The beat drops and energy flows like electricity through the air. There’s a new music genre emerging at South and throughout the nation. It’s what some call “electronic music”. This music consists of mixing synthesized sounds and samples to create one entirely new energetic song.
While some South students listen to this music, juniors Emilio Isasi, Will Gould and Kevin Mathein have begun creating their own mixes.
Some people may think mixing is as easy as just pressing play, but getting two songs in sync is a difficult task, according to Gould. Mixing is all about timing; DJs must listen to the kick drum on both songs at the same time in their headphones and match them up. They typically use headphones in order to preview what they are about to play before the crowd hears it so they can make the two songs mix in a desirable way.
“You choose a first song, then you chose another song that’s going to sound good with it,” Gould said. “Then you have [to] find spots that are going to mesh well […] The goal is for people to not realize that it’s another song coming on.”
The boys use programs such as Virtual DJ Pro, Audacity, GarageBand and devices known as mixers, which allow them to play two songs at once.
Isasi feels that when making music, it is important to keep in mind that emotions and the way the music makes the crowd feel plays a huge role.
“Even if the crowd does notice that a new song is coming in, you want to make it so the song isn’t just more beats and more music, it’s something that will have memories and feelings attached to that,” Isasi said.
Isasi began mixing after his older brother, Nick, began bringing him to concerts and electronic shows. They eventually purchased a DJ mix-track.
“As I went to more and more shows with my older brother, I really started to listen in close and almost study how they did what they did,” Isasi said. “It is truly just improvisation. I play a warm-up song, close my eyes and literally feel the music with my fingertips, rubbing them together and understanding the music. I let the music take me wherever it wants to take me.”
Gould began mashing up songs on his own but in January, he teamed up with Isasi and Mathein, who had started mixing as a hobby for the cold seasons. They began to get together at Isasi’s house to experiment with the new equipment.
“I’m one of those people where if I’m not busy, I’m bored as heck,” Mathein said. “As the seasons change, me and Emilio come up with these outrageous ideas to do something different.”
Mathein also synchronizes colored laser lighting and smoke with the music to enhance the total experience when performing for friends.
“Every weekend pretty much, [we] will just meet up in [Isasi’s] basement and turn on some Christmas lights and we just go mix some Dubstep music,” Mathein said.
As far as mixing music goes, the boys plan on getting their music out there someday, finding gigs and performing live shows. However, they don’t plan on selling their music.
“If someone thinks my music is good enough to go and listen to it, that’s better than 99 cents on iTunes,” Gould said. “I’d rather someone like my music enough to take the 10 seconds to pirate it than listen to it in their car, listen to it with their friends and spread it. That’s where you get real fans.”
