A Sit Down With DJ Fei-Fei

Introducing Fei-Fei, international lady of trance and techno, beatport chart topping female DJ and Producer. Girl Power is about to receive a new twist. This ferocious DJ and producer has captivated audiences worldwide with her pounding mix of trance and techno and you can be sure there's some serious competition for the male DJ's around the world. But don’t let her looks deceive you-She's at the top of her game and has taken the industry by storm. In the past few years she has signed to several of the most critically acclaimed record labels in dance music—Armada Music, home to Armin Van Buuren and Vandit Records, home to Paul Van Dyk.  

"Musicians should be as open-minded as possible and never limit themselves to a specific genre."

 

When did you start producing your own tracks?

I’ve always been good at coming up with melodies. Playing the piano for so long and being surrounded by so much music you start to hear things in your head. But I guess I started formally producing a few years after I moved to California roughly four to five years ago. I started messing around with Reason, then Cubase, Logic, and now Ableton. I wasn’t sure that I would get this far but I grew up believing that anything was possible if you worked hard enough. I’m also incredibly lucky to have had some good friends show me things along the way and always encouraging me. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Do you use software or hardware when producing? All software baby. Well I guess my guitar is the exception. What do you consider to be your biggest break that launched your DJ career? There isn’t one thing. Such a misconception. It takes years and years of hustling and working super hard for everything to finally pay off. People may look at an artist and pin point a “big break” but that’s usually not the case. It’s never one thing or an overnight success. So hustle hard, takes undying passion and hard work to get there but it will pay off!

How did you get your first regular gig at Club Red in LA?

I had just moved to Los Angeles and some friends dragged me out one evening and told me to bring my records. I guess it was some sort of open decks house party and they said I might get a chance to play. So I eagerly did so and waited and waited and waited until pretty late, so late that the police showed up and almost busted the party! I was dead tired at this point but luckily the party went on and I was up next. I played for about 30 minutes and afterwards one of the owners of Club Red came up and offered a gig right there and then. He said, “how would you like to come and play for us at Red?” You don’t often hear of getting a gig this way so I said, “hell, yeah!” Looking back I was incredibly lucky to have been in the right place at the right time.

Who influences your sound?

Debussy, Paul van Dyk, Garbage, Richie Hawtin, Joey Medina, John Askew, DJ Preach, John Acquaviva, Adam Beyer, Carl Cox, Armin van Buuren, Eddie Halliwell, Bissen, John O’Callaghan and the list could go on! Seriously, too many to name!

Formerly you were known as a trance DJ. Only few artists are brave enough to make a 360 degree career move. When did you decide to do it and how do you enjoy it so far? I always follow inspiration. And going back to always growing and evolving as an artist, the more diverse you can be I think the better. These days people are so much more open minded and music is just one hot mess. Everything is being influenced by everything, it’s really exciting to see and be a part of. When did it happen? I can’t pinpoint a day, it’s constantly moving and changing and I’ve always championed a really diverse style. Perhaps a favourite Artist from the "Non Dance Music" genre? Easy. Paramore. I remixed their hit song Crushcrushcrush. Definitely check them out, they're one of my favs. What’s your most embarrassing moment? Not really. I’m a tough cookie to crack. Although if you sing happy birthday to me with a gang of people and do the whole cake and candle thing I might get a little bit red. https://soundcloud.com/fei-fei/fei-fei-hold-you-dot-remix