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Matt Barga is the Owner/DJ of Big Productions. Some of you may know him as DJ Bluto. Barga took time to speak with The Valley Ledger for an exclusive interview.
Matt Barga AKA DJ Bluto hosts music bingo and trivia nights at Gallows Hill Spirits Co, and quite a few other places. The energy at Gallows is already euphoric, so add in some music and it’s blissful. Barga adds to the elation of what people already feel. His personality is positive, and if you are looking for a DJ to bring your event to life, whether it’s a wedding, anniversary, celebration, check out Big Productions.
Hi Matt, how did you get started and why did you decide to get into this business?
M.B.– It was 2007 going into 2008, the economy had crashed, and I was working for my dad’s company as a sales rep. I had a daughter who was not quite a year old. I worked on commission so as sales plummeted so did the income. As I said, I had a young daughter so I was home all the time. So, just to get out of the house one night a week, I would go to this local bar and play free poker. I befriended the guy running it and he decided he wanted to run a karaoke division, and he asked if I’d be interested. It’s funny, I guess everybody has this tale but, to think of how naive I must have been. I literally walked into my first show with his home stereo system, and five CDs of music I had made on a five-cd changer. I had a legal pad with all the tracks listed. That’s how I would play tracks, and then we had CDs of karaoke sounds. It was awful, in a million years, I would never try and pull this off today. I was naïve and new but I guess I had a knack for it. I spent a lot of time in bars, I liked to socialize and it was just sort of doing that with a microphone, engaging people and bringing people out. After about a year, I thought my job would come back so but they never really came back so, I thought I might as well work for myself.
That’s crazy. The one thing that I loved, and I noticed everyone loves is that you play such an eclectic mix of music. Certain songs take people back to certain moments some times.
M.B.– Thanks. I love new wave, and I get a personal rush if I’m making a board, and there’s new wave. I can remember those years; I remember sitting in my parents’ kitchen in front of the TV after school eating Oreos. It just brought back what the glassware looked like, all those little details and nuances. There is something so powerful about music that it can take you right back to what your jeans looked like and the girl you had a crush on was.
What’s your favorite moment when you’re working an event?
M.B.– It’s easier to entertain two hundred people than it is to entertain two people. There is a vibe that you do get back from a room. You’ve been to Gallows when it’s crowded.
Yes.
M.B.- I know the song that’s coming up next or on the break, I know what I want to play. You can change the mood of an entire room with one twist of a dial. You can make them sad, happy, nostalgic, or reverent. There are so many things that seem to separate us. For a couple of hours, we’re all in this together. I also love when I play something really eclectic and some people come up and they either ask who that was because they never heard the song, or they know it and they’re like how do you know that band or that artist?
It is really crazy because music is so universal and it does bring people together. It’s pretty powerful that you can pick songs and you have an entire room full of people feeling all sorts of emotions. Music is truly universal.
M.B- It is, and the power isn’t in a command presence. It’s not a political power, the music is powerful part.
What’s next for you? What projects are you working on?
M.B.- Wedding season is about to start so, that takes up a significant amount of time. I have my regular weekly routine at the bars, and it’s full-time at this point.
I’ve met a lot of emcees, musicians, actors, artists etc. and you have a positive outlook, you play a wide variety of music, the way you interact with people. You don’t see that kind of positivity all the time.
M.B.- Well at the risk of this sounding like I don’t know myself at all, or that I’m being arrogant, I’m just trying to be honest. I wish I could be the lead singer of a band or a singer-songwriter with a guitar. When I go see those people that I like, and you’re in the room, and you can hear a pin drop because everybody has the same emotions and everyone is connecting to the song. I do try to create that.
Matt, do you have any words of wisdom or advice for future or current DJs working?
M.B.- Like any other business you have to hone it. It looks really easy, I’ve interviewed a lot of people and through the years, I had a lot of guys do shows for me, and they think they can just step in and do what you see. It isn’t easy, you have to pay your dues, you have to do the crap work, and you have to learn. I’m still learning, you grow every day. Find your niche. We do parties that cover the gamut of life, and all of the little celebrations that you go through from the time your born, up until the time you die. That old adage of, if you find what you love to do you will never work a day in your life. I’m pretty much around for people’s best moments.
Thank you, Matt for taking the time to do this interview.
M.B.- Thank you.
Make sure to check out Big Productions.
https://www.bigproductionsdj.com/
