PIKE SPIKE
Photos by Shane Grates
With a name like Spike, maybe it was inevitable. Sumner "Spike" Michel, Syracuse University sophomore and member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity (Pike) is a DJ. Don't everyone cheer at once. While it might seem like everyone and their mom is trying to be a DJ these days, especially frat guys, Spike was made for this.
“When you tell somebody you're a DJ, they kind of roll their eyes,” Michel said. “That's when you have to be like, ‘No, I do this, this and this.’ So I say 'professional DJ' a lot. I get paid to do it and people hire me.”
Michel was surrounded by music growing up—musical theater, dancing in the outfield while waiting for fly balls and trying and quitting the piano and saxophone. But none of it stuck.
"I wanted to find a way to manipulate music because I couldn't play it," Michel said. "Getting into producing is really hard. So I went with DJing instead."
His senior year of high school, he joined a production company. He watched their DJs work for a month before buying his own board and teaching himself. No YouTube tutorials. Just watching and grinding until it clicked.
At SU, it snowballed fast. Pike parties. Shows at local bars. DJing SU's women's volleyball games. A two-day gig for a David Yurman store in Massachusetts.
Toward the end of last semester he played three bar nights a week on top of two personal gigs—five nights total.
“The money's great but the burnout was real,” Michel said. “So I wanted to pull back.”
Lately, Michel has been rotating with other brothers who want reps.
The secret to good DJing is less flashy than you'd think. He reads rooms, tests unfamiliar songs early in the night when fewer people are listening and knows song structure well enough to get out of a dull moment fast. He skips the house remixes most college DJs lean on and sticks to originals. Spike displays a QR code during sets so people can request songs or leave feedback in real time.
“I haven't gotten 'This sucks' yet, which is great.” Michel said.
The bartenders at Orange Crate Brewing Company told him he was the best DJ who’s come through.
Spike has two upcoming gigs under Non-Disclosure Agreement and sees the industry shifting toward media and concerts. He's not sure exactly where he fits into that yet, but he's paying attention.