DJ Club connects electronic music lovers to a fun learning environment

The DJ Club hosts weekly mixers on Friday evenings from 6-8 pm to give EDM music lovers a space to learn and collaborate. Credit: Molly Goheen | LTV Arts and Life Producer

While dancing at Midway, Library Bar or Ethyl & Tank, there is a chance the DJ performing started as a member of Ohio State’s DJ Club.

From house music to open format, DJ Club seeks to explore mixing different genres of electronic dance music, and the growing organization encourages new and seasoned music lovers to experiment with mixing beats and creating tracks. At its weekly “mixers” Friday evenings from 6-8 pm, members can gather to create in a comfortable environment, DJ Club president and third-year in environmental science Ethan Shun said.

“Mixers are basically all of us hanging out,” Shun said. “We teach complete beginners, and then we also have people with way more experience who are deejaying at Midway, Library Bar and Ethyl. It’s just a great way to get involved and network.”

Members from DJ Club have also performed for Ohio State Recreational Sports, Student Life, the Involvement Fair and Buckeyethon, Shun said. To grow members’ skills, the club hosts formal mixers with guest speakers to teach the basics to beginners in addition to their informal mixers.

“Informal mixers let you get hands-on experience. You can just hop on and play some music and then somebody will be here helping you out,” Shun said. “It’s just really supportive, and everyone is just trying to do it together.”

DJ Club’s meetings are intended to give members an opportunity to create remixes of samples or original music while becoming more familiar with deejaying EDM, DJ Club vice president Carson Albright, a fourth-year in zoology and psychology, said.

“There are so many different sorts of genres and vibes. EDM, I would say in a general sense, is about being vulnerable,” Albright said. “You have your house music, your dance music and genres where you can really, you know, get out of your box.”

Albright said his interest in deejaying began as a project while quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic. When he returned to campus, he said he wanted to find a community that shared similar interests.

“It really started off just bedroom deejaying as most people start, and you know, you start to get your way into the community and to build a name for yourself,” Albright said. “You don’t expect to take it as seriously as you wind up getting to.”

Since joining the club, Albright said he has performed at a variety of venues in Ohio — including Breakaway Music Festival, Dahlia, The Forum and Brick Street. He has even released merchandise for his brand “All Bright.”

“My first show, I managed to get like 60 some people to come out to it for whatever reason, and the promoter then wanted to book me for more things,” Albright said. “I opened for a couple of notable EDM artists, which I think really got my name on the board.”

Shun said the club is always accepting new members and can advise beginners where to get affordable equipment.

“Never be afraid to start is the big thing. I think so many people go years and years thinking they are not going to start because they’re not going to be good at it. And that’s the biggest failure that you can make. Everyone should try,” Albright said. “I think something so cool about the DJ community is the way everybody uplifts each other.”