Shanda presents a fusion-fuelled session for Mixmag Asia Radio

Where are you based and what's your favourite thing about the scene there?

I am based in Berlin but originally from Hong Kong. I made the move to Berlin eight months ago to fully dedicate myself to music.

I really love how the majority of people here have known and been enjoying Techno since they were young. Also, there are always so many good parties happening during the weekends that will never bore you.


What’s your favourite dancefloor in Asia?

This is tricky…I like a lot of different venues. I would say Arcan for the club, Wonderfruit for the festival and ABYSS HK (my own event label) for the dancefloor! I love the vibe our usual crowd creates.


Name one DJ you’d love to play back-to-back with!

I would say Lacchesi. I really respect his production because his tracks can always move the crowd. It would be super exciting to DJ with him.


What recent trends in music have caught your attention, and why?

I think the spectrum of techno is much wider nowadays and well-established DJs are more open to playing not just one type of techno, but varied kinds or with other genres like breakbeats, trance or jungle in their sets, which makes longer sessions much more interesting than before.


Are there any producers or DJs in Asia that have recently caught your attention?

Mr Ho, Busyboi, and DJ Maria.

Mr Ho - I met him at his label night, Klasse Wrecks at Tresor, Berlin. He has a very unique sound between house and techno which I enjoyed a lot. He is also one of the few producers/DJs from HK that has such an international presence. I look up to him a lot.

Busyboi - He has quality production as an upcoming producer. He also has been well-established as a DJ in Hong Kong who always puts out a one-of-a-kind, genre-less set for the audience.

DJ Maria - We played at the same gig recently in Hong Kong for Cipher and Goldway. I am very impressed with her worldwide recognition and achievement as an Asian DJ while staying authentic to her own sound. She also has this energetic aura that I really like.


AI in music — yes or no, and why?

For DJing, no. For producing in certain ways like creating interesting samples with randomness, it could be a yes.

I thought of the possibility of AI taking over a DJ’s job in a scenario like a “Deep Fake” AI DJ mixing instead of a human being. I always found it hilarious and I believe people will not appreciate it as much as a real person. After all, art is a form of human expression. Music is a form of art that connects people together so wouldn’t it make more sense if the music is also made by humans instead of algorithms?


What can you tell our readers and listeners about your mix? Why is it special to you?

I really like this mix as I explored some new minimal groove tracks that sound very much like house but faster and made good use of my new three-deck set-up. I purposefully started the mix with a positive, playful vibe before we dive deeper into dark and driving techno. It is a combination of minimal, hyped groove, psychedelics and classic techno.

Making a mix is meditative for me. I felt recharged after the recording and hopefully, it will bring the same enjoyment to you too!