On Saturday, April 6, the Music Technology Program partnered with current and former student DJs to present the first showcase of “entirely student-produced electronic music”.
The highly anticipated event was held in the Black Box Theater on campus, a room that closely resembles a club atmosphere. Two showings were available for the community with different performers for both.
Nathan Bowen, Director of Music Theory and Technology, is one of the biggest supporters of the student DJs and called the event a “community building experience.”
Seven DJs were on the lineup for the noon performance and a nice crowd of about 20 were in attendance.
Carter Kanes, 21, a student DJ in the Music Certificate program was the first performer in the showcase with sounds of tech house and edm.
“I wanted to open so I could get the vibes going and have the attention on me,” Kanes said
He featured music from Fisher and got the crowd excited with an upbeat tempo and a great attitude.
Two screens hung above the DJ booths, one with crazy geometric graphics and another to highlight each performers name. Behind the screen was a Video Jockey, or VJ, who was simultaneously listening to the music live and working on animation and graphics for the screens.
Continuing with the house music, was a deep house performance by Ian Olsen, a fellow Moorpark College student. With a track pad and laptop in front of him he was able to get the crowd moving and fist bumping when the beat dropped.
Third on the lineup was Bailey Dodson, 19, also known as DJ Groove. Dodson took advantage of the turn tables and played a fantastic set featuring hard style and dance.
Dodson’s setlist of 22 tracks took him three days to put together, and although there was a slight sound malfunction, he was able to quickly recover and the crowd was highly receptive to his music.
“Everyone got up when [DJ Groove] started playing,” remarked Professor Bowen with a smile.
The good times didn’t stop when Josh Cortez, 23, also known as Kosha, began his performance. The showcase was the first time Cortez played original drum and base music. His songs took two to three weeks to put together.
“It was a lot of fun and really cool to have people come out and support,” said Cortez, a music technology major, after his set had been performed.
The next half of the showcase started off with a bang, or more specifically head banging. Oscar Ramos, 21, aka Osali, played sounds of hardstyle and featured amazing mixing which he had been working on for the last month.
“I’ve always had love for electronic music and I’ve never really found a community where I can share my thoughts, my ideas, my creations until I came [into] the Beginning of Electronic Music class with [Professor] Bowen,” Ramos said.
The showcase was perfect for all of the students who share a common goal of becoming well-known DJs and to be able to perform at clubs and big-time festivals.
Between performances student MC, Aryan Nooshi introduced each DJ in between sets and helped smoothly transition the music.
The final two performances were given by former Moorpark College students who had graduated from the Music Technology program and kept in contact with Professor Bowen.
Nick Combs, also known as forsetî, is a 23-year-old who was approached by fellow DJ Josh Cortez to be included in the showcase lineup.
“[I want to] create amazing beautiful music that is genre spanning … and design the live show. All the lights, all the visuals, and be completely involved in it,” said Combs who hopes to one day make it big.
The crowd was loving every performance and couldn’t help themselves from dancing, shuffling, and head banging throughout each set.
Frankling Muñoz, 26, finished off the amazing showcase with turn tables and scratching, which is not commonly seen anymore.
Muñoz, also known as Yuske, has been DJ’ing and producing since 2012 and blessed the community with his sounds of choice.
The former music technology student even played a short dedication to Nipsey Hustle, an American rapper who recently passed away.
Beat juggling, house, and hip-hop all came into effect for Muñoz’ set and he was able to successfully read the crowd and end the show on a high note.
“It’s always good to have a smile and be confident,” Muñoz said.
The crowd stayed enthusiastic until the end and although “it was intimate and small, it felt like it was for a thousand people,” said Cam Sherman, a student at Moorpark College.
“It [usually] takes a lot to get into [a show] and the second I went in I was having a good time,” he said.
Ryan Keesing, a long-time friend and supporter of Bailey Dodson, loved the show in its entirety. “It’s cool because they’re all playing different genres of electronic dance music.”
The Student DJ Showcase stood out next to Moorpark College’s forensic showcase and spring play. Hopefully its becomes an annual event because it was well received by family, friends, and students in the community.
To support and receive updates on the student DJs follow the Moorpark College Technology Program on Instagram @mcmusictech.
