We reached out to American born Taiwanese DJ/producer Andrew Chen otherwise better known at DJ Shogun recently when we heard the first track, “Dragon“, off his debut album. You can imagine that we had, oh, only about a million and one questions because this album is, after all, 4 years in the making! So we needed to find out what took him so long before he could finally release it, which songs were his favourite and if there were any that had sentimental values, and of course we also threw fun questions 😉
Here’s what went down:
Hi Andrew! Thanks for taking time off your schedule to speak to us. Where are you right now and what are you currently up to?
I’m back home in Orange County right now, just going through some new promos and getting ready for my Australia and Asia Tour coming up.
You’ve played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia several times before and we’ve seen you rock out at Zouk Club KL. What has been some of your greatest memories from your gigs here?
Playing at Zouk KL, Sepang Raceway, and New Year’s were all unforgettable.
We’ve just heard “Dragon” and we think it’s amazing! It could possibly do as well as “Skyfire”, if not better. What was the production process like for “Dragon”, from writing to choosing the vocalist?
Thanks, “Dragon” is a really special track and my favourite song on my album. I started by writing out the instrumental because my idea was to go for a very uplifting feel good vibe. I sent it over to Adara and she recorded the vocals, went back and forth a few times, and I knew it was perfect. When I heard Adara’s vocals on it, I knew she was the perfect one.
Your upcoming album of the same name, “Dragon“, is 4 years in the making. Why did it take that long to put out your debut album?
I didn’t want to rush my album. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to producing songs and every little detail is important to me. My album is my baby and I wanted to make sure every song was as good as possible and that everything I envisioned for it came out right. It took a while, but I’m really happy with the end product and it was all worth it, to present an album that people could connect to on a personal level it takes time. I don’t believe in just rushing out something, the quality has to be there. That’s the most important.
Pray tell, which ones were your favourite tracks to make and why? Do you have any sentimental attachments to any of those tracks?
All of my tracks on the album are very personal. Each song represent a chapter in my life and that’s what makes it so special. My favourite songs are “Dragon”, “Laputa”, and “Erhu”.
It’s the era of the electronic dance music (EDM) gold rush and the dance music spectrum has evolved if not changed drastically. How have you as a DJ/producer adapted to that change?
Yea, you have to adopt to it. Exposure is a good thing. People need to hear what electronic music is about, wether it’s trance or electro house. This is how music evolves and with that the artistes evolve too for the better.
So the dance music trend has gone from the good old house-y days to the euphoric trance years and now the trend of “the drop”. Do you personally think that people have had enough of that? Where do you think dance music is heading off to next?
I’d like to see trance being played on mainstream radio. At the same time, I don’t see the “drop” trend disappearing because that’s what people want at big festivals. People go crazy when the drop is hard, but a song shouldn’t be all about that. I think eventually it will be more of a balance between trance and “drop” tracks, like a hybrid of emotional elements with the heavy beats.
You’ve been globe-trotting heaps in the recent years. Share with us your travel gear! What are some of your absolute must-haves be it because you need those items for your gigs or because you just simply can’t leave home without them.
Right now I keep it pretty simple, just my headphones and USB sticks. I always need gum, some sour patch kids, and I’m set.
After every high-energy set you play, how would you usually wind down and ride out the adrenaline rush?
I listen to chill out music to wind down. Chill out and lounge music are my go-to’s.
What’s in store for Shogun after the release of “Dragon”? Will there be an album tour or future surprises/collaborations that you can talk about, that we should be looking out for?
There will be a Dragon World Tour, and definitely some new songs in the future. I just finished the album so just enjoying it at the moment and relaxing from the studio a bit.
Are there any collaborations with your personal favourite DJs/producers that you’ve never done before, that you’d like to work on?
I’d like to work with Daft Punk, would be something interesting and different.
What would you say are some of your “guilty music listening pleasures”? Music your fans would be shocked to find out that you actually listen to!
Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift. I’ll rock these songs in the car, then turn them down when someone pulls up beside me.
Last but not least, leave a shoutout for your Malaysian fans.
Yo Malaysia, I love you guys. Thanks for all the love and support, will see you again soon!
You hear that? So don’t stop showing your support for him! Shogun’s album is slated for a 12th December release. The full tracklist for Shogun’s debut album, “Dragon”, is as follows:
- Shogun feat. Adara – Dragon (03:42)
- Shogun feat. Susie Ledge – When I’m With You (03:35)
- Shogun – Zanarkand (03:00)
- Shogun feat. Chloe – Underwater (03:35)
- Shogun – Laputa (03:58)
- Shogun – Abduction (03:25)
- Shogun feat. Tania Zygar – Find Me (04:10)
- Shogun – Erhu (03:16)
- Shogun feat. Emma Lock – Fly Away (04:20)
- Shogun – Meteor (03:12)
We’ll leave you now with Shogun’s lead single off his debut album of the same name, “Dragon”:
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Don’t forget, you may pre-order it from iTunes here.
For more information, visit Shogun’s Facebook page. He’s also on Twitter and Instagram, so hit him up!
