Meet Scandalous Music: LA’s Rising Dubstep Artist
Los Angeles -- The City of Angels and the place where musicians from all over the world go to chase their dreams. For decades, LA has been a hub for record labels, music publishers, studios, and production companies, offering musicians access to opportunities they may not have in their hometowns. EDM artist Arman Aroustamian, also known under the stage name Scandalous Music, took this opportunity and saw his music career flourish in the California sun. But every LA big-wig starts out somewhere...
Before moving to LA, Aroustamian's music career was born in Arizona in 2019. While most of his friends enjoyed the rave and EDM scene in college, Aroustamian was surprisingly not a fan. It wasn’t until Phoenix Lights 2019, an annual EDM festival, that he fell in love with the genre. Soon after, his roommate bought an audio mixer and Aroustamian taught himself how to DJ, learning everything he could about production systems and how to create his own music. “When I [first] started, it was all YouTube University," he says.
Many EDM artists will typically use samples to ease their way into music making, but Aroustamian was doing sound engineering right off the bat, resulting in a personalized and unique sound, combining 15 years of classical piano with melodic and cinematic themes. His melodies and ability to incorporate natural instruments makes his music stand out, many of his tracks featuring piano, strings, and saxophone to contrast an orchestral sound with a heavy bass line, an uncommon sound for the EDM genre. “A lot of dubstep can sound like pots and pans,” he says.
Aroustamian moved to LA just six months ago and hasn't looked back. He originally planned to attend the ICON Collective, a music school based in Burbank, which shut down just months after his move. While the move didn’t go according to plan, Aroustamian is still confident about his decision. LA has become a home where he can surround himself with like-minded creatives, a place where his ideas thrive and building connection and community with fellow artists comes easily. “I’ve made more progress here in the last six months than I did in six years in Arizona,” he says.
Since his move to LA, Aroustamian has devoted most of his time to his music. His days begin at 8am sharp and go until 2am or 3am the following morning, working entirely on his music the whole day with some breaks in between to work on social media or connect with fellow artists. Clearly, his hard work is paying off. Aroustamian performed at Sacramento's The Rink Studios in July, opening for fellow dubstep artist, Whales -- his first live performance of his career. “It was phenomenal,” he says. ”The floor was shaking, and it was crazy to hear my music live.”
Scandalous Music proves that sometimes, all it takes is one bold move to change the course of your career. In just half a year, Aroustamian has found the community, resources, and inspiration to become successful among LA's thousands of aspiring musicians. He plans to release 16 new tracks by the end of the year, his growing discography hopefully leading to even wider recognition in the music scene.