Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Sy.
Justin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started off DJing about ten years ago – I knew I loved technology as well as music, so I felt that DJing would be the perfect combination of them! One of my first shows and residencies ever was at a super small venue called Rock City Studios, where I spent most of my time checking out the local non-electronic music scene since I grew up as a kid that went to Warped Tour every year. I would DJ in between bands for about 10 to 15 minutes and try to work in electronic music with alternative and rock. I credit that experience by teaching me how to mix punk, rock, and alternative with hip-hop and EDM, helping me be a better all-around DJ.
A few years later, I attended one year at UC Irvine, where I got to meet some other like-minded DJs and budding producers, where I was able to showcase being an open-format DJ more by playing fraternity and sorority events and parties while also starting to focus primarily on EDM. Afterwards, I transferred to CSU Northridge, where I joined Kappa Sigma and took on the role of being the in-house DJ for all our events. During my time at CSUN, I got gigs playing at Avalon, Joseph’s and Exchange LA, started diving deeper into the realm of music production compared to previous years, and was how I met Mitch and Brandon of SPEKTER, teaching them the basics of production! I also helped my friend matphilly out with running All the Hype Records as COO and mentoring my friend TAMBAT on DJing and music production.
After 2016, I grew tired of the “pay to play” method of DJing at clubs in the LA area, so I decided that after a show at Avalon Hollywood, I told myself that I would focus on music production instead of selling tickets to play at clubs. In 2017 and 2019, I received offers to play at the KROQ stage at Coachella from my friend DJ Jeremiah Red, whom matphilly introduced me to!
My influences are diverse, ranging from DJ AM, Kaskade, Timbaland, Porter Robinson, Excision, August Burns Red, and Fall Out Boy.
Since then, I’ve spent a majority of my time in the studio, working on a bunch of new music and completely reworking my sound. I’m super excited to share my music with everyone very soon!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but from what I’ve learned from both my music career and in life, it’s that you have to roll with the punches that life throws at you. You can’t change the direction of the winds, but you can always adjust your sails.
To be completely honest, one of the biggest struggles I’ve been experiencing has been a creative drought. I’ve in and out of it for a few years for production, and it doesn’t help that we’re all stuck at home due to COVID-19 and I get a majority of my inspiration by going out and exploring the world and going to concerts. However, I’ve been re-inspired by the late DJ AM – one of the best open format DJs of all time, learning more scratching and DJ techniques that I’ll be using in my upcoming livestreams! He’s definitely also inspired me to start making music that isn’t EDM – that man could turn EDC into a quinceañera, into a house party, and back to a rave in a span of 10 minutes without ever skipping a beat.
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I specialize in producing and DJing EDM, but what separates me from other artists is my background. I was a classically trained violinist as a kid, then grew into the punk/metal scene, then moved into the EDM world. As a teenager, I went to a lot of Warped Tours, metal, and punk shows so that definitely has an influence on my sound. Anyone who listens to my DJ sets can definitely hear my eclectic taste in music; I’ll go from A$AP Ferg to Jauz, and Fall Out Boy to SLANDER before you even know it!
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Not having to pay bills or having to have a day job, LOL. But for real, it was going to shows with my friends! I’m a very firm believer that people should try to listen to music that they normally wouldn’t listen to, and being exposed to the punk, metal, and rock scenes as a kid definitely helped inspire me to find my sound as an electronic artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://soundcloud.com/dj_edge_official
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/djedgeofficial
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/djedgeofficial
- Twitter: http://twitter.com/djedgeofficial
- Other: http://twitch.tv/djedgeofficial
Image Credit:
Jonathan Luu
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