An Interview with DJ, Aash Mehta

AASH MEHTA, 22, has had a love for electronic music since he was 13 years old. For the past 7 years, he has been perfecting his skills, producing a wide variety of remixes and originals spanning across Electronic sub-genres - and has been gaining recognition for skillfully incorporating acoustic and live elements into his productions. The future looks bright for Aash, as he’s finding success with his original music, accumulating over 5 million streams, and his remixes - which have topped the Hype Machine charts multiple times. He has landed residencies at clubs, played shows internationally, and opened as supporting act for artists including 3lau, Caked Up, Borgeous, Audien, Mako, Kap Slap, Migos, Elephante, and Big Wild - to name a few. Aash’s EP, “Stardust”, was released on March 2nd, 2017 and has received praise from around the industry, being streamed millions of times within just the first few weeks.

Q: How did you get started with music?

A: I was always that kid who’d download the latest tracks and show them to everyone at school, so from there I just got curious and started messing around with music software. I also used to write my own songs and had a short-lived singer/songwriter phase - but I still write the majority of my own work today. I got into electronic music in 2010 after mostly listening to hip-hop. Indie, and pop music. I just fell in love with it, and have continued with that ever since.

Q: Who is your favorite DJ and why? Is there anyone who you think is pushing the boundaries of what a DJ is in terms of their music, their performance, or something else?

A: Oh that’s a tough one. I think Odesza and Porter Robinson are definitely some of my favorites - think both of them do a great job of creating unique, meaningful music, and also put on a great live performances. My biggest consideration when creating or releasing music is making sure it has meaning - that it invokes emotion and causes people to feel something. I don’t want to put out music that is simply “put your hands up” or “let’s get messed up and party” - I want to make things that people can relate to in their own way and connect with. That is also why the majority of the time I write or co-write my music lyrically, so that I can best get that feeling across to the listener. I think Odesza and Porter closely embody this in their own music as well.

Q: Do you have a favorite venue to see a show at?

A: Hmm, well my favorite venue is one that I’ve never been to - Red Rocks. It’d be a dream to see a show out there, and an even bigger one to play that venue one day. I would also love to go to Tomorrowland in Belgium one day. Last year they had 180,000 people from over 100 countries attend which I think is amazing, crazy how music can bring everyone together.

Q: What are your most popular track(s) to date?

A: I would say that “Hold Onto Me” and “Wings” are up there, but I also hold “Friendzone” very close to me! I also did a remix to “Closer” by the Chainsmokers that blew up on Soundcloud but in terms of originals, the previously mentioned ones are the most popular. I also just released my new EP, “Stardust”, a few weeks ago, so hopefully other tracks from there catch on as well! That whole EP is very personal for me, having written, produced, and mixed it - so hope everyone gets a chance to listen and relate to the music in their own way. 

Q: You use lots of different headphones for lots of different applications. What’s the most important characteristic of headphones for you?

A: For me, having a balanced sound is very important. I want the same clarity and presence across the frequency range - from bass to vocals to higher frequency sounds. If one end is stronger than the other, that can throw my whole mix off. Also, ear fatigue is a concern as I often wear headphones for 5-6 hours at a time so comfort is key!

Q: What are your favorite 1MORE headphone and why?

A: In terms of in-ears, the triple drivers are hard to beat - great sound quality and fit. But from the bluetooth perspective, the 802’s are my go-to pair. They’re very comfortable and have no signal loss via bluetooth. I use them almost every day during my commute, workouts, and when I’m just unwinding listening to new tunes. I definitely would love to see a DJ line of headphones from 1MORE. You guys know engineering and design and I would love to see what you’d do with a DJ/Studio pair!

SHOP 1MORE HEADPHONES HERE

Special thanks to Aash Mehta for taking the time to sit down with us for this interview. Keep making those dope tracks!

Check out Aash Mehta’s latest tracks on Spotify and Soundcloud and follow his journey on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

~Prz