The reason he gave for these intimate social events is simple, but necessary. “We’re teaching people that there is a balance that can be achieved in your practical and creative side,” Martin says. It quickly became evident that this was not a meeting, but rather, as Harasimowicz might frame it, a sort of antidote to the obsessively practical mindset he thinks Berkeley overemphasizes. There were s’mores, hot dogs, buns and Blue Moon. On a Tuesday night, members of Golden Records and some curious students were huddled by a fire in the back of a quaint little house on Carleton Street. “(As a result) you’re going to get some people to do some pretty cool things.” “At the end of the day, we’re all in here because we like music and we build a community around that and bring that energy up among everyone,” Harasimowicz said. Presenting the seminars under the moniker Golden Records University, Oh has set his sights on nine more lectures for the rest of the spring semester, all of which are ultimately aimed to empower GR members to pursue their passions, no matter what those may be. … This is just priming them to be better musicians, better talents, better whatever.” “Now they see the bigger picture as to why they’re doing anything, and that’s a lot more fulfilling it gives them more motivation if they realize what they want to do. “I like being more comprehensive,” Oh explains. It’s just a sad existence.”Īt no point did the lecture specifically tackle the workings of the music industry. “We’re all going to die one day,” Oh bluntly stated, “You guys don’t want to die having done nothing, regretting your life. Its topic?įor two hours, Oh led a room of about eight students through several painstaking exercises to evaluate their “strengths” and rank their “values.” He would approach topics such as “higher consciousness values,” making the lecture curiously spiritual and existential in nature. On Super Bowl Sunday, an hour before the game began, Oh and Martin Harasimowicz, a DJ for GR and a friend, hosted a two-hour seminar in Barrows 151, open to members and students. More importantly though, Oh has essentially turned GR into a network of support for students with interests beyond producing music. There, Edgar Jiang, who performs under the name “3DGVR” and is aided by Golden Records’ guidance and resources, stood tall upon the stage, warming up to the equipment and scratching the turntables. One of the most obvious signifiers of GR’s handiwork could be seen at the front of the dance floor, where varied DJ equipment rested on an impromptu stage - one table for the equipment on top of two tables put together. On that Friday night, Golden Records hosted a show that would not only introduce students to the Korean American Student Association, but also provide an opportunity for each of Golden Records’ members - from artists to social media managers - to develop in their respective fields, whether in live performance or in the event’s marketing. Standing in the middle of what would quickly become a crowded dance floor at Lambda Phi Epsilon fraternity, Oh didn’t merely see an opportunity for alcohol-induced liberation - but rather, to repeat the general term he uses, “value.” Though Oh emphasizes how BEAUZ’s success was largely independent of Golden Records, one cannot downplay the fact that GR played an important role in generating exposure by hosting shows such as VOLTA, which BEAUZ headlined in 2016 at San Francisco nightclub The Grand.Ĭurrently, the duo sits on Spotify with 587,986 monthly listeners.īut Oh emphasizes that Golden Records does not only function to foster artists. One of the most prominent artists the company works with is BEAUZ, a DJ duo consisting of Bernie Yang and Johan Yang, who is a UC Berkeley alumnus and a GR co-founder. The organization also provides exposure by booking student-artists into venues small and large, from fraternity houses to high-end nightclubs. On the surface, GR exists to provide aspiring student-artists with the necessary resources and connections to develop their talent and image as DJs and music producers.Īdditionally, GR’s services include one-on-one consultation services that prescribe next steps for up-and-coming artists. “These (students) have various goals in the music industry, and I want to help them reach their goals,” he said. “It’s about creating value,” he repeatedly says, using this broad term to emphasize that GR’s mission is not limited to the music industry.
#Golden records berkeley professional#
Though “records” is in the name, Isaac Oh, co-founder of Golden Records, or GR, and a senior at UC Berkeley, recognizes GR as a company, professional organization, community and even a family, but rarely as a mere record label - and for a specific reason.
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