Meet DancingFaraZ!
By Nóra McIntyre
We have the privilege of hosting the fantastic Seattle based DJ, Faraz Zarghami, otherwise known as DancingFaraZ. He’ll be performing at this year’s Starvation Gulch, which will be held on September 23rd, starting at 10pm in the Nenana parking lot on campus. Read on to learn a bit more about Faraz, his larger than life personality, and his work as a DJ.
N: What were some of the first pieces of music or artists that inspired you, and what inspires you now? Do you find that your musical influences have changed over time?
F: The first piece of music that inspired me to become a DJ is the 2015 song “Alesso Feat. Roy English - Cool (A-Trak Remix).” I've, literally heard this song at the club only once, and after using my Shazam app, I listened to it so much that it eventually became my favorite song of all time. I make a point to regularly include this track in my DJ sets, not only to make up for its lack of airtime when I was on the dance floor, but to allow my audiences to appreciate a song that has such a strong influence on me.
The first artist that inspired me to become a DJ is U.K.-based producer Sigala. I've been fortunate enough to hang out with him twice when he was headlining shows in the U.S. - once in Seattle in 2019 and then again in Miami in 2023 - and he is such a genuine dude. Sigala's music is the epitome of positive vibes, which is why I always play his songs during my shows because I want to spread that feeling of super fun dancing throughout my crowds. It would be an absolute dream to open for Sigala one day.
Surprisingly, I don't think my musical influences have changed all that much since I started DJing back in 2017. I've always enjoyed tropical house, deep house, pop house, progressive house, future house, and house remixes, and the inspiration when curating my playlists from these house sub-genres comes from one main factor: Danceability. I'm not doing my job as a DJ if you hear a track and don't think: "I'd drop everything to dance right now!"
N: How did you get started DJing?
F: I accidentally fell into DJing. After getting engaged in 2017, I worked coat check at a local Seattle club (Q Nightclub) to make some extra money for my wedding the following year. One of our regulars came in on a Wednesday night and told me one of his DJs fell through for a show he was putting on that following Saturday. Being the boisterous person that I am, without hesitation, I proclaimed: "I can DJ in that guy's place!" The promoter quickly took me up on my offer, gave me the event details, and he went inside the club. Little did he know, I had never DJed before, so I was, understandably, shocked that I put myself into this precarious position, but was motivated to not let him (or myself) down. I texted my good DJ friend, Alex, the next morning and he taught me how to DJ in two days while my DJ gear orders were rush-shipped to my house. When Saturday eventually rolled around, I saw the promoter during his event, got set up at the DJ controller, and played my very first one-hour DJ set to a satisfied audience. Unbeknownst to anyone but me that night, I had never performed a live show before, and I haven't looked back since.
N: How do you get yourself pumped up for a show?
F: I usually walk or take the bus versus driving to the venue to get pumped up for a show. This is definitely unconventional, but I find that driving is an unnecessary stressor (potentially getting a ticket, into a car accident, or trouble finding parking) right before an event. Because I know the kind of high-energy show I'll be putting on, it's nice to just soak in my surroundings as I mentally and physically prepare for what's to come. I visualize myself on stage, how I'll interact with the crowd, and revel at the prospect of providing an outlet for people to dance their faces off. Getting hyped before any of my DJ performances requires a steady level of internal build up that releases once I press play. I think of it as the mental pre-funk calm before the physical party storm.
N: Can you describe a bit of your creative process?
F: My creative process starts with, what I call, my 'Weekly New Music Discovery Sessions'. I spend about 3-5 hours every week combing through SoundCloud, Spotify, and artist podcasts to find the best brand new EDM/house music releases. Every DJ has their core selection of hits for every set, but I like to throw in a few brand new bangers as well because when you hear a new song for the first time, the neurons in your brain fire in different and unique ways. That process creates a special connection between the listener and the DJ who dropped that brand new track, which makes that shared experience all the more stronger.
My creative process continues with me practicing my dance moves before every show. I'm very intentional when I listen to music in order to identify the high and lows, builds, drops, and specific instruments that get sprinkled throughout a particular track. Once I’ve got those musical mental cues in place, then I dance out (at home or on the go) what I think a physical representation of those sounds would represent, so they become muscle memory when I perform in front of my live audiences. There’s already so much going on behind the decks, so if I can streamline what I do on stage in front of the decks, it makes for a smoother performance. There’s nothing like seeing someone play the air piano/guitar/drums in sync with the music, and having that creative outlet to express myself while DJing is why I love doing what I do in front of large crowds.
N: In your experience, what makes for a truly memorable show?
F: Before I started DJing, I would be on the dance floor pretty much every Friday and Saturday night, so when you log that many parties, they can get lost in life's shuffle. After so many dance parties, what I found to make for a truly memorable show would be how engaging the DJ/performer was with their live audience. I've taken that lesson and applied it to all of my shows by putting on super high-energy performances while interacting with the crowd. When I'm on stage, I feed off of the crowd's energy and they can feel that energy right back, so I try to put myself in the (figurative) shoes of those in attendance to give them what I would want to experience. I always have a blast during my shows, so when I have the creative license to have tons of fun, other people notice that and, in turn, they have a blast as well. We all want to maximize our fun, so if you were at a show where you felt the DJ/performer infused copious amounts of fun into your soul, that feeling will last forever.
N: What are your non-musical influences? What else gets you passionate/inspired?
F: My non-musical influence is the polar opposite of what I do as a DJ: Nothing. What I mean is people underestimate the value of doing nothing, having the free time to just hang out with yourself or others outside of social media, and just go for a walk with no real destination in mind. The way the world is now, it feels like we're constantly running around in a rat race. So, when I walk around my Seattle neighborhood/city, I'm able to just do nothing and think about anything I want with no distractions. And from that comes what I consider to be the purest form of inspiration: Imagination. When I imagine where I am in my DJ career and where I want to be, my passion for DJing/performing grows. It's the kind of self-discovery that takes a lifetime to master, but a good place to start is to be content with who you are as a person and channel that love into everything else you do with your life.
N: What would you most like people to know about yourself as a person and a performer?
F: I was born and raised on the dance floor, so I love to party, I love to dance, and I love to perform; that's just who I am at my core. The only difference between "Faraz" the person and "DancingFaraZ" the performer is a stage with music playing in front of a live audience. I'm just a regular guy with run-of-the-mill experiences in my everyday life, but once I'm on stage hearing the music and the roar of a crowd, something just takes over me and I can't control my high level of enthusiastic excitement. This is especially true after the Covid Pandemic because I lost all of my DJ gigs in 2020, so I put my heart and soul into every show because it could be my last. People can do anything with their valuable time, so if they're giving me 1-5 hours of their day/night, I consider it such a privilege to be a part of their entertainment escape.