Student DJs mix it up on and off campus

Seniors Syem Barakzai and Brandon Schell met freshman year. After sharing a love for electronic music, they decided, as sophomores, to invest in $350 worth of disc jockey equipment together.

Now, they’ve earned their investment back, and then some.

After messing around with their new controller decks and watching YouTube tutorials, the roommates started playing weekly at Pulse Nightclub on Rosemary Street. They have since gone on to play regularly at fraternity parties, clubs and private parties, earning pocket money and having fun while doing it.

Barakzai and Schell are just two in a growing number of students at UNC who have turned to DJing as a way to make money, explore a hobby or just be a part of the party. And Chapel Hill bars and clubs — and even professors — are encouraging it.

Pulse Nightclub owner Richard Sergo has been hiring student DJs for many years.

“They’ll contact us and then connect us to other student DJs, who then call us to ask if we’re hiring, so we regularly have students playing as our house DJs,” Sergo said.

Pulse typically pays its student DJs between $100 and $150 per shift, which usually lasts about four hours. Sergo said pay difference was mostly based on experience and the night’s workload. Though the shifts pay well for a part-time job, Barakzai said work times are not as ideal.

“When we first started at Pulse, it was a bit difficult. Our shift was on Thursday from (10 p.m.) to 2 a.m., and if you had morning classes, it’s pretty brutal,” said Barakzai, who goes by the stage-name DJ Eskay.

“I had physics at 8 a.m. on Friday, and that was not a good mix.”

Junior Trevor Dougherty, also known as DJ good ratio, said he also experienced some difficulty studying on the weekends because of his night shifts.

“It definitely creates a bit of an alternative lifestyle,” the journalism and communication studies double-major said. “But the whole vibe of DJing at clubs is, ‘It’s a party.’ You just have to avoid partying too hard.”

But DJs and music professors alike agree DJing involves much more than partying.

Music Department chairman Mark Katz teaches Music 286, called Music as Culture, or The Art and Culture of the DJ. He said DJing teaches skills well beyond just musical ability.

“It’s not just about spinning records. DJing involves a lot of relevant subjects, like entrepreneurship, professionalism and how to promote oneself,” Katz said.

Katz’s course focuses on creating personal brands, taking initiative and learning basic business principles that will help students build careers.

The class filled up within hours of opening for registration in the fall, which he said illustrated high interest in the subject on campus.

“Electronic music in the past few years has become so huge,” Schell said. “By taking over popular music, a lot more people have access to it. From there, it’s easy to get started.”

Sophomore advertising major Cozy Brents, who works as a DJ for student radio station WXYC 89.3 FM, said her interest in electronic music has grown along with that of the general public.

“It’s definitely blown up from word of mouth. Music is such a universally liked thing, which is why I like DJing,” she said. “Part of the job is finding out about new music, and then obviously sharing it.”

Schell, Barakzai and Dougherty all expressed appreciation for the growing interest in electronic music and DJing among students.

“There’s no better feeling than throwing on a song and seeing the floor fill with people who are grooving to it,” Barakzai said.

“If you really enjoy music, there’s really nothing more fun than being the DJ at the party.”

arts@dailytarheel.com