When dancers find themselves entering a delirious state around Block 4, wondering if the end will ever come, a good song could change everything. Dancers have relied on DJ Sims, an NU alum, to pump up the jams for 17 years and counting. Sims returns to campus this weekend for NUDM 2013, but he’s not the only one ready to party all night.
McCormick sophomore Caleb Young and and Weinberg sophomore Oluwaseun Olalekan Ososami were chosen as this year’s DM student DJs after submitting potential music sets to NUDM a few months ago. Young was a student DJ last year but this is Ososami’s first DM experience.
“We were only going to select one, but we liked two of them so much, we decided to take both of them,” Jas Baziuk, Productions Committee co-chair, said.
Young, who will close the “Adult Swim” block, is also a member of the NUDM Productions and Technology. He became interested in DJ-ing when he was in high school, but his first gig was last year’s DM. With one DM under his belt, Young knows how to work the crowd.
“I hope [the dancers] get pumped up. I hope to keep them interested and hopefully play a wide variety of music so everyone will enjoy at least a part of my set,” Young said.
Ososami, also known as Mufasa, The Philofasa on stage, will open the “Let’s Get Weird: Jhortz and Wizards” block. Although this is his first DM, Ososami is becoming increasingly well-known on campus and in the community for his talent.
“I feel like my job, what I’m most excited about, is to instill some form of energy into the crowd and just keep the people going,” Ososami said.
Being a DJ at Dance Marathon is more than just a music gig. DJs are responsible for setting the tone of the block and keeping people going when the going gets tough. They have to be aware of dancers’ moods and be prepared to play music that will jump start people’s energy.
“I think the biggest thing I learned from last year is that, especially when you're tired, the best pump up songs are just the ones that people know. It doesn't even matter so much the tempo, which is normally a pretty good indicator of how much a pump up song it is, but especially at DM it's important to play what people can sing along to,” Young said.
So, what should dancers expect from these student DJs?
“I’m gonna try to incorporate the theme a little bit. I’m also trying to tie in the lockdown theme and play a few songs that aren’t necessarily appropriate during other times at DM,” Young said.
Nigeria-native Ososami plans to cook up an international music feast for dancers during his block at 4 a.m.
“It's gonna be a 50-minute flight all around the world, if that's possible. I want people to remember my ability as an entertainer and also the fact that there’s not just one genre. I want people to say ‘I wasn’t expecting that diverse list of songs’,” Ososami said.
Although DJ Sims will probably continue his DM tradition for years to come, the NUDM team is excited to include students in the adventure.
“There is so much DJ talent on this campus and we want to showcase it,” Sam Palley, NUDM Productions Committee co-chair said.