Neon lights dance across my face as the bass from the speakers starts a repetitive thump throughout my core. It is infectious. The rhythm flows through me like blood rushing through veins being pumped powerfully from your heart. Within the walls of this smoke filled room, creativity and spontaneous inspiration flow as readily as the music. Two shadowed figures tower over two Korg Electribe beat machines and a mixing station as they bob their heads in unison to the tribal thumping of electronic music. Just a regular Tuesday night for two aspiring musical craftsmen.
Turner Twitty and Curtis Taylor haven't been DJ'ing for a very long time, however they perform like seasoned veterans for a private affair in their friend's living room. They started off their hobby just learning through friends and watching others do it. The music is a prevalent force in the room and everyone can feel it as the two aspiring disk jockeys play for roughly four hours.
"It just takes you over," Taylor said. "Music is such an infectious concept. We throw on songs and then try to alter them as much as possible and have everyone in the audience feel the exact same way you do." Taylor is a 20-year-old from Clinton, OK, who recently moved to Norman in search of a better scene to develop his talent. "It is so much easier to play and play well when you're in a comfortable learning environment," Taylor said.
Twitty and Taylor haven't mixed a set together before, but you would never be able to tell. "I just started hanging around Scott and he almost ushered me into it. I learned pretty much all I know about it from him." Twitty said. The two have been practicing for roughly three weeks now and learned the ropes from a few good friends of theirs.
Scott Williams, resident of the house and part-time Brothers Bar & Grill DJ, has lived a life that revolves around music and using his skills in the area to better himself financially. "I've always been really into music, but once I started producing and designing my own I took on a whole new love for it." Williams was able to give me a rough breakdown of what exactly the hard part of mixing is.
Williams sat on his couch with a hand rolled cigarette between his lips and talked freely and comfortably about the subject. His main emphasis was on the timing. "If you can't keep the beat you are screwed." To truly master the art of mixing one really needs to maintain excellent timing. If you lose the beat of the music and lose count of the measures, you can easily lose the attention of the crowd. The general idea revolves around the fact that you're blending two art forms to come up with a better product. Much like baking a cake or painting a picture, without the key elements and ingredients the DJ can't produce anything.
. "In my eyes the key to being a successful DJ is just knowing what you have," Taylor said. "If you have a good grasp of your catalog and your samples you can go for hours on end and never really get bored or feel like you're producing the same sound." Twitty and Taylor work using a four channel mixing board that allows them to scroll through a computer program to line up songs, effects, and allows you to fluctuate through sounds levels to achieve the perfect pitch, tone, and overall sound of your mix. One song can have multiple variations depending on how the mixer alters it.
“Now that I’ve shown that I know how to do this stuff, the pressure is definitely on,” Taylor said. Curtis hopes to add something impactful to an upcoming set list for the men of Classen Blvd. “He’s done a great job, hopefully there’s something I can use at work that he’s come up with.” Williams said. Taylor’s head continued to bounce up and down to the relaxing beat.
These three men have a daunting task. To be skilled in the art of “keeping the party going” was no easy feat to master. However, Curtis Taylor, Turner Twitty, and Scott Williams have begun to lay the ground work for a great set list as well as a tremendous friendship. The three continue to hang out and mix on a daily basis, and unlike most bars or clubs, there is no cover charge.
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