Justin Krauss never planned to become one of the Flathead Valley’s most sought-after DJs. 

For years, he skirted the designation, referring to himself merely as “the man with the equipment.” When friends asked to borrow his collection of high-quality speakers for a house party, he obliged. He might have even snuck in some of his own song suggestions, but Krauss said he never dreamed of building a business on his love of sound engineering until his brother pulled him aside one day, pointedly saying he should do something with his talent.  

Some 25 years later, he’s grateful for the brotherly advice because it sparked the beginning of Noise Box Productions. The company, which is a member of the Evergreen Chamber of Commerce, now provides lighting and sound systems for everything from weddings to rodeos to high school proms. For some venues, Krauss also provides his own creative services as a disc jockey.  

That part of the job extends far beyond curating the perfect playlist, explained Krauss. A good DJ must be able to match the rhythm of any locale and attune to the music selection in real time. 

“A lot of what I do is people watch,” he said. “You’re looking for heads bopping and feet tapping and seeing what people are responding to.” 

Krauss pairs his keen observation skills with the experiential knowledge he has gleaned from 11 years of dance lessons. The classes, which have primarily focused on various swing and Latin American styles, helped Krauss develop an intuition for matching the beats of the music to the movements he sees on the dancefloor.  

Krauss joked that the dance classes also helped him loosen up and embrace the circumstantial embarrassment that comes with the spotlight. 

“I think we need more men that are brave enough to get out on the dance floor,” he said. “Especially sober.” 

For weddings and house parties, Krauss often intersperses music with games that he runs himself. Scavenger hunts and musical chairs are classic hits, but Krauss likes to up the ante by playing into the dynamics of the crowd. He might choose someone’s tie or hat as one of the scavenger hunt items, resulting in an impromptu game of chase. In one of his most popular games, guests have to roll an orange across the room, using only a banana tied so it dangles between their legs. 

"The more ridiculous you can get someone to look, the better it is,” Krauss said. “Hopefully, I definitely create some good memories there.” 

Beyond his levity, Krauss harbors a deeply serious knowledge of and passion for sound engineering that has served as the proverbial bassline for his booming business.  

At about 12 years old, he purchased his first sound system with the pocket change he earned from pulling weeds. It took him years to save up for the $300 system, which now sits in a place of honor on a shelf in his workshop. 

About a third of the workshop is crowded with a collection of newer black box speakers. A half-dozen are stacked on a wheeled storage system that Krauss built himself. Another hangs from metal scaffolding that Krauss said he also tinkered with to meet his own specifications. Club lights reel on the ceiling, casting an ever-changing pattern of multicolored circles onto the concrete floor. 

With such an impressive repertoire of sound and lighting equipment stored in his own backyard, Krauss admitted his own taste in music has become a bit spoiled. He hates listening to things through headphones and has a tendency to bring his work with him when invited to weddings. Instead of enjoying the reception, he spends most of his time analyzing the quality of the audio setup.  

If he can’t have a top-tier experience listening to the quadraphonics of Pink Floyd or the sonic landscapes of Radiohead, Krauss said he would rather bide his time with an audio book or in “dead silence.” 

“You listen to all these finer points of the music, and it’s just a new experience,” he said.  

With Noise Box Productions, Krauss is able to bring those auditory revelations to thousands of people across the Flathead Valley. While he hopes his daughters, aged 19 and 21, will consider taking over the business one day, Krauss said he didn’t plan to hand off the mic anytime soon.

“So long as people want to have a good time, I think I’ve got it made,” he said. 

Reporter Hailey Smalley may be reached at 758-4433 or [email protected].