The Informed Drinker: In the Beginning, There Was Rum
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SXSW Announces a Couple Hundred More Showcasing Bands for 2010 [Lots of Austin Bands in the Mix]
Why We Don't Like You: Texas A&M Aggies
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Preview: Legs Against Arms EP Release [Club de Ville / Saturday]
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Weekend Music Preview: Woven Bones Tour Kick-Off [Beerland / Friday]
How on Earth do you manage juggling between mixed tapes, a record label, DJing and having a life?
Franki Chan: I ask this question of myself everyday. It's not easy and sometimes really overwhelming. More often than not, it's the life part that gets left behind, but it's justified in my mind, for lack of a better phrase, with a sense of a higher calling. I just love doing it so much that it's ok to me to not do anything else. My life is dictated by my passions and helping my friends live out theirs as well. It is constantly challenging to make sure that my time is balanced right and everything is being done on a level I'm happy with. I often times have to stop and reassess things to make sure it's all not getting out of control.
How did you first get the idea to start mixing music and where did your inspiration come from?
I used to do punk shows at a space in Bellingham, WA called the Showoff Gallery. It was a small college town and often times after shows there wasn't much going on. So, I began to play music after our shows and people would hang around and drink. Around this time, I went to see a show in Olympia and Calvin Johnson was spinning old soul records at the party. It was then that it hit me that anyone could be a DJ and that we should take our post show music a bit further. So, we hobbled together a couple sketchy turntables and began 'DJing' after shows and eventually throwing parties. People loved it. Everything else evolved out of that.
helping my friends live out theirs as well.
Sure. Not just IHEARTCOMIX stuff, but just the sheer amounts of music that comes our way from friends, peers and artists we admire – there is so much good stuff out there. Additionally, there are a lot of different audiences out there. So, with each you have to ask the question, “who are you making this mix for?” For example, with the Scion mix, even though it was all new tracks and very much my tastes and personality, I still picked the tracks and mixed it in a way to target a much broader, mainstream audience since they were making 500,000, versus a mix that would be more oriented towards the DJ/blog world. So, it's a constant challenge, but that's part of the fun.
What has been your favorite event/party to DJ?
The one thing I look forward to most every year is SXSW. It's always so epic and the audience that comes to our set are always so psyched. But, my single most exciting DJ experience as of yet was playing at Lollapalooza this past year. I was second to last on the DJ stage and had a two-hour set. There were people for as far I could see and I feel like I played one of the best sets of my life. I left feeling like there had been a new challenge placed in front of me, and I was able to meet the demand. That made me feel really good and really renewed my ambitions as a DJ.
How do you feel when people say you are an influential part of the underground music world? Is this your intention when creating new music or do you do it just for the fun of it?
It's really flattering, although I personally don't view myself in that way. I feel like I've essentially been the same kid my whole life. I always maintained the same love of sequential art, pop music and politics. I've spent my time focusing on those things and trying to stay true to myself. Frankly, I'm surprised that it's had the effect that it's had. I'm having fun though, doing the things I want to do, and that's the main ambition I wake up with everyday. It would be nice to leave a positive mark on this world in the end.
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