At first glance, you might think Andrew Ortiz is just a normal college student, but when he’s not in class, he’s following his passion for music as “DJ That Kid” (formerly “DJ College”)—an amateur producer and DJ at some of the hottest local events.
Name: Andrew Ortiz “DJ That Kid”… formerly known as “DJ College”
Year: Sophomore
Major: Secondary English Education
Hometown: Wilkesboro, NC
Q: How did you get started DJing?
A: I really got my inspiration to start DJing from going to parties with a bad DJ, or simply no DJ at all. I have been into all kinds of music as long as I can remember, so I thought of myself as qualified to play music people want to hear. Sigma Alpha Epsilon gave me my first gig back in January and I’ve been moving forward ever since.
I am currently working on recording for and collaborating with some of my other friends who play instruments and sing. I have also started to produce some of my own beats for my friends to rhyme to.
Q: Have you had any sort of training?
A: I have had no specific training at all. My partner, Jacob Burke (Matic), taught me about everything I know as far as programs go, but my success thus far has really been attributed to my choice of music.
Q: What kinds of events do you typically DJ at?
A: I do a lot of frat parties, but I have also done a couple house parties and I have a couple sorority mixers in the works. Playing somewhere like Char or Paolucci’s is definitely a goal of mine, though.
Q: Are there any people or events that you find particularly inspiring?
A: Guys like Tyler, The Creator, J. Cole, and Mac Miller have definitely been an inspiration for me, not necessarily because of the quality or style of their music, but because they’re doing it at such a young age. What impresses me the most about guys like Tyler and Mac is that they’re doing it independently, meaning without an official record label, which is extremely difficult to do. These are guys the same age as me making millions of dollars, all thanks to the music industry. It gives you something to strive for.
Q: It’s not every day that you hear of a local DJ that’s also a student, what has the response been like from everyone at App?
A: I kind of receive mixed emotions. There are people who come up to me on campus who, miraculously, remember me from a party, but a lot of my friends like to give me a hard time about it. My best guess for this is because I don’t really carry the appearance of a typical DJ; however, when my friends, or anyone for that matter, see me play at a party, they see that I’m good at what I do and that I really enjoy doing it.
Q: What has been the most rewarding part of what you do?
A: Any artist or entertainer will tell you that the most rewarding part of what we do is a positive crowd reaction. I don’t do this to play music I like really loud; I do this to see crowds get hyped up. Nothing is more rewarding for me than a guy to come up and just give a simple slap of the hand. Just like anything other entertainment position, it’s nice to hear from someone that you’ve done a good job, so I would say that’s the most rewarding part of being a DJ.
Q: Is there anything in particular that you think sets you apart from other DJs, performers, or musicians?
A: I’ve listened to a lot of DJs in the area, and I’ve yet to see one incorporate rap and hip-hop from our generation. I don’t consider artists such as Tyga and Big Sean to be of our generation. I like that music, and people enjoy hearing it, but my go-to music is stuff like 50 Cent, Dem Franchize Boyz, Chingy, and other artists of that era. That’s music that you won’t hear every time you turn on the radio, so I think that’s why people like to hear it played at parties. It sets a tone that other DJs haven’t seemed to reach yet.
Q: What’s next for you?
A: The way I see it, the only direction to go is up. Gigs seem to be coming in more frequently, people seem to be hearing the name more and more, so I don’t see why I couldn’t turn this into a part-time career, but I don’t think I could do something like this fulltime. Jacob (my partner) and I have discussed the possibility of having our own label one day, but that’s something for the distant future. For now, all I want to do is exactly what I’ve been doing: keeping the good vibes rolling.
Photo courtesy of Bailey Wilson Photography