Neal Mohr knew who he wanted to be at a young age. Mixing tracks, throwing funky parties, collecting records and spending time with his family are just a few of his passions.
Athens locals and Ohio University students may know Mohr by his stage name: DJ Muchi Nochi. What started as his high school hobby has now transformed into a full-time career, and Mohr can often be seen at several Court Street hotspots.
Born and raised in Athens, Mohr said he was surrounded by music throughout his childhood. His grandfather played an influential role in his love for jazz and other spunky genres.
“My grandfather was a jazz pianist, so I always liked hearing him play jazz piano for us after dinner when we went over there,” Mohr said.
Despite growing up in a musical household, Mohr did not start DJing until high school.
“I was just absorbing all kinds of music and I got really into making mashups and things like that,” Mohr said.
Mohr said he let go of the DJ fascination after high school, but rediscovered the passion after studying audio production at OU. When he graduated in 2015 and the COVID-19 pandemic hit Athens a few years later, Mohr’s career fell into place.
Some of Mohr’s close friends are also involved in the Athens music scene. Michael Bart, otherwise known as DJ Barticus, met Mohr long before he began his DJ profession.
“The first way I got to know him is he booked me to be his prom DJ,” Bart said. “I got to DJ at his prom, it was a lot of fun.”
It was not until quarantine in March 2020 that Bart and Mohr reconnected on the streaming platform Twitch. Both started streaming on the platform in search of a creative outlet, as nearly all of Athens was shut down.
“I think (Mohr’s) DJ skills really were supercharged there because on Twitch we were exposed to so many amazing DJs around the world,” Bart said. “We were friends with good DJs in Brazil and Japan … we could just spend time with them and study what they do.”
Bart said he and Mohr would participate in raid events where DJs could play music and forward audience members to each other after performances.
Based on his appearances at The Side Bar, Casa Nueva and The Union Bar, Mohr knows how to throw an electric party. Locals and students may have attended his “Mucho Funkies,” hosted at Casa on 6 W. State St.
“His Mucho Funky parties are really cool and I really enjoy that, I went to the last one (and) had a really good time,” Brandon Thompson, also known as DJ B-Funk, said. “It takes a lot to create a party (and) to sustain a party.”
Thompson and Mohr crossed paths in 2012 after Mohr hosted one of his first shows at West End Ciderhouse on 3 N. Shafer St. However, their friendship did not develop until 2020.
“We are both parents and stuff like that, so we understand that the life of DJing and trying to be a dad at the same time, it is not always easy,” Thompson said.
Thompson said he and Mohr have collaborated for Boogie on the Bricks, the annual family-friendly musical festival on Court Street.
Not only does Mohr host thrilling parties, but he also participates in other exciting hobbies, including collecting records. With a few thousand records to his name, Mohr said he was a consistent shopper at Haffa’s record store in college.
“It just came from wanting to check out new music,” Mohr said. “(Haffa’s) had super cheap records and there was always cool stuff in their $1 bin … anywhere I go, if there is a new record store I can check out, I am gonna check it out.”
Whether he is out with family, spinning tracks or browsing the nearest record store, Mohr creates a positive environment and strives to make new connections.
“I think having people like Neal in the community doing what they do is really healthy,” Thompson said. “I am happy to call him a friend and excited to have him as another Athens DJ, he just makes us look good.”
