Makj
MAKJ | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Mackenzie Johnson |
| Also known as | MAKJ |
| Born | June 25, 1990 |
| Origin | San Luis Obispo, California |
| Genres | electro house, Big Room House, dutch house |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, radio host |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Revealed Recordings, Spinnin' Records, Ultra Records, Juicy Music, Hysteria Records, Doorn Records, Diffused Records |
| Website | djmakj |
Mackenzie Johnson, best known by his stage name MAKJ, is an American DJ. He has released a number of singles as a solo artist since 2012, as well as a large number of collaborative singles with artists such as Hardwell, Lil' Jon, and M35. Since 2013 MAKJ has performed at large festivals such as Electric Zoo, Voodoo Experience, Coachella, and a main stage slot at TomorrowWorld.[1] In March 2014, Billboard named him one of the Top 10 Artists to Watch at Ultra Music Festival.[2] Also in 2014 he was named No. 63 in the Top 100 DJs list put out by the DJ Magazine Awards. MAKJ is the host of the radio show Revolution Radio on Clear Channel’s Evolution channel.[1]
Biography
Mackenzie Johnson was born in 1990 in San Luis Obispo, California. By his teens he was living in China while pursuing a career as a professional race-car driver. At age fifteen he became interested in DJing, and he purchased a set of Technics 1200 Turntables.[1] By age 17 he had returned to the United States, where he found himself invited to perform at local events in his hometown. He had a number of lessons with DJ AM, who trained MAKJ on scratching.[1]
Late 2013 saw his first major US tour, traveling the country with Bingo Players and Bassjackers.[1] After a time playing small venues, he began to attend festivals as well.[3] Since 2013 he has performed at festivals such as Electric Zoo Festival, Voodoo Experience, Coachella, a main stage slot at TomorrowWorld, Northern Lights Festival, Euphoria Festival, Webster Hall, and Ruby Skye.[1] In March 2014, Billboard named him one of the Top 10 Artists to Watch at Ultra Music Festival.[2] He toured Europe in 2014 with his "Let’s Get Fucked Up Tour,” then traveled North America with his “Peyote Tour.” Plans for an Asian tour were also announced.[1]
He has released a number of singles as a solo artist since 2012, as well as a large number of collaborative singles. He has collaborated with artists such as Showtek, Lil Jon, and DJ Kura. In 2013 he released a collaborative single with Hardwell called 'Countdown' which peaked at No. 1 on Beatport within three days. He has also released music on Hysteria Records and Doorn Records, Diffused Records, and Juicy Music, among others.[1] In late 2014, he released his track "Generic," which had earlier debuted at the Ultra Festival in Miami.[3] He's had a number of his original songs chart in the Beatport Top 10.[3]
MAKJ has been a guest judge for the Campus DJ contest, and he is the host of a radio show on Clear Channel’s Evolution channel, with the show also streaming at iHeartRadio and 101.7 Boston.[1]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | DJ Magazine Awards | MAKJ | Top 100 DJs (63rd) | Nominated |
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL | FRA | ||||||||
| "Countdown" (with Hardwell) |
2013 | 28 | 41 | Non-album singles | |||||
| "Encore" (with Henry Fong) |
— | — | |||||||
| "Let's Get F*cked Up" (with Lil Jon) |
2014 | — | — | ||||||
| "Derp" (with Bassjackers) |
— | — | |||||||
| "Mad Max" | 2015 | — | — | ||||||
| "Black" (with Thomas Newson) |
— | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||
Remixes
- 2012: Nari & Milari featuring Maurizio Gubellini - Unbelievable (With Robbie Rivera)
- 2013: NERVO & Ivan Gough featuring Beverly Knight - Not Taking This No More
- 2013: Federico Scavo & Robbie Rivera - Jump
- 2013: Sandro Silva featuring Jack Miz - Let Go Tonight
- 2014: Benny Benassi featuring Gary Go - Let This Last Forever
- 2015: O.T. Genasis - CoCo
Further reading
- "MAKJ Makes a Beatport Hit with Pee Sample, Unleashes His Latest Track "Generic"". Vice Media. December 4, 2014.
- MAKJ at Allmusic
- MAKJ at Discogs
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "About MAKJ". Facebook. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
- ^ a b McCarthy, Zel (March 28, 2014). "Ultra Music Festival 2014: The Top 10 Artists To Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
- ^ a b c Lhooq, Michelle (December 4, 2014). "MAKJ Makes a Beatport Hit with Pee Sample, Unleashes His Latest Track "Generic"". Vice Media. Retrieved 2015-02-02.
External links
- djmakj
.com - MAKJ on Facebook
- MAKJ on Twitter
- Audio and video