Aaron C. Goes from Vinyl to Video

At first glance Aaron Cortes (otherwise known as Aaron C) doesn’t look old enough to remember when they actually played music videos on MTV. Raised and schooled in Riverside, California, Aaron, (who now lives in Rialto), has been commuting to the desert each weekend for the past two years to spin at one of the biggest pool parties in the Valley : “Caliente Pool Party.” On any given Friday or Saturday night during the summer it wasn’t uncommon to see a thousand or more bikinis and board shorts bobbing up and down to Aaron’s music videos, poolside at the Agua Caliente Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage. If you have been living in a box this summer or haven’t had a chance to get out there, this Friday you can catch the bikini finals!
Like many teenagers, Aaron’s obsession with music found its launch in high school. After attending many of the high school dances, Aaron finally convinced his mother to let him buy a few of his favorite cassettes – RUN DMC, “Raising Hell” and the Beastie Boys, “License to Ill.” “I was intrigued by the sounds the DJs were making and the fact that they never spoke but were still just as in-your-face in the song as the vocalists were,” Aaron recalls. “Back then it was very different than what is on the radio now, to hear that kind of mixing you had to go to the clubs,” Aaron added.
The curious young DJ eventually got to see first-hand the tricks, scratches, mixes and remixes these DJs were making and was motivated to purchase his first DJ system. Cutting his DJ teeth on a pair of Technic Turntables like many before him, it didn’t take long for Aaron to master a variety of music from Hip Hop, Rap, New Wave, Funk, Disco, and eventually segueing into Electronic music as he grew older.
As the technology became more and more a part of the culture and lifestyle, Aaron evolved and grew as it grew. Starting with about 35 crates of real vinyl, Aaron eventually progressed into the digital age with vinyl emulation thru MP3’s. As an original member of the MTV generation and a self- proclaimed computer geek, the next step was naturally to incorporate music videos. Aaron emphasizes, “It added more flare to my performances by including a visual element on top of the audio element, and it was another way to differentiate myself from the thousands of DJs popping up around me.”
Over the past 20 years, Aaron has honed the ability to read the crowd and play to the people in attendance instead of just playing the same set list each and every weekend. “Although I support progression and innovation, the digital age has sort of watered down the reality of what a DJ is and what a DJs purpose is,” remarks Aaron. “Simply playing the latest songs back to back to back is not the purpose of a DJ. Creating a memorable experience that your clients and patrons will take with them is what it’s all about,” he continues.
Aaron currently owns and operates his own production company called Crowd Control Pro DJ which produces weddings, corporate and special events. Aaron still enjoys maintaining a presence in the club scene all over Southern California and would love to develop some new venues here in the Coachella Valley. Big on social networking, you can usually keep track of where Aaron will be next by liking his “Aaron Cortes” Face Book page.
Written by: Craig Michaels
Musical Affair Entertainment (760) 619-3276