As Electric Island Festival gets ready for its fifth edition, with the first weekend set to feature the likes of Ben Klock, Eats Everything, Joris Voorn among others, we caught up with Toronto native and DJ/producer Andrew Choe to discuss his inspirations, his beginnings as a musician and more.
Read on.
TBB: Hi Andrew! How’s it going? Could you tell us about the exact moment you realized you wanted to be a producer and DJ.
Andrew: There wasn’t one definitive moment that made me decide to be a producer or a DJ, it was an accumulation of experiences that lead to that. My family provided exposure to house and techno since I was very young. That built my appreciation for the music. When I got older I saw the environment this kind of music provided for people, an immense sense of individuality and freedom and I wanted to be able to provide that for people as well.
TBB: How would you describe your experience in Toronto’s electronic music scene?
Andrew: It’s a growing scene that’s been evolving over the past decade. There’s been a consistency of fresh bookings that’s helped to make the scene more dynamic. Overall, I always have a good time in Toronto in regards to both the artists and the crowd. It’s definitely a respectable crowd that’s there to have a good time and that really translates back into how much artists enjoy playing here.
TBB: Which musicians did you look up to as a kid and did that list change as you grew older?
Andrew: I was listening to a lot of hip-hop growing up. Some artists to name that I looked up to were De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, The Roots. For the most part the list hasn’t really changed but I always dig around for different artists and genres, right now I’ve been listening to a lot of Rejjie Snow on repeat.
TBB: We would love to know about your association with ‘My Side Project’.
Andrew: My Side Project was started a few years back by myself and Steve Hale. Simply put, we started throwing parties in the city and bringing in DJs that haven’t been to the city before or hadn’t been in a while. They were DJs we both liked a lot as artists and wanted to see what the reaction would be; Max Graef, Borrowed Identity, and Santé to name a few. We also made it our goal to help showcase some of our favourite local artists such as Paul Quzz, Steve Marto, City Kid Soul, Butrous, Peach, Patrick Blue, and Jeremy Stott. The events were always a great family affair and brought in people from all around the city.
TBB: What can we expect from your Electric Island set?
Andrew: I don’t want to give too much away but it’ll be welcoming to get people settled onto the island in the early afternoon, nothing too hectic. I’m followed by great artists and want to lead up to their sets respectably.
TBB: Which artist on the Electric Island line up would you absolutely love to collaborate with?
Andrew: There’s a lot of great artists on the bill that I really look up to and respect. If I had to pick one that’s up my alley I would have to say Joris Voorn. I just love his versatility, vibe, and control of the crowd that he brings to the table. He’s a master playing the right tracks at the right moment and his ability to read the terrain for what to play next never disappoints.
TBB: Do you have any releases in the pipeline?
Andrew: Have some great stuff coming a long the way this year, to list off a few that are coming up soon is an EP with Paul Quzz off Eisenwaren and a remix on All Blak Records.
TBB: What are the top 3 #Bangin tracks you’ve been listening to a lot lately?
Andrew:
– Kye – Hallo Tap Dancer
– Guti Legatto, Samu Rodriguez – Luna Llena (LaRosa Remix)
– Trentz – Boundaries
Catch Andrew live at Electric Island on 22nd May. Buy your tickets here.
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