Blaring beats could be heard throughout the Holmes Student Center as four DJs served up a slice of major mixology to the audience that continuously piled in. The Master of the Mix DJ Battle took place 7 p.m. Wednesday evening in the Duke Ellington Ballroom where DJs competed to win a brand-new speaker.

The competition featured a simple concept: a member from the audience was invited on stage to spin a genre wheel with each color representing a different genre of music. The DJs would then have seven minutes to entertain the crowd with a selection of music from that genre.

Kurnisha Sanders, vice president of the Campus Activities Board, said the event’s ability to attract a wide variety of students on campus was amazing. She said mixing exposes people to a variety of music because it combines samples of different genres together in one track. The event sold 300 tickets, with nearly every chair filled and students filing in continuously throughout the night.

Senior education major Bernadette Chatman said DJ battles are a great way to introduce students to new styles of music and help them appreciate the art of mixing. Chatman loves going to CAB events, especially the ones involving music.

“It’s definitely not as easy as people think,” Chatman said. “You have to stay on your toes, identify the energy of the crowd and smooth transitions are really hard.”

Chatman said she supports all kinds of music, from hip-hop and rap to alternative and pop. She believes mixing helps students learn about African-American culture and the styles of music they value.

Kiera Garza, junior rehabilitation services major, said she had never been to a DJ battle but would love to attend more in the future. Garza loves listening to Drake, Frank Ocean and a variety of hip-hop and Latino music. After hearing about the battle through Snapchat, Garza decided to round up her friends and enjoy a night of musical creativity.

“NIU offers students so many free and fun opportunities to support each other, and that’s really what we need right now,” Garza said.

Despite her excitement, Garza said she wished the event would have been advertised more on social media because attendance could have been higher.

The atmosphere was relaxed as the DJs spun a good mix of oldies and current tracks. Although it took a while to sound check and get the event started, there was no stopping it once it got going. It was impossible not to groove along as DJs played the 2000s mix and had the crowd on their feet with their house music mix. In the end, it was DJ 2Times whose mix had people dancing and singing as he was named the winner of the battle.