Remix impresario and house music producer ALI PAYAMI’s voyage to stardom started in a junior high auditorium in Sweden when he was all of 14 years old.

“I was in the student council, and we would decide what kind of parties we would host for the students at our school every semester,” Payami explains. “Since I was among the people making a decision for one upcoming party, I convinced my classmates to book me as the DJ for the show.”

The ever-ambitious Payami forgot to mention one thing to his classmates: he had never worked as a DJ in his life. But a little lie never hurts anybody, does it? The school provided the equipment, and Payami collected a bunch of CDs from his friends in the days leading up to the party. The event went off without a hitch, and a star was born.

Now, fast forward 10 years to January 20, 2008 at Element Hollywood, one of the hottest and most popular nightclub venues in Los Angeles. The clock strikes midnight, and more than 1,000 people direct their eyes towards the DJ booth in the northeast corner of the packed, sold-out room. It is another first for Payami, his initial performance in the United States, as he is flanked by L.A.-based Persian DJs Peyman Z, Eddie Ecstasy and Julius. He follows the performance up four days later at renowned Washington, D.C. hotspot Lima, and the east coast gets their share of Payamiism. Both events go off without a hitch, and a superstar is born.

But what were the circumstances that led to the meteoric rise of a DJ who once passed his prepubescent time as a freestyle rapper? Some luck, a lot of dedication, and a passion for a genre of music that will perhaps dictate the future of the recording industry perpetually.

The seed was planted when a teenaged Payami first heard the classic track “Around the Word,” by musical pioneers Daft Punk. “I heard the same thing, the same genius loop over and over again, but you I didn’t get tired of the song. That was amazing to me.” With inspiration in hand, Payami set out to produce music with one mixer and plethora of motivation. Payami got an assist from international pop phenomenon Arash, his brother Payam’s childhood friend who let Ali make an experimental house remix of his platinum selling debut single, “Boro, Boro.” The song landed on Arash’s debut Warner Music album as the final track and marked the first time Payami’s music was published by a major label.

The rest, as they say, is history. He received a lucrative offer – through his management company Extensive Music and head agent Henrik Uhlmann (who also manages Arash, Basshunter, Gunther & the Sunshine Girls, and DJ Aligator, among others), who parlayed his respective connections and presence in the Persian music market to expose Payami – to remix five tracks for Persian pop duo Kamran & Hooman’s remix album, and eventually started work on his own project, “House of Payami,” slated for release in early February by Warner Music and featuring original music, collaborations, and remixes of songs by Persian artists Andy, Mansour, Kamran & Hooman, Kamran Delan, Afshin, as well as a couple of unreleased remixes of songs by Arash and DJ Aligator.

And his schedule of gigs morphed into a European and Asian tour. He was booked all over his native Sweden, as well as in Dubai, in Germany, in France, in Italy, among other countries.

He has continued to make songs for the international market as well, teaming up with young Swedish rapper Lazee for the hip-hop/house hybrid hit “Step Out,” and recently did a mind-twisting, unparalleled remix of the Guns N’ Roses smash hit “Sweet Child of Mine,” which will also appear on his debut album.

When asked what sets his remixes apart from other DJs, especially the Persian remixes, Payami explains that, “often, the first time I sit down to remix a Persian song it is also the first time in my life that I am hearing that particular song. I am at an advantage because the song’s original elements don’t influence or hinder the way my version will sound. I am able to inject the Persian lyrics with the skills and musical experiences I have had with house music for a totally global sound.”

Despite his rapid rise to success, Payami remains grounded and humble, always looking for input from Arash and other Persian artists on how to perfect the synergy of his music and Persian lyrics. But, it’s easy to forget that he is a bona fide international producer and DJ entertainer who is well on his way to carving a worldwide niche for himself.

As for future collaborations, Payami says he is open to virtually anything that can challenge him musically. “I would love to expand my musical scope, and if the timing is right, and our paths do cross one day, it would be cool to work with (Ali) ‘Dubfire’ of (Persian house tandem) Deep Dish. For now, my music and I are constantly evolving.”

NYLA Announces 1st-Ever NYLA-9 Best Persian DJs in the World List!!

DJMAG.com has a list, and now, so will NYLAMAG.com.

In keeping with the tradition of being a pioneer within the community, and on the heels of our world-renowned NYLA-9 Best Persian Rappers list in 2007, NYLA announced the first contest to name the best Persian disk jockeys in the world.

There will be two lists: one for DJs known for their prowess with Persian music, and another for the globally-known contingent of DJ producers. Nominations are now being accepted via e-mail at contribute@nylamagazine.com. Feel free to nominate your favorite disc jockey, or even yourself. Also, provide some contact info (phone number, MySpace url, etc.) so we can notify you of your standing. When we decide on the final list, we will let you, the people, vote on who's your favorite. Voting will commence in mid-March.

The top votegetters from the Persian DJ category will have the opportunity to open for Arash & DJ Aligator for their upcoming 2008 world tour in the winning DJ's respective cities.

See you at the Grammys! ;-)