As the bass pumps through the speakers of a D.C. nightclub and students pack the dance floor like sardines, a familiar face may be controlling the track from behind the DJ booth.

At undergraduates’ frequented D.C. clubs, like Sax Dinner Theater and Lounge and Heist, you will find fellow Revolutionaries mixing tracks and hyping up crowds through their DJ sets. From full-fledged professionals to hobbyists, student DJs said they have honed their skills through performances at venues from D.C. to Barcelona, solidifying their place in the D.C. nightlife scene with their musical prowess. 

Mitchell Sozio, a junior majoring in business, said he first dove into the DJ scene four years ago after he became interested in music production during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he would watch YouTube videos of the DJs he looked up to, like James Hype, R3HAB and John Summit, to learn their techniques and develop his own DJ and music production skills. 

Sozio has since racked up more than 70,000 streams on his track “Didn’t Think” and more than 30,000 streams on tracks like “Forever Young” and “Not Sorry,” all released in 2022 on Spotify. 

“I had to teach myself because it was basically during COVID, so it was like an activity that I had to do,” Sozio said. “And learning how to produce really ties into learning how to DJ, so I learned it all at the same time.”

Sozio said his stage name M-SOZ is inspired by David Solomon, the CEO of Goldman Sachs who also DJs on the side under the name DJ D-Sol and is someone he looks up to professionally. 

Sozio said his first professional DJ experience was during his first year at a GW formal event. Since then, he said he has played sets across the District, like at the Dupont Circle clubs Rosebar Lounge and Heist, and secured gigs DJing events for companies like JLo Beauty, BMW and Derek Lam by building relationships with clubs and brands via social media. He currently boasts more than 100,000 followers on his personal Instagram account.

Though many people consider D.C. as a more “professional” city, Sozio said the District has a reputable club scene and he frequents the club Soundcheck to catch performances from other DJs, like D.O.D. and NOTD.

“DJ experience in D.C. is interesting because I feel like most people don’t think D.C. is a ‘clubby’ kind of place,” Sozio said. 

Sozio said he likes to play a blend of EDM, throwback songs and rap during his sets, focusing on creating transitions between tracks that are specific to his work. He said he prepares track lists ahead of time and performs mixes and transitions live based on how the audience reacts to the music. 

“If you’re just there playing music, and you’re not in it, then it’s not gonna be the same,” Sozio said. “Like you have to really know the music, enjoy it yourself, dance along to it. You have to create the vibe, set it for everyone else who’s there.”

Matthew Kornblau, a junior majoring in business and a self-taught DJ, said when he plays a set at the Penn Quarter nightclub Sax, a favorite among GW underclassmen, students in the crowd will often recognize him from campus, allowing him to connect with the audience on a “deeper level.” 

“I feel like D.C. is a very experimental phase when it comes to DJs,” Kornblau said. “And it’s a very student-run scene.”

Kornblau said he has been involved with music as a drummer for 5 years, but he didn’t take up DJing until he interned in Barcelona, Spain, this summer, where he made friends who taught him how to mix songs during their sets. After moving back to D.C. for fall 2024, he said he had his first official DJing experience playing for his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi, on the rooftop of The Residences on the Avenue apartment building earlier this month. 

“We had about 60, 70 people up there, and me and my ‘little’ in the fraternity, we both just did a little duo set and it was sick, it was so cool” Kornblau said.

Kornblau said he likes to play house music, mixing in some throwback hits from ABBA, and always ends with a remix of Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” to Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ “Empire State of Mind” to pay homage to his New York City upbringing. When performing for college students, he said he tends to incorporate popular contemporary artists like Taylor Swift and Charli XCX instead of throwback artists like Run-D.M.C. and Amy Winehouse he plays for older generations. 

“My favorite quote, I forgot who actually said it, is ‘DJing is 80 percent song choice, 20 percent skill,’” Kornblau said. “I think that’s very true. It really depends on reading the crowd.”

Kornblau said aspiring DJs should practice as much as possible to build confidence with DJ programming software like Serato DJ Pro, which he uses, and connect with clubs via social media to ask about DJing opportunities.

If the club rejects an offer, Kornblau said promising DJs can still keep them updated on progress and future opportunities.

“Never take ‘no’ as a bad thing,” Kornblau said. “Take it as ‘I’m not there yet.’”

Sophomore Jack Wosk, an entrepreneurship student and Kornblau’s little in AEPi, said he decided to learn how to DJ in June through YouTube tutorials after seeing content from other college DJs on Instagram and TikTok. Since then, he said he has practiced DJing with a close group of friends in their rooms and performed his first professional gig with Kornblau at Sax a few weeks ago.

Wosk, who DJs under the name DJ Wosky, said he chooses his songs for mixes based off of what is trending on TikTok and SoundCloud Go, an ad-free premium version of SoundCloud that allows users to download music and includes an explore page with new songs posted to the platform.

He said he creates the playlists for his sets on the app and uploads them to Serato DJ Pro, often incorporating house remixes of popular songs.

“When you have, let’s say like, 30 odd people in front of you, they’re kind of relying on you to kind of set the mood, set the scene,” Wosk said.