Today we’d like to introduce you to Matai Butler
Hi Matai, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It started with my uncle. He is a DJ himself and really recommended to me that I should become a DJ because I’ve always loved music and he told me that it was easy money. At the time was a college student at Inver Hills Community College and I was looking for a small side hustle to get a little more money. I was about to move to a bigger college so I knew that this was a pretty good opportunity for me, so I went and bought a bunch of beginner equipment and from there I just practiced in my bedroom and kind of shared what I was doing with my friends. For my first gig, one of my friends had recommended me to someone that he knew for a grad party and that’s kind of where it started and shortly after that I got booked for my first wedding. Soon after I had moved to college up here in Duluth and I joined the UMD techno club which is a group of djs and people who love music and having a good time. From the club I’ve made awesome connections with other djs which has helped me get booked for different parties, bars, and other events like that. One of the biggest aids in my career so far has been a family friend named Josh who has been DJing for a very long time and owns his own DJ company called Harmony DJ. They do a bunch of different events from school dances all the way to weddings. Josh has helped me in this industry and has really been looking out for me by helping me grow as a DJ like teaching me various things and also helping me book some gigs.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being a professional DJ definitely isn’t easy, the hardest part is making the connections and putting yourself out there. There’s also such a high demand in this industry that it can be hard to stand out so when it comes to being well-known you really need to separate yourself from everyone else
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m mainly DJ two categories of music one is EDM and the other is Open Format. open format is generally just any genre and is music that you normally hear at a wedding, party, or bar. but EDM is also a lot of fun for when you are playing for big crowds of people who are there for just the music and having a good time. One thing that Separates Me from other DJs is that I just bring an energy to these different events that promotes a good time and having fun which really goes a long way.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Biggest lesson that I’ve learned is he really kind of have to start from nowhere and really put yourself out there which for me has always been a struggle because I’m naturally not a very outgoing person.
Pricing:
- Weddings (starting) $1000-1500
- Parties (starting) $100/hr
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djtai_/
- Other: djtai.entertainment@gmail.com
