Not every successful artist starts out knowing what they want to do with their lives. For Rami Karadi, commonly known by his stage name ‘Aftrnoondlite,’ what started out as a lack of direction turned into a career. Karadi knew that a typical 9-5 job wouldn’t cut it for him; he knew he wanted more.
“I was kind of always searching for a path that made sense to me,” Karadi said. “I was kind of lying to myself pretty often: ‘I’m going to be a football player, I’m going to be a marine biologist, I’m going to be a doctor.’ But the reality I knew in the back of my head was that none of that was actually going to work out.”
With that, Karadi started his music journey. While initially being influenced by hip-hop and rap, Karadi was extremely drawn to Electronic Dance Music.
“That’s the scene, that’s just what called to me,” Karadi said. “EDM was introduced to me in 2013; I went to Ultra (Ultra Music Festival) for the first time in Miami. That was a really, really cool experience.”
Unlike others, Karadi doesn’t pursue music for the glory and the fame; for him, it’s all about building a community and conveying a story.
“I do my best to convey a path and a place to guide you,” Karadi said. “Because the way that I look at it, even though I’m the producer and the DJ, I’m not the main character; the main characters are the people who are listening to my music, and I’m just trying to find a path to guide them along the way and say, ‘here’s something that’s going to make your journey easier'”
Along with being a producer and DJ, Karadi also had a vision of starting his own company where he could throw parties in a rave-like environment where a community could be comfortable. Together with his close friend Stan Slavoutsky, they were able to make their vision come alive with AFTR PARTY.
“I’m a go-getter, and opportunities don’t come from nowhere; you have to make those opportunities yourself,” Karadi said. “It gave me an opportunity to put myself on lineups with bigger artists, expose myself, put myself in a place where I can challenge myself, try new things, create a community that truly backs me and loves me, and I love them so much.”
“I really, truly believe in community. I’m not the person who’s sitting in the back room. I’m out there in the crowd. I’m hanging out with people. I’m talking to them. So it was a chance to connect with people.”
Like anyone building up a career and name for themselves, Karadi also faces fears and obstacles.
“You gotta push really hard. It’s not as if it’s not accomplishable. We do great at our shows. It’s just a matter of daily commitment, Karadi said. “Every day, every night, you’re waking up early, you’re barely getting any sleep, and throughout my day, I’m constantly making calls, dealing with fires, whatever it is that comes my way. And then, on top of that, I have to find a way to sit back, learn as much as I can absorb from as many people as possible, and just make it all work.”
That hustle isn’t something Karadi does alone. It’s the strength of the people around him that keeps everything moving.
“I’m big on ‘team.’ It’s not about me, it’s about ‘we’ and my team is everything,” Karadi said. “Without them, I have absolutely nothing. I’ll be very transparent. They helped me through the marketing side of things, through the digital design, the mental guidance; without them, I wouldn’t be here today.”
What’s next for Karadi? Karadi is taking the stage on June 28 at the Renegade Festival, and in the next five years, Karadi hopes to continue building his brand and eventually perform at a main EDM festival. But, the most important thing to Karadi is the sense of community he continues to convey to his listeners.
“I want them to feel like I’m their best friend and that’s the feeling that I’m trying to convey. Its always been one of my biggest insecurities. I want people to feel like when they listen to my music, that they are listening to their best friend, and that matters so much to me.”
This is not the end of Karadi’s journey, remember the name ‘Aftrnoondlite’ because you’ll be seeing more of him soon, and as Karadi says, “Don’t forget to smile.”
