We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Matthew Behum. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Matthew below.

Matthew, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

In the DJ world you get a lot of “book cover judgment” by managers or even the general public. One thing I take great pride in is since my immersion into the DJ world, I have truly become a student of a multitude of musical genres. I enjoy curating a cocktail of multiple genres during a set. And often that eclectic mix catches people off guard who initially may think you don’t have the “look” to play a certain style of music. Then when you show how you can dabble into those genres people have grown to love, you immediately sense that level of respect from them by their reactions. I remember after finishing a set early on in my career at a small venue in Odenton, one of the patrons came over to me and told me how much he loved my set, going further admitting that he thought I would never be able to play the music that would relate to the crowd there. It goes to show that judging a book by its cover in the DJ world can be a foolish approach as music is a universal communicator — various genres of music destroy cultural barriers and can impact anyone at any time.

Matthew, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a father of 4 pre-teen kids, hence my DJ name “Fo4.” I knew immediately when I got into DJing after my 4th child was born that was going to be my brand name. I don’t know if starting a DJ career after a 4th child is necessarily the smartest move for everyone, but my kids have loved it. I had been drawn to the DJ world through my passion for electronic music, particularly the trance genre. But knowing full well that I would have to expand the genres I play beyond that relatively narrow spectrum, I dove into a multitude of styles, establishing a unique catalogue of native tracks and remixes that span the popular music rainbow. I like to balance my time between wedding events (where I support on average 20 weddings independently per year), private events (corporate, non profit, and single family support), and club and restaurant open format events. With this latter category I’ve maintained a residency at the Graduate Annapolis Hotel Trophy Room for 3 years now, and regularly play at other locations including Chart House Prime Steakhouse in Annapolis, and DC spots WunderGarten in NoMa and Swingers Crazy Golf Club (DuPont Circle and Navy Yard).

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Taking the wedding side of things for example — I truly enjoy the connection with the individual. I tell clients that DJing isn’t my full time position, and I think that is to my advantage. I do this because I truly love it, not because I NEED to do it for money. And when you get into wedding planning, you cannot just rely on someone who can deliver an amazing mix — you essentially need a wedding planner who can think two steps ahead, making sure all entertainment logistics are addressed. I get the biggest rewards from clients that tell me how my perspective during their planning process was instrumental in ensuring they had a beautiful event. But then taking your eyes “out of the books” and ensuring the mix you create excites those in attendance is a thrill that cannot be described. For those reasons, it is always an honor when clients trust me to provide the entertainment for their big day.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Although it is the nature of the business, and it is certainly an area I maintain for my business development, I think there is too much focus on social media when people consider DJs for either private events or clubs and other venues. That focus on the number of followers somebody has in no way reflects the DJ’s ability to directly support your event or venue and too often people use number of followers as the litmus test to communication with a potential DJ. Digging beyond that, looking at reviews, listening to mixes, seeing/hearing literal examples of the work, and chatting one on one with the DJ is the best way to qualify the fit you see with your event.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fo4music/
• Facebook: facebook.com/fo4music
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-C1odrl-owlfqJsBHhrZ9g
• Other: twitch.tv/djfo4 https://www.mixcloud.com/dashboard/my-shows/published/

Image Credits
Matthew Behum