Matt Lansburgh is your typical Florida State student by day. He is a hard worker who aims to secure a degree in commercial entrepreneurship. At night, his life transforms into a college fantasy. Taking on the persona known as DJ LΔNZ, the junior mixes at the hottest party venues when the sun goes down in Tallahassee.
In This Article (Click on a section to quickly go to it)
A Night Out With DJ LΔNZ
It took less than an hour of witnessing DJ LΔNZ in action for me to recognize his mastery behind the board. Rushing from work, I was only able to see him close out happy hour at the high-energy club known as The Warehouse.
Sticking with house vibes, he smoothly blended late-night bangers such as “Snake Charmer” and “Acrobatic”. Another flawless transition was when DJ LΔNZ mixed “More Life” by Torren Foot into “You Give Me A Feeling” by James Hype and Vintage Culture.
The laser technician behind him, Sebastian Vera, was absolutely shredding on his lighting console. DJ LΔNZ and Vera were in perfect sync with each other. As DJ LΔNZ put a house beat on a quarter (4-beat) loop to build up a drop, Vera shot red lasers sporadically into the crowd.
With the night coming towards a close, DJ LΔNZ had a few specific tracks in mind. “El Tiburón” was transitioned into Felguk’s remix of “Love Tonight” by Shouse. The crowd couldn’t get enough of the sing-a-long tech-house tracks DJ LΔNZ played. At one point he spun one of the discs while simultaneously echoing out the track.
Showcasing Mixing Abilities and More
Around 15 minutes before happy hour ended, DJ LΔNZ switched over to tracks that were directly catered to the crowd. One track he has downloaded that day for the sole purpose of playing at the end of the night. After, he had to turn down the volume and get on the mic, announcing to the crowd that there were buses heading to the outside nightclub Recess.
He decided to show off some of his skills on the lighting console when he queued up a remix of Diplo and Sleepy Tom’s “Be Right There”. Then, DJ LΔNZ searched for the right track to conclude his set. As he faded out of Diplo’s song he pressed play on “Already” by Kodak Black. The subs were thumping with some extra kick on the bass and everyone yelled out the lyrics.
The club attendees filtered out through the door and I started to wish I had gotten there earlier. Hopefully, I will be able to see DJ LΔNZ’s full performance soon so I can observe how he progresses through the night. I did get the chance to learn a lot more about his DJ upbringing after his set ended. Keep reading to find out what he shared with me about his inspirations and advice on the topic.
What is the inspiration behind your DJ name in addition to it resembling your last name Lansburgh?
My whole life kids have called me Lans, but I wanted to spice it up a bit. I was involved in Greek life so I decided to make the LΔNZ because the last three letters were all Greek letters.
What inspired you to start DJing?
Truthfully, I was scrolling through Instagram over quarantine (I was in Tallahassee the whole time). I read a post that said something along the lines of, “If you don’t learn a new skill over quarantine, you are lazy and wasting your time.”
I took that quote to heart. I’ve always been the guy in middle and high school who was known for loving music. I utilized that trait and applied it to something that I would enjoy.
What impact did music have on your childhood? Who influenced you the most as a kid through their music?
I think the first person to ever introduce me to hip-hop music was my cousin Zach. He introduced me to a song called “Whatever You Like” by TI in my grandma’s apartment. Ever since then, I fell in love with the genre. This led me to learn more genres of music and expand my horizons.
Walk us through the process of how you learned how to DJ and the resources you used.
I was blessed to have such an amazing learning process. Being stuck in Tallahassee for five months over quarantine, there was literally no one but me and a couple of my friends here. I was fortunate enough to become best friends with a guy three years older than me who was a DJ at Bajas. He was graduating after the summer so I asked him if he could help me learn how to DJ.
Long story short, I would spend upwards of five hours a day practicing in my room. Around May 2020, my roommate and I started to throw parties in our apartment. We threw the only parties in town (considering there were not that many of us in Tallahassee) and everyone knew that our room was the party room.
Not even kidding, we partied every single night for two straight months. That experience of playing in front of a live crowd constantly gave me what I view as my best attribute which is my ability to read a crowd so well.
What advice would you give to beginner DJs in regards to landing a club residency?
One thing I would highly suggest is to get in front of people as soon as possible. Even if it is a birthday pregame you can DJ. The live experience is the most valuable tool. I remember the summer I started playing.
I was about three weeks into learning when this girl asked me to DJ her pregame. At the time, I asked my mentor at the time if he thought I was ready. He said, “Fuck no, but do it anyway.” That moment changed my perspective on DJing the most.
What is your favorite venue to spin at and why?
I love all the venues I play at for different reasons. Recess gives me that intimate feel with the crowd where I can personally interact with them. Clyde’s gives me that change of pace night (ladies night), which allows me to play to a whole different mood than a regular night would.
Lastly, Warehouse gives me the opportunity to really show off my music and structure a night how I think it should be structured. I’m just really fortunate to be playing at the best venues in town and love every single venue for its own reasons.
What genre do you prefer to play the most and why?
I wouldn’t say that I have a favorite genre. I love music because of the ability it has to change someone’s mood. Every music genre (rap, EDM, house) has different feelings it brings out of people. The best thing to do is to merge them all together on the same night.
Having recently taken on a heavier schedule by performing every day for two straight weeks, what encouraged you to do this?
I did a longer consecutive schedule in the fall (26 days in a row) but my thought process is quite simple. One day I’m going to be older and look back on my college experience, and say, “Wow, I really did that.” I’m young now and have the energy and stamina to do it, so why not.
What is your pre-set ritual before you mix at a club?
I always get to the club at least 30 minutes early. I like to feel very relaxed, have time to socialize with my coworkers, and just hang out without stressing out. Working in a club is always high intensity, so coming into the night already stressed is a recipe for disaster.
What strategies do you use to balance your life while juggling both schoolwork and DJing?
It is very hard to balance school and work, especially working such late hours. Waking up in the morning and getting right out of bed is probably the thing that makes it easy for me. Instead of spending that time on my phone or watching tv, I start my day pretty quickly once I wake up. That gives me the motivation to get what I have to do done and carry on with my day.
What are your favorite/most frequently played tracks and why?
I do not have a favorite track. The best feeling in the world is playing the right track at the right time.
How do you plan on expanding your music career and what direction do you want to head in?
I am not sure yet. My philosophy is to stay open-minded, meet as many people as I can, and hopefully grow my skills far enough to the point that I can play anywhere.
What music memory stands out most for you from college life? Swipe up to comment below and let me know.
No Comments