How did you get into DJing, when did it all begin?

AA:I grew up in a very eclectic household and my older siblings introduced me to Nine Inch Nails while I was discovering early Prodigy and Chemical Bros. I was so intrigued by the sound and in the United States it was such a mystery to find good electronic music. I noticed that there was a huge vibe going on over in Europe, so I was always one to explore different types of music. In college I was the one to introduce electronic music to all my friends and take them to raves and underground events while everyone else was listening to Tupac and Biggie. After university, I was in the corporate world working as a suit all while moonlighting and learning how to DJ on the side. Eventually I started getting a bunch of gigs and it got to the point in 2007 where I was traveling and playing venues in a multitude of different states. Ultimately, my father actually pushed me to walk away from it all and follow my dreams so in 2007 I took the leap of faith and over 3 years basically went broke trying to become successful in this ultra competitive industry. Finally, in 2010 I turned the corner and started making enough money to finally call it a "career". To become successful I think it just took a ton of perseverance and hard work. We live in an instant gratification generation where no one has any longterm goals anymore. Nobody says where am I going to be in three ,four, or five years so I just approached it to that level and stuck with it and never let it discourage me.


What type of music did you grow up listening to and did that influence your sound?

AA: Yes ofcourse; a lot of the Motown, R&B and Soul. What it comes down to is you got to make the ladies dance, you got to make the girls shake there hips because guys are idiots, guys are cavemen. Woman are sensual and they're just much more intricate human beings. If you make them dance then you’re going to make guys dance so a lot of the times in my personal productions and even the stuff I play it all has to be sexy. Everything should have an underlying and common denominator of "sexy and soulful", regardless if it's house or tech. So that all comes from the music that I was introduced to when I was growing up.

To people who are not familiar with your music, how would you describe it?

AA: I would describe it as accessible underground music. I play a little bit more of a darker, deeper sexy sound, but not so much that it's tragically hip or too intelligent that people can't dance to it.

If you can choose any DJ to collaborate with, who would it be and why?

AA: I never really think about that. I think set such a high standard for myself I never really think that I want to work with anyone else, but not that I'm opposed to doing so! I’m always trying to improve my own craft and my own style. When I have the chance of course I love to work with other people that I vibe with and that I can communicate with musically on a symbiotic level. I like to learn from people, but ultimately I really do enjoy working by myself. It’s a no pressure environment where I get to regurgitate my emotion and my creativity at my own pace.

What would you say sets you apart from the rest of the DJs?

AA: My consistency and my work ethic.

Do you ever get nervous before a performance?

AA: I never get nervous during my sets because to me nervousness is a bi-product of unpreparedness. I’m always (or at least try to be) completely 100% prepared for every show. I prepare so hard to be consistently great every single time I play and I’m always trying to outdo myself. I think any key to success and falling in love with an artist is not just them being amazing one time when you see them but every time.

Who was the first DJ you saw live and where?

AA:The first artist that I was truly blown away by was Eric Morillo. When I saw him back in 2005 it was the greatest thing that I had ever seen in my entire life. I thought that was the best that I had ever seen until five days later when I saw Steve Lawler which really was life-changing. I'll never forget buying Steve Lawler NuBreed Global Underground... It literally got me through so many hard times. When I had the chance to see him live in 2005 it was a combination of so many repressed emotions from difficult times in my life where I would always listen to his mixes and the music being my savior so to speak. Then seeing how good he was live was really a breath of fresh air so through it all, I would have to say Steve Lawler would be my biggest inspiration.

The first album you ever purchased?

AA: The first artist that I would say got me into electronic music would be Nine Inch Nails, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, DJ Keoki, and then came Danny Howells, and Steve Lawler. But there were a whole bunch of compilation CD’s the old Gatecrasher, Creamfields, and Pete Tong Essential Mixes.

What was the first gig you ever played?

AA: In Cleveland on New Year’s Eve 2002 going into 2003 right when I was entering the toughest year of my life and my buddy couldn’t play the gig so I played it for him and the owner came down and heard my set and enjoyed it. Two weeks later I played the main room of the club and they offered me my first residency.

So when did you decide this was no longer a hobby and that you wanted to make a career out of it?

AA: I knew from the second I bought my turntables. I had this blind faith; I’m like I’m going to be one of the biggest DJs in the world. Before I ever bought my turntables I would just sit there on the dance floor and point at the DJ and say I can do better than that. I always had this motivation and I just procrastinated for the longest time buying turntables and when I finally did there was no looking back.

What would you be doing if you weren’t DJing and producing?

AA: I probably would still be in the corporate world, I have a very strong business mentality a very strong corporate mentality and high business acumen from my understudies. I’d probably be lost and not even know that I’m lost lol... Hopefully something would have eventually come along and taken me away from that. If I were to quit music now I’d probably be a park ranger or work in social services, teach, or something where I could give back.

Thus far in your career what is the best show you have played?

AA: Impossible to quantify, there are so many amazing shows. I love big rooms and small rooms. Last week I played Toronto at Footwork and Spybar in Chicago and they were two of my favorite shows I've played this whole year. I love those venues and would never give those up to only play big rooms.

What was the most embarrassing or craziest thing that happened to you during a live set?

AA: I was playing a show in Detroit a couple years ago and all the power goes out. I was like we have to do something here, so I got up on stage and I started dancing a jig in front of everyone, kind of like Lord Of The Dance. I literally just danced for like three minutes and the whole place erupted with holler and laughter! Just as I finished my funny dance, the power goes back on and I jump back down and I press play and the music goes back on. It was like the most epic scene. Never have too much pride to embarrass yourself. It just so happened that night I had to dance an Irish jig to keep everybody in the house.

What other genres do you listen to other than electronic dance music?

AA: I like Jazz, I like Blues, I love Rock n Roll, Punk and all that kind of stuff.

Whats next after NYC, will you be back soon?

AA: I will be back soon, but I don’t know what my next move exactly is going to be. I been on the road all summer, I was on the road for 40 days including Spain and I came back to do shows just for the month of July and then I’m going back to Spain for the month of August. I’ll be back in NY soon; I love playing here... its one of the special places to play for sure.

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