Support Duval Music: Aurakull

While we were out just minding our own business at Jax Beaches’ Bold Bean Coffee Roasters (an awesome place to get some java and brews by the way) we were fortunate enough to run into Local Dance Music DJ Aurakull who has been absolutely slaying the tables at venues all across town the past couple of months. Check out what she has to say about her love for music, her favorite artists, women in the Dance Music scene, Duval and Duval music in general:

Duval Life: So, we’re here with Jacksonville Local Electronic Dance Music (EDM) DJ and songwriter Aurakull. Tell us a little about yourself:

Aurakull: My name is Jillian Pellagatti, I go by Aurakull and I am originally from New Jersey. I’m a Jersey girl via Jacksonville, so, I’m playing in the Northeast Florida section of the states now. I started singing and that’s where I started falling in love with music. I picked up guitar back when I was thirteen and that’s when I knew I wanted to pursue music in some kind of realm. In Freshman year of High School I was introduced to dance music and fell absolutely head over heels for it. I started listening to the likes of Kaskade and am guilty of listening to David Guetta at times but quickly started picking up on artists like Zed’s Dead. Now my favorite artists are Chris Lorenzo, Zed’s Dead, Abstract, and Hunter Siegel. So, definitely dipped more into a house vibe with my music and just started DJing out recently. So, it’s only been over about the last 2 months but I’ve been writing music for a while, just playing out recently.

DL: So, once you started playing what was it that jump-started your passion to go out and start DJing seriously?

A: It was the first time I played. It was my birthday weekend and Mason Masters gave me the opportunity to play at TSI. He had seen me DJ before and he was like “I don’t understand, just come out and play one night, it’s your birthday weekend.” So, I agreed and it was the moment when I lost complete track of time and I was completely in the zone, in the music. I am constantly listening to music because it shuts out any type of worry or thoughts that I have going on in my head: I am engaged, I am feeling some kind of emotion off someone else and I think that is extremely important. So, self-expression, watching people react to that and being able to just change the vibe of a room and seeing people carry that vibe with you. I think that’s really cool.

DL: Time to get controversial: You’re a girl, obviously and EDM is one of those things that is, for the most part, dominated by male artists. As a female artist in the Dance Music scene, what is your opinion on the way yourself and other female DJs as well as female fans are treated and considered by people in the EDM community?

A: (Laughs) Well, first off, we’re always told that we’re given the upper hand, cause like, “Oh, you’re a girl, oh of course,” but I don’t want to be treated that way. I want to be taken really seriously and I walk into a room and present myself, you know, in that way. But, girls are looked at different. They seem to have the easy way out or they’re not really given the credibility they deserve. There are a handful of artists that I follow that are female: Anna Lunoe, Hannah Wants being two of my favorites. They’re doing an incredible job in the industry right now. Hannah Wants is breaking out in the scene, selling out shows over in the UK and bringing her vibe to America. Anna Lunoe is doing the same things, working with artists. So, I look up to them and I’m watching them model their careers and I can only hope that I handle my career in the same, ya know, fashion.

DL: We know you’ve played a few venues here in town, Pure Nightclub and TSI Discotheque to name a few. So, as a DJ here in Duval what do you consider to be your favorite venue and why?

A: I like Bangarang . I like playing at TSI. Theres a really cool community there of people that are just there for the music and that come weekly. I keep seeing the same faces. My third week of playing there I had girls coming up to me and they’re like “Hey, you’re Aurakull, you’re doing awesome!” It’s such a good feeling to have that and to have people coming out and wanting to experiencing me more and wanting to see what I have to share with them. So, I definitely like TSI. It’s just like a little space but everyone just packs it out and has a good time.

DL: Where do you envision your DJing career taking you?

A: Well, I don’t just want to be a DJ. DJing is a very small part of what I want to carry into my career. I have a Soundcloud account where I sing and play guitar but it’s all acoustic covers of Dance Music tracks. So, I’m still sticking to that model of music: I’m singing and playing guitar and I’m hoping to carry that into me DJing. I’m working with a handful of artists, I won’t disclose any names right now but I’m singing on a couple of tracks and I hope be able to play those tracks out at shows and sing live. I had the opportunity to do it at Pure. I closed out with a song that I am working with an artist up in Philadelphia, Saelios. I’m hoping that my career will take a different path, kind of like the Krewella thing where they were singing and DJing and stuff like that. I know they were working with Rainman but we won’t get into that (laughs). But, no, I think that the way that Dance Music is going, I love the direction it’s taking right now. It’s very authentic. If you dive deeper than the surface of the EDCs (Electric Daisy Carnival) and stuff like that, there’s a lot of cool stuff going on. So, I’m hoping to just dive into that and let it take me wherever it feels good.

DL: Okay, you said you can’t really disclose too much on what you’re working on but do you have any productions or songs that you are planning to release in the near future?

A: I am working with a handful of artists a couple of local guys: Sir Charles and LeGinge are a couple that I can name from here. Aside from that, I can not disclose who I am working with (laughs). Would love to but there’s a lot of good stuff coming by, I’d say July, I’m going to have a handful of songs out.

DL: Well, sometimes it’s better to keep things under wraps (damn it). So, what is it about EDM and DJing that you love the most?

A: It’s unlike any other kind of music. It’s unlike any other realm in music because it’s a team effort. You’re working with other artists, like there’s such a close knit team here in Jacksonville, you know. Given that there are circles, everyone kind of knows each other and is watching each other makes moves in order to get where they want to be in this industry. That goes the same for all these big labels. I’m watching people like Jauz and people like Diplo playing out their music or Zed’s Dead playing out their music. It’s just the art sharing and you’re able, as a DJ to play other people’s music and that can take them so far in their careers. That’s the coolest part about it. (It relates to) Any kind of music. If somebody and they say “I don’t really like electronic music,” but its only what they’ve heard on the radio, I ask them what kind of music they do listen to. The people that listen to A Day to Remember or those Hardcore kind of style bands I’ll push them in the direction of like Megalodon and Must Die! where it’s like harder, grimier stuff. There is a style of Dance music that directly correlates with a style of “real world” music in everyway possible. I can show people tracks and they’ll be like “Okay!” and I’m like you can’t fight that it (laughs). It’s evident.

DL: What Musicians inspire you?

A: I’ve mentioned them now twice: Zed’s Dead are by far my biggest inspiration because they see no genre. They dive into different genres in dance music and every single time they come out with quality. Aside from that, they use samples from Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, the Foo Fighters, they’ve got the Moody Blues in there. They recently just used Brandy in their song “You Know.” That’s a Brandy sample. They started out as Mass Productions, which is strictly old school Hip-Hop. If I could hear Biggie Smalls rap on anything it would be “Fresh Beets” by Zed’s Dead. So, watching them come from the ground to now it’s 2015 and they’re headlining Ultra, that’s completely inspiring to me and I hope to do the same one day.

DL: Where do you see EDM going in Duval? A: Oh, it’s going. It’s going. I moved here just two and a half years ago for school, I go to Jacksonville University, and, gosh, coming out of New Jersey where I was going to New York for shows all the time or going to Philadelphia. Having that whole market there, I took it for granted. I came to Florida and I was like there’s Country concerts here and like……Rock. I had no idea what I was doing and wound up finding out about Pure first. Then, sophomore year rolls around, I find out about Bangarang and it’s more the style of music I like. Now, we have Mainstage opening up on Wednesdays over at Mavericks with Lucky Date and the same night Pure is hosting Adventure Club. There hasn’t been a time where we had quality Electronic acts in Duval at the same time. Like, that’s cool. And we have Crizzly coming at the end of April, early May. Now, I think that Jacksonville is really getting itself on the map and selling out shows: Paper Diamond was sold out, R.L Grime was INCREDIBLE. Not just even the fact that we have more shows: There is just absolutely so much talent here. You’ve got Vlad the Inhaler, Sir Charles, Zak the Blak, Elon (Hiers), Kevin Velarde, Ardency, Lurk City, Mason Masers, and Matthew Connor. It’s a joy seeing them play anywhere they go. They all hone in their own unique styles. Things are moving in a good direction.

DL: You said you came here from Jersey for School. In the time that you’ve been here, what do you love the most about Duval?

A: I have absolutely fallen in love with this place. I told my mom, I called her, probably four weeks ago, I told her get packing because this is home to me now. A lot of it reminds me of New Jersey but people from New Jersey get a bad rap down here. My edges have softened a little since I’ve been here. I love the people. I love the beach, I live out at the beaches so I love just the vibe it carries, and everyone is so friendly and helping. It’s not like anything back home and that’s why I feel like I can make this place like another sort of home.

DL: Considering your newly found love for Duval what do you feel is the best way to grow the Music scene here in Jacksonville?

A: Work together. There’s no need for animosity. It’s a small community right now. We can all work together and get this place off the ground. I’m not completely engaged in what’s going on so far as booking shows but what I think everyone needs to understand is: Just take a step back and look at all the opportunities we have unfolding here. There’s a lot of people that are working really hard to make things happen here and to put it on the map. If we could all just work together and get the gears rollin’ everyone would be doing well. There’s no need to step on anyone’s feet or anything like that. I think that Jacksonville can do really well; Every one can work really well together. Every one is smart and hardworking.

DL: Right on. Do you have any favorite Craft Breweries around town?

A: I do like Bold City. I like the Dukes and Killer Whale. Intuition, I am definitely….. No, wait. Actually, I’m Sorry. Zeta’s. Zeta’s has a Power to the Porter. It is a chocolate coffee Porter and I love Chocolate and I love Coffee. I love Coffee. So, It is probably my favorite beer I have ever had. It’s like desert.

DL: That’s too cool. Well, it was awesome having you. Do you have any shameless plugs to help people find your social media or music online?

A: Yes. Twitter: at A-U-R-A-K-U-L-L , pronounced Oracle. And I swear I’m not updated but Facebook: aurakullthemuse is the tag, so y’all can follow me on there as well. I’ll be putting up some mixes on my Soundcloud also under Aurakull. And I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be fun.

Well, that’s it for now. Aurakull’s next show is the Bangarang Takeover of Wideawake Wednesdays, Wednesday, April 1st. We’ll see you there! As always: Stay Proud, Stay Bold, Stay Committed but above all: Stay Duval.

Check out Aurakull on Social Media Twitter: @aurakull Facebook: www.facebook.com/aurakullthemuse Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/aurakull

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