DJ AYA Interview | Respect the DJ Interview
AYA at Sibiu Music Fest
How did you get your name?
Spontaneous, first as a joke, because the word meaning in my language is some kind of "she", as a demonstrative pronoun, the english grammar does not let me translate this with the meaning from my language
How did you get into DJing
My first connection with music in a professional way was as a break-dancer and during a random family discussion about what I will do with my future, I decided to follow one of my father's preoccupation by learning the part of DJ-ing also. At that moment the art of mixing has become our family tradition, which has started with my father and me being the second generation that has embraced it
What did you do to advance your skills/knowledge?
I started taking lessons daily with my father, step by step, from basic things at first until I learned how to do my remixes and mashups live on stage, finger drumming and things that did not make any sens to me in the beginning, like having a maximum output of 0 db while playing 4 songs at one time, having my tracks normalized and mastered by me, taking care of levels when I am playing in a way that I will be able to deliver good performance based on high expectations of skills and sound quality in the same time.
What did your first set up look like?
I started using a relatively small setup, one Akai AMX Mixer and two Akai AFX controllers for advanced performance
What does your current setup look like?
For playing as guest in different venues I am using my Denon Prime 4 all in one player and mixer, is easy to install and it has a good sound quality, even if the club/festivals are offering the standard equipment of 2 players and a mixer I prefer to work on my own because I am using a lot of new features which are missing from those players also sometimes i like to complicate my work by using more than two channels at once or I like to do some finger drumming in a live set. At home I have a music production studio where I am working on my remixes and I am preparing my sets. In the production studio i am using a varied range of controllers from Akai (Akai MPC, MPK, midimix etc.) a sound card Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and Adam speakers, also in the studio I have for mixing my old controllers Numark NS7 III, Akai AMX and 2XAkai AFX
Shop DJ AYA’s Setup on Amazon
If you could produce for any artist (dead or alive), who would it be?
If I could produce for any artist (dead or alive), I think it will be Bruno Mars. It has a similar approach to music even if this is not so obvious at the first look, he likes to use old school elements in his music but in the same time they sound fresh, this can be seen also in his choreography.
What is your goal when you create?
I am trying to bring the dance vibe through my sounds, where rhythm is my main priority also by combining different genres and taking the best of every sound that i use
What's your go-to song right now?
As a go to song I would like to mention two my last remixes :)
INNA x Vinka - Bebe | AYA Remix
Roxen - Ce-ti Canta Dragostea | AYA Remix
What is your dream as a DJ?
My main dream as DJ/Producer is to play at the biggest stages in the world and to be able to produce songs that will move the crowds and reach people's hearts.
What is some advice you would give to someone with a dream to become a DJ?
My advice for someone with the dream to become a DJ would be to have patience, I know that my generation wants everything now, unfortunately it will never be like that, all things are coming after a great amount of work and nothing will come over night. In my career I had my down moments but I never give up