electric escape

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WILL SPARKS INTERVIEW - ELECTRIC ESCAPE X CANADIAN RAVERS X INTOK EVENTS X KING AND QUEEN EVENTS X TRIBUNAL @ THE FORBIDDEN CITY

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On Saturday March 16th, 2024. With the event hosted by Electric Escape, IntoK Events, Tribunal, and King and Queen Events, Will Sparks took the stage at The Forbidden City in downtown Toronto, bringing us his signature sound of Melbourne bounce and Techno for a fun fulfilled night. For those unfamiliar, Will Sparks stands as a pioneer of Melbourne Bounce, a genre named after his Australian hometown. Coupled with the resurgence of Techno in the EDM scene, this event was undoubtedly a highlight not to be overlooked. 

The long-awaited return of Will Sparks finally happened this day, marking a triumphant comeback since the last time he was here in Toronto for Mount Woozy @ Toronto’s TD Echo Beach back in 2015. It was a momentous occasion for fans who had eagerly anticipated his return, and the energy at the event reflected this excitement. Will Spark’s performance not only lived up to expectations but surpassed them, reminding everyone why he's been missed in the music scene here in Toronto for so long. It was definitely a night for Will Sparks to “Blow Your Mind, One More Time”. 

That night, with everything set in motion, I was unable to make it to the interview with Will Sparks. In my place, we had Haider, the founder of Canadian Ravers come to interview Will Sparks as Haider has seen him play at Mount Woozy back in 2015. So thank you so much Haider & thank you to Will Sparks for doing this interview with us!

THE INTERVIEW 

We are glad you're here with us in Toronto at The Forbidden City! How was your night yesterday in Montreal at New City Gas? How does it compare to your hometown? 

WS: Always good. But you can’t even compare, like Australia, they're about one-tenth of the energy that people have over here, and even in Europe. So, I don't know what it is, but yeah, people go crazy, and that's why I love it so much. But I'll never stop playing in my hometown, you know, it's always a part of who I am 

Can you tell us about yourself and your musical journey?  

WS: I was really into heavy metal when I was fifteen, and I started to play the guitar when I was obsessed with metal and metal bands. I had an older sister who was clubbing in all the Melbourne clubs. And she used to play all this music. And I was like what is this? I was intrigued but not obsessed at the time, but one day it just clicked as she played one of those underground Melbourne underground tunes which changed my life forever.  
 
I thought it was so sick and it was nothing like I ever heard before which was only being produced in Melbourne. Suddenly, I was obsessed with this style of music, back then you couldn’t get your hands on any of this type of music because it was only being produced by Melbourne producers. So, I was like if I can’t get my hands on it or go listen to this type of music out at the clubs, I am just going to make it. One thing led to another, and I became so obsessed with making this type of music. I was chopping things in Audacity at the start, and I remember experimenting by taking things from people’s songs and putting it together. Along with adding a kick and a bass to just work on something. There were no tutorials on Youtube on how to make this music back then. I just had to work it out myself. To sum it up, that’s a brief way of how my musical journey started. 

From Melbourne Bounce to Big room Techno, you're not stopping at all and especially with Techno being so hot right now. And with Techno and Psytrance sometimes being on the same wavelength. Have you ever considered doing a bit of Psytrance? Can we call it "Psy-Tech/Psy-Techno"? 

WS: I already have, many many songs in terms of Psy basslines. Vienna, Maniac, even and old called Egypt. There was an even older one although it was more Melbourne bounce, it was called ‘Viking’ not ‘The Viking’, which was so old that it wouldn’t be online. But I love Psy stuff, and now that Psy sounds are coming into the Hard Techno scene. It works, it really does. The banging Techno kick with the Psy, it just blows the dance floors to pieces, but in terms of the psychedelic sounds, I haven't really dabbled too much on that. But yeah, I've definitely been influenced by it. 

Your latest track “Thunder” with AVAO, can you share with us the collaboration process between you guys behind the scenes?  

WS: They send me demos constantly to work on stuff because I think they're great producers and they're making a similar sort of sound as me. They sent me this track and I was like dope I'm gonna work on it and it was just a brief idea of that first sort of hook and lead. You can kind of hear the elements that I put on it afterwards in the second and third drop. And I think that's what I love about what I do. You can really tell which bits I did because it's so distinct that it's like I've got a signature. It's just who I am and every producer is the same, they've got their own signature because it's who they are and that's how they express themselves. 

Off the top of your head, what's your favorite memory as a DJ/Producer?  

WS: it would have to be in Korova or this dark club in Melbourne. Lady luck in Circus Nightclub. I walk in and I play there once a week, but I walk in there and everyone is on the same vibrations. There were no phones, and the system was pumping, it was dark, and it was five in the morning, and I would get up there knowing I had been working on songs during the week. When I started playing, people would lose their minds and everyone was dancing and frothing. But these days you don’t get that because everyone needs their phone to capture the moment.  
 
So back then there were so many times there were pinnacle moments for me in my career and it was just from a feeling, not from the status I got or how big the crowd was. And this was at Korova, Wawa, even James Barrett Billboard and Circus Nightclub back at home. Pretty much they no longer exist but they were the best days for me, especially with the transition of music and how it was getting better quality, it was incredible. 

Who would be one artist that you would like to collaborate with that you haven’t done so far? 

WS: That’s a tough one, it’s usually vocalists. I would love to make a song with MIA, that would be dope. I love that style and we’ve been doing that for years. That kind of Rap, that dirty kind of Rap with female vocals over our music and it really works. So I’d say MIA. 

How careful/precise are you with your diet? Do you find that the traveling artist/DJ lifestyle can be a hindrance to strict workout routines and diet?  

WS: It is a constant mental struggle because I’m always trying to be on point with my meals, training sessions, cardio, and all the other exercises that come into it to keep yourself in good shape. Unfortunately, in my line of work, it really limits you from being your most optimal self. Sometimes I wish I could get enough sleep, or I wish I could get a good meal in and I can’t because I’m at the airport and I’m running around and I’m not getting enough protein in and it goes, but I make do. I make it work with the situation.

Must I say, I don’t think I’ve seen a more jacked DJ than Will Sparks! LOL! Keep up the grind and I hope you get some well deserved rest as well! :)

I am curious about your imprint, “CLUBWRK.” How is running that with TEAMWRK? Will your old imprint, “Bourne Recordings,” return? 

WS: Great, but I’m not super involved with the label stuff. I try to be as much as possible, but I’m always touring or producing. I listen to a lot of demos, and I get sent all the new artists and talents that are coming up and try to support them as much as possible. But in this game, you don’t lock anyone down anymore. You give someone an opportunity, they get on your label. And if they’re sick, a bigger label is going to approach them. It’s just how it is and nowadays, you don’t need a big label to do well anymore. In the past, you needed to have a big label push your music but now, it’s good for smaller artists that are just getting through. 

What are some projects that you might be working on that you can tell your followers and fans about?  

WS: I mean the audience are pretty switched on with the ID’s in the set and they are always like we need it now. Those are always scheduled to be released in the coming months. You will hear things as I make and play it. 

LIGHTNING ROUND!

1. Favourite drink to order? Coke Zero 

2. Go to meal when you’re sick. Chicken Soup 

3. First Rave as an attendee? Creamfields 2011 in Melbourne 

4. First celebrity crush? Rachel McAdams and Margot Robbie 

5. All-time favourite song? ‘Tear Drops’- Massive Attack, Strangest Disability, and Strobe 

6. Go to vacation spot? Home 

7. What is your guilty pleasure? Cheesecake 

8. What is your hidden talent? Aggressive Rollerblading. 

9. Which social platform do you use a lot? Instagram 

This photo is from when the boys at Electric Escape took Will out to celebrate his birthday at the Keg here in Toronto!
Happy Birthday to Will Sparks from Electric Escape! We hope you enjoyed celebrating it here with us in Toronto and I hope that guilty pleasure of yours didn’t ruin your diet too hard! Haha :P

As for the night, it was ecstatic and with Forbidden City packed to capacity as Will Sparks brought down the thunder and killed his set with his dynamic mix of dirty techno and Melbourne bounce. He definitely kept the crowd sparked and reminded everyone why he’s a Techno Viking! And with the addition of lasers shooting from the DJ deck, that added an extra element of excitement as it gave us a nice underground vibe to get lost in the music for a night to remember.

To top everything off, there were fans that really showed their love and dedication to Will Sparks that night. Some guy had I <3 Will on his back while other ravers brought the Australian flag to represent their heritage and country together with Will! This is when you know music really brings people together as Australia is the furthest country from Canada!

Once again, thank you Will Sparks for doing an interview with us again! We hope to see you back in Toronto soon! And for anyone that wants to check out the video interview, it will be posted below along with Will Spark’s Spotify and socials!

Don’t forget to give Will Sparks a follow on his socials!
 

Photos taken by Picjer Photography
Video interview conducted by Haider Warraich
Review by Keith Au

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ELEPHANTE INTERVIEW - ELECTRIC ESCAPE X CANADIAN RAVERS @ THE FORBIDDEN CITY

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On Saturday, February 24th, 2024, I had the opportunity of interviewing Elephante when he made his stop here in downtown Toronto at the The Forbidden City for his Elephante North America Tour. With his love for music, Elephante followed his passion for music and pursued his career as a producer and artist, thus coming out with three albums and playing at many events such as Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC). 

Elephante, also known as Tim Wu, is an American DJ, producer, and musician. He gained popularity with his remixes of popular songs and his original tracks in the electronic dance music (EDM) genre. Elephante's music is characterized by catchy melodies, energetic beats, and a blend of various electronic styles. He has released several successful singles and EPs, and his live performances are known for their high energy and crowd engagement. Overall, Elephante is recognized as a talented artist making waves in the EDM scene with his unique sound and captivating performances. 

With a full moon in effect that night, we had support from Twlight, DeeCee and Zo for a bass heavy night at The Forbidden City. Right before Elephante went on, I had the opportunity of having a nice chat with Tim for an interview and boy did we have a lot to chat about. Haha. Here’s the interview and I hope y’all enjoy it! 

THE INTERVIEW!

Can you tell us about yourself and where did you get the name Elephante? 

E: I've been producing and DJing for over 10 years now and the name Elephante came from before I was making music full-time, I had a corporate job. I hated it and was making music on the side while leaving work early to do so. And so, the elephant in the room was that I wanted to quit my job and become an artist, so it was about quitting my job and embracing the elephant in the room and becoming the Elephante. 

Are elephants your favorite animal? 

E: They're actually not, it’s actually penguins. But I do like elephants. 

For your latest song “Leave The Ground” with Amber Liu, how was that making the song with your friend? 

E: It's amazing, Amber's a dear friend of mine, she's a homie. We met playing Valorant and we just started chatting and we're like hey, do you want to make some music together? I had this idea for a ballad that I wanted to do as a duet and she's amazing, so we got together in the studio and wrote out this song and it was really fun working with her. She's awesome and she's such a goofball. And yeah, I’m happy with how it turned out and I think it's one of the most like heart-wrenching songs that I've ever made. 

Off the top of your head, what was your favourite memory of being a DJ or producer? 

E: Man, there's been so many but probably my peak moment was playing mainstage EDC. That's one of those things where it's you're like oh shit, I actually made it. It’s great and the views crazy from up there and there’s people as far as you can see and it's very surreal, but it's like you know it's one of those experiences where like very few people get to do this so you just want to really soak it in. I blacked out the whole time I was I there. There was just so much adrenaline. I look back at photos and I'm like I did that? That's crazy! 

For your set tonight, are we going to have some twinkle-twinkle little star dubstep? 

E: That was kind of a meme that I was just messing around for fun, so probably no twinkle-twinkle dubstep tonight. But that was like a couple hour experiment in the studio just for fun and yeah, I like doing goofy shit like that from time to time. 

Aside from DJing and music production, what do you like to do on your time off? I know that Valorant is one now. 

E: My game of choice is actually Apex, but I like to play pickup basketball. I got a dog a couple years ago so I do a lot of hiking and walking, he’s a husky mix. I just picked up carpentry so I'm starting to build a studio in my garage while learning how to cut wood. It’s nice to get out of the house and do something that’s not related to music, just to get a little palette cleanser. I mean it’s fun, working with my hands is a fun thing. 

Who are some producers or DJs you look up to? Even artists. 

E: Growing up, my idol was John Mayer, I know he’s not a DJ but he was the artist that made me want to make music. And then once I fell in love with electronic music, it’d be Skrillex, Porter Robinson, and Avicii. Nowadays I love Rufus and Odesza. Just any kind of electronic music with some heart and melodic soul and some real emotion in it. Seven Lions of course. Strangers by Seven Lions is one of my favourite songs of all time. 

Are there any producers or DJs you hope to collab with in the future? 

E: Yeah, I just launched an artist collective and label. I have another song with Sabai coming out in a couple weeks. And we’re working with a bunch of really cool artists on the label, it's very much a homie crew. There are guys like Hoang and Yetep. It’s called Hidden Horizons and we’re launching it at Miami Music Week in a few weeks with our very first event. And we’re going to put out some music along with it. So, I’m really excited for it. 

Are there any up-and-coming producers or DJs in your opinion who are making the waves in the scene right now? 

E: I mean I just mentioned a bunch of them. Sabai’s killing it, I’m very excited especially for the next generation of Asian-American artists because coming up for me. I was the one of the few people doing it. But now, I feel that the generational waves are changing and there’s a lot of young talented Asian-American producers I think are super talented. There’s this girl Chyl who’s making really dope music right now, very excited, very cool and very fresh. She’s awesome.  

Aside from Hidden Horizons, are there any projects that you might be working on that you can tell your followers about? 

E: Hidden Horizons is the big one, we’re launching this label and collective. And I have a ton of music associated with it coming out, and that's the big move for me this year. You know, staying on tour, playing a bunch of shows and doing some more events along with that. Planning a lot of big stuff for that. But as for albums, you’ll have to stay tuned though, my vision is to put out a collective album, the label, I want it to be very collaborative and very community driven. My goal and my dream is to put together a big album with my friends. It’s totally more fun that way. 

Are you going to have any new merch coming out soon? 

E: Yeah, I have a new jersey drop coming very soon and we’re getting some Hidden Horizon merch made as well. It is coming very soon, I might be leaking but I haven’t announced this yet, but we do have a Dynasty Season jersey coming, it got some really cool designs. 

I just wanted to say, so previously with my interview with Sabai. Before, I didn’t know that you actually sang most of your songs. So, I’m very impressed, you’re very musically talented considering you play the keys, the guitars and sing your own songs. Not a lot of DJs and producers do that themselves. 

E: Yeah, I mean it’s fun and that’s how I started my career in music, by writing songs, singing and playing open mic. I have a little bit of a different background than a lot of other producers. It’s just one of those things where you’re always looking for ways to make your songs unique and when I look inside, it's like what really makes me me, that’s a big part of it. 

I know that you’ve also worked with a lot of other artists as well, like Haliene is one of them. Are you slowly drifting towards more melodic bass or dubstep? 

E: Yeah I'm always experimenting with new things you know, early on in my career, I didn't do a lot of collabs because I always was pretty stubborn and very specific in what I wanted and I felt like I wanted to prove something, that there's a vision that I wanted to present and now that I've been around for a while and put out a lot of music. I feel like I don't really have anything to prove anymore. It’s more like working with other artists that are doing cool stuff and just having fun with it. 

Yeah cause you even have a new song with Beauz which was Right Before Our Eyes. We had them play here in Toronto not long ago as well. 

E: Yeah, they're homies too and they're making some cool music as well, but that was a cool club banger bouncy house song that we did and it's just like you know making music with friends and trying on new sounds. 

Aside from that, I’m going to say. I love your remix for Starbright by Dabin. That guitar solo near the end is too good. 

E: Dabin’s a homie and he’s also an unbelievable guitarist, I remember being like I love this song but I wanted to hit it a little harder, so I think I might have hit him up and went like “Yo, can I remix this” so that was a really fun one to make and I was really stoked how that one came out. 

Aside from having the Asian-American DJ producers coming out. I’m surprised there’s a lot of you guys that play the guitar too. There’s Dabin, Sabai, Hoang and you, that’s actually a good amount. 

E: Hey man, we were all music nerds at one point, like playing piano, with our parents teaching us. So, you know, we got to come back around somehow. 

Put it to good use! -laughs- 

E: Yeah, exactly. -laughs- 

LIGHTNING ROUND 

Day or Night? Night, when I was younger, it was definitely night, but now that I have a dog, I have to be awake during the day. I got to get up early. So, I definitely trend towards the night but in reality, I’m more maybe a day person. 

Piano or Guitar? I’m going to have to go with the guitar. I started with piano, but the guitar is where I fell in love with writing music. Yeah, the guitar is perfect instrument, you can get harmony, you can get chords, you can get leads, you can get rhythm. It’s just good stuff. 

Coffee or Tea? Coffee, for sure, every day, every morning to start off the day. 

House or Trance? House 

Dubstep or Drum & Bass? Oooh, for most of my life dubstep, but right now, probably drum and bass. I'm into drum and bass right now. 

Tech or Psytrance? Psytrance, psytrance is fun, I can’t do extended periods of it but when you get a little taste of psytrance, you get that energy. 

Cold or Hot? Hot. I live in LA. 

Dogs or Cats? Dogs, big dog guy. 

Rare, Med-Rare or Well-Done for steaks? Oh, med-rare. I can’t respect anyone that has well-done steaks. 

Following the lightning round, Tim and I got to chat around some more, I brought up the part about how my good friend was so sad Elephante couldn’t make it to Escapade Music Festival last year and for this booking we had here in Toronto, she couldn’t make it this time. Well, to anyone excited to see Elephante as much as my friend, Escapade was the first event Elephante ever missed. Tim said that it was such a bummer, he was at the airport and with the flight delays and the final arrival time, he was going to miss his connecting flight to Ottawa. There was just no way to get to Ottawa in time, which was tough, and he felt really bad. Which is why he came to play in Toronto. 

Tim even messaged my friends that were excited to see him at Escapade to let them know he was coming to Toronto! So honestly, respects to you Tim because that’s how fans and I feel your passion and love towards music and your fans. To anyone else excited to see Elephante perform sometime, just know that he definitely wants to make it up to everyone. So hopefully we’ll have Elephante back in Toronto again soon, perhaps with the Hidden Horizons crew! Like Tim said, that would be a vibe! 

As for his set after the interview. Man was that a good set! Tim went off starting his set with an intro version of “Dynasty” into “Closer” which is my most favourite song by Elephante. He even played and sang “Strangers” by Seven Lions too which we spoke about during the interview. As for songs from his three albums “I Am The Elephante”, “Glass Mansion” and “Heavy Glow”, he crushed it as the Elephante he is with mixing in his own edited versions of the songs while mixing in some dubstep, psytrance, a lot of live singing to even “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day into a drum and bass drop. I really didn't see that coming. Omg. LOL. 

Surely, we can’t forget songs like “Right Before Our Eyes” with Beauz to “Love Again” with Sabai to even his newest release “Say It Like You Mean It” with Sabai and Olivia Ray. As for the last song of the night. Elephante closed off with “Dynasty” which got the crowd jumping. Can I say, throughout my 14 years of raving. I’ve never seen a DJ sing so much in my life. So wow, that was truly a very special night. Thank you for that and the opportunity to conduct a very fun interview with you Tim! 

I can’t wait till you come back to Toronto soon! Fingers crossed that you’re going to bring Hidden Horizons to us! 😊 

Don’t forget to follow Elephante on his socials! 

Thanks for reading! 

-Keith Au aka Keyfu. 

This event was brought to you by IntoK Entertainment, Electric Escape and Elephante with his Dynasty Season at The Forbidden City. 

Don’t forget to check out the full video interview below! :)

CANADIANRAVERS X SABAI INTERVIEW - ILLUMINASIAN @ THE WATERFRONT NIGHT MARKET HOSTED BY ELECTRIC ESCAPE

On Saturday, August 12th, 2023, Illumination stage presented by ProjectXIX debuted Canada’s only all-Asian Canadian DJ lineup at The Stanley Barracks during the Toronto Waterfront Night Market, with DJs like Somna & Hoang in the lineup along with support from DeeCee b2b Quim, Celestial, Intothemiks, Ninekai  & Trekk. All are hosted by Electric Escape.  During this, I had the opportunity to interview Sabai from Monstercat at Hotel X.

For those of you that don’t know. Gene aka Sabai is a Thai-Canadian DJ and producer based in Vancouver, Canada. Sabai started his musical journey at the age of 13 when he picked up the guitar and learned how to play, he debuted his first single back in 2019 “Another Life”. His popular single “Million Days,” in collaboration with Hoang, was released in 2020.  Currently, Sabai & Hoang are on tour for their Million Days tour and in between their time, they had the opportunity to play here in Toronto for us.

That night, following up on Hoang’s set, the crowd was ready for what Sabai had in store. With a new single, “The Call” by Sabai, If Found & Linney being premiering for the first time, it was a set not worth missing. Going from trance with Somna to melodic dubstep with Hoang, everyone was ready for the final set of the night. Especially when the duo Sabai X Hoang are together, a b2b between them could happen at any moment!

Prior to Sabai’s set that night, I had a chance to sit down at Hotel X with him to chat. So i hope you all enjoy this interview.

THE INTERVIEW!!

K: Can you tell us about yourself and where you got the name Sabai? 

Sabai: Yeah, so originally I grew up in Thailand, and I moved to Vancouver when I was 16. So now I consider myself living in Vancouver and how I got the name Sabai. I've always wanted a Thai name as part of my branding. And it was actually my boss at Monstercat, Mike Darlington, who's the founder of Monstercat, that actually helped me come up with Sabai. We were going through a list of cool-sounding Thai words. So I literally just typed in Google and then five of them came up. And then he was like, oh, Sabai sounds cool. And then I went with it along with the meaning around everything that seemed very fitting. So we went with it.  

K: What does Sabai mean again? 

Sabai: Sabai means comfortable in Thai. 

K: What instruments do you play, and at what age did you start? 

Sabai: Guitar is my main. I believe I started when I was in grade seven. So I think that's when I was 13. So it's been 17 years now. And I play a bit of piano as well.  But I would say guitar is my main though.


K: OK, so I see you got a new song coming out soon on August 25th that we can pre-save. So the song's name is “The Call” by Sabai If Found and Linney. I'm excited to hear that song later. What can you tell us about the song? 

Sabai: So, I'm super excited to play the song live. So tonight is going to be the first time that I'm playing the song live ever. And the music is probably one of my favourite productions. This is a song about when you were a kid, and you get that question of, I wonder what I will be when I grow up. I was trying to take us back to when I was like eight years old, I was in my room thinking oh, I wonder who I'm going to be when I grow up. And basically, The Call is a song about following your childhood dream of what you always wanted to do, which is music. And now I'm doing music. So I wanted to write a song that showed that journey of what I manifested wanting to do since I was a kid, and now I'm actually doing it. 

K: So at what moment do you believe you made a mark in the industry? Like a milestone? 

Sabai: When I had a collab with Elephante, the “Love Again” collab, and then when Elephante reached out to me to go on tour with him, and then when we went on tour in the US, that was when I was like, wow, I have fans that are singing along to my songs coming out to see me and why I'm performing together. That was when it started to feel real that this could really be a thing that I could really go along with.

K: So I know Hoang, and you debuted “Million Days” together, and now you guys will be on tour as well. Aside from Elephante and Yetep, who you've worked with together, especially since you made a demo for Tim, and then you guys had the song Love Again. Are there any other artists that you would love to work with? 

Sabai: Yeah, definitely a few, but I feel like it's more like, if it feels right, I'm going to let it happen. But the artists that I really really look up to are Gryffin, Dabin and Slander. There's something about them, especially Gryffin and Dabin. I think the fact that they both play guitar. I just feel like I really really look up to both of them and the same with Slander. That would be like my dream collab. But we'll see.

K: I was actually thinking about how it would be if you both played guitar at the same time. Like, because then that would be crazy. 

Sabai: Yeah, so we actually did that live with Elephante during our show in LA. We built a more extended section for guitar solos, where Tim did his own guitar solo for the 16 bars. And then I did my one guitar solo for another 16 bars. I thought it was fun. And I want to do more of that. But yeah, if there's another collaborator that I could do guitar solos live with, it'd be really cool. 

K: OK. I'm excited for that. So off the top of your head, what's your favorite memory of being a DJ or producer?

Sabai: The one that comes to mind is the LA show, the debut show of the Million Days Tour at the Watsi. That was a very special night. So everyone was there, like my friends from Thailand, Houston, and North Carolina. People were flying around to see me because that was such an important show. And then, on top of that, all the fans that came in bought the tickets three months in advance. They're super hardcore fans who know the lyrics to all my songs and Hoang's songs. It's a fantastic feeling like seeing people sing along to your song. Yeah, so that night, I'd say that's the special night for me. 

 

K: So, the Ikigai label and the North Star remix contest, do you have any projects coming up in the future that you can share?

Sabai: Yeah, I am actually doing so many things, but one of the main things is definitely, I'll just say it, why not? I'm working on an album right now that I'm really really excited about. I feel like everything that I made this year, it's very special because I feel like I've truly, truly found my purpose in life earlier this year, along with all the music that I've written till now.

I feel like the music that I wrote three years ago was coming from a lot of breakups and pains that I was going through. And that was just me, by myself, in the studio making it, which is excellent, but it's much more collaborative this year. So after I found my purpose, I started to attract similar people who share similar values and everything.

So the music that I'm putting out and creating this year, it's very like, it's crazy. Because it's like songwriters that have been doing this for a long time, and then they're like, everyone's doing music full time, so everyone got their journey to where they are today, and then we share our experience.

So when I started the writing session, I would go around in circles sharing my insecurity and things that I struggle with and why I'm doing music, and everyone in the room would do the same thing. Once we found a common theme, you would write about that. It became something that we were all very invested in, so even The Call is, like, one of those, same with North Star, but that’s like the first two tracks that we put out so far, but yeah, I have a lot more. 

K: What is one goal for yourself for 2023 or 2024?

Sabai: Wait, what year is it now? 2023. Like the goal. I feel like I no longer put so much pressure on goals because I feel like, in the past, I did that. You know, it used to be like, oh, I want to hit one million streams, and then when I hit one million streams, it was like, maybe if I hit five million, I'll be happy. When you hit five million, it was like, oh now I want to play like this stage, and then when I play the stage, it was kind of like, oh.

So I start to realize that it will sound corny, but I feel like when you're feeling like it's enough, like what I have now, and then you're just like, I think I have a long-term goal of where I want to be, right? I want to keep playing bigger shows, and making an impact in people's lives, but it's not so much like I need to put pressure that I need to play EDC by this year or day.

But I dream that I do want to play there, you know? I'm just going to let it pan out slowly. Yeah, so I forgot what the question was, but basically, the true goal that I wanted the most is to get points for airlines so that I'm on a different tier so that I can start flying, like business class. Because I fucking hate flying so much, that would be like my dream, not having to fly coach anymore, but we're not there yet.  

Keith: So what the F*** do DJs do? The real question is, what do you like to do in your spare time?

Sabai: Um, spare time. (Lol) I'm building a lot of businesses right now. I think the side that people only see me right now is me being a musician, being a DJ and producer, but there's so much more to the network and the business that I'm building behind the scenes because, ah, I'll say, why not?

So, there are four businesses that I know that I want to build. That's like my life. So Sabai is one of them. Secondly is Ikigai, the record label, and then third is a podcast. The fourth is a venue, like an event company. All these four, they're all businesses that I'm very, very passionate about, and then all four, they complement each other.


So imagine if you're signing to my label, you know you can go on tour with me, and you can also have an opportunity to go on a podcast to share your story of why you're making music and all that, to reach more fans, and then lastly. It's also the venue that I'm building, you know, we can leverage that, not leverage, not the right word, but we can, this can be like another value that I can add to each other, and then they're all, like, complementing each other. So these are the four core businesses that I'm building right now, on the side, other than making the album and then going on tour and stuff. 

K: Okay, gotcha. And I love the part where you have Ikigai because you're giving back, or like you're giving forward the experience that you can have yourself from Monstercat. Like, I remember Seven Lions, he did a contest for his song back then, and then out of that contest, he had a whole playlist of remixes, which was able to help other producers come forward as well. So I love that you're doing the same, paying forward your experience and sharing that with everybody.

Sabai: And one thing about the label, it's not only the artists that I'm able to help, but it's also the whole creative space, whether you’re an artist, a songwriter, and vocalist, but on top of that, even videographers, designers, anything that's art-related. We can build around this right.
              

So it's very exciting, and also the name Ikigai is, I'll talk about this too because it's like how I live my life now. So the word Ikigai, it's a Japanese word for, um, it's basically how you find, like your purpose in life. So they break it down to this, like in four quadrants, where if you get to do, I believe it's, if it's something that you're good at, something that you can make money from, something that you are passionate about, and then something that the world needs.
              

Like, if you can build a life and make a career where all these four aspects are part of it, that's when you'll find your purpose in life. And once you find that, it's very like, I feel incredibly focused. Then I'm no longer, like, depressed or sad.  It's very like, even if things are overwhelming. It's okay because you know that there's a true purpose, of like where you're going like there's a compass or map for where you're going.

K: All right. So, being Thai, what are your top three Thai dishes? 

Sabai: Very difficult, but Pad Thai is one of them. It's weird. Pad Thai is very popular outside of Thailand. Maybe because there's the name Thai in it, but in Thailand, Pad Thai is equivalent to every other dish. But, like Pad Thai, Gra Prow is excellent. And then anything with oh! Larb. I like Larb. It's kind of like a salad dish that you dip sticky rice in. But yeah. I'm trying to get sponsored right now. My dream would be to go on tour in these different cities. And then, I would just hit a Thai restaurant and bring many of my fans over, and you do, like a meet and greet there. And I eat Thai food, and then I just get the exposure for the restaurant, and that's it. Yeah, I want good Thai food. 

K: That sounds fun. Is there anything you want to say to the readers and viewers?  

Sabai: Reader and viewers. I'd say believe in yourself and whatever you do. Okay, might be a bit long, but I think this is important. I think I believe that everyone will always have to make a decision whether to trust your brain to make a decision for you or your heart to make a decision for you. And then every time, like your brain would be like, you know, go to school, graduate, stick to the 9 to 5. Your brain is telling you that that's the logical, smart move to do because it's safe. 
              

But if your heart is telling you that you're depressed being here, and there's something else that your heart is telling you that you could do more, the longer that you're trying to listen to your brain over your heart, the pain is just going to keep getting bigger and bigger. And one day, it's going to burst. And I believe that the more that you're letting yourself follow your heart, it will. It will be so much more comfortable because that's what and where life is supposed to let happen. So basically, just trust your heart, believe in yourself, trust your intuition, and things will work out. If you just put your work in, like work hard at it.

LIGHTNING ROUND!!!

What's your favourite fast food?  Popeyes. 

What's your favourite drink to order?  Pineapple or something. Anything in pineapple. 

What was your first rave as an attendee? I still remember this one so clearly. It was the Season in Vancouver when Calvin Harris was playing. Yeah. I saw him, and I was like, you know, that's cool. I want to be the guy up there. Yeah, and then I just dropped out of school after.

What is your favourite rave or music festival? EDC.

What's your favourite season of the year? It's not Summer, but it's like. Summer's too hot, but it's. What's the season when it's not raining a lot, but it's more cloudy? 

Fall? Autumn? Autumn's like the rain in Fall. Sure, Fall. It's either Fall or Spring, but in Spring, it rains. Sure, like that season, like the no rain season and a bit cloudy.

Would that be winter, then? Okay, Fall, Fall. Sabai likes Fall.

What's your favourite colour? Blue. 
Starbucks or Tim Hortons? Starbucks

House or trance?  House.

Dubstep or drum and bass?  Dubstep, yeah. Dubstep is good. 

Tech or Psytrance? Psytrance. 

Day or night?  Oh, hard. Day 

Cold or hot? Cold. 

Okay, and then this is the last one.  Who is taller?  Sabai or Hoang? Like, we need to end this because it's not even a question. I'm like, I'm like a foot taller than Mike. 

Mike (Hoang): I'm taller.

Sabai: And I'm like, I get offended because sometimes fans will come up to me and say, oh my god, Hoang, I love your music. And I'm like, I am so much taller than Hoang. What do you mean, Hoang? This is Sabai!

K: Yeah, all right. Well, maybe we can have a comparison at the end.


Sabai: But yeah. Before we go, there's this one thing that so many fans like to do, and it's kind of funny. So I just put it out there because it happened at every show. And then they'll be like a fan that likes to run up to us at the show. And then they're like, oh my god, Sabai, Hoang, I love your music so much. Like, you know, I'm like your number one fan. We value your song, Million Years. And then I'm like, that is not our song. It's weird. Many people think it's called Million Miles and Million Years, mainly Million Years.  But it's Million Days.  But yeah, but it's just like, that's kind of funny.

K: All right. Well, you know what? Million Days is too good of a song. That's when you know you don't know the lyrics.

Sabai: What is it? Million Miles and Million Years and Million Months. Everything.

Mike (Hoang): A million bucks.

Following the interview, we all had a chance to chill and jam during DeeCee & Quim’s b2b and Somna sets. I loved that Sabai was wearing his jersey walking through the crowd in front of the stage, and connecting with the fans! I was even able to get a picture with Sabai and my friends together too, considering my friend Patricia was the one who brought me to a venue in Scarborough back in 2021 to see Sabai! This moment was one where I could share this experience with my friend, who introduced me to Sabai's music.

With Sabai’s set, he delivered, the crowd went bananas as Stanley Barracks was packed up for the night. The Sabai X Hoang b2b did happen at the end of Sabai’s set when they played “Million Days” together. In addition to the one last song, they even played their unreleased single for us called “Daydream”. Getting to hear “The Call” was already a treat, but getting to listen to another unreleased. Yay! What more can we ask for?

For anyone who missed out that weekend, don’t worry; Sabai will be back again soon. He was here in Toronto back in June, so considering he came back for this just a month and a half later. That’s a win for Toronto! For now, Sabai and Hoang are on tour for their Million Days tour, so if they’re coming to your city, make sure you go because you don’t want to miss out on the Sabai X Hoang set!

 

Hopefully, the next time he’s back in Toronto. We’ll get a full Sabai X Hoang set!

 

After that weekend, my mind was blown away by how crazy and fun it was. I finally conducted more interviews, video interviews, that is, along with it being 3 DJs. Along with doing the interviews, I even got to chill and party with them for the weekend! But once the weekend was done, I started recollecting my thoughts. Hearing Sabai explain Ikigai himself previously really got me thinking. Where is life going to take me, and what am I going to do to live life the way I want to?

 

Once again, this was a fantastic experience for real! Thank you to everyone involved in setting up these interviews, along with everyone planning the event. Big thank you to Zahar, aka Zirus Media, for recording the discussion. I hope you all enjoyed these interviews and hopefully, we’ll have more for y’all again soon. This is only the beginning! Haha!

 

PS: I’m taller than Sabai & Hoang. JKJK! LOL. xD, I’m sorry. I had to add this just now! LOL!

You guys are awesome, and I love the fact that you two are best bros and are a duo like Dab The Sky!

 

Thanks for reading!!! -Keith Au, aka Keyfu and make sure you check out the full interview below

SABAI SOCIALS

Toronto, Canada
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