DJ Aslan, aka Ash Keogh, wants his Art Ball 2019 outfit to be a surprise, but that is not the only aspect about him that usually astonishes people.
“I worked in architecture for 10 years and have only just recently switched over to DJ full-time,” Keogh, of North Perth, said.
“I was a draughtsperson and DJ, and gradually the side hustle became the main hustle. They are very different and no one expects it.”
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READ NOWA self-confessed giant music nerd, Keogh said it was inevitable when he started to DJ six years ago.
“A Sydney friend of mine was launching a cook book, we were friends through being music nerds and he asked me to play at his book launch,” he said.
“It just went from there. It’s about the excitement of discovering new music and being able to share it with others.”
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Keogh, who grew up in Coogee and has a show on RTRFM, said he was known for playing urban music from a global perspective, featuring Hip Hop and R’n’B with interconnected subgenres like Afro-beats and Dancehall.
“I’ve been flown to France, Bali and Italy for weddings, but I travel more to watch and be inspired by other DJs,” he said.
“I did that a couple of years ago when I went to Jamaica. I didn’t DJ there; I just went to all the parties and watched all the DJs.
“It really was for research purposes and then I went to Colombia after that.”
Keogh will be resident DJ at the fourth annual Art Ball at Art Gallery of WA on May 25 where this year’s theme is Electric Dreams.
The event will feature immersive activations, interactive installations and live performances from San Cisco, Priscilla, Pia Harris and Yummy.
Keogh said he looked forward to the visual spectacle and would inject his own style in to his sets.
“It’s a standout event on the social calendar so people really go all-out and there’s an air of creativity and sophistication,” he said.
“Like you always do at DJ events, you want to mix the familiar with the unknown.
“It’s about getting that balance right so delivering some new stuff that people haven’t heard, then also some classics and stuff they know.”
THE ESSENTIALS
What: Art Ball 2019
Where: Art Gallery of WA
When: May 25
Tickets: www.artball.com.au