Trinidad and Tobago DJ Ultra Simmo has revealed how his decision to perform without headphones helped inspire the stage name that became part of his identity in the entertainment industry.
During a recent interview, the entertainer, whose real name is Jordan Simmons, explained that his original DJ name was Young Simmo, a nickname connected to his father, who was known as Simmo in the community where he grew up.
As his career developed, he experimented with branding, eventually changing his professional name to DJSimmo.com.
The decision was part of a marketing strategy that would make his stage name and website address the same, encouraging audiences to visit his online platform.
However, it was his unconventional approach to DJing that eventually led to the name Ultra Simmo.
He recalled performing at Privé nightclub and deciding to stop using headphones, believing he could develop the ability to mix music by studying the waveforms displayed on his equipment.
Simmo said he trained himself to identify musical patterns visually, set cue points and transition between tracks without relying on traditional headphone monitoring.
He described himself as one of the first DJs in Trinidad and Tobago to adopt the approach, explaining that he had developed the technique before automatic syncing became widely used.
His energetic and unconventional performance style soon attracted attention, with people commenting that he was different and describing his approach as ultra.
According to Simmo, a mentor known as Bling, whom he identified as Maurice White of Cyberia Sound, recognised his abilities and encouraged him to take his performances to another level.
The mentor gave him the name Ultra Simmo, which eventually stuck.
The revelation provides an insight into how a family nickname, an early marketing strategy and a willingness to experiment with DJing techniques combined to produce one of the recognisable names in Trinidad and Tobago’s entertainment industry.
