Jason Kushy may be the only EDM DJ who is also an active service member, in his case, the Navy.

Many may primarily think of DJs as the ones who work social and family events, and Kushy did that as a teenager when he lived in Lower Macungie Township.

In September 2025, Kushy released a three-song EP, “Keep It Moving.”

The EP, on the Direct Action label, placed in the Top 20 on Beatport’s Tech House chart.

DJs have become producers and performers in their own right. Electronic Dance Music (EDM) hits can reach billions of play counts.

EDM is listed in most surveys as one of the Top 10 streaming genres of music. Emerging from the disco scene of the 1970s, this mostly instrumental music has appeared on soundtracks of movies, including “Deadpool 2,” “Blade” and “Trainspotting.”

Kushy calls his music “tech house,” tech being an abbreviation for techno.

There are many types and subtypes of EDM, ranging from the laid-back Downtempo and Ambient to the heavy beats of Hardcore.

“My music is inspired by classic EDM, early house with the standard beats of 128 bpm [beats per minute].

“It also has the repetitive bass lines and the mechanical and minimalist sound of techno. It is definitely not pop music. I give it hard club beats, but also make it easy to listen to,” says Kushy in a phone interview from his home in Monterey, Calif.

He describes his music as “energetic, clean and structured.” and says it “sounds good, with unique production values. I am about keeping it authentic. I’m not going for viral trends.” He did not take on a “crazy DJ” name, saying, “I just want to be myself.”

Kushy designs the cover art himself. The “Keep It Moving” EP cover depicts three otters, whose arms are linked, representing Kushy and his friends, who have influenced and helped each other through the years. He says otters are very popular in Monterey.

Kushy was born in Austin, Tex., and moved to the Lehigh Valley as a child with his family. He is a son of Amy and Stan Kushy and has a brother Hunter Kushy.

He attended Shoemaker Elementary, Eyer Middle School, and graduated from Emmaus High School in 2017. 

He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2021 and is an active-duty Navy Meteorology & Oceanography Officer.

“There are 400 or less officers in that field worldwide. I have been able to do weather models on four different ships,” he says.

He is the first male captain of the Academy’s co-ed gymnastics team.

Kushy began making tracks in his parents’ basement. After he started his own DJ business in eighth grade, he began working for Wesley Works Entertainment and Photography, Emmaus, doing “weddings and every type of party you can think of, from birthdays to Chinese New Year.”

He became a gymnast and was a coach at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center, Allentown, leading to long days where he would attend high school classes, coach at the Parkettes and DJ at night.

With the release of his EP, Kushy looks to have his career take off, and begin doing more live shows:

“I have a set of 20 original songs. I want people that are going to specifically see me.”

He plans to do sets at clubs in San Francisco and other locations, maybe eventually coming back to his home turf. “The Lehigh Valley is where it first started.”

He says the main way he is being discovered is by word of mouth, including by friends in the Lehigh Valley. “I now have a good idea of what I want my music to sound like. I hope to have 100,000 listeners.”

AI is viewed by some as a threat to music-makers. Kushy does not think AI will replace humans:

“People don’t want to go to a show and see a robot play. You need someone to keep the vibe going, communicate with the crowd, and relate to them. People want to have fun and need to have an escape.” 

The EP, “Keep It Moving,” by Jason Kushy can be downloaded at Beatport, and can be heard on Spotify, Soundcloud, YouTube and his website, jasonkushy.com, where his other tracks can be heard.