Pete Rock sings while adjusting a knob on the mixer to demonstrate that he had added his own vocal harmonies to his song “T.R.O.Y.” Credit: Daniel Bush | Lantern File Photo.

Music has always been central to college nightlife. Now, student DJs are the ones behind the sound.?

Just after 11 p.m. on a Friday night, the line for Threes Above High — located at 2203 N. High St. — wraps around the building and down West Norwich Avenue. Inside, students dance shoulder-to-shoulder, singing along to their favorite songs. Behind the DJ booth, Polly Regan, a third-year in music and philosophy, politics, and economics, quickly prepares her next transition — setting the tone for the night.

Regan, who performs under the stage name Polly Pocket, has experience in classical music, and said she initially got into DJing last summer because of a close friend.

“One of my friends who is a DJ in a fraternity was upgrading his board, so he gave me his old one,” Regan said.? “When I started, I just did house parties and some stuff before football games at my sorority house. Then, about a year ago, I made a mix and sent it to a ton of bars through Instagram. Threes was the first to respond and said they’d give me one night. ‘If people show up, you can have the spot.’ It ended up working out.”

While Regan entertains the crowd at Threes Above High, Abigail Hartzell, an Ohio State alumna and former president of the DJ Club at Ohio State, bounces between songs at The Library Bar just down the street.?

Becoming a DJ wasn’t the original plan for Hartzell, who said she never thought it was something she would pursue until she joined the DJ club, a student organization at Ohio State.?

“I started DJing in the spring semester of my freshman year just on a whim,” Hartzell said. “I knew there was a DJ club on campus, so that played a really big part in pushing me to become a DJ, and my brother had been a DJ previously. So, it has always been something that was in my mind but never really something I thought I would pursue.”

Hartzell said the DJ club is a space for those interested in music and a way for students to make connections in the industry.?

“We really aim to be a community,” Hartzell said. “Regardless of whether you’re a DJ, musician or just someone interested in music, it’s a community where you can seek opportunities, network and build connections within the Columbus area.”

Along with building community, the club has a mentorship program to help beginners find their footing in the DJ industry.??

“We pair newer-level DJs with more skilled DJs to teach them,” Hartzell said. “We really want to bridge the gap between a beginner DJ who’s only DJing in their bedroom and showcasing their talents to the community and possibly building a fan base.”

The DJ industry is a male-dominated field, with only 32% of DJs being female, according to Career Explorer. Regan said being a woman made it more challenging for her to find opportunities early on.?

“I’ve been stepped on a few times,” Regan said. “I’ve tried to play at fraternities because all of my friends said I should. There have been a couple of times where the guys have said, ‘Sorry, girls can’t DJ.’ ”?

As the DJ community has grown in recent years, Hartzell said seeing other female DJs perform has inspired her.

“One of the DJs who really inspired me when I began was Jyoti because she’s a female DJ, and from my own personal experience, the DJ industry is very male-dominated,” Hartzell said. “Seeing someone who has similar tastes as I do pursue the profession and also be really well respected in the industry was really inspirational.”

Since the pandemic, the DJ industry and clubbing culture have undergone extreme change. A study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that reduced social interaction during quarantine led many young people to seek nostalgic music and altered how they socialize in nightlife spaces. Hartzell said she’s seen a shift in the sounds students want to hear.??

“I get a lot of requests for 2010s music, like the Black Eyed Peas,” Hartzell said. “I can tell that the people yearn to dance, but I think a lot of people are a little bit more shy to let loose and dance. I try my best to play fun music to get those people to dance and then loosen up, because I know they want to — they just need to jump over the hurdle.”

While getting people dancing is part of the job, Regan said making a connection with the crowd is the most rewarding part.

“Music is such a big part of me,” Regan said. “I play music to connect with people. I play music to express myself and who I am, but to express that connection with other people is so cool and so important.”