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Grant Pallokat mixes his way from coast to coast, and eventually overseas, to make it in the DJ world

On the corner of 23rd and Broadway, a warehouse in downtown Los Angeles came alive as a four-on-the-floor beat entered the scene. In a dark t-shirt and medium-wash jeans, the 6-foot-1 dirty blonde with a line-backer frame prepared to start his set. Grant Pallokat was ready to give the crowd a night to remember.

Before the mixing began, Pallokat fooled around with his buddies, grinning ear to ear as they fidgeted with his practice board. He pressed his stage name key over and over, letting out a high-pitched “Gkat” in electronic cursive.

Once the percussion, snares and claps of house music began, and the crowd filed in, his smile faded. It was game time, and Gkat had a poker face of concentration to match.

On Thursday, Feb. 23, 20-year-old aspiring DJ Gkat took the stage at Rave USC’s Oasis Event, a precursor to his first international gig on March 14.

“Depending on the music I play, the reflection of how it makes people feel can be seen in the crowd,” said Gkat. “If it’s upbeat music, people are visibly happier and I enjoy when other people have a good time–especially when it’s because of what I’m doing up there.”

At 30,000 streams on a single mix, reaching over 50 countries, the young DJ couldn’t help but grin with pride as SoundCloud graced the screen. Gkat was an avid fan of house music, long before he was booking shows.

Scrolling through YouTube back in 2020, he fell down the mixing rabbit hole. From veteran DJ Eric Prydz’s Pjanoo to the late Avicii’s influential electronic mixes to timeless Rufus du sol sets, Gkat found himself clicking for more and more. A 2014 Tomorrowland mix by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike was the dynamic duo he watched “over a million times” before he ever even bought a board. Those artists pushed him to become his own SoundCloud favorite.

Fresh to the West Coast in 2021 for college, Gkat began to turn a hobby into a feasible future as he shared his talents with new friends and teammates. Mixing in his Los Angeles apartment for pre games and late night after parties, word of mouth spread around the freshman dorms of USC. A DJ was among them, and not one who made you want to plug your ears mid-set.

With the help of a friend and dedicated fan, Sam Bevevino, Gkat’s self-proclaimed manager, the DJ landed an unexpected gig in April of 2022. Bevevino had reached out to 1stGen, a company known for hosting DJ events across the city, in hopes of landing his gifted friend his first big break.

“It’s amazing to see a kid so passionate about DJing, and being full of joy surrounded by all his best friends,” said Bevevino. “I was happy to do anything I could to give him the opportunity to share that with everyone else too.”

Fresh out of lacrosse practice, Gkat was met with the news that the once-packed setlist for that up-and-coming Friday now had an opening. But there was one obstacle left in his way: a new mix with a 6 a.m. due date.

“The adrenaline was pumping because I wanted it so bad,” said Gkat. “My nerves were high, but my determination was higher.”

Working until 3 a.m. that night paid off.  By the time he woke up the next morning, he’d gotten the gig. 

Since the age of eight, he has traveled across the country for lacrosse tournaments. An athlete at heart, his competitive nature was innate.

His journey began in the bedroom of a high school friend’s older brother, who recommended  Gkat get his own board – a DDJ SB3. He became obsessed with the mechanical beats of house music. With time to spare amid the coronavirus pandemic, he started mixing in Mahwah, New Jersey, never allowing the possibility of failure to enter his mind.

But merely mixing just wasn’t enough.

“There are too many people nowadays who know how to DJ, but there’s way less who are actually able to make their own music,” said Gkat. “If I want any shot at becoming a big artist it starts with making songs on Abelton, that’s why I took up producing too.”

Gkat’s first gig earned him recognition across the Los Angeles area, and offers from venues from Downtown and Santa Monica to West Hollywood and Pasadena followed. 

Despite his athletic build and jock-like smirk, Gkat found his calling in the sound booth of a Los Angeles rehearsal studio, rather than on the lacrosse field. With the help of a few fellow student-DJs, Gkat recently gained the opportunity to open for Fisher–a well-known Australian music producer and DJ on the beach in Cabo San Lucas.

Even with such a breakthrough in his career approaching, Gkat stayed focused on the music.

“I feel electric when I’m up there and it’s the happiest I am no matter what city I’m playing in,” said Gkat. “Music is a coping mechanism for me, when I’m DJing I let go of all my feelings and I’m in the moment instead of living in the past or future.”