Making it big in the world of electronic dance music and
making a name for yourself as a DJ or a kick-ass producer can be difficult, but
it’s all about working hard and putting yourself out there. For 22-year-old
Mackenzie Johnson, known as MAKJ, his hard work is paying off, as he gets to
travel the world on tour and do what he loves.
Starting out with simple mash-ups, he eventually gained
support from some of the biggest EDM names out there (Tiesto, Hardwell, Steve Aoki, just
to name a few). MAKJ has come a long way and has began producing his own
material. Take a listen:
As for how he got into music in the first place, his story
is an interesting one.
He has a background in racecar driving, even spending some
time competing professionally in China as a teenager. It was in Macao that he first
caught a glimpse of the world he wanted to be a part of. He stumbled upon a
club and saw DJ QBert, a world-champion scratcher, and since
then, he was hooked.
When he got back to the States, he bought his first DJ
equipment and started playing at college parties and weddings, anything to get
as much experience as possible. And after graduating with a degree in
architecture, he decided to move down to LA to attend
Icon Collective, a school
that specializes in music production, to learn the ropes.
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| Source: Facebook |
He was in Toronto for the first time for a show on January 26th at
TheHoxton (one of my fave venues) and it was great chatting with him before his set. Check out some of his
answers from the interview:
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve come across?
MAKJ: There hasn’t been any big horror stories that I’ve heard
about, I won’t really mention them. I’ve heard some from clubs. But going to
these everyone treats you really well and are really nice. I was just telling
my mom this, it’s like a different life every time I go and play. I meet new
people, I eat different food, I sleep in a different bed, it’s different every
single night. So I really just think of it that way. I love what I do. Traveling, if that’s the worst thing I can
come across right now, I’m stupid.
Do you have any pre-show rituals? How do you prepare before
a gig?
MAKJ: I eat a cheeseburger, no I’d be 500 pounds. But no, not
really. I go to my hotel room and try to find the dumbest thing on TV and try
watching it while I do my music. But not
really. A lot of people don’t know this about me, but I’ve been DJ-ing for
around six years. A lot of people that start following me and come to my gigs,
they don’t know how well I can DJ. So for me, showcasing my DJ abilities is
super crucial for me. That said, I do
everything live. I’m not going to know if the crowd is going to be a bunch of
50-year-olds or a bunch of 18-year-olds, so I’m really playing for the crowd. And
that’s a huge highlight for me because I know that every DJ out there has a set
already planned. But that’s the rush of it.
It’s the thrill of it, knowing how they’re going to react to
the songs. For me, that’s what I really like to do. Like tonight, you guys are
going to be like, woah I didn’t know you were going to do that. I’ll be going
from house to old school hip hop, back to house and then trap, and people will
be like, what how did you do that, I’ve got a full array. It’s a very A-Trak
thing. So it’s cool that I can show people what DJ-ing actually is.
Who would you love to collaborate with someday?
MAKJ: Everyone has a dream collaboration, but for me, yeah EDM
guys are awesome, so definitely with Hardwell or the bigger guys, that would be
awesome. But I really want to do something with an old classic rock band, like
how Skrillex did that thing with The Doors. I think the generation thing would
be so sick.
What advice do you have for other aspiring DJs and
producers?
MAKJ: Do stuff for free. Definitely that’s the way my fan base
came across. People love free shit. If you don’t have any free stuff to come
by, do what people like. It sounds cliché, but do your own thing. I’m trying to
do an album right now of all the stuff I think I would like. If you go to Beatport and reference the number one track on Beatport, I don’t really see you
going that far because you’re not being yourself. So be yourself and break the
rules. For me, give away free shit.
DJ MAKJ brought my friend and I along to the venue for his
show and he did not disappoint. His set was fast-paced, energetic and the place
was bumpin. I had such a great time (ps:
it was also my birthday weekend, so this was a bonus!). Check out some of my coverage from The Hoxton:
He's got tons of upcoming shows, from Boston and New York to Puerto Vallarta and Miami, plus a residency spot at Tryst in Vegas. He's also on the line-up for Ultra (March 23rd) for the first time this year!
And during our interview, he mentioned a sick collaboration he worked on that he'll be releasing later this year, but couldn't reveal the name...so until then, keep an eye out!
- Christina
