Meet Joshua Graham Aka DJ Joshua | Dallas DJ with over 30 years of experience and host of “The Sunset Soiree”, a radio show on KNON Now (knonnow.org).

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joshua Graham Aka DJ Joshua and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua Graham, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My “businesses” are my radio show and my mobile DJ company. My radio show is “The Sunset Soiree”, which I’ve been doing since 2020 and currently airs on KNON Now Radio (www.knonnow.org). My mobile DJ business originated from being asked to DJ at weddings, corporate events and civic events over the last 20-30 years. This came from my reputation as a well-known and in-demand club DJ in the 90s and early 00s.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I host a radio show called The Sunset Soiree every Saturday night at 10pm on KNON Now (knonnow.org). I’ve been doing the show since April of 2020, and on KNON since June of 2024. In 2020, as the lockdown was in full effect, I started The Sunset Soiree online as a way to connect with isolated friends and to make connections with other discerning music lovers worldwide. The show has also welcomed guest DJs from San Francisco, Seattle, NYC, Bristol UK and the local DFW house scene. The music I play spans a wide range of selections from new and classic House Music to Club Classics to Disco to Downtempo/Chill/Balearic to Jazz to with a focus on new and vintage Soulful Deep House.

I’ve been a DJ for over 30 years and it was always a dream to do it on the radio and bring my musical vision to more people. The show has been running for over 5 years and continues to grow and gain momentum. One of the lessons I learned along the way was to be persistent and dedicated to presenting my voice and vision. Even when it seemed no one was listening, I was passionate enough to stay true to my mission of bringing true, underground, soulful house music to the people.

What sets me apart and what I’m most proud of is that the show focuses on not just new music, but also brings back a lot of “classics”. Since I’ve been involved in the music for so long, I have perspective and can “join the dots” between the older AND newer stuff and tell a story with the music. I also take pride in sharing my platform and welcoming in-studio guests from the local DFW scene, as well as noted DJs from all over the country and internationally.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One of the other things I do in my DJ life is I’m the go-to DJ and MC for all civic events for my current hometown, the City of Richardson. This has included Lunar New Year and Light Up Lockwood Richardson. I take great pride in performing at these events and, if the time of year was right, I’d take my guest to the Culture in the Core event that happens in the first weekend of November. This is a multicultural event that brings together a wide-range of performers, in addition to performances by local school music and dance groups. Or maybe the Cottonwood Art Festival that happens in the first weekend of October, as well as every Spring. This event is a place to see and buy art from vendors from all over the country and is a great, free, gathering place for locals.
For a great lunch, I’d take my friend to Del’s Hamburgers in Richardson, which has been operating from downtown Richardson for almost 70 years. Then, I’d go to downtown Dallas for a stroll through the Arts District, including the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Dallas Museum of Art. Somewhere in the day, I’d include a stop at the biggest record store in the country, Josey Records. For a fine-dining dinner experience, I’d take my guest to Partenope, also in downtown Richardson.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I dedicate my Shoutout to KNON 89.3FM and KNON Now for allowing me to do my show weekly and trusting in me and all the other DJs on their stations to bring something different to the airwaves every day. For me, its a great honor to present a show on KNON because that was where I got my first “club music” education. When I was in high school, there were 2 influential shows on every Saturday afternoon: Jeff K had a show called “Thud Slap” that played more of the industrial and techno end of things, and “Jackin’ the Box”, which was hosted by Jeff Steel. “Jackin’ the Box” was one of the first house music radio shows in the country and was where my lifelong love of House Music began. Also, I dedicate my Shoutout to my family, who give me the support and freedom to explore my dreams with music and radio.

Website: https://www.mixcloud.com/DJ_Joshua/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuagraham12/

Other: KNON Now Radio website: https://spinitron.com/KNON-NOW/show/275367/Sunset-Soiree
(This is a link to the radio station and has all my playlists from the last 18 months.

The Mixcloud link above links to recordings from my radio shows, as well as other interesting shows and gigs from the last 20 years.

Image Credits
All images are mine. These include shots from me DJ’ing at a local events, some with my teenage sons, at LadyLove and at the KNON studio. There is also one of the flyers I use to promote my show, The Sunset Soiree, on social media.