World News – CA – « It Was Like Summer Camp »: DJing Life in the NBA Bubble

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum stretches out on the floor before a playoff game in the NBA bubble Above him, “DJ Shawna” Nicols - one of four guest DJs in the NBA bubble - is placed…

CAMEROON MAGAZINE - GM10/10/20206 Mins read59 Views

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum stretches out on the floor before a playoff game in the NBA bubble Above him, « DJ Shawna » Nicols – one of four guest DJs in the bubble NBA – plays his pre-game set

This close to the end, Nicols is used to playing high energy pieces But Tatum has something slower in mind

« Hey, I got a text from basketball operations, » a Celtics staff member told him, « Jayson wants to hear Ella Mai’s ‘Boo’d Up' »

Nicols obliges and scratches the moving melody of R&B She sees Tatum and his teammates singing and dancing shortly after

« I think it’s cool to grow out of the norm on what we assume, » said Nicols, in his first year of DJing for the Bucks. « We sometimes put these guys in boxes »

For Nicols and his three fellow DJs, the bubble – filled with 22 teams at the start – was akin to a musical buffet.She loved exploring reggaeton and other Latin flair during Heat matches, while the DJ of the Nuggets Austin « Paws the Music » Pawelka enjoyed serving California teams with tracks from Kendrick Lamar and Nipsey Hussle

The nearly empty arenas and the lack of downtime fillers like kiss cams or t-shirt throws brought music to the fore in Orlando and gave bubble DJs a blank canvas

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Nicols experimented with Motown and disco in his sets, while Pawelka (who’s still in the bubble, now as the Lakers’ designated DJ) likes to remember older rap like Busta Rhymes and DMX. made Heat players stunned by their sonic choices – Meyers Leonard beamed on a Nicols country set while Pawelka performed « You Make My Dreams (Come True) » by Hall & Oates at the behest of Jimmy Butler

There was also plenty of room for traditional hip-hop hits Nicols (who left after the conference semi-finals) played a bit of Drake and Pop Smoke, while Pawelka often got the same responses by asking campus players what they wanted to hear

Surrounded by staff from across the league, including Clippers DJ Andy Kinzel and BrooklynjeL DJ M, Nicols and Pawelka set out to perfect the playing atmosphere of 22 different teams

“It was kind of like a nerding conference,” Nicols said “It was like a summer camp, where you learn how different people think about things and execute it It’s just a cool space to share ideas with incredibly talented people «

While the two DJs enjoyed playing with different types of music, the sounds they played weren’t just for their own enjoyment Upon arriving in the NBA bubble, they were both tasked with sorting out the corresponding audio files of all the teams involved – such as the different sound effects that each team uses after a free throw taken, one and one or during defense As bubble DJs were assigned to the home team in each match, these sounds – like the Pacers ‘car effects or the Sixers’ PA sounds they sent – were essentially the only semblance of advantage on the home court. in sparsely populated gymnasiums made up of families and virtual fans

« As a DJ, as a music coordinator, the power of music is very real… especially in this situation you kind of play that sixth man role, » Pawelka said

Pawelka is a longtime Nuggets fan who has worked “pretty much every job you can think of at the Pepsi Center.” He went out of his way to give the Nuggets an arena atmosphere at home He had the team’s PA announcer record and sent him the prompt he normally says after a 3-point Jamal Murray, and stacked the sounds on top of each other to create a loud, a-like effect. choir

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Sometimes Those Psychological Upgrades Are All Done When assigned to a Rockets game, Pawelka would play songs that James Harden named Nicols knew she would elicit a reaction from the Bucks brothers Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo when she played « Shekosi. » », A song published by their older brother Francis

“Sometimes songs, prompts or sound effects may not make sense to you, if you listen to the game,” she said “But maybe I don’t play it for you , I’m playing it for someone else at the time And I think it’s an interesting way of looking at DJing – am I here to add value «

At times that value was hard to see The ‘home’ team only made it 5-19 in the conference semifinals and, as you might expect, had a winning percentage historically low in playoffs, according to NBC Sports

These losses may sting a bit, but the DJs know their presence is kicking in.In the same Lakers-Blazers first-round game, Nicols made LeBron James dance to a song by Sade and earned a shout at Brian Anderson and Chris Webber’s TNT show ending

Words cannot express the love and gratitude I feel So much love for @realchriswebber and @bandersonpxp for the cry and kind words from last night’s playoff game on TNT (Thought Thread) picTwittercom / Awj6VaTBDA

« LeBron James – I just need to head him up, » Pawelka said

“I think if you talk to a musician or a DJ we want to see a reaction in a certain way,” Nicols added. “So if I know I’m helping someone react positively, so I feel like I’m doing a good job «

Nicols ‘biggest moment in the bubble, however, was when the music could barely be heard.She was working for the Bucks’ first round playoff game against the Magic when the team decided to boycott following Jacob Blake shot dead seven times by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin

As the clock ticked to zeros with no sign of the Bucks, she knew it wasn’t a time for her personal musical preferences to be broadcast throughout the arena. She drastically lowered the volume, finally activated a Black Lives Matter playlist that she had, and avoided playing anything that « couldn’t stand what was going on. » »

Pawelka also felt a change of mood at times.As one of the two DJs left in the bubble, he saw the Disney campus go from a fun and community vibe early on to a business trip. as the teams dispersed

« It definitely got a little more serious, » said Pawelka, who is expected to work for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Friday night after working the first two games of the series. « I take into account that this is the biggest step that this league has really »

About three months and 60-70 games later, Pawelka’s bubble course is close to the finish line He will leave as a much better DJ by his own estimate, but not the one who expects to meet Austin Rivers and Danuel House on future bathroom visits Same goes for Nicols playing pickleball against referee Scott Foster

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