Music from another perspective

Written by Teodor Andrei Ramba

Music is everywhere! We listen to it in our headphones, hear it at radio stations or in elevators, dance on it in the club and the list could endlessly continue. Whether you are a teenager, a kid, an adult or an elder, you discover the beauty of music and feel as part of it. Regardless of its genre, music is a tremendous chunk of one’s everyday life and it is appreciated in many ways from different points of view.

As a teenager myself, I listen to a lot of hits not only in my free time, but also when I’m going to school or working on school projects. Music became a part of me at a young age when I started attending ballroom dance classes. Despite this, music isn’t found in our daily life only. Artists work on songs for days, putting a lot of effort to dazzle us every time they come up with something new. Thus, music creates competition.

[Charts November 2019 on Spotify]

[Top 10 Songs of All Time — Wikipedia]

Yet, have you ever thought about a DJ’s life is? A disk jockey (DJ) is the person who mixes songs, getting all of them together in a playlist, which is played at events. Therefore, the DJ works hand in hand with artists and rolls the red carpet for us, the listeners.

Rareș Ionuț Popa, his stage name being DJ POPIX, is a 17-year-old pupil at “Radu Negru” National College in Făgăraș, my hometown. His passion for music mixing began some years ago when he received a console from his parents. It all started as a joke to kill time, until he realized that that was his calling. Ever since he has started working on his skills and not long after he began his career at local clubs. After that, mashing up music was a piece of cake for Rareș.

[DJ Popix mixing in British Pub, Făgăraș]

Interviewing him opened my eyes to a new perspective of what music actually means for some people. When asking him by whom he is most inspired, he replied:

„Skrillex was and still is my biggest inspiration. I used to listen to his music and just find myself in it. When I’ve first heard one of his sets, I knew that this was what I wanted to do when I grow up. So, yeah, I guess I could say it was my childhood dream.”

Now, you may wonder, what type of music Rareș is mixing the most:

”Well, there are a lot of types, but we’ll reduce it to ”House”. 😊 It’s the music I listen to and I know how to mix it better than anything else. But ”House” doesn’t work on every party so I have to change the rhythm with Moombathon, Latino or something else. Everything depends on the way a DJ ”reads” his crowd.”

What’s also interesting is how DJ Popix keeps up with his teenage life:

„It is not that hard to combine my teenage life with a hobby. Yes, I may lose a night with my friends out in the town because I have to go and mix somewhere but this doesn’t happen too often. Despite this, my friends usually are with me when I mix (because that’s what most of the teenage years mean: friends).”

[Rareș mixing at “Radu Negru” National College Freshmen Homecoming]

Wondering what a DJ uses to make his magic?

”Generally speaking, a DJ needs a controller or turntables, where he actually puts the music pieces together from. Of course, a DJ has to be ready any day with a memory stick or a CD, both full of tracks that are ready to be played. I personally use a controller, a laptop (the most important one for me) and headphones so I can hear what I want to play next.”

Asking this cheerful teenager if he likes what he is doing, he responded:

”I adore being a DJ because I can send my emotions through the music I play to the public. It is the best way to express myself and rise on my own powers, but also have freedom at the same time. I don’t know what future has prepared for me but I know for sure that it will involve music and mixing it.”

If you think that everybody can become a DJ, think again! Here’s what Rareș stated when he was asked, what skills are needed to be a DJ:

“Many people think that it is an easy job to be a DJ, but IT’S NOT. As a DJ, you need to have dexterity as you need to be fast and to know exactly what you’re doing. Creativity is a huge factor in mixing because you must combine different tracks in different ways with filters and effects. Above all, you must have the love of music and the passion for it.”

The moment of truth was when questioning DJ Popix, if this is a part time job or an activity that he does in his spare time to win some cash. He said:

”I would never consider this a job… I mean, I think it’s something more than a job and definitely more than doing something in my spare time! I love doing this and there is nothing else that makes me happier than being able to express myself through my music…so how could I even think of this as one of those daily, boring jobs?”

Summing up, this is what being a DJ’s is all about. I hope that through my article you have widen your horizons when it comes to music. With drawbacks and full of advantages, this ”DJ” job can be also taken as a relaxing activity, where you also have lots of fun and make money easily. Many thanks to Rareș for this interview!

Find Rareș on Instagram: @rarespopix and on Snapchat: rarespopa05