“Lasers and lights pulsed, catching a silhouette or a fist in the air, before jumping to illuminate the next body that moved in response to the overwhelming bass. Dancers clad in university-themed costumes twisted their bodies around and spun luminous hoops to add to the allure. It was sensory overload in the best way possible.” —Danielle Ohl

The Terrapin Beats Society, this university’s club for student producers and DJs, held its first on-campus event, ShellShock UMD Music Festival, on Friday in Ritchie Coliseum.

DJs often work in the dark, and such was the case Friday night. Ritchie looked less like a gymnasium and more like an underground club. The concert was somewhat of a happy accident, the brainchild of Terrapin Beats Society President Adam Weiner combined with first-time funding from the Student Government Association. 

“We were like, ‘Hmmm, what would we budget for if we were to budget for something?’” Weiner said. “‘Let’s budget for a concert.’” 

Thousands of dollars later, ShellShock was born.

“Adam Weiner did an amazing job organizing this and funding this, and it’s really for all to enjoy,” said Adam Stambouli, a freshman aerospace engineering major who was the night’s second act. 

The hours of hard work that went into the event were evident the moment Ritchie Coliseum opened. Even at 9:30 p.m., just 30 minutes after the show’s scheduled start time, a group of 30 to 40 students gathered in front of the pseudo-stage set up to feature the student acts.  

Lasers and lights pulsed, catching a silhouette or a fist in the air, before jumping to illuminate the next body that moved in response to the overwhelming bass. Dancers clad in university-themed costumes twisted their bodies around and spun luminous hoops to add to the allure. It was sensory overload in the best way possible.

The audience itself — clothed in a mishmash of tie-dye and neon and sporting glow sticks — was a sight to behold, but the best part was the event’s original purpose: the music.

“Terpbeats is cool, and it’s completely transformed. But at the end of the day, we’re a bunch of producers and DJs,” Weiner said. “We want to give people music.” 

The event was, for many performers, their first opportunity to showcase their own work. It was a unique experience — a keyhole view into a world so few people know much about.  

“I played French house, new disco type of stuff,” Stambouli said. “I didn’t think people would dance to it, but they did.” 

The student musicians were all different ages and majors and presented a range of music equally as diverse. Back-to-back sets featured reggae, ’80s power ballads, rap and Miley Cyrus tunes. This seemingly paradoxical juxtaposition kept the night interesting.

More notable than the overall quality of the music was the obvious passion each artist had for his or her craft. 

“You spend so much more energy when you’re on stage because you need to give that energy to the crowd,” said Armon Font, a sophomore business student, who performed under the name Armani. 

The energy was palpable, as Font deejayed, rapped and even twerked alongside fellow DJ Brandon Choe and rapper Aarborne. Aarborne, sophomore mechanical engineering major Aaron Wright, noted the difference between rehearsing and performing. 

“When I was rehearsing, it did not take as much breath as it does on stage,” he said. “It was a workout.”

The show culminated in a performance by Weiner (as DJ Admonic), DJ Spektrem (2013 alumnus Jesse Warren), DJ Teszero (senior history major Julian Ragland) and sophomore singer Noelle Roy, a communication and theatre major. At the end, all artists involved climbed on stage and danced amid a frantic, moshing crowd, fog and beach balls.

While Terrapin Beats was able to establish a greater presence on the campus, the success of the night had little to do with the light show, fog machine or hired entertainment. While ambiance is important to any show, this event wasn’t about tricking an audience with smoke and mirrors. It was candid entertainment, and most importantly, it exhibited just a fraction of the amazing things students can create when given the chance.