International four time DJ Mag Top 100 DJ and producer Shogun has made waves headlining renowned major music festivals worldwide, including Tomorrowland, TomorrowWorld, EDC, ULTRA, and A State Of Trance. The California-based talent is known as the first Asian American on the internationally known Armada Music, and is also signed to the likes of Blackhole, Universal, and CMC Music. Amassing success during the pandemic, Shogun produced over 25 tracks with four of them landing on Sony Music, as well as exclusively released a remix of the Super Mario Bros theme song on Bandcamp, with all profits donated to COVID-19 frontline workers. With a roaring start to the year already under his belt, Shogun recently reworked tracks for legendary artists in the trance realm, including Andy Moor & Conjure One, and has three remixes in the pipeline for Dash Berlin’s Jeffrey Sutorius. Having produced for multiple Grammy nominated and winning acts, there hasn’t been a track of his that hasn’t landed in the Beatport and iTunes Top 10 charts. Now taking his musical prowess to new heights, Shogun is on track to make 2022 his biggest year yet, with the impending launch of two new aliases this year. Fans can look forward to listening to his take on house and Brazilian bass under the alias NXNJAS, as well as his techno, trance, and future rave alias Neo Tokyo, which will be exclusively releasing via Armada Music.
1. Dimitris: 2023 just started but it will be cool to let us know how was 2022 for your career. Let us know about achievements or goals achieved that you are proud of.
Shogun: I had an excellent year in 2022. I released 6 singles that all exceeded my expectations. I also launched two new aliases: NXNJAS and Neo Tokyo. I am super excited about these aliases because they allow me to showcase my diverse production capabilities.
2. Dimitris: Do you have already some concrete plans for 2023 if you are allowed to announce them to our readers please tell us what you are preparing for us in the coming months regarding releases and performances in gigs/festivals.
Shogun: I have a lot of upcoming releases coming from NXNJAS and Neo Tokyo this year, and I recently launched my Neo Tokyo radio show where I will spin some of my favorite records of the moment. I also recently moved to Japan. I’ve played a lot of shows here and fell in love with the culture, people, food…really everything about it. I feel more inspired than ever to create and share my vision with the world.
3. Dimitris: It would be fantastic to talk about your latest album New World. Please tell us how the idea of the album came about is there any particular concept that runs through it?
Shogun: New World is a collection of Shogun tracks that I’ve dropped over the past couple of years, in addition to new singles. I really wanted to tell the story of what the Shogun alias is and has always been about, so I tried to include a diverse collection of records to showcase the different types of emotions that can be conveyed through my music. Trance has always been my #1 love and, now that I’m preparing to pivot to focus on other projects, I wanted to honor it with this full body of work.
4. Did you have any particular difficulties accomplishing New World or any specific production challenges that you had to overcome?
Shogun: When I started producing this album, I wanted it to be perfect; because it is my final trance LP, I wanted to focus on honing into my signature sound. Although I did a great job accomplishing this, I did have some of the typical writer's block that all artists get.
5. Dimitris: Can you pick your top 3 tracks from the album and tell us for each one a short comment?
Shogun: I had so much fun creating the entire album, but there were a few standouts: Concentration, I love that I was able to express the range in my production technique with this track. New World, I loved working on this one and decided I wanted it to be the title track because it ties the whole album together. Lastly, I loved working on Cielo because it is so powerful and has so much energy, it can be played for any occasion.
6. Dimitris: Do you prefer instrumental dance tracks or you adore vocals?
Shogun: I adore vocals but I also love creating instrumental dance tracks. Vocals can add another layer to a track but there are a lot of times where I prefer to highlight elements other than vocals. I think it’s best to have a balance of both in your repertoire.
7. Dimitris: Do you believe that the artwork on your latest album is good and do you believe that artwork can attract listeners or record buyers? Can you mention the best artwork of a track ever released?
Shogun: I have a deep admiration for the artwork on my singles and albums, all the art is cosmic and pairs very well with the cosmic sound in my music.
8. Dimitris: How much time do you spend promoting yourself in your social media and you see this as essential tool for self-promotion and getting bookings too? Which social media is the one that seems to work better for you?
Shogun: Promoting myself on social media is a crucial part of my career. In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for any artist to gain exposure and connect with their fans. I try to have a strong social media presence on all platforms, but I use Instagram the most. My handle is @djshogunmusic.
9. Dimitris: Do you have your own radio show/podcast/twitch stream or Vlog(video blog)? If yes please give us a comment about it and how long it takes you to prepare for it and if you are always excited to produce it?
Shogun: I actually just launched my own radio show called Neo Tokyo Radio Show on Youtube! I am always so excited to produce it, it is one of my favorite projects I’m working on right now.
10. Dimitris: From the gigs/festival performances confirmed so far for 2023 in which ones are you most excited to perform and why?
Shogun: I can’t disclose this quite yet, but I definitely have some exciting gigs in the pipeline. Watch this space!
11. Dimitris: Please note for all the new talents that read this interview to get some inspiration from you any technical tips in relation to your DJing or music productions. Also, any piece of personal or music business' advice that has helped you to progress even further and is worth telling to the new upcoming talents.
Shogun: Always work on improving your craft and try new things. Some of my favorite tracks have come from moving out of my comfort zone and incorporating new elements into my sound. In terms of business advice, I would say always treat people with respect but still be vocal about your needs. Always be persistent to get what you want!
12. Dimitris: Do you believe that music genres or styles are still relevant today? What is your opinion about hybrids and artists attempting to mix influences from various genres in their tracks?
Shogun: Genres are still relevant today, however, I love that artists are taking inspiration from different genres and sounds to create their own unique production style. This is something that I like to incorporate into my production technique. I generally make trance music but try to include elements from other genres such as future rave and house. With my new alias NXNJAS, I want to experiment with Brazilian bass, funk, and slap house, all of which work really well together. I think artists should always push themselves to experiment with a spectrum of different sounds and genres, especially now. It’s really important to push yourself and not fit your brand into a box.
Thanks so much to Shogun for his time to reply to this interview.
Thanks to Onno at Serendipity Muzik for the fantastic music.
Thanks to Andrea from Get In PR for arranging this interview.
Buy New World from here https://serendipity.complete.me/newworld
Additional info:
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/shogunmusic