Electronic dance music, or EDM, is a very popular music genre, especially in the UCF community. Brett Painter, a 21-year old senior studying information technology, has always loved music, especially EDM. He’s been a DJ under the name Steve French for years and has quite a large following.
“I’ve loved music since a young age. When I moved my songwriting platform from physical instruments to a MacBook, my natural love for music took hold,” said Painter. “When I first made the transition from a guitar to turntables, I never looked back.”
Painter produces and mixes under the name Steve French. He plays local clubs around Orlando and enters competitions when he can. He also plays at pool parties at University House and Sterling during the summer seasons.
“I’m part of every competition around Orlando, Discovery Project being the biggest one,” said Painter.
Jasper Hellweg is Steve French’s manager and is the founder of Electric Mix Music.
“Steve French is incredibly creative, his sound is complex and melodic, and he is such a hard worker I would almost call him a perfectionist,” said Hellweg. [sam_ad id=”4″ name=”ATO” codes=”true”]
Hellweg knows that people will like Painter’s music if they hear it.
“I work with Painter because I believe in him as an artist. He has a clear vision of how he wants to differentiate himself and he works really hard to get there. I believe that the Steve French brand will keep growing to the point of major festival status,” said Hellweg.
Painter has a large following on social media platforms, such as Twitter.
“Our mission is to reach fans all over the country, and later across the world. His strongest social media platform right now is Twitter, with his @DJSteveFrench handle having over 16,500 followers,” said Hellweg.
Painter hopes to gain even more of a following at UCF.
“I’ve spun on campus and have played live at local clubs. I produce my own music, in addition to being a DJ, and that’s the only reason I can enter this competition,” said Painter. “Other DJ’s don’t make their own music, and the ones that do don’t go to UCF. So I have a unique opportunity to be the one people can root for.”
Gabby Winkler is an 18-year old freshman studying nursing and is a true fan of the DJ Steve French.
“I’ve been a fan of Steve French for almost two years. We initially met through Twitter, and we clicked right away because he saw the real appreciation and love I have for Electronic Music,” explained Winkler.
Winkler thinks Painter has the whole EDM music thing down and then some.
“Steve French is different because he puts so much love into his music. He truly does care about every single piece he makes and every mix he creates. He always wants to venture out and try new things and become his true self,” said Winkler.
Winkler said the experience seeing Steve French play live was like no other.
“I’ve seen him play at Mad Hatters once before. The energy was very high and very lively, to say the least. It was nice seeing how energized the people were when he was dropping his tracks,” said Winkler.
Painter will continue to produce and DJ in the local area. He hopes to expand his brand and music even more over time. For more information on Steve French, check him out on Twitter, Vine, Instagram, and Facebook, @DJSteveFrench. To hear some of his music, go to http://www.soundcloud.com/DJSteveFrench/.
