My Story

The music was loud. The bass was funky. The beats were wicked, and the eye candy was splendiforous. It was 1993, and I had just fallen madly in love with dancing and electronic music. Prognosis? There was no turning back.

On my first trip to Europe, I backpacked for 8 weeks, cruising from Amsterdam to Greece, and from England to Prague. But Spain proved to be the most interesting of the bunch. I ran with bulls of Pamplona, partied in Salou, and decided to spend a month, studying Spanish in Alicante. The energe was infectuous, and my soul felt free. I felt as if I'd finally found something that made me tick,and like any great drug, I wanted more and more and more: I returned to Europe almost every summer thereafter.

The Hollywood Years: The Clubbing Years
After graduating UCLA, I entered the entertainment industry, working my way through assitant gigs for agents and producers during the day. My nights, and weekends, however, were dedicated to the burgeoning dance music scene.

I eventually moved to Venice Beach, CA, and scored a gig working for two Brits - Nigel and Neil, who ran Global Grooves, the only electronic music record store on the Westside. I loved it. Soon after, I was managing street promotions for then mega-club Spundae, and even worked as the much envied guest list gal.

Saturdays were my busiest days: often consisting of picking up talent from the airport and taking them to their hotel, working the guest list until 2am. And then, usually around 5 or 6am, I took the DJ back to his hotel and return home for some shut-eye. Later that day, I picked the DJ up, and brought him back to the airport for his flight out.

Sure, my weekends were busy, but they were incredibly fun.

Word and images. Hmm (!)
I began to pich stories to magazines, writing about the music, DJ's, and events I was experiencing on a weekly basis. I loved being published, and started pitchng myself as a writer/photographer, submitting my photos for reviews.

During this time, some friends and I formed a company called Life Form. Our goal was to use electronic music events to raise money for charities. Our first event was a major success. We donated over $30,000 to the HeArt Project of Los Angeles, a non-profit that brings professional artists in touch with talented, inner-city kids.

I'll freely admit that at this point, I felt like I was on top of my world. Not only was I being published in several national magazines, and not only did I work for the biggest promoters in L.A. , I was also being paid to fly to the London and write about the world's most successful independent electronic music label, Global Underground (check it out here.) Life was stellar, and it was su-weet.

The unseen, however, was just around the corner.

Out of Control: A Dance Music Documentary
Images swam in my head, but they weren't enough. I craved more. I began documenting the dance music scene. I gathered footage from clubs around the world - Barcelona , London , New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.

My documentary began to consume more and more of my life, drowning my writing time. I had shot over 38 hours of footage and about 10 hours interviews.

I had secured interviews with scientists and researchers who would explain how music and drumbeats affect the theta, alpha, and delta wave states of the brain. I intended to tie together the scientific effects of music on the brain with the electronic and rave music scene in the States, comparing it with the drastic changes in the U.S. law directed specifically against “repetitive music” and venues which catered to “all night dancing.” But, I needed some sponsorship. My savings were running out.

And then, 9-11 happened.

The shooter and editor emerges
A few months later, I tore my ACL and couldn't work. Based on the footage I'd shot for my doc,however, I cut myself a reel. As soon as I could walk and hold a camera again, I began working in production, shooting video for reality TV video and working with Final Cut Pro.

In early 2004. I scored a gig as the assistant to Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, an Oscar-nominated D.P. on a massive budget, feature film. The experience was intoxicating and the sheer scale of production blew me away.

I learned a ton about lighting, and even wrote a story about it. The story made the cover of Film & Video Magazine. (check it out here.) I was thrilled, but I had to admit that I no longer wanted to pursue the path of professional D.P.

Since then, I gradually shifted out of production and into teaching yoga. For more info, check out my yoga website: ( www.yogawitharia.com )

Writing is a gift. An honor and a pleasure. No matter what I do, no matter what I've done, I write. And I imagine that as long as I'm inspired by this beautiful world, I always will.

Thanks for visiting.

 Aria