UCLA student competes at Orientation LA

After winning his first DJ battle last week, UCLA trap spinster Alejandro “Alexbustamove” Bustamante prepares to battle it out with fresh opponents at Orientation LA.

The UCLA fourth-year Design | Media Arts student and DJ will face Noizfiend of University of Southern California and Mature Content of Loyola Marymount University, two DJs whose style and music Bustamante said he will encounter for the first time.

All three DJs will show off their skills in front of the crowd during 20-minute sets and, via text, the audience will decide the winner before famous trap music DJs Flosstradamus, gLAdiator, araabMUZIK and Congorock perform their own sets.

A fan of trap music, a blend of electronic dance music and hip hop, Bustamante said when he was asked if he wanted to do a show with Flosstradamus and Congorock, he immediately agreed.

“Flosstradamus and Congorock are the first people that got me into trap. It’s really amazing that I’m now sharing the same stage with them,” Bustamante said.

With so many star headliners, Orientation LA will be Bustamante’s biggest show to date. He said the only comparable event in which he performed was his first show, four years ago, at a museum in San Diego, where he played for more than 2,000 people.

Now more experienced, including winning first place at Red Bull Thre3style’s battle one week ago, Bustamante said he feels comfortable taking on a larger audience.

“It’s been a lot of hard work, though,” Bustamante said. “Especially now, just in the past two months, I’ve already had more shows than in the past year.”

Bustamante has also played at upscale venues including the Greystone Manor Supperclub in Hollywood.

Like Bustamante, this will not be Noizfiend’s first time battling. Sumukh Anand, also known as Noizfiend, a third-year computer science student at USC, has battled multiple times and has opened for acts including house psychedelic duo Designer Drugs. Although familiar with the battle scene, Anand said he is unfamiliar with the other competitors.

“I’ve never met any of the other DJs, nor do I know their styles. Even though that can be a little intimidating, I’m not really that nervous about taking them on,” Anand said. “I’m also excited to drop some original tunes I’ve been working on and see the crowd’s reaction to them.”

Recess University, the company behind Orientation LA, was launched in 2005 by Pepperdine University graduate Jonathan Miller. Miller said that as a student, he found a limited amount of concerts and events that people under 21 could attend. In order to provide an alternative, the company’s work is geared toward providing people 18 and over access to quality shows.

Always trying to find a way to involve college students, Miller said he hatched the idea to have three young DJs battle it out for the pleasure of the crowd before the main acts began.

“There are all these talented students at these schools aspiring to be DJs and getting into the industry, so why not help them and showcase their talents?” Miller said.

To prepare for Miller’s competition, Bustamante said finding time to practice was tough because of school and an internship, but that he plans to spin at least two hours every day. Rather than worry about what he’s going to play, Bustamante said he will stick to what he knows best: going with the flow.

While some DJs will come to a show with a full set list ready, Bustamante said he carries a USB stick with songs that he picks and chooses between in response to the crowd’s reactions throughout his sets.

Bustamante said that a year ago, DJing was not a part of his post-college plans, but now because of all of the new and expanding opportunities, he said he knows he can’t let it go to waste.

“This is my last year at UCLA, so I’m definitely excited to see where my music takes me in the next few years,” Bustamante said.