James Burnell, aka DJ Skywalker, a junior here at CU has been blowing up Boulder’s dubstep music scene. Having opened this year for up and coming names such as NiT GriT and Minnesota, things are really looking good. You can often find him spinning at local bars like the Goose and Bacaro, or at a homie’s house spinning until 5 A.M.
Where are you originally from?
Santa Barbara, California
How did you first get into electronic music?
Around sophomore year of high school I took a class for Pro Tools
When did you decide to make the move to learn how to DJ?
Honestly I’m not really sure why I wanted to DJ, it just sort of happened and now it’s working out pretty well.
Abelton or Reason? Why?
For producing I would use Ableton definitely. There are so many more options and if you really wanted to you can ReWire Reason with Ableton.
What are some of your favorite shows you’ve been to this year?
Both times I opened for NiT GriT he absolutely killed it. Minnesota was a big surprise and Excision practically brought the Ogden down. Oh yea….and there was BassFest too…
Who are your biggest influences?
Bassnectar, Liquid Stranger, An-Ten-Nae, Urban Assault, Elite Force, Erick Morillo…. There’s too many to name
Lots of Boulder DJ’s out there. What’s your take on them and how are you different?
It’s pretty easy to tell if someone is good at DJing or not, that’s why there is only a hand full that actually play at the bars and clubs here. I’ve noticed that lots use Ableton to DJ. I use CDJs with serato scratch live, which is a lot different.
How do you feel about the Boulder/Denver music scene?
Boulder has an awesome music scene, but nothing can compare to the Denver scene, especially for Dubstep.
Future plans/ tour dates? What do you got going on this summer?
I’m going on tour in California this summer with Robotic Pirate Monkey and Thick Chick and it’s gonna be raging. We are going to be hitting a lot of cities so if you’re in the area come check us out! You can see most of the dates at this link: http://www.pressplaycolorado.com/concert.html
What advice would you give someone that wanted to get into this?
Practice makes perfect
Be sure to check him out locally before he takes off for the big time. You can find samples of his music on Press Play Colorado and Soundcloud. He’s playing tomorrow night, April 22nd, at the Goose Bar on the Hill with Common Ties.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter.