When Ivan Makuve was growing up in South Africa, he knew he was going to move to either the United States or England to pursue a business career, but he had no idea he would eventually wind up in Bismarck.
In fact, he didn’t even know exactly where North Dakota was.
Now, though, Makuve is one of the most diversified young entrepreneurs in Bismarck. He is a personal banker at Wells Fargo, he owns rental properties in Minot, he’s a concert promoter, he runs an 18-and-older venue called the Palm Beach Club, and he is one of the most well-known DJs in central North Dakota.
“My name is out there more as a DJ. When people see me in the bank, they’re like ‘I didn’t know you did that,’” he said.
Makuve, 31, said he doesn’t drink alcohol, though he spends a lot of time around people who do. Almost every weekend, he packs his black van with a dozen large speakers, club lights and sound-system equipment and heads off to blast his own mix of music at various bars across the state.
On most Friday nights, he goes straight from managing accounts at the Wells Fargo branch on Interstate Avenue to putting on a show as DJ Trix.
“It’s definitely two extremes,” he said. “It’s a big change from being in a bar where it’s loud, versus being dressed up in a suit and tie. It’s a little weird, but it doesn’t seem odd to me anymore, because I’ve been doing this for so many years, almost 10 years. It’s a part of me.”
Makuve moved to the U.S. when he was 19 years old. He attended college at Wylie College in Texas, where he was vice president of the student government. Wiley was founded in 1873 as the first black college west of the Mississippi, and it’s affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Famous boxer George Foreman is on the college’s board of directors.
After graduating a double major in business and marketing, Makuve headed north to be near his brother’s family. He landed in Bismarck and began building a reputation as a businessman with many different talents.
“When you challenge yourself by moving to a place where you don’t know anyone and you’re starting from the bottom, it builds character,” he said.
It’s not as difficult anymore, now that he’s established himself in the club scene. He often gets invited to play dance clubs in Minneapolis, Fargo, Minot, Jamestown and Dickinson, in addition to his home turf of Bismarck and Mandan. He appears most frequently at Captain Freddy’s on the west bank of the Missouri River.
Rick White, owner of Captain Freddy’s, said he opened the bar in 2009 with the idea of letting his customers decide the atmosphere, allowing them decide what the bar should be like. A short time later, Makuve was helping him shape Freddie’s into a dance club of sorts.
“I have some customers who come in specifically to see him. He has his own following,” White said. “He gets the crowd really going. You just have to be here at certain times to see it. He builds up the crowd to a certain point, and then it just explodes.”
On a recent Friday night at Freddy’s, Makuve kicked things off by playing a few country songs, later ramping up to some classic rock. By about 11 p.m., though, his playlist transformed into a mix of the most amped-up hip-hop on the charts.
He doesn’t use a playlist. He decides on the fly what songs to play next. He says he can feel the crowd’s energy.
“My style is play to the crowd. You have to understand who is there. You have to keep them entertained. It’s a business,” Makuve said. “As you get later into the night more young people show up, so you move from country and rock into, you know, more of the top 40. As you move closer to midnight, it gets crazy.”
Makuve is always thinking about marketing and getting the word out about his night job. So much, in fact, that his stage name has sort of taken on a life of its own.
“Trix is a brand, more than anything else,” he said. “Most people don’t know my real name is Ivan.”
White was one of those people who didn’t initially realize the depth of Makuve’s skills.
“The first time I saw him at Wells Fargo, I just started laughing,” White said. “I always pictured DJs as people who just lay around on the couch all day and then come out at night. But that’s not Ivan; he’s a businessman.”
Makuve started at Wells Fargo Financial and became an assistant manager. When Wells Fargo merged with Wachovia in 2009, there was a duplication of services between the financial firms, and Ivan shifted into the role of personal banker.
“The most rewarding part of banking is just seeing people become debt free,” he said. “Helping people who are struggling so they can make it through the next month or two, or whatever the case is, that’s the best part of the job for me.”
It might make sense to become a banker in North Dakota. But Bismarck isn’t usually the place that comes to mind when thinking about the dance-club scene – or when starting a side business as a DJ. For Makuve, though, breaking new ground has always come naturally.
“North Dakota is a good place. There’s lots of opportunity,” he said. “But at the same time, you have to venture out to see what other DJs are doing, and keep moving forward. You can’t just say ‘I’m the best’ and end it at that. You’re never really the best, there’s always someone a little bit better.”
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