The DJs got us fallin’ in love

We’ve all been there before. It’s Thursday night; classes are done for the week (OK, except for your Chinese exam, political theory precept and 4-hour architecture seminar tomorrow) and you’re ready for a good time. You’ve pulled and plucked all the contacts that you’ve managed to make as a lowly freshman, and you think that tonight might just be the night that those silly little passes get you into the Street’s most coveted clubs. After you stumble sloppily past the bouncers, you’re greeted by, in my opinion, a sight more beautiful to behold than the ubiquitous free beer: a dance floor throbbing to the beat of a DJ.

When I asked Princeton’s most prominent DJs which clubs were the most fun to run, Terrace Club and Tower Club seemed to be unanimous favorites. The tolerant tastes and euphoric abandon of the Princetonians who frequent these clubs make them “unbeatable,” in the words of Princeton alumnus David Holtz, or Masta Fade. Tower’s enormous dance floor in particular is known to offer an endless supply of energy and sing-a-long fun.

But let’s be honest. It’s going to take a bit more than a crowd of grinding, sweaty geeks to get these DJs excited. They want to play on the cutting edge of music to expand your horizons and prove that Lady Gaga — blessed be her name — isn’t the only one with a sick beat. Bangers and Mash — Adam Tanaka ’11 and Zayn Siddique ’11, respectively — for instance, enjoy spinning electro and house remixes of pop songs by everyone from Deadmau5 to Justice, and Wolfgang Gartner to Swedish House Mafia — and other underground beats for your listening pleasure. “We’ll still play the Top 40 hits, but try to mix them together in a way that sounds fresh and exciting, and not just like the car radio,” said Tanaka.

Such tastes may explain why DJs seem less than enthused when you, in your shameless drunken stupor, unintelligibly stammer a request for “USHER’S OMG!!!” or “THAT AWESOME BON JOVI ONE!!!” It’s not to say that those songs are bad (but seriously, none of us were even conceived in 1986, let’s just put that shit in the vault). Rather, Evan Frost (DJ Frosty) explains that your request might be “outside of the BPM range I could mix into from the current song. Meaning I’d have to fade out the current song, then fade in yours”, which would sound as awkward as an iPod. Think about it, that would seriously screw with your flow, wouldn’t it? So don’t be too concerned if the DJ doesn’t play your song as soon as you request it; it’s not necessarily that he thinks you’re ugly or awkward (probably does though). More likely, he simply cannot fit it in just quite yet. Understand that. Please, they’ve asked me to beg that you not heckle them anymore.

So, for those of you who think you’ve got what it takes to be part of the DJs’ glamorous and thriving scene, just give it a try. All these guys come from humble beginnings, like DJ JohnnyBeans (John Veras ’11) who grew up listening to “merengue, salsa and bachata at family gatherings” and now worships “at the altar of House: Daft Punk is God the Father, Justice is Christ the Son, and the blog house remix scene they have inspired is the Holy Spirit.” I can’t make this stuff up.

You should know, though, that this isn’t a matter of playing the Macarena on repeat like at your high school ice cream socials. When I asked newcomer DJ Nexus (Rob Lambeth ’14) about his techniques, he told me that he prefers the MIDI Fighter, a “4x4 grid of arcade buttons assignable for controlling DJ software over a musical instrument digital interface.” Don’t be intimidated though; you can use any combination of software like Traktor, Serato or Ableton with a good old-fashioned turntable and vinyl records (still intimidated). To put it simply, these guys deserve a degree for their expertise, and if you want to call yourself one of them, you need to commit.

But above all else, aspiring DJs should heed the advice of one of the greatest names in the game, DJ JohnnyBeans: “The crowd, the party should always be your inspiration. Never bite off other DJs. Do your own thing,” and just be yourself. If it’s meant to be, you’ll find success and a niche like these guys. After all, the Street will need some fresh new faces and beats next year when this class leaves. Especially if you’re a female. We need more lady-DJs. Trust me girls, there are few things hotter than a woman who knows how to make a whole club “get down.”