Today we’d like to introduce you to Myles Herzog.
Hi Myles, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Hello and thank you for having me! My name is Myles, I’m a DJ/music producer, and my stage name is Herzo!
So growing up, I never would have expected that I would have any sort of career in the music industry. Nonetheless, I was always fascinated by the beauty and emotional power that music gave to people (me included). I’m a firm believer that music is for everyone!
Everyone has a music genre that they resonate with; my dad would show me all the classic rock he loved, and then my mom and sister would show me their favorite country/pop songs….but then friends at school and gymnastics would put me onto all the other genres in between. So I always felt well-rounded in the music that I enjoyed and listened to in my early years!
It wasn’t until I was in college that I was introduced to EDM as a genre (this was around the time when EDM started its rise in popularity in the US) EDM immediately intrigued me because it had this new form of energy behind it!
So my friends and I would listen to these EDM mixes made by “DJ’s” and it was the first time that I was able to experience this idea of combining 2 songs together. It blew my mind that you could take 2 songs from completely different genres, blend them together, and create a new version that had its own unique sound & feel!
So one day I just decided to try and make something like that myself! I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, zero concept of song tempos or musical keys…but by some miracle I eventually made my first mashup. It sounded god awful of course haha! But I had so much fun just from sitting there alone at my computer making it and then being able to show my friends the end product.
After a few months of me making several more (again…not so great sounding) mashups/EDM song edits, I wanted to understand what these DJ’s actually did on stage. So with some leftover Christmas money I went and bought myself this basic little DJ-mixing-controller.
So once more, without any knowledge going into it, I just plugged that controller into my laptop, uploaded whatever songs were in my iTunes library and began playing around on it nonstop in my room! Within the first 5 minutes, I was absolutely hooked. I was obsessed and every second I spent would teach me more and more.
Eventually I started being able to DJ college parties and with some solid networking I landed a couple gigs to DJ at some bars on Downtown Austin’s 6th street! The gigs were just Monday/Tuesday nights and I wasn’t getting paid for them…but it felt so surreal at the time nonetheless. I was so proud of myself and this random hobby that just sort of fell into my lap just a year beforehand!
Like every step of the way before though, those early gigs helped teach me so much with what makes a good DJ. I had to learn how to: read a crowd, build a music library that could cater to all audiences, and most importantly; quickly teach myself how to mix transitions from one song to the next!
From there it was just staying consistent with it all and within a year and a half from starting with those god-awful mashups I made, I was getting booked at bars/venues downtown for peak slots on Friday & Saturday nights!
That was 10 years ago now and I’m proud to say that I’ve genuinely enjoyed every minute of this journey so far! Since then I’ve moved on to playing at bigger venues, music festivals and have been able to meet and play alongside several big name artists that inspired me from the beginning!
To wrap it all up, I also started in producing my own original music about 2-3 years ago. So it’s really incredible to see it all come full circle. I went from no experience and making some ear-bleeding mashups to producing original music that has been signed to a label and then being able to play my original music in my DJ sets for crowds at big venues!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Arguably, the exact opposite of smooth!
The initial discussion with my parents was a big one for sure. College was always a struggle for me (even before any of this DJ story) So I had decided to take some time off from school to at least try and reset.
However, this was around the same time that I had progressed to getting booked to prime weekend slots with DJing; I was also getting paid for it now.
So I was back home, at dinner with my family, and I simply told them that I planned on staying in Austin to continue with this DJ’ing “thing”.
Both my parents and sister were all against the idea.
I went into this discussion expecting nothing short of the outcome I got. I didn’t even blame them for their negative reaction…even I thought it was an absurd idea! But I knew that I had found something that I was no where near ready to just give up.
Between then and now, every year has come with plenty more struggles; and I know that there will always be more in the future. Some other examples include: I’ll have an amazing show booked that I’m incredibly excited for and it will get canceled last minute for whatever reason! Or there have been several times where I don’t get booked a single time for 1-2 months!
But it’s the struggles that make the milestones so much sweeter! Every path we choose in life will have struggles…so why not try the path that means the most to YOU.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I think the best way for me to describe what I do as a DJ/music producer is that I work to bring joy to people. There’s unfortunately a lot of negativity in the world so if I can help people forget about all of that for a few hours with the music that I play, I consider that a job well done!
I love what I do, and I obviously love being able to play the music that I, myself, enjoy! But, it’s not about me, it’s about everyone else in the room! The sensation that I’m able to experience when looking at the crowd full of people that I’m DJing for and seeing nothing but happiness is simply awesome.
For most of the Dj sets that I play, I do what’s referred to as an “open-format” set. Meaning that I will incorporate a multitude of genres for the entirety of my set time! So you can imagine that with an open format DJ set, how important it is to specialize in reading your crowd!
I think what has helped separate me from other DJ’s here in Austin, is that I will take songs from one specific genre (based on what some in the crowd enjoys most) and incorporate it with an EDM song (that I know the other part of the crowd will enjoy)! The best compliment will always come from someone that was in the audience and hearing them say how much they enjoyed my song selection and mixing that night!
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Youtube is certainly at the top of this list! It’s an amazing work resource that I use for both production tutorials when I’m working on my own music and also when I’m searching for new and upcoming music to add to my library! But I also use that app outside of just music/DJing work! I can always find something enjoyable to watch on Youtube! haha
Then, as an artist, I do consider social media to essentially be my resume. So apps like Instagram or TikTok are definitely used a lot!
Podcasts have become a huge part of my life recently! I was an athlete growing up and so working out has always been a big part of my day to day routine! Like most people, when I worked out, I would listen to music at the gym…But as someone who has music dominating so much of the rest of their life, I have now transitioned to podcasts during my workouts! My current favorite series are ‘Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum’ and ‘Smosh Reads Reddit Stories’
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.actuptalent.com/roster
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herzomusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herzomusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@herzomusic1502
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/herzo
Image Credits
Credits will vary per image:
Kley Reynolds
Bradley Byrd
Kris Bryan
Caden Champagne
