Artist profile · DJ
swgstrnk
“I just never get tired of a four on the floor with a good bassline”
- What does your DJ name mean?
- swgstrnk is a shortening of “Swagsternak”, which is -- like any good nickname -- one given to me by my friends. It’s a combination of “swag” and “sternak,” the latter of which is a part of my last name. My friend Alice from DVC @ UCSD called me “Swagsternak” one time after watching me play a hip-hop set. At the time it wasn’t a genre I’d usually play, so I think it was her way of describing this alter-ego she witnessed me become. And from there another DVC friend, Nick, put together a hilarious “$wagsternak” poster with my face superimposed on cover art for EDM-trap artist UZ. At that point the persona was born, and I’ve been rolling with it ever since.
- What is your relationship with the music that you play?
- I just never get tired of a four on the floor with a good bassline. It must have something to do with how my brain is wired.
- Why and how did you pick up DJ’ing?
- I think it all started with being exposed to early and mid-90s dance music. My parents would frequently play dance music in the car when I was a little kid. Then when I became a teenager, our family computer came with MusicMatch Jukebox, which had access to early internet music streaming channels. I would frequently tune into the dance channels and listen to Trance classics from the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Tiesto, ATB, Ferry Corsten, etc. Eventually I started learning more about DJs and DJ culture and thought to myself that it would be cool to learn how to DJ myself and continuously mix music. Then as luck would have it, when I went off to college, I found out that my school had a student-run DJ club on campus, and that they offered lessons on how to DJ. I signed up, they taught me how to DJ, I met lifelong friends, and the rest is history.
- What is the best set you’ve ever seen?
- It’s funny because even though I’m a DJ, I don’t go out and see other DJs play that often. But I would say of the sets I’ve seen, probably either Groove Armada at CRSSD Fall 2026 or Sasha & Digweed at CRSSD Spring 2025.
- Where do you find new music?
- Anywhere I can – scrolling through Beatport, watching YouTube sets, Spotify algorithm, listening to KCRW, supermarkets… you never know where you’ll find fun music. Oh, and my wife lol – she has an ear for good music and always sends me tracks she thinks I’d like.
- What is an underrated genre in the current electronic music landscape?
- I’d say maybe Big Beat… I mean, people still go wild when they hear The Chemical Brothers or Fatboy Slim, and it was infused in so much pop culture between the late 90s and early 2000s… and then it just petered out. I think it’s due for a comeback.
- What is the weirdest venue or gig you’ve spun?
- Not necessarily weird, but a fun challenge was playing a gig for Project RISHI, where the task was to play all Indian dance music. At the time I didn’t know anything beyond Panjabi MC, so I had to be a quick study.
- What are you planning to play for us at Twenty:Four?
- Hard House for my nighttime set, which like the name suggests, is a faster version of House, but with elements of Techno and 90s dance music. And for the daytime set, you can expect classic Swagsternak House.