DaCapo

DaCapo

Tim Hampton DJ’ing at The Mint in LA. Photo by Josh Glazebrooke.

Thanks to Tim Hampton, spectators and athletes at the Olympic track cycling events in Rio later this summer will be listening to more than the national anthems of gold medal winners: Hampton, fresh off a stellar DJ set at the Long Beach Pride Festival in May, has been selected to be the official DJ and music director at the Olympic velodrome.  

“I’m going to Rio for the Games,” said Hampton, better known by his DJ name, DaCapo. “I’m excited, and I’m ready.”  

DaCapo 1Hampton, 31, was a heavily recruited basketball star at Mayfair High School in Lakewood when two serious injuries derailed his athletic hopes during his senior year.  A lifetime lover of music, Hampton bought two rickety turntables on eBay and began channeling his energies into the art of DJ’ing.   

“After a month I wanted to quit, because I was horrible at it,” said Hampton. He stayed at it, though, and after about six months he started feeling confident about his abilities to match beats and create moods by blending groups of records together.  

Hampton began devouring music, listening to techno, house, soul, rock—anything he could get his hands on.  

Soon, Hampton was DJ’ing a dance at his church, mixing hip-hop instrumentals (no grimy lyrics at church!) on his desktop computer. His second gig was at the Hully Gully club in Downey, where he played from 8:00PM ’til 2:00AM and was paid $40.  “I drive by there from time to time,” said Hampton.  “It keeps me grounded.”  

Hampton’s determination, positivity and DJ skills have propelled him into prominence:  He DJs all home football games for the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl, works Clippers games at Staples Center, and recently began playing L.A. Galaxy games at the StubHub Center in Carson.   

olympic-rings-un-1010x1030Several board members of those teams also serve on the board of the Special Olympics, and Hampton’s reputation as a consistently great DJ won him a recommendation from them to mix at last year’s Special Olympics World Games in L.A. last year.  

Hampton’s performances at the Special Olympics got great reviews and attracted the attention of the two Rio Olympics entertainment selection committees. While under review for Rio, Hampton made sure to make his mark at May’s Long Beach Pride Festival. 

“That was one of the best nights of my life,” said Hampton. “I prepared so hard for that event. I wanted to give that crowd that experience like, ‘We want to come back next year!’ ” 

A couple of weeks ago, Hampton got the good news about his Olympic gig.  

“Even now, I still can’t believe it,” Hampton said. “Maybe when I get on the plane it’ll hit me. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime.”  

Hampton will be traveling light, taking only his headphones, his mixer/controller, and his laptop computer, which is packed with 25,000 jams. The crowds in Rio will be treated to some of Hampton’s remixes (he has been asked to create remixes by artists such as Alicia Keys and Imagine Dragons), including his much-liked version of Beyonce’s hit “Formation.”  

Hampton will undoubtedly be enriched from his experience in Rio, one of the world’s great music cities. He’s eager to rock the velodrome and the international audiences therein. 

“I just really love music,” said Hampton. “You don’t need to speak any certain language to understand good music.”

Above, left: Photo by Samuel Whitworth.