From Vinyl to Vision

In our latest People Without Compromise, we speak to Anoosh about records, rabbit holes, and the power of nature.

Hi Anoosh, what don’t you compromise on?

Music is key for me. I started DJing a couple of years ago and it’s become a real constant in my life.

Making sure I’m constantly challenged as well. I’m one of those people who’ll happily disappear down a rabbit hole on something that (often) has nothing to do with anything, simply because I can. Languages, geography, how systems work – anything is fair game.

I also try to get out into nature every day, whether in the country or the city. I need time away from screens and away from the constant input that can be overwhelming. I have to give my brain a chance to breathe!

Let’s explore your connection to music. When did you first become a DJ?

I’ve always loved music, but I wanted a creative outlet that sat completely outside work. A lot of my day is spent making decisions, processing information, and thinking quite structurally, so having something that uses a different part of my brain is important.

It’s one of the few things that demands my complete focus. When I’m behind the decks I genuinely can’t think about anything else. You can’t half focus on it. It demands your full attention, which is part of what I love about it.

How have your skills evolved since you started?

This year I started learning to mix on vinyl, which is a completely different challenge. When you mix digitally, the software still helps you, it tells you the BPM of a track, whether two songs are in the same key, whether the beats are lining up – there’s a safety net and the support is built in. With vinyl you don’t have any of that. It’s just two records, the decks, and your ears. You’re relying entirely on your own instincts, and there’s no shortcut.

That sounds both exciting and frustrating.

It is! I’ve been practicing and practicing and still have sessions where nothing comes together and I wonder why I tried, but when it finally clicks, the sense of achievement is overwhelming. I find it so valuable to do something that isn’t immediately gratifying. Most things in life give you quick feedback, but vinyl doesn’t.

I think that mindset translates quite naturally into product as well. Not everything works immediately. Sometimes you need to sit with confusion and complexity for a while before you start to understand where it fits in the wider picture.

You clearly enjoy challenging yourself. How does that show up day to day?

I’ll quite openly, and happily, call myself a nerd! In any given moment I’ll decide I want to understand how something, anything,works, and then spend an excessive amount of time reading about it. The other day I found myself asking Claude to explain how wholesale payments work, how Swift operates under the hood. Nothing to do with anything I was working on, I was just curious. I play a game called ‘Worldle’ every day, which is a game about geography that tests you on countries, capitals and flags and I never miss a day.

Languages are a big part of that too. I speak English, French, Spanish and Armenian, and I have always loved the world perspective learning a new language gives you.

I went through a phase of trying standup comedy at one point and did a couple of gigs. I decided it wasn’t for me in the end and moved on, but I’d say that’s my modus operandi – try something, figure out if it’s for you, and if it isn’t, move on. You learn something from everything you attempt, even if you learn that it’s not for you.

You mentioned you speak Armenian. Can you tell us a bit about that side of your background?

My parents are Armenian, but I was born in Zimbabwe and grew up across Southern Africa, so I have always had a mix of cultures and identities around me.

I think growing up in different places makes you much more comfortable with the unfamiliar. You get used to arriving somewhere new, finding your footing, and working things out as you go. That’s definitely shaped the way I approach both life and work. I’m very comfortable stepping into something I don’t yet fully understand and will learn my way through it. Whether that’s a new market, a new challenge, or building something new. It brings me energy, instead of putting me off.

Why is getting outside every day a non-negotiable for you?

Creating space is incredibly important to me. There’s only so much your brain can absorb before it stops working properly. So much of what I do and what I love doing involves screens and constant input – whether that’s work, reading, music, or languages, there’salways a device somewhere.

Getting outside, even if it’s just for a walk, gives me a chance to step away from that. It’s the only time I have nothing in front of me.Some of my clearest thinking happens when I’m away from the screen and away from the noise. I try to protect that space, and I think the same applies to time I spend with people as well. If I’m with someone, I want to be fully present and give them my full attention.

In a world where there is always something competing for your focus, that feels increasingly important to protect.