We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Alex Golden a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alex, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

After my first couple years of DJing and working at my day job, I came to a point where I knew that continuing to pursue both was unrealistic. I was resenting my day job, and coming in tired every weekend from burning the candle at both ends. One day I was at a party and had been chosen to have my tarot cards read by a psychic. She said I was working two very different jobs, one that I thought I should be doing and one that was a creative passion. She told me if I chose to focus on what I was passionate about, my career would flourish. About six months later I quit my day job, and a week after that I was booked my first music festival.

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?

It all began with a big push from two good friends who started a nightlife guide for Aspen. I had always loved music and making playlist and being the ipod DJ (pre-spotify days). One day my friend Phoebe told me that I had to learn how to DJ because they were starting a new house music event series and they had me booked for the first party. That lit a fire under me and I taught myself how to play after one crash course from a DJ friend, watching about a ton of YouTube Videos, and practicing in my living room for hours on end. That first party was packed and ended up really jump starting my career as a house DJ in Aspen.

At the time barely anyone was playing house in Aspen, which was a niche I eagerly filled. I stuck with what I loved and never gave into the path of open format, even though that’s what the clubs were booking at the time. I ended up starting my own parties at bars around town. Now I have residencies from places like the Aspen Art museum to the best clubs in Aspen, and couldn’t be more grateful to the community who has danced from the beginning.

Although my sound has evolved from when I first jumped on the decks, the idea is the same. House music saves!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love being able to share the art that I have found all over the world through traveling and exploring with my community through music. I love discovering new artists and bringing different sounds to Aspen.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Being able to manage my time and energy to be productive is probably the most challenging aspect for me. There are so many distractions all the time, but being able to focus and prioritize different projects is essential to my success. This doesn’t happen easily and a lot of time skiing takes priority over work,

Contact Info:

• Website: alexgoldenbeats.com
• Instagram: @alexgoldenbeats
• Other: https://soundcloud.com/alex-golden-dj

Image Credits
David Vasquez, Jeff Jones, Seth Beckton, Patricio Maurin