Las Vegas airport visitors greeted by teen DJs before EDC
As thousands of people flooded McCarran International Airport on May 16 on their way to immerse themselves in music at the Electric Daisy Carnival, they first were greeted by performances from three teenage DJs.
DJ Snake Fangs, or Dante Kamataris, 13, has been DJing through Enterprise Library’s DJ Learning Lab for about nine months.
“It is not all rap, but it is upbeat and fun,” Dante said of the music.
It was Dante’s first large-scale performance as a DJ; it was 15-year-old Dominick Brinson’s second. Salvador Avila, the new branch manager at East Las Vegas Library, said he selected the three DJs for the McCarran gig because they showed persistence in attending sessions — and they are skilled.
The DJs performed in the D concourse of Terminal 3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Several wide-eyed travelers stopped to listen; some even danced.
Dominick, also known as DJ SND BNDR, has been DJing for about a year, he said. He came across the program while he was at Enterprise Library with his mother. DJ Play, or Thomas Isbell, 13, said he someday would like to perform on an electronic dance music stage at a festival with famous DJs like Marshmello and Steve Aoki.
DJing involves seamlessly fitting songs together and keeping an audience dancing and energized. DJs select songs with similar beats per minute, then sync them using equipment.
The DJ Learning Lab teaches children skills like stage presence, confidence, decision-making and public speaking, said Avila.
He said the library provides all of the professional equipment needed, and 15 to 30 youths show up at each meeting. The library provides multiple DJ controllers for mixing and scratching music samples, digital music players, headphones and instructors to teach students basic blending and advanced techniques.
Avila estimated that Enterprise Library has had the DJ program for about five years.
“It is an incredible program; I wish knowledge of it was more widespread,” said Krystle Brinson, Dominick’s mother.
Contact Rachel Spacek at 702-387-2921 or rspacek@reviewjournal.com. Follow @RachelSpacek on Twitter.