Meet Ashten Fizer | DJ/Producer, Creative Technologist & Music Tech Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashten Fizer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashten, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Honestly, I didn’t pursue it, it was always there. I’ve been a DJ for over 20 years, and music has been the foundation of everything I do, even when I was building brands at Meta, Microsoft, and Dropbox.
For a long time, I thought I had to choose between “tech professional” and “creative artist.” But I’ve always rejected that binary. My approach has been “and,” not “or.”
My entire career in experiential marketing was inherently creative, I was producing large-scale events like “The Drop” at Dropbox, designing immersive VR experiences at Meta, and creating cultural moments that generated millions of impressions. That was creative work. It just happened to be in a corporate context.
But something shifted when I started my consultancy. I realized I’d spent 15+ years building platforms for other brands to tell their stories, when I could be building platforms for artists to collaborate and create together. I’ve been teaching myself to code for years, starting in technical support at GoDaddy, then web design, and eventually working with React, Python, and SQL. Now I’m channeling that technical knowledge into building a collaborative DJ app, Das Muszick.
I’m not pivoting from tech to music, I’m finally bringing all my worlds together. The same skills that helped me create events with 4.8 million impressions per activation are now being used to produce music and build tools for other creators. It’s all connected. Music was never the alternative path; it’s been the through-line all along.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What sets me apart is that I’m building at the intersection of worlds that don’t typically overlap: music production, experiential marketing, and software development. I’m a DJ and producer with 20+ years behind the decks, but I’m also a self-taught coder who spent 15 years at major tech companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Dropbox building experiential marketing programs that generated millions of impressions. Now I’m channeling all of that into creating a collaborative DJ app, because I saw a gap in the tools available for artists to create together in real-time.
Most people in tech don’t produce music. Most DJs don’t code their own apps. Most marketers don’t do either. I do all three, and that’s not because I couldn’t pick a lane, it’s because the lane I’m creating doesn’t exist yet.
The Journey
I started at GoDaddy in technical support in 2015, then moved into web design, and eventually into employer brand and experiential marketing. I taught myself HTML, CSS, Python, React, SQL, not because I wanted to be a developer professionally, but because I wanted to understand how things were built. That curiosity became my competitive advantage.
While I was building my corporate career, I was DJing professionally the entire time, 20+ years of performances, residencies, and events. For a long time, people treated it like a hobby. But music has always been foundational to everything I do. The same skills I used to produce large-scale events like “The Drop” at Dropbox, which generated 4.8 million impressions per event with 100% NPS scores, are the same skills I use to read a room as a DJ. It’s all about creating moments, reading energy, and delivering experiences people remember.
Was It Easy? Absolutely Not.
The biggest challenge has been the pressure to choose. Corporate America wanted me to be the “marketing executive.” The music industry wanted me to be “just the DJ.” Tech wanted me to stay in my lane. But I’ve never fit neatly into one box, and I spent years feeling like I had to hide parts of myself to be taken seriously in any one space.
The turning point came when I started my consultancy, Insert Cool Name Here, and took on fractional CMO work. I built an entire brand from scratch for a stealth startup and achieved 83% adoption in six months. I realized I didn’t need anyone’s permission to do all the things I was capable of doing. I could build brands, produce music, write code, and create tools for other artists, all of it, on my own terms.
Lessons Learned

“And” is more powerful than “or.” You don’t have to choose between your talents. The intersection is where the magic happens.

Build the tools you wish existed. I’m creating a collaborative DJ app because I kept looking for ways to create with other artists remotely and the solutions weren’t there. If you can’t find it, build it.

Your “side hustle” might be your main thing. I spent years treating my DJ career like it was secondary to my corporate work. It wasn’t. It was always the through-line. Once I stopped apologizing for being multidisciplinary, everything clicked.

Technical skills are creative superpowers. Learning to code didn’t make me less creative, it gave me the ability to build my own creative visions without waiting for someone else to understand them.

What I Want the World to Know
I want people to know that you don’t have to be one thing. The world will try to put you in a box, “marketing person,” “DJ,” “coder,” “creative”, but the most interesting work happens when you refuse those limitations.
I’m building for the artists who also code. For the corporate professionals who produce music on weekends. For the people who’ve been told they need to “focus” when really, their multidisciplinary approach is their greatest asset.
My brand is about creating cultural moments, whether that’s through a 5,000-person event at Dropbox, a late-night DJ set, or an app that lets artists collaborate across continents. It’s all connected. And I’m just getting started.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Week-Long Phoenix Itinerary
Day 1: Downtown Phoenix & Arts District
Start at The Churchill for breakfast, it’s the kind of creative communal space I love, where independent vendors and artists converge. Then hit Roosevelt Row for gallery hopping and street art. Grab lunch at Taco Chelo (the birria tacos are non-negotiable). Evening: Crescent Ballroom for live music, one of the best intimate venues in the city. Late night snacks at Chico Malo.
Day 2: Scottsdale & Old Town
Brunch at The Herb Box, solid vibes and even better food. Explore Old Town Scottsdale galleries, then head to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) because art and architecture matter. Dinner at FnB Restaurant, farm-to-table excellence. Evening: Check who’s playing at Shady Park or Maya Day + Nightclub, both have incredible production and sound systems that any DJ appreciates.
Day 3: Outdoor Adventure Day
Early morning hike at Camelback Mountain or Papago Park (depending on fitness level and heat tolerance). Post-hike recovery at Postino for bruschetta and wine. Afternoon: Desert Botanical Garden, it’s stunning and underrated. Dinner at Pizzeria Bianco (worth the wait every single time). Evening: Rooftop drinks at Lustre Rooftop Bar.
Day 4: Tempe & ASU Area
Breakfast at Snooze an A.M. Eatery (the pancakes are absurd). Walk around Tempe Town Lake and check out Tempe Center for the Arts. Lunch at Four Peaks Brewery, local staple. If there’s a Sun Devil football game or basketball game, that’s the move. Otherwise, explore Mill Avenue for vintage shops and record stores. Dinner at House of Tricks, romantic patio vibes.
Day 5: Karting & Speed
This is non-negotiable for me: Octane Raceway in Scottsdale for indoor karting. I’m part of karting leagues and did professional race training at Circuit of the Americas, so this is my happy place. Lunch at The Montauk for New England-style seafood in the desert (trust me). Afternoon: Scottsdale Waterfront for a stroll. Dinner at Diego Pops, creative Mexican with incredible cocktails.
Day 6: Music & Culture
Brunch at Matt’s Big Breakfast (get there early). Spend the afternoon at Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), this place is incredible for anyone who loves music. It’s a global tour through sound and culture. Dinner at Kai Restaurant at Wild Horse Pass if we’re feeling fancy (it’s the only AAA Five Diamond restaurant on Native American land). Evening: Whatever DJ or live music event is happening, check The Van Buren, Monarch Theatre, or Last Exit Live.
Day 7: Chill & Reflect
Late breakfast at Windsor in Old Town Scottsdale. Spend the day poolside or at a spa (because Phoenix is about that resort life). If we want one last adventure: South Mountain Park for sunset views over the entire valley. Final dinner at Barrio Café Gran Reserva, elevated Mexican cuisine that’s James Beard-level. Close it out with cocktails at Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour downtown.
People/Places to Know:

The Phoenix music scene is thriving, keep an eye on who’s playing at Valley Bar, Crescent Ballroom, and The Van Buren.
Local DJs and producers: Phoenix has an underrated electronic and house music scene. Connect with the crew at Shady Park and Sunbar.
The food scene is seriously slept on nationally. Phoenix chefs are doing incredible things.

Phoenix taught me how to build in the heat, literally and figuratively. It’s where I cut my teeth in tech, honed my DJ skills, and learned that the best cultural moments happen when you bring diverse people together. This city has grit, creativity, and a community that shows up for each other.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely. First and foremost, my mother, Beverly Forrestal. She’s been my unwavering foundation. When everyone else saw contradictions, tech and music, corporate and creative, strategy and art, she saw possibility. She never made me choose, and that permission to be multifaceted is the reason I’m able to do what I do today.
Jason Mayden from Jordan Brand showed me what it looks like to bring creativity into corporate spaces without compromising your vision. Watching him operate at that intersection of culture, design, and brand storytelling gave me a blueprint for how to stay authentic while building at scale.
Virgil Abloh was proof that you don’t have to stay in your lane. He was a DJ, architect, fashion designer, creative director, he refused to be boxed in by anyone’s definition of what he should be. His approach to creative direction and his ability to move fluidly between disciplines showed an entire generation that multidisciplinary creativity isn’t dilution, it’s a superpower. His loss hit hard, but his blueprint remains.
On the music side, Ron Carroll, the legendary Chicago house music producer, has been instrumental in shaping how I think about production and the cultural legacy of house music. Chicago house is foundational to who I am as an artist, and learning from someone who’s built that legacy has been invaluable.
Mega Ran deserves massive credit for showing me that nerd culture and hip-hop don’t have to be separate worlds. He’s been proving for years that you can be technical, love gaming, code, AND make incredible music. That representation mattered when I was figuring out how to integrate all my passions.
And DJ Broadway, a world-class tour DJ who’s shown me what professionalism and excellence look like in this industry. Watching him work taught me that DJing isn’t just about the music; it’s about reading rooms, creating experiences, and treating your craft like the serious art form it is.
Each of these people gave me permission to be exactly who I am, all of it, at once.

Website: heyashten.com or djash10.com

Instagram: @djash10

Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/afizer

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/djash10

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@djash10

Image Credits
Photos by Laurence Bouchard in Shibuya Tokyo Japan.