Grab a glass and let’s Get to know DJ exeqtive
C.V.C Entertainment recently got the opportunity to speak with BK native and R&B lover DJ Exeqtive. Growing up in a home where music was a staple is one of the reasons why the highly successful DJ gravitated towards a career in the music industry. To him, it was almost natural. “I had a lot of great people through different steps and stages of my life when it comes to music as a DJ. The first person was my dad. He was into building — if you’re in the Caribbean world sound systems.”During our interview, we discussed his start in the music/ DJ world, the art of DJing now vs. then, transitioning from New York City’s music scene to Atlanta’s, his show The Exeqtive Suite and so much more.
While his story is still being written Exeqtive also took some time to share some tips for those looking to enter the world of music as a curator & DJ and to also thank and mention those who guided and served as an inspiration and mentor to him along the way. Lifting as you climb is a mantra he acts on daily. With that being said, grab your glass and press play below to learn all about DJ Exeqtive.
Interview Highlights
When it comes to the meaning and unique spelling of his DJ name Exeqtive stated: The story behind my name goes, first my name was DJ Icey. For the people that have known me for over ten years, it was DJ Icey. There was a techno DJ who started to use the name a few months before me. So long story short, I had to go through with a name change. This was around the same time…I want to say maybe two or three years after Instagram started, so the name change was actually easy for me because of social media. So I went through the whole name change and I was like you know what, even when I was DJ Icey, it wasn’t Icy it was Icey. I always did something a little different. When I went with the name Exeqtive, at that point and time I was doing a lot of corporate gigs, so I was like “you know what, this is gonna fit, Exeqtive is gonna fit” and it takes me away from a lot of the — I don’t want to say the urban nightlife. But it puts me on a different level. When somebody hears Exeqtive…they’ll think you know what I trust that guy…so it was just a clever way of you know adding something different and a different flow to the name.
His advice to people looking to enter the music and DJ space
DJ Exeqtive: My advice for upcoming DJs, find a Dj that you can move around with…learn from, and get advice from. Don’t just look at the DJ you can’t get in contact with. It’s good to have those DJs as an influence. But it’s also good to have someone that you can latch on to and learn from right there and then because you’re just seeing things and not able to speak with them. So it’s good to have those other DJs that are big in your city and your town so that you could build under them.
What are the five key things DJs like yourself must do in order to have a successful event?
- I’m going to start off by saying preparation. Proper preparation prevents poor performance. You gotta be prepared!
- Connect and build with the planner or event coordinator or whoever that person may be. You have to build that relationship and also that relationship may help you out in the future. An event may come up and they think “oh you know I worked with Exeqtive Entertainment, let me give him a call.” So build with that planner or promoter for that particular event.
- Find an outfit! You got to look GOOD! Find out the theme for the event. You don’t want to show up in all black to an all-white event or vice versa. You don’t want to show up in sneakers if it’s a black-tie event. That’s very important, I think a lot of people miss that part.
- Back to the preparation part, organize your music. If you’re stepping into a 90s theme event you shouldn’t be playing all 2000s songs.
- Show up at least an hour before your event. You never know what happens, so show up on time but more than showing up on time show up an hour or half an hour before.
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