DJ Nevy crafts the music behind UNC football and men's basketball

Nevy Ramadanovic's favorite part of UNC men's basketball games is when Associate Athletic Director Ken Cleary turns around and says three words. 

"Hot timeout, Nevy."

It usually happens when the Tar Heels are on a run in the Dean E. Smith Center that forces their opponent to call a timeout. That's when DJ Nevy — North Carolina's trusted disc jockey — feels the most pressure. Sure, he recognizes the excitement in the Dean E. Smith Center, but in that 30-second timeout, he also has to add to a moment that could determine the game while surrounded by a crowd of 20,000. So, how does Ramadanovic do it?

Well, with Pitbull. Typically, the hit song "Don't Stop the Party." Then, "I Love It" by Icona Pop or Steve Aoki's remix of "Pursuit of Happiness." And it gets the crowd going. 

"The unique thing about UNC basketball is the ebbs and flows of the game," Ramadanovic said. "So, you have to push energy, but you also have to know when to pull that energy back."

Ramadanovic began DJing in 2012 and became UNC's official DJ in 2021. He's in charge of remixes and music selection during football and men's basketball games. 

In 2012, Ramadanovic graduated from UNC Greensboro, earning a Bachelor of Science after studying kinesiology with a sports medicine concentration. He started working at a physical therapy clinic to record hours for graduate school. During his stint at the clinic, Ramadanovic went on a solo trip to Chicago. 

He always loved music. He read blogs all the time about music. Ramadanovic was always the person on aux at parties. He had friends who were DJs, producers and managers.

So, while in Chicago, Ramadanovic decided to attend Scratch DJ Academy. The academy was founded by Jam Master Jay, the DJ of the influential group Run-DMC. 

Ramadanovic bought three hours worth of classes before the trip. When he went to Chicago, he purchased lessons for the weekend. He learned from the ground up.

No computers, all vinyl. Two turntables and a mixer. That's all it took. The passion exploded from there. 

He borrowed free DJ equipment from his friend. He quit his job. He started DJing anywhere from six to 10 hours a day. Although Ramadanovic practiced skills like scratching and mixing, he also did things backwards or just messed around. He said that's when he learned the most. 

"It's just following my creative process and whatever sounds cool to me," Ramadanovic said. "So that was the funny thing about DJing, is there [are] rules, and I'm a very structured person, but the cool thing about DJing is that there [are] also no rules at the same time."

He got his first gig in 2013. Everything took off from there. It started with a house party. Then, he started performing at clubs. By 2017, he had DJed for the UNC women's basketball team. While Ramadanovic never DJed for the women's team again, his ties to UNC planted the seed for his position now. 

In 2020, Jordan Chavis — also known as DJ Forge — passed the role to Ramadanovic after serving as UNC's DJ since 2013. 

Following a year of sending in mixes for football games during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ramadanovic started DJing in person. He learned the differences between football and men's basketball. Ramadanovic will play verses or longer periods of a song at football, while he mostly sticks to the chorus for basketball. He's knows how to cater the music to appeal to all demographics attending a game. 

There's more room for music to breathe at a football game. Comparatively, men's basketball is all about energy. Ramadanovic said football is suited for Ozzy Osbourne and basketball for EDM. But more than anything, it comes down to being in tune with the event's momentum. 

"The biggest challenge about DJing sporting events is understanding the pace of the game and understanding the situational moments of the game," Ramadanovic said. 

Carolina Fever co-chair Savannah Kardouni isn't particularly fond of the song "SkeeYee" by Sexyy Red, but it was a staple during the 2024 football season. Kardouni's two friends love the song so much that they do the same dance every time it comes on. It's burned into her mind. Hinging arms up and down. Moving hips. 

"Even though I don't like the song, that is just a memory I associate with the games of like, 'Oh, haha, this silly song is coming on,'" Kardouni said. "'My friends are doing their silly little dance.'"

Ramadanovic has created many memories like this during his time as UNC's DJ. From hot timeouts to a more relaxed football game setting, he tailors his music to enhance moments. 

He helps craft the atmosphere and shapes the game day experience. 

"There's a lot of passion behind this," Ramadanovic said. "And I've always tried to do the right things as a DJ."

@_emmahmoon

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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