We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aaron Anthems. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aaron below.

Hi Aaron, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a time you helped a customer really get an amazing result through their work with you.

As a DJ, I seek a customer success story every time I play a set. I often find myself needing to feel the energy of the crowd, see the smiles, and dance moves to feel like I am good at what I do and to help me execute my job. The best feeling in the world is when an audience wants to follow my social media, find out who I am, and become part of my journey. That is the biggest success story for a DJ like myself when people want to invest their time, energy and money into me because i created this memory that they will never forget and want to relive. The gratification i get from a “you killed it!” “go dj!” or even just high five mid-set means so much more to me than a drink being sent over, or a cash tip (which i still appreciate).

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am Aaron Garcia, also known as Aaron Anthems. I am a DJ currently residing in Orlando FL, however i am not from Orlando. I grew up in the Bronx, NY YES, the birthplace of hip hop which i know plays a major role in why i chose a career path as a DJ. My obsession with turntables started when i was just a little kid seeing the movie “Juice” for the first time. From there on music always played a major role in my life from learning the musical taste of my parents to listening to the infamous Hot 97 radio station every chance i got. My career didn’t really take off until i got to college where i met people that were already established DJs that were willing to let me on their set up to play gigs and get my practice in.

My college DJ career consisted of doing a lot of house parties and events for the campus including fundraisers, dances, and community events. In School i went under the name DJ A-butta (don’t judge me i was young). While on campus i majored in Broadcasting with a focus in radio. The classes helped teach me to be comfortable on the microphone, establish a personality that people were drawn to and gave me a chance to dive deeper into my love of music. While in school I joined an entertainment team called “Hotskull Entertainment,” a group of established young DJs making waves in the music industry working with some of the biggest names in Hip Hop. Joining the team catapulted my career to new heights, hosting radio shows in NYC, DJing around the biggest names, and taking time out to give back to the community with our annual Hotskull Day in Mount Vernon Ny, a free concert for kids with big name artist where we would give out school supplies, free food, games and give aways for the youth.

My career in NYC took place in between semesters when i would go back home. Just because i was not in school did not mean i was on vacation. the moment i got back into the city I was doing anything and everything i could to get into those clubs and lounges as a DJ. Including taking jobs in the club as a server, bartender, janitor, it did not matter. I knew that one day an opportunity would open up where i could get on those turntables and show my skill, and it happened every time! I got a lot of help from Djs in NYC getting on set at some the the biggest places in New York. DJs like DJ Louie Mole giving me opportunities to DJ at the plaza hotel for NYE, or Djing at tavern on the green in the heart of central park i knew that i conquered what i needed to and i was time to move on and grow even more.

In 2018 i moved to Orlando FL and wasted no time hitting the ground running. I showed face at every club in the city til i gained the trust of the city to let me rock out. I currently DJ around the entire city with a very busy schedule, but with all this fun and success in a career i still have responsibilities to the community which is why i make time to stay active in offering my services for free for Breast Cancer Awareness events and youth events thrown by corporations to ensure a that i am playing a role in helping our future generation. I am absolutely in love with what i do, making peoples’ days with my music is truly a privilege. Music has the power to cure a lot for people and I’m just glad i can be the middle man in all of that.

I am a new member of DEF ALIEN RECORDS alongside names like superstar DJ ROS and a lot of other amazing creatives. With this venture i plan to build not only my name but the DEF ALIEN name to insane heights. so you ask, what’s next? my goals are to begin touring the world, releasing original music and to continue giving the world my energy in the form of good open format music.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

There was a moment in time when i moved to Orlando where i was out every night getting to know the city, the people and the night life scene. while doing so people did not really know me so i was not getting booked to DJ. I had to get a regular 9-5 job, which if you have an ounce of hustle in you it is possible to hold down a day job and still chase your dreams of DJing at night. However, this 9-5 job was not always 9-5 nor was it just 5 days a week. it took a lot out of me and it began to take away from my time being out gaining the trust of the city. had to make it to work to pay the bills. At one point i found myself not really going out and showing face which made getting bookings slow down even more which i couldn’t understand because i had zero bookings to start with. The good thing is i caught myself before it was too late. I always say in life we need to adapt and overcome. I had to adapt to my work schedule, adapt to the situation my DJ career was in, and overcome those issues and push forward. i got back out there and before i knew it i gained the trust of venues, began getting booked, and was able to leave my day job.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

At 27 years old people would think i would be good with social media, IM NOT! I wish i knew earlier how important it is to be savvy with social media in the DJ industry. people are making videos on tik tok getting a couple million views and traveling the world playing some of the biggest stages that exist. There is so much power in pushing your talent on the internet all you need is the 1 right set of eyes to see your skills and you can easily be heading toward the next step in your career. If i knew how important content was, my logo being seen, and hashtags there is no telling where i could have been in my career already.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronanthems/
• Other: email: [email protected]