David Khanjian, also known as DAVI, studied at the prestigious Komitas State Conservatory in Armenia and later moved to LA, where he began producing electronic dance music. In a short time, big names in the industry such as Hernan Cattaneo, Jody Wisternoff, and Eelke Kleijn took notice and supported his work. David is considered “LA’s best-kept secret” in the music world.
Here, we sat down to chat with DAVI to discuss many topics ahead of his appearance at Miami’s Treehouse alongside Kike Roldan.
EG: Hi DAVI, welcome back to EG! Where are you right now?
DAVI: Thanks for the invite. I’m in LA, I’ve had a very nice downtime since the beginning of the year. I’m about to hit the road again this weekend.
EG: How would you describe your experience in 2022 and what are your overall thoughts on the year?
DAVI: Overall it was a good year for me. Had my ups and downs like everyone else I guess. The DJ life is so repetitive year in and year out that sometimes I forget what happened last year. Everything seems like a blur.
EG: Can you share a standout moment from last year?
DAVI: I can mention shows and cities that I have played that we’re top-notch, but honestly this doesn’t make my year stand out anymore, it’s just part of the job. What I would say made it stand out was finding my passion in the studio again and finding my own pace in the industry. We get lost doing what everyone does that sometimes we forget what we really want from ourselves. For a while, I was traveling a lot and didn’t have enough time to write new music. For me, music production is my real passion, and I’m happiest when I have time for it.
“Instagram has changed our lives in so many ways and for the most part, it’s horrible”
EG: You’ve talked about being grateful for working with wonderful promoters. Can you give us more details about how they supported you during the year? And the importance of having good promoters?
DAVI: One thing that I don’t really like these days is that a lot of promoters either lost their identity or prefer to play it safe. Meaning, they will book the same DJs that everyone else books and are scared to take risks. Promoters used to be more style oriented. Each promoter had his/her style of DJs/artists that they liked to book based on the music genre. Promoters were known for this. Now everyone is booking whatever is hot. This is equivalent to me downloading the top 100 Beatport tracks and playing them at every show. This is why I really like some of the promoters that I play regularly. The ones that kept it real are those I admire the most.
EG: Regarding events, can you share your perspective on the impact that events can have on communities and why accessibility, like affordable tickets, is essential?
DAVI: I’m not really an expert at this as I don’t organize events. But having affordable tickets is always good to have I would assume. I recently played in San Francisco on NYE and the promoter had the idea of making the event affordable for everyone. It really did the job as it sold out.
EG: Talking about events, what should we expect from your upcoming performance at TreeHouse Miami on February 10th?
DAVI: One thing that I have learned throughout the past decade of DJing is that have no expectations. Just know your music very well and show up at the club and read the crowd and go with the flow. Every time that I have expectations, I’m usually not happy with my sets. The more you are prepared the more you put yourself in a box.
Tickets for DAVI’s performance at Treehouse Miami are available here.
EG: Any special track you are looking to play?
DAVI: Hmm…not really, as I mentioned I prefer to decide when I start playing 🙂 I think this is the pure art of DJing!
EG: You’ve released music on numerous prominent labels. Can you tell us about a release that holds a special place in your heart?
DAVI: I think if it wasn’t for ‘Gates of Babylon’ and ‘Bay 6’ and a few others like ‘Two Suns in the Sky’, I probably wouldn’t be as known as I am today. So I have to pat myself on my back for these releases and be grateful.
EG: Do you have any upcoming releases in the works?
DAVI: I have a lot of releases lined up. But I’m focusing on bringing my label Delysid back this year and self-release nonstop. As much as I love releasing on my favorite labels, it’s time to grow my own sound on my own label.
EG: Can you give us a behind-the-scenes look into your creative process and how you develop your music?
DAVI: Funny thing is, I never start a new track from scratch. I always end up getting ideas from other tracks that I make. My favorite thing is to catch accidents along the way and build on that.
EG: What is your advice to those who are venturing into the world of music? As a DJ and as a producer?
DAVI: This is a tough one. The scene changes so much and so frequently. I wish I had an answer but everyone’s journey is different. Some people get famous without even making a single track while there are a lot of very talented producers that never really get a chance to break into the scene. But hard work usually pays off at the end of the day. It’s all about how much you dedicate yourself and believe in the process.
“One thing that I don’t really like these days is that a lot of promoters either lost their identity or prefer to play it safe”
EG: In a recent interview we did with Steve Lawler, he mentioned that “The excessive need for people to have ‘moments’ on Instagram has throttled creativity in both DJ sets and productions that I see and hear.” What are your thoughts on this?
DAVI: I think most of us DJs are very tired of this but very few will talk about it. I personally cannot stand Instagram DJ videos or stories. Everything looks the same and is repetitive. I personally have been thinking of doing things differently. I can tell people are tired of seeing every pre-event story on my Instagram so I might limit it myself and keep it more exciting. Instagram has changed our lives in so many ways and for the most part, it’s horrible. I hate that app and if I weren’t an artist, I would probably delete it. Too many people focusing on building a solid profile on IG instead of focusing on getting better at their craft. The world is upside down and so is the music industry for that matter.
EG: Thanks for the time and see you at Treehouse!
DAVI: Likewise 🙂
Tickets for DAVI at Treehouse Miami with Kike Roldan are on sale now. Purchase yours here.
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