Conversations with DJ Butch

Today we’d like to introduce you to DJ Butch.

Hi DJ, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the city of Carson to be exact. My love for music was influenced at an early age by my father, who was a guitarist in a local disco band. I still recall being around their practices and shows memorizing the rhythms of different songs and their lyrics. Fast forward to freshman year of high school, my best friend, Ronnel, introduced me to a set of turntables and I have never looked back. I began this DJ journey inspired by the scratch/battle/competition aspect of DJing and gradually transitioned to doing mobile gigs at house parties, weddings, and school dances. Growing up in LA and being able to appreciate various genres of music from reggaeton, dancehall, afrobeat, hip hop, and R&B helped fuel my journey as a DJ.

Building on relationships over the years, I found my way into the LA club circuit and have played at some of the most premiere nightclubs in Hollywood, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Orange County, Tahiti, & Asia. From there, I hit the DJ battle scene and built upon some success from that to enter the studio to start producing mixtapes and remixes, acquiring inspiration from local radio DJs at LA’s then-92.3 The Beat and Power 106.

More recently, I have been handling promotions, marketing, and events with my talented team bringing different parties weekly to the LA Nightlife scene. Currently, I am the Program/Promotions Director for Songbird Cafe in Chinatown and Apartment 503 in Koreatown. Before the pandemic, I’ve held weekly residencies Tuesday @ Bootsy Bellows, Thursday @ Hyde Sunset Hollywood, Friday @ Playhouse Hollywood, Saturday @ Argyle Hollywood, Sunday @ Nightingale (Greystone Sundays), & Sunday (Summer Seasonal) @ Penthouse Day Club Hollywood.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Growing up in an Asian household, DJing was definitely not one of the choices my parents liked me to have as a career path. Especially being a first-generation American. My parents desired that I take the medical field as a career, so I was able to meet them halfway by graduating with a Registered Nursing degree at a local university.

I was at a turning point where I completed what they wanted me to pursue, but I knew in my heart that my passion was for music and events in bustling environment that is Los Angeles. So I decided to continue on that path and I have had no regrets.

Early on, the road was quite challenging, from not getting booked because I did not know specific promoters or talent bookers to just not being a known name in the scene… I was able to overcome that by getting out there, networking, being seen, building on my DJ skills, and doing more by putting out mixes. When the opportunity arose, I was able to step up, take it, and run with it. After that and getting into nightlife, I blazed my own trail into working with people that I now have a genuine passion for collaborating with.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Currently, I am throwing my own weekly events, running everything from the theme of the parties to the name to the concept, to putting together a team, to all the marketing that these events entail.

Most of my parties are hip-hop nights, but I do have specific events that can cater to all genres of music.

I have been lucky enough to travel to places that I never thought DJing would take me to, like Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Las Vegas, Seattle, Tahiti, Japan, and the Philippines.

I think what sets me apart from others is that I don’t just enjoy playing the crowd like I genuinely want to entertain the people who book me, the people who run operations, and everyone involved with these specific events. In addition, I can also run events from an operation standpoint and I can handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes aspects of these nights. Over time, I have built relationships with artists and brands, and they have come through to these events just based on our rapport.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I have a passion for what I do and I take it seriously. Preparation, planning, and execution are also key elements to my success in DJing and handling these events.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.djbutch.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/dj_butch
• Facebook: facebook.com/djbutch
• Twitter: twitter.com/dj_butch
• SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/djbutch