The thunderous beats pulsed through the night as thousands of Broncos danced below the stage lights of BroncoFusion. Backstage, Charlie gripped his headphones, heart racing. This was no homework problem or lab experiment – this was his dream.
Just a year ago, Charlie was down in that electric crowd, a wide-eyed engineering student at his first BroncoFusion. He bounced along to the beat, marveling as the music rattled his bones. Now, he stood behind the turntables, tasked with opening for Dillon Francis and setting the vibe for Cal Poly Pomona’s (CPP) biggest event. 
How did an engineering student land this coveted gig? With Charlie’s dedication, support system, and a pivotal push from Associated Students, Inc. (ASI), he launched his DJ career through the local scene and became a campus favorite almost overnight. But his journey started long before stepping on the BroncoFusion stage.
Born and raised in North Hollywood, Charlie Naff-Rhymer grew up tinkering with tunes. His parents, former radio DJs who met at a station in the ‘80s, instilled in him a nostalgia for the art of the mixtape. For his childhood birthday parties, they had Charlie make mixtapes called “Charlie Songs” which were given out as party favors.
“They were old-school DJs in the sense that they had to cut cassette tapes and tape them together to blend tracks.”
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Charlie decided to finally try his hand at mixing and bought a controller. He started out making mixes of his favorite EDM and drum and bass tracks, then began creating more politically-minded and themed mixes as he improved his skills.
Charlie had been performing small gigs on campus for a few years, DJing events like the Mechanical Engineering banquet. However, he yearned for the chance to share his passion with the CPP community on a bigger scale by performing at major ASI concerts like BroncoFusion.
“I wanted to play a BroncoFusion since I first came to Cal Poly Pomona,” Charlie said. “I would always look up these blogs online and see someone who hosted a set there and I was like, ‘Oh man, that would be so cool to get to perform there.'”
Charlie launched an all-out campaign on Instagram and Reddit to land his BroncoFusion gig. He performed a set on top of a campus parking structure, with sweeping aerial views of CPP behind the turntables. He posted the video online with a caption urging people to help make his BroncoFusion dream come true. His persistence paid off. After a year of longing, Charlie finally got the call inviting him to open BroncoFusion 2023.
“I was genuinely crying. I was having such a terrible day and I got that call and I was like, wow, everything that was happening that week, it didn’t matter. Being able to perform is really awesome,” Charlie recalled.
The day had finally arrived. As Charlie gazed out at the sea of expectant faces in the crowd, the adrenaline coursed through his veins. He was transported back to his first BroncoFusion, feeling the power of the pulsing beats uniting the crowd.
Now behind the turntables, Charlie harnessed that energy, blending electric beats to ignite the night. The deafening bass notes reverberated in his chest. He tuned out the roar of the crowd and let the music guide him. Under the bright stage lights, Charlie twisted knobs and scratched records, lost in his flow.
Each thundering drop sent waves of goosebumps down his arms. The crowd jumped and swayed as Charlie controlled the pace of his set. He glanced up to see hands waving and Broncos consumed by the music. At this moment, Charlie felt truly alive.
Later, Charlie recalled how pivotal this performance was. “That was the point that it clicked for me,” he said. “I love that I’m doing insanely cool stuff with Mars and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), but this is something that because of this feeling and experience I know I can’t ignore.”
Riding the momentum, Charlie was invited back in December to DJ at another high-profile ASI event, Midnight Madness: Into the Galaxy. His passion project had now evolved into a thriving alter ego – DJ Mech_E. 
While DJing started as a hobby, Charlie now sees it as a potential career path. His next goal is to start producing original music. Being selected for major ASI concerts and events has given DJ Mech_E a huge career boost. “It has allowed me to ride that to further success in other places,” he said. “If you’re a student and you’re pursuing music, it’s insanely hard to get any sort of traction or notoriety, but being able to be pushed forward just because of BroncoFusion is such a tremendous gift.”
Performing has also raised Charlie’s profile on campus. “It’s been really cool to be in a place where I’m not really expecting recognition, and being recognized for it,” he said. “The community has 100% embraced me trying to have this second branch of my career.”
Charlie recently got special permission to film a DJ set at NASA JPL, where he works as a spacecraft mechanical engineer. “I love the place I work and being able to fuse my two hobbies, I mean jobs, together was really awesome,” he said.
“You will fail a lot before you win,” Charlie advised. “But every failure brings you closer to success if you persist.”
ASI strives to empower students like Charlie to explore their diverse passions through opportunities like ASI events and programs.
“Performing at BroncoFusion showed me this DJ dream could become a reality,” Charlie said. “Now when I walk on campus, people know me as the guy who brought down the house. This is going to be something I’ll have forever.”
No matter where his journey takes him after graduation, Charlie’s time at CPP gave him the experiences and community support to hone his craft and chase his artistic dreams. As he reflects on his rise from awestruck attendee to headliner, Charlie believes this campus ignited his spark and transformed him from student to artist. “Cal Poly Pomona will always be the place that helped me turn my passion into my purpose.”
Do you have what it takes to perform at an ASI event? Let us know on our social media and keep up to date on more upcoming events @ASICPP on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok!
