An up-and-coming deejay to look out for is college student from Las Vegas, Nevada named Justin Blau aka DJ ßlau. DJ ßlau is currently a junior at Washington University in St. Louis majoring in Finance.
Only twenty-years old, DJ ßlau has already accomplished so much with his music career. DJ ßlau is not only a talented House/Mashup/Remix producer, but he is also FratMusic.com’s official house DJ with his most notable bootlegs being “Girls Who Save the World,” “Yacht Week in America,” and “All Night Long,” which have hit 4th, 5th, and 32nd respectively on Hypem’s top 50 with a total of over 11000 favorites.
DJ ßlau has also received critical acclaim from Tiesto, achieving the number one ranked remix in Tiesto’s Work Hard, Play Hard remix competition.
Also, in recent news, DJ ßlau will be playing alongside Avicii, Steve Aoki, Calvin Harris, DadaLife, and Porter Robinson at Electro Beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in 2012.
To learn more about DJ ßlau, read below for the exclusive interview that Her Campus Ole Miss had with the talented DJ.
Her Campus: Tell us about yourself?
DJ ßlau: Of course! I grew up in a combination of New York and Vegas, with Vegas being the largest influence on my childhood I would say. I currently attend WashU., majoring in Finance by day, and EDM (Electric dance music) by night. I used to ski competitively and rock climb as well. I was never the conventional basketball or football type. Aside from deejaying, I play a ton of instruments, and I love MMA (Mixed Martial Arts)!
HC: Have you always been interested in music?
DJ ßlau: Always, since I can remember. Even when I was younger, I couldn’t fall asleep without music…it’s still pretty much the case!
HC: How did you first get into deejaying?
DJ ßlau: My best friend Johan is from Sweden. I took a trip there with another friend Steven, and I was first introduced to real dance music. The best way I could describe the experience is spiritual; house music just has the ability to entrance you and make you feel like you can do anything.
HC: What inspires you to deejay and what are your musical inspirations?
DJ ßlau: I’ve always loved epic music, and I think the style of music I’m starting to create with my original work is kind of a combination between post-rock and house. I love that big room reverberated sound, and I hear it everywhere. It’s just the concept of echo that drives me to keep doing what I do. Of course, other artists I love keep me engaged also.
HC: Who is your favorite musical artist(s)?
DJ ßlau: Outside of EDM, I have my top 5: Radiohead, M83, Sigur Rós, Interpol, and The Antlers.
In EDM, my favorite musical artists are Deadmau5, Steve Angello, Porter Robinson, Arty, and Skrillex, just the big names pretty much.
HC: What has been your favorite DJ gig so far in your career? Do you have any favorite venues to deejay at?
DJ ßlau: That’s so tough, to this date though my first big gig ever was in Atlanta at Georgia Tech, and that was by far the most exciting!
Venue wise, I have to say the Granada in Dallas was one of the best put-together venues because the light crew was just phenomenal and the stage setup really got me into the show. It also helps that it was an old theatre.
HC: What is your best advice for aspiring DJs , and what are your tips for current DJs in college?
DJ ßlau: Put in the time; if you have what it takes, it’s not about the information you don’t know or the equipment you don’t have, it’s really just about putting in the time and experimenting!
HC: What are your hopes for your deejaying career?
DJ ßlau: To be playing locally and internationally every single weekend for thousands of fans! I also hope to get respect from the producers and DJs that I admire.
HC: For current fans and future fans out there, what are you upcoming show dates?
DJ ßlau: December 2nd and 3rd, I’m performed in Philly and DC respectively. Those were my last shows for 2011 because of finals.
Starting in January though, I’ll hit San Francisco, Boston, Madison, Denver, New Jersey, and even Mexico! Those dates will be posted on my Facebook page as soon as we confirm the shows.
For more information on DJ ßlau, check out:
DJ ßlau‘s Website: http://www.3lau.com
DJ ßlau’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/DJ3LAU
DJ ßlau‘s Twitter: http://twitter.com/DJ3LAU