When the Vinyl Word last checked in with DJ @llen, whose real name is Chen Wen-hong (陳文宏), and his Lost Paradise Project at the Nangang Bottle Cap Factory (南港瓶蓋工廠) two months ago, things were going good, but now the venue is on fire, as word of mouth has quickly spread to promoters, party people and dance music connoisseurs. Tomorrow night, Lost Paradise goes big with its first international headliner from London, Duke Dumont (real name Adam Dyment). The Taipei Times caught up with Dumont via email for an interview.
Taipei Times: How did your pseudonym Duke Dumont come about?
Duke Dumont: I can’t actually remember the moment I thought of it, but I knew I needed a musical alter ego to detach from everyday life. Duke Dumont had a nice sound to it.
Photo courtesy of Cliche Records
TT: What got you into deejaying in the first place?
DD: Simply because I enjoyed it. I started to learn when I was around 15 years old mixing house and garage music. Then around 17, I began to teach myself the production side of music.
TT: Why did you start producing music?
DD: For me it was a hobby that over time turned into a living. There was never a moment when I said to myself I really want to get into production. If you work on something everyday for 10 years, you’ll probably be in a position where you are doing it at a high level. The energy to create music has stayed with me, which is why I am in the position I am in.
TT: What do you look for in an artist or a song to remix?
DD: Most of the time I have to like the artist who has made the original because you are basically helping their career as much as your own. Also, there has to be a component in a song which I feel I can form the remix around, whether it is the vocal or a certain sound. Lastly, some remix offers are too good to turn down.
TT: What are you hoping to do with your For Club Play series of EPs?
DD: To release consistently high quality club music inspired by the club music that has inspired me.
TT: You will be playing in an abandoned bottle cap factory, so it’s a throwback venue in Taiwan. What can people at that show up expect from your DJ set?
DD: I hope to play house music that will complement the setting. I like that it is in a disused bottle cap factory, because hopefully it’ll encourage people to not worry about how they look and just feel free to dance to the music. Glitzy club settings are more like fashion shows and can make people feel self-conscious, so I am looking forward to a change of scene
The Lost Paradise Project V4.0 — Duke Dumont tomorrow night from 10pm to 5am at the Nangang Bottle Cap Factory (南港瓶蓋工廠), 13-1 Nangang Rd Sec 2 Taipei (台北市南港路二段13-1號). Pre-sale tickets are available at all iBon/FamiPort for NT$500, or NT$600 at the door.
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