AYYBO at XS Nightclub

Artist Profile

About AYYBO

Aaron Bonnema performs as AYYBO — an Anaheim, California-born DJ and producer whose career began not at a DJ booth but in a high school drumline, where years of rhythmic training built the pulse-oriented sensibility that would eventually define his tech house productions. His entry into DJing was accidental and self-taught: when he became the school DJ despite having no prior experience, he bought a $150 DJ deck and spent his evenings working through YouTube tutorials until the sessions at school events gave him a feel for how a room responds to music selection and energy. That initial experience of reading a crowd and moving people on a dancefloor translated directly into his later production philosophy, where the emphasis on functional rhythm and crowd-reactive drop architecture reflects someone who learned the craft from the floor up rather than from music theory down. His college years at a cinematography program clarified what he actually wanted to make: he sold all his filming equipment to fund his studio setup — a decision that positioned music production as a full commitment rather than a side interest. His early productions drew on his love of hip-hop and its bass-heavy sound design, working in bass music and trap territory that put him in contact with the Deadbeats label ecosystem. In 2018 he signed with Zeds Dead's Deadbeats imprint, placing his music within a catalog known for its experimental, bass-forward identity at the intersection of dubstep, trap, and electronic music's underground currents. The pivot toward tech house came in spring 2021, when AYYBO introduced his current alias alongside a new production approach: edits of popular tracks reimagined as tech house anthems with what he describes as an ominous, mysterious quality. Releases on Zeds Dead's Altered States imprint — including 'GDB' and 'Do This' — established the bass-heavy, groove-locked tech house architecture that would become his signature. The sound he describes as 'forbidden fruit' occupies a specific niche in the tech house ecosystem: not the minimalist stripped-back approach favored by European underground acts, but a denser, more aggressive production style where the bassline functions almost as a weapon — ominous, punishing, and deliberately unsettling in a way that tech house reared on cleaner Ibiza aesthetics rarely is. AYYBO uses the word 'evil' approvingly, and his productions justify the descriptor. His 2022 breakout single 'HYPNOSIS' — released on GDB Records, his own imprint — accumulated over 10 million streams and earned an official remix from Pitbull in 2023, an unusual crossover that connected bass-forward underground tech house with a Latin pop production institution. The Pitbull association amplified his profile in ways a typical underground release would not, introducing his sound to a broader streaming audience while his live career continued building through sold-out headline shows in New York, Miami, Chicago, Toronto, Denver, San Diego, Portland, and Austin — a North American circuit that confirmed his drawing power beyond the festival bill support slot stage. GDB Records has expanded beyond 'HYPNOSIS' into releases including 'RIZZ,' 'BASS GLIDE,' and 'NEW DANCE,' establishing the label as a platform for his aesthetic vision rather than simply a distribution vehicle for his own tracks. His 2026 Wynn Nightlife residency at XS Nightclub and Encore Beach Club marks his arrival as a Las Vegas Strip resident — a transition from touring headliner to venue-anchored performer that reflects his standing within the tech house residency circuit. At XS and Encore Beach Club, AYYBO's punchy, peak-time productions occupy the Friday and Saturday night programming within Wynn's 2026 resident roster, with confirmed dates including a Friday July 31 appearance at Encore Beach Club that closes out the month's pool party calendar. His Wynn residency positions him alongside established Wynn tech house and underground residents as one of the venue's 2026 breakout bookings — an artist whose aggressive bass aesthetic offers something sonically distinct from the smoother house residents who share the calendar. Guest list through NoCoverVegas for AYYBO's XS and Encore Beach Club appearances provides complimentary entry for qualifying guests. Source: mp3-mag.com/tech-house-sensation-ayybo-takes-the-music-world-by-storm/, edmidentity.com/2026/02/05/wynn-nightlife-2026-residency-lineup/