Czar Nicholas III, aka Nick Stetz, began his DJ journey in 2009 while at Bucknell University - where he is currently studying Management and French. We caught up with him during Mashup Week this week to learn more about his story and the inspiration behind his mashups.

—-

What makes a really good mashup?

When the songs that you use sound completely different once they are mashed together.  Some people think ‘oh, they have a similar beat so it will mash well together’ but I disagree.  Just because the tracks have some similarities does not make it a good mashup.

What is the hardest part about being a mashup artist?

There are so many other artists to compete with.  The internet is flooded with people who try to make it big with one mashup instead of truly loving what they are mashing together.  I am just trying to distinguish myself.

When playing a live set, how do you read the crowd?

Great question.  I never go into a gig with a full set because you never know how the crowd is going to react.  I think the most important thing about reading the crowd is timing.  I wouldn’t want to drop something too crazy in the beginning of my set.  I want to my audience to experience the build up throughout my set.

What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?

My roots date back to British Pop.  From the Beatles to Oasis, I just cannot get enough of what they have to offer.  I also truly enjoy Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys.

Who are your biggest influences?

The most influential would have to be Girl Talk. I think that Gregg Michael Gillis is a genius and I wanted to emulate his ability to bring a new sound by mashing songs together. Super Mash Brothers and Milkman round out my top 3 Influences.