesday. If you’re a DJ and want to be considered for the series, email a mix of yours to jgreen@mpr.org.