With Big Festival, Tour & Club Appearances, Slim McGraw Is Breaking with His Brand of Yee-DM.
More than decade ago, DJ Slim McGraw knew he was onto something – but he insists many of his contemporaries questioned his judgement, if not his sanity. Both in his head and on the country dancefloors where he was spinning, he heard a bit of the musical future. Avicii’s 2013 hits like “Wake Me Up” and “Hey Brother,” a variety of remixes for country standards like Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” and every manner of mash-up tune set things on motion.
Truth be told, it was probably only a matter of time before two of America’s most-popular genres – country and EDM – got mashed up and found a greater audience. Perhaps as much a business proposition as an artistic choice, the offspring subgenre, YeeDM, has seen top DJ/producers like Diplo, David Guetta and Marshmello get into the act to great success.
And now, it’s broken out from the country-nightclub world into the bigger festival scenes, and that’s including massive EDM events like Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas – at the YeeDC! Country Saloon – as well as top country bashes like Stagecoach Music Festival in Indio, Calif.
As much as any DJ these days, McGraw is bringing this music to the people at venues large and small in the form of his Neon Honky Tonk Tour. From Spring Break in Panama City, Fla., to Jason Aldean’s Bar in Las Vegas, McGraw carries the good times in form of a high-production nightclub party.
As he prepared for his tour and the coming festival season, we connected with DJ Slim McGraw – aka Chad Robbins, 53 – to discuss his journey and his current string of successes.
DJ LIFE: Where did you grow up and how did you get into music? Was there an artist or a show that caught your attention?
McGraw: I grew up on the outskirts of Charlotte, N.C., in an area called Wilgrove/Mint Hill. My house was across the street from the legendary Palomino Club. I could hear the bass when I lay in bed at night. A lot of good bands came through there. My parents had a nice record collection. They had the piece of furniture that that was a record player, an 8-track player and a radio all in one unit.
DJ LIFE: And these days, where are you staying?
McGraw: I have a house in Charlotte, NC. I moved to Nashville during COVID and lived in a hotel for a year. Then I got an apartment in Nashville and worked on Broadway four nights a week at venues like Jason Aldean’s Bar, Luke Bryan’s Bar and Miranda Lambert’s Bar. But now that I am touring every weekend I have been getting to stay at the Charlotte house more often. So, that has been another blessing.
DJ LIFE: How did you get into DJing? What’s your DJ journey been like?
McGraw: I started playing on a buddy’s set of turntables with a Radio Shack mixer when I was 15-years old. Then, after college, I bought my own pair of turntables after watching local club DJs.
DJ LIFE: When you were younger, what kind of material were you spinning?
McGraw: In my bedroom, when I was 15, the first two records I ever mix together was “Supersonic” by J.J. Fad and “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa. I really didn’t know too much about what the BPM was at the time… but those two went together perfectly [laughs]. Later, I went on to get into funky breaks, then I moved to EDM, Top 40, Hip Hop, classic rock, country and now, full circle, to YeeDM.
DJ LIFE: Tell me about that…
McGraw: Right, I’ve been spinning a lot of YeeDM – aka Country EDM. I am very fortune to be able to play a lot of my remixes these days. When I first started doing this, people thought I was crazy. It has been a fun ride watching the genre grow. Like Hick-Hop or Trailer Trap, it’s just a mash-up of the genres. YeeDM is just bringing country music to the EDM world with remixes and now originals. It’s opening the genre up to new fans. DJs can play it in clubs now. This was unheard of 10 year ago.
DJ LIFE: How long have you been specializing in the country genre? How did that happen?
McGraw: The mash-up days were big in the early 2000s – big shout out to DJ AM. Meeting him in 2004 really opened my eyes to DJing. So, around 2005, probably, I remember dropping a “Ring of Fire” remix in my sets, and it started. Around 2008, a good friend of mine opened a country bar with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. I would play there and really started diving into it more. I played my first country concert around 2015 and my first country festival in 2017.
DJ LIFE: What are some of the bigger gigs you’ve done and expect to play this year?
McGraw: Well, the last two years, I have played Stagecoach Music Festival and last year I played Electric Daisy Carnival for the first time. Last summer, I did my second year with the Rock the Country Tour. This year, I am starting the festival season off at Beyond Wonderland on March 27. Plus, I have the honor of performing at numerous country music festivals, NASCAR races, and rodeos. In Nashville, I still play on Broadway at Posty’s Bar, Luke Bryan’s Bar, Jason Aldean’s Bar and Lainey Wilson’s Bar.
DJ LIFE: Can you remember a gig that was the most fun or satisfying and why?
McGraw: I have to say my first year at Stagecoach 2024. It took me many years to get on there and everything was perfect. My daughter was with me the whole weekend. The weather was perfect and that festival has a real magical vibe. It was one of the greatest weekends of my career.
DJ LIFE: What DJ gear are you mostly using?
McGraw: I am still spinning on the Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000s. Hopefully, I will get to play on some 3000X units this year. My favorite mixer right now is the Pioneer DJ DJM-S11 – I really like the effects.
DJ LIFE: Can you give me three tracks – originals, remixes, edits, whatever – that you can play at every gig you do?
McGraw: I will go all originals. “Walk This Way” by Run-DMC & Aerosmith: It’s upbeat and hits on rap and rock. “Wake Me Up” by Avicii. He’s the pioneer of YeeDM. He brought folkie vocals to EDM beats – thank you! “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by Shania Twain. DJing Rule No. 1 is that you to get the ladies involved.
DJ LIFE: For our DJ-readers who may not know, what are the biggest differences between spinning for a country crowd and a dance-music crowd?
McGraw: Well, it really depends. For country crowds at a concert, it’s more about getting them to sing back to you. In a country club, you are still getting them to sing, but you can play more remixes and high-energy dance, like YeeDM.
DJ LIFE: Anything different technically in the booth?
McGraw: Not really. It is still about mixing and drops, mic work and crowd work.
DJ LIFE: Do you spin for line-dancers? What does a DJ need to do to facilitate that action?
McGraw: Yes, I do. On the mainstage with line dancers, I will quick-mix. But if you’re doing for line dancers at a club, you better play the whole song! [laughs].
DJ LIFE: When you’re making music, what are you using in your studio?
McGraw: I just use a laptop and some Yamaha studio speakers with Ableton Live and [Propellerhead] Reason. I love Ableton. I have used it since day one. It’s awesome for quick edits.
DJ LIFE: In the studio, when you’re doing an edit or a remix, what are you looking to accomplish? Is it just to make the original more danceable?
McGraw: A lot of mash-up edits are wordplays or same key or same chords, etc. On remixes, I just try to really add more energy. A lot of radio remixes are dope, but don’t go over as well in clubs. I like to call my remixes show remixes – they work at shows. My first official remix came out in the summer of 2025. I remixed Colt Ford’s “Crank It Up.”
DJ LIFE: Give me an example of how you approached a particular mash-up, say, the Luke Combs/Public Enemy track “Can I Get an Outlaw & a Rebel?”
McGraw: Again, it’s wordplay. The Luke Combs song “Can I Get an Outlaw” asks, “Where have all the rebels gone?” Then the Public Enemy song, “Rebel Without a Pause,” speaks for itself. Ideas just pop in my head and I see if they work.
DJ LIFE: How do you approach your original material?
McGraw: Well, I released my first single, “Yee Haw,” last year at Stagecoach. It was my second year there and I thought it was time for an original. My goal was to make it to where the first time you heard it you knew the words. Was kind of nervous doing vocals for the first time, but I wanted the song to be easy to chant at a show. It’s basically a crowd-chant YeeDM anthem.
DJ LIFE: Which producer/remixers do you most admire and why?
McGraw: Showtek has always been my fave. They are the AC/DC of EDM – simple and hard-hitting. I think that’s why with so many of my remixes I try to go so hard.
DJ LIFE: Which DJs in the country genre do you admire and why?
McGraw: My brother Dee Jay Silver. We have been homies since 2007-ish. He has been touring with Jason Aldean the past 15 years. He has been a great friend to me on this wild ride. Also, I give a big shout out to some more pioneers of the genre – DJ Sinister and DJ Rock. All these guys have been great mentors along the way – plus, my man Diplo. He made the country-DJ thing cool. Before, people thought we were crazy. So, he really helped shine a light on the whole thing. Now there are country DJs coming from everywhere. It’s awesome to see the genre grow so big.
DJ LIFE: Why do you think country music has sustained so long all around the country, not just in the South?
McGraw: You get an hour or two outside any city in America, and its country. Everybody has some country people in their family growing up – aunt, uncle, grandparents, etc. People can relate to the lyrics and the good storytelling.
DJ LIFE: Why do you believe that there’s been a mixture of genres that have filtered into the country world?
McGraw: Basically, it’s hot. People are going to hop on what is hot and what’s trending – I love it! I am just glad to know I wasn’t crazy… [laughs]