If you are at a wildly fun party at Brandeis where the music is blasting and the crowd is dancing, NuEra Entertainment members may be the DJs. The crew, which consists of JV Souffrant '12, (DJ Vicious, rapper, promoter), Carl Decoteau '13, (DJ CKD, main promoter) and Johnny Wilson '12, (DJ Sensation, photographer, promoter), works hard on the weekends to find locations, get its equipment together and ensure the crowd is jumping up and down to its beats. Souffrant explains that a key indicator that people are enjoying the music is when there are a lot of loud screams in the crowd. If there are not, NuEra knows to change the music quickly.NuEra got its start last year because the members were all close friends. DJ Esquire (Darryl David '09) passed down his techniques to the boys of NuEra after he graduated.

However, the members of NuEra have each had affinities for music from a young age. Wilson went to parties in middle school in his hometown of Dorchester, Mass., and instead of dancing with his peers he would watch the DJs spin. Whether he is walking through the Usdan Student Center or riding the T, Wilson is constantly inspired by music. If he can hear a beat through someone's headphones, he will eagerly ask what song is playing. Souffrant, an Orlando, Fla., native, recalls being interested in music since the age of seven. He used to get in trouble because instead of doing his homework, he would be writing lyrics.

Since all the members love music so much, they have acquired knowledge of many different genres and incorporate those genres into the techniques they use to get the crowd moving and excited. Souffrant favors the style called "Baltimore Club." This fusion of hip hop and techno is often called "the best of both worlds." Souffrant also composes "mash-ups," which consist of taking an original song, stripping it of its beat (i.e. making it a cappella) and putting it with another song he thinks it will mesh with. "I'm like a chemist; you have to experiment to see if songs will go together," said Souffrant.Wilson, on the other hand, focuses on his favorite genre of reggaeton while also incorporating trance, techno and house, giving Brandeis parties a club-esque feel.

NuEra is different in that they use tabletop turntables and USB drives instead of turntables without computers. When they spin, their turntables are connected to their iTunes library. Their laptops and electronics pack as much punch as regular turntables.

While none of the members of NuEra is majoring or minoring in music, they take their craft very seriously. They respect each other as DJs, and instead of competing against each other they strive to make each other better. Moreover, they have no problem teaching people about DJing and allowing people to come up and "scratch." NuEra puts academics first but has high hopes of improving the Brandeis social scene.