DJ Minh Tri shared his thoughts on the development of electronic music in Vietnam and his plans in 2018.

The talented DJ Minh Tri was known through a number of shows such as the Happy Lunch Show, EDM events as well as his role as Nam in the movie Buoc Nhay Xi Tin. He is also considered as a leader in the development of electronic music in the North of Vietnam.

In the future, Minh Tri will continue to host the DJ On Fire radio show organized by the social music network Keeng.vn to create an environment for young DJs to try out and show their talents. Additionally, the special guests in this radio show will also share what happen behind the scenes of the profession and the difficulties they faced in pursuit of their passion for music.

Tiin.vn had a talk with Minh Tri with his new role in DJ On Fire .

Hello! Can you share with us how you come to DJ On Fire?

I had the opportunity to join Keeng thanks to the introduction of a friend of mine, which happened the same time Keeng was looking for an influential DJ to bring some contents suitable for DJ On Fire. I assumed the host role of the radio show because I wanted to create a great playground for talented young DJs. On the other hand, I also wanted to share the hidden shadow of the DJ career to the audience, and help the Vietnamese music community to develop more. DJ On Fire is the first radio show to look at all aspects of being a DJ. 

How does being the host of DJ On Fire affect you?

Accepting to be the host of DJ On Fire has put quite a pressure on me. I do not consider this as just a show or regular performance, because to me DJ On Fire is a cherished "brain child" that has been planned for a long time, and I look forward to working on it and bringing it closer to the audience. So, I'm excited but I'm equally anxious whenever DJ On Fire hits the air.

What do you think about the differences between the structure of DJ On Fire compared to so many entertainment shows nowadays?

DJ On Fire is the first radio show about the life of DJs in Vietnam - It's a big difference compared to many current entertainment shows with too much focus on singers, actors or celebrities. Perhaps, this difference not only attracts followers from the EDM music lovers community, but also other different audiences as well. In addition, the program structure is different as there is an hour for the DJs to play music, communicate with the audience through livestream, and 30 minutes for them to express their thoughts, share their own stories as well as the dark side of the profession, and how they overcame social and family prejudice? The direct interaction is also one of the main attraction of DJ On Fire. 

According to Minh Tri, what does DJ On Fire mean to the EDM community?

I think that DJ On Fire plays a big role in creating a healthy environment and playing field for EDM music lovers in Vietnam. The development of electronic music in the world has lasted more than 20 years, and for Vietnam it's about 4-5 years back. Electronic music in Vietnam has not reached its peak yet, and this is just the beginning of the development of EDM. And so, 2018 promises to be the boom of this genre. DJ On Fire has created the premise for the audience - Those who have yet to understand electronic music will have a more objective, multi-aspect point of view. Additionally, the stereotypes of the DJ career will also be changed through each story sharing from the special guests.

How did you prepare to come to DJ On Fire?

In terms of music, I tried to express myself through remixes, songs I passionately made. In addition to the strengths of Hiphop, Jungle, House, I will introduce my audience to other genres in the world of EDM. I will not lock myself into anything and will always find ways to change, adapt to the market and serve to the tastes of the audience. Different from attending events, programs, I will be wearing comfortable and unique clothes that represent my personality when hosting DJ On Fire. Perhaps, this is the place where I will manifest myself fully. And I also hope that the audience will accept me as well as understand the DJ profession more fully.

What makes you most confident when joining DJ On Fire?

It's the experience of participating in many reality shows and artistic activities. I had participated in and hosted the Happy Lunch Show so I also have experience in talking and interacting with the audience. Plus, with live interactive shows like DJ On Fire, I will bring positive energy together along with a clever way of interacting with people without going through any professional training. The way that I approach the audience comes from being honest and simple. I hope that the audience will warmly welcome and follow DJ On Fire. 

Can you reveal who are the special guests that will appear on DJ On Fire?

Because this is a new show that hasn't had any audience yet so in the first few episodes, me and the organizers will try to invite famous DJs such as Huy DX, SlimV, Nimbia, etc. These are all outstanding musicians of the past few years and have attracted audience at various major electronic music festivals. Therefore, I hope that the audience will receive and follow DJ On Fire more.

How do you think of your attraction at the music festivals currently?

For many years, I have dedicated myself to the pursue of DJ and I think that I have a certain presence in the electronic music industry in the North, in particular. I won't put much emphasis in my popularity, but I do have my own number of listeners and audience. In addition to that, I have also built a professional DJ/Producing training center in Hanoi called SMOKE Studio, and had remixed some hit songs which had raised the audience attention. In particular, the remix version of the song 'Bua yeu' has received a lot of support from the EDM music community. In 2017 and early 2018, I also attended many music festivals. The biggest was the NEX Music Festival in early April, when I was honored to be on stage with the legendary trio Above & Beyond. Through it, the number of people that know me also increased significantly, especially the EDM loving youths. However, I do not limit myself to anything. I always try to do a lot of things, conquering audiences of many different ages and not only the youths.

The copyright issue has been addressed much in 2017. How do you think this issue will affect many producers and DJs, who create remixes of popular music hits?

The copyright issue only has an influence when a DJ remixes the original music of some artists. When making the music, each DJ will pay attention to the mix, harmony, and melody so that it is different from the original, so the copyright issue won't be much of a problem. I often dig deep into each song with a mashup, incorporating several songs together with new melody. This is also a special way that I want to send music to listeners, because these songs might have been heard many times on social media already, but when coming to DJ On Fire it is a completely different version. Therefore, my music won't be boring or old-fashioned to the audience, but instead create a refreshing change to the songs.

In addition to joining DJ On Fire, what is your intention in 2018? 

In the future, I plan to work with some singers in the role of music producer to launch new music in order to serve the audience tastes. However, I do not have a specific plan because most of my passion have been devoted to DJ On Fire. Also, I want to hold a competition between DJs like Battle Underground (a form of Hip Hop dance competition) so young music talents can flourish, creating a positive working environment for the EDM lovers.

Thank you for this conversation.


+ Writer: Duc Nguyen  


+ Source: Tiin.vn