We recently connected with DJ Asha and have shared our conversation below.
DJ, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
The technical side of DJ’ing can be taught. For example, how to mix, scratch or use effects and how to set-up and trouble-shoot equipment. I learned from a friend, but some DJs go to classes or learn from online videos.
Learning how to read a crowd is completely different. That’s a talent that is nurtured with practice and experience. I learned from paying attention to popular DJs and analyzing their technique.
A great DJ takes the audience on a journey and is in tune to the energy of the crowd. Those skills take time and patience to develop. It also takes time to build your music collection so that you are not playing the same songs night after night.
DJ, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started DJ’ing during my first year of college in London, England. After a while, I earned a reputation for being able to read the audience, and build a night from scratch without playing the big hits too soon. People also like the way I use the mic to hype up the crowd, and the variety of music I spin.
I am also business oriented, so it helps that I’m reliable, punctual, polite and don’t drink alcohol, or do drugs. There have been a few times when I got booked simply because another DJ or host was a no-show or too drunk to play a good set.
I’m proud of the fact that I get recommended for jobs by bartenders, dancers, and caterers, as well as other DJs and promoters. It means that I entertain the people who are working as well as the guests.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding thing for me has been the ability to create a fun vibe in welcoming environments, so that people are able to forget their worries and have a great time. When I get talking to people after shows and they tell me about their lives and what they’re going through, it makes me understand how important it is for them to go out dancing and socializing in friendly spaces. DJ and promoters cultivate an energy that can be underestimated, but the feedback I get lets me know that what we do is valuable.
Have you ever had to pivot?
The Covid-19 pandemic required me to pivot from in-person events to online platforms. All the venues I was booked to DJ in were suddenly closed because of the spread of the virus, so it was important to use other resources available. At that time LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath was the Mayor of West Hollywood and she aske me to DJ for her via Zoom for a virtual event the City Council was having. Of course I said yes, and the event was fun, but the sound quality could’ve been better. I decided that I needed to be prepared to do more virtual appearances, so I called my friend DJ Ivan for advice, who told me to download OBS video streaming software. I watched some tutorials, invested in better lights and a large greenscreen, and started marketing myself as a virtual DJ. It lead to some amazing gigs like DJ’ing for 10,000 people globally for hopin.com. I still sometimes get booked for virtual events now, even after things calmed down with the virus,
Contact Info:
- Website: https://djasha.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/djasha/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/djasha/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@djashamusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/djasha
- Other: https://www.mixcloud.com/djasha/
Image Credits
Matt Fitt, David Burgoyne