Rooster is one of KWVA’s DJs who specializes in the art of noise, bouncing between all forms of EDM, techno, trap, house music, and dubstep. He curates his Boiler Room-style sets all on the fly.
“It’s really fun trying something brand new, and just seeing if it works,” he said. “I think my best moments DJing come from those really spontaneous moments.”
Outside of KWVA, Rooster is also the DJ for his fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi. He uses his Wednesday time slot at KWVA to experiment with different sounds, adjusting what he’s playing to fit the crowd's energy, and getting those dispersed spikes of dopamine when an experimental remix is a hit. While there are a number of songs that are reliably good for events like this one, Rooster says relying on those too often can take away from the creativity that he looks forward to during his gigs.
One of the more remarkable sets that Rooster has done was an eight-hour stretch for a Halloweekend fraternity function. “I had one person ask for more dubstep, and I’m like, ‘Yes, you’re the first person to say that. Thank you.’ And then played the most crazy edit of FE!N into this one song that’s a dubstep, rhythm and trap mix. Oh my god. I did not think it would go over well. And everyone just went nuts. That’s the high.”
The name “Rooster” came from his dad, who would serenade him every morning with “Rooster” by Alice in Chains because of his big fluff of ginger bed head. To be completely honest, Rooster doesn’t look like the kind of guy that would be blasting songs like “GIMME DAT (BASS)” by nikko, or anything Skrillex adjacent on his walk to class, but looks can be deceiving.
This genre of music is one of his many passions, along with being heavily involved in Eugene’s Jewish community, vice President of the Pitcrew for University of Oregon's Student Section, and watching the occasional Timbers games when he’s home.
You can tune into “The Coop,” Rooster’s show, every Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m.