Today we’d like to introduce you to Eddie Makabi
Hi Eddie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was introduced to music at a very young age and immediately fell in love. I recall my mother took me to the Dr when I was 2 years old because of a weird rash I had on my face, but it turned out to be grill marks from a speaker I would lay on. I started DJing 33 years ago out of necessity, because my friend was throwing an 8th grade graduation party and we needed a DJ. Ever since that day, I knew it was my calling. No matter what I did on the side for income or education, music was my safety net. I always had DJing to rescue me, mentally and financially. Within a span of 8 years after graduating high school, I was pre med, graduated from collage with a Marketing Degree, attended Law School for 2 years, and also became a Mortgage & Real Estate Broker, During that entire time, DJing was still my passion. In 2005, I wanted to retire from DJing and focus solely on Real Estate. A huge event was thrown on my behalf, with over 1,000 people in attendance, and I truly was ready to close that chapter of my life. 2 days later I went to Panda Express, and was blown away when my fortune cookie read “The universe without music would be madness.” I knew that was a sign that I needed to pursue this even further. A couple years later, I made myself a promise that I was going to become a music producer, and release tracks for the biggest electronic music label at the time (ARMADA). Within 3 years of making that commitment (and making many connections in the electronic music scene), I was signed to Armada and released some amazing songs. The next goal I wanted to pursue was building my own house. This was very challenging as I had no idea what I was getting myself into (even though I had flipped a couple houses prior), but I was determined to do it. 5 years later (with many challenges for years with LA County’s planning department), we moved into our dream home. DJing was monumental in financially helping me reach that goal (along with help from my wife and our parents, of course). Unfortunately, we only enjoyed that house for less than 2 years, because it burned down in the Malibu fires. I was determined to rebuild it asap, and with help from my community (Persian community of Los Angeles), I purchased all new DJ equipment, and was working the following week. During the rebuild time, we were hit with the Covid lockdown. By the 3rd week everyone was really feeling depressed and miserable, and I always like putting joy into people’s lives, so I decided to host a LIVE DJ set from the garage of the house we were renting, and streamed it LIVE on Facebook. I even had sound engineers that had setup the sound to be in high quality, so the people watching and listening could feel the stereo sound bump at their homes or where ever they were tuned in. I was blown away when I saw that 14,000+ people watched me perform during that 2 hr live set. I watched back with tears in my eyes as I read the 1,000+ messages that were being posted on the live chat. They said I saved them and made them feel an ounce of normalcy, after almost a month of being caged in their homes. I felt like I really did something good from the bottom of my heart, to help people during a really hard time in their lives. During that time we also welcomed our 2nd child, so everything was just all happening at once, but my escape from life has always been music & DJing. So fast forward to the present day, I’m still DJing events and private party almost weekly, I’m still a real estate developer and a real estate broker, but recently I felt that I have a 2nd wind left in me to produce music again. My best friend of 25 years and I have decided to set an even bigger goal, to produce music for the hottest label worldwide (AFTERLIFE), and produce some amazing Melodic Techno and make an impact on the music scene. This would be a huge bucket-list accomplishment as it’s the hardest label to be signed to, but I’m confident that we’ll bring something to the table that will get us to the Motherland. Last but not least, I’ll be making my DJing debut at Burningman 2025!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some of the struggles along the way have been self doubt, as my DJ career has spanned over 3 decades, and every couple of years, someone new come to the scene as competition in my community. I have to consistently reinvent myself, to keep current with music that now has an even shorter shelf life than before. At some point, clients stopped calling because they thought I had actually fully retired, even though i’m probably more busy now than I was a couple of years ago.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a professional DJ, I specialize in all types of events. I have DJed at many nightclubs in Hollywood, Las Vegas, as well as internationally in countries like Spain (Ibiza), Egypt (Alexandria), Holland (Amsterdam), Mexico (Cancun, Mexico City, Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta), and Israel (Tel Aviv). I was always known for playing European electronic music way ahead of it’s time. I was the “techno” guy of the 90’s & 00’s, even though it was primarily House & Trance music. My taste in music is so eclectic that I could literally play for any crowd (except Country music), but I can play pop music, latin music (especially reggaeton), house music, progressive house, 80s, 70s disco (seriously), Persian, Arabic, Israeli, French, and a couple other styles mixed in there. I’m proud that I can handle any type of crowd, specifically if I’m booked to DJ like a wedding or an extravagant barmitzvah that these days are thrown more for the parents to enjoy, and they are crazier than most weddings. I think this wide range of music taste sets me apart from other DJs.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I was taught by my father to surround myself with people that are smarter than me, so I can be like a sponge and absorb knowledge from them. I have always prided myself with the gift of gab, and the ability to strike a conversation with all walks of life. I’d like to think I’m pretty outgoing and I love meeting people, and it’s surprising the small degrees of separation Los Angeles has. It’s really a small world with networking, because if you put your mind to opportunities, there is a possibility to reach your goals. With the right connections, anything is possible.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @eddiemakabi_ofc
- Soundcloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/eddiemakabi
