Along the entirety of Court Street on a Friday night, music blares from numerous bars and restaurants, and establishments are full of students and locals dancing and socializing.
Behind these loud, colorful and crowded nights uptown are Athens DJs and event planners. Ranging from locals showcasing their passions for music and college students, DJs work to ensure Athens partiers enjoy their time uptown.
For Michael Bart, also known as DJ Barticus, Athens holds an energy different from other places.
“I see in other cities it takes way longer to start dancing — they will enter the venue, go to the bar, have two drinks then feel confident enough to go to the dance floor,” Bart said. “I see the opposite happens here, where people will come pay the cover at the door (and) go straight to the dance floor.”
Bart frequently does shows at Casa Nueva, on 6 W. State St, and The Union Bar, 18 W. Union St., along with a biannual ABBA dance party at the Smiling Skull Saloon, located at 108 W. Union St.
“I like seeing the mix of people in the crowd,” said Bart. “My 80s nights at Casa Nueva has a good mix of younger college people and people that are 10, 20 years older than me that still come out.”
Along with Athens shows, Bart also expanded his business to include Twitch livestreams during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s really fun trying to find a way to bring the virtual world and the Athens world together,” Bart said. “There’s some people that are like ‘Oh, I was sick so I couldn’t make it out, but I’m having a dance party by myself.’”
Also seen working evenings in Athens, Brandon Thomspon, also known as DJ B-Funk, felt his passion for music and DJing spark early. Born and raised in Athens, he began his career DJing for his high school’s prom.
“We had a radio station that used to DJ our dances, and I really did not like their music, so I asked them if I could DJ,” said Thompson. “Then I just kind of fell in love with it from there, and then went to OU and just kept doing it.”
Along with working a full-time job, Thompson now DJs monthly Trust Me Dance Parties at Casa Nueva and DJs at weddings, birthday parties and private events.
The typical day in the life of an Athens DJ begins long before doors open at local bars and restaurants for the evenings.
“I always try to be well rested and not have too many daytime commitments. I wake up, I pick out one of my jumpsuits,” said Bart. “(I) try to get a nice healthy or large breakfast, and I’m thinking (during) the week leading up to the show of songs.”
Oftentimes, putting together a successful show occurs days before the event and includes considering the event’s audience.
“Something about my party is it’s not an older or younger party, it’s kind of for everybody,” Thompson said. “A lot of people my age want to hear stuff from the 90s, and that’s cool, but the majority of my crowd are college kids who are in their 20s, the 90s are like ancient to them. I try and thread that needle of playing music that hits both.”
Along with transporting, setting up equipment and curating a video reel for his shows, much of Thompson’s planning includes ensuring that his music selection satisfies his diverse audience.
“I really try and program that properly, so I don’t lose people,” Thompson said. “I want the older people to stay longer than they normally would, but I also want younger people to get exposed to something new.”
Despite years of music shows and working in the Athens and Ohio University area, community building and music have not grown old or tedious for these performers.
“One of the things that never gets old is the back and forth between hearing the audience scream in shock or delight when I play a certain song they maybe weren’t expecting, and then I can mix another song or vocal on top of it,” said Bart. “Just when I’m mixing song after song and I’m getting that screaming reaction again and again, that’s one of the things that keeps me going here.”
Thompson holds a similar perspective.
“It’s a lot of planning because we want to make it look effortless and fun, we want to make sure people who show up are having a good time because, at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” Thompson said.
Along with well-known local DJs, Uptown is also inhabited by several DJs who are students at OU. Vince Debeljack, a sophomore studying music production and recording, can be seen working at bars like Red Brick Tavern and Pawpurr’s Bar.
Debeljack, known as Doublejack, also began his DJing career long before stepping foot on College Green.
“When I was in eighth grade, I went to a middle school dance and I heard the DJ do some really cool transition,” Debeljack said. “I was blown away by it. That’s what made me want to do it.”
After that initial introduction to the creative possibilities of being a DJ, Debeljack began remixing songs and learning more about music production.
Along with working at Uptown bars, Debeljack is also the CEO of Brick Life Entertainment, the largest premier party promotion company in Athens. He works to schedule Brick Life’s events and organize where and when affiliated DJs are playing, including weddings and private events.
“It’s really hard to balance all that kind of work when you’re a full-time student and also running your own business,” Debeljack said. “But I’ve found time and ways to reorganize and restructure my business model in order to enable me to focus on school and focus on work an equal amount of time.”
Despite the long hours of preparation and work dedicated to putting on events and music shows, these DJs find positives in their work.
“(I) also get to make a new little tight-knit community with all the bar owners and people (I) see around,” Debeljack said. “Having friends and making connections for school, it’s a perfect way to do those types of things.”
For Thompson, music has always been at the center of his passion for DJing.
“I just want to share the music that I love with other people I love,” Thompson said.
Despite the long hours and hard work, these DJs still hold love for their work.
“I love what I do and I wouldn’t want to do anything else,” said Debeljack. “In order to be in this type of position for this kind of job, you have to be really dedicated and really passionate about what you do.”
