Student DJs put their own spin on music entertainment
By Will Lyons Staff Writer lyons14@up.edu
You step onto the dance floor. Strobe lights flash, the woman standing next to you has got the miniest of skirts on and the music pulses then winds up before delivering a knockout blow. The bass line drops in and the crowd goes crazy.
On and off campus, many student disc jockeys (DJs) throw electronic music parties on the regular and have taken up the task of putting a new bend in mainstream music.
One such party is the Pilots After Dark event on Sept. 30.
On the basketball court behind Villa Maria Hall one student DJ, sophomore Jordan Jones, will be deejaying from 10 p.m. to midnight.
"I mix techno, house, funk- a little bit of everything," Jones said. "The idea behind deejaying is bringing music to the people, but there is a responsibility to give them something new."
Jones and surrogate "older brother" Jeff Schnure have mixed original tracks for over five years and hope to continue making music and performing.
While performing, Jones mixes four songs simultaneously, many of which are his own loops and tracks.
"Deejaying in of itself can be boring. You fade in one song, fade in something else 30 seconds before the end," Jones said. "We wanted something that would keep our audience and ourselves entertained."
Jones always tries to be in tune with the audience.
"What it comes down to is stage presence, song choice, connection with the people and above all being humble," Jones said.
According to Jones, electronic music has its roots in the early '90s. However, the current craze with electronic sound is a few years old and is only now starting to be easily recognizable.
"2007 was a golden year for electronic music," Jones said. "Everyone who is a big DJ dropped an album and pushed the music into the mainstream."
Senior DJ Muhammad Al-raddadi agrees, pointing out how popular artists from Lady Gaga to Katy Perry, even Usher and Ke$ha are using electronic beats which now permeate the top 40 charts.
Al-raddadi deejays at the Sultan Lounge in St. Johns and mixes dubstep music.
"I feel like dubstep has a lot of new ideas," Al-raddadi said. "I want to introduce and create new kinds of dubstep."
According to Al-raddadi, all electronic music songs are built around a drop, usually when the bass line comes in and changes the melody. Dubstep drops in particular go with a sound that is popularly called a "womp," which is a bizarre sound that makes the crowd go wild.
"(With dubstep) you're just waiting for a drop, a weird sound that surprises you," Al-raddadi said."The frequency of dubstep drops are so different from every other electronic music."
The University has already hosted a couple of student DJs this year in conjunction with various Pilots After Dark events. Junior Alex Dorcy deejayed the Back Alley Block Party Aug. 25 and played some well known songs as well as electronic works.
"Deejaying is basically mixing, beatmatching and pressing play," Dorcy said. "Everyone at the Back Alley Block Party seemed to be having a good time."
Sophomore Laura Andrich attended the Back Alley Block Party and was impressed with Dorcy.
"The DJ didn't play the same kind of music over and over," Andrich said. "He had a good variety and crossed over decades."
Dorcy mixes his own original tracks and used to play at a hookah bar in Seattle. To make songs, Dorcy records organic piano riffs and drum beats and then loads them onto his computer to compose and mix them.
"I start with something simple like a drum beat and then add layers until I end up with a finished track," Dorcy said. "Basically everything I make is from scratch."
Banner Schafer, a friend of Dorcy's, vouches for his musical prowess.
"Dorcy's musical knowledge takes him beyond technical details into the realm of art," Schafer said. "And he really enjoys what he is doing."
Some UP DJs hope to make a career out of their electronic art, while others see it as a rewarding pastime.
"Deejaying is just going to be a hobby for me," Al-raddadi said. "You can make money at it, but I DJ for myself."
Jordan Jones will be working in a studio with his co-producer this winter to start on some fully mastered tracks.
"More than anything it's what I love to do," Jones said. "Hopefully I'll be able to be on a decent label and play some amazing venues."
