Aaron Ross
What is your earliest musical memory?
Going to a Police concert I think.. My dad worked with them at A&M records in the 80's.
Tell us about your first ever DJ gig/live performance...
I was 14 and it was on a local pirate radio station in kingston where I grew up.. Scandal fm was the hottest station in town and I managed to persuade a couple of the guys I knew from there to let me have a spin.. I'd learnt to mix on belt drive turntables - at the station they had technics 1200's - direct drive - a totally different kind of sensitivity when mixing.. So lets just say my mixing wasn't quite as hot as it had been in my bedroom.. But they still gave me a chance !
Who or what inspired you to start a career in music?
I've been hugely inspired by my family, with both parents in the music business and my uncle it was kind of a path I always knew I would take, I never had a time in my youth when I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life which I'm hugely grateful for.. And as for Djing and house music I was really inspired by a good friend of mine nigel wildman and then he introduced me to phil asher who inspired me further to start making music!
What do you consider to be your greatest professional achievement?
I'm finding it pretty hard to decide on one, but here's 3 - one from each aspect of my career in music:
Hosting a radio show on the bbc for 5 years and then taking the defected In the house radio show to 23 different countries around the world
Signing Peven Everett - Stuck - to launch soul heaven records - the record is a classic moment in house.
Finishing a full length LP with Neil Pierce under the Fanatix guise - I'm hugely proud of this, even though the label that released it pretty much buried it.
Any advice for budding young stars..?
Just do your own thing and although it's good to take a little inspiration from others - you gotta trust yourself and find your own groove that sets you apart from the rest - and if you do get somewhere with your career be humble and cool and it will pay off.
