DJ Iman Tucker brings a new sound to IU’s historic Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for men’s and women’s basketball games
Since 1971 Assembly Hall has been the home to the Indiana Hoosiers, a Power 5 Division I institution location in Bloomington, Indiana. With a capacity of 17,222. There is no shortage of energy on an IU basketball game-day. With the addition of an in-house DJ, Iman Tucker is looking to take things to a whole new level.
The university made the decision modernize their game-day — previously the staff would select pre-recorded music to play alongside the band. Now, Tucker will curate a game-day playlist based on player, fans and staff taste and preform a high energy pregame mix leading up to tip-off each night.
He also will be mixing in quick mixes throughout timeouts and other moments of stoppage within the the contest. This isn’t Indiana’s first partnership with a DJ. IU previously had DJ Unique playing music at games in the mid-2010s.
IU Senior Associate Athletic Director for Strategic Communications Jeremy Gray said that the scripts for breaks in games will include slots for the DJ interspersed with slots for the marching band or pep band. There will be a lot of collaboration during games between the DJ, a marketing person, and the band director about how everything will flow.
“It caught me off guard,” Tucker said of opening his email and seeing Indiana Athletics at the top. “I opened it up and had a brief moment of awe celebrating the offer but immediately had to get back to focus and make sure I did my part to represent our offerings appropriately and lock in the deal.”
“With all of the tradition that is held so close to the hearts of Hoosiers, my hope is that I can bring an additional layer of entertainment and innovation to such a historic gymnasium and storied university,” he said. “I hope to use my energy and spirit and connect strangers and put smiles on faces. Whether veteran supporters or students new to the success of the program, above all, I want to bring a positive energy to the atmosphere.”
“The game itself is obviously the reason why we are all there, so as the DJ, I want to be sure to complement the experience, not take away from it,” he said. “I can’t wait to get into the city, interact with the fans and really get to know what makes someone a true Indiana Hoosier.”
Tucker said his job is to create an interactive musical experience with his turntables — one that would make two strangers sing along together to their favorite songs in a way they’ve never heard remixed before.
He’s now working on his craft to be ready to do just that.
“If you’ve ever seen me play out before, it’s a high-energy, highly technical production as is,” he said. “But then you add in the large stadium, excited fans and the logistical flow of the game production, it adds another layer of complexity. So above all, I want to make sure I am ready to give the fans something they love and something that can get the players locked in.”
