And Griffin has deeper musical knowledge in some areas than I do. We’d hire Ziff, and Ziff would say, “Here's the setlist,” and I would tell him, “You're not playing that.” Griff: Ziff had been the tentative resident DJ at Charter, and I was the Social Chair, so I threw all the events. Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. And to become a great DJ, all you need is that and just a little bit of knowledge of how the board works. They know what they like and can build an incredible library of good music very quickly. And sure, you can add a lot to the artistry by doing all of these fancy effects, but the reason Griffin is such a good DJ, and they were able to pick it up so quickly, is because they have such strong musical opinions. Ziff: I've taught a lot of people to DJ - I literally have a playlist in my library called “DJ School.” The first two songs on it are “Montero” and “Only,” and I just crossfade between them to prove that nothing else matters if the next song is good. But yeah, I basically bullied Ziff into teaching me the basics. He looked at me one day and said, “If you want to be a DJ, you should do it, because it's less about being a good DJ and more about having good music taste.” I’ve found that most of what you have to know to do is how to execute a good transition with some creative freedom and add in something that is unique to you. Also, I got some valuable advice from Ty Sunderland, a very popular DJ in the city. Now, I have a residency at a Sunday party at a pizza parlor/nightclub in Little Italy.ĭP: How was the transition from listening to music in nightclubs to actually DJing in the booth? I pulled three straight all-nighters covering a carousel, horse, and disco tiles and then DJed for two hours in an assless wedding dress. It was the second now-biannual event that we call Studio 54. I had always thought about DJing, and then one day I said, “Ziff, let's make this happen.” Because of that, I gained not only a large musical repertoire but also a passion for music. When I was living on my own for the first time and doing Princeton online, those spaces were the first place where I found community. When I say I work in nightlife, I mean that I host events in the city - mostly queer nightlife events. Griff: I'd only been DJing for five to six months since I had my first gig, but I started learning a little before that. This year, Griffin and I started living together and started mixing. Then, I came back to Charter, became an officer, and did a ton of gigs here. That's how I was exposed to dance music, and from there I developed my style. That was how I grew as a DJ: these 30-minute SoundCloud mixes, inspired by sets from Tomorrowland. Then I actually DJed the last Charter Friday before the pandemic.ĭuring the pandemic, I made a lot of mixes. My first paid gig was at Colonial - I still have the poster hanging in my room. The first ever party that I played was Nate Perlmeter ’22’s birthday party in my dorm during freshman year. Ziff: I got started with DJing when I asked a family friend to teach me in my senior year of high school. The Daily Princetonian: Where did DJing start in all of your long lists of artistic endeavors? What kinds of gigs have you been doing since? This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.
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