UIC's Own Underground: Get to Know Ethan Schwerdlin, AKA DJ Audio
- csima2
- Mar 15
- 7 min read
In this week's issue of RAVE101, I pick this ambitious young DJ-and-musician's brain on techno music, designer fashion, Battle of the Bands, UIC Boiler Room, Rocket League and more.
Introduce yourself!
“Yo, my name’s Ethan, AKA Audio, AKA the f*cking goat.”
What instruments do you play?
“I’ve been playing guitar since I was like six years old, and I also play bass. I want to play drums, but I suck at it.”
When did you start learning to DJ?
“I’ve been DJing for a year and producing for five years. I’ve been really enjoying it so far.”
What type of genres do you like to perform? Both as a DJ and for the other instruments you play.
“A lot of Arabic funk swing, like 78 to 79 BPM.”
…Really?
“I’m just playing. [Laughter] Yeah, no, I do hard techno, like 150-160 BPM and hard dance. And from time to time, I mix in a little bit of trance, gabber, and Latin, but mostly hard techno.
For guitar, though, I play alternative, indie, shoegaze type stuff. Whatever sounds good, I don’t stick to one genre with guitar. I kind of just write and whatever happens, happens.”
What can you tell us about KROME*?
“KROME* is an ongoing project that I started about a year ago. We’ve played a handful of local shows. The first show we played was UIC Battle of the Bands, which was super fun. Since then, we’ve been doing shows here and there, local stuff. I make all the logos and merch for the band and some of the flyers for the shows. We do alternative indie music, and we’re playing a show on March 20th that anyone reading this should pop out to.”
How has your band evolved since last year’s BOTB?
“Equipment-wise, we’ve expanded on the gear we’re using — new pedals and amps. We’ve also gotten better at writing and structuring songs, because it was new to me at the time. I didn’t write full songs before, just riffs, so it was a learning curve. I feel like we’ve come a long way, both individually and our chemistry together has improved a lot.
Will you be participating in BOTB this year?
“We actually might! Oh, my goodness, this is the inside scoop. We’ll most likely be applying.”
Where do you pull inspiration from when making music?
“The biggest thing for me is when a song makes me want to dance or move. If I hear something and don’t want to mosh or dance, then it doesn’t connect with me as much. That’s why when I’m DJing, I’m never standing still because I just love everything that I’m playing. Same with the band stuff, too. You’ll never catch me standing still. I’m always turnt.”
Something that me and other people who’ve seen you perform have noticed is your bold stage presence. Does that come naturally, or is it something you had to develop?
“Well, thank you very much, by the way! I will say it’s definitely something I’ve had to work on, but it also does kind of come naturally to me because I feel like how I am onstage aligns with who I am offstage. I’m already a pretty high-energy person.
I also get inspired by going to shows and seeing what other artists do. Like, hhunter is very inspirational to me. Watching his sets on YouTube and going to his shows, I notice how he controls the crowd. He has really good crowd control. I also feel like playing with the band has helped me feel more comfortable being onstage in general.”
Who’s your favorite Chicago DJ? I think I already know the answer…
“Definitely hhunter. He’s just the goat. Genuinely, going to his shows got me back into wanting to DJ since I took a break from it for a while. Something about the music he plays itches my brain right. Like, I just love it.”
Do you have any other artists who are major creative influences?
“Samuel Moriero, the hard techno producer and DJ. He’s very inspiring in terms of my production. I haven’t seen him live, but I really like the style that he cooks up. Very cool. He does a lot of fake drops and stuff like that. I’ll listen to it and it’s all over the place, but it’s a good sort of chaotic.”
Which venue do you dream of performing at the most?
“I really want to play at Smoke and Mirrors. I really like that place because they have a really good system. I notice every time I go there that the music sounds really clear compared to other venues. It’s a not-too-distant goal I have to play there, hopefully sometime this year. In terms of long-term goals, I love the Salt Shed or Radius. Either of those would be insane.”
What are your current favorite songs?
“shut down entirely by Meat Computer, because it sounds like weird internet music and I like that. Also, Delete by Ninajirachi. This song is on repeat for me. I feel so pretty walking around on campus listening to it, like nobody knows I’m bumping this in my headphones."
Last semester, you performed at UIC’s first ever Boiler Room! Can you tell us about how that experience was, and do you have any tips for UIC Radio on making the next one even better?
“I had a lot of fun doing the Boiler Room set! There were a lot of cool people there, and I feel like it was a good way to bring together students who are already interested in this kind of thing. The experience itself was very cool. They set it up really professionally — they had visuals in the back with my logo. I think they did a really good job.
As for what they could improve on in the future, I’m thinking back to the set I just played on the 7th that was also Boiler Room themed. They actually had the stage on the ground so everyone could surround the DJs. Whereas at the UIC event, yes, it was Boiler Room themed, but it still felt more traditional in the sense that the DJ is up onstage, and the crowd is positioned underneath. I feel like if they set up the table in the middle of the room and had everyone crowd around like they do in Boiler Room, that would be really sick. People could get right up close to the music and see what I’m doing. I think that would be really cool and take it to the next level.”
Besides music, you’re also known around campus for your fashion. You were recently featured on the @uicbaddies Instagram account. Who’s your favorite designer?
“My favorite designer is Nick Holiday, the creator of the Holiday brand. I wear something from that brand almost every day. I’ve also met him at this Summer Smash Lyrical Lemonade pop-up shop he did in Chicago. I got to talk to him; he gave me a free hat and signed one of my shirts. Good experience, super cool guy. I also pull a lot of inspiration from the way he dresses.”
What are your signature accessories?
“You’ll never catch me without some chains on my jeans. I always wear the jewelry, and I like hats a lot.”
What’s your favorite place to shop for clothes?
“If the money allows, I love going into 2nd STREET. But since I’m kind of a broke college student, I sometimes go thrifting in Wicker Park and have pretty good luck with that. There’s this place called Crossroads, which is both thrift and curated vintage, so it’s a little more expensive than your typical thrift, but the quality you’re getting is pretty good, and it’s still fairly priced. I’ve gotten some Diesel and Ksubi jeans from there. It’s also not far from UIC!”
Last semester, you also launched the Chicago Music Producers Collective. What was the inspiration behind that?
“I was actually surprised we didn’t have a club like that already, because I feel like it’s been trendy for people to start DJing and producing for the past couple years. Ever since COVID, I feel like there’s been a big influx of people with a lot of time on their hands who want to do something creative.
I also feel like there’s a lot of similar interests among people who are into music who go to UIC that just might not have an outlet for or know other people with those same interests, so my thought process was to bring those people together. I figured I could make some cool friends and start a community where people can share ideas and kind of create something that wasn’t there before.”
How do you manage your time balancing your music career, being a full-time student, and working?
“That’s a question I’m still asking myself, because it definitely is a lot. I always try to put school first, and fortunately being a business major gives me a lot of free time— no shade! It’s a little bit of a give and take. Some weeks, I’m booking more DJ shows, other weeks, I’m focusing more on the band, and other times I really want to produce a track and post something. It’s dependent on what my priority is at the time. It’s definitely hard to juggle and not for the weak. It lowkey drives me crazy, but I love it at the same time, so it’s worth it.
What is your favorite thing to do to unwind when you’re stressed?
“I play a lot of Rocket League. Probably too much for how bad I am, but it’s really fun. I also like exploring the city with friends, like going out on a nice day or getting coffee.”
What’s your rank in Rocket League?
“I’m plat, almost diamond.”
Are there any other upcoming projects, events, shows that you’d like to promote that we missed?
“What I’m most excited about is that my Music Production Club is hosting a guest speaker on April 1 at 5PM. We’re flying in a producer from Florida, MOONSUL, and SHOEMO, one of the artists that he works with, to give us a breakdown on producing and provide a networking opportunity for the students. This guy’s worked with Sony, Interscope, and Hybe, the people who manage BTS. It’s kind of insane.
Outside of that, I’m doing a show on March 20 with KROME*. That’s all I have in the
books right now, but definitely more to come in the future. We have some fun things planned."
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