Music of our generation has been transformed. Likewise, our generation is transforming music.
Jack Acland and Kevin Nesline, two AU students with a love for music, a passion for DJing and the desire to rock your next event, have been DJing in the District.
“I started DJing casually during high school in Los Angeles,” said Acland, a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business. “I didn’t have any money back then so I was pretty limited in terms of equipment. I had one beat up turntable to scratch on and only old rock records to scratch, but luckily for me, the DJ world was making the transition to laptops around that time, so a few more options eventually opened up.”
With a cheap pair of CDJ’s (high-quality CD-players used for DJing) and a mixer, Nesline, a sophomore in the School of International Service, put his appreciation for hip-hop and electronic music into an action.
His big break came when he entered college.
“Once I got to AU, there were opportunities for DJing that didn’t exist for me in high school, and I started putting in the time to make things happen with it,” Nesline said.
The two have played clubs like Midtown and The Reserve, and their following seems to be growing.
With a few years of music in their backgrounds, both Acland and Nesline said they started DJing because they were interested in creating music.
“All my mixes are my own,” said Acland. “The point of DJing is to present music in a new and exciting way. Music selection is a big part of it, but so is blending the tracks and keeping the audience moving the whole night. Originality and creativeness makes the DJ.”
Nesline agreed.
“I mix all of my music live. I also try to switch things up between shows to make each set different and fresh … I’m pretty much self-taught as far as DJing goes. I mostly listen to what my favorite DJs are doing in their own published mixes or live sets and try to learn from them.”
Beyond the strobe lights and creative mash-ups, there is a world of DJing, equipment-wise, that most non-DJ’s are completely unfamiliar with. Both use different set-ups but explain the technical aspects with which they produce and perform.
I started out pretty much only using a computer, since I didn’t have the hard cash to throw down on a professional setup,” Acland said. “But after working and saving up, I managed to start piecing together my current setup.”
As for Nesline, “I use a computer program called Traktor on my laptop with a USB-powered mixer to control it. I’ve debated switching to full-size turntables or CDJs, but DJ technology has advanced a lot in the last few years and I can now fit my entire current setup in a backpack, which is incredibly convenient.”
Though their styles differ, Acland and Nesline make their partnership work.
“Jack and I each have our own styles, but we both saw an opportunity for a DJ act at AU,” said Nesline. “And while we’ve each played at parties independently, we’ve done most of our gigs together. Playing an entire four- to five-hour party by yourself can be mentally draining, so it’s nice to be able to switch off when you need it.”
Neither have any specific plans for DJing in the future.
thescene@theeagleonline.com
