HVEN Inbound: DJ Spen | 01.24.26

DJ Spen began his career at the age of 13, producing mix shows for a radio station in Baltimore.Around the same time, he founded one of the area’s first hip hop production groups, the Numarx. In 1986 they wrote and recorded a track called “Girl You Know It’s True”, which was later covered andmade famous by Milli Vanilli. Spen spent the next decade and a half, Spen working at various radiostations in the Baltimore/Washington DC area. In 1989, Spen joined the Basement Boys Records production and record label team where he formedthe inspirational house group Jasper Street Company and release his first full production “A Feelin.” In his years with the Basement Boys and Jasper Street, Spen gained consistent commercial and dancefloor success, and became an in-demand remix producer remixing for some of club land’s biggest names, such as Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Everything but the Girl, Toni Braxton, Kirk Franklin, Ann Nesby, and Shaun Escoffery. In 2004, Spen entered a partnership to form the Code Red Record label. Together with Gary Hudgins and Irvin Madden he formed the artist/production team called the MuthaFunkaz and they joined the iconic Defected Records releasing dance classics such as “The Way You Love Me”,(featuring MarcEvans), “Gabryelle”, and “It”s So Easy” (featuring Ann Nesby). In 2012, Spen co-founded the dance music label Quantize Recordings with Baltimore’s Thommy Davis producing tracks form the likes of Jocelyn Brown, Barbara Tucker, Crystal Waters, Joi Cardwell, Melonie Daniels, Dawn Tallman, and Tracy Hamlin. The label has since started two sub-labels. Collectively, the labels have over 700 releases. With a career span of 40 years, Spen has become one of the most sought-after DJs in the U.S. He can be found jetting off to gigs at some of the premier clubs around the world. He also plays regularly all over Europe and in Australia.