Meet Chris Hotze | Musician, Producer, DJ & Cloud Technology Professional

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Hotze and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, what inspires you?
it may sound cliche, but I really am inspired by seeing people reach their definition of success in the things about which they are passionate. When I see someone take a gamble, or make big moves because it’s what they truly believe is the right move, that inspires me to my core. Despite everything going on with the ‘rona, there has never been a better time to be a creative and there have never been more ways to reach your people with your art, and that my friends….is freakin’ amazing to see.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
There are so many ups and downs in the trajectory of one’s art but if I had to pick something to be most proud of…it’s that I am still doing *something* musical in this stage of my life. There was a time, not long ago where I moved passed all of it in one of those mid-twenties “time grow up and focus on the future” moments. Now, don’t get me wrong – focusing on my actual life was the right move at the time but as the old adage goes, there was a void there; a hole…something missing. So to be able to come back to music after some years, moving to dance music and see arguably more success in my jaded, mid-30s than I EVER saw in the more romantic era of my twenties playing in metal bands has been super motivating. Was it easy? Absolutely not – from my metal band days of being broke, touring in vans and living in a generally malnourished state of caffeinated insanity, to the the insanity of now – juggling fatherhood, being a husband, having a day job, while also producing music in a more well-fed but still highly-caffeinated state has not been easy. But what can I say that hasn’t been said, nothing worth it is ever easy and if there is one thing I have learned, it’s this: Whatever it is you’re doing, do *you*. Don’t be seduced by communities or scenes or crews. The inclusion can be intoxicating but it’s ephemeral and fleeting…. Build *your* team, build *your* circle and intersect with those aforementioned scenes and crews as needed, but don’t fall into their gravity wells so far that you can no longer control your own orbit.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am admittedly not much of an entertainer when it comes to having company, an as much as I would love to give a good answer here, it’s been so long since I have been anywhere (thanks, ‘rona) that a week long itinerary is a tall order! 🙂 That said, a week in DFW with me is a week eating steak in the stock yards, hitting the Coyote Drive-In, seeing music in Deep Ellum (when that becomes a thing again) and seeing live comedy at Hyenas or The Addison Improv.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out a great friend of mine and and some who has always been a great creative sounding board, and that person is Tracy Hazelton. From his work in his EVRAFTR project, to Aftrlife Entertainment, to just simply helping to connect others with the right people to help their vision, he’s just an amazing human with a motivation, drive, and love for life that would inspire even the most cynical among us.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/djhotze
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdhotze/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dj_hotze
Facebook: https://facebook.com/djhotze

Image Credits
Maks Sobel