On a humid summer in New York City, nestled on the streets was Aurora 57, where West Coast DJ and producer Airborne celebrated not only his birthday but another milestone in his ever-expanding career. Known for his high-energy performances and heartfelt connection to dance music, the Los Angeles native has built a reputation that stretches far beyond the Pacific coastline. Now, standing in one of Manhattan’s hottest nightclubs, Airborne reflects on his journey, his sound, and the vision propelling him forward.

“I'm Airborne, actually, from the West Coast. I'm originally from Los Angeles. Actually, I started my career in the Bay Area with two people after my first show ever. I just kept grinding and kept pushing myself, and now I'm here on the East Coast touring all over the world playing big festivals and just living the dream right now”.

If you haven’t heard of Airborne, now is the time. A relentless work ethic is what sets him apart. What began as an exploration quickly transformed into a calling. His high energy and passion for dance music drive him to constantly sit in the studio and create timeless and uplifting tracks. Performing as a DJ and producing music for fifteen years is hard work, and non-stop dedication is what Airborne is all about. Behind life trauma is what helped inspire Airborne to create tracks like ‘Bright Light’, ‘Can’t Control’, and ‘Tonight We Dance’. He is the key to reconnecting with the old roots of electronic dance music and revising the original boom room sound that was once so popular in dance music. Airborne can control the crowd with every track he picks and mixes with creating any nightclub setting for any dancefloor.

Artist Interview Episode 012: Airborne

Airborne’s discography, including tracks like ‘Dance’ and his self-titled single Tonight We Dance, captures the emotional highs of rave culture. They’re songs built for connection, for moments when thousands of people are locked into the same beat. His style of sound is original and creative, an uplifting energy that makes you feel positive and joy each time Airborne’s tracks are played. “Tonight We Dance’ is really special to me. It’s a track I wrote over the years, finally putting it together into something that drives your soul and puts you in a better place.”

Listen to Airborne - 'Dance'

When asked about the inspiration behind his productions, Airborne points directly to his own experiences under festival skies. “I was at EDC, looking up at the fireworks, thinking, ‘I don’t want this feeling to ever end.’ That moment still lives with me, even 15 years later. That’s the essence I try to bring into my tracks.”

“I think it kind of found me and the music you know I had a lot of trauma my life but music is always that brought me back to where I'm at today so I think you know watching these DJs up there and I went to EDC for my first time seeing all the fireworks up there seeing the DJs up there and I took this picture with a crowd in the background that EDC had and I was like you know what I want to do this I think this is what I want to do with my career and my life and the next thing you know I'm going places and doing things that I've never thought I would be able to do”.

Airborne is quick to acknowledge the grind behind the glamour. He explained in detail the process and dedication behind creating a track. This included long hours and hundreds of different edits. Plus, spending money on music programs and yearly subscriptions to create the tracks. Even the top elite DJs in the dance music industry aren’t completely satisfied with an original track. That’s why it’s remixed five times. Also, in a recent study, DJs get paid for tracks on Spotify for less than a cent.“Producers don’t get as much credit as they should. You’re sitting at a computer for 15 to 18 hours, trying to get the right sound, the right kick, the right structure. It takes so much patience. But one day, that work is played for the world, and it’s all worth it.”

Instead of dreaming solely about massive festival stages, Airborne admits he’s drawn to the intimacy of nightclubs. He explains that while he’d love to one day perform on the main stages of EDC, Ultra, and Tomorrowland, his immediate goal is to play at M2 Miami, a venue he describes as one of the biggest in the nation with mind-blowing production and an electrifying atmosphere. Still, he’s quick to remind us that “nothing’s impossible,” and puts his ambitions into the universe with the hope that one day, those festival main stage dreams will become reality.

“I'd rather play more clubs than festivals because it's a lot more intimate. I really want to play at M2 in Miami. It's one of the biggest clubs in the nation, so I'm really looking forward to playing there, and I think it's 2,200 people. It's a crazy atmosphere. Production's crazy. It's out of the world”. Any festival that wants to book me. I would like to play the EDC main stage one day. That's a goal. Also play the Ultra main stage, Tomorrowland main stage one day. Hey, nothing's impossible. These words and what I'm putting out in the universe are not impossible. So, you know, maybe we'll come back to this interview and say, Look, he's playing main stage now”.

From big room house energy to uplifting tracks early in his career, he looked up to Dyro and Will Sparks for their energy, but it was Afrojack who left the deepest mark. “The guy who got me into the whole scene was Afrojack.” Airborne’s main passion is bounce music. In his sets, he brings life to old dance tracks with his own take on mixing. He lights up every dancefloor with his vibrant sets, everyone’s hands in the air, and non-stop dancing.“Millboard and bounce. I love that kind of Will Sparks era, and I wish that we could definitely bring that back.”

“The reason why I really like the dance culture is because a lot of people, I mean, they say flirt. I hope everybody stays with the flirt era. We keep that culture going: peace, love, unity, respect. Keep that positivity going. That's kind of why I fell in love with the whole EDM scene.”

Airborne isn’t slowing down anytime soon. His self-titled EP ‘Airborne’ captured his emotions and personal growth. The first time I heard the EP, it transported me to my rave days, bringing a wave of joy as memories from those years resurfaced. “I think just bringing positivity into the world and creating this moment of just where I was at personally at the time and trying to just reflect my music and my emotions through my music and understanding that if you actually listen to the words, it's really deep.” Airborne has more music on the horizon; he is releasing three new EPs in the next three weeks. “I’ve got a new three-song EP dropping in two weeks. It’s more dance culture-driven, with lyrics that hit deep. My last EP got over 100,000 streams, and my Instagram hit over 500,000 views in just a couple of weeks. After 15 years in this, you learn patience pays off.”

Listen to 'Airborne' EP:

For all his accomplishments, Airborne remains grounded, offering a final piece of wisdom to both fans and aspiring artists. He likens the mind to a garden that must be nurtured daily, watered with positivity, patience, and persistence. For him, growth comes from constantly learning, embracing risks, and treating every challenge as a lesson, whether it’s equipment failure mid-set, a difficult crowd, or personal struggles offstage. Airborne believes success isn’t about perfection, but about resilience and the willingness to keep pushing forward, knowing that every setback is simply another step toward becoming the DJ you’re meant to be. He’s a true inspiration in his own way by never giving up and never being afraid to change his style of sound.

At Aurora 57, he took over the club like he was a long-time resident DJ. Playing every top track in dance music while making the night alive with every song choice into every perfect transition. He is a true artist behind the decks, taking hold and controlling the crowd every beat and changeover. The entire club, the crowd was singing and dancing. As he steps off stage at Aurora 57, surrounded by friends, fans, and an endless pulse of bass, it’s clear that Airborne is not just celebrating another birthday; he’s celebrating a career that has taken flight. From the looks of it, his journey is only just beginning.

Either/ Or

Perform East Coast or West Coast? My West Coast people, I love my West Coast people. East Coast, you do turn up, but you're a harder crowd.

Play at a club or festival? Club because it's more intimate. When I play at festivals, they're so far back, and all you just see are eyeballs just looking at you.

Play back-to-back or All Night Long?  I would love to play all night long, but I actually like doing back-to-backs with a lot of people, particularly a guy named Fame Sounds. He's one of the best DJs in the game.

Listen to a club set or a festival set?  Festival sets because they're much longer to put forward, and there's so much production that you have to go through them. I would actually like to listen to festival sets because to listen to Hardwell or Afrojack or any of the bigger guys on that stage, and what they put out.

Final Thoughts

“Treat your mind like a garden and water it every day. Every time a weed grows, take it out and keep the beautiful garden in your head because at the end of the day, your mind is like if you're thinking is shrinking. You've got to keep learning through the whole process every single day, keep grinding, keep learning something new, keep pushing yourself to new limits because you never know where you're gonna be.”

Airborne

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