Hailing from the UK and bringing beats to the orient, Hong Kong-based DJ and music producer DOMPOON is a rising artist making moves towards success. He’s released two tracks in the past year with several more in the making after playing for small gigs and at events and delving into different musical avenues. Kactus had the honor to sit down with him as he shared his story with us and how he got to where he is today. Being a DJ and music producer isn’t just about the fun and life of a party. A lot of hard work, dedication and investment go into it as we shall see with DOMPOON’s story. It’s a process that continually builds with mini successes celebrated along the way. Tune in now below.
K: Why did you get into DJ-ing and music production?
D: It was a time of transition in my life where I was going through a hard time and one of my friends tried to expose me more to music. I was always passionate about music, but I never took the leap of faith to actually start anything – buying my equipment, investing time into it, etc. So, it was through this friend that I began and things took off from there. I started with gigs and events and gradually got deeper into the music sphere. The process felt natural. I DJ-ed for a year and moved into production. Now it’s both DJ-ing and producing at the same time. This is the long story short.
K: Has your definition of music changed from the early days to now?
D: For sure. I’ve always been the one controlling the music at social events or just being in the car on road trips, wanting to dictate the vibe I guess. I used to experiment a lot and play around with mixing music using different equipment as a teenager, but I never really had the chance to buy my own equipment and be fully exposed to ways and methods. It felt right that my next step was to properly dip my hands into DJ-ing and producing music.
When I listen to music now, I always think about if it’s something I can potentially fit into my sets. So in a way, it has taken away the kind of passiveness and enjoyment of living in the beats that I had before. It’s now a lot more proactive. Sometimes, it’s hard to switch off from thinking about creating and mixing music to just enjoy the music. I’m trying to do that a bit more because I feel like inspiration comes to you that way. With producing music, it’s something I do on a daily basis. I have a 9-5, get home and make music until the early morning. If I’m stuck making a track, I can’t force it so, it helps to just switch off and enjoy and experience life. Inspiration comes through that way for me rather than forcing something to work. It applies to every field, not just music. Creative blocks are real!
K: How would you describe your music style?
D: I actually don’t know ha! That’s a question I’m trying to answer myself. It’s evolved quite a bit, it’s constantly changing. Some days I feel like the music I’m mixing and creating is chill, but then on other days, it’s more upbeat. So, it’s always fluid. As I put out more tracks, I try to define what my genre is but, it’s just fluid because my tracks vary in beat. Some people see it as house whereas others would see it as electronic.
K: Do you think it would go under the progressive category?
D: It potentially can. It’s really a mix-up of everything I guess. It’s tricky because in order to market my music right, it helps to identify my audience and the music they enjoy. My style is so fluid that I have to really find that niche that would enjoy this kind of unique style. I don’t have the luxury of boxing myself into a certain genre. On the flip side though, it could be a good thing because it’s bringing something new to the table.
Most artists have a distinct style, but that takes years to mold and fine-tune. It’s not something that happens overnight. It’s a misconception that as an artist, you know exactly what you’re stepping into, like, “I’m going to make house music and make it indefinitely.” I really don’t think that’s the case. As an artist, you’re quite fluid whether you like it or not, and you’ll discover this more and more as you move along in your journey.
K: How do you stay up-to-date with the latest music trends?
D: Social media is a big player in that. I use Spotify and YouTube a lot. YouTube has many established channels, like Majestic Casual and Underground Charisma. Majestic Casual, especially, is like the grandfather of the lo-fi channels that just play music 24/7 that you see around. YouTube also has a lot of music with quality visuals that fit into the style of the music played, which I think is important and adds an element to the tunes. I think many artists rely on these platforms, as well.
I’m starting to notice that influencers play a big part in music curation. In making music, sometimes you have to cater to influencers and current pop culture. For instance, there have been so many TikTok videos with songs playing in the background that the songs become the trend. There’s just so much power to these platforms. Music these days is intrinsically tied to how people consume things.
K: I know you’ve released a few tracks this past year. Are we looking at an album drop soon?
D: Yea, it’s something I want to do. I want to create a mixtape to showcase my music. I think with a mixtape or album, it’d help me identify which direction and genre I want to go in because with building an album, there’s a certain narrative you have to think about and what story you want to tell. It’s definitely a much longer process and takes a lot more thinking.
K: What goal are you working towards with music?
D: I think after the track I’m releasing next month and one that I’m collaborating with a friend on, I’m going to just sit down and focus on making a mixtape or album. I’d like to take some time away from my career to see if I can work on that and hopefully, sooner rather than later. Music is where my passion lies and being consistent in it will keep propelling me forward. This is my goal. I don’t care how many people listen to my work, that stuff doesn’t really matter to me.
K: What musical artists do you look up to? Have you done any collaborations?
D: I think my biggest inspiration is probably Disclosure, but also Joe Hertz. Joe Hertz is someone I’ve listened to for a long time and discovered on Majestic Casual. His music has always been in a lot of my curated playlists. When I released my first track last year, I messaged him not expecting a reply. I said, “Hey look, I really like your vibes and been listening to your music for a long time.” I sent my music along with the message and was lucky to hear back from him! He put it on his playlist and live stream, it was all pretty surreal. He definitely helped push me to create more ever since. This experience made me realize that it’s not as big of a barrier as I assumed to reach out to big artists. It seems intimidating, like there are so many hurdles to get through in order to connect with a bigger artist and get them to listen to your music. But, it’s about pushing through and again, being consistent. Ultimately, we’re all making music and as fellow artists, I think we’re quite appreciative and understanding of the time and effort it takes and any critique we can get.
I’m not sure about collaborations, though. I want to get to a certain point before collaborating with bigger artists. But, I’m currently collaborating with a good friend of mine who’s also up-and-coming in Singapore. His style is more Joji and R&B, but we’re trying to come up with something unique in the next few months.
K: What is the most rewarding part of being a DJ?
D: I think it’s being able to put something out there and see how people react to it when everyone has different tastes. It’s quite rewarding in itself seeing something through from start to finish and putting it on a platform that has your name on it and is accessible to everyone. It’s just super rewarding to have songs to release for everyone to listen to.
I appreciate all constructive feedback because I can act on them and improve that way. With every piece I’ve produced, it was quite nice for people to mention that they see progress. It’s very nice to hear those words and critique. I never expect people to listen, maybe for the first few weeks, but there are people who randomly mention, “Oh, I’ve listened to your song today.” It’s nice to know people are always tuning in. I don’t care if I’m famous or not, as long as I’m happy with my work and what I do. It’s the passion I care about; fame is just a secondary thing. Material gains are not something I think about in the creation process and I don’t think that should be the case for anyone pursuing something creative. Overall, it’s rewarding to see something build overtime and the fruits of my labor pay off.
K: What is one piece of advice you can share with other creatives who are looking to branch out on their own?
D: The biggest advice I have based on my experience is that nothing is a race. There’s no timeline you have to adhere to and don’t treat things like a competition. You shouldn’t be pitting yourself against anyone. Everyone’s on a different journey and timeline, and doing something different. Of course, it helps to see what other people are doing, but you should just focus on yourself.
*Stay tuned in for more works by DOMPOON on his Spotify. His next release Huriyyah will be out July 5th (July 6th HKT).
