Meet Alan Aslan: Session Guitarist, Producer, Audio Engineer

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

Hi Alan, why did you pursue a creative career?
I simply want to connect with others while I express myself, and I feel most expressed with sounds and music. I’ve found that I was always aiming to please and entertain others since a very early age, and as I got older I become more and more entranced with music and the production of sound. When it came time for me to pursue a degree in college, I initially wanted to go the safe route and get a major in Psychology with a minor in Music, but that idea quickly gave away and I committed myself to the lifelong pursuit of producing music and audio as a means of connection. These days I really enjoy teaching, when I can, as well as working on collaborating with others to produce music while we all wait to go out and perform live music once again in a post-COVID world.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m most of proud of how I’ve come across the work I currently do these days. My friends hire me and I sit at home either on Zoom or exchange emails with them to get whatever it is I’m working on done right. It wasn’t easy at first making the right connections that could lead to gigs in Los Angeles, but I persevered with a good attitude, positive energy and an enthusiastic demeanor. I’ve learned that this path to success in your given medium is slow and steady, as long as you keep up with constantly working towards something better and you remain patient and kind to yourself (and the process).

I want the world to know that I’m ready to collaborate and work together to put out special projects. Creating something unique and (hopefully) impactful in the music we listen to is my sole intention, and I can’t wait to continue doing so for the rest of my life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Depending on how adventurous my friend is, I would first take them on a quick morning surf at El Porto, followed by breakfast burritos at C & M Cafe in Palms/Culver City. After a quick commute back home, some coffee or tea at Bourgeois Pig here in Franklin Village/East Hollywood. Then, I’d prepare some lunch or a snack at home, see if any of my friends want to go chill at Griffith Park or go for a hike in the surrounding area (people really like hiking out here). And after that, if there’s a small group of use hanging out together we’d go back to my place, sit as far apart as possible just for COVID precautions and play a game like poker or listen to music. The best things you can do with folks you care about that are visiting is sharing your passions with them, and while live music isn’t a thing you can still enjoy a lot of what Los Angeles and the nature-side of SoCal has to offer… with the right guide

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Bronsen Vidas, Caitlin Hill, Will Lemus, and Itay Lerner. These fine folks have all inspired me to put my best foot forward in any scenario as well as helped me get further in my pursuit of a full time profession in music. I also want to shout out my mom and dad, they have been encouraging every step of the way. Their advice and counsel is second to none. I’d also like to thank Don Latarski for helping me develop my sound as a guitarist when I first started studying under him at the University of Oregon, a big reason I create musical phrases the way I do is because of his mentorship during undergrad.

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-aslan-956059163

Other: Here’s a Spotify playlist of some of the music I’ve worked on, I regularly update it whenever an artist I’ve played for releases the music https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4VhN7ZC7Gl5p4Sq0kMkima?si=aWByux9DStyWKhLig1Nevg (My website is coming soon with this and other examples of my work!)

Image Credits
Caitlin Hill