“Rockaway Summer Music Spotlight” is a series by The Rockaway Times highlighting the movers and shakers behind the local music scene. In this installation, meet DJ Mouse.
Originally from Marine Park, Brooklyn, Joseph Montaperto a.k.a. DJ Mouse’s wanderlust for adventure has led him down paths as eclectic as the music and towns he’s deejayed for over 40 years. From being in the Marine Corps, working for the NYC Department of Sanitation, then the FDNY, living in Long Beach, planting roots in Rockaway and Rincón, Puerto Rico, motorcycling across the country, traveling all over the world—no doubt DJ Mouse is living life to the fullest. In the following, Q&A, learn how the in-demand disc jockey continues to climb the charts.
RT: You’re originally from Brooklyn, so how did you evolve into being this in-demand DJ for all these beach communities?
DM: I first started deejaying in the Hamptons and Hunter Mountain. So, by working in those places, I met everyone from everywhere, which expanded my client base. I was always a fan of spreading myself out to as many neighborhoods as possible. I lived in Long Beach, Long Island, and worked at a famous place called Chauncey’s. Then when I moved to Rockaway, I became good friends with the Tubridy family. So when they opened Bungalow, now the Hotel, I’ve been deejaying with them for a long time. And now, I deejay in the summertime everywhere, as far east as East Quogue in the Hamptons, and as far west as The Rockaway Hotel. And of course, in Rincòn, Puerto Rico, which is my primary residence.
RT: What brought you to Rockaway?
DM: I was dating a girl here, and when an apartment opened up, I moved to the buildings at 1 Beach 105 in Rockaway Park.
RT: You refer to Rincón, Puerto Rico a.k.a. Rockaway South, as home. What led you to moving there?
DM: Around 1998, I was invited to a wedding in Rincón. So, I flew into San Juan and rented a motorcycle, and over four days, rode across the island to get to the wedding. I just fell in love with Puerto Rico. A group of eight friends at the firehouse bought a house called, “Casa Bombero.” And one of the guys wanted to sell his shares, so I bought in. Eventually we sold it. Now, I live in my current house for over 25 years. I even have an acre of land that has mangoes, papayas and more. I always felt it’d be fun to grow stuff to share. Many of the local restaurants use my papayas for their dishes. Funnily enough, because I spend more than six months a year living in Puerto Rico, I’m considered a resident. So now, I can’t even vote for the president of the U.S., but I can vote for the governor of Puerto Rico.
RT: You mentioned your career with the FDNY. What inspired you to become a fireman?
DM: I started out in the Marine Corps. I knew that having the military on your resume was good for getting on the fire department. I wanted to be a fireman the whole time. I took sanitation because they called first. Then I finally got in the FDNY, working at a firehouse, nicknamed, “Eye of The Storm,” for Ladder Company 132 and Engine 280 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. With all my combined time in the military, sanitation, and fire department, it worked out to 25 years total. My dad was in construction with no pension, so all he preached to us was getting a pension. He’s like, “I’m gonna be working my whole life. You can go get a job and have a pension and actually have a retirement.” So my sister became a teacher and I became a fireman. My dad was a pension preacher.
RT: So, how did you as a fireman become a deejay?
DM: You could say I learned to DJ by fire. There was a bar around the corner of my house that I basically grew up in because back then you could be 18 in a bar. And when I got out of the Marine Corps, I needed a job. So, the bar’s owner hired me to work the front door checking IDs. And when the DJ wanted to go home early, he’d ask me to flip the cassette tape when it was done. And if someone was bartending and requested some songs, I’d find the vinyl records and start playing. I deejayed with vinyl for quite a long time, although I did get on the digital trend.
RT: Why the moniker, “DJ Mouse?”
DM: Everyone calls me, ‘mouse,’ including my family. My grandmother gave me the nickname, and it just stuck. I’m Uncle Mouse to my nieces and nephews, and all my friends call me Mouse.
RT: What genres of music do you most enjoy?
DM: I don’t think there’s one type. My deejaying enjoyment is more the people’s enjoyment. I feed off the crowd. I’m probably one of the few deejays that actually likes song requests. Especially young people because they’ll request a song that I don’t even know and I play it for them. Then 25 of their friends are singing it at the top of their lungs. So, then I start exploring that genre and artist, and get a feel for other songs like it. And that adds to my repertoire. I never worry about a dance floor as much as I worry about people not leaving the bar. I read the room and vibe off of that. My one problem right now is every time I hear a new song that blows me out of the water, I discover that it’s AI.
RT: Does AI help you curate your setlist?
DM: I use AI extensively. For example, the biggest song in the world right now is “Moving to the Sun,” by Hugel. So, I enter that in the AI chat, and say, “Give me 10 more songs that are similar in vibe, beats per minute and harmonic mixing.” Bam! It gives me 10 songs.
RT: The 25th anniversary of 9/11 is approaching. How does that hit home as an FDNY veteran?
DM: I think about that day every day. I literally got into the city after the second collapse. We were triaging people for eye injuries because of all the debris and dust that got in their eyes. Every night I stick a sleep apnea mask on because of all the smoke and dust I inhaled. On the back of my van, there’s a sign with a firefighter silhouette that states, “FDNY 9/11 Never Forget.”
Mark your calendars! Today, Thursday, August 20, 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., DJ Mouse will be delivering “Rooftop Vibes” at The Rockaway Hotel (108-10 Rockaway Beach Drive). Plus, this Saturday, August 22, starting at 7 p.m., he’ll be spinning the ultimate bayside party at Adrienne’s (25 Van Brunt Road, Broad Channel). For more info, including about upcoming shows, visit: djmousenyc on Instagram.
