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DJ Danny Avila creates a buzz on dance floor
Courtesy of Danny AvilaSpanish DJ Danny Avila has already shaken dance floors around the globe, making him one of the most promising talents in the world of electric dance music (EDM)
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Courtesy of Danny Avila
Spanish DJ Danny Avila has already shaken dance floors around the globe, making him one of the most promising talents in the world of electric dance music (EDM).
He has performed at top venues, from Ibiza to Hakkasan, one of the most famous clubs in Las Vegas.
'It's not about the venue or festival I play in. It's about the experience that I get,' said Avila.
He was in Jakarta for the 'Go Global: Global Gathering On Tour 2015', sponsored by Urbanite Asia, which also featured Grammy-nominated DJ Steve Aoki and the Gorillaz Sound System DJ Set.
Avila said his first touch with music was through classical music.
'I used to play violin, piano and guitar. I really liked playing them, but I didn't really like the music that I was playing,' he said.
But he was enthusiastic about electronic music and he contributed to its vibe back in his hometown in Marbella, Spain.
'Every time I walked into a restaurant or a store, there's a DJ playing there. In Spain, there is a lot of stuff like that in summer,' Avila said.
A shift in his music interests set in back in 2009 when he bought a simple controller which cost him around 40 euros. He kept practicing and finally decided to throw his own party at a little-known bar called Devils.
'I was actually so young that no one really wanted to book me, so I invited my friends and played in a super crappy bar,' he laughed.
After the first gig, he got to perform in several bigger clubs before he decided to follow his dream in Madrid.
'I felt like I couldn't do much there,' he said. 'It's either 'I do something crazy right now or I am not gonna be able to move to the next step'.'
The 15-year-old's idea to move to the capital city by himself was supported by his father, Jose Avila, while his mother totally stood against it.
'My mom wanted to kill me literally,' Avila said, that was until he used his persuasive skills to gain his mother's approval.
In Madrid, he introduced himself to everyone in the industry and asked them to give him a try. He got into the spotlight only after playing in multiple clubs and events in the city, where he met his first manager. Then, his career took off.
Avila said the reason behind getting his first show at Blue Marlin, a luxurious beach club on the world's top party island of Ibiza, was simply because he was an annoying guy who always begged everyone for a chance.
His efforts paid off, he got his 20-minute shot to play at the club. And reaction from the owner and the crowd turned out positive.
Grammy award-winning DJ Tiesto also spotted Avila in Ibiza and asked him to play alongside him in Pacha Ibiza in 2012.
'It's then big things started to happen. Because of that [performance at Pacha Ibiza], I did my first big tour in the US,' Avila said. 'It's like little by little to get bigger.'
And Avila is not a stranger to Jakarta. He and Tiesto performed here two years ago.
Electronic music has been around the European club scene for a long time but Avila found its popularity is still on the rise in Asia.
'People in Asia are more passionate about electronic music,' he said. 'When you finish the show, everyone wants to have a picture and post it on twitter, which happens all over the world as well, but here it's a little more special.'
When he's not on tour, Avila enjoys wakeboarding and spending time with his family in Spain.
Once, he even went to a One Direction concert in Madrid. 'My little brother was obsessed, so I got him a ticket [...] and it was actually quite fun,' he laughed.
Avila has just released a new single, 'Plastik', and is currently preparing for the upcoming summer tour in Europe.
He said he had no plan to produce an album in the near future but thought it deserved time. 'I want to wait a little bit until I'm a 100 percent sure and maybe take six months off just to work on it,' said the man, who was awarded Best Newcomer DJ from Vicious Award in 2011.
Looking back on his early music career, he once thought electronic dance music was the least mainstream only to realize after playing in bigger shows that the music is in fact mainstream, and could drive music lovers into a frenzy.
'Something mainstream means it is huge and everyone listens to it,' he said. 'There are so many new producers, new sounds and new singers ' so it keeps getting more and more interesting.'
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The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post
