An Interview with Ariel G

January 26, 2007 4:10 PM
by Dan Vidal [email]

You might know him as the open format/hip-hop master at Club Space every Saturday night on the terrace, but a little known fact is that Ariel G has a strong background in the dance music scene. Between running Behold Recordingsand also the occasional set of house music at Space and other venues, Ariel is bringing a refreshing sound and business sense to Miami's dance music scene.

CJ:You've been behind the scenes for a bit, but you've recently popped up at Space...how long has it been now?

AG: A couple years now...

CJ: What have you been doing that we haven't noticed you up until this point?

AG: The hip hop room. Being a good hip-hop DJ is what opened the door for me actually.

CJ: So Ariel G, A.G, one in the same?

AG: Same person different characters. When you see A.G. I am in character to be the best hip-hop/open format DJ I can be, when you see Ariel G, I am in character to be the best house/electronic DJ I can be.

CJ: That could get a bit confusing, a lot of people ask me who "that guy playing house before Cedric" is, and I tell them it's Ariel G, and they ask "Oh, like AG"? Why not keep it simple?

AG: Unfortunately, there are many ignorant people out there that can't respect the overall talent of a person, so you'll get what we call "the haters", that say "What? He can't make up his mind," rather than acknowledging the fact that I am talented enough to do more than an average DJ. Besides that, my Behold Recordings label puts out a lot of music which at times can have some of my own productions, which I promote as Ariel G. Behold Recordings has released much work from the artist "Ariel G", so not to confuse any potential fans, I just use Ariel G when I perform my electronic music.

CJ: OK, so your a hip hop/open format/house DJ, that owns a record label called behold recordings?

AG: I am all of that plus a student at Florida International University. My music priorities are unfortunately not exercised till after I get home from school at about 9 pm. Then I handle my label business and produce, and then work out for a little bit.

CJ: Keeping busy, huh? What's next for yourself, and your label?

AG: Well, I plan to graduate and get that headache out of the way first and foremost. I won't be using any of the two degrees for a new job. Can't forget about the gym, and I am going to start a new radio show on Radiate FM (88.1 for people in south Miami, 95.3 for those in north Miami) called Behold Radio. Most importantly, I really want to work on my DJ exposure and record label exposure because I feel that I deserve it. I hope to remain opening for all of Club Space's special guests in the terrace, such as Roger Sanchez, Desyn Masiello, Sharam, Sasha, Nic Fanciulli, etc but also make my way into some longer house sets for myself. And for Behold Recordings, we have some really awsome artists on there such as Jesse Perez, Saeed Younan, Jeff Bennett, DJ Tim & David Kassi, and some really great music. So hopefully more people can become fans of the label as well.

CJ: Well, you've got the business sense, and the artistic sense, what led you into production?

AG: I started as a DJ and quickly realized that it wasn't enough. I would have to produce my own music. After spending hard earned money and time on producing, no labels wanted to even give me the time of day because I was a new artist. I didn't go to school for music, but I new I had to do anything it took to make it. I started behold recordings for myself and for anyone else that went through what I went through to be able to express our unnoticed talent. Unlike other labels we don't stick to one genre, we stick to all including breaks, prog, tech, tribal, downtempo, ambient etc. We are diverse, but only contain the best stuff from each genre, nothing mediocre. That's why when I play, people notice that I'm different from most of the other DJs in Miami who stick to their all tribal or all electro sets. I think there is some really good tribal, prog, electro, so I mix it up and give a little bit of everything. Ill even throw in an old school original smash from the 80's or 90's because I like to pay my respects. I definitely want everyone to come out and check out what I can do on the terrace!

CJ: Totally. I've been out there early a few times myself, and I get a kick out of the true classics. Late 80s stuff especially! Thanks for taking the time to sit down with us.