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DJ Sona

Jen Gault, For The Miami Student

(HANNAH MILLER | The Miami Student)

His first two mix tapes, Into the Dark I and II, were downloaded more than 20,000 times in the first two weeks of release. With more than 10,000 songs on his computer, his undying passion for music has landed him one of the top spots in the Miami University music scene.

Su Dong, also known as DJ Sona, has established himself as a serious disc jockey at Miami. The Miami sophomore has produced three mix tapes since he arrived on campus and he DJs every weekend at various clubs uptown. Sona also DJed at well-known Pacha NYC in New York City and was the opening act at Oxfest.

Sona isn't your typical Miami sophomore, although sporting the red Miami hoodie and obsessing about the latest men's hockey score contradicts that. Tall and  dark-haired, quietly engrossed in his accounting book in the basement of Wells Hall, you wouldn't recognize him as a DJ.

In his free time, he obsesses over the thrill of driving, especially Audis and Volkswagens.

The most important thing of all is that he lives and breathes music. Music brings out the best in him.

As Sona began to tell his story, he let his guard down, enthusiastically repeating, "Let's do this."

When he isn't acing accounting exams, you can find him updating his iTunes with the latest ear-catching tunes or mixing tracks on his Dell laptop.

But his closest friends didn't find out he was a DJ until The Miami Student ran a story on him. Sona loves to take chances and he illustrates that by his love for electronic music.

"I can be having the worst day ever and just listening to electronic music gets me pumped up and puts me in a better mood," he grinned.

It isn't easy to get recognition as a DJ, but Sona has been defying the odds. He said he never would have imagined his life to turn out the way it has.

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Ironically, during his childhood Sona had no idea what mainstream music was. He was consumed in classical music due to his father's love for the genre.

As his father sat him next to the radio playing Mozart, Sona began to appreciate the complexities of the melodies and would replay them over and over in his head.

"I guess listening to classical music really helped me understand the basic music structure and concepts," Sona laughed.

Classical music is still a big part of his life today, as he sits against the wall in his room listening to Mozart's Symphony No. 40, getting inspiration for his communication speech.

Add to his list of obsessions the Vienna New Year's Concert, which features classical music from the likes of Mozart to Beethoven. Thanking his father, he sits religiously with his eyes glued to the television.

"I have to watch it every year," he said.

Moving around during his childhood benefited Sona as he became exposed to diverse lifestyles. Born in China, he then moved to New York and Chicago. These big cities exposed him to a style of music that would forever change his life — electronic music.

"I wanted to DJ when I got my first copy of Tiesto's Club Life DVD," he said.

After seeing Tiesto in concert when he was younger, Sona knew he wanted to DJ. Talking about Tiesto made his eyes light up.

"I loved how Tiesto kept everyone pumped up and how everyone had a good time at the club. That's when I realized I wanted to do the same thing," he said.

During his first year at Miami, he met then-fellow Miami student Dan Albert, his current agent. Albert's presence took Sona's DJing skills to a new level.

In 2008, Albert was DJing at the Grand Prix for Program Board, an organization that entertains and plans diverse and interesting events for Miami University's students, faculty and staff.

Sona approached Albert and told him of his interest in becoming a DJ. Albert had just started a DJ production company called Knuckle Up Productions and he thought Sona would be a perfect match for his vision.

"A lot of the DJs I came across I was searching for, and honestly they weren't that great," Albert said. "In Su's case, he came to me. He's skilled in a different level than most people here."

Being a good DJ means to be versatile, according to Albert, and that is exactly what DJ Sona is. He can adapt to any situation and put his own twist on it.

Albert and Sona have a unique relationship with one another; it's as if they could finish each other's sentences. They work well together because they have similar personalities.

"We are on the same page — he wants to be a DJ, I want to be a DJ," Sona said smiling at Albert. "My strengths counter his strengths. Managing artists is his specialty."

Sona recalls his first DJing experience. The day was going the same as any other. On the 10-minute walk home from Benton Hall, all that was running through his mind was his first real show.

Around 4 p.m., he double-checked his computer to see if he had all of the songs that he was sure would get requested, only once if he was lucky.

At 5 p.m., he checked his songs one more time as he indulged in his pre-show snack of apple juice and Teddy Grahams.

A power nap was necessary around 7 p.m. to calm his nerves and to make sure he had enough energy to last him through the night.

He headed to the club and began to set up around 10 p.m. After fiddling with his equipment for nearly 20 minutes, all he could do was wait.

Sona started the show around 11 p.m. and a few people began to trickle in around midnight. He had no idea what to expect.

Consumed in the music, bobbing his head to the beat, Sona looked up and saw the club was getting full. The club filled up with 200 to 300 satisfied Miamians and he felt like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"(It was) the greatest feeling as well as the scariest," Sona said.

As Sona dove head first into DJing, he was discovered in early 2009 by AJ Harris, the president of MIOX Records at Miami University. Harris now manages Sona and features him on MIOX Records, Miami's student-run record label.

Harris also has nothing but good things to say about Sona. He raves that Sona is a master at what he does. He takes his job very seriously and does it not for the fame or the money, but for the love he has for the music.

"When students here at Miami listen to DJ Sona, they fall in love with his authentic touch," Harris said. "He takes the original song and puts that Sona flair on it and makes the song a club hit. What thrills the students more than anything is that Sona is one of them, a student among students."

Junior Jessie Sussen agreed. She has attended many of Sona's shows and gushes that Sona has amazing skills with the turntable. Sussen loves how Sona can remix a song right off the bat and make it better.

As Sona spins his magic, the saying, "Think before you act" doesn't apply to him. DJing comes so naturally to him that he doesn't have to think.

"All thumbs up for DJ Sona, I look forward to see what he spins up next," Sussen said.

Aside from knowing what the people want, Sona knows his equipment like the back of his hand, which is one of his great strengths. He knows how to work his equipment and other people's as well.

He can easily do a simple or big-time setup. A big-time setup uses all of the equipment such as turntables and speakers featured in a club. Doing a show for a house party and only bringing his laptop is a simple setup.

The simple setup doesn't look so simple. Sona uses a program on his laptop called Virtual DJ to mix songs. To the untrained eye, these programs can be compared to the inside of an airplane's cockpit.

Sona works actively to promote himself by DJing as much as he can. For bands and musicians, it is a lot easier to get noticed.

"You go out and play at a bar if you are a musician, but people have a misconception that DJs just play songs," Albert said. "Some of the more well-known DJs like Tiesto and David Guetta are big because they play in clubs around the world and get themselves out there."

DJing is difficult to stand out in because there are so many people doing it, but Sona couldn't imagine himself doing anything else.

"Think of all the clubs across the country, that's how many DJs there are and they're all trying to make it," Sona said.

Needless to say DJing is a tough category to become successful in.

"It takes more than just musical talent to make it, it takes personality and hard work, Sona has all three," Harris said.

Sona releases mix tapes to appeal to Miami students as well as people outside Miami. Creating mix tapes allows him to get his name out there to other places where people are looking for DJs. It is the resume of a DJ.

Electronic music is Sona's niche. If there were a techno night, he would make it his own.

"A lot of people are afraid to try different types of music," Albert said. "If you ask students who have studied abroad, the night life is completely different than what it is here. It's just exciting."

As DJ Sona continues on his journey to become a professional DJ, he has nothing but positive thoughts. Wherever he ends up, he wants it to be with music.

"Ultimately I want to work as a composer, producer, DJ and travel around the world to different clubs," Sona said. "I want to perform different styles of music and work with big artists such as Tiesto, Armin van Buuren."

 


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