Behind Titan Shops, hidden beneath the bridge, lasers hovered over students as they danced to electronic dance music during Associated Students’ second annual Boiler Room event on Thursday.
The tone of the event was set by student opener JOJO, a fourth-year kinesiology major, who introduced a harder techno-EDM vibe. After that, fellow-opener Mikie Nava mixed a house-EDM style set as more students arrived, awaiting headliner GEO.
The event was packed with students as GEO mixed popular hits and showcased a hard style EDM set, blending songs into his own style. Songs such as the “Pokémon” theme song “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” were mixed into a hard style.
Apart from laser lights and loud speakers, ASI offered free stickers such as the popular ‘HOT’ stickers to bring a rave-style vibe to the event.
“It had a lot of the staple songs that you would hear on social media and everything,” said second-year mechanical engineering major Brenda Barriga. “And even if you were to walk by, (the music) would drag you into it.”
Planning began early in the semester as each part of the event needed to be booked ahead of time, including the area under the bridge.
Apart from the planning, ASI needed to stay within a certain budget to book everything. Event coordinators split tasks amongst themselves to book lights and set designs. Along with that, they booked the headliner early through an agency.
ASI also worked with their marketing team to promote the event via Instagram.
This year, ASI wanted to focus on a more Latin-style techno, while last year’s set catered more to dubstep.
Fourth-year communications and advertising major and student programmer Jorge Lua brought up the idea of displaying Latino DJs as part of the “Latino Techno” theme.
“I am Hispanic myself so I wanted to do something in that direction. Even though I did have three different DJ’s that were doing different genres, they were all Hispanic,” Lua said.
Referencing Bad Bunny’s halftime performance at the 2026 Super Bowl, Lua talked about how having Latin music played at such a major event was an issue for many because it was an American football game. Despite this, it also represents a shift toward broader cultural acceptance.
By organizing a Latin-inspired event, ASI aimed to demonstrate how music can bring together cultural boundaries, allowing people from different backgrounds to come together and appreciate Latin music.
The mix of techno with Latin influences created an inclusive atmosphere that resonated with the ongoing theme of the event.
Organizers like Lua, hope that by incorporating a diverse community on campus, they can gain traction from the event and inspire students to explore more events on campus. A boiler room-inspired event such as this one helps to introduce students to the EDM scene, especially for students who normally don’t attend ASI events.
Second-year public administration major Esthepanie Reyes wasn’t planning to attend ASI’s Boiler Room event. However, her friends convinced her to come, making the event her first introduction to the EDM scene.
“I don’t really come to ASI events, I think this is my first one out of the two years I’ve been here,” Reyes said. “I wasn’t expecting much from the videos I watched beforehand, but honestly, I really (had) fun.”
Nava, both DJ and second-year kinesiology major, emphasized the importance of attending student events and how they showcase community on campus.
“Not only did everyone come together for this event, everyone had a really good time,” Nava said. “At the end of the day, it’s music, and music that’s bringing us all together.”
Jayden Lovelady, editor-in-chief of the Daily Titan, contributed to this article.