A lot of people can brag about having cool campus jobs, but none as cool as Joey Warner. An aspiring DJ performer, Joey is making a name for himself on campus and in the music world that you will definitely want to remember.
Read on to learn more about the guy responsible for making the last hip hop night of last semester unreal:
Name: Joey Warner
Hometown: Philidelphia
Dorm: Knott Hall Knott Hall
Graduation Year: 2019
Major: Vocal Performance
Favorite Notre Dame Memory? Definitely the first football game. I’m in the marching band, I play the tuba. All the seniors hyped it up and said coming out of the tunnel will blow your mind and that feeling when you’re running out…I busted out of the tunnel and there were 80,000 people and I had the biggest smile on my face. It was the best.
Why did you decide to come to Notre Dame? I thought I wanted to be a frat bro but I applied here on a whim and I got in. When I visited and walked around campus I just got that feeling and some kid opened the door for my mom and I thought that if I can go to a school where people are nice and genuine and smart and fun that is ideal.
Favorite class? Musicianship
North or South Dining Hall? North for breakfast and lunch because of the panini line but South for dinner because guacamole.
Do you have a DJ name? They call me Pilot. Over the summer one of my buddies said something about how seeing people DJ reminded him of someone in a cockpit.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I actually want to go into production and Djing EDM music, which sounds ridiculous when you talk to people who want to go to med school or work on Wall Street or cure cancer. But I plan to move to LA or New York after ND and go to production school. I just want to see what I can make of it. It’s what I’m passionate about-creating something that hopefully people like and want to hear more of.
How often do you DJ? I DJ at Legends around once a month. Back home I would usually play a gig at month from charity things to weddings to “underground weddings.” But I’m working on getting credibility and exposure here.
What kind of music do you play? I generally do EDM and there are a few sub-genres like trap and future bass. I really like something that hits hard and has a double timey feel and you can tell it’s musical and has a melody and interesting chords but still blows your face off.
What do you consider a successful night of DJing? Seeing someone out in the crowd when I transition into a song and seeing them recognize the song and like it. They look ridiculous but seeing them with hands up, eyes closed singing along. I love that. Being up there and creating the music makes me happy but being able to share that and make a fun night for everyone who’s there, that’s where the success really is.
Who are some of your go to artists to play? Nghtmr is someone up and coming who has a really unique sound. I’ve been following him for a while. He has crazy sound I love the Chainsmokers and Diplo is the king of production.
I’ve heard you are also a talented singer. Do you ever mix vocal performances with DJing? I didn’t start getting serious about making music until about 6 months ago. It’s a steep learning curve to be able to make the sounds you want to make and I haven’t quite gotten to that point yet. When I start making my own music I want to feel good about the quality of it, not just how creative and musical it is. Down the line that is why I’m studying music and vocal performances. My mom is super excited for it.
What advice do you have for other aspiring DJs? Don’t be afraid to reach out to someone and try to make connections. Everyone who is successful now has been at a point where they weren’t successful and talked to someone and learned what they needed to learn and make something of those connections. Work hard-DJing isn’t only about pushing buttons- and put some time in.
Thanks for the interview Joey! You can see The Pilot work his magic this Saturday (January 30th) at midnight at Legends. If you want to check out his awesome stuff before hand, here are some links to his facebook page and soundcloud:
https://soundcloud.com/pilot_official
https://www.facebook.com/Pilot.Official.1
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All images courtesy of interviewee