As exam season looms, OUSA hosted their Future DJ Competition to refocus on what's really important to students: loud sounds in a club. Hosted in collaboration with George FM and Catacombs, the event boasted an impressive array of prizes intended to help kickstart DJ careers, from festival sets to massive cash prizes.
Amateur DJs submitted mini-mixes ahead of the event, and the top five were selected to play on the night. The crowd, while perhaps not Cats’ biggest ever turnout, was undoubtedly enjoying themselves, and the floor was the least sticky it has ever been – definitely a bonus. There were not one but two smoke machines. Huge.
Dan Fitzpatrick, under his DJ-moniker Fitzy, is a third-year accounting student when not on the decks. He was stoked to be the winner of the evening, considering it was “his biggest DJ achievement on paper.” Bored in the 2020 lockdown, Dan bought himself some DJ gear and got to work. His time at uni has only grown his passion, although he never put anything out there “because I just love DJing with my mates so much, all round Dunedin.”
Judged by the previous winners from 2023 and 2024, the criteria was slightly unclear. One member of the crowd noted they would have liked to know what exactly made a good DJ, asking, “Is it how much the judges want to get up and shake some booty? Or how effectively the DJ can spin the circles?” One has to assume it's closer to the latter. Fitzy reckoned it was more about song selection and playing to the crowd and beat matching. That's probably why he won and this writer’s DJ career lasted for thirty minutes before her exasperated brother gave up on her.
“Every DJ was just awesome, nice crowd, cool people,” Fitzy said. Second place winner Fynn also added that it was the “best experience of my life,” much to the chagrin of his ex-girlfriend who was in the audience to support him.