“When I told my parents I quit my job, my mom… started crying. She’s like ‘You’re gonna become a DJ?’” said John Summit.
Is DJing a plausible career? For the most part, no. Tens of thousands pursue the profession each year with a passion for house music, and the large majority do not succeed in creating a reliable career off the art. With that being said, the few who do succeed create true names for themselves in the music world.
With headliners at prominent music events like Coachella, EDC Las Vegas, and Tomorrowland, the house industry is home to some of the most well-known music producers globally. Names such as John Summit, Diplo, Fred Again, and Calvin Harris have been taking the music world by storm through dance music.
Flashing lights, upbeat tempos, mesmerizing beats. This is house music, a musical experience like no other. Originating in the Chicago club scene in the 1980s, house is a unique genre of electronic dance music. New genres and subgenres of this electronic music have since formed, sparking an international rise in the music industry. One name headlines the house and DJ world right now, John Summit.
Transitioning from a 9 to 5 at an accounting firm to closing the stage of Coachella’s Sahara Tent, John Summit’s career has been nothing short of an adventure. Summit’s journey from the corporate world to the DJ stage serves as a testament to the power of risk-taking and pursuing one’s passion.
Before Summit was dominating EDM (electronic dance music), he was involved in a completely different world, one full of financial statements and spreadsheets. As a public accountant, Summit spent his weekdays in a Chicago accounting firm, a position far from the nightlife he would eventually break into.
John Summit attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he studied accounting, and was a member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. Summit originally worked as a bartender at a local college bar, before being fired. With hopes to continue work at the same bar, Summit took up an open DJ role.
“I still knew I wanted to work at the bar because I was good friends with everybody,” Summit said in an interview with Capital Dance. “They said they needed a DJ and I’m like ‘okay, I think I can do this.’ I was doing it, you know, for fun with friends and stuff for a while,” Summit continued. As Summit started to take the art more seriously, his appearance at the bar became more and more significant, turning his entertaining hobby into a full time career.
He began DJing at small Urbana venues like the Canopy Club and Red Lion. During this time, he had little flexibility within his sets, mostly playing popular pop and hip hop songs, and staying away from EDM, with hopes of appealing to the college crowds familiar with the mainstream hits of the time.
DJing still was not a realistic career to Summit, yet. After graduating college, Summit got a day job as an accountant at Ernst and Young. Working as an accountant by day, he continued DJing and began to produce music on the side.
Summit would come back from long days at the office to work on new music, teaching himself through YouTube tutorials, before heading back out to play at a gig. As Summit began releasing tracks on smaller labels, he gained early momentum in the Chicago house music scene.
The DJ soon realized that accounting was not the right career path for him. “I honestly… credit [my accounting career] … to learning music and getting good … cause my job was like so boring I’m like I’ll do anything, like I’ll work [exceptionally hard] to get out of this,” Summit told Zane Lowe in an interview. In 2019, he quit his job as an accountant to focus on his music career full-time.
The 2020 Coronavirus pandemic provided Summit with a unique opportunity to focus entirely on producing music. While the door to live performances closed, the window to production opened. His drive during the challenging times of the pandemic highlighted his commitment to his new career path, as he consistently released tracks during his time away from the deck.
John Summit finally caught his break as he released ‘Deep End’ on Defected Records, smashing the music charts and gaining Summit global recognition. The song became Beatport #1 of the year, and a centerpiece on BBC Radio 1’s main playlist. With live performances on hold for nearly a year and a half, Summit amassed a massive fanbase on social media, demonstrating his humorous and charismatic personality through constant tweets and Instagram posts.
In 2021, as the world started to gradually reopen, Summit began performing at major EDM festivals and clubs across the globe. With sets at EDC Las Vegas, and Elrow at Amnesia Ibiza, two of the largest house music scenes in the world, Summit had officially made a name for himself in electronic music.
Marked by his intensity and passion, Summit’s live performances stand today as one of the largest components of his musical identity and career. Through interactions with the crowd, live remixing, and bizarre visual and sensual experiences, Summit creates a unique environment that can truly only be understood when he seen in person. His performances have become known for their infectious energy, as he blends a mix of his original tracks with creative remixes that keep audiences on their feet. Summit’s ability to read a crowd and deliver sets that resonate greatly with festival-goers has cemented his status as a must-see act in the EDM world.
Year by year, Summit’s trajectory seemed to continue its upward surge. As 2022 rolled in, John Summit’s career took further significant steps forward. Summit graced the stages of even more iconic festivals, from Tomorrowland to Creamfields, consistently drawing in massive crowds.
In addition to his live performances, Summit’s skill in music production reached new levels. He released multiple hit singles that dominated the charts and global clubs. Tracks like ‘Human’ and ‘La Danza’ stood out as standalone hits of 2022 and continue to hold a presence in the house scene. Summit opened his own record label, ‘Off The Grid Records,’ which is dedicated to exposing up and coming EDM artists. The label is now known as ‘Experts Only.’ Summit also began collaborating with other big names in the industry, such as Lee Foss and Gorgon City, further extending his influence.
Fast forward to 2024, and John Summit is one of the top faces of house music. In the past two years, he has released a variety of singles, some of which are now considered his most iconic work. ‘Where You Are’ and ‘Shiver’ have collectively amassed over 146 million streams on Spotify and have dominated the EDM world.
Today, Summit is constantly playing sets alongside legendary producers and DJs, such as Diplo and Dom Dolla. He recently closed the Sahara Tent at Coachella 2024 and the Kinetic Field at EDC Las Vegas 2024, both significant stages in their respective festivals, and serving as remarkable accomplishments for Summit.
John Summit is only expanding his reach in the music world. He has an upcoming June show at the world famous Madison Square Garden, and has recently announced his first career album. His album, ‘Comfort in Chaos,’ will be coming out July 12th, 2024, and is heavily anticipated by the house community.
From public accountant to world famous producer, Summit has certainly made his mark in the music industry. The evolution of his career is a story you don’t hear everyday, reflecting the significance of true ambition and effort. So, as of today, no, John Summit won’t do your taxes. He has moved on to bigger things.
Transitioning from a 9 to 5 at an accounting firm to closing the stage of Coachella’s Sahara Tent, John Summit’s career has been nothing short of an adventure.