Echo Union debut event sets the stage for emerging student DJ

Until about a year ago, Lauren Ervin had never touched a DJ board. Now, she’s one of the headlining DJs for an inaugural event by Echo Union, a new company dedicated to revitalizing the underground dance culture in Upstate New York. While this hobby-to-performance pipeline may seem like a quick transition, Ervin — a communications and rhetorical studies sophomore — has always had a keen ear for music. 

She was the go-to “aux” at her high school gatherings, which equipped her with experience in “reading” crowds and matching her music selection to the energy of a room. Ervin’s passion for house music allowed her to connect with others at SU who shared a love for the genre. One of these connections offered to teach her the basics of DJing, and it didn’t take long for Ervin to become fully immersed in the craft.

Courtesy of Talia Fastow

The crowd moves along with Ervin’s electronic set.

“I would sit in my dorm room, and just mess around with my board for hours just to see what I could do on it,” Ervin said. “My poor roommate, who is somehow still living with me this year, I can’t believe she’s not annoyed.” 

 Though she started out by only playing casually for friends, Ervin’s knack for music-mixing quickly stood out, leading her to take the stage at larger parties and events. Ervin finds this brewing passion continuously reignited by the SU campus itself: from the myriad of talented Bandier students she meets along the way, to the bumping nightlife of the greater Syracuse area. 

It’s no secret that house music has cultural prominence in Syracuse University’s social scene. As Ervin puts it, “It’s kind of everywhere you look.” The on-campus craze for this musical genre reached new heights last year with FEEM, a group of student DJs who garnered university-wide attention for their techno beats. The roar that FEEM accumulated through their weekend performances at The Cage, an apartment complex-bound music venue, eventually granted them a spot on University Union’s annual Block Party lineup. 

Courtesy of Clara Zaiman

Lauren Ervin at her board during a performance.

Featuring electronic tunes — particularly tracks produced by students — was not common for UU lineups in years prior, mirroring a broader trend happening on an international scale: a sort of EDM renaissance. According to the International Music Summit’s 2024 report, the global electronic music industry was worth $11.8 billion in 2023, signaling a $7.8 billion increase since 2020. The sheer absence of social experience during COVID-19 seemingly cultivated an international hunger for dance culture, which unfolds on a micro-scale within the Syracuse community.

Echo Union founder Lowell Douglas said he witnessed the “demolition” of the electronic music community first-hand during the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why he decided to start Echo Union: to establish a space in Syracuse that can help rebuild its once-vibrant electronic dance community. 

“I’ve seen the potential for house here. It needs to be flourished,” Douglas said. “I think there are a plethora of acts and artistic people that need to be heard and seen.”

One of those artistic people? SU’s very own Ervin. While this isn’t her first show — performing at UU’s Jamboree and Calentón Music Fest just last year — it might mark the first of many with Echo Union. Starting this Friday night, Douglas plans for Echo Union to host around one event per month at The Song & Dance music club in downtown Syracuse. 

Courtesy of Talia Fastow

Ervin is relatively new to DJing, having only picked it up about a year ago.

“I love seeing people in their natural habitat, being themselves, having fun, dancing, chit-chatting, building new relationships, networking, and creating,” Douglas said. “The music brings everyone together, that’s where relationships are formed, bonds are created.”