Meet Aaron Ravioli | DJ & Sound Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Aaron Ravioli and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Aaron, what is the most important factor behind your success?
You know, that’s an interesting question for me because I don’t think I measure success in the traditional aspect. I mean, most things about me aren’t traditional. I’m from a Pakistani Christian family, and I’ve got multiple tattoos and piercings! I used to have more piercings in my teens and early twenties, too. Just based on my appearance, I’m sure it’s already apparent I’m accustomed to being outside the box.

Now, back to your question. When most people think of success, they look at numbers, they look at profits, they look at some type of numerical statistic. Don’t get me wrong, you definitely need that data to steer your next steps, but for me, I’m focused on the community. As a DJ, is the dancefloor moving and having a good time? As a producer and engineer, are my clients satisfied with the work we’re bringing to their audience? As an event promoter, are my attendees leaving feeling connected to their peers? These are the questions I ask myself to gauge my success, and by that standard, I feel like I’m pretty successful.

If I had to sum it all up though, my success comes down to authenticity. I don’t need a gimmick, I don’t use the typical tactics to get more work. I’m just myself, and who “myself” is, is someone who puts passion and drive into everything I do. I can never walk away from a project without saying I did my best, and I’ll never move onto a project without the aim of doing better than the last one. I’m someone who wants to see people be themselves and be real, and I do that as I move along through life. Autheticity has gotten me far and has built solid relationships in my career.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
A lot of my art comes back to culture. As a first generation Pakistani-American I tend to reference media and rhythms from desi movies and music. I also reference a lot of the culture i experienced from growing up in America. I’ve always admired rave culture from afar while I was young. Growing up in the age of the internet, I was only clicks away from learning about raves, and once I was able to attend my first rave, I’ve been submerged in the culture ever since.

Im surrounded by a network of latin artists, artists who I love and admire. One thing about Latin music that you may not know, is that South Asians share similar and complementary rhythms. I’m doing what i can to bring my culture from home to my culture outside. Im one of few South Asian Djs participating in a diverse landscape where I am still a minority and it’s beautiful. It beautiful because in such divisive times I have a place in my community that makes me feel unified. I mean I got to where I am today because of trans and queer bipoc. We all feel out of place in major areas of mainstream society!! It’s not easy to survive and build a life you feel is worth living.

I’ve learned to be myself, to not chase after or model myself after anyone else. It’s gotten me a lot further than listening to those who didn’t want to see me where they once stood.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oh I’ve got a full nightlife itinerary ready to go! Lets go ahead and start our day late and we can get some food at the Koreatown Plaza food court! We get to pick through some options of really tasty food there! Next we get ready for our night out! Depending on what events are happening we’re going to end up one of three places: Kiso, Melody Lounge, and if it’s the last tuesday of the month, Cha Cha Lounge. That’s just the beginning, cause once the bar closes, I got the addy to the afters, and the after afters, and the after the afters afters!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
When I first moved to LA from the Inland Empire, I had no idea where I would find community. To be honest I didn’t have much of a community in my hometown, I mean I saw the communities, but I never seemed to fit in when I attempted to participate. My best friend and later my DJ protege, Que Roque took me out to a few events in LA, and through meeting like-minded creatives we found ourselves at an event by the name of “Toxic Haus.” This shoutout goes to my homies Bl4ze and T3kno, the founders of Toxic Haus. These two have built up a growing community in our local scene and I couldn’t tell you how much I admire them for it.

I also need to shoutout Alii Bby, the motha of her haus and a good friend of mine. She produces the Babie Dollz Cabaret, a trans strip show that Que Roque and I both DJ for. Alii has given me consistent work that has gotten me across rough seas.

When you really care about your craft and the well-being of your peers, it tends to reflect back into your work. That’s something that all these people have taught me, and something that I take with me every step of the way.

Website: https://aaronravioli.bandcamp.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronravioli/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-roiballove-66b738202/

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/aaron-ravioli