We catch up with celebrity mixer to the stars DJ TRAUMA (real name Tayari McIntosh) during his fifth tour Down Under to talk about his life behind the wheels of steel, VIP parties and being the music man to the funnyman, Dave Chappelle…
Welcome back to Australia, Trauma. What have done differently to your previous trips to Oz?
Every trip has been really different. One time I took a ferry to Manly when I was in Sydney, another time I went to the Australian Open in Melbourne – I’m a big tennis fan. I’ve actually spent more time in Melbourne, I think it’s more my speed, more chill.
Besides “G’day” do you have a favourite Australian expression?
The funniest one I’ve heard recently was when someone was talking to us the other day and mentioned “a wristy” and I was like, “What the hell is a wristy?” And he was like, “You know, a wristy” and he was doing the actions. I almost passed out from laughing, I was dying.
You never know when a wristy might come in handy. So… how did you come to be a DJ?
I learned to DJ because I had some friends who knew how to DJ. I started small and just built up from there. I went to Clarke Atlanta University, where I was an Electrical Engineer major, and this is where I started my career – DJing in a cafeteria and college parties. Then I moved to clubs and when I got out of college in 1997 I went on the Puff Daddy and The Family Tour because a friend of mine worked for the label. Usher was the opening act and I was just helping handing out CDs and promotional stuff – this is when I knew I wanted to be an entertainer.
That’s when you knew you wanted to be a DJ?
Yeah, that was the moment. I booked my first tour with an artist called Cha Cha and really liked touring, but then got a job working in radio which kept me in Atlanta for the next 10 years. I still did a lot of celebrity events like NBA All Star weekends and travelled a little bit here and there, but I went on a trip to Africa in 2008 and it changed my view on travelling and DJing abroad. From then on I was like, “This is what I want to do” – travel and DJ around the world. So I hooked up with Ciara and toured the world with her, then I hooked up with Dave [Chappelle] in 2013 and I’ve been DJing for him since.
How did you become Dave’s DJ?
I randomly bumped into a friend I went to college with and he was telling me he was managing a few people. Then two weeks later he hits me up and says, “Dave has eight shows at the Tabernacle in Atlanta”. I’d never met Dave before, I only knew him from his show, so I just played all the stuff I thought he would like – I played Kanye, DJ Premier, Mos Def, all those kinda things. After that there was a break but every now and then Dave would ask me to DJ for him. Like, he was having a party after the Mayweather vs Canelo fight and he’d ask his people to, “Bring the Atlanta DJ out”. So, I DJed that party and a couple of things here and there but it was never consistent. Then one day Dave was doing a stretch of 10 shows at First Ave in Minneapolis (the club where Prince filmed Purple Rain) and after the first show he hated the DJ, so they called me. I killed my first show and in between shows I was sitting onstage with Dave and he asks, “Would you think about being my DJ permanently?” I was like, “Of course, what are you talking about, let’s go!”
Tell us about your first ever DJ set.
I was DJing for my friend who I learnt to DJ from and I played for a half hour. I had no idea what I was doing or what to play, so someone else took over. I was in high school and there was a fight at that party and I got punched in the head. That’s why I remember it.
Damn. So, is that where the name “Trauma” comes from?
Nah. Basically, when I used to go to parties in college people would drink and pass out and the ambulance would arrive – but it would have “Trauma Unit” written on it. I was like, “Yeah that’s THE name!” I started out as T-square but I didn’t like it, so I switched it.
Who were your heroes and musical influences growing up?
I loved the hip hop scene. My favourite rap groups are A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. Living in Manhattan I was just a nerdy kid and wasn’t from the streets or anything like that, but I loved De La’s first album – they had a huge impact on my life.
Do you do anything special to prepare for a performance?
Usually for my sets I’ll prepare for about two or three hours, especially if I’m out of the country. You never know until you get to the club what the vibe is going to be like. I usually try and get there an hour before the show so I can see what angle I want to approach the party, check out the crowd and go, “OK, this is what this crowd is about.”
What is the key to a great DJ set?
The people. The biggest skill a DJ has to acquire is knowing his or her crowd and knowing the people they’re performing to. It’s all about perspective and who you’re performing for. Lately I’ve been doing this sample set where I play a mix of samples from hip hop originals where all the breaks work. People be like, “Oh, that’s where that song came from”. I played that set at Tim Weatherspoon’s [Kelly Rowland’s husband] birthday. There was like 30 people there and I was trying to figure out what to play, so I decided to play that set. Beyonce and Jay-Z were there, the late great Nipsey Hussle was there, a bunch of celebrities and music execs were there…
Well, you’ve worked for so many celebrities, everyone from Jay-Z to Dave Chappelle and even a Oprah-hosted party. What’s the best gig you’ve ever done?
The Oprah thing was crazy – I mean just doing it was crazy, but when she said those things about me… man, I could retire now. Another party where I was just in such a
zone and my happy place, was the first time I did Radio City Music Hall in New York. I had just started touring with Dave and he was doing 10 shows there and he got me to play at two shows. I arrived early, brought my backpack with my music – because you never know what will happen on the night. We had an after party – and growing up my favourite comedian was Chris Rock and my favourite hip hop group is A Tribe Called Quest – and Chris Rock and Q-Tip were there! I was trying to impress them by playing all the things I thought they’d like and the set was f—king insane – it went until 5am. I don’t even remember what I was playing but the set was just flowing and the energy was crazy.
It’s a good thing you brought your backpack then.
Exactly! If you stay prepared you never have to get prepared, you know what I mean? I’m always ready to get on it and take the party to the next level.
Got any other memorable gigs?
Well, a week after that Nipsey party, I get a call from Jay-Z’s people asking, “Jay-Z wants you to do that sample set to open up his Oscars Gold party”. I was like “AMAZING!” because this party is super exclusive, super hard to get into. So, I go to this party, I do my set and I mean every celebrity you can think of is at this party – people like Drake, Rihanna, J-Lo, Usher, Puff Daddy, Serena Williams, Kobe Bryant, Spike Lee, the entire cast of Black Panther, Adele, Regina King, Lisa Bonet, Jason Momoa and, of course, Dave [Chappelle] was there. No photos allowed, no agents allowed – just a relaxed environment with about 1,000 celebrities. Anyway, I do my set then I’m dancing with all these actresses I’ve seen on TV and I’m having a ball. Black Coffee [South African DJ] comes on after me and he’s killing it, then No I.D. [legendary hip hop producer] gets on at 1:30am and he plays classic house music. At 2:30am Jay-Z’s people ask me to play some hip hop and I did one of the best sets I’ve ever done. The party goes until 6am. It was crazy. From the Oscars to Oprah that sample set has brought me to a lot of great places.
How extensive is your playlist?
My library on my laptop right now is around 31,000 records. I don’t like playing the same thing over and over.
What’s one song that is sure to get the crowd pumping?
“Party Up (Up In Here)” by DMX – it kills across the board no matter what. It always works for me and it’s guaranteed to get the crowd moving.
What music do you listen to that would surprise people?
Well, my go-to song to get me hyped before a show is “Maps” by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Sometimes people be like, “What is this?” and I just tell them, “Just listen – it’s amazing!”
Lastly, what advice would you give to aspiring DJs who, like you, want to make it big on the international stage?
Invest in yourself on every level. Invest in your craft and make sure your skills are amazing, your marketing is amazing and you play music you can brand. It takes a while before you see the fruits of your labor, so when you get your first dollar don’t be buying cars and what not – invest it back into yourself and create something bigger.
For more info go to: djtrauma.com and traumaunitretreat.com
For the full article grab the May 2023 issue of MAXIM Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.
