Hailing from L.A Arthur Galestian’s roots in electronic dance music stretch way back to his discovery of the underground music scene during the 1990s. He’s been an unstoppable and well respected force within the industry since then.
In 2003 he began making a name for himself on KUCI 88.9FM, where he featured many of EDM’s most prolific artists including Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, Carl Cox, and Dubfire. His mixes have bagged significant worldwide airlplay whilst his productions gain consistent support from heavyweights such as former BBC Radio 1 personality Judge Jules, Armin van Buuren and Lange to name a few.
He’s seen releases on a number of renowned labels including Mondo Records, Nueva Deep, Detox Records, Aurora Music, System Recordings, and Outta Limits Recordings and performed as a DJ in cities across the USA, Europe, Canada, and Asia. His highly distinctive musical style remains difficult to pinpoint; both his productions and mixes cover a wide spectrum of melody- infused genres like progressive house, deep house, techno, and trance taking each and every listener on a journey throughout.
We caught up with him to delve a bit deeper into the world and mind of Arthur Galestian.
Hi Arthur, how are you and what’s going on in your world at the moment?
Hello! I’m doing great. I’ve got lots to be grateful for, and lots to look forward to! At the moment, I’m experiencing all that Japan has to offer.
Where are you currently based?
I’m currently based in Tokyo, but my bases alternate between Los Angeles, Tokyo, Bangkok and Bali. My life has been rather semi-nomadic over the last two years.
How would you describe your sound?
My sound is really a collection of various influences under the umbrella of electronic music. When I first fell in love with this music, it was with the trance music coming out of the UK, Holland and Germany in the late ’90s/early 2000s. Nowadays, I’m super captivated by the sounds of deep house, progressive house, electro, and melodic techno. My sound rides on the borders of all of these genres – though I’ll be honest when I say I really don’t care much for genre. I try to escape any box I’m ever put into – not just in music, but also in life!
Who were your influences growing up?
If we’re talking about all kinds of music, I’d say the most influential artists for me growing up were bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails and Rammstein. I started off as a fan of alternative/indie rock, but those synthesizer sounds had me completely hooked by the time I had found NIN and Rammstein. I fell upon a Goa trance CD sometime around 1996 called “Trancentral 4: A Trip To Goa” mixed by a Japanese DJ named Tsuyoshi Suzuki. It was one of the first compilations I had ever heard that was entirely made with synthesized music. The rest is history…
How did you get involved in the dance music business?
By 2000, I’d already collected so much music that it felt selfish for me to hold it all to myself. I knew I wanted to share music with as many people as possible, so I started DJing at parties at my university. In 2001, I saw a video of Italian techno artist Mauro Picotto playing at Trance Energy, which poured a ton of fuel onto the flame I already had burning. I got seriously involved with my college radio station, which is where I got my start with everything in this business. In the 7 years running that show, we had guys like Above & Beyond, Carl Cox, Dubfire and Armin van Buuren coming in for studio interviews or running live remote broadcasts from nearby clubs they were flying in to perform at. It naturally evolved from there.
Where would you like to see yourself in the months ahead?
Working on more music that sits closely to my heart and to choose the best of those to release. One of my other goals over the next few months is to help other talented music producers who have dreams of long-term world travel to actually make it happen. Keep an eye out on nomadicproducers.com for all things related to travel and mobile music production.
Which is your ultimate career dream?
I somehow feel as though I’m already there, but in a lot of ways, I feel as though it’s still just the beginning. My ultimate career dream is to make music that moves and inspires people, to travel the world to connect with those people, and to work with other influential music artists who are on a similar wavelength.
Can you tell us about any upcoming releases and what has been your career highlight so far?
I have two releases coming out this spring. My tune “Tell Me (ft. Mira)” will be released on ICONYC Music and has already been getting a tremendous amount of support from the likes of Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren (of Way Out West), Cid Inc and Guy Mantzur. Up-and-coming Argentinian producer Ezequiel Arias did a stellar job on the “Space Remix” of that one. The other is a deep/progressive house EP with two tunes I produced with Canadian vocalist EKA, who I met in Thailand. One record was conceived in a small backpacker’s town in the north of Thailand called “Pai,” which is where the tune gets its name. The other is a darker, more melancholy tune called “High As I Drown.” The EP will be released on Majestic Family Records. All of these projects were entirely remote collaborations. As for a career highlight last year, I’d say it would be my remix of “Turn Up The Party” for the Dirty Freqs featuring vocalist VASSY, who is a certified RIAA Multi-Platinum and Gold recording artist. One of her biggest tunes is “Secrets” with Tiesto and KSHMR, so it was really an honor to work with a highly talented vocalist of her caliber. I collaborated with LA radio veteran Swedish Egil for that one, so it’s more of a “big room” tune. We were really pleased with it.
Who’s inspiring you in 2017?
Where do I begin? So much great music is on the horizon. Off the top of my head –Joris Voorn is continuously solid, Bob Moses is one of my current favorites, ICONYC labelmate Alex O’Rion has been putting out consistently great material, and fellow tribesmen Hraach, Viken Arman, and Armen Miran are pushing boundaries with an ethnic/spiritual blend of deeper house.
If you could choose, who would you like to collaborate with?
At the moment, guys who come to mind are Alex O’ Rion, Yotto, Guy Barone, Daniel Portman, Matan Caspi, Jerome Isma-Ae and Frankey & Sandrino.
Tell us something not many people know about Arthur Galestian?
Aside from music, traveling is my other undying passion. I’ve been to 35 countries so far. With almost 200 countries in the world, I’ve still got a long way to go! I’m also super adamant about living a healthy lifestyle via diet choices and exercise. Don’t be surprised if I skip the alcohol and ask for a sugar-free supergreen smoothie on my rider – kidding! Matcha green tea is my secret elixir to focus and productivity. Gotta thank the Japanese for that lovely contribution to the world.
Anything to add/shout outs?
Big shout out to American underground pioneer Kimball Collins, who inspired me greatly when I was in Bangkok. Many thanks to everyone around me who continues to be a source of support including my friends, family, fans, and other fellow artists who are passionately shaping the direction of this unpredictable, yet ever-evolving music scene.
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