新型コロナウイルスにより世界中が大きな打撃を受けている中で、日本〜世界各国で活躍するアーティストたちに、彼らの住む国の近況と、仕事、音楽シーン、そして彼ら自身の生活に対する今現在の想いをインタビューしていくシリーズ「【新型コロナ VS. 世界のダンスミュージックシーン】アーティストたちが伝える各国の現状、シーンと彼らのこれから」。
今回は、台湾出身の DJ / Producer の RayRay（レイレイ）。Yellow Claw のレーベルである Barong Family の一員であり、アジア人アーティストそして世界で活躍するアーティストの1人でもある。
その美貌とパワフルなサウンドで、アジアを中心に世界中に熱狂的なファンが多い。EDM.com では「世界で活躍する影響力を持つ次世代アーティスト」として紹介され、更にアメリカの音楽メディアBillboard からもインタビューされている。また Curbi（カービ）と交際中であることを昨年自身の Instagram で公表し、話題となった。
そんな RayRay だが、昨年のリリースされた「Alien Invasion」もまだまだ話題となっている中、今度は Slushii（スラッシー）とのコラボ曲「ET」をリリース！ RayRay は4月に新木場 ageHa にて公演を行う予定だったが、こちらは新型コロナウィルスの影響で延期となってしまっており、来日公演の日が再決定されるのが待ち遠しい限りだ。
そんな RayRay に、今後の音楽活動、台湾の現在の状況、更に恋人 Curbi についてと、気になる質問をぶつけてみた。
1. You released the track called " Time is Over " with Teknoclash on a brand-new label "Spinnin Records Asia" which just launched last November. It really has a signature sound, especially the vocal and the melody behind the vocal. Do you have any production secrets or story behind the making of this track?
I made this track two years ago during the week of the Amsterdam Dance Event. I sat in the studio with Teknoclash and we came up with the drop. Then later in the year Nils from Yellow Claw actually helped me record the vocals when we were touring China. I really like to rap or write something darker and edgy in all of my productions — that’s kind of my signature sound!
2. When we think about RayRay, the first thing that comes to mind is naturally Barong Family, but after releasing "Alien Invasion," you released tracks from other major labels such as Spinnin Records, Dim Mak, Protocol and Musical Freedom. Do you feel particular about which labels you release on and why? And.... Do you have any releases coming on from Barong?
For my EPs, I definitely release them on Barong Family because it’s my home-based record label. Yellow Claw always give me some good feedback for my productions. For most of the collaborations that I did so far, I haven't really have a label preference as long as the sound is suitable for the record label the track is coming out on. It’s always nice to release tracks on different labels in order to explore different audiences.
I am preparing a new EP this year which will be released on Barong Family.
3. You are definitely one of the most famous Asian DJs much of the media overseas is also consistently covering and featuring your tracks. You are definitely expanding more globally. How and when did you become close with Yellow Claw? Also, DJ SODA and you are also playing together sometimes... Do you happen to have Japanese friends too?
I met Yellow Claw back in 2016 and after then we started working together. They invited me to be apart of the Barong Family writing camp and last year I signed a co-management deal with them. From time to time we do shows and Barong Family events together. I do have a lot of Japanese friends and I know some cool DJs and producers from Japan such as Masayoshi Iimori, KSUKE, DJ Shintaro, Natsumi, Yamato, etc.
4. You are a DJ, a producer and a vocalist. If you had to pick one, which one would it be and why?
It’s way too difficult for me to pick because I love all of them so much. They all provided me with different perspectives on being an artist.
5. You revealed you were in a relationship with Curbi last summer, and then a fan made the Instagram account named @curaybi. I think everyone was surprised and excited that you guys are such a cute couple. As both of you are famous producers, does anything good come out of that or perhaps do you face some kind of unexpected difficulties sometimes from being a producer couple?
We are both very competitive individuals so that actually helps boost one another's outlook on our work and goals. Sometimes we provide different ideas and opinions on our music so it can help a lot!!
6. You collaborated with Curbi on the track "Don’t Stop;" A nice blend of Curbi's future house sound and your bassy magic, I think it matches quite well. You and he are originally coming from different genres, correct? How did you start making this track? Was it difficult to produce it as both of you have your own unique, distinct sound?
On this track, I only featured. He already had an idea that I liked and thought I could lend my vocals to it, so it’s more like an experiment to see if we could combine our styles together because as you said, we are both coming from very different music genres. Currently, we are working on new music so we can’t wait to put it out there!
7. What is the Corona situation like in Taiwan? According to the news, night clubs such as OMNI and ALTA seem to be operating normally?
I just did two amazing shows at OMNI & ALTA so right now, Taiwan is very different as opposed to the rest of the world. We've had zero cases a day for around a month already, so it’s really quite different! I’m super grateful that I even get to play shows right now and I hope the whole world will be back to normal very soon in the near future!
8. A lot of festivals and clubs are postponed and/or cancelled nowadays, which even just a few months ago no one would have predicted happening. What do you think the music industry, especially the dance music scene, will be like in the future?
Who knows? I just hope that things will get better and we'll be allowed to start partying, travelling and having normal conversations again like we used to. I feel that the industry will come back stronger and maybe slightly more cautious in some ways, so I feel it will be positive!
9. Could you please tell us your future plans? Do you have any exciting news coming up such as new releases or live streamings etc?
I just released my song with Slushii called ‘ET’ and I still have two more collabs that are yet to be released this month. After that, you can expect to hear a new EP during the summer!
10. You were scheduled to play at ageHa in April but the show has been postponed because of this situation. There are so many RayRay fans here in Japan as well. Could you please give a message to those who were looking forward to your show?
It’s such a pity that this show at Ageha was postponed as I was really really excited to come back and play for my Japanese fans again. Tokyo is one of my favourite cities to visit and to play in. I hope that as of now, everyone can take their time recovering after this situation and hopefully we can party together again soon! Stay safe everyone xx
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今回は、台湾出身の DJ / Producer の RayRay（レイレイ）。Yellow Claw のレーベルである Barong Family の一員であり、アジア人アーティストそして世界で活躍するアーティストの1人でもある。
その美貌とパワフルなサウンドで、アジアを中心に世界中に熱狂的なファンが多い。EDM.com では「世界で活躍する影響力を持つ次世代アーティスト」として紹介され、更にアメリカの音楽メディアBillboard からもインタビューされている。また Curbi（カービ）と交際中であることを昨年自身の Instagram で公表し、話題となった。
そんな RayRay だが、昨年のリリースされた「Alien Invasion」もまだまだ話題となっている中、今度は Slushii（スラッシー）とのコラボ曲「ET」をリリース！ RayRay は4月に新木場 ageHa にて公演を行う予定だったが、こちらは新型コロナウィルスの影響で延期となってしまっており、来日公演の日が再決定されるのが待ち遠しい限りだ。
そんな RayRay に、今後の音楽活動、台湾の現在の状況、更に恋人 Curbi についてと、気になる質問をぶつけてみた。
1. You released the track called " Time is Over " with Teknoclash on a brand-new label "Spinnin Records Asia" which just launched last November. It really has a signature sound, especially the vocal and the melody behind the vocal. Do you have any production secrets or story behind the making of this track?
I made this track two years ago during the week of the Amsterdam Dance Event. I sat in the studio with Teknoclash and we came up with the drop. Then later in the year Nils from Yellow Claw actually helped me record the vocals when we were touring China. I really like to rap or write something darker and edgy in all of my productions — that’s kind of my signature sound!
2. When we think about RayRay, the first thing that comes to mind is naturally Barong Family, but after releasing "Alien Invasion," you released tracks from other major labels such as Spinnin Records, Dim Mak, Protocol and Musical Freedom. Do you feel particular about which labels you release on and why? And.... Do you have any releases coming on from Barong?
For my EPs, I definitely release them on Barong Family because it’s my home-based record label. Yellow Claw always give me some good feedback for my productions. For most of the collaborations that I did so far, I haven't really have a label preference as long as the sound is suitable for the record label the track is coming out on. It’s always nice to release tracks on different labels in order to explore different audiences.
I am preparing a new EP this year which will be released on Barong Family.
3. You are definitely one of the most famous Asian DJs much of the media overseas is also consistently covering and featuring your tracks. You are definitely expanding more globally. How and when did you become close with Yellow Claw? Also, DJ SODA and you are also playing together sometimes... Do you happen to have Japanese friends too?
I met Yellow Claw back in 2016 and after then we started working together. They invited me to be apart of the Barong Family writing camp and last year I signed a co-management deal with them. From time to time we do shows and Barong Family events together. I do have a lot of Japanese friends and I know some cool DJs and producers from Japan such as Masayoshi Iimori, KSUKE, DJ Shintaro, Natsumi, Yamato, etc.
4. You are a DJ, a producer and a vocalist. If you had to pick one, which one would it be and why?
It’s way too difficult for me to pick because I love all of them so much. They all provided me with different perspectives on being an artist.
5. You revealed you were in a relationship with Curbi last summer, and then a fan made the Instagram account named @curaybi. I think everyone was surprised and excited that you guys are such a cute couple. As both of you are famous producers, does anything good come out of that or perhaps do you face some kind of unexpected difficulties sometimes from being a producer couple?
We are both very competitive individuals so that actually helps boost one another's outlook on our work and goals. Sometimes we provide different ideas and opinions on our music so it can help a lot!!
6. You collaborated with Curbi on the track "Don’t Stop;" A nice blend of Curbi's future house sound and your bassy magic, I think it matches quite well. You and he are originally coming from different genres, correct? How did you start making this track? Was it difficult to produce it as both of you have your own unique, distinct sound?
On this track, I only featured. He already had an idea that I liked and thought I could lend my vocals to it, so it’s more like an experiment to see if we could combine our styles together because as you said, we are both coming from very different music genres. Currently, we are working on new music so we can’t wait to put it out there!
7. What is the Corona situation like in Taiwan? According to the news, night clubs such as OMNI and ALTA seem to be operating normally?
I just did two amazing shows at OMNI & ALTA so right now, Taiwan is very different as opposed to the rest of the world. We've had zero cases a day for around a month already, so it’s really quite different! I’m super grateful that I even get to play shows right now and I hope the whole world will be back to normal very soon in the near future!
8. A lot of festivals and clubs are postponed and/or cancelled nowadays, which even just a few months ago no one would have predicted happening. What do you think the music industry, especially the dance music scene, will be like in the future?
Who knows? I just hope that things will get better and we'll be allowed to start partying, travelling and having normal conversations again like we used to. I feel that the industry will come back stronger and maybe slightly more cautious in some ways, so I feel it will be positive!
9. Could you please tell us your future plans? Do you have any exciting news coming up such as new releases or live streamings etc?
I just released my song with Slushii called ‘ET’ and I still have two more collabs that are yet to be released this month. After that, you can expect to hear a new EP during the summer!
10. You were scheduled to play at ageHa in April but the show has been postponed because of this situation. There are so many RayRay fans here in Japan as well. Could you please give a message to those who were looking forward to your show?
It’s such a pity that this show at Ageha was postponed as I was really really excited to come back and play for my Japanese fans again. Tokyo is one of my favourite cities to visit and to play in. I hope that as of now, everyone can take their time recovering after this situation and hopefully we can party together again soon! Stay safe everyone xx
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