by T.J. McCrystal~
Photo by T.J. McCrystal, 2019
Mitch Dobbs, a junior here at Penn State, lives a bit of a double life through his passion for music production. He’s a psychology major who lives vicariously through his music. Becoming a psychologist is far from the reality of his dreams, as he spends the majority of his free time working on bettering his music abilities. Mitch truly wants to become the next big electronic musician. The money and fame that comes along with being a musician never cross Mitch’s mind: “It’s the adrenaline and energy of performing in front of a crowd that inspire me to make music.”
It was in the seventh grade that Mitch’s dedication to electronic music began. Mitch’s old passion, lacrosse, served as a gateway to the music genre, as he first discovered EDM in a lacrosse training video. This video contained the song “Greyhound” by Swedish House Mafia, the very first EDM song Mitch ever heard. Far too many concussions eventually ended Mitch’s lacrosse career. “With one door closing another one opened, and my love for dance music was born.”
Often, Mitch’s musical talents are misunderstood. Mitch doesn’t play a traditional instrument or sing. He uses a turning table and music production software. Most of his musical abilities are mental. He creates different beats and then mashes them together. Physical talents aren’t very prevalent in the Electronic Music World: being a DJ is all about creativity and mental patience.
A majority of Mitch’s work is inspired by a DJ named Avicii. It wasn’t until Avicii’s unfortunate death that Mitch grew attached to his work. In April of 2017, Avicii took his own life. From that moment on, Mitch was hooked, reflecting that he “began to recognize the pure and authentic characteristics of his music that made dance music explode.”
Just last spring Mitch began performing right here at Penn State. The Schreyer Honors College Student Council held a formal in the recruiting room at our very own Beaver Stadium. He describes his experience as “extremely nerve-racking,” but he “fed off of a couple of tracks and was able to keep things moving.” As a member of the crowd that night, I felt the true energy and electricity Mitch provided.
His mixes all are displayed on Soundcloud. Mitch currently provides his audience with three major mixes: Rookie Numbers, Summer Mega 2, and the Catalina Wine Mixer. He currently is in the process of creating his own content; however, he states that “I don’t want to put my name on something I’m not one hundred percent satisfied with; what’s up there now sounds okay but there’s so much work left to do.”
Mitch has his own concerns with creating music. He notes that “creating my own unique sound and dealing with criticism will present difficult obstacles to overcome.” On the other hand, Mitch truly believes that “If they can do it so can I.” As he continues in his electronic music production he believes his ambition will propel him to greatness.
Mitch’s desire to make music offers some uncertainties in his life. As he often puts it, “some days are easier than others.” His parents often grow concerned with his unstructured career path of becoming an Electronic musician. He often lacks motivation in his day to day work requirements. Mitch often ponders, “Why am I here?” However, he understands that some backup plan needs to be intact. Mitch concluded, “I don’t want to even think of a backup plan, music is my plan!”