In the past few years electronic dance music has swept across the U.S. music scene, led mostly by DJs coming from overseas. It blasts from the few bars left on Route 1, seeps from the poorly soundproofed house parties and brings huge crowds to clubs. But before jumping on the next party bus to D.C. to see the best Swiss, Dutch and Swedish DJs, remember that College Park has a few of its own up-and-coming DJs, like Brendon Ronon, a junior communications major from Lower Merion, Pa.
Ronon took the first semester of his freshman year off to work, and with time on his hands he decided to explore a genre of music that he always loved. He researched popular club music and DJ equipment, and took his interest a step further by working to make enough money to buy his own equipment. Spending hours after work practicing he developed his own technique and style.
When Ronon came to UMD,  he had never before performed in front of a crowd. “I didn’t have the confidence, I was just fooling around,” Ronon said. But after playing at a house party for the first time the thrill overcame the fear. “When I DJ a house party I’m having a great time,” Ronon said. “I like to make the atmosphere the rowdiest possible – I want people dancing on couches, in window sills, throwing beer.”
Distinguishing his style and separating himself from many DJs, Ronon likes to stay away from strictly playing house music. He plays a variety of genres and gives people something to sing to. He will often build up to a song and switch the song quickly to keep everyone energized.“What I like about his style is that it’s a combination of house music I know, pop songs I know with a techno twist and songs I don’t know, so it’s a good blend,” says junior communications major Marti Reiff, who has heard him DJ in College Park and New York.
A quality Ronon finds important in a DJ is being able to pump up a crowd. Talking about seeing Rusko perform at Identity Festival on Aug. 19 he said, “A lot of DJs struggle with talking to the crowd, but he would talk and get everyone hyped and would play different styles. He made dubstep work.”
Ronon’s first paid gig playing for a large crowd was at Kappa Delta’s formal in April 2011. Since then he has performed at clubs in New York such as Juliet and Lexicon. Ronon feels added pressure when performing at clubs rather than College Park house parties because people are more tuned in to the music and notice if a DJ makes mistakes. He currently has plans to travel to New York to DJ in the coming months.
In addition to DJing live, Ronon has also started producing his own music, but has yet to release anything. For now, Ronon is getting his name out there, and will see where his DJ career takes him after graduating.
In a recent article exploring how house music has become a part of mainstream pop the Huffington Post said,“American music […] has been indelibly taken over by the hard-hitting electro style that has dominated the European dance scene for years.” So, as the trend continues to grow, look out for College Park’s own rising stars.