DJ Nadi Choueiri: Breaking barriers with beats and vision

What’s something people always assume about vision loss that isn’t true?

That we can’t be independent, we just navigate differently.

How did music help you most when you were first diagnosed at 12?

It gave me hope and turned pain into something creative.

One piece of advice you’d give to a kid facing a tough diagnosis?

You’re not broken. You’re built differently, and that’s powerful.

Your DJ name if you weren’t Nadi Choueiri?

DJ Nikwist. Inspired by Harry Nyquist, the mind behind the sampling theory that makes digital music possible. Without him, DJing in the digital age wouldn’t even exist.

First song you ever mixed on the decks?

An old progressive house track, I don’t even remember the name, but I still remember the feeling.

Old-school vinyl or sleek digital console?

Vinyl has a history, but digital gave me access, allowing me to zoom in, navigate visually, and shape sound my way. That’s how my skills leveled up.

One track that never fails to lift you up?

Music Sounds Better with You! Timeless, classics, and pure.

A time you DJ’d way past bedtime?

I had nights where the music and the crowd didn’t let me stop, playing past midnight and into sunrise. Now, I channel that same energy into teaching the next generation.

Beirut or Dubai, which city has the better party vibe?

Beirut for heart, Dubai for scale! Both are electric.

Favourite sound to zone out to when you need to think?

Soft analog synth pads! They open space in my mind.

If you could collab with any artist, dead or alive, who would it be?

It would be Alice Sheppard, a wheelchair dancer, artist, and advocate for accessibility in the arts. She challenges the way the world views disability. A collab with her would be more than music and movement; it would be a clear message: creativity has no barriers, and everyone deserves a place in art.

One sound you absolutely can’t stand?

Alarms are the only sound that makes me want to snooze life.

Cutest thing a kid has said to you at SPIN Music?

One student asked me to show him how I zoom in on my laptop, then said, “Can you make my laptop zoom like yours too?” He wanted the same accessibility feature as if it were a superpower. That stayed with me.

What’s harder: learning to DJ or teaching it?

Teaching is harder! Learning is about you, but teaching means helping others believe they can do it and that’s a real responsibility.

If your life had a soundtrack, what would the opening track be?

My own production! It would be my own track! Playful, emotional, and deep, with warm melodies and a groove full of hope. And no, I’m not done mixing it yet.