Exclusive Interview: Augie De La Rosa

Augie DeLaRosa has been playing House Music for over 15 years, and just started playing in public 5 years ago. In this short span, he has played Chicago’s top venues. A regular at Ybar Gallery Fridays the last 3 years, he has also played Soundbar, VLive, SpyBar, Proof, Bodi, Crescendo, Bevy, Vinyl, NV Penthouse Lounge, Lumen, and a guest appearance at Porn & Chicken, just to name a few. We also had him at #AfterLife this past Saturday with Dj Icey where he crushed his set. We did a little interview with Augie, read what he had to say below.

How did you first begin DJing/Producing?
I started playing in high school. As I grew older, I played less, mainly just played at home and at parties for friends. In 2008 unbeknownst to me, my wife Christina booked me at Enclave, and the rest is history. I started producing last year with D2A (Brian Rosin). Our first EP Vacant, hit #4 on the Progressive House Top 100 Releases, and #15 on the Tech House Top 100 Releases on Beatport in February 2015.

Who is your biggest influence(s)?
Deep Dish, Roger Sanchez, Erick Morillo, and Harry “Choo Choo” Romero.

What’s your favorite record of all time?
Diamond Girl. Hahaha, that’s an inside joke for my wife. Wow! This is probably the most difficult question to answer.
If I had to choose one, I’d say Percolator- Cajmere.

What was your favorite party of all time that you have played?
So many to choose from, but my all time favorite was when I opened for Sharam at YBar.

Who do you want to collaborate with in the future?
I’d love to collaborate with any of my influences listed above, that would be a dream come true. There are so many
Chicago DJ’s that I would love to work with. The Porn & Chicken Crew, Bucky Fargo, Twitching Scratch, and Oleg Bondar to name a few. Right now my main focus is to continue working on my music with D2A and my late 2015, early 2016 goals are to start collaborating with all the great talent we have here at home.

 

What’s the most embarrassing thing thats happened to you at a show?
I was plugging my phone into the power strip to charge it, and hit the power button on the strip by mistake.
CDJ’s and Mixer shut off and a packed dance floor came top a complete halt.

What do you like to do when you’re not working on music/DJing?
I’m a huge sports fan, I enjoy going to Bears, Sox, Bulls and Hawks games.

What is your opinion on the current EDM scene?
I think people just need to continue to enjoy whatever genre of Dance Music they prefer. No need to bash anyone because they
enjoy Tech House, or Mainstream, or Deep House, or Hip Hop, or whatever floats their boat. It’s music! it’s suppose to make YOU feel good, and what works for me may not work for you and vice versa. Be glad there are many options to choose from. Just keep on dancing and supporting the artists you love! My heart belongs to House Music!

What do you think will be the next big thing in EDM?
Adrian Hour

What do you think about all these “frauds” in the EDM scene using ghost producers, buying likes and purchasing their own tracks on Beatport?
I don’t know who to blame more, the DJ who puts out a track that he had no part in producing, or the ghost producer that whores himself out to these rats and allows them to take credit for his work. I don’t have an issue if an artist buys his track on Beatport, as long as he only buys one, unfortunately too many artists have been caught abusing this and have had their tracks yanked from the charts. Buying likes is almost as pathetic as ghost producing!

Is there any upcoming releases/shows we should keep an eye out for?
My latest release is a remix I did with D2A for the Lightyear track Send Me An Ange that was released by Phunk Junk on 4/14l. On June
16th, my original track with D2A ‘’That Groove’’ will be released by 418 Music on Beatport. Weekends you can catch me playing at any of the following clubs: Soundbar, Time, YBar, and Room7 Chicago to name a few.

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