New Jersey producer and DJ Andrew Lin a.k.a Aylen granted me a quick Q&A session to help his fans get to know him and his music better. We talked about what equipment he\’s using, what kind of music background he came from and what words of encouragement he would give to producers looking to get their music noticed.
Every song aspired to be remixed has a Goldilocks zone. That perfect balance of just the right amount of change without over or under-doing your rework. Too much change and you have lost the original, too little change and you haven\’t reworked at all. You need not too much, not too little, but juusst right. Aylen is excellent at finding that zone and inputting his own artistic style. He breathed new life into Porter Robinson\’s \”Say My Name\” with his bootleg trap remix. He made Coldplay\’s \”Fix You\” cool again by adding his modern feel. He destroyed dance floors with his remix of Deorro & Duvoh\’s \”Black\” and he made faces melt off with his new must-hear remix of Slayer\’s \”Raining Blood\”. Aylen is someone to keep your eye on in the next year.
How old are you?
24.
When did you begin DJing and producing?
A little after college so, close to 4 years now.
Did you take any music classes in high school or college?
I\’ve played the sax since the 4th grade and I picked up the guitar and drums in high school. I did take one music theory class in college but it was more for the easy credit, haha.
What kind of DJ and production equipment do you use?
For production I use Ableton Live and occasionally Reason. For DJing I use the Traktor S4.
Any words of advice for aspiring producers who might be reading this?
Make sure your stuff is ready before you put it out. I wish I had followed that more in the past! Also don\’t be afraid to experiment and try remixing things people wouldn\’t normally remix. It\’s a way to challenge yourself and improve your skills.
Who are your EDM musical influences? Non-EDM musical influences?
I have a lot but I\’ll just name some people that I think are doing really cool shit: Dog Blood, Bondax, Botnek, Kai Wachi, and Bro Safari. As for non-EDM I\’ve been feeling Yuna and Empire of the Sun.
What was the last live show you attended for pleasure?
Chris Lake, GTA and Nom De Strip at Webster [Hall NYC].
If you could work with any artist, who would it be?
Probably still Skrillex. Especially with what he\’s done with Dog Blood.
What is the EDM scene like in New Jersey?
Unfortunately there doesn\’t seem to be much of one. All of the good shows are in NYC or Philly.
When and where is your next show?
September 21st at The Wall NYC with The Homies, Disco Fries, Gazzo and more.
Please be sure to support the artist directly by liking his Facebook page and following him on SoundCloud. Find and follow me, Sydney @ EDM Chicago, on SoundCloud for the hottest new songs you need to be listening to.
