Do It for Your Own Self - Art Beatz (DJ from Boston,US)

 


       

1. Tell us about your background and journey.

I was born in Baghdad, Iraq and migrated to Boston, USA in 1999. I was introduced to music by my older brother who played the organ at our church. I quickly learnt to play the keyboard by ear and then started producing music at age of 13 by re-creating my favorite tracks at first. Djing came next where I started playing at local bars and clubs in my hometown.


2. Is DJ'ing a mainstream and financially stable career yet? 

Yes, it has been but as you know unfortunately the pandemic has stopped that for all performing artists at the moment. Music production has been my go to in the meantime as I work with many artists worldwide.


3. Who is your favourite artist and why? 

My favorite artist is Yanni who is a Greek composer and pianist. I don't know why to be honest haha but his music was very touching for me.


4. What are some of the common myths about your profession? 

For Djing, people think djs get paid to party. This is only true for ones who just do it for the money. For me it has always been a passion to bring positive energy and make people happy. There is a lot of preparation that goes into it from preparing your set for the event, constant contact with promoters/event coordinator, to setting up/taking down equipment to promoting and bringing a crowd out.


5. How and from where can one gain formal training for being a DJ?

I learned to mix by ear myself but there are dj schools out there who can teach the basics. I also hear some djs who learnt from tutorials on YouTube.


6. What are the kind of opportunities you get after being a DJ? 

Good question, I think it all depends on the value you bring in the market place. I know top DJ friends who have been very successful where some have got opportunities to be owners of venues, some endorsements and more. For me I have had great opportunities to travel the world and meet top executives. I think a DJ is a great spotlight to get introduced to many people and it all comes down to how much you connect with people. 


7. Your message for people who want to make their passion their profession. 

Do it for your own self, if you love it and not to show off to others. I think many djs get into the industry for the wrong reasons. 


8. Which is your favourite book and why?  

It by Stephen King.



Interview by - Priyanka