Turning the Tables on the Campus Music Scene
By Keli Demertzis
Junior David Belogolovsky, also known as "DJ3W," would spin electronic music at house parties surrounding the Santa Clara campus during his freshman year — and the dance floor would clear out.
Now, with a larger electronic music following at Santa Clara and an increase in electronic music events both on and off campus, student DJs like Belogolovsky finally have a niche within the campus community to do what they love.
"One way to connect to people that you are not really close with is to share music," said Belogolovsky. "Today, I can spin at pretty much any party and can spin the music I love and not have to worry about the floor clearing out."
Recently featured at Electric Daisy Clara last Wednesday night, along with fellow student DJs senior Rian Draeger and junior Jesse Brakey, Belogolovsky began his DJ career at humble venues, such as parties hosted by Santa Clara's fraternities and sororities.
But, before he hit the turntables, he started his music career in a different genre.
Born and raised in Cupertino, Calif., Belogolovsky was the first member of his family to be born in the U.S. after his parents moved to California from Moscow, Russia. He played classical piano when he was younger, which "started my musical ear very early," he said.
Always enthused by electronics and technology, Belogolovsky decided to take up deejaying. He bought a slew of DJ equipment and adopted the stage of name, "DJ3W."
"I finally figured out a way to connect my musical ear with my passion for technology," he said.
His stage name has become something easily identifiable within Santa Clara — although it used to be a source of confusion and hilarity among his friends. According to Belogolovsky, his friends used to pronounce his name as "Dee-Jew."
"My freshman year roommate thought it was really funny... since I am Jewish," he recalled. "He kept calling me ‘Da-Dee-Jew, kosher meats and beats,' and we would always have a huge laugh out of it, primarily because I go to a Jesuit university."
However, the name never seemed to leave his side. After creating an account on SoundCloud, the online audio distribution platform, Belogolovsky developed a Twitter account, a Facebook page dedicated to his music and his own website — all means for getting his name out there and expanding his clientele.
As he began to make more money and upgrade his equipment, he was able to branch out and start performing at larger venues in San Francisco and around the Bay Area.
As a graphic design and marketing student, Belogolovsky described school as a "love-hate thing," in relation to his music career.
"It's a waste of time and it infuriates me because I am not spending the time I want to on music," he explained.
Yet his work in graphic design and marketing have proven beneicial for his music aspirations, especially regarding self-promotion.
"The skills that the professors at this school taught me have been more useful than I ever imagined," said Belogolovsky, citing his experience with Photoshop, design and film as prime vehicles "to propel myself and promote myself in San Francisco."
Now that his name has gained some clout within the Santa Clara community, Belogolovsky is striving to further his passion and transform it from a hobby into a job.
He has teamed up with various talent companies, including San Francisco-based BLAP Productions and Los Angeles-based Top Shelf Productions and Promotions — partnerships that have landed him residencies at The Parlor, a bar and club located at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and other venues at which these companies have hosted events.
Although he would like to make a career out of his DJ experiences, Belogolovsky said that he is open to how that music career will pan out.
"I feel like if I want to remain surrounded by what I love for the rest of my life, I need to do it the smart way," he said.
Contact Keli Demertzis at kdemertzis@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.