RayRay

Hip-hop vs house?

Hip-hop

What’s the hardest thing that you’ve learned since breaking out of Taiwan and getting gigs around the world?

Time management! It's really difficult to find balance between touring and working in the studio. Anyway now thanks to technology, it’s easier to work on music with nothing but a laptop now. Actually, I'm quite enjoying making music in different places, such as a park next to my hotel room, a nice cafe, or anywhere with beautiful scenery. Still, staying energetic and being creative are two of the most important keys to my career. I'm still figuring out the best way to find balance.

What do you think aspiring DJs and producers in Taiwan should be doing more of if they also want to break out of Taiwan?

I think the production scene in Taiwan is growing. A lot of DJs are trying to make their own music instead of just playing the other people’s music. It's pretty cool to see artists in Taiwan work together and share skills with each other. Taiwan is not as big as China but our music scene shouldn’t be underestimated. But still we need to practice a lot when it comes to producing original music and not just making something that sounds similar to what we are listening to right now. Try to think bigger and make something different, then people will come to you because you have original music. It's not easy but it will help you learn a lot.

Your TEDx talk was delivered in Chinese, can you summarize it in English and explain what the message that you delivered?

The TEDx talk was one of the greatest moments of my life. It's a great platform that I was able to use as a different way to deliver my thoughts about being an artist. The message from the speech was about obstacles. It's not easy to be an artist. I used to be so shy that I barely talked to people. I would try to avoid all instances where I had to communicate with people. But if you want to be a DJ, you have to face to the crowds; you have to show them your music and your performance. I've been trying so hard to fight my fears but luckily, I have music. It helps me to overcome a lot of problems. In the talk I compared the scratch sound from a vinyl to the obstacles from our lives. As long as we can practice the scratch skills and understand the flow, the scratch sounds can become a smooth part of the song. My life is just like a song. I'm enjoying producing this song, no matter how many problems are waiting for me.

What do you do to prevent the endless party from getting stale?

I think traveling and meeting friends from all over the world can help you see many things different from your daily life. I like to hang out with talented artists so I can understand their ideas and the different ways they view the world. I also love to listen to all kind of music including jazz, funk, soul, reggae, disco and house for inspiration. I also love to record all the sounds that surround me and I always make them into music. I think the only way to prevent your heart and your life from getting stale is to be open-minded, enjoy the moment and create something cool from your heart.

In five years, I will be…

A better producer, an amazing artist…

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