Streams of neon lights flashed at downtown Athens bar Updawg on Feb. 7 as the crowd of more than 85 partied to the beats of Daniel “DJ” Russo.
“Every time DJ Russo is at Updawg, his energy is right there,” said Chase Landmesser, an employee at Updawg. “He sets the vibe for the entire night. It’s not just a song, it’s about the environment.”
Russo is a third-year real estate major at the University of Georgia, but when the sun sets, his DJ board turns on.
From Long Island to Athens Nightlife
The Long Island, New York, native began DJing his freshman year of college. It started as a secondhand setup from a friend but has evolved into a major investment in both time and money.
“I first got it from one of my friends who started DJing,” Russo said. “He upgraded his and sold me mine so I could learn.”
Why It’s Newsworthy: DJ Russo is a UGA student who is well known in the Athens bar scene, but also it shows an inside look into a DJ’s life.Two years and three boards later, Russo found his current setup costing him just under $3,000, but his journey to becoming a regular sight for bar-goers in downtown Athens was long.
Russo played his first set in Columbia, South Carolina, in front of 100-130 people, but his largest crowd came in Philadelphia. He opened for reality television personality Pauly D of MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” and the show drew more than 1,000 fans.
Marketing has been key to landing those opportunities, he said.
“In this day and age, social media is one of the most important things,” Russo said. “If you can show you bring a crowd and you show you take your craft seriously, it’ll reflect in your amount of gigs.”
Performing in Athens presents some challenges, however, Russo said. The city’s large number of bars and free entry at most venues means people can move easily to another bar or DJ.
“There’s so many different places to go, and it’s free to get in pretty much everywhere,” he said. “It definitely makes it a little more on the difficult side.”
Source: GroupMe poll with 68 votes
Despite Athens being known for bands, not DJs, Russo does not see them or other DJs as competition between venues.
“You’re playing two completely different types of music, two different vibes,” he said. “I think there’s a lot of room for everybody to eat and do their thing.”
Ben Donges, a friend of Russo’s, said the DJ brings “aliveness” to the audience. “He just brings a ton of energy and makes people want to be there,” said Donges.
Reading the Crowd and Crafting the Set
Russo’s preparation for a set differs based on his location and audience. Music preferences vary by city, from hip-hop and R&B–dominant crowds in Atlanta to house-heavy scenes in New York, said Russo. He researches venues and previous performers to understand the atmosphere before stepping behind the booth.
Although all of his sets are mixed live, Russo uses custom edits and mashups to create unique transitions. The approach allows him to layer multiple tracks at once and maintain momentum.
“One of my favorite things is to go and find very specific edits … and produce a bunch of different edits that I can use for my set to really create something nobody’s seen before,” he said.
His biggest challenge is balancing his life with his job. Russo has little challenge between being a full-time student, performing about three times a week and producing content for social media.
“There’s so many different aspects of DJing,” Russo said. “Trying to one-up the past thing you’ve done has been definitely one of the most difficult things, but also one of the most rewarding.”
One of his proudest performances took place in Orlando, where he switched from the typical open-format hip-hop and rap he plays in Athens to a heavier EDM set.
It was the most fun to play what I wanted to play rather than trying to read the crowd,” he said.
Russo’s next set is scheduled for Friday at Cloud Athens, a return to a venue that has been closed for four months.
“It’s going to be super exciting to be back where I go to school and where I call second home,” he said.
Ryan Sager is a third-year student majoring in journalism at the University of Georgia.
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