Michael's Cut

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“Nasty” Nate, coined during his high school football laurels, traveled with Nathan Taylor to the University of Auburn in 2010, where he was part of the sixth-year NCAA National Championship reign under the Auburn Tigers, #49. When deciding on a stage name years later, he contemplated “DJ Seoul,” a quip that bridged his Black and Korean heritages, but eventually returned to his childhood legacy. “This kid’s nasty,” he reminisces about post-locker-room compliments over matcha coffee, relaxed as the Ko’olau Range protects us and the sea salt thickens into the air like buttermilk pancakes.

Drivers in Waimanalo blast hip hop while we converse at a local café terrace. When Nate isn’t spinning, he offers personal fitness training or discovers new restaurants with his wife. Before we start, he worries about his outfit: he finished work 30 minutes before, and I arrived in a shirt and trousers. He wants to look his best for a podcast; I slowly unravel my newly bought TASCAM recorder for this interview – Sunday’s best is hyperbolic. Maybe for our follow-up interview, I’ll buy a camera, but for now I’m excited, and he laughs and welcomes the hustle.

It’s a nitid afternoon when we order, I an iced coffee to wake up from an otherwise banal drive, a 45-minute stretch 20 miles of traffic going east. While I prop the recorder on the table, we pinpoint our first interaction: I met Nate after he spun at a YOU WANNA BE DOWN. (now known as DOWN.) event at The Dragon Upstairs. My friends and I hailed his setlist variety, bouncing from boyish Craig David to afrobeats-and-R&B compromises to promiscuous Jersey Club passages, and so forth. Trying to find the restrooms, I accidentally bumped into him, and quickly apologized to and praised him in no particular order. Another incident at The Reef, I caught him and reiterated these things with more inflammation (I don’t fully remember the conversation; I was drunk).

As I commend his craft, he replies with surprise, still feeling “light years” away from his prime. The coveted veteran status takes at least eight years to attain, he notes, about which one can still argue. It’s a feeling every artist understands, that your artistry never peaks but continually fluxes as time passes and new influences emerges. The Godfather of house music, Frankie Knuckles, describes one mindset with destruction: “The minute you think you’re greater than the music, you’re finished.” But Nate hasn’t wasted earning his rite of passage. After spinning at his first club gig with longtime friend and Richmond-based DJ Markus Gold, he’s even more eaager. “When’s the next one?” he asks.

Every performance should increase your credibility, and for Nate, fresh off a B.S. in Exercise Science without a set career goal, practice proves confidence with tangibility. His approval from Gold momentarily sufficed, yet that was only the beginning. “I want everything [in my set] to be perfect,” he comments, “I want everybody to enjoy it,” despite the low probability.

His first DJ equipment pickups, a VirtualDJ account from DJ Well Dunn and a controller from DJ Ashmoe, prompted him to learn on his own circa 2017. COVID-19 later transpired and liberated him from his full-time work duties in person, allowing him to prioritize his technique. Music associated with nostalgic Saturday house cleanings bled into his contemporary palette, not limited to Dom Kennedy, TLC, and Drake, the latter sparking arcs in Nate’s eyes, eager against a setting sun and melting ice. Within this timespan, he moved from VA to Birmingham, AL, and in 2023, Hawai’i, where he and his wife resettled in her childhood countryside, a great contrast against the accustomed club scene.

People watching became his secondary diversion as he resides in and out of the DJ booth. He fonds over the unexpected, the instant reminiscing from Nate lacing a deep cut off records like Usher’s 8701. Something you haven’t heard in years, or rather, a song he could put a crowd on. All his life, his peers championed his music taste (he’s the guy on aux), and when it came to Drake’s career beginnings, Nate somehow always had the CD’s and cassettes before they were released in stores. He was meant to be a curator, and the evidence shows: Rihanna’s “No Love Allowed”  (15:02-16:29) amidst a perspiring Halloween Night at Manifest event; Kanye West’s bold, vibrant “Touch the Sky” at a hip-hop/R&B night at NextDoor and even Bhad Bhabie’s unironic gem in “Hi Bich” (1:20-2:51) during a high-energy set via the Dragon Upstairs, to name a few. Calculated risks weigh in and tip the balance, but he always boomerangs back to the schtick. “We’re supposed to educate people and put them on the new stuff,” he adds.

Much Love derives from Nate’s conversation with his wife in 2021 about a conceptual day party, the idea following in the footsteps of El Rio-based R&B and Ribs (the name speaks for itself). Food and drink vendors, DJ performances, Sunday afternoons, and R&B sing-alongs fill the criteria sheet. Much Love’s a place where “everyone can feel welcome, dance, and just let loose,” being yourself without compromise. He shelved the concept during the couple’s move to Hawai’i, as well as during his brief involvement with the Hawai’i- and New York-based DOWN. collective. However, his group departure allowed him to revisit Much Love, and a talk with DJ Marc Nado, whose usual atmospheric blends of electronic and R&B, and mutual love for R&B and Ribs, slowly materialized the day party, now a partnership between the two.

Since August 1st, the duo’s held three events at Anna O’Briens. DJ lineups feature guest talents out-of-state, local, and up-and-coming, including DJ’s Basa Boyz, Caldee, Inspekt, and Trixy, with Nate enthusiastic about extending the list. Southern restaurant Southern Love became the main food vendor, and the fragrance of mac and cheese and BBQ pulled pork sandwiches welcomed attendees. My experience at Much Love was brief, an hour before closing. However, the ambiance reminded me of a park day. Family and friends charring hot dogs and steaks, and shoes dirtying from tackle football on the grass. I danced and sang along with friends, and Nate and Nado complemented this energy, whether high or low. I even invited my sister and her friends, who stayed from open to close. They admired the music choices and laid-back nature, a necessary break from a weekend night out.

Numbers remain a core focus to jumpstart the team’s opportunity for growth and networking. Even with their modest beginnings, people recognize their work in the club scene whether he knows or not. When asked by strangers if he spearheaded Much Love, he’s taken aback: “Yeah, oh, you know about that?” His voice inflects. “Well, we’re making some kind of noise…. and… some noise is better than no noise. And I’m like, keep that up.” He sees Much Love as one of the top parties in Hawai’i alongside DOWN., though he notes their best courses of action mandate consistent promoting and social media presence.

With their recent event landing on Thanksgiving week, a number of their in-person support couldn’t attend, including me (I couldn’t call out of work). However, the minor setback didn’t stop the nerves. We discuss head count a lot, but that doesn’t merely define success. Even if only “three people” show up to his event, he stresses how he’s “tryna make sure they have the best time in the world.” 

A blue tapestry hovers over the umbrella, with our second hour together passing, and the interior lights switch on. As the conversation shifts from his origins and day parties, we talk about miscellany and envision his future plans. Boiler Room sets, dream performances in Toronto and Tokyo, experiences like Halloween Night at Manifest, and song requests as pet peeves all reveal themselves during his time. I also experiment with a rapid fire segment on which Nate stumbles his thoughts (he wasn’t always answering, albeit, in a rapid fire motion, dare I write). He’s rather considerate with his responses, striving to express the extra details. When I ask about his favorite venues to perform at, he doubles down in reflection. “That’s a tough one,” he adds, and lists not only places he likes but also places at which he wants to perform.

Having Hawai’i as a home base while he flies out to DJ remains the ultimate career goal, but it lacks a specific time period. He’s in no rush to attain this lifestyle, just set on improving his art through gigs and research. He mentions DJ GetLive as a primary source of inspiration: “He’s your DJ’s favorite DJ,” he adds, piquing my curiosity as I learn about this other world of music. “Him on the mic, him with the music, the selection, the party, like, it don’t matter,” he states, “He’s gonna rock it.” Emphasis on mic work seconds as the next skill Nate wants to drill in himself; he’s immersed in his music that he’s worried about his crowd engagement, a necessity in the present climate. DJ’s Puffy, Moma, Nitrane, and Miles Medina are later named as personal favorites, though he includes all DJ’s, “good or bad,” as sources of inspiration and educational moment.

As Much Love continues to establish itself, as well as Nate further solidifying his name in Hawai’i, he ultimately wants to gather and maintain community in the Hawai’i club scene. The day party functions best as a collaboration rather than a solo project, a priority during its conception. He was grateful to be part of a team when he first moved to the islands; now he’s carving his very own.

“There’s a lot of people that, I mean, it’s… everywhere you go. People don’t really know [who] that guy is. We can all eat and come up together and help each other out, instead of, like, “I’m not gonna go here. I’m not gonna go there.” I’m tryna build just the community for the culture, for the music, and just like I said, for the community. I mean, community is everything,” he adds.

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You can listen to Nate perform at “Before Midnight” at Manifest on Dec. 31st from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. with DOWN. founder DJ Mr. Celestic.

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