The bass booms through the second floor of the Student Centre. Windows are covered and neon lights replace daylight to create an electronic club ambiance.
Students drop in between classes during the two-hour session and instinctively bob their heads to every mix while lounging and chatting with each other.
This is a Thursday afternoon in the DC DJ club.
This club offers a free space to experiment with music production and learn DJ skills on campus.
On Tuesdays, interested students can drop-in and learn mixing and production techniques. On Thursdays, DJs can perform finished sets, while students enjoy the jam session.
Club president Julien Mongrain started this club in late 2025, around the same time he started honing his skills.
“I wanted to encourage myself to perform DJ sets live in front of other people instead of just in my bedroom. Kind of just an excuse to get out of the house and do it in front of people,” he said.
Mongrain, who is a Computer Programming and Analysis student, soon spread his interest to peers and expanded the club within months.
“Now we have a lot of people from the same program that I’m in all the way from first year to third year,” he said.
This includes fellow classmate Matt Salvadori, who went from a casual visitor to an asset in the club.
Salvadori learned of the club from a friend, knowing he was an experienced DJ. He now uses his background to guide the Tuesday workshops, depending on what participants want to learn and create.
“I’m starting to get them to learn how to prepare music and then bring it to the practice and figure out what works and what doesn’t work,” he said.
In these sessions, Salvadori helps students create 15 to 30-minute sets to share during the Thursday jam sessions. They can do this using the turntables provided or a musical software.
The modes of expression are vast, as the production and DJ skills are not limited to electronic music.
“I can help and improve anybody who comes in here because, again, I’ve had my fingers in the figurative cookie jar, in every cookie jar. So any genre is really welcome,” said Salvadori.
The DC DJ Club opens its doors to all students from 2-4 p.m. on Tuesdays and 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Thursdays in the Student Centre.