A two-year-old Damiano Cortini bobs his head and murmurs along to the heavy metal band Ratt’s “Lack of Communication” in a home video filmed by his parents.  

Fifteen years later, in August of 2019, Cortini, now under the moniker Emorfik, jumps and sweeps away his hair while hyping up a crowd under a dense bass beat at The Westcott Theater. 

Emorfik will perform again at the Wescott for his Street Legal Tour on Dec. 27 at 9 p.m. 

The 17-year-old Syracuse local plans on performing his 10-song album “Street Legal” that he has been crafting for more than a month, along with other EDM hits from artists like Virtual Riot, Wooli and Subtronics.  

During his childhood, Cortini was surrounded by gifted musicians in his family. His father, a pianist, taught him chords on the piano. Meanwhile, he gained early exposure to heavy metal music through performances by his mother and brother. Even Cortini’s grandmother, who played ukulele, would later influence him to harness his Hawaiian roots through his music.  

But it was EDM music that captured Cortini’s heart at 12 years old. He recalled a car ride during which his brother Jake put on Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.” Cortini was immediately attracted to the high energy of the artist’s music. He eventually went to one of Skrillex’s concerts with Jake and his mother. 

“It was indescribable,” said Cortini. “After seeing him for the first time, I was like ‘Wow, all these people go out to see this guy, and what a dream it would be to be like him.”’  

Cortini said it was around this time that he began opening for EDM industry heavyweights like Rusko and Protohype.  

Then, for an early Christmas present, Cortini was gifted a Novation Launchpad, a beat-making music kit, and began teaching himself. He started to dedicate over 60 hours a week to making music, all while balancing school and a social life. His basement transformed into his studio and workplace. 

Over time, Cortini has crafted a setup fitted with two high-end decks and a mixer, all while pioneering his music on the Ableton Live 10 Suite, a music-producing software. 

“This kid, he’s so dedicated,” said Jake. “He doesn’t go out partying with his friends. Like, as soon as he comes home, he’s downstairs making music and doing everything. He’s trying to build a better self, and he tries to do that consistently.” 

Equipped with the necessary technology, Cortini began posting music to SoundCloud under his former stage name “DaKai,” which fused his given name Damiano and the Hawaiian word for ocean, “kai.”   

However, this name was short-lived, as he switched to his current name Emorfik. Cortini said that he dropped the name because he wanted to copyright his brand and wanted a name that suited his high-energy music style. 

Cortini was not satisfied with simply making music for an online audience and looked to his brother for assistance in landing a gig. Soon after, Jake began spreading his name locally and was contacted by a local sponsor who wanted him to play as an opener for a local party. 

Despite the small attendance, the audience was impressed by the young DJ. 

“It was shocking to see him do that as a little kid,” said Jake. “Everyone was in just such amazement.” 

Hungry for more events, Damiano and Jake, music equipment in hand, went door-to-door on Ackerman and Euclid avenues asking to perform. His dedication landed Damiano numerous local performances at high school house parties and abandoned warehouses where he played in front of 500 people. 

Damiano was growing into a well-known local artist. One Facebook video that Jake posted of Damiano performing gained the attention of Wesley Johnson, the marketing director and box office manager at The Westcott Theater. 

Johnson, who was looking for local talent to play at The Wescott, saw Jake’s video and reached out to him. 

“Despite him being 14 when he first played and super nervous, he ended up loving to perform and brings a really fun energy,” said Johnson. 

As Cortini approaches graduation from Fayetteville-Manlius High School, he looks to further his career by either promoting his music or enrolling at Icon Collective: College of Music Los Angeles and Online. 

“College just really isn’t in my mind right now,” said Cortini. “I’m just trying to lift off, build up and do what I do best.” 

Published on December 19, 2019 at 7:00 pm

Contact Christopher: cscargla@syr.edu | @chrisscargs