FairPlay Entertainment

Ryan Hayes, better known as “DJ Hayes” amongst his peers is an engineer, producer and DJ from the Twin Cities. From an early age music was an escape for Hayes in the loud and hectic home he grew up in. After falling in love with Jazz and Blues in his younger years, Hayes picked up the saxophone as his main instrument in Middle School. From there he went on to be as involved in anything musical that he could throughout his time in school. Whether it be playing in the pits in school theater productions, to Jazz Band, Wind ensemble, and Marching Band. 

Recognizing his knack for creating melodies and improvising, Hayes dove head first into music production at the age of 14 until attending the Institute of Production and Recording in 2014. After graduating in 2016 with a A.A.S. in Audio Production and Engineering, DJ Hayes hit the ground running making records and getting beats out to anyone who’d be interested with a sound that combined the elements of all his favorite producers such as Timbaland, Just Blaze, Scott Storch, Dr. Dre etc… with the Jazz and Blues elements he grew up playing.  Since then DJ Hayes has recorded, mixed and placed beats on over 20 albums and many more singles for artists such as Nur-D, Brandon Pulphus, MPLS Drew, Lt. Sunnie, Tuvok the Word, Sole 2 Dotz, and Endio.

Once graduating from IPR, DJ Hayes spent a lot of his free time practicing and learning all of the DJ techniques he could from peers and watching battle videos. Hayes, as a DJ, is inspired by the sounds of DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Scratch and DJ Skratch Bastid. Since then, Hayes went on to hold a weekend residency at Basement Bar titled “Bass Level” for a handful of years, as well as throw a local show called “Bars & Brews”. DJ Hayes went on to team up with Nur-D in 2019 to be his official tour DJ, win 2021 Faders Up Blend Champion, and even become the first DJ to play with the Minnesota Orchestra with Nur-D in 2024. 

Throughout his career DJ Hayes has shared stages with acts such as Ludacris, Slum Village, Misterwives, Dessa, Open Mike Eagle, and Young Guru. Hayes is known for bringing the raw sounds of turntablism to the modern sound, and providing high energy Hip Hop/R&B sets to pump the party up.

Gavin Buckentine, better known as Bucky, is a self-taught, up-and-coming musician, engineer, and producer whose journey is shaped by personal experiences and deep connections within the music community. Starting with poetry that evolved into rap, Bucky has crafted a unique sound influenced by 2000s hip-hop and R&B legends like Kanye West, Dr. Dre, the Fugees, and Lauryn Hill, as well as contemporary artists such as Kato, Tech N9ne, Anfa Rose, and Suicideboys.

Bucky's early music career took root in the basement of his parents' home, where he began recording local artists, including his best friend BK. BK played a crucial role in Bucky's development, introducing him to another artist named Speakers, who taught Bucky much of what he knows about music production. Despite the tragic loss of BK to a drug overdose, Bucky's passion for music has only grown stronger.

Though still establishing himself in the industry, Bucky has been associated with groups such as Independent Kids, Karmatic, and BNT Music Group. These collaborations, along with his work with individual artists like Boshi Boi, Day-V, Juan-B, and Kimo, he continues to improve with every track alongside the artists he works with. His journey continues to evolve as he begins a new chapter working with FairPlay Entertainment, where he's excited to start creating in their studio. Bucky’s story is a testament to resilience, self-discovery, and the pursuit of artistic excellence in an ever-changing industry.