Bruin Bash 2013 to open with student DJ

This year, the Cultural Affairs Commission and Campus Events Commission decided that one UCLA student DJ will be given the opportunity to open Bruin Bash 2013 with 45 minutes of his or her own music.

The student DJ will be chosen through a competition in which current UCLA students will submit 35-to-55-minute mixes to be judged by a panel of Campus Events Commission and Cultural Affairs Commission members.

Cultural Affairs Commissioner Jessica Trumble said that the decision to have a student DJ take up the first 45 minutes of this year’s Bruin Bash was primarily made to display student talent.

“We have so many incredible student DJs. Why would we go out and pay a bunch of money for one if we could showcase the incredible talent we have here on campus?” Trumble said.

Trumble also said that a major goal of the Campus Events Commission and the Cultural Affairs Commission this year is to highlight the student effort that goes into creating Bruin Bash, which she said is typically perceived as a university-hosted event.

Andrew Neeld, a fourth-year mathematics/economics student and president of UCLA’s Electronic Dance Music Club, said the opportunity Bruin Bash 2013 presents for his club would not only help give its DJs exposure, but also would potentially give exposure to the club itself.

“If we got one of our DJs to play it would really foster our presence on campus,” Neeld said. “We’re trying to recruit freshmen from the incoming class. If you’re a freshman and you’re into electronic music and you’re at Bruin Bash, you’d (think), ‘They’re playing this awesome show, I totally want to be in that.’”

Fourth-year fine arts student Walker Ashby, an active DJ at UCLA, said he would jump at the opportunity to gain that kind of exposure for his work.

Ashby, who often includes his own vocals in his music, said if he were to be selected he would try to incorporate more of his original recordings into the music he plays.

“If I were to do it, of course I would play stuff people love,” Ashby said. “But I would bring a more original kind of personality. I would be singing and stuff like that.”

Second-year business economics student Amir Ghowsi said he thinks it is a great opportunity for students to bring attention to their work.

“I think if (the Campus Events Commission) and (Cultural Affairs Commission) play their cards right and keep an open mind, we can get some interesting new DJs to perform and expose students to new forms of music,” Ghowsi said. “I think it’s better than having a professional one because not only does it save money, but it would mean a lot for a student to perform at an event of that magnitude.”

Trumble said the Campus Events Commission and Cultural Affairs Commission are looking for a UCLA student who has a mix that will appeal to a large group of students, not necessarily someone who fits into one genre specifically. She said they hope to find someone who can bring genres together in a way that will be fun, exciting and make students want to dance.