DJ Aligator Project
Ali Movasat, commonly known as DJ Aligator, was born on March 10, 1975 in Teheran, Iran. As the youngest member of a rather large family Ali enjoyed all the love, attention, and care he received from his parents and five older siblings. He describes his childhood as a happy one.
In particular, he remembers how much he loved all the gatherings and parties his parents arranged quite often at their house. Relatives, friends, and neighbors would come together to mingle, sing, and dance to the music of a hired live band. While other kids of his age fooled around the house, chasing one another, and wrestling Ali would rather stand next to the guy playing the keyboard, fixing his eyes on the black and white keys which made all those pretty sounds. The love for music began to develop and grow inside young Ali rapidly. His obsessive passion for music however did not go unnoticed by his father. Ali got a toy keyboard for his tenth birthday.
The Teen Entertainer…
Inspired by his beloved new toy, and in spite of total lack of musical knowledge or experience, somehow Ali was able to pick up any melody he’d hear here and there and replay it on his tiny keyboard, impressing and astonishing his family and friends. He managed soon to acquire some fame in the neighborhood, known for his natural talent, and the ability to entertain. One could often see the little musician warming up birthday parties, weddings and other occasions. There and then Ali knew what he wanted to do with his life.
Moving to Denmark…
Three years later it was decided for Ali to move in with his oldest sister who at the time resided in Copenhagen, Denmark. This was an incredibly difficult challenge for him to be faced with as a 13 years old boy – a new language, a culture completely unknown to him, not to mention the great geographical distance from the rest his family. However, Ali was determined not to abandon his goal of becoming a professional musician. It was just a matter of time before he could carry on the pursuit of his dream.
Studies in Music…
While devoting as much spare time as possible to playing the keyboard Ali embarked on his preliminary education in music by attending introductory courses in jazz and classical. This helped him tremendously in gaining a deeper understanding of music in general as well as learning how to play his instrument by the notes.
Upon graduating from high school, Ali did not hesitate to enter the Rhythmic program at the Danish Music Conservatory. This would give him the opportunity to push his comprehension of music even further, building up and laying down the theoretical foundations for a future carrier as a professional musician.
The First Mixer…
While attending school eagerly Ali began to plan his next move. Being fully aware of the fact that although what he was learning in school was quite beneficial, in order for him to accelerate on his path to success he had to furnish his education with a more hands-on experience. The simple keyboard he owned wouldn’t suffice.
Therefore he went ahead and took a loan in order to purchase his first mixer and a few other devices. However, the expensive loan had to be settled soon. In effect, this meant that he had to work multiple evening jobs right after school to make the payments. One job in particular turned out to be just right for Ali. A local nightclub was on the lookout for a new DJ. He auditioned for the job and was hired.
DJ Aligator…
The opportunity to work as a DJ not only brought Ali to the conclusion that it was the dance music that fascinated him the most, but also gave him the chance to meet other professionals in the field. Among the many DJ’s and promoters he met at that time was René Dif, someone who shared strong interests in music style with Ali. The acquaintance resulted in a music album.
Although their album didn’t hit the charts as they had hoped, it served as a platform for both Ali and René to stage their abilities. Ali came to realize how much he enjoyed of composing music and René proved to be an able singer. Not surprisingly, the two decided to go their separate ways. René set about forming AQUA, and Ali began to produce music for himself other artists.
A Great Idea…
On a November night in 1999, as Ali was playing at his turntable in a nightclub, he happened to notice some guys on the dance floor blowing at whistles to the beats of the music. The combination of the sound of the whistles and the techno music seemed to work quite well. Ali was struck by a sudden idea.
He rushed back to his little bachelor apartment which he also utilized as a recording studio, kitchen, as well as a bedroom located right under the mixer table. He sat down by his mixer for over 5 hours putting together some different drums and sounds to create a base melody. Then he sampled the sound of an old whistle he’d found somewhere, made a recording and there it was, the song that he truly believed would hit the dance charts.
180 CDs…
With strong faith in his new creation Ali set about paying almost every record company in Denmark a visit, presenting his Whistle Song. Unfortunately none of the directors in suit and tie recognized the potential success of the piece. Disappointed but not surrendered he returned to his studio. He had a plan.
He burnt over 180 copies of The Whistle Song on CDs and shipped them out to every single DJ he knew in Denmark, asking them to play it for their audience. It worked. People loved it. Gradually but quickly the song became quite popular.
DJ Aligator Project…
When the reputation of The Whistle Song reached the famous underground DJ, Kenneth Bager, he did not hesitate to initiate contact with Ali. Kenneth also represented a minor record label called FLEX, which was owned by EMI Records, the largest record label in the world. Ironically, at about the same time, many of the other record companies that had earlier turned Ali down bitterly, began to show up at his doorsteps, trying to attract him with colorful proposals.
Faced with a decision to make, Ali put all his senses together. Should he take the first best offer that came his way or should he regard the whole thing in a wider perspective. Finally, he concluded that what Kenneth was offering suited him the most in the long run. Therefore he signed up with FLEX/EMI Records.
Payback Time…
Once released, The Whistle Song crawled up the Danish music chart at a record breaking pace. Ali’s single occupied the #1 position on Danish sales chart for 14 weeks, Danish dance chart for 16 weeks, DJ’s favorite chart for 8 weeks, and the Danish hype chart for couple of weeks in a row, hence entitled the best selling single in the year 2000 and in the history of EMI Records.
Besides, it topped the dance chart of most countries in Europe. About three months later, Ali’s first album was due release. It included The Whistle Song, Lollipop, Turn Up the Music and a few other great songs that also gained as much popularity as Ali’s earlier work. Interesting enough, in order to send a message to all the record companies that originally refused to give him a chance, Ali chose to name his album Payback Time.
While EMI managed to sell thousands of copies of the new album, Ali started receiving awards after awards both in Denmark as well as lots of other countries. Since DJ Aligator Project reached massive heights, a world-tour was planned accordingly, and before Ali knew of it, he had performed in over 30 countries.
Top of the Pops…
In the year 2002, The Whistle Song became a huge hit in the UK ending up as number 5 on the official UK single sales chart. On the day of the release, The Whistle Song sold more than 50.000 copies in the UK alone, and one of Ali´s greatest dreams ever was about to come true. He was asked to perform live on the British music chart show, Top of the Pops, along with Daniel Bedingfield, P!nk, Enrique Iglesias, Britney Spears and other celebes. The show was a great success. With this achievement, Ali became the 4th Danish artist ever to appear on the world famous TV show.
Shortly after, DJ Aligator Project released a second album, called The Sound of Scandinavia. This album as well became as big a success as Payback Time, selling more than 2 million copies worldwide. DJ Aligator Project has sold over 6 million copies around the globe. Also, Dj Aligator is considered the first Danish and Iranian artist ever to have won awards in Russian Music Awards, Danish Music Awards and Danish Dance Awards along with a nomination in MTV Europe Music Awards.
Today…
Admittedly, Ali has come far in his career as an international artist. However, his road to success has been quite bumpy indeed. It was only through focusing sharply on his goal and not giving in, and folding easily that he was able to break through all obstacles, elbowing his way up the ladder of success. An alien in a European country, challenging enough all by itself, the 13 year old boy managed to overcome the cultural, lingual, and racial barriers, and prevail, setting an example for other people with a dream in mind.
Nowadays, Ali has chosen to settle down in southern Sweden, where he has purchased two conjoined villas in a secluded suburban area. The acres of vast land surrounding the two large buildings function as a great refuge for him to relax. He’s also turned one of the villas into his private recording studio that he calls Gator Records. Ali has lots of plans for his new company. We all wish him luck. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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