SHIFT at Time in Manila, a monthly gathering of Underground House & Techno lead by 6AM Group Asia resident Clyde Harris, continues this Friday with two special guests from Taiwan, J-Six and Dominik Hooker, both of them have been making impacts in Taipei’s electronic music scene since the 90s and early 2000s playing major local festivals and hosting some of the biggest acts in the industry all while holding down a long term residency at Taipei’s electronic music super club, Luxy. Their relentless efforts to push and showcase quality music in a country dominated by commercial club culture reminded us of the current situation being faced in the Philippines and we couldn’t have found a better fit as our special guests this month that understands the difficulty faced by some of these local DJs and promoters who simply just want quality beats. We hope through gatherings of like-minded individuals around Asia who share the same passion for electronic music will only strengthen the movement over time. A shift is needed for us to move forward, we hope to see you this Friday night at TIME along with Clyde Harris and Time resident Martin Lugtu, Rooftop sounds by Nomad Massive. Event Info | RSVP Link
Exclusive Q&A with J-Six and Dominik Hooker
Q: How did you first get involved with electronic music and who were some of your earlier influences?
J-Six: In 1990s, after my military service, I worked as label chief for almost 5 years, included SONY, BMG. I found that many good DJ/Producers have never been invited to perform in Taiwan. In 2001, I booked DJ Krush then Takkyu Ishino for their premium gig in Taiwan, it caused many good feedback, and I started to work as booker / DJ / event production till now. My favorite musicians are Depeche Mode, David Bowie, the Stone Roses, John Coltrane, and the Clash. Richie Hawtin, Sasha and John Digweed are the ones I learn from.
Dominik: I started off totally random throwing a birthday party with my gf and roommate some 14 years ago. The three of us had birthdays within 2 weeks of each other. We did a party on the beach, first electronic one as far as I know in bother Taiwan ever. went over very well. Didn’t look back since. My biggest influences were actually two friends that I threw parities with, DJ Saucey and DJ SL(aka Xuan). THose were some crazy days and their brand of deep, NY, West Coast House is what got me loving house music and start DJing.
Q: The scene in Asia seems to be going up and down like a roller coaster between the early 2000s til now. Where do you think the trend is going now for Taiwan as far as underground electronic music goes compared to places like Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, and Hong Kong where the scene is on the rise.
J: I think the creativity and originality is everything, since everybody these days can mix 2 tracks very easily through any application and then calls themselves a ‘DJ’. The scene should be promoting the real ‘artist’ to ‘DJ’, if not, it’s just a party to have fun without much substance to it. But it’s ok I guess, everybody just likes to party and be in that environment. The underground scene in my opinion will never die in Asia but it doesn’t seem like it will get any bigger either in the near future.
Q: Asides from strict law enforcements compromising parties that raises suspicion to them, what other challenges are local Taiwan promoters faced with by producing their own events?
J: The challenges we face is that Taiwan’s still has a very young scene both on the industry and event production level. Taiwan is an isolated tiny island in Asia so the market size can only get to a certain point before we hit capacity. The most exciting things these days in Taiwan for me are some of the more elite coffee shops where roasters hand pick unique coffees all in a very suitable decor. But I still enjoy Starbucks sometimes.
D: Lack of venues with good sound systems is definitely a big hurdle. The ones that have good systems usually play more pop oriented stuff.
Q: What year would you say was the peak of Electronic Music for Taiwan and what were some of the highlights during those times?
J: 2007, AvB on top of DJ mag poll for the second time, following Tiesto, then John Digweed. We could enjoy the golden years of lifting Trance while also sharing the love of quality deep shade. In Taiwan, the peak is definitely not right now I’m sorry to say.
D: I’m sure everyone remembers it differently but for me it was between 2002-2008. We had the big clubs playing good big house and we had our own crew throwing outrageous house parties. Nothing but great memories from those days.
Q: Have you ever been to the Philippines before? If so, what was your first experience like? If not, what are you looking most forward to and what expectations do you have for the country?
J: Never been to Philippines. It feels like it’s a mix-cultured country and plenty of sunshines. I’m looking forward to meeting new friends and enjoy the local lifestyle. SHIFT event opens till 8am, it’s usual for Taiwan so looking forward it. Sound like Ibiza.
D: I’ve been there quite a few times. Even DJ’d on Boracay once. But it’s a great country and I’m glad to have an opportunity to experience another side of it. I’m looking forward to throwing down some quality beats and getting people grooving and dancing.
Q: What can the people of Manila expect to hear during your set at SHIFT?
J: Thanks to 6AM group’s invite, I really like to share the deeper-tech music and bring back some good memories when they dance.
D: It will be a mutual effort. The more they give up in energy the more they can expect back. They can look forward to some big bass sounds, both house and techno in flavor, spiced up with some funky beats, deep grooves and some dirt for color.
Q: Asides from Japan, which Asian country do you think has the biggest potential for underground electronic music to seep through the market and truly develop? And why do you think that is?
J: Singapore, it’s more globalized than Taiwan, and there is F1, haha. I really like the lineup of ZoukOut this year, it’s always the best outdoor DJ event in Asia. Then maybe Hong Kong, if they win the game… there were good years in HK.
D: I’m not sure I have that much hope for Japan. Maybe with the reversal of the idiotic anti-dancing laws they can come back but on the last couple of visits I was quite disappointed. I think China has potential. With that many people there is a decent amount of people that are looking for something better. Some good things are happening in HK as well for a change. Taiwan is doing well, with number of local producers starting to make their mark on the international house scene.
Follow J-Six: Facebook | SoundCloud | Twitter
Follow Dominik Hooker: Facebook | SoundCloud
