Tony: Hello and welcome to Tony Talk! Today with me is guest DJ Snoop who is DJ-ing here in Guangzhou, and we’re going to talk a little bit about the DJ business here in China. So Snoop, you’ve been in Guangzhou for how long?
Snoop: One year and three months about.
Tony: About one year and three months. Right now, the international DJ and club scene is very popular in China. What do you think attracts the club goers? Is it whoever, is the DJ or is it the music, or the club itself with the decorations and...?
Snoop: Ah, especially in China, I can say there’s nothing special going on in most of the clubs.
Tony: Um hmm.
Snoop: I feel the customers, if they are not coming for the, to the place for the music, they are coming for the decoration or the people they are going to meet there.
Tony: Oh, OK.
Snoop: Because I have the feeling that, it should be one of these three things that attracts the customers. Either the music is good or the place looks nice or the kind of people to hang out with. I feel that’s the picture.
Tony: Do you find it hard sometimes to be creative to use new music because maybe some of the people aren’t familiar with the new tunes?
Snoop: Yes, yes, yes. It’s real hard. Because like I’m leaving for Hong Kong tomorrow. And my colleagues there have some new stuff they want to show me, they want me to listen to and but it won’t get here till half year or a year which is I mean, r unlike doing a DJ job like in Hong Kong or in Japan or in Europe. I mean, which is if you’re not up to date, you’re not working as a DJ. So I think that’s one of the loopholes here working as a DJ anyway.
Tony: Do you find that to be one of the most, one of the more difficult things about DJ-ing in China?
Snoop: For me, I don’t feel it is so difficult just that because the way I work. I try to let people know new things, you know, while working.
Tony: Umm.
Snoop: Like put in some old tunes mix it up with one or two new tunes, so that as time goes on they’ll get used to it, and they’ll know it faster than you know letting it to come to the market. So I think I’m helping them, I mean, to keep my customers up to date. But I mean, when you see a good beat, you know so. I don’t think it’s much problem for me.
Tony: A couple of years ago, the rave, the rave scene was very big in Europe, in America and even in China last year it was, it’s becoming more and more popular. What do you see that going in the future? Do you think?
Snoop: About rave?
Tony: Yeah.
Snoop: What I think more is that the hip-hop R&B is going to move more than the rave.
Tony: Really?
Snoop: Yeah, because now in China, you know, all the kids - they’re doing this street dancing now.
Tony: Right.
Snoop: It’s getting big now in China, street dancing, and you can’t dance, you can’t do street dancing with a, with a rave party. The rave, I mean whatever, you know.
Tony: Right, a different environment, a different culture. You’re being a DJ here in China, I mean, you’re a foreigner here doing DJ work, do you get a lot of, I mean, any special benefits that go along with that?
Snoop: For now I can say just there’s a little benefit. The benefit there are number one, I’m a foreign DJ which is something nice for me in China; and number two, I thank God because I can do a good job. So the only thing I can say here is that I have my own style, so I look abnormal like in my dressing and sometimes my customers I walk on the street people say, “Oh, wow!” You know that kind of stuff. That’s my style. I think, I don’t know about any other DJ, but that’s me.
Tony: But maybe people like that and so that attracts them.
Snoop: I feel not everyone will like it, but I feel a lot of people like it anyway.
Tony: Cause it’s different.
Snoop: Yeah. I mean it’s not something you see every day.
Tony: Right.
Snoop: Yeah. I try to put up something different from, you know, what people are used to see.
Tony: Right. That’s good.
Snoop: That’s a picture I’m trying to create perhaps.
Tony: Well, we wish you the best and that’s all for now for Tony Talk, and see you next time!
Snoop: To all you fellows out there, thank you very much for giving me your time! I appreciate it.
