Courtney Chatmon, also known as DJ Limelight, almost didn't become a DJ.

He gave it up after a moderately successful try in high school DJ-ing parties and events around town, in favor !of a college finance degree land job in the field.

It was only after trying a day job -- and hating it -- that the 28-year-old embraced his passion. Now Chatmon has regular gigs at Coaches Tavern, Blu Lounge and D'Vine wine bar, as well as out-of-town gigs.

How did you become a working DJ?

I went to college, got a degree in finance and risk management and worked for 2 1⁄2 years in that field. I was the most miserable person on the planet. Absolutely miserable. But I thought because of going to college, that was what I was supposed to do. I never really made the connection that your job and what you do for a living can make you happy. I was never really exposed to that. My parents for the most part went to work and did what they had to do because they had us.

One day I just woke up and said I can't do this anymore. I read a book called "What Should I Do With My Life?" by Po Bronson. There were probably 50 to 60 stories about people who went down one path and totally made a U-turn and started doing something different and they were happy. And that really sparked it.

I was doing shows for free. I distinctly remember several times I had to pay for my own drinks. I didn't even have a beer tab. And then you know I would approach clubs, promoters and say, 'Hey, give me a chance, please,' pretty much begging people, and it never really panned out. I did that for about a year-and-a-half. After that, I approached a DJ, DJ Orion. He was DJing at Allstars in Broad Ripple, I said, 'Hey I'm trying to break into the market' ... and he took me under his wing somewhat. From there, people started hearing me, noticing me, and that was it.

What made you want to DJ seriously?

I actually tried a few different things. I tried writing. I got a few articles on a few online publications reviewing music. I even did a liquor review for Absolut Vodka once. I interviewed a porn star, literally. I tried a few different avenues. I liked that; I still do. I was a substitute teacher for a while. I thought that was what I wanted to do. Everything always fell back to my first love.

How do you get your records?

Now there is a digital DJ program called Serato. What it does is it allows you to play or manipulate MP3s like it would a record, and it's pretty much the standard for professional DJs today. What you can do is pretty much leave your record collection at home on the shelf and archive it and take your computer and hard drive with you and that's how you play ... I may spend five hours playing and another hour-and-a-half goes into checking my e-mail and my music subscription services to make sure I have the songs that came out that day, literally. I probably get 35 e-mails/songs a day. So that's pretty much the way it goes.

How does DJing digitally relate to DJing with records?

It's just as good. There's a little degradation in the sound quality. Because it is an MP3, it is compressed. But I actually still use a vinyl record that has a time code on it that can record the song, so I can mix, scratch, backspin, just like I would a regular record without the wear and tear that would happen to a record.

I have about 7,500 songs in my library, so for any event I might do, there's a pretty good chance I'm going to have something for everybody. And it's also expanded my music library, because I have to find out about so much more because it's all accessible now, whereas before you'd have to go on eBay and pay $100 for this rare record just for one song. Now I can go to iTunes and download it ... You can be so much more creative now.

What are your goals?

Indianapolis is a venue-driven city. I want to make it so that if it's me that's playing at a particular venue, people want to be there because they know it's me playing. I've at least started that process. I've been lucky enough to have some success at it.

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Michael Vs. Prince What: DJ Limelight (as Michael Jackson) and DJ MetroGnome (as Prince) battle using the pop stars' songs. When: 9 p.m. Oct. 31. Where: D'Vine Wine Bar, 5252 E. 82nd St. Tickets: $10 advance, $13 at the door. Info: (317) 466-1117, www.myspace.com/deejaylimelight.>