He moved to Minneapolis in 2000 and established himself quickly in the local scene as an energetic live performer thanks to winning a DJ contest at the historic First Avenue and given the honor of playing at 93XFest in front of 10,000 dance music fans. Neko's performances with the DJ crews True Funk Army, Steppers Alliance, and Progress were written about in Time Magazine, Urb, City Pages, and the Associated Press. Neko also played solo shows with such internationally respected names as Seb Fontaine, AK1200, Christopher Lawrence, DJ Dara, Tommie Sunshine, John Acquaviva, Dieselboy, Freddy Fresh, Brad Owen, Thee-O, Kenny Gino, Woody McBride, Diva D, Jack Trash, Spree, Speedy, and Junkie XL. After ten years of performances, DeejayNeko retired from the DJ world in 2007, returning in 2023 to perform funky breaks, UKG, jackin' house, and nu skool breaks for dance music fans across the Twin Cities.