Rusty Lazer is a DJ, Producer, Artist Manager and Non-Profit founder who has called New Orleans home since the mid 90’s, when he arrived with his drums and a lifetime of performing an eclectic range of music from jazz to classical, and punk to new wave.

In the upheaval and loss after Katrina, he transitioned from playing in 5 active touring bands to DJ’ing. His first set in 2007 was at an ex-girlfriend and bandmate’s birthday, and just a couple of years later he was managing, DJ’ing and touring the world many times over with Bounce Music legends Big Freedia, Katey Red, Nicky Da B and Ha Sizzle. Nicky Da B’s track on Diplo’s first solo record, “Express Yourself”, remains one of the most enduring creations from this period. His sets at the time were dubbed “a sweaty, mega-mix crash course in the sound of New Orleans,” These days his tastes encompass a spectrum that includes the music of his adopted hometown blended with genres beyond the generational and geographical, and always 100% dance party focused.

In addition to his work as an artist, in 2008 he co-founded the artist exchange non-profit New Orleans Airlift in an effort to create opportunities for local artists to engage with the wider world through global travel. He’s a founding creator of its flagship project, Music Box Village, a “village of musical architecture” that still hosts cross-culture collaborations in New Orleans’ Bywater neighborhood.