It's late afternoon and most doors along the first floor of Dabney residence hall are closed. But from behind one door, music blares as an aspiring disc jockey, Mike Karnjanaprakorn, perfects his playlist.
He stands at his turntables, his lanky frame leans over a record and his spikey hair bobs under a set of earphones. Every once in a while he turns to his roommate for a loud exclamation on the song at hand.
A novice to the art of spinning, Karnjanaprakorn, a first-year College student, began mixing in October after investing in the essentials: two turntables and a mixer.
The DJ bug took hold of Karnjanaprakorn when he threw a party and witnessed the skills of a close friend. Within a few months, he already had the basics down, and he began testing his skills at friends' house parties.
Scoping the University social arena for a venue for his talent, Karnjanaprakorn focused on the frat scene. His first gig, Phi Psi fraternity's St. Patrick Day party, was a learning experience. "I usually don't play country or '80s," explains Karnjanaprakorn, "but you have to adjust to the audience."
Somewhat prepared for the difference in musical tastes at the University, Karnjanaprakorn had asked Phi Psi pledges before the party for favorite tunes to "incorporate into the playlist."
Party attendant and first-year College student Pete Kownacki looks back on Karnjanaprakorn's debut performance as diverse enough to cater to the entire audience's tastes.
Yet while he realizes the need to "give them what they want to hear," Karnjanaprakorn feels his specialty is hip-hop, the undeniable genre of choice in his hometown: Newport News, Va. "I like to go home and play the music I'm used to," he says.
Karnjanaprakorn claims to "expose cutting edge hip-hop" to his less knowledgeable hall mates: Along his hallway he is known for his mixed CDs, nicknamed "Mix Master Mike's Volumes I, II, and III."
Still reeling off the high of his first University gig, Karnjanaprakorn thinks to his future in spinning: "I want to start with frats and move up to DJ Clue status."
For the time being however, Karnjanaprakorn hopes to cut his teeth on Greek parties, organization parties and events like Unity Week's Club One and the monthly Club Vital. As he makes his move upwards, Karnjanaprakorn has searched for a suitably catchy DJ name. Current favorites include DJ Focal and DJ M3.
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While Karnjanaprakorn has yet to be in demand for University social events, it is hard to walk through central grounds without seeing at least one party poster advertising the mixing skills of Farzad Arefzadeh (more popularly known as DJ Farzad).
Recognized primarily by name alone, Farzad's stature and laid-back attitude belie his current social fame and recognition.
Like Karnjanaprakorn, Arefzadeh, a fourth-year Engineering student from Northern Virginia, began mixing as a first year.
Yet while Karnjanaprakorn's specialty is hip-hop, Arefzadeh prefers trance and progressive styles of music. His specialty, however, is not any particular style of music, but his diverse incorporation of musical tastes: from mainstream to international hits.
The Washington, D.C., club scene is what got Arefzadeh interested in DJing. Tentative interest gave way to practical experience in the form of high school house parties.
From these he moved on to the D.C. club circuit, displaying his art at, Earth (formally located at D.C. Live), Divas, Coco Loco, Odd's and Platinum.
On coming to the University, Arefzadeh was disappointed that "there was no nightlife."
But Arefzadeh has done much to change that. At the end of his second year, Arefzadeh and his good friend Brent Dotson, also known as DJ Sneek, began a monthly nightclub venue at Espresso Corner.
So began Club Vital. But when Espresso Corner closed, Club Vital sought refuge in rented fraternity houses where DJs Farzad and Sneek continue to provide a more underground, D.C.-clubish Saturday night alternative each month.
Despite the unpredictable locale of Club Vital and its non-alcoholic atmosphere, the dance floors are consistently packed. "The Rugby scene dominates. This shows with Vital - people want that kind of atmosphere," Farzad says.
Club Vital's Web site (www.clubvitalonline.com), claims that prior to Vital's emergence, the University had no multicultural dance forum for people to flock to.
The goal of the club continues to provide such a forum, offering a range of music as diverse as its patrons. A glance at his audience reveals a mix of all students, from graduate and medical students to members of the Greek system.
"Overall, I feel that my music attracts many types of students," Farzad says. "However, I do agree that about 70 percent of my crowd at all parties are international students and students of diverse background."
Like Karnjanaprakorn, Arefzadeh has found that the musical taste at the University is very mainstream. Yet this does not stop him from throwing in things "on the side."
"I personally love progressive - that's my style." Instead of compromising his tastes to those of his audience, Arefzadeh has mastered the ability to mix lesser-known tunes in with today's hits.
His play list continually is revamped with new international, as well as mainstream, grooves. "I learn a lot by going up to international students and asking, 'What's popular in your country?'" he says.
Turkish, Persian, Arabic and Latin songs regularly crop up in a DJ Farzad playlist. This smorgasbord of songs does not go unappreciated among the international party-going community.
Arefzadeh smiles as he describes one of the main perks of mixing.
"One or two people will come up to me at the end of a party and shake my hand and thank me for playing music that they haven't heard for awhile," he says.
Third-year College student Jose Ramon Martinez, the social chair of La Sociedad Latina hired Arefzadeh to DJ the most recent LSL party, Club Miami.
"His reputation preceded him. He knows how to create an ambience, how to work the people," Martinez says.
Although verbal appreciation is rewarding, Karnjanaprakorn and Arefzadeh seem to agree that audience exhaustion is the universal DJ goal.
A successful party in Karnjanaprakorn's eyes is one where "everyone goes home exhausted." Similarly, Arefzadeh endeavors to "never let people get tired."
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