DJ E Tackles the Soundtrack to Sporting Events

It’s game time. Adrenaline is pumping. Nerves weave in and out of players. The crowd hopes for a winning outcome. Ethan Beaudoin, known by his stage name DJ E, lets music pulse through the stadium like a soundtrack for the final minutes leading up to the opening play. The air intensifies but he keeps his composure. He perfectly syncs the most intense of emotions with joyful throwbacks. Even while living with mitochondrial myopathy, a neuromuscular disease that limits his mobility, DJ E is tackling sports DJing and advocating accessibility for all. 

303 Magazine, Christian Garcia, Adrienne Thomas, Denver Music, 303 Music, DJ E, Ethan Beaudoin, Denver Sports DJWhile players focus on the game, Beaudoin zones in on the soundtrack. “Life is about creating experiences,” he said. “I love to DJ events to help amplify peoples’ experiences that are being created right in front of our eyes.” 

Although Beaudoin has physical and mobility limitations as well as respiratory challenges, technology allows him to move around in a power wheelchair. To bring sporting events to life, all he needs is a laptop, speaker and Click Effects ProAudio. Beaudoin can then share his voice and amplify the crowd’s feelings of joy.

“If I see people smiling and I sense that I have amplified the collective experience, then I have done my job,” he explained. “Those experiences with feelings and emotions are irreplaceable. They are some of the greatest feelings in the world.” 

303 Magazine, Christian Garcia, Adrienne Thomas, Denver Music, 303 Music, DJ E, Ethan Beaudoin, Denver Sports DJBeaudoin created his own path. He began building playlists on iTunes to mimic the situational scenarios of sporting events. Over time, he honed his skills in curation, which led him to invest in software that would allow him to professionally soundtrack events. Flashback to 2014, when he DJ’ed his first sporting event at Regis University for a powder puff game. The positive reception that followed opened the door to new opportunities including serving as the Official In-House DJ for the now-defunct Premier Arena Soccer League, Colorado Rumble F.C (2017-2019). 

When discussing his career, Beaudoin stated, “I am fortunate to have had a handful of highlights during my young career thus far.” He also encouraged others to “do something you love to do so much that you don’t consider it work.” 

While paving his own path, Beaudoin faced unexpected challenges with accessibility. While these challenges were — and continue to be — frustrating for him, he is confidently bringing awareness and education about accessibility to venues in the events landscape. His goal? To encourage companies to take accessibility seriously. From there, he wants to assist venues in modifying execution methods for future events. 303 Magazine, Christian Garcia, Adrienne Thomas, Denver Music, 303 Music, DJ E, Ethan Beaudoin, Denver Sports DJ“Over half of Americans live with some sort of a disability. The awareness of making venues equipped to host events is not there,” he said. “Accessibility can include, but is not limited to, parking, ensuring the doors to enter a venue are wide enough for a wheelchair and making sure the location’s surroundings are accessible.”

Although there have been challenges, Beaudoin is hopeful for the future. “Music is a unique element. It can entertain us, inspire us, and act as a coping mechanism during our darkest hours,” he explained. “It’s therapeutic. It enables us to go to another world. It’s one of the few things that most of us can come together on.”  

Beaudoin is currently expanding his business DJ E to enhance the overall experiences of events and encourage venues to create spaces that are accessible to all. 

All Photography by Adrienne Thomas