THE RISE OF THE PHOENIX - PHILIPPINES BIGGEST TRANCE BLOG EVENT - INTERVIEW WITH JOHN ODIN

Celebrating a birthday is special. It’s a day that only comes around once a year, and for this reason, it should be a memorable one. It’s a unique day, just for you! The exciting thing is that we can decide how amazing a birthday turns out to be – a good amount of love and effort will result in a happy, successful day. We grow older and wiser as time goes by, giving us the tools and experience to become the person we dream to be. A birthday signifies a fresh start – a bright and bold new chapter with new goals and different reasons to be inspired.

We enjoy this special occasion in various ways. Some people like to throw a big party in celebration of a birthday, whereas others would prefer a simple and intimate gathering with friends. The chosen route of celebration is not always that important, it’s more about the meaning, and how these ways of celebrating a birthday make a person feel. It’s all about feeling appreciated on your special day, or making the special person in your life celebrating his or her birthday, feel important, beautiful and appreciated.

Birthdays are the perfect occasion to celebrate those closest and dearest to us. We have the opportunity to make the people in our lives feel acknowledged and loved on their special day, and by this, we enjoy ourselves too.


Wishing someone a happy birthday doesn’t have to be too complicated. Perhaps you just want to keep it short and sweet.

Happy birthday JP! May your day be filled with lots of love and happiness. Wishing you a very happy birthday today. I hope you will be showered with spoils! I hope today will be your best birthday yet. Keep smiling! Happy, happy birthday! Stay as bright, bubbly and lovely as you are.

And with this said it is a pleasure to share the interview we did together with all the trance lovers out there.

Copyright Soundcloud John Odin

1.    How did it all start for you?

I was in High School, in a bad, never really cared for electronic music. A friend handed over a cd (2 of them actually). The first one was PVD's album "45 RPM" and the other was a  CD with one song in it. I listened to the burned CD first. Dropped my guitar, left rock and roll and dove into Trance music ever since. That song was Airwave by Rank 1.

2.    Who is your biggest inspiration? / Who do you have a lot of respect for?

Currently AVB, Charlotte de Witte, T78, SHDW, and Obscure Shape,  Giuseppe Ottaviani, John "00" Flemming, and Ferry Corsten for sure. I had the pleasure of meeting some of these guys in person and have a little chat.

3.    What single night out has been the most memorable for you? As a DJ? As an attendee?

A State of Trance. Felt like a child again to be honest.

4.    Are you able to share any of your secret tricks with me?

Yes of course! With DJing especially with the kind of genre, we love so much. Let the song sit and breathe. Less is more definitely since you don't want to interrupt or take away too much with the "important" parts of the songs by doing too many effects and tricks :D

5.    What is one mistake you see a lot of up and coming DJs making? / What advice would you give to aspiring DJs?

Playing blaring high energy songs as the opening DJ. The best advice is to find your direction and sound. So many DJs sound the same, try to nitpick and really sift through the kind of musical direction you want to go to.

6.    Where do you think the scene is headed? One year from now? Five years from now?

House will always be a mainstay. Techno is breaking into the mainstream. Trance is finding itself in the middle ground, of course staying alive at the same time. As for commercial EDM, it'll always be a mainstay, may it be prominent or subtle in bass music, trap and other forms of the current trend. One year from now? Hmmm. I can't really say I'm going to assume Hip Hop will come full circle along with more groove genres making itself present again.
Five years from now? I have no fucking idea, to be honest.

7.    If you could eternally be stuck in one year's music scene, which year would it be?
       
1993. some of the best Trance tunes of all time came out this year. Lots of uplifting and acid elements going on for sure.
  
8.    What is one subgenre you think doesn't get the attention it deserves?

Locally? Funk and Disco. It is present, but it needs MORE MORE MORE attention.

9.    What is it that you love about the scene? Your subgenre's scene?

It's dynamic, challenging, ever-changing. I love how other artists push each other to better their craft and their direction for music.

10.  What is something that bugs you about the DJ scene?

Lots of cookie-cutters and lazy artists. Also, artists that don't take risks at all.

11.  Perhaps a little bit deeper of a question) What is your opinion regarding the difference between old school DJing where everything was restricted to vinyl and modern DJing where most tracks are never put on any physical medium before or after release?

There was more importance and longer shelf life for music because it wasn't readily available. So many more timeless classics during that era than we have now. Tunes were more important back then.

12.  (Follow up) Do you think this has hurt the exclusivity of having a certain sound? A DJ's ability to have a "unique" style? Is having your own style separate from all the other DJs out there even important in modern DJing?

YES. Music being ridiculously readily available and the rise of social media has killed shelf lives of songs. On to the next song after playing this for a week. :(. Nowadays it is much harder trying to separate yourself since all these media is available at your fingertips with a "click". To find your sound now is more important than ever.

13.  What is one track that never gets old for you no matter how many times you hear it?

Solid Stone - Heart Call


14.  What is one track that got popular that you can't stand?

HAHAHAHA oh my goodness. Please don't kill me fam. Despacit.

15.  When you show up at a nightclub, what elements make it enjoyable and fun to play?

Intimate settings, smaller venues. There just a distance and gap that's just shortened so it feels more real. Well, that's just me.

16. Do you prefer to be an opening or closing dj?
  
Opening :D

17.  Should the opening DJ play music at a low volume?
 
A tad. just a tad.

18.  Is there a substantial difference between playing on the radio and playing in clubs? Do you record your sets and may we have the chance to listen to your sets somewhere on social media like SoundCloud / mix cloud, or etc.?

Some clubs locally limit your freedom to be honest. Radio play and podcasts? Damn, all the fucking freedom in the world. Here's mine! https://soundcloud.com/johnodin

19.  Most music productions are still 6-8 minutes long these days. Which parts do you choose to play when you have to condense the music to make it shorter?

I'm very basic when it comes to that. I leave out the extended intros. Give maybe 1-2 phrases, breakdown of course. and let the drop sit together with 1-2 more phrases.


20.  It’s interesting that there is a “closing DJ” as well–the person who plays after the headliner leaves. What is their job exactly?

TO SUSTAIN.

21.  How would you transition from a headliner set to a closing set?

I'd bring it down for maybe 1-2 songs just to give a bit of headroom to breathe then bring it back it up intensely.

22.  You travel constantly for your gigs, and it’s quite different from playing in your home town. What do you usually carry with you when you travel?

Laptop. 6 USBs, 2 headphones.

23.  I am sure you carry around backups of your music too?

Yes! most definitely. 2 hard drives. hahaha

24.  What is a good way to get local gigs?

Work on a mixtape. Very basic. Visit the nights, venues to show support, get to know the right people so you can "forward" your material. It's nice to make friends and connect, but there's a fine line between connecting and kissing ass.

25.  What about a situation where a DJ lives in a city that doesn’t have a strong community supporting his favorite music genre? For example, let’s say that someone lives in CDO or Bantayan Island. Does it make sense to play commercial music just for experience?

The best way to go about it in my experience at least is to have a ratio for it. This is how you adjust. Play maybe 70% commercial tunes then 30% your shit. It's the songs in between that gets you remembered anyway. Especially if they're good and in perfect timing.

26.  What is your favorite club?

TIME.IN.MANILA.

27.  Do you have any tips for an upcoming newcomer in the DJ scene and what to consider to always pay attention?

Don't be in a hurry. don't do TOO much. Let your work breathe. Hustle if you must but don't step on others' toes. Find your sound. A bit of a cliche ain't it?

29.  Can you name your current favorite track right now and the first track you played as a DJ?

I STILL REMEMBER MY FIRST TRACK EVER PLAYED HOLY SHIT. It's Sierra Nevada by First State. My favorite track right now issssss  Darc Marc-  Dirty Rocking Bass

30.  Some last words for the readers?

For the DJ's stick with your sound, regardless of the number of gigs. It's all about legacy.



Thank you so much and happy birthday mister cool poker face and the most passionated guy about trance and electro I know in the Philippines. Happy that we met and have a wonderful day.