Today we’d like to introduce you to Pajmon Porshahidy.
Hi Pajmon, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My name is Pajmon Porshahidy, I am an Iranian-American who was born and raised in St. Louis. Before I started making music, I went to the University of Missouri Columbia to study Biology and Psychology. After 3 years of working towards the degree, I began having panic attacks in the middle of my classes. I realized I was not happy pursuing this path and it was taking a toll on my mental health. At the same time, I lived in a very special house called the “Lisamona” where music was being created and played all the time. My roommate started a band, and we held a special monthly jam session called “Lisamona Live” where anyone in Columbia could come meet and jam with other musicians. We would pair musicians with each other for 15-minute slots, and I would hop on and play alto saxophone. This is how I was introduced to and inspired by some really talented people in the community. My roommates/best friends help me realize my calling was music and to pursue it with a passion. To my parents’ dismay, I dropped out of school, bought my friends old laptop, downloaded the DAW: Ableton, and went really hard at working on it after every day for hours after I got off work. The name “Umami” came from my roommate and I watching an anime where the flavor umami kept being mentioned. The anime made umami sound so amazing, and we thought it would be such a cool producer name, I ended up adopting it a year later when I dropped out. DJing felt like it came hand in hand with production and was always something I found so cool, so I saved up and bought a small Pioneer DJ board. I became the best bedroom DJ I could be and eventually ventured out to play a gigs. With the goal of making a living doing what I love and am passionate about, I started to get more and more gigs with the help of my first mentor Leeroy Lee. I moved back to St. Louis in 2017 and was excited to get to know the music community in the city I loved and grew up in. While pursuing a new degree in Audio Engineering, I worked to get to know the community and wanted more than ever to play gigs in St. Louis. I would go to shows and support artists that I really admired while getting the opportunity to meet some beautiful people in the community. It felt hard at first to try and get into the music scene after moving back, but I slowly found my footing. I played a couple of DIY gigs that friends and I would plan together, and finally, I was given an opportunity to play at Handlebar in The Grove. It was Tatyana, the owner of Handlebar, and the late Michael Pioletti (Tall Mike Bike) who saw my potential and gave me more and more opportunities to prove myself as a DJ and artist in St. Louis. I owe them and the beautiful people who work there my gratitude for helping me play in the city I grew up in. Today, I feel so lucky to keep doing what I love, and really learned that the people who helped push me to believe in myself are a big reason why I got to where I am today. I still play at Handelbar, throw DIY raves with a team of other talented artists, and get to play a weekly residency at Sophie’s Artist Lounge with one of my favorite DJs ever, Alexis Tucci. I am beginning to travel around the country for gigs which is something I could only dream about a couple years ago. I have so much love for my mentors and friends who constantly support me in all my endeavors. I have fulfilled plenty of goals that the younger version of me made when I first dropped out of school, and still have so much I want accomplish!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
The first obstacle was telling my parents that I was going to drop out of college after completing 3 years. At first, they were completely against it, but seeing how happy and passionate I am with music, they have since come around to support me. I think for a while, it was difficult for me to find the confidence in my abilities. It can be hard for me to slow down and give myself credit for how far I have come since dropping out of school. Another struggle is kind of obvious, but the pandemic came at a time when I finally felt like I was making an impact on the music scene in St. Louis. I had just organized and threw my first rave, and it was very successful. Because I started to play at Handlebar more often, I started to get offers for gigs in other locations around the city. This came to a screeching halt when the pandemic happened, but I can also say for as much as a struggle the first year of the pandemic was, I learned so much about who I was as a person and artist. That time off to be introspective with little responsibility helped me focus on my music, and the kind of person/artist I want to be. Finally, I would say social media can be a struggle for me. I can definitely acknowledge how powerful it is as a tool, and how it has helped me connect with many talented artist and new friends, it’s also helped me get new gigs and promote my music. At the same time, it can be draining on my mental health, have me compare myself to other people, and is addictive. I am still trying to find the balance of using social media as an artist.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in music production, DJing, and audio engineering. I think I am probably most well-known for my DJing. Having multiple residencies, and throwing raves/gigs in the city means that I get to meet new faces every weekend. It’s been really joyful to curate an atmosphere where I get to watch people have such a fun time dancing and letting loose, especially as we are all still dealing with the stresses/challenges of the pandemic. I just love to see people being themselves while being with their friends on the dance floor, it really is one of the best feelings ever as a DJ. I am known as a house music/open format DJ. I think people really enjoy my music selection and smooth transitions. While I think DJing is more what I get recognized for, music production and the music I create is what I am most proud of. I try to have the mindset of always being a student of the craft, and look to the artist I respect for inspiration. Knowing that I am slowly finding my unique sound as an artist and really honing in on the music I love to make brings a great sense of pride in myself. I love and respect sampling in hip hop. I am greatly inspired by the greats such as J Dilla, and Madlib. Additionally, I really love dance music and making people move their body. Taking inspiration from Yaeji, Peggy Gou, Disclosure, and Kaytranada, while also incorporating my knowledge and love of sampling is helping shape me and my own distinctive sound. It’s always such a compliment when someone sends me music and says it sounds “umami-like.” My biggest goal when making music is to just have the listener feel, whatever or however intensely they do, just to feel something. After moving back to St. Louis, I attended Webster and completed my degree in Sound Recording Engineering in December 2020. I use this knowledge not only to make my own music sound better, but to help mix my friend’s music, and work freelance for different podcasts and artist. I also play the alto saxophone, and have been working on playing saxophone over my DJ sets, and increasingly using it in my production. I tried playing it while I did a DJ set for the very first time at a recent rave that a team of artists and I threw, and it was very successful! Playing saxophone is definitely something I love and am excited to work into my other creative passions. I think what sets me apart from others is my ability to connect with many different types of people, and the energy I bring when I perform. I really love to dance and have a good time while I perform and I think that permeates into the crowd. It lets the crowd feel like they can be themselves and let loose with no judgment. Something else that sets me apart is my versatility. While I really enjoy playing house/dance music the most, my eclectic taste in music allows me to be open format, and play a little bit of everything for everyone at certain gigs. There are definitely certain gigs that I am really proud to have played. One of them is the most recent Nightchaser: Lovelab at the Science Center. After moving back and being introduced to Nightchaser, it became a huge goal of mine to play one. It was the exact music and atmosphere that had me fall in love with being a DJ in the first place. Finally getting that opportunity from the creator and my mentor Alexis Tucci really helped me recognize how far I have come as an artist/DJ. I also really enjoy throwing and curating shows and feel lucky to have a team of artist that also want to throw DIY raves/shows. There’s something magical about DIY shows that can be hard to recreate in a venue or bar. Right now, I am working on finishing an album that focuses on promoting all the different talent I have come across in St. Louis. There is such a beautiful community of music artists in St. Louis that I want everyone to see! I just hope that I can inspire others to follow their passions no matter where you are or how stuck you feel in life.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Suckin’ at something is the first step to being sorta good at something. Practice and hone your passion, try to work at it as often as you can without burning out. Remember to take breaks and live life because inspiration often comes from experiences. Always remain a student of your craft, whatever your craft may be. Never feel like you can’t learn something from someone who has been doing the same thing as you for a shorter amount of time. Stay authentic to yourself and make the art that you want to see in the world. Use social media as a tool, and try not to compare yourself to other people. Finally, no one you admire had everything they worked for given to them, you have to work to hone your craft but the most important thing to remember is to not give up. Don’t let anyone feel like you need to rush and be quick about accomplishing your goals.
Contact Info:
- Email: Umamibeats95@gmail.com
- Website: Umamibeats.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/umamibeats/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umamibeats
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMmURUg-2gYs2cn6Qfu5yeQ
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/umami_porshahidy
Image Credits
Kaite Ritchi
Ben Cosgrove
Michael Weinberg
Anthony Patten
Blue Monroe
