Zeph Pascasio DJs at a show. Photo courtesy of Zeph Pascasio.

A music career is sought out by people all over the world with varying success. Cal State LA alum Zeph Pascasio is new to this journey, with a bright future ahead. 

Pascasio, a 23-year-old DJ and producer from Arcadia, recently graduated from Cal State L.A at the end of the fall 2024 semester, and is already making a name for himself in the music industry. 

He began his journey during the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020. 

“I kind of got bored of playing video games every day,” he said.“Then, all of a sudden, I just decided to hit up Guitar Center and buy my first decks.” 

Pascasio got his start with house parties spinning hip-hop and rap. But that would all change after experiencing his first rave.

“I kind of developed a love for house music,” said Pascasio. He credits his love for electronic dance music to artists like Martin Garrix, Zhu, and Tiësto. 

Pascasio said that jumping into a music career is not easy for everyone to do, and at first it was “very nerve-racking.” A concern many new artists have when starting is whether anyone will come to their shows; this was one thing on his mind. The support from his friends and family gave him the push he needed to continue his career. 

It did not take long for Pascasio to move up in the rave scene. Two weeks after his first house set, he had the opportunity to open for Steve Aoki, a legendary Grammy-nominated DJ and producer.  The moment he learned he would be opening for him still gives him chills.

“I’m still in shock talking about it right now,” he said. Pascasio said he skipped his shift at work that day, telling his job “I have to seize this opportunity.” It’s a decision he is glad he went with. 

A big perk that comes with being a DJ is being able to travel worldwide. The DJ life allows him to travel around the states and even outside of the country—from trips to Alberta, Canada, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and all over Los Angeles County. 

Some of his dream gigs include Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival, and Tomorrowland. Now that he is free from school, he plans on diving all in on his music career. Pascasio keeps in mind that everyone in the industry needs to be humble in order to move up in the industry. 

“Sometimes in this industry, people have egos, and you just can’t have that, you can’t think you are better than anyone else,” he said. “If you have the best attitude wherever you go, it just follows you around, like a Yelp review.” 

The music industry is a hard world to break into, and Pascasio has made a big step forward with his music career. Doing all this while in college can be hard, and for anyone thinking about breaking into the music industry, Pascasio provides sound advice:“Network to the best of your ability,” and “be the best person you can be.”  

This article was first published in the February 13 print edition of the University Times.