With a simple setup of his laptop, soundboard and a trusty pair of headphones, Steven Nguyen (’17) brings a new life to his music. Photo by Kyle Nguyenby Kyle Nguyen, Staff Writer
Discovering his ambition to create music after coming across Daft Punk in his elementary school days, Steven Nguyen (‘17) took over the role of DJ’ing in the bowl as a freshman.
“I was like, ‘Hey, people are all in one place all loving that one DJ and having a great time dancing and enjoying the music.’ I thought to myself, ‘Hm, I’d like to do that, but with some different types of music,’” said Nguyen.
With that in mind, Nguyen got the approval from Josh Lamar, assistant principal of activities, to DJ during lunch as long as it didn’t interfere with any school activities happening that day. Nguyen says that his first time DJ’ing was an experience that he will never forget.
“I DJ’ed on a pretty hot day and my old laptop overheated and had to stop for a while. Being my first time, I kind of panicked and was like, ‘Oh my god, this isn’t going well at all.’ But, hey, it was a good time. I got my jitters out and had fun doing it,” said Nguyen.
Although DJ’ing may come off as intimidating to those who haven’t come to terms as to what it’s all about, Nguyen says that it’s simply a process of making the tracks sound good through clean transitioning and beat matching. Other than that, DJ’ing as a whole has introduced him to an entirely new world – from the people he’s met to the songs they’ve shared and the strong sense of friendship that’s created.
“No matter who you are, you can have a place in the welcoming community of this scene. PLUR is the term that is usually synonymous with the scene. It stands for Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect,” he said.
As for a full-time career, Nguyen says he hasn’t thought too much about it. For now, he says that just DJ’ing in the bowl or for parties is a way for him to truly express his passion while also keeping him from burning out at school. Nguyen leaves his fellow Barons with a few words of wisdom as to how to keep their light going.
“Honestly if you love music, just do it. Nothing can really go wrong. If you love the feeling of cruising down a highway with your favorite music going, then you should give it a shot!” said Nguyen.
You can keep up with what he’s listening to by checking out his SoundCloud.
