The emerging star DJ DEE is a techno producer from China based in Los Angeles.
She started to get in touch with electronic dance music in 2018 when she first first discovered Fisher and thus became addicted to tech house. This inspired her to study DJ Performance and electronic music production at Musicians Institute in Los Angeles.
With an in-depth study of techno, she fell in love with the music. Now, she focuses on producing peak time/driving techno.
Her song ‘Deepin’ the heart’ was released from WHET Drops by WHET Records of Warner music china. Her new EP ‘Disco Lights’ was just released by Nervous Records on 09/30/2022.
Riding the momentum of her recent success back in China and abroad here in the West, DJ DEE chats with us about her latest single, the transition relocating from China to the states, and other things she’s been working on.
Hey Dee, thanks for speaking with us today! How are you doing?
I’m doing great! Thanks for having me today!
How have you been enjoying the LA life as someone originally from China? What’s the big differences between the music scene in China compared to out here in the US?
From being very homesick initially, I have gotten used to living here. I love LA’s sunshine and enthusiastic people. Since I have a dog, I also love the atmosphere of people and dogs living together in harmony. Of course, one of my favorite parts is the Electronic dance music culture—there are so many festivals on the weekend. I can enjoy the newest music here! That’s wonderful!
I think electronic dance music in China is still developing. And there’s a potential for China’s electronic music market to be huge. The good thing is that more and more young Chinese are getting into electronic music now. They discuss their favorite producers on social media and I expect great electronic music producers to emerge in China. I believe that will come true soon.
What got you interested in techno music? What inspired you to start making it?
During my school life, my friend took me to have fun at an underground rave. That was my first exposure to Techno music. I loved that vibe immediately. We had a lot of fun dancing together at that time.
Then one day, I saw a YouTube video of Amelie Lens playing a turntable. I thought she was fantastic and started to find out more about her and her music. This is when I started my journey to make Techno.
You just released a new EP titled ‘Disco Lights’ with Nervous Records, how did you land the release with Nervous Records? How does it make you feel to be working with such a storied label?
I got to know Nervous Records because of my friend, as it’s one of her favorite labels. I remember that day her and I were making music together in the studio, and we talked about labels. She suggested that I should try to send my demos to Nervous, so I did. I could not believe the exciting response I got from Nervous the next day.
We had a great conversation about the song-signing phase. We quickly set up a release date and a bunch of other things, and I was invited to the Nervous Records showcase. It was great to be part of the big family, I really appreciate it.
DJ DEE “Disco Lights” – Nervous Records
What kind of vibe did you want to set with ‘Disco Lights’? What do you want to make your audience feel?
Darkness and relaxation. I want the listeners to be themselves in my grooves. At that moment, they are not employees, wives, or any role in life. They can simply be in this moment, enjoying being with themselves.
You’ve a made fun video for your “Dancing In The Desert” techno set. What was the inspiration behind it and how did you decide on the aesthetic/visual?
At first, I wanted to shoot a music video for my new track. But after planning it out, I felt that the video was too short. So I ended up doing a DJ set instead. Since I had been updating the DJ set on Bilibili (a trendy video site among Chinese youth) and Youtube, I was thinking about adding some new elements to make the video more informative and showcase my new song simultaneously. Since I danced in the playground of LA during that time, it felt natural for me to incorporate dance into my music. I also included a drum set to make the video richer. As you can see, the drummer was involved throughout the DJ set, which was a fun collaboration.
My previous DJ sets have always been shot outdoors with scenes involving the sea, grassland, and mountains, so we decided to choose the desert for this location. The gold and hot of the desert complemented the passionate dancing and percussive drum performances. We chose gold and black as the main color scheme for all the equipment and the dancers’ costumes. The final shoot was a great success, and I am sure you will love the video.
Thanks a bunch for your time! Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Please stay tuned for my new tracks coming out soon! Thanks!
Connect with DJ DEE: SoundCloud | Instagram | Spotify | YouTube
