Meet Clayton Wager (Straatz) | DJ/Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Clayton Wager (Straatz) and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Clayton, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work life balance has been a very difficult topic for me. The biggest lesson that I have learned about this is keeping a consistent schedule. Between my career, hobbies, and passion, it is imperative that I prioritize my 2 main passions which are music, and my career in landscape design. It is a constant battle for me to balance both passions as they are both time consuming and take up a lot of mental real estate. For a long time it felt as though I was fully focused on one or the other, and when going through these phases, the passion I neglected seemed to fall apart. Having a daily routine and schedule has helped me find a good balance of time and energy spent pursuing a successful brand in both my career as a landscape designer and an Electronic Music Artist. I am finding that keeping this balance between the 2 has helped my headspace and keeps me from being resentful towards either passion, because I am giving a solid effort towards both.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think what sets me apart from others is my taste. I am all over the place as far as my musical taste and interests, so I have plenty of opportunity to find inspiration in so many different ways. I think my energy rubs off on people, and can really move a crowd/audience when given the opportunity. I think my versatility shows most in my DJ sets. I play everything from Trap, Dubstep, Future bass/Melodic Music, to bass house and very small sprinkles of hard dance music. I have a lot of range in the music I make, and have made it a point not to pigeon hole myself to one specific genre, although trap influenced beats are definitely an easy thing to point out in a lot of my music.

I am very excited for the direction and vision that I have for this brand, and look forward to showing more of the other side of this project. Melodic and future bass have always been such a big love for me, and I plan to one day be able to brand my sets as more melodic focused or heavy focused, so I can connect even deeper with the people that have the same love for completely different sides of the Electronic Music scene like me.

By no means am I where I want to be professionally in music yet, but looking back at the start of this project, I am happy with the progress. I think being myself and going out and meeting others, connecting with like-minded individuals, and always pushing myself to improve every day has gotten me to this point.

Pursuing a career like this is never easy, but when you love what you do it makes it easier to push through the failures, mental battles, vulnerability, and other struggles that come with this industry. The biggest thing that has helped me is my mindset. I learned from a young age to work hard and persevere through failure, rejection, and self doubt, which has helped me continue to push through the many many failures and rejection that come with this stuff.

The best lesson I have learned that applies to everything in life is to focus on your own growth, don’t compare yourself to others, be confident-not cocky, be yourself, and respect everyone regardless of your differences.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m very big on food experiences when travelling to new cities, and Dallas has so many awesome places to eat with great environments, food and experiences.

I think taking them to downtown and exploring to a place even I have never been to would be a fun experience.

CBD Provisions is an awesome restaurant in downtown with an upscale vibe, and great food.

Chris and John’s Vietnamese Street Food is an awesome spot that I am always excited to show friends and family if they have never been!

There is a really cool courtyard and food hall place on Akard Street in downtown that is awesome for getting a cool downtown city vibe, and there are plenty of great places to eat, explore, and take photos in that area.

The Perot Museum of science is such a cool interactive science museum experience that I think everyone should visit at least once, and would definitely be on the list as well.

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 think having a supportive group of friends has played a big role in my confidence as an artist, and has given me the courage to continue to grow and want to succeed. They have all expressed their belief in me and my talent, and want me to succeed just as much as I do. Whereas this is something I’m passionate about, and would do regardless of the amount of support I receive, a good support has helped encourage and motivate me when I am feeling discouraged and less confident in my potential as an artist. So I guess I should really give shoutout to ANYONE that has supported me, and encouraged me in any way since starting this project and putting myself out there for the world to judge me and my art.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/StraatzMusic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Straatzmusic

Other: Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/straatzmusic
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@straatz?_t=8VHZniXbh9i&_r=1

Image Credits
Photos: Chilly Media Cover Art: Switchwave Art