Just Call Him DJ Clemente, From Waltham

If you visit a nightclub in the future, you may eventually spot a Waltham kid dropping beats.

And yes, he takes requests.

While he is still young, 15 year-old Anthony Clemente is already at the start of what could be a career as a disc jockey. Clemente, a resident of the Island neighborhood in Waltham, regularly DJs at Waltham events, playing a wide variety of music ranging from oldies to currently popular songs. Clemente, a Waltham High School sophomore, started as a DJ two years ago when he saw a family friend doing the same.

“He was kind of what got me into it,” Clemente told Waltham Patch in a recent interview.

Clemente bought some DJ equipment from his father’s friend and landed a gig playing the school dance at the John W. McDevitt Middle School. Clemente was a McDevitt student at the time.

“I kind of did really bad,” Clemente said of his performance at the dance.

Clemente, however, did not give up on his hobby. He continued doing more events to improve his skills. Clemente later played at the 2010 Waltham Day after asking for the gig. Clemente said McCarthy later recommended him to play at

Now, Clemente operates as a business he calls AC-3 Productions. He has a Web site, Twitter feed and Facebook page. While he currently plays on a volunteer basis, Clemente said he hopes to turn his hobby into a business eventually.

“I hope it becomes a professional business,” Clemente said.

For Clemente, being a DJ is not just about playing music. He said he loves seeing people dancing and having fun to the beats of his music. He typically starts an event by choosing music to play, but later accepts requests.

“It’s fun to see everybody else having fun,” Clemente said. “Even though I am not dancing, it feels like I am."

Laura Russak, a McDevitt teacher who runs the school’s dances, said Clemente has done a terrific job at the dances.

“He is very organized, very professional,” she said. “He’s been developing his DJ skills since he has been doing the dances.”

Clemente is not only having fun, he is learning valuable life skills.

“First, he is learning those interpersonal skills, how to deal with adults,” Russak said. “He is only going to become a better person because of it.”

Clemente said he is also learning how to run a business and the events will also help when applying to college, according to Clemente.

While Clemente enjoys being a DJ, there is one aspect he does not like – having to take down equipment when an event runs late into the evening. Late nights, however, won’t keep Clemente away from future events. 

“It’s easy work,” Clemente said.