Get plugged in with in-demand DJ Bird Flu

On stage, DJ Bird Flu shuffles through his crate of vinyl, mixing House of Pain and the Wu-Tang Clan over funk and Motown with an onslaught of scratches over the backdrop of deep bass and a full laser light show.

Off stage, he's busy at work behind the desk at the Charleston County Library, and you can call him "Tony."

"I'm a librarian by trade," Tony Mele said. "I work the media desk."

The down-to-earth all-vinyl DJ has been collecting records and working the turntables for about eight years. He originally got into the DJ scene when he worked at the college radio station in Clemson University. The upperclassmen working the station, including Charleston DJ JECTWON, taught him how to beat match during his time on the airwaves.

"Early on, when I needed somebody to show me the tricks I heard on mix tapes, I met (JECTWON) and he schooled me for two semesters," Mele said.

This talent proved useful, as Mele came into contact with MCs and other lyricists from the Clemson area who needed a live DJ to collaborate on live sets. His DJ name came out of a rap song in Clemson, where one of his buddies said, "Tony is sicker than Bird Flu." This subtle inside joke solidified the moniker, and shortly after, Mele moved to Charleston.

A self-proclaimed "bed room DJ," Mele harnessed his scratch-pad skills in his own room as a hobby, releasing his first mix tape, "Tell a Friend," shortly after he arrived in the Lowcountry. It didn't take long for people to notice his abilities in the emerging Charleston DJ scene. This past year, he's put both Kulture Klash V and Charleston Fashion Week VIP gigs under his belt, and has played parties and bar gigs alike, most recently, the Electric Friends Farewell Party at a private warehouse under the Cooper River Bridge last Tuesday.

Right after the warehouse set, Mele and local DJ Rocky Horror were invited to join Electric Friends Records, an up-and-coming record label and DJ collective started by Charleston turntablists Jeff Turner (onstage persona: JeffET), Nick DeNitto (MACHETE) and Matt Bowers (CMNDer), where he hopes to alter the stereotypical image of the trashy club disc jockey toward more of a play list creator with an artist persona.

"I'm really excited to see a shift in hip-hop DJs, and DJs in general, in just the public eye. We should be respected as people who are actually working. It has a lot to do with why I joined up with Electric Friends Records. I felt like, this big DJ collective could use me, and I could use it."

EF Records will produce the new DJ Bird Flu mix tape, which is still in the works. Mele is excited about the new connect, not only for the release, but most importantly, for getting the booking on shows where his particular style of scratching and mixing has a perfect fit.

Mele prides himself on his methodical set, planning out each song and tempo in a diary for every set he plays, and rehearsing them in his room before the shows time and time again..

"If there's one thing people can expect out of me, it's consistency," he said.