DJs are known for a lot of things—headphone endorsements, gigantic mouse heads—but rarely their rock-hard abs. Greg Andrews, aka DJ Ruckus, is in a different league. Possibly the busiest DJ in the world, Ruckus divides his time between spinning at private parties for Jay Z, Steven Spielberg, and Oprah; rocking runway shows and after-parties for Alexander Wang and Louis Vuitton; moonlighting as a producer for Janet Jackson, Outkast, and Kelis; and holding down residencies at nightclubs in Miami, Las Vegas, L.A., Paris, and Saint-Tropez. And yet, he maintains the body of an elite running back. Fitness gives Ruckus balance and focus, and the energy to stay on top of the newest trends. We went on the record with him in New York City.
Who throws a wilder party: Kanye West or Steven Spielberg?
Spielberg, definitely. I did a bar mitzvah for one of his kids. They had a break-dance battle where Steven came out with a clapboard [the slate that’s “clapped” shut to signal the filming of a scene] and Tom Hanks did an open-heart-surgery robot dance. It was crazy and funny. Kanye’s parties can get wild, but everybody’s way too cool for school.
What's hot in music we don't know about yet?
There’s a group, Tale of Us, that you should probably be checking out. They’re DJs and producers, and they’re so far ahead of everything else.T
What's the biggest fashion blunder you see at clubs?
Ed Hardy and Christian Audigier clothes. Some people just haven’t gotten the memo. I guess they still think shiny things are cool. Also, no disrespect to Jay Z, but I think the combination of cotton and leather has got to stop. You either go all the way leather or all the way cotton. The mixture doesn’t work.
What's your personal style?
I love anything that combines comfort and luxury. Those are two of my favorite things, and I’m starting to see a lot of that at the clubs. There’s a trend that’s been cropping up lately that I think is kinda amazing: high-end pajamas. I’m not even kidding. It’s a thing. And I love it. If you can look semiformal and be comfortable at the same time, that’s as good as it gets.
You get paid to party. How the hell do you stay in shape?
The trick is keeping everything high energy. You can just stand there and spin records, or you can get active. Sometimes before a show I’ll watch the first fight scene in The Matrix, the one between Neo and Morpheus, to get myself amped. By the end of a show, if I’m not covered in sweat, I didn’t do it right.
Do you make time for actual workouts?
I don’t think of it as working out. It’s about finding active things to do that I love, like snowboarding and hiking and anything outdoors. That’s why I need to live in California. I need all those things close to home.
How do you avoid making terrible food choices after shows?
You have to be vigilant. I never eat fast food. Even if I’m running to the airport for a 10-hour flight and I haven’t eaten, I’ll get trail mix from a newsstand before I’ll go to Taco Bell. You can find a salad almost anywhere if you look for it. But you have to want to look for it.