On Saturday, April 25, 2026, downtown San Jose was bustling with energy, as if it were the gateway to an early summer. At the city’s center, the evening began at the circle of palms with the 2026 Gala + Auction, a signature moment where supporters gathered to invest in the creativity and community that define the San Jose Museum of Art (SJMA). This year, the museum honored sculptor Alison Saar with the Artist of Distinction Award and recognized The Adobe Foundation with the SJMA Visionary Award. While the gala sets the foundation for the museum’s mission through an elegant dinner and live auction, the After-Party—presented by Casino M8trix—opens the doors to the broader community, inviting everyone to join the celebration that began earlier.
Walking the purple carpet and seeing members of the arts community dressed in their finest immediately set the tone for a night of shared revelry. Even guests at the gala who seemed to be on their way out at the start of the after-party could be seen second-guessing the decision as the music began to hum. The heart of the party was the dance floor, centered in the museum lobby directly beneath Pae White’s installation, Noisy Blushes, hovering over the crowd like a geometric disco ball landing on Earth. The piece, a meditation on movement and time, material presence, and the elusiveness of form, links the outside with the inside of the museum and serves as a fitting beacon of an evening elevated by the confluence of community. On this night, the lobby was transformed into the classiest nightclub in town, pulsing to live sets by mainstay local DJs and vibe curators DJ Chale Brown and Cutso, with a surprise guest performance by Lyrics Born that electrified the audience.
The vibe on the dance floor was buzzing, a convergence of backgrounds and styles all moving together under the shimmer of White’s work. Between dances, guests enjoyed chef-crafted “light bites” in the Wendel Center from local restaurant partners, including Mezcal Restaurant, The Club on Post, Scott’s Seafood, and Casino M8trix, paired with specialty spirits from 10th St. Distillery. The unique charm of the atmosphere allowed attendees to easily slip away from the music and to the museum’s galleries and experience world-class artwork in a more intimate setting, exploring current exhibitions like Motherboards, ektor garcia: loose ends, and Tending and Dreaming. It was a testament to the power of art and community joy in downtown San Jose.
When discussing his career, Paulo “Cutso” Bello says “we” almost as often as “I”—a nod to the collaborative spirit he brings to DJ’ing.
Cutso’s uncle let him loose on a turntable as early as age eight. “He was teaching me with Kraftwerk and Pet Shop Boys records,” he recalls. “I grew up around it.” By the time he was a teenager, he had entrenched himself in the San Jose DJ scene. “We learned how to set up speakers, DJ weddings…we learned how to scratch, do battle tricks, and it all shows in what is considered a Bay Area DJ style. Very involved and very skill-heavy.”
That “we” is the Bangerz, a six-person production group comprising Cutso and fellow DJs Goldenchyld, Replay, Nick Ngo, Squareweezy, and G-Wrex. The group originally formed in 1998, when they were in high school. They began by doing battles together, and they’ve remained connected ever since.
“There are so many creative people, it’s only a matter of time before they start crossing paths and making something.”
Their first break came working with the JabbaWockeeZ, winners of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew in 2008. That win earned the dancers a show in Las Vegas, for which the Bangerz produced the music. Cutso tried a stint in Vegas, too, but soon returned to his roots, where he felt he had more creative freedom. “Over there…they only want to hear certain things at the club,” he explains.
In 2010, a DJ collaboration at the SubZero Festival with San Jose Taiko became the stuff of legend. The unlikely combination worked, says Cutso, because “we both share the same raw energy.”
Today, Cutso is connected to as many projects as ever. In addition to regular nightclub gigs, he formed the San Jose chapter of Motown on Mondays, spinning classic R&B and future soul tunes at The Continental every week; he co-hosts a Saturday night show on Wild 94.9 called Rebel Pop Radio, featuring cuts by nationally touring DJs; and he continues to record with other musicians, from underground rapper Lyrics Born to local star Anya.
Cutso is hoping his work helps push the envelope in the South Bay. “We’re driving a scene in San Jose where it’s progressive music, progressive technology, progressive art. We’re doing everything we can to set the climate for that.”
“Everyone here is open,” he continues. “Everyone here is hungry, everyone here is looking to create something new. The culture is rich. There are so many creative people, it’s only a matter of time before they start crossing paths and making something.”
When they do, DJ Cutso will be there with the perfect soundtrack.
