At 11:30 on a Friday night, Sal’s Pizza is showered with a spray of multi-colored lights dancing across the darkened windows and falling on the sidewalk below. The Arizona air outside pulses with the steady beats of bass and people begin to gather by the door, curiosity and excitement drawing them in.
In the front corner of the little Italian restaurant stands a 6-foot-1-inch figure, silhouetted in the dark of the room. He stands with his fingers deftly working the spinning turntables in front of him, his light machine synced with his pumping beats, his DJ headphones hanging coolly off of one ear. Crowds of students gather in front of him, heads jerking to the music, while his sneakered feet skillfully shuffle-dance on the tile beneath him.
His turn tables, his mixed music, his popular monthly gig, his dancing, shouting crowd. Meet DJ Bryce Muzzy, an ASU student whose name you might just one day soon see pop up on your iTunes playlist.
“I DJ because I love music,” says Muzzy, a Barrett Honors College sophomore and computer systems engineering major. “Because there’s more to it than just playing music. It’s an art, just like playing any other kind of instrument is, except it means I get to interact with my audience.” And since the young age of 17, Muzzy’s been working hard to cultivate that interaction.
“That was the year I bought all my own DJ equipment,” Muzzy says. “After that, I just started teaching myself.”
And so as early as his junior year in high school, he began his music career. With speakers and extension cords in hand, Muzzy coined the term “Techno Tuesday,” a lunchtime school event that became a weekly tradition at his Arizona high school, Brophy College Preparatory.
To some readers, that term may sound pretty familiar – that’s because Muzzy didn’t leave his Techno Tuesdays behind when he graduated in 2010. Throughout most of his freshman year, Muzzy would occupy the Agave Barrett Residence hall’s sixth floor lounge, set up his light machine, and DJ late into the night. Signs around campus and posts on his Facebook fan page would draw ASU students in by the dozens, until the room was entirely filled with his dancing audience – DJ Bryce Muzzy front and center, nodding along with his masterfully-created beats.
“It’s a very cool feeling to know that what you’re doing is directly affecting the ability to make others dance and enjoy their night,” he says.
And it seems that the more people hear him DJ, the more popular he gets.
“I’ve done all sorts of events – everything from a father-daughter dance for a Chippewa Indian tribe to a show in front of 2,500 people,” Muzzy says. “Since I don’t go through any sort of company or booking agency, making sure my clients and audience has a great time is very important to me.”
But bringing Techno Tuesday to ASU isn’t the only mark Muzzy plans to leave on campus.
“Last year on Halloween, I DJed for a block party, and once I finished, I headed over to Sal’s Pizza for a post-gig meal,” Muzzy says. “I knew the people at Sal’s pretty well by that point – probably because I ate there so frequently – and I joked that I should just set up right there and start a dance party, since I already had my DJ equipment in my trunk from my last gig. I meant it as a joke, but Joe Scoilla, Sal’s manager, said it was a great idea. He started moving tables, we brought in my speakers and lights, and I DJed until 3:30 am that morning. All while wearing my penguin costume.”
And that first night at Sal’s was such a success that he’s gone back to work the turntables from about 11:30 pm to 3 a.m. once a month ever since.
“I first heard Bryce Muzzy DJ at Sal’s my freshman year,” says sophomore electrical engineering major Elliot Hanson. “I really liked how he played his music. He keeps everything exciting, and he keeps the attention of the people listening.”
So the next time you find yourself wondering where to go on a Friday night, take a walk over to Sal’s Pizza at the intersection of Apache and Rural roads. You might just see that 6-foot-1-inch figure through the window, standing among thumping speakers, flashing lights and spinning black turntables. And once you notice the dancing crowd jam-packed in front of him, shouting his name, you’ll know you’re at the right place. And maybe, if you’re lucky, DJ Bryce Muzzy will even show you some dance moves of his own.
Contact the reporter at christina.arregoces@asu.edu
Video by Nate Broderick and Tyler Tang.
