Although DJ Steve Aoki has the headlining act for Monday night’s Bandersnatch concert, three student disc jockey groups hope to have the energy levels all the way up, before Aoki even steps foot on stage.

DJ Lo Biz, Chemicals of Creation and Andrew Taggart will each play a 20-minute set prior to Aoki’s headlining act, which is the first installment of the fall 2010 Bandersnatch Music Series. The three acts received the most votes in a poll featuring nine student DJs vying to open for Aoki. Aoki is a record producer and electro musician, best known for remixes for high-profile artists, including rapper Drake and indie-rock outfit Bloc Party.

The concert doors open at 7:30 p.m., with the first opener starting at 8 p.m. All three finalists will perform their sets for the sold-out audience at Schine Underground. From the three finalists, the winner will emerge before Aoki takes the stage. The way a winner will be determined is still being discussed, said Samara Shwidock, public relations director for University Union.

‘I’m very excited to open for someone as big and well-known as Steve Aoki,’ said junior computer art major John Kunz, who goes by stage name DJ Dr. Teeth and is half of the DJ duo Chemicals of Creation. ‘I’m expecting a ton of energy. The show has been sold out since the day tickets went on sale, so everyone there will be feeling fly like a G6.’

Chemicals of Creation already played at university radio station WERW’s first launch party on Oct. 1 at the Spark Contemporary Art Space. The group’s performance was well-received by an audience that included Kyle Kuchta, DJ of the ‘City Sounds’ show on WERW radio.

‘Seeing them together at our WERW launch party as Chemicals of Creation was just a small but powerful precursor to what is to be expected at the Aoki show,’ Kuchta said in an e-mail. ‘It’ll definitely get the crowd warmed up for Aoki, no question.’

Also competing for the top honor is DJ Lo Biz (junior Barnett Lobel), whose mixes blend everything from Top 40 hits to trance beats.

‘It’s obviously a great opportunity,’ Lobel said. ‘Steve Aoki is a DJ I look up to. I bought a ticket on the first day, before I knew I would be one of the openers, because I knew it would sell out quickly.’

Although the finalists are anticipating the competition, the 20-minute time limit that caps their sets is a concern, they said.

‘Twenty minutes isn’t long enough to work the crowd,’ Lobel said, who once won with a mix that lasted more than an hour. ‘I would have preferred having just one opener and be able to have a longer set.’

Despite time constraints, the opening acts are ready to pull out all the stops to win over the crowd before Aoki takes the stage.

‘The whole competition has really inspired us to step everything up,’ Kunz said. ‘We also have a lot of new tracks we’ve been saving that we can’t wait to drop on everyone Monday night.’

 

ervanrhe@syr.edu

Published on October 10, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Erik: ervanrhe@syr.edu | @therealvandyman