We recently connected with Tim Underscore and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Tim thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
The pull towards the creative side of things came a couple years after graduating college. In my time as an undergrad, my entire focus was performing well in my studies and receiving my bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After a few pit-stops at various jobs in the field as well as a couple stops in real estate marketing, my soul was craving to pursue something creative and artsy, to be my own boss and show the world what I thought I could give. I wanted to live in the shoes of someone who was attacking their artistic dream full force. I felt like I needed to express my capabilities and attention to artistic detail best through music production and DJing, specifically because I have always had an affinity for dance music and with uniting people together, to achieve the goal of having the audience and I become one while on stage.
I began by tinkering and experimenting with mashups in my bedroom studio, and started posting them online. My first few uploads on TikTok and YouTube in 2019 began receiving a lot of play, and it gave me a bigger appetite to create more content that would hopefully continue to resonate with listeners of dance music. My mashups often consisted of pop and hip hop vocals blended with house music and festival anthems, with artists such as Avicii, Kygo, Lana Del Rey, and Taylor swift all mashed together. I continued to upload every week and paid less attention to view count and more attention to the joy I was having in both creating them and also playing them for my friends. As my friend group saw the sparkle in my eye whenever I would talk about or show them my YouTube channel, they sneakily collaborated together over a period of a few days to surprise me with my first DJ controller for my birthday, at age 28. Thoughts of pursuing DJing were scattered up to this point, I never really had a plan to become an actual DJ, but in a lot of ways, this felt like a calling and felt the tug to learn just how to mix and sharpen my skills to become a proficient DJ. Their gift to me accelerated those thoughts and reminded me why I felt (and feel) like I’m built for this, why I’m passionate about expressing myself and connecting with audiences through this medium. My hard work and training paid off as I began to pick up a few gigs through friends and word of mouth and it felt surreal being able to control the vibe of a room with just a few knobs, and I understood right away, regardless of the significance of the gig, how that responsibility should not be taken lightly and how I wanted to keep myself accountable to always aim for the highest degree of excellence in performing my sets. Integrating my own mashups into them was the perfect cherry on top.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My big breakthrough came in early 2023, when I decided to randomly apply for a DJ competition at Insomniac’s Time Nightclub, their first ever time hosting such an event, where they asked local DJs from Southern California to throw their names and portfolio into the hat for a shot at potentially playing on the big stage where many mainstream EDM artists have and continue to perform. Shortly thereafter, I received an unexpected call from their booking manager, who told me they had gone through over a hundred and fifty applicants and had wanted to bring me in to go up against four other DJs in a competition that would feature actual judges scoring our performance. We were to be rated on song selection, transitions, crowd control/response, social media marketing/branding and our overall performance. I had never prepared for something harder than I did for this set, where I had 6 days to prepare and learn how to mix on the highest end equipment that nightclubs carry.
I was equal parts thrilled, anxious, confident, yet apprehensive to “not mess up” but the closer it came to the night of the show, where we were to open for two other prominent DJs, including our headliner and long time EDM artist, MakJ, I assured myself to trust my rehearsing and training and take my best shot at it.
After picking our names from a jar to determine the order the five DJs would go, I pulled the number 5, meaning that I would be the last to perform out of all the contestants, where the crowd would be at its fullest and all my friends who promised to come would be able to see me and not miss the set. I gave it my all, despite being on a few hours of sleep. I got to play songs that I have forever adored, from the likes of Tiesto, Avicii and Swedish House Mafia, and even threw in a mashup of my own, a Lady Gaga and Avicii mix (Just Dance x Levels), that seemed to take the crowd by storm. I remember pausing in my head for a brief few seconds to soak it in, and I remember it being surreal that my time spent over COVID fine tuning and creating mashups by myself in my bedroom was now being shared with a room full of strangers who were embracing what I had created and put together. I later found out that the headliner, MakJ, also played my mashup in his own set, which felt incredibly rewarding.
I wanted to be satisfied with simply just giving it my best shot and leaving the results in the hands of the judges and team at Time. I was grateful to just be considered and to step into an opportunity of a lifetime, regardless of what place I finished. Just a few days later, we were e-mailed the results and I learned that I had finished runner-up. This came with a few perks and prizes, not the least of which was that I was now to be added to their roster/database of DJs to be called back for future gigs, as the top two finishers would be rewarded with this amazing feat.
Ever since February of ’23, I have made it a point to stay busy with other side gigs but also to get back to what I first enjoyed creating, and that is making mashups and remixes of popular songs that people can listen to in their car, at the gym, at home or in the club, along with producing original songs of my own recently released in January 2025.
Not only have I had some of my mashups get picked up by bigger artists and DJs, but I have also been called back to Time Nightclub several times a year since the big competition, averaging about 3-4 appearances a year at the venue. My goal is to continue to rally lovers of house music and EDM together to celebrate and dance the night away to good tunes that provide a way of escapism but also connection with each other. And I believe that is my primary motive in all of this, it’s not just to express who I am and what artistic elements I bring to the table, but also to individually connect with fans and people who see my work ethic and recognize me for me, that I’m not just a robot behind the decks, but I’m a human with a story, a drive to be great, and a person who just as equally wants to learn about the stories, dreams, and goals of others who I might come across in the dance music scene. I love being as accessible as I can, whether through social media or in person, because being a voice and encouragement to others to pursue their own creative dreams is something that I cherish alongside mixing and producing. I want to let others know that your next breakthrough can be waiting just around the corner, and that a little patience and faith can pay off.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
I mentioned the initial apprehension amidst the excitement of being called to DJ at my first nightclub two years ago, a lot of that had to do with – was I going to be prepared enough? Was I going to impress the judges and audiences enough? Was I even worthy of taking the stage? This was shot of a lifetime – “Don’t mess it up!” Right? I put an incredible amount of pressure on myself those first few days of preparation, had many sleepless nights just due to the sheer excitement as well, but I also found myself becoming overly obsessed. Obsessed with perfecting every song choice and transition and fitting in just the right amount to play of each song for a 20 minute set, – there was so much I wanted to express in my set of only 20 minutes. But it got to the point where I was slowly neglecting eating and sleeping to go all in on the dream and to make the dream as nice of a reality as I was hoping for.
As it got closer to “gameday,” as I like to put it, I just had a moment of relenting, in my prayer time. I felt the urge that I should just surrender, and to trust the process, to trust the work and the grueling hours I put into it all, put my best foot forward and let the results be what they may and to let everything unfold like it’s supposed to. To ride that wave of incredible emotion on the way to the club, and channel any nervous energy into positivity and amp myself up. I would say my experience during and after the set left me in a good place mentally that I did indeed do my very best in preparing and that next time I am called in to any important club event, that I would double down on having faith that my work ethic, training, and my ability to feel the crowd out would almost always result in a performance I can be satisfied with (and reassurances from the audience as well as important members of the staff there have of course, helped a ton).
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
My faith plays a huge role in my life so I would of course say that several Bible verses helped me along the journey (and continue to), trusting that the promises of God, the purposes of God, will be accomplished and that you can’t miss your calling. What’s meant for you will find you, I’ve learned this the hard/long way actually. After several years of self-analysis and self-discovery after graduating university, knocking on doors of other fields, and industries, it’s always led back to music, all other doors continue to close except for the music scene. That’s why I’ve decided to double down on the dream even more this year and continue making content and appearances at shows, grow my fan base, connect with more fans, and let them know that there are amazing things on the horizon if you just “let go, and let God” and make banging music along the way as much as possible, as I continue to hone my craft of producing and becoming a mainstay on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timunderscoremusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@timunderscore
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/timunderscore
Image Credits
Laura’s Perception