DJ XXYYXX, who describes his music as “doing drugs on a freeway … underwater,” will be performing on Friday in the Recreation Center.
Kelly Trom
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The same age as most college freshman at Cal Poly, Marcel Everett (DJ XXYYXX) has already collaborated with Usher and Tinashe. He started making music in his bedroom in Orlando, Florida with basic software and now has four albums and many hit songs including “About You” and “Alone.” This Friday, he is bringing all of his raw and fresh talent to the main gym in the Recreation Center at 9 p.m.
“He is a popular DJ; he is actually only 18 years old, so he is kind of a younger DJ,” said Gage McGinnis, a Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) events musical entertainment assistant and business administration senior. “He has helped produce for a lot of different artists.”
McGinnis compared his electronic genre and style was compared to The Weeknd and Clams Casino.
“We have an advisory board that we meet with weekly to talk about different artists and different people that could come to Cal Poly,” McGinnis said. “We wanted to do electronic, and his name kept coming up.”
XXYYXX has performed at various music festivals including San Francisco Noise Pop, Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit and the Decibel Festival. He has many popular music videos on YouTube, most notably his “About You” video with more 13 million views.
Animal science junior Christina Mazzella was first introduced to his music through his YouTube videos and SoundCloud clips sent to her by her boyfriend.
“His music is an electronic dream,” Mazzella said. “His low and experimental sounds make the mind wander.”
He uses vocal samples and R&B beats as the foundation to round out his mellow, electronic mood. In an interview with Relief in Abstract Records, XXYYXX described his own music as “doing drugs on a freeway … underwater.”
His first album debuted in 2011, titled Still Sound. In 2012, he came out with two albums: one self-titled, the other called Mystify. Although McGinnis isn’t sure what XXYYXX will bring to the table on Friday, chances are there will be a mix of the new and old.
“Typically with performances in this genre, there is a lot of music that isn’t necessarily recorded on an album, stuff that they get to release at live shows like this,” McGinnis said. “So I would expect some stuff that people have never heard before. But at the same time, some of his old songs will be played as well.”
The change in venue from the University Union Plaza to the Recreation Center has to do with the changing in seasons and is not permanent.
“In the past couple winter quarters, we have experienced weather problems, so we had to either cancel or move concerts last second,” McGinnis said. “We aren’t necessarily moving Concerts in the Plaza to the main gym, but we are using a different venue to take the whole weather factor out of it, so that we can make sure the concert happens.”
Students don’t seem to mind where the venue is located.
“I have never been to a show at the Rec Center, but I’m sure it’s going to be great,” Mazzella said. “A much smaller and personal venue than when I first saw him. It should be spectacular.”
The show is free to students and is at 9 p.m. in the main gym at the Recreation Center.