It started with two people listening to music in their basement. Four straight days of experimenting with a borrowed sound mixer eventually helped them realize their true passion: music. The two boys are now performing at birthday parties, communal events and making money from doing what they love. But how did seniors Emilio Isasi and Kevin Mathein go from mixing music together to community celebrities in almost three months? According to Isasi, a lot of passion, hard work and commitment is all the two needed.
“When I get in the zone at a party, I can go for four to six hours and not even realize that,” Isasi said. “It gave me a reason to find music, a reason to stay updated, and it gave me a way to feel useful.”
Immediately after deciding he could do this for money, Isasi needed a name. According to Isasi, while playing video games he finally came up with the title: Health Potion.
Mathein said, “DJ-ing was a hobby to start off and kind of expanded into a business. We have to work on networking and overall getting our name out there […] and that comes from Emilio’s love for music.”
According to Isasi, the boys put a lot of hard work into their business, and although Mathein would argue Isasi has created plenty of mixes already, he doesn’t stop there. Isasi’s work off-stage is to find as many new songs and mixes as possible to gain inspiration and variety; variety is very important, according to Isasi.
“You can change the atmosphere so easily with DJ-ing but at the same time, it can be really difficult because you need to know how each track affects people and how each track fills a room,” Isasi said.
While Isasi’s main job is to create the music, he said he would be nothing without his partner, Mathein.
“[Mathein’s] the one who taught me how to do lights and sound,” Isasi said. “If [he] wasn’t there, […] I would be useless.”
Mathein agrees and said the fact that they put business first is what keeps them going.
“He is the DJ, and I just help him set up,” Mathein said. “Emilio’s the DJ, and I’m his partner and crime […] I’m more of the audio-visual guy while he controls the music.”
After exactly a year, according to Mathein, their business has quickly escalated. They have business cards, new equipment and plenty of fans to spread the word.
“It’s a lot of referencing and reputation,” Isasi said. “You give people an emotion, and they share that emotion with other people.”
The duo has many gigs coming up including events every Friday night at the Glenview Ice Center. This year, the two will be the DJs for South’s Turnabout dance, a first for them. Along with several events and parties to finish off their last few months in high school, Isasi plans to stay in Chicago for college and plans on continuing with the business. Isasi explained that there is no other feeling like it.
“When you’re up there, you are literally controlling the party,” Isasi said. “We advertise it like, […] ‘We are going to be changing your party.””
