ASIATICMAJIC.

Kalani: Do you think your reputation and experience as a promoter helped at all in locking down the venue?
K. Chan: I would like to say yes and that a lot of hard work helped but I cant really give you the true answer for that one. I think Thomas(the owner), tony, charley and joett can answer that for you! They are a really great management team. They really make a lot of things happen for us.

Kalani: Were there any difficulties locking down the venue?
K. Chan: I think the perception of promoters in general made it a bit difficult for us in the beginning! Like anything we had to prove ourselves and work hard at making it a place to go to on Saturday nights!

Kalani: Has the promotion game changed the last few years? If so what are the biggest differences you see today?
K. Chan: I think the game has changed tremendously over the past few years! The one thing is people don’t really have the money they used to have before to go out and spend on nightlife! It’s also a very saturated market, dog eat dog! But the big one is that people don’t have the disposable income they once had and that really has affected the nightlife I feel!

Kalani: What has pleased you about the crowds?
K. Chan: Very mature and good looking!! There are important nightlife people that come to the pleasure lounge on Saturdays. Im getting older and my partners and I were looking to create something that we felt was missing and I think we did a great job with creating that and we will continue to work hard to make sure it stays that way!

Kalani: As competitive as Saturdays can be why should party people decide to check out Pleasure Lounge instead of other alternatives?
K. Chan: Because its very affordable, theres a lot of parking, good looking people, great music, the only amuse wine bar with 80 different wines, a real classy venue!! And we also offer “entourage vip”! they can get all of our info, get on the guest list and more at pleasureloungehawaii@gmail.com, www.facebook.com/pleasureloungehawaii, and www.twitter.com/pleasurelounge (follow us)

Kalani: Where are you from originally and when did you move to Hawaii?
SHO: I was born in Guam but moved to Pittsburgh, PA when I was young. I moved here to Hawaii back in 1999 during my senior year in high school.

Kalani: When did you decide you wanted to become a DJ and how did you get your DJ name?
SHO: I was at a school dance back in my freshman year and that was the first time seeing a dj in action. I instantly fell in love. I could care less of what else was going on around me. I knew I wanted to be a dj from that day. I was amazed of all the crates of records these djs brought to the gigs. Dropping the needle on the vinyl and, of course, watching them scratch. Music to my ears.
Funny how I got my dj name. A friend of mine and I started our little mobile dj company called Showtime productions. You can figure out the rest. I don't know how the W got cut off but now its just dj Sho. Fo-Sho! Lol.

Kalani: How do you try to "SHOW" people that you are all about the music?
SHO: No matter if its a 1hour or a 8 hour gig I give it my best. I love dropping remixes and mashups and making people look at me like im crazy. Then, next thing you know they go nuts from hearing “Just Dance” vocals dropped over “Don't stop believing“ instrumentals. I don't do any of the video mixing stuff so I try to keep up in the industry by staying ahead with remixes and mashups. I try to stay away of playing the same things you hear at other clubs.

Kalani: What's the best thing about DJing in Hawaii?
SHO: The best thing djing in Hawaii is knowing all the other djs around the island. Its sort of like having a inner crew among us. They are all great. Over the years I learned a lot from watching other djs like dj Dream dropping old skool jams, Big John handling the tourist crowd, watching NSK ripping it up as always. Edit, Technique, PSI, Eskae, all these guys doing what they do best. Always a good time spinning with dj Flip and MU boyz. That's why I love djing in Hawaii because I love the djs of Hawaii.

Kalani: Describe your style.
SHO: I don't really have a style. I love playing all genres. If you can't be universal then the less opportunities you will have working in this industry. You have to be able to conform to any type of crowd from the regulars to the tourist. From working at Rumours I growned to love the old-skool even more. You can describe me as always trying to be different. I don't go crazy into Mashups and remixes but just enough to make it into harmony with eachother. I really hate playing a song more than once in a night even if its a 8 hour shift. Im not a flashy dj but I get the crowd going. My motto always is, “Get the girls on the dance floor and who cares about anything else.”

Kalani: What's your genre of choice?
SHO: I don't have really have a genre of choice but if I had to choose one it would be some smooth Neo-Soul/Hip-Hop tunes. I can go over hours just listening to Badu, Common, Roots, etc... You can never go wrong with ending the night with a little bit of “Just Friends” from Musiq.

Kalani: What's the vibe like at Rumours and what do you like most about it?
SHO: The vibe at Rumours is an older crowd that goes there for the love of music. There's some clubs that you go to now and just feel like people are there just to try to hook up with somebody or have fights breaking out. Rumours has a reputation of being an “Older” club, thats true. However, I play everything from the 70's all the way to current tracks. Everybody wins. Yes there's an older crowd there but more and more nowadays people are having there 21st birthday parties at Rumours.

Kalani: What's your take on the DJ scene in Hawaii?
SHO: I think Hawaii is a very competitive city to be working as a dj. The island has only so much clubs to work at. Honestly, to get into the scene you would have to know someone that knows someone. It took awhile for me to pick up residencies but it was all worth it. I worked at a lot of clubs on the island. The other djs on the island are great guys and girls. They are all humble and thats what it takes to be a good dj. I totally agree with Euphorik when he says that, “A good dj should be able to go 5-6 hours straight and not replay a single track but also keep the crowd going.” To me, being a good dj is always coming up with something unique and different. Always learn and NEVER steal another djs techiniques. From the words of one of the sickest djs to touch a vinyl, PSI says, “Be careful you step on the way up, chances are you'll see them on the way down.”

Kalani: Current residencies other than Rumours?
SHO: Affiliated with Ultimate Sound, Music Unlimited, & Party Down Productions
"Home Fridays" at The Lotus
Release Fridays with FlashandMattyBoy at Kauai
Flashback Saturdays at Rumours
Red Lion Waikiki every Sunday.