BY JOHNATHAN ZHU
VN SPECIAL WRITER
Juicy James, Thad the Designer and Sambe are all very different and unique musicians on the Detroit Mercy campus.
Juicy James is an E.D.M producer and DJ. Thad the Designer is into an experimental hip hop and rock combination and Sambe is a rapper.
Juicy James, also known as James Coyle, is a senior studying software engineering. He specializes in dubstep and trap – not to be confused with hip hop trap.
Big influences for him are Diplo, Major Lazer and Bassnectar.
He recently had a show at this year’s Pride festival and University of Pittsburgh Johnstown and is on a label called Maek, which is based in Chicago.
During his spare time, he enjoys playing video games and going out to eat.
Thad the Designer, Ted Stawiarski, is a junior studying architecture.
He plays guitar and drums as well as programming his beats on a computer.
He has played locally at some unspecified venues and enjoys artists such as Led Zeppelin, Kendrick Lamar and Flying Lotus.
He plans on releasing an album next year. Stawiarski also likes to play soccer and draw in his free time.
Samuel Ambe – Sambe – is a sophomore studying business.
He goes to Mix One Factory in Southfield to record his raps because he says they have the best engineers.
Huge influences for him include Playboi Carti, xxxTentacion, Ugly God and A$AP Ferg.
He has recently released two mixtapes.
Ambe enjoys partying and driving in his spare time.
While they are different in their musical tastes, all agree that the state of music is strong and growing.
“It’s only a matter of time for any producer or DJ to gain a following,” said Coyle.
He said it’s a myth that it’s impossible to make it in the music industry.
“The revenue sources have just changed,” said Coyle. “Most artists these days, whether they are doing country or hip hop, can just upload their music to SoundCloud and gain a following within a year or so.”
Added Ambe: “My network only grows bigger thanks to the internet. I just do what I like and put it out there. If people don’t like it, then it’s ok with me. Who am I to say what people should like?”
That doesn’t mean the road to success is easy.
“Doing music in the Detroit area can be tough sometimes,” said Stawiarski. “You can easily find yourself surrounded by negative reinforcement because many people are not in the music industry around here. You just got to push through it.”
But, he noted, “I meet new people making crazy music almost every other day.”
You can find their music at these sites:
https://www.soundcloud.com/imjuicyjames
