Sasha Jelten

Sasha Jelten is the best music producer I know. I had a music class with Sasha in high school, and even back then he was light-years ahead of most people when it came to sound equipment, music theory, and audio tech. I remember being really intrigued with how passionate Sasha was with music and sound, and even more impressed by the music he could make. Intermittently, over the last couple of years, I will have a Sasha-Sound-Sesh where he will show me all the new stuff he has learned in Reason and other impressive audio softwares. His hardware collection grows every time I see him as well. Sasha has turn-tables, synths, keyboards, and speakers galore. Last time I saw him he had added an Otamatone to his collection, which is simultaneously the coolest and most annoying instrument ever made.

Sasha is an influence to me because he knows how to do what I wish I could do (make cool music), and he’s very open and generous about teaching me. He helped me make “Bad Lifeguard,” and is always willing to help out on a track that I’m trying to write. I love how he can’t get enough of music, whether its pop, rock, trance, dub-step, house, techno, he will try and learn how do to it. He doesn’t settle. You can’t go to school and learn how to make cool music. You have to have it inside you and teach yourself how to translate that into a song. Sasha spends a lot of time teaching himself. He’s told me one of his favorite ways to burn a couple of minutes is to watch tutorials or listen to interviews of his favorite artists and hear how they describe their art. I really respect that. I think if you’re passionate about something you should learn as much as you can from the people around you and from the artists whose work you enjoy.