“I put people on to stuff”: The musical universe of DJ Mosh Wah

The smell of a record store is like nothing else in the world. It takes you back to a time before cell phones, social media, and Spotify. If you’re too young to remember the days when vinyl records were the only medium to hear music, that’s okay: a culture was born from it. One of the people who understands this culture on a deep level is Steve Watkins, a.k.a. Mosh Wah, a stalwart in Milwaukee’s vinyl community. Mosh Wah towers behind his turntables and can look pretty menacing—if not for the beatific smile he’s quick to flash, and his genial ability to indulge anyone in any kind music discussion, no matter what your musical preference is. Mosh Wah’s entire universe revolves around playing music, talking about music, and listening to music. Whether he’s doing his weekly show at Riverwest Radio—dedicating a power hour to something different every time he spins—or making the drywall shake when he has his go at the tables with Chalice In The Palace, he is guaranteed to make you hear something you haven’t heard before. Currently, Mosh Wah also works at We Buy Records (904 E. Center St.), Andy Noble’s latest record store in Riverwest, across...