Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Bustin.
Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I began DJ/Producing electronic music while attending Miami University during my sophomore right before I studied abroad in Luxembourg at Miami’s Differdange European campus. After really immersing myself into European culture, more specifically dance/house music’s influence across Europe I began producing mashups and a few of my tracks using music theory and composition.
I learned growing up playing the violin in my schools’ orchestras, as well as my overall love and knowledge of/for most types of music (more specifically underground East Coast rap, Motown, Reggaeton, Pop, and growing electronic music genre that began to explode at the start of the 2010s.
After college and decided to take a step away from music to focus, pursue a career in retail management, my ultimate goal is to get an MBA in business management; leaving my old DJ handle(s) behind (was formerly in a DJ duo with a friend, then afterward went as DJ sMashed). However, after a couple of life-changing health, career and personal events rocked my world to a core; the decision was made for myself to move back to my hometown of Boston in October 2019.
During that time, as I settled back into the city, I rediscovered my love and passion for music, using DJ mixing and producing remixes and mashups as a form of therapy and self-expression to emote the pain of heartbreak, leaving the one I loved in DC as well so many friends, memories of DC. As I continued to produce, I randomly stumbled upon a meme of crying Drake surrounded by fall foliage and instantly I knew that was going to be the name of this new music project; because it encompassed my mental state at that very time.
AUTUMN (because it was Fall/October 2019), DRAKE (meme of crying Drake), and finally PROJECT (even though this was a new musical project, life always seems like a never-ending project which we all constantly have to present, edit, fix and represent, over and over again. Life is a constant, working project.)
So now I had a name. After a while, I began releasing my tracks, remixes, and mashups initially onto my Soundcloud (pretty much at random), followed by releases from distributors across other music platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, Pandora, Mixcloud, and more) with this goal, monetization plan in mind.
Any track I monetize which doesn’t have me lend my vocal talents, I plan on donating back to causes that promote music and art programs in public schools, organizations, charities, and philanthropies such as Share Our Strength: No Kid Hungry that work to prevent child hunger in the United States and groups that support the creation of all-inclusive, safe spaces for all students and community regardless of background.
As 2022 ends, I’ve been thankful for my most streamed year-to-date, with my Soundcloud growing to over 12K fans, closing in on 250k plays on the year (151% jump from the previous year), growing on Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music and Deezer, creating new content for my social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat (with Mixcloud, Tik Tok and Twitch growth goal’d 2023).
My first release off of the American record label, Mojoheadz Records, with my track “Clocks” to be released (Release Date: TBA). I’ll also be moving my House Party DJ Mix Episodes to now be airing on Data Transmission Radio, with the first episode debuting in the new year on Sunday 1/8, @2AM GMT (UK)/Saturday 1/7, @9PM EST (East Coast USA).
Data Transmission is UK based dance and house music authority on new music, news, and everything dance music, a leader and respected voice that helps foster the growth of up-and-coming DJs/Producers as well as established icons of the dance world. The one-hour mix show airing the 1st and 3rd weeks of each month will feature new tracks/remixes from my favorite DJs, Producers, and Musicians from around the world including exclusive premieres, heard first in my HP DJ mix, while on air with DT Radio.
Finally, I hope to release more singles as well as remixes, a possible big bundle or two of remixes, edits, mashups, and other unreleased music, a mixtape featuring my rap “drag”-inspired alter-ego, MBU$¥, another possible mixtape/compilation album release of all Moombahton/Moombahcore, Tropical Bass, Trap, Dancehall, and Reggaeton inspired tracks following my track “Clocks” release.
Finally to close the year release-wise with the culmination of the past 3-4 years of work with hopefully a debut album or EP and a coinciding tour to promote the release of it as well as other collaborations that have yet to be announced.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nope but that’s life. If you didn’t have to pick yourself up, learn from your mistakes, heartache, trials, and tribulations and get the opportunity to grow yourself from those obstacles and experiences… then is one living life to its full potential? Are we pushing boundaries, asking questions that provoke thought, and open dialogue which can lead us to create positive changes in our world for the common good of mankind?
From my studies at Miami University as a political science and history double major, we can’t ever just take information at face value or form what we initially hear or gather from one or two sources. That the only way to make sound decisions is to hear all sides of a story/issue, and understand all underlying causes and trends, cultural influences, and other societal influences that lead to one path where another decision’s path could be just as beneficial or avoids issues or stipulations that the normal path would trigger.
That if we listen, not listen with our eyes, not make our minds up before listening to all parties if we do what’s right, and if we let our moral compass guide us and help our neighbor in the same way we would hope to be helped. That thing will end up ok and karma ends up balancing things out at the end of the day.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
DJ/Music Producer/Musician (also rap now and again under the name MBU$¥). I began as a mashup DJ/Artist when I first started making music but in this current music project, there isn’t a genre of Electronic Dance Music, Pop, Hip Hop, Reggaeton, Moombah, or Electronic music I wouldn’t or haven’t tried to make a remix, track or DJ mix of.
Self-dubbed myself as a “Trap Demi-God” after watching and commenting on a Charlie Puth Insta video post of him creating a Trap music beat/track (commenting that he was now a Trap God) my Trap Dem-God status comes from my multiple trap remix and track releases including my tracks Horn Patrol, Creme De La Creme and Chedda, remixes of I Could Be the One, The Cure, One (Your Name), Uptown Funk, Soundtrack To My Life and Devil In A New Dress.
I had been releasing a DJ mix series called “AUTUMN DRAKE PROJECT’S House Party DJ Mixes on Soundcloud with a total of 25.3K plays across all the episodes released on Soundcloud (with the mixes to be aired biweekly, on Data Transmission Radio in the new year, starting 1/8 – 1/7 for us in the US)
Here are the links to my pages across various music platforms.
Soundcloud – https://soundcloud.com/autumndrakeproject
Apple Music – https://music.apple.com/us/artist/autumn-drake-project/1529233434
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/2AXHKXT4gmTxb0dhzU9Aku
Tidal – https://listen.tidal.com/artist/21070191
Deezer – https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/105207002
Mixcloud – https://www.mixcloud.com/Autumn_Drake_Project/
Twitch – https://www.twitch.tv/autumndrakeproject
We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success comes down to… am I happy with what am I doing? Am I accomplishing what I started on? Have I been able to change one person’s life for the better, or was the positive figure or force that helped someone down a path to a better future? For me, that is what success is… money, expensive things, and all of that are nice to have… but after having it all then losing so much and then learning what it means to be homeless and not have a place to stay, to sleep, food to eat… you realize that things are just things.
The only things that matter at the end of the day are your health, friends, and family (and their health/well-being), our freedoms (physical freedom, freedom of speak, press, expression, of thought), and freedom to choose how we value succeed and reward ourselves (who doesn’t like those “treat yourself days”?)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://2a44b4ed-d0ae-495c-992e-7675807d097a.godaddysites.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autumndrakeproject/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/autumndrakeproject/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AtmnDrkProject
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvdRDDkpmEz665Xk5CQmgLQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/autumndrakeproject
