You might see friends on the dancefloor relatively often. But what’s more unexpected is seeing a fellow ‘Cane behind the DJ booth. How do you go from mixing beats for mini-dorm parties to having your set featured in one of Miami’s many clubs? Some students find themselves on that path and get to live the club life from a whole different perspective.

B.A., B.S., and the list goes on. These days, students are looking to add another acronym to their repertoire — DJ.

Whether they’re in it for fun or fortune, college DJs are often the magic behind the turntables, the foundation of every party. With an arsenal of equipment, technical talent and crowd-pleasing know-how, these students are jumping into the social mix, putting their creative mark on frat events, house parties and other live events.

Depending on their ability to work the crowd, they can be the difference between a mediocre night or the best night of your life. They can bring a unique energy to campus events and often have a good understanding of what their peers want to hear.

“Professional DJs do not know what college students enjoy, which is why having a student DJ from your generation can completely transform the party,” said Darby Drahzal, a sophomore legal studies major. “They know the current songs guaranteed to get the crowd going.”

Over the past couple of years, DJing has seen a massive surge in popularity, as it has been accommodating almost anyone who is motivated and inspired.

Starting Out

Thomas Baker, a senior music engineering and technology major, credits Elliot Harper for encouraging his DJ passion. Baker said Harper noticed that he was trying to get into “this whole DJ thing.”

Baker soon joined Harper, who is getting a master’s degree in music engineering and technology, and another student, Colin Raab, a senior music engineering technology major. The three work as a team known as Gold Hound at gigs and help each other strengthen their skills.

Harper said the group formed in the middle of the pandemic after he had finished a remix and then showed it to Baker.

“He really liked it and knew it had potential,” Harper said, but Baker told him to get rid of the second half of the song.

“I was so taken aback by that, and he was so right,” said Harper, who took out the last two minutes. “Thomas gave me such clear feedback and turned the song into an absolute banger, and that’s when I knew that we would work well together.” The collaboration resulted in the group’s first official remix.

It is not a novelty that college students are jumping on the DJ bandwagon. The precedent was set by Ray Newby, a16-year-old California college student, who is said to be the nation’s first DJ. In 1909, Newby used a spark transmitter to play records over the radio airwaves. The term disc jockey, however, did not come about until 1935, with “disc” referring to disc records and “jockey” to a machine operator.

The popularity of college DJs is growing, aided by various local and national competitions to honor them. CAMPVS Entertainment, which is based in Los Angeles, has been sponsoring the College DJ Championships since 2013. Through a series of events, college DJs and music producers win cash prizes, gear and visibility.

College DJs also are breaking into the professional DJ markets. Some of the biggest stars, including Tropical House superstar Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll, a.k.a. Kygo, and mash-up maestro Justin Blau, a.k.a. 3LAU, emerged from undergraduate programs. Kygo was halfway through a degree in business and finance at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, when he decided to pursue music full time. 3LAU was a finance student at Washington University in St. Louis and was creating dorm room mash-ups before leaving to groom his thriving DJ career.

Miami Music Makers

Similar to 3LAU and Kgyo, Dan Molinari started DJing before college. After enrolling at UM, he began DJing at house parties in his fraternity Sigma Chi.

“Once I got to Miami, I got introduced to a very different music scene and that’s when I first got introduced into deeper house, Afro house, just more Latin house,” said Molinari, who is from Tenafly, N.J. “And once I got a liking for that, I wanted to see what else I could do with music because I really had a passion for it.”

“House” in DJ jargon refers to a music genre pioneered by African American DJs in Chicago’s underground club culture in the 1980s. It is characterized by a repetitive four-on-the-floor beat, a rhythm pattern associated with disco and electronic dance music.

For many DJs, a certain song, artist or genre inspires them to dive into their creative side. For Molinari, it was Afro House, Deep House and Latin music that he heard in Miami. Peyton Manna, a senior music business and entertainment major, said she is inspired by a combination of rhythms — Afro House, Black Coffee and British DJ and electronic music producer Damian Lazarus.

“I really liked how it was a combination of rhythm,” Manna said. It had that R&B element in the sense of the vocals, but it also had that ‘house-y tribal’ vibe and I really liked that combo, so that’s what really inspired me.”

Elliot said Gold Hound’s sound is inspired by both the underground club scene and the super-detailed production style of modern music.

“We make electronic music, produce and mix our original work as well as remixes and co-productions,” Elliot said.

A college DJ wouldn’t be anywhere without supporters motivating them along the way. Baker has found his niche group of friends in Miami who are into the creative side of music.

Molinari’s fraternity friends have been motivating him to keep pursuing his passion.

“The fraternity did help me in my earlier stages in getting over things like stage fright and playing in front of people, doing everything live before I started actual gigs,” said Molinari, recalling one of his gigs when all of his friends showed up.

“It was honestly one of the best nights of my life,” he said. “Everyone had a smile on their face, and I couldn’t keep one off mine.”

Cedric Lafleur, a junior finance major and frat brother, said it is easy to rally behind Molinari because he “DJs with passion.”

“After every gig, I tell him how good of a job he did,” Lafleur said. “Many DJs go into a set and feel like it’s a job while Dan approaches every set the same way. He plays what he wants and just has fun with the experience.”

DJing for Dummies

While DJing might seem fun, exciting and easy, it can take a lot of practice in learning various scratching techniques, song editing and beat matching. Newcomers will need to learn how to line up gigs and master a ton of equipment, including turntables, CDs, mixers and controllers, headphones, laptops and DJ boards.

“With the purchase of this board and the occupancy of a laptop, anyone can begin to learn the skills needed to spin,” said Molinari.

Thomas Baker, a senior music engineering and technology major, DJs a lot of events for Delta Epsilon Psi and said he is hoping to get more into the club scene.

Baker purchased his first board when he returned to campus from the COVID-19 lockdown. This board showed him the essential tools and allowed him to play around with different features. He also downloaded music software to blend songs with similar beats.

“I didn’t even have a board at the time; I was just playing around with the software being like ‘Wow, look at this really cool transition.’ I was really obsessed with transitioning songs at the time,” Baker said.

Beginner soundboards start at around $100 and can be purchased through various websites such as eBay and Amazon. A laptop is usually needed to draft a playlist, he mentioned.

“The quality won’t be as sophisticated for this price, but the tools are there to learn the basics,” said Baker, who brings his computer and his soundboard to frat events, which enables him to play any song a student requests.

High-tech, sophisticated DJ equipment can go up to $10,000 per modular piece. Baker, who is looking for an upgraded board that will connect to his computer, said he suspects it will be around $800–$900.

Equipment costs and purchases aside, the basics of DJing begin with two important skills — song selection and the physical mixing, Molinari said.

“To DJ you need songs, so picking a collection of songs that you enjoy should be done before even beginning the next skill,” he said.

With mixing, Molinari said the board needs to be connected to the laptop and loaded with the required software. “Once loaded, drag in songs and begin to get feel for the board and what certain buttons do to alter the songs that are playing,” he said.

Playing for a room full of people can be jarring, but practice is the best way to master confidence. Molinari suggests reading the crowd and keeping an eye on how people are vibing with the music.

Baker agrees, specifically for house parties. “It’s less about transitions. Instead, it’s about the crowd work, the energy and the song selection,” Baker said.

“It becomes a game,” Baker said. “I have this list of songs that I can play, and I need to play them in a specific order to keep as many people there as possible. It’s crazy because when you start doing that you can get into this place that’s disconnected and it’s a really cool thing,” he said.

Baker said he always brings a microphone to all of his gigs.

“If you have a microphone with you and just communicate with the people that are there, it makes the energy so much better,” he said. “If I have a microphone and my equipment stops working, I can tell the crowd don’t worry we are fixing the issues. It makes people feel included, which makes the energy of the party so much better.”

words_jordan abraham, jordyn cerullo & sofia gasparo. design_marita gavioti. photo_marra finkelstein.

This article was published in Distraction’s Summer 2023 print issue.