STARTING OUT TOURING DIVE VENUES IN THE BACK OF A VAN, AND ENDING UP HEADLINING THE MAIN STAGES OF EDM FESTIVALS, DIM MAK LABEL OWNER AND DJ STEVE AOKI IS THE ACCIDENTAL SUPERSTAR WHO MAY WELL HAVE PAVED THE WAY FOR THOSE FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS...
The first Asian producer and DJ to sign to Armin van Buuren’s fanatically followed S107/Armada, California-based Shogun has worked with everyone from Paul van Dyk to Above & Beyond. He’s also mixed the inaugural CD for DJ Mag USA... Words: JOE ROBERTS
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DM is hot property in the States right now, but it hasn’t always been that way. While vocalists are now falling over themselves to get dance producers on their credits, once upon a time, EDM was confirmed to
the margins of US culture. The uplifting, universal sound of trance, however, has always reached out around the globe, radio shows such as Armin van Buuren’s A State Of Trance incubating a worldwide fan base. Inspired by the Dutch DJ, who was four times No.1 in DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs poll, Shogun, aka Andrew Chen, began to DJ in the early 2000s, later going to school to learn how to produce. Yet his adventures only began in earnest when Armin, the man who helped launch his career, welcomed him onto his label S107/Armada. We caught up to find out what else inspired Andrew’s journey, both in life and on his emotionally driven covermount mix...
Hi Andrew. Can you tell us a little about where you’re from? “I was born in Newark, Ohio, a small city in the Midwest United States. Now I currently live in Irvine, California, also known as Orange County.”
What were your first experiences of getting into music in general and then EDM? Was it something that you wanted to pursue from an early age and what was the biggest influence around that time? “I grew up playing the piano, violin and drums, but I first got into electronic music when I was a teenager. I was originally into harder, industrial music like Nine Inch Nails, Filter and the Prodigy because the electronic elements in them were different from what was played on the radio, which was mostly regular Top 40 tracks. But despite the complexities in the beats from the industrial genre, it lacked the moving, emotional melodies I was looking for. When I first heard Gouryella and Armin van Buuren’s ‘Communication’ for the first time, you could say that they changed my life.”
Obviously EDM didn’t have the exposure Stateside a couple of years ago that it has now. How were you treated for liking it? Did people wonder why you
were into it? “Although a friend introduced me to Armin van Buuren, most of my peers didn’t listen to EDM in the early 2000s. People probably thought I was weird for liking EDM and wanting to DJ, it just wasn’t what the popular kids did! We were an underground scene and trance wasn’t really respected as music, at least in the US.”
Which came first, DJing or production, how did you learn each, and which is your first love now? “I started DJing first and then the productions came. I bought a VHS tape called The Invisibl Skratch Piklz by DJ Qbert and taught myself how to DJ using it as a guide. After many years of DJing, I wanted to play my own tracks in my sets so I focused on producing and went to audio engineering school at SAE. My first love is still DJing. It’s the most amazing feeling to be on stage and giving a performance to an incredible crowd.”
How much does your Taiwanese heritage influence your music? The name Shogun is actually derived from Japan isn’t it? “I don’t think my heritage influences my sound much, because I still prefer to think of my musical style as classical trance with European influences. My parents were always supportive of me and I wouldn’t be where I am without them! As for the name Shogun, I wanted to come up with a stage name that sounded Asian but would also work well with the Western crowd. I was sitting at a family dinner trying to think of a perfect name tossing around ideas, and my dad shouted out ‘Shogun’. I thought it was the perfect stage name, and it has stuck with me. The word Shogun is derived from Japan, and there are certain elements that have been leading principles in my career that derive from the Japanese military way of thinking. I like to see myself as the person in control over a crowd, with the power to make everyone move to the beat. Being a DJ is all about reading the crowd and putting on the best show you can for them.”
You were the first Asian producer to sign to S107/ Armada. How did you link up with Armin and his label? Was he somebody who’d inspired you to start with? “I sent Armada a track I produced called ‘Nadia’ which they loved. From then on, I kept submitting tracks and they kept liking them! So now they’re my
home label, although I still do remixes and collaborations with artists on other labels. It was an amazing feeling and an honor to have someone who inspired you to begin with supporting the tunes you create. As I said before, it was Armin’s track ‘Communication’ that got me into trance, so he’s obviously been a huge inspiration to me.”
You’ve played alongside some of the most popular DJs ever like Paul Oakenfold. Who have been your favourite people to work with and who would you still like to work with? “I’ve really enjoyed working with Dash Berlin. We made a track together called ‘Callisto’ which is one of my favorite productions to date and also have a ‘Dashup’ together called ‘Man On The Skyfire’, which is a regular staple in my sets. I’d love to work with Imogen Heap, that would be something unique and interesting in a creative way!”
How much has your style changed since you started out? The term progressive house seems to have changed a lot in what it’s used to refer to from when it was first coined. A lot of DJs have moved away from the tag trance too... “It hasn’t changed much because I’ve always been loyal to trance. The BPM is a lot slower now than when I first started; however, that is just how music evolves. I feel that progressive house is becoming very close to progressive trance and they do share a lot of the same characteristics. However, trance has always been the deepest and most emotional genre for me and I will always consider myself a trance DJ.”
The list of people supporting your sound — from Paul van Dyk to Above & Beyond — is mostly European. Why aren’t there more US artists playing and making the kind of music that you are? Is that changing? “I think that, in general, US artists have their own particular type of sound which is targeted towards more commercial tracks and for the huge festivals where you want to appeal to the masses. When I first started, I was heavily inspired by the Europeans and still am. I play what I like and what my fans want to hear. I’m sure the house DJs do the same here in the US. I do hope that more EDM fans in America discover trance and join our trance family.”
How important do you think stations like A State Of Trance are in helping artists like yourself meet a
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