Summer Aquarian founder Lee Wei (李威), aka DJ Cougar, has probably one of the more interesting back stories of any DJ in Taiwan. He was head of a branch of the infamous Bamboo Union Gang (竹聯幫) and had achieved a notorious reputation as a gangster before he started deejaying. But despite his checkered past, the 53-year-old comes across in person as a friendly family guy who’s obsessed with the latest tunes and possesses a knack for taking listeners on a musical journey when in the mix.
Vinyl Word: How did you start deejaying?
Lee Wei: I used to go to Edge a lot and ran a club called Shiva Space in Ximending. Slowly I started to collect music, and then bought my first set of DJ gear in 2002. When I went to a party, I’d observe the DJs and that’s how I learned to deejay. The first gig I played was at the first Summer Aquarian in Hualien in 2002. After that I went to Europe and South America to visit some DJ friends and check out the music scenes — that really opened my eyes.
VW: What do you play?
LW: Progressive house. But actually, I just play anything that sounds good to me.
VW: How do you promote yourself?
LW: I don’t. I never ask anyone to book me, but I guess lately a lot of people have listened to my mixes on Mixdj (a Web site) or Facebook and got to know me. I’m just doing my thing and I’ve never cared what other people think. It still surprises me sometimes when I realize, “I’m a DJ!”
VW: So you used to be a gangster? What was that like?
LW: Yeah. Before that I was a high school Chinese teacher until one day I got beat up by some students and my gangster friends got revenge for me so I lost my job. It was hard to find another job then so I joined the gang and started my mobster life. During that time I committed murder, became a fugitive, went to jail and was sentenced to life in prison. But luckily I got out and was running hostess bars until [then-Taipei City mayor] Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) anti-prostitution campaign shut us down.
VW: Do your gangster friends support you as a DJ?
LW: They do. I was very surprised to see a big group of them booking all the VIP booths at the beach party last Saturday. They said they just wanted to hear me play. Knowing that I prefer to keep low-key, they brought me six bottles of champagne to share with my friends and told me I could just ignore them and they wouldn’t be offended.
VW: How do you prepare for a set?
LW: I listen to music every day and when I get enough new stuff I try to put it together and make a playlist. I never play the same track twice because I have too many good new tunes to go through. Beatport just gave me a lifelong discount — 20 percent off — but considering that I’ve spent about US$20,000 on their Web site, it’s no wonder they did that! [Laughs.]
VW: Has anything interesting happened to you recently?
LW: Yes, I was totally moved by a piece of fan mail I received recently. It was from someone who’s deaf but he said he’d come out for my music with a hearing aid every time. It was really inspiring and I feel like I have more responsibilities now.
DJ Cougar plays at Floating, a rooftop party tomorrow in Ximending at the Star Hotel (絲達爾精緻商旅), 11F, 36-3, Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路36-3號11樓). The party runs from 10pm to 5am. Admission is $350.
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