You may recognize his face around campus as he is one of the hottest and most sought-after college DJs, performing not only for parties and events here at Bucknell but also for campuses and performers around the nation. Doug Bogan’s passion for music has evolved into a profitable hobby that everyone else can enjoy as well (if you haven’t listened to any of his mixes yet, you should check them out.) He has played 250 shows over four years and it is now time to hear Doug’s reflections on his college DJing career, what’s coming up next on his agenda, and what he will miss most about Bucknell.
1) According to your Twitter account, you are not the average DJ, but rather a mash-up artist. What specifically does a mash-up artist do that is different from a typical DJ? Do you copyright your original mixes?
This is actually a really tough question for me to answer, as I really don’t know the first thing about that Twitter account (or Twitter in general, for that matter). A friend of mine made and managed that Twitter account a few years ago, so I honestly don’t know what he meant by “not the average DJ” (Doug Bogan: caught cheating on social media!). However, I can say that I’ve been working on some pretty cool collaborations recently with various classical/folk musicians, fusing this more “traditional” style with electronic production. I’m a classical pianist of 18 years, so some of my recent releases and upcoming tracks feature piano along with violin, cello, acoustic guitar, etc. and various vocalists, all tied together with electronic undertones. I don’t know of any other DJ’s in the game right now doing this sort of thing and I’d really like to directly apply my 18 years of musical training in as creative and unique a way as possible to my electronic tracks.
2) What is your favorite part about performing here on campus?
I really love the vibe when I’m playing for a room full of my friends and classmates. The shenanigans are beyond fantastic and I love how we all wake up the next day and talk about how silly everyone and everything was the night before. Sounds dumb, I know, but it’s such a blast. It’s a great time playing for new markets in new places, but there’s something to be said for busting out two+ hours of ’90’s throwbacks at Yellowwood from 1-3am.
3) You have also been asked to perform for various schools across the nation and even open up for artists such as Chiddy Bang. What has your most memorable or favorite gig been and why?
Sheesh, that’s a really tough question. I’m torn between two that definitely rank as my #1’s (sorry for being so indecisive!). The first was over in Ireland this past summer – I played a little UK tour in July and played this one show in a converted church – pretty sacrilegious, but hey, what can you do? Anyways, the place was packed out, I was the only American for miles, and everyone’s taste in music was so different from anything I had ever experienced before that once I settled into my set, I had an absolute blast throwing down the most obscure tracks, all of which everyone in the place knew. The second was in San Diego last April, where I played a set from 7-11pm at this club in the Gaslamp Quarter. I was kind of hesitant going into the gig – it being during dinnertime from 7-11pm – but I was seriously proved wrong. Two fraternities and two sororities from the University of San Diego came together to host one of the best events I’ve ever played. There was so much energy in the room and so many people just dancing the night away that when 11pm rolled around, it honestly felt like 2am. At 11, we all left, went down to the beach and hung out all night. Not real life.
4) Does mashing songs require a lot of fancy equipment, or could anyone with a MacBook try their hand at DJing?
Some electronic producers are all about the equipment and the “latest gadgets,” but that gets really expensive really quickly. I use a very simple setup with Ableton Live but use very “fancy” instruments (a concert grand piano, my friends and their cellos, violins, guitars, voices, etc). For me, DJ’ing and producing tracks is much more about the music than it is the technology – I guess that’s the classical pianist in me speaking.
5) Would you want to pursue DJing as a career after graduation? If not, what do you want to do? Why?
I’m not looking to pursue DJing as my career after I graduate in a few weeks – honestly, Margaret, I’m really burned out. I’ve played over 250 shows in four years and it’s time to just relax and casually make music with people. I really miss playing in a band (I played keyboards in an indie/jazz band for ten years in middle/high school and college) and I really want to settle back into that scene after school. My career plans are leading me to France in January to intern with a renewable energy company with the hopes of working in that ever-evolving/emerging field after returning to the US in the later spring.
6) When you’re not ensuring that parties have great beats to dance to, what do you enjoy doing around campus?
I am very passionate about my extracurriculars and out-of-class engagement here on campus – that’s one of the big things I am going to miss about Bucknell. A year and a half ago, I started the Bucknell Rage Crew community conversation program here on campus, a group committed to organizing and hosting discussions for all students on shared campus community issues. Not only do these events discuss common issues, but also they seek to move forward from these hurdles by generating tangible action steps to address these issues. The model has proven extremely successful here on campus in effecting change and has developed into a semesterly event wholeheartedly supported by the entire Bucknell administration (and students!). In addition to my commitments to the Rage Crew, I am a member of the Bucknell Jazz Band, clock at least two hours of piano practice each day, I love to longboard, hike, ski (during ski season) and go on photo adventures. I’m always looking for people to go explore this state and what it has to offer, to get away from Bucknell on a Saturday afternoon for a nice little “reality check.”
7) This question could be a toughie, but what is your most played song on your iPod?
Well, I just sorted my iTunes by play count…we’re gonna skip over the top 15 or so most-played tracks because they’re downright embarrassing, leaving us at Adele’s take on “Love Song” off her sophomore release, “21”. If you haven’t heard the track before, take 5:17 out of your day to make that happen – there’s a reason it’s been played 411 times on my iTunes!