Fresh off a massive gig at Life in Color in Ottawa and a well-earned vacation to Europe,
Ottawa’s-own Ariyan had a chance to sit down with DJ Mag Canada for an exclusive
chat about what he represents as an artist, upcoming collaborations with some major
names, and more.
How did it feel to play alongside Sandro Silva and Oliver Twizt in
front of a sold-out hometown crowd at Life in Color in Ottawa?
I love performing at the Life in Color events. The crowd is great and the paint is crazy
so it’s always an incredible experience. Sandro, being a friend of mine, is an incredible
performer to share the stage with and it’s great to see him again. We met when he
performed at Era Nightclub and we really hit it off before the show and have been
friends ever since. It was really great to see him and Oliver Twizt and put on a show
together at the same venue.
With such a diverse sound, how would you de?ne what you
represent as an artist?
Nowadays, it’s hard to settle on a de?nition because there are so many different styles
that I like to play, personally. I try not to stick to one sound but really love to play techhouse as that’s what I started from. I also have a lot of fun making and playing bigroom electro tracks and fans really seem to love it. I don’t think I could ever con?ne
myself to one “genre” of music as it really limits your creativity as an artist.
Who has mentored you throughout your growth as an artist?
I’ve had so many great mentors support me throughout my career and it really means
a lot. Guys like Sick Individuals and Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano have been so
supportive and offer so much useful advice. Whether it’s playing one of my tracks,
tweeting about my releases, or tagging me on Instagram in one their projects, it
really represents a big step forward. I have a few upcoming collaborations with Joe
Ghost and Sick Individuals along with a few more that I can’t get into detail about
at the moment. Even small things like how to pack your luggage when going on tour
are really helpful. As far as who has stuck out for me and supported me on all my
endeavors whether it’s producing, touring, and beyond, it’s my brother, Aydin.
Ottawa has witnessed explosive growth in regards to dance music.
What are your thoughts on Ottawa’s growing presence in the
industry?
Ottawa’s dance music scene is growing and it’s growing fast. I remember when I ?rst
started DJing it was quite hard to get a gig as I didn’t play hip-hop or “radio-friendly”
records. Now, most of the clubs in the city are playing dance mus ?????????????????)????????????????%?e??????????????????????????????????????????$???????)???????$??????????????????????????????????????????Q??????????????????????)????????$???????????????????????????????????????????)??? ???? ??)???M??????9??????????()???????????((??((0