By DeAndre Washington, Staff Writer

The Atlanta University Center (AUC) has become a vessel that bridges the gap between knowing what you want and having the platform to manifest your work. With the influx of artists in the community, platforms that host on-campus events, parties, other social gatherings have expanded with the times; accommodating an ever-growing artistic community that ranges from rappers, singers, photographers, and even roller skaters. But the artists wanted by popular demand, the ones that keep the audience’s attention between Graymont and CASA functions, are the DJs.

This isn’t as simple as plugging in the aux cord and playing playlists from Apple Music or Spotify. The DJ scratches your favorite songs together with careful attention to the audience’s reaction.

Two DJs that specialize in going beyond the typical sound, breaking the barrier and spinning mixes you wouldn’t expect are DJ No-Tag and DJ CROB. Both cut from opposing records on the U.S. turntables; scratched and mashed together within the AUC.

When sitting down with these three artists, there was discussion on their beginnings before they were turntable masterminds. Each come from other walks of life but gave similar explanation as to how they started spinning. DJ No-Tag stated that his first show gave him an understanding to always go back to the drawing board; even if the formula works the first time.

“The first party I ever did was a high school dance, and it was intense,” DJ No-Tag said. “I actually don’t think I was ready for that gig. I had just gotten my gear a month prior so that was the first time I’d ever spun.”

Learning how to DJ isn’t a skill that one masters overnight. The amount of work people have to put into it may vary, and for some it may be too much work to do. But that sentiments similar to a coin toss. The other side of that coin puts in the work to have their craft be what they want to see. To make it simple, they make due with what they have at that present time.

“When I first started, I was spinning off of Youtube and whatever I could find on my computer at the time. Once I headed home, I had to think if I really wanted to continue doing this. But you can’t let your failures dictate what your future’s going to be, all you can do is let it lead you into what you want your future to be.”

Those failures shaped his intentions for future performances, and gigs. During the school year, events take place that require music, and this is the time for student performers to make their presence felt for their peers, and predecessors before them. Given the impact Spelhouse has within the Atlanta Metropolitan area, AUC artists have taken full advantage of this platform.

Preparing for homecoming means more than just picking out the best outfits and buying tickets to your favorite events. For the DJs it means putting those 10,000 hours in training back into the your craft. Forgetting what you know about being a DJ and remember that you’re as good as the audience perceives you to be in the moment you spin.

“All those hours of training, you put time into your controller” DJ CROB said. “Going home, going to your controller… I would say that I put in an hour minimum per day. I’d be scratching, mixing, and blending; practicing BPM and other stuff.”

These two DJs represent the general consensus of an ever growing group of DJs within the AUC. That consensus being that if you aren’t spinning when nobody is watching, how can you touch your turntables when they are?

Renaissance defines as a rebirth. In the case of AUC DJs, this means a remastering of what it means to be one in the midst of others around you. DJ No-Tag believes that in this mash-up, as much as they all are scratching for the top spot, the work’s done together.

“DJing is like rap where It’s a big competition,” DJ No-Tag said. Everybody’s against each other, but in the same breath, we’re still working with each other to figure out how we can differentiate each other’s sounds.”

For that other side of the turntable platter, there seems to be a similar sentiment for how the responsibility of a DJ is supposed to taken. Holding each other accountable and sharing the stage has become the most notorious record scratched on wax

“I don’t ever look at anybody as competition” DJ CROB emphasizes. “I genuinely believe it’s enough out here for all of us. Competition is always good; you need that to keep you on your toes and help you set goals. However, you can’t look at others as you having to beat them.”

To see how these two DJs are leading by the same ideas goes to show how mixing different records in the AUC can alter the sounds heard on campus. To put that in simpler terms, placing two artists with similar goals in this community displaces the role of having a competitive narrative in making one better at their craft. It encourages inclusion, which emboldens the proposition that there’s a renaissance on campus of what it means to be a DJ in the AUC.