Dr. Richard “DJ Mediko” Aballay is our latest Student Spotlight, one of over 50,000 Digital DJ Tips students from 172 countries that have taken a DJ or production course with us. Here he shares how a family physician rediscovered his teenage passion through online training.
By day, Dr. Richard Aballay treats patients at his family and functional medicine practice in Kansas. Nights and weekends, he’s DJ Mediko – spinning EDM, reggaeton, trap, hip-hop, Top 40, Latin classics, and even country remixes across radio streams, festivals, and private events.
The journey from teenage record collector to working physician-DJ started with a raffle, two crates of vinyl, and a belt-drive turntable that wouldn’t quit.
The Franken-rig years
“South Bronx, age 13,” Dr. Richard recalls. “A new DJ shop raffled two crates of vinyl. I won, begged my mom for gear, and pieced together a belt-drive ‘Franken-rig’ that taught me to mix by touch and instinct – not waveforms.”
Cash was the biggest hurdle. Every spare dollar from odd jobs went into needles and well-loved records. But that scarcity had an unexpected benefit:
“That scarcity ended up sharpening my ear more than any fancy controller could have,” he explains.
Two careers, one passion
Fast-forward to 2019: After years focused on building his medical career, Dr. Richard discovered Digital DJ Tips and decided to properly develop his DJ skills.
His first major breakthrough came from Laidback Luke’s Creative DJing course.
“Laidback Luke’s Creative DJing course flipped the switch on phrasing, drop mixing, and fearless tempo transitions,” Dr. Richard explains. “Since then my confidence has evolved from ‘hope this works’ to orchestrating genre-hopping, mood-shifting journeys on demand.”
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Today, he plays Latin Mix Masters Radio streams, local festivals, private events, and weekly “therapy sessions” in his studio. His sets span EDM, reggaeton, trap, hip-hop, Top 40, Latin classics, and country remixes.
“If it has a pulse, I’ll thread it into a set,” he says.
Recognition and wisdom
Last year, an Australian DJ and educator (and founder of his own DJ school) caught one of Dr. Richard’s livestreams. He sent a video shout-out praising the “surgical precision” of his drop-mixing.
“Fifteen-year-old me would have framed that clip,” Dr. Richard says. “I keep it on my phone for tough clinic days.” The recognition proved that starting later in life didn’t mean settling for “good enough.”
Dr. Richard’s advice to aspiring late-starter DJs is characteristically direct:
“You’re never too old, but earn your stripes – beatmatch by ear before you lean on sync, then let tech amplify, not replace, your craft.”
His message to his pre-DJ self? “Trust your ears; tech will change, timing won’t.”
Finally…
Dr. Richard continues balancing his medical practice with his DJ work. You’ll catch him on Latin Mix Masters Radio streams, at local festivals, private events, and in his home studio.
From the South Bronx to Kansas, from belt-drive Franken-rigs to modern controllers, his journey proves one thing: if you have the passion and put in the work, you can make it happen.
“Thanks for being the silent mentor in my headphones all these years,” he says to the Digital DJ Tips team. “Here’s to the next 15 – get good, get out there, and keep making the moments!”
Ready to rediscover your DJ passion?
Dr. Richard credits Laidback Luke’s Creative DJing course with transforming his approach from “hope this works” to orchestrating fearless, genre-hopping sets, but we also have a wide selection of DJ and production courses to choose from.
Want everything Dr. Richard learned and more? Access All Areas gives you unlimited access to every Digital DJ Tips course, including Laidback Luke’s Creative DJing and all future releases.
Phil Morse
