What are the main differences for you when playing a set in Ibiza and playing in Vegas?
Danny Avila: There aren’t a lot of differences since the parties are often made for EDM fans. So, I play EDM tracks, my own tracks and so forth. However, I do like to get deeper within my sets and on Ibiza this works superbly. I do like to keep the energy high in Vegas since the people come there for this style and I definitely always want to deliver to my fans.
Being only 19, you’re technically not old enough to be in US clubs. So I’m curious how that works. Do they make exceptions for you, or do you have to leave right after your set?
Danny Avila: [Laughs] No, they never make exceptions and are super strict on this. For example, when I play at Hakkasan, all the alcohol standing in the DJ booth is removed before I’m allowed to enter. Two bodyguards guide me to the booth and I’m never really sure if they are there to protect me or just making sure that I don’t try to sneak into the club and party [laughs]. After my set, I have to leave the booth right away and I’m guided out of the club. For me, this is the hardest part since usually I like to stay a bit longer and talk to the people or my fans.
Only two more years, right?
What do you have coming up in terms of new music?
Danny Avila: I’m working on a lot of stuff, but haven’t finalized the new tracks yet. The end of the year has been exhausting and I still have a couple of shows coming up. So, January will be the month to finish this. I also have a great new residency coming up in the new year, which I look forward. It will also be in Vegas, at the LIFE SLS Club. We’re finalizing the concept for this.
Your live sets are some of the most energetic that I’ve ever seen, how do you keep such a high energy level throughout?
Danny Avila: Well, a lot of preparation goes into my sets. People often like to think I would pre beatmatch all the tracks or morph them to a certain tempo. But actually that’s the most fun part of DJ’ing. Everyone who DJs knows what I’m talking about.
I then add some shout outs into the mix as well to engage the crowd more often. But the main ingredient is definitely the music itself. This is the most time consuming aspect of it all, since I like to my make sets stick to a certain style, sometimes very hard, sometimes bouncy. It does take time to find the right tracks for that. Plus, I also like to integrate rather unknown artists and tracks. All in all I always try to find a way that keeps everyone in motion.
Do you think that being young gives you an advantage in that sense, because you have more energy than some of the older guys who have been doing this for a while?
Danny Avila: [Laughs] No, I don’t think my age really gives me an advantage. You know, I might be younger, but the older generation has seen so much more from the world and has seens many more crowds. So the advantage of being younger gets compromised very quickly here. I do believe that you can engage a crowd in many different ways. I just like the way I do it because I have a lot of fun doing it and my fans like to go along with it. But other DJs like to do this differently, with their fans appreciating something else in their performance. So, it’s all about what you represent, not how old you are.
How do you describe your sound to people who aren’t familiar with you?
Danny Avila: Energetic, powerful, relentless and engaging!
What do you prefer, the European dance scene, or the North American one, and why?
Danny Avila: I don’t prefer either one, I think they both carry their own strengths and I like them both for what they are. In Europe you can definitely feel that dance music has been around longer in the overground than in the US. On the other hand, the US has had major influence on the underground scene, which makes saying US people didn’t know about dance music up until the EDM wave came, very inappropriate. I feel that both scenes, in Europe and in North America have seen great changed since EDM became more prominent. And they also came closer to one another, since people started to travel thousands of miles for festivals like Tomorrowland, TomorrowWorld, etc.
You came onto the scene at a very young age, younger than most. Talk about the challenges that came with that and do you think you had to work harder to prove yourself since most of your peers were so much older than you?
Danny Avila: To be honest, I don’t think age has anything to do with it. The people who are able to help you and realize you for what you really are, don’t look at your date of birth. They acknowledge it, but other than that it’s what you’re able to deliver that counts. There’s a big flaw with the age question within the scene, since whenever someones very talented it does seem to be even more exceptional if he is younger. I do understand why someone would think this way, but it also causes others to blindly support someone without even checking if the stuff is really good.
What’s been your career highlight so far?
Danny Avila: I have to say my set at Ultra Miami this year was one of the highlights. Meeting Fedde and Tiësto was definitely another. Plus countless more that I would need to reminisce about now to name them all.
What are you looking forward to most in 2015?
Danny Avila: Definitely releasing new music and my new residency in Vegas.
Any plans to release a full-length studio album?
Danny Avila: Would love to but that would mean a lot of time off for studio.
That concludes our interview, but we’d like to thank Danny Avila very much for his time. Be sure to check out his recent single, “Boom!” below.