BTO Collective ALVYN Can Be a Freak on the Mixer and On the Beat

ALVYN (25 years old) grew up in Benicia which is located in the North Bay Area region. He moved to San Jose to attend SJSU and majored in Industrial Engineering. He is a classically trained pianist; however, he never saw himself doing music as a profession growing up. It was only until he was in college that his best friend would encourage him to try DJing and playing music for people. During his junior year, he practiced on open decks and invited friends over to listen to him play. He wanted to “make sure to provide value before putting himself out there.” As his skills developed, he sent his mixes to his classmates and soon he landed his first gig at Fog City Hookah Lounge in Daly City. He was asked to play hip-hop which was a challenge for him because this genre was something he wasn’t normally playing. Regardless, he still took the opportunity to gain more performance experience and it made him into a more well-rounded DJ. He earned twenty dollars for this gig and would go on to play four to five more times at this venue. Twenty dollars may seem little, but ALVYN realized that music was something he could do for a long time. When he is not performing, he would spend at least 2 hours at Guitar Center practicing his freestyling, learning how to use CDJs, and figuring out how to be a support artist. January 2018 rolled around and WeDreamWorlds hosted an open aux competition for Robotaki’s headline debut. ALVYN immediately applied but did not get the gig. Hungry and determined, he continued to put himself out there and applied to other gigs. Soon he was able to get booked for an event called Lawntopia at UC Davis in which he opened for another artist. A miracle occurred later that year which skyrocketed his music career to where it is now. The festival organizer from WeDreamWorlds contacted him to join their team which is now called the BTO Collective because he had a good attitude, and they loved his dedication to music and his craft. That same organizer is now his manager and ALVYN has been with them ever since. I had a couple questions for ALVYN about his musical journey and this is what he had to say:

What are the current struggles DJs face right now?

"I think people struggle with finding a manager and having a manager is very important. WeDreamWorlds provided me with the connections I needed to propel my music career."

What was your favorite show you performed at?

"It would have to be the UWU Tour at the San Francisco Regency Ballroom. All my friends were there, and the crowd was insane. It was my first time jumping off the stage and into the crowd. The energy was amazing, and I was speaking into the microphone a lot more than I usually do. I think there were at least 1500 people attending the event."

What is your most embarrassing moment you ever had during a set?

"I was playing at the silent disco tent for Escape and was drunk with three other DJs. Playing with three DJs was already chaotic enough but imagine everyone drunk haha. I accidentally stepped on the power strip which turned everything off. I went on the mic and said oops haha. Another time was when I was DJing at a frat party in Texas and my setup was on a cardboard box used as a table. You can imagine where this is going. Since the cardboard wasn’t very secure, my laptop fell down two stories, but I was still able to DJ."

What is the most rewarding thing about DJing?

"The most rewarding thing about DJing is seeing my other friends succeed. Watching them play and perform on stage makes me feel so happy and proud for them. I say there are two important things in life and that is the day you are born and why you are born. It feels great to have fans tell me that my music has an impact on their lives. I didn’t do this for clout or for fame. I do this because music is my passion."

Where do you see yourself in five years?

"I see myself playing at EDC and going on my own tour around the U.S. I am still trying to figure out life."

What are your short-term goals and long-term goals?

"Recently I moved to LA to build more connections. I am trying to learn and improve my producing skills. I want to headline a show in LA and eventually make four more songs in the near future. My current end goal is to play at EDC."

ALVYN has over 33 mixes which you can find on his SoundCloud and recently he has just dropped his first ever single called THRUST which you can find on all platforms. His most popular SoundCloud mix is called What Could’ve Been (Simp Mix) which has over 96.6k views. He mainly plays Bass Trap and Melodic Dubstep. When you go to his sets, you’ll see that it is a two-dimensional set meaning he likes to take his listeners on a journey while telling a story through his music. ALVYN is set to play in San Francisco on November 4, 2022, as one of the supporting artists for ARMNHMR. He does have merch which you can check out on his Instagram page. After listening to ALVYN’s story, I was very uplifted and motivated by his work ethic and mindset. He works a nine to five job to pay the bills but still makes time to work and practice his music. This is someone you definitely won’t want to miss out!

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