Hey Mister DJ

The atmosphere of the night is in their control. Everyone knows they’re in the bar, but it’s not their goal to stand out as a person; they let their music do the talking.\nDozens of disc jockeys flood the Bloomington bar scene with their live mixes and sets every week, but a select few really know how to get a crowd going. Jon Potts, known as “DJ Potts,” a senior at IU, got an earlier start than most when he was asked to DJ at a middle-school dance.\n“I had the equipment available, so they asked me to do my eighth grade dance, and I’ve been DJ-ing ever since,” Potts said. His father, who also was a DJ on the side, made the equipment easily accessible, and Potts didn’t let that go to waste.\nKilroy’s manager Dave Prall said the DJs that play at his bar are great for business.\n“They keep us up to date on the music,” Prall said. “Jukeboxes can get really repetitive, so the DJs keep a good flow going all the time.”\nPotts didn’t come to college with plans to DJ.\n“Just like any other freshman coming to IU, my eyes lit up like balloons,” Potts said. “I wanted to have fun like any other college kid, but my passion for DJ-ing stuck with me and now I’m playing most nights of the week.”\nIU alumnus Ben Jackson, better known as “DJ Action Jackson,” took a slightly different route into the DJ profession. Jackson, who originally had plans to produce music out of college, started his DJ-ing career as a side job playing around Bloomington. After performing at parties and clubs around town he soon realized that he was creating a reputation for himself, and now he DJs full time.\n“After graduating I had plans to come back and pursue a second degree,” Jackson said. “But DJ-ing really took off, and now I’ve just been concentrating on that.” \nJackson, who has been playing around the Bloomington and Indianapolis area, has plans to move to Los Angeles in a few months to further his career. \nPlaying at different locations throughout the week makes for some very interesting nights for most DJs.\n“You run into a lot different stuff,” Potts said. “I’ve seen anything from girls kissing to couples cheating on each other. This year I even had a guy urinate all over my equipment, and insurance doesn’t cover water damage!”\nJackson says that he sees more fights than anything.\n“The girls can also get really friendly,” Jackson said. “Most of the time it’s when they want you to play a request.” \nIU senior Mike Piermont, who is also the Interfraterninty Council President, said after picking up on DJ-ing as a hobby there have been a lot perks along the way. \n“Besides getting free drinks for the night, you’re getting paid for something you really like to do, and you also get to control the atmosphere,” Piermont said.\n Potts and Jackson have also had run-ins with their share of celebrities.\n“I’ve got to hang out with stars like Lil Wayne, all of the Wu-Tang Clan and even Macauly Culkin, as random as that sounds,” Potts said.\nBoth Potts and Jackson said they came into the DJ scene expecting somewhat of a rivalry between the guys playing around town, but both quickly realized that getting along with the competition worked in their advantage. \n“It’s very competitive because there’s always going to be more DJs than places to play,” Jackson said. “Most DJs today want to work together because good networking can get you gig, but there’s always going to be people that hate on what you do.”