The opening act for Back to the Brook 2017, EDM DJ Slushii, aka Julian Scanlan, is younger than many of the students he will be performing for on Friday.
Quite like Back to the Brook headliner Post Malone, 20-year-old Slushii emerged as a name-to-know in his musical community within the last two years. The New Jersey native made his name orchestrating SoundCloud trap remixes of songs by artists like marshmello and the Chainsmokers. Over the last year he dropped his debut studio album, “Out of Light,” and received cosigns from notable EDM artists, including Skrillex.
Slushii, who is based out of Los Angeles, grew up in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. He began making music as an outlet for stress. Diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, Slushii was often bullied in middle and high school. In his junior year, he began making connections through music which he credits with helping him overcome social anxiety.
In February of 2016, Slushii lived at home with his mother and worked at Best Buy. Then, his music was discovered by famed EDM manager Moe Shalizi and his career took off.
Slushii’s Stony Brook performance comes after a week in Asia, where the DJ has been traveling from one Ultra Music Festival to another. Starting on Sept. 7 in Mumbai and ending on Sept. 17 in Tokyo, Slushii performed across the continent, making stops in New Dehli, Bali, Shanghai and Tapei.
Slushii will be preceded by Stony Brook DJ Ardit Piroli, a senior psychology and applied mathematics and statistics major. He was contracted by the Undergraduate Student Government and will play music up until Slushii takes the stage. USG Vice President of Student Life Jaliel Amador said the transition away from student opening band, and solo acts was both a cost-saving measure and an evaluative one.
“The [Student Activities] Board and I felt that the student openers have not been receiving the attention they deserve,” Amador said in an email. “It seems as though the opening student
act is viewed as elevator music.”
Slushii will receive a $50,000 payout for his performance. Piroli will not be compensated for his set, according to Amador.
