The floor buckles under the overwhelming weight of more than one hundred guests packed wall-to-wall. Bass pounding like a heartbeat, rhythmic bursts of light dance around the wide, overfilled room and pass through the hypnotized and sweat-drenched crowd. A musical ventriloquist, Rhyot is the stimulus to the party’s addicting ambiance. But when the equipment is put away and the crowd dies out, 22-year-old Garrett Finn resumes his status as a seemingly average UNH senior.
The communication major with a theatre minor admits to feeling most enthusiastic about mixing music to entertain an audience, but he definitely won’t be asking for requests (sorry, but he’s not a wedding DJ). “Ultimately, my philosophy’s kind of changed where I take myself a lot more seriously as a performer vs. as like a jukebox for a party.”
But don’t think that Garrett ‘Rhyot’ Finn is just a one-trick pony. The natural musician is also signed with an agency for modeling and acting, he’s a former UNH track team member, and he’s training for his pilot’s license!
Introducing: Rhyot!
Soundcloud — Twitter @Rhyot — Facebook — Instagram @Rhyot
When and how did you become a DJ?
“I just kind of jumped into it pretty spontaneously.”
After sparking an interest about three years ago, Garrett asked his parents for an inexpensive DJ controller as a gift for Christmas. After playing around with it for a while, he discovered how much of a passion he had for mixing music. Together with his friend Steve, the two felt out the campus DJ’ing scene, making a few casual appearances at different fraternities. However, Garrett was driven to further explore his undiscovered musicality.
“Since then it’s taken off- it’s just exploded.”
What do you mean by exploded?
“I went from having $100 worth of gear to a couple thousand dollars worth of gear”…“I’ve spent so much time working on it and it’s something that I’ve kind of discovered as a passion of mine.”
Originally, Rhyot didn’t expect the art form to turn into as big of a deal to him as it has. “Then I was like wow, this is sick, I definitely need to stay with this! It fits my personality really well, it’s just exactly the kind of thing I could be doing.”
You’re also a Resident Assistant on campus. How do you deal with conflict between the party lifestyle as a DJ and maintaining your reputation as an R.A.?
When Lord Hall was in need of a replacement R.A. last spring, Garrett was asked if he would take on the position. Initially reluctant because of the close association DJ’ing has with partying, he decided his best bet was to be up-front about it.
“When they were gonna hire me I was like, ‘Look this comes first, this is what I do.’ And if they’re not OK with it then I’m not gonna take the job. I pretty much told them right out-front, I was like, ‘Look, I remember what it was like to be a freshman, these guys are gonna be going out. I’m gonna be going out so I can play, and I’m gonna see them out and that’s just- those are the facts.”
Ultimately, his admirable disclaimer paid off because he got the job anyway, along with $5,000 of his housing deposit returned to him for compensation.
Where do you usually play?
“There’s one big house (name withheld) on campus that I usually like to play at, but from some landlord pressure and pressure from the police those guys can’t really have parties necessarily anymore. So I’ve been moving back in a little bit toward Greek Life, but definitely with a different take than when I started. When I started I was just excited to be in a place and I would play what people would like to hear and ultimately, my philosophy’s kind of changed where I take myself a lot more seriously as a performer versus as like a jukebox for a party. I’m gonna play what I wanna play, I’ll definitely warm people up with, like, some Top 40 remixes that they’re gonna know and recognize but ultimately I’m there to kind of do my thing and if I’m doing it well everyone’s gonna like it anyway.”
Do you feel as though you’ve developed a style of music you prefer to play?
“Yeah, definitely. I’ve kind of found my genre that I like to play in and definitely, I guess, sort of my way of DJ’ing. A lot of people will just throw on high-energy phrases of songs one after another the whole time. And it’s kind of what you might expect in, I don’t know, if you’re gonna go to Scorps or Libby’s or something and they’re playing music. They obviously play a variety, and they’re playing for the scene. I’m sure that those [DJs], when they’re doing their own stuff that isn’t related to the bars, then they play their own style too. But I guess a lot of people still sort of play in that, like… they’ll play the hook of a song followed by a hook of a different song and just over and over and over. Just the recognizable, familiar parts.”
What is that style?
“For me, I like to play songs that people might not even know, but it’s good music. And that’s kind of my style. I guess by the end of the night I’m hoping to play mostly, like electro house and progressive house tracks vs., I don’t know, like Top 40 remixes.”
When you hear other DJs do you find that you recognize what they’re doing? Is it also kind of a curse?
“Yes! It’s definitely a curse, ‘cause it’s tough for me to go to a party and enjoy it so much anymore because I just- I walk in and my instant thought is like, ‘Wow, I need to take over the music somehow.’ I’m not even thinking about the party so much anymore. I’m thinking all about music, I’m thinking all about the transitions that the DJs are making if they have somebody there playing music. And sometimes it really pisses me off, like if I go in and they’re just like, I don’t know, throwing down like an iTunes playlist or something, that it’s just like, ‘No! There are people who can mix that have nothing to do tonight,’ ya know? I’d so much rather be at a party paying music than just going and drinking my face off.”
Do you think your methodology is different than other DJs’?
“I don’t know if that’s different, necessarily.”
Rhyot prefers to keep a clear, focused mind on the atmosphere and tone of the room as well as on the improvised mixes he makes during every performance.
“People are like, you don’t drink when you play? I’m like no, absolutely not, I’m there to be focused and do work. I wouldn’t consider myself a total straight-edge; I like to party as much as the next guy. But, I just like to really be on my A-game.”
Do you get paid to play?
“Typically no, I just like to play. And obviously that’s kind of been something I’ve been thinking about too because I’d like to make this a career. It’s not about the money for me but it has to be about the money at the same time, ‘cause you have to be able to pay loans and all of that. And rent, ugh.”
What are you thinking about doing after college? What is your short-term plan?
“I don’t even know.”
After spending their whole lives in New England, Garrett’s parents have put the family’s Lebanon, NH house up for sale.
“The plan has been for maybe the last year that we were gonna move to L.A. area, which is pretty sweet. And then just the last time I talked to my dad he was like, ‘Hey, how do you feel about Florida?’ And then it’s just like well, fuck me. I have no idea what I’m going to be doing. I might even be on my own, I have no idea.”
That’ll be a good experience though, wherever you end up.
“Yeah, I mean it’s good for me ‘cause I like the spontaneity of things. But at the same time it’s a terrible idea. All of my friends are like, ‘Oh yea, gonna be graduating, like I’m going off to do this, I have a job offer from these guys,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m getting a degree I don’t wanna use, ya know, I’m gonna have loans coming down, I just wanna play music. I don’t even know where I’m gonna be. I’m making connections in the north east but my parents are moving either southeast or out west.”
Speaking of connections, what is your current network? Are you just talking to people around UNH?
“It’s definitely expanded through Boston, and more recently Connecticut. I have one buddy who is pretty well-connected in Toronto.”
Through his friend, Rhyot has developed connections with an expanding company that is a direct competitor of Skullcandy.
“This whole thing is still pretty much developing at a pretty quick rate. Up until around 4 or 5 months ago it was pretty strictly around UNH, but it’s gotten out there lately which I’m excited about.”
Do you ever take advantage of the artists that come to UNH? Do you try to network yourself to those people?
“With the last show, my friends and I were networking with Mass EDMC, NV Concepts and we hung out with one of the openers after- Joe Bermudez- [and] brought him back to an after party so that was cool”…“And that’s very much growing, especially now that we’re involved with UNH EDMC which is very much networked with those groups too, so that helps.”
I heard that you’re a Wildcat Transport driver at UNH, tell me about that.
Until he added a couple more classes to his schedule this semester, Garrett could often be found driving the bus that’s bumping house music.
“It’s sort of fun because I play my music while I’m driving, and I’ve gotten in trouble for playing it way too loudly.”
His upbeat, unconventional genre of Wildcat Transit music has earned him the nickname as the “Dubstep Bus Driver.”
It seems like a good way to network yourself. How do you feel about the nickname since it’s clearly getting your music noticed?
“There’s kind of like an asterisk after that though. It’s cool but at the same time, I’m not gonna call myself an audio file, like I’m not an audio engineer or anything crazy like that but I definitely don’t play exact Dubstep on the bus ever.”
Since electronic music is relatively new to the popular music scene in recent years, the majority of listeners don’t recognize that there are varying genres of electronic music.
“Dubstep is like a specific genre and I learned that I don’t play it. But people just label it Dubstep. It’s kind of like where people say Deadmau5 and Skrillex are exactly the same and they’re just like the Tiesto guy and it’s like, ‘Ahh, they’re so different, stop!”
Do you record your songs?
“I’ve recorded a couple live mixes. I have a lot of mashups of tracks that other people have made but I take and mix them with others, you know, kind of in my own way and chop ‘em up and throw stuff around. And I put those out there as my own mashups and remixes and whatnot.”
Rhyot ultimately wants to develop his own distinct sound that characterizes himself as an artist. With production software, he is working on generating sounds and instruments to produce unique songs.
“That’s definitely something I want to move in to because somebody that just plays all the same stuff is everybody else. Like if you go to a Deadmau5 concert, you should expect to hear Deadmau5 for two hours.”
Would you compare your music to something like Deadmau5?
“I guess at that point you’re talking about producers and sub-genres and genres and the style that your sounds are based from. And I’ll definitely say that, for me, when I’m kind of dabbling around with production… I would say probably Deadmau5 is one of my biggest influences.”
However, he admits that he’s still trying to find his own individual sound. The most important part about being a successful artist, Rhyot revealed, is having a recognizable sound that stands out from other artists.
“You know when you can hear a song- it might not even be a song that you’ve ever heard before and you can be like, ‘Oh this sounds a lot like… this guy. You can recognize that it’s an Avicii song or a David Guetta song or everybody can recognize, for example, Flo-Rida’s voice.”
What’s the best part about being a DJ?
“Meeting people!” My personality is definitely geared toward being an entertainer and trying to show other people a good time. And I definitely like being in the spotlight so all of that stuff king of combined plus just my passion for music. It’s a perfect mix- no pun intended. I just like having a good time, so obviously the party environment is pretty kick-ass for that. I like meeting cute girls. I mean you can’t complain, it’s a dream job. It’s definitely what I’d like to be doing for pretty much ever.”
Would you ever want to try to perform at one of the bars in Durham?
“I guess that is sort of along the same lines as to why I’m generally hesitant to go in with Greek Life.”
From his experience, Rhyot has learned that specific groups of people go out to specific places expecting a particular kind of environment. For example, most people go to the bars expecting to hear all of their favorite music. However, for a DJ like Rhyot who strives to introduce his audiences to a more comprehensive setlist than, say, a late-night radio DJ: that runs the risk of losing the crowd’s attention.
“If I could play in one of the bars in Durham but play my own music then yeah, I would love that.”
You seem like that’s something that kind of scares you.
“Sometimes that can totally flop, and I’ve had that happen when I’m making a transition between Top 40 remixes into electro that people who like electro would probably recognize”…“Even if you’re playing like one of the smaller songs by one of these really recognizable artists and people still don’t know it, then you’ll start to see a room kind of thin out. That’s really frustrating and thats when you’re like reading the crowd like that, that’s when you know that you have to go back to playing that stuff that you don’t really want to. It’s like that music that you sort of reserve for opening up the night.”
Do you find that being sober and having a clear mind while playing that you can read the crowd better?
“I usually get pretty in the zone when I’m playing a set. I’m all about crowd interaction. There’ve been a couple of times when you can get a whole party clapping with a beat during the mellow part of a song or something like that. And that’s one of the best feelings in the world. And, I don’t know, I just feel like if I were really fucked up or something I’d be a lot sloppier, probably. I guess when I’m doing this I’m sort of a perfectionist.”
Are there times when girls get insulted that you’re not giving them you’re full attention while you’re playing?
“There’s lots of times where if I’m trying to mix two songs and I literally will be telling a girl like, ‘Hold on,” you know what I mean. And she’ll just start touching shit and it gets really frustrating and it’s like, OK, I’m like fly-swatting, controlling her, trying to mix- it’s ridiculous. But it’s wicked funny sometimes. I usually try to bring a couple of my friends along. It’s like, ‘You wanna meet a bunch of cute girls? Come along!”
What do you think sets you apart from other DJs on campus?
“For me it’s so much about the music. That definitely sits highest. Don’t get me wrong, I like attention, for sure, but I want to be ultimately one of those guys that are playing with barriers and a couple thousand people and event staff and stuff, rather than one of the guys that are just playing a fraternity every Thursday, Friday, Saturday with a bunch of girls in the booth and they’re just, ya know, hot-swapping one track to another just to keep people dancing. It’s definitely more about the actual craft of DJ’ing than all the other shit that goes with it.”
Who would you say are your biggest supporters?
“There is this core of maybe 15 guys that are like right in the middle of it. I’ve got my buddy Moe, who’s on RA staff with me now, my friend Steve, a bunch of guys on campus that I’m friends with, all of my residents, UNH EDMC, my residents from last year too, which is hilarious… I feel like my supervisor would be really pissed off about that (sorry Garrett, they might find out now), and my younger brother, for sure.”
You mentioned that you just recently found a love for mixing music. How did your life kind of fall into place leading up to that?
“It was between freshman and junior year that- just everything changed. I didn’t come back to the track team my sophomore year, I was getting ready to transfer, fell into a relationship, decided to stay here, kept working on DJ’ing, relationship’s gone, music’s still here- and it’s fucking like 20-fold how it started. I don’t know, it’s crazy. So I’m not afraid of having my entire life shift for the better, but it’s cool. I kind of found myself.”
What’s your secret to mixing songs together well?
“I mix in key, which is like, the song’s I’m gonna play- the progression of the tracks that I’m gonna play all fit closely together in the actual key of the song. Now you’re getting into music theory a little bit so that when you’re actually mixing tracks they sound, I guess, closer in pitch and in the key of the song. So, I pay attention to a lot of that. I guarantee most kids on campus haven’t even heard of the idea of mixing in key. And I typically will always mix in key and people don’t notice.
I think people wouldn’t necessarily notice if you do mix songs in key but they would notice if you don’t.
“That’s exactly right. If I were to be mixing in key the first half of the performance and then just start pulling random songs from all over the place for the second half, then people are gonna be like, ‘I don’t know exactly what it is, but this doesn’t sound as good as it did before.”
AND you’re a model?? Tell me about that.
“I’m signed to an agency in Boston for some modeling, like print work and for TV. I guess the stuff that’s come out of that is mostly connection-based”…”Right now I’m submitted for a few castings”…”I’ve done a few extra-roles, I’ve been to a handful of castings, I’ve done a bunch of test shoots, I’ve met a bunch of photographers around the north east.”
One of those photographers actually just wrote a feature story about Rhyot and his developing DJ career.
“I wanted the modeling as a step-stone to TV (this is where the theatre minor becomes relevant), but modeling is not that much fun. It’s frankly just kind of boring to me. You just stand there, and you’re flexing all kinds of shit that you didn’t even know how to flex beforehand. I don’t know, it’s kind of cool to go back to. But sometimes somebody will see a shot or two on Facebook and are like, ‘Oh cool, are you a model?’ ‘Well no… but yeah, technically, but no.’ I don’t want the label or anything like that.