Last night, Bob Sinclar hopped behind the decks at Pepper Club and unleashed a torrent of electronic excellence upon music-loving Shenzheners. By all accounts, it was one for the books.
Sinclar, for those woefully unaware, is a French DJ, remixer and record producer, often praised for his trailblazing roll in the creation and popularity of the ‘French touch’ style of house music.
This morning we chatted with Sinclar to get his thoughts on Shenzhen, music and his ideal dinner date:
Was last night your first time performing in Shenzhen?
Yes, it was my first time in Shenzhen. I used to play in Hong Kong, Shanghai’s Bar Rouge and Beijing. I’ve also played twice in Macau and my music is on the local Youtube site, Youku.
What are your thoughts on the last night’s crowd?
It was very surprising, because it was a half-half crowd: half foreigners, half Chinese. The dance floor was full and I played for three hours. In Europe you don’t really see what is happening in China, but now I am seeing it is very open, the crowd was non-stop dancing and jumping. Last night’s performance was in my top 10 club shows this year, maybe top five. It was an amazing experience.
Care to share your impression of the city?
When coming to Shenzhen, I didn’t really know what to expect. When I arrived on the boat, I was like wow, it’s clean, modern and lots of young people are on the street. It has a good dynamic, like New York 20 years ago. I was a bit shocked.
What artists are you currently listening to?
I bought the newest A Tribe Called Quest album, because they were a big part of my life – coming from my love of hip hop in the early 90s.
Outside of the realm of electronic music, what genres do you appreciate?
For me, it’s more about the color of music. I listen to a lot of different styles, reggae, jazz classic, northern soul – it helps to get inspired musically. I always fight for house music but I come from hip hop in ’91 and ’92 in clubs in Paris. I actually came onto dance music a little bit by accident, speeding up the temp on tracks and helping to create the ‘French touch’ style of dance music.
Sinclar with Pepper Club’s resident DJ Guiddo.
Favorite city to perform in?
There is no competition with Ibiza, it's a special place. Everyone from around the world comes there to have a positive experience. If the DJ is playing everyone must dance on, this is the vibe. People are here for the music, DJs, the beach, getting naked, no taboos. On my side, I don’t smoke or drink, but that is part of the entertainment of the island. There are a lot of beautiful clubs in every city around the world, but playing at Pacha in Ibiza is my favorite.
If you could sit down for dinner with anyone on the planet, who would it be?
It’s hard to say, if you asked me this question five years ago I would have said Roger Federer, because I am a big fan of tennis, but I’ve done that now. My super hero was Prince, but obviously he has died.
It could be Donald Trump, because everyone has said a lot of bad things about this guy, without knowing him. He has said a lot of bad things and I want to know exactly what he is thinking. What he is going to do for his country, the world, the poor people?
I’d just want a chance to ask him a few questions eye-to-eye, get his side of things. We couldn’t have pictured this guy in charge of a country like the US, with their army and nuclear weapons, and it would be nice to know what he is going to do.
He is a very interesting guy, not that I would vote for him, but he will be interesting to watch. He could do some very good things for the world or some very bad things and I would like to know.
How was meeting with Mr. Federer?
I have met him several times. First, I met his wife and I told her I am a big fan of Roger and that if she was planning to do a birthday party for him, I’d love to DJ for free. A while later, his wife called me and said she was going to have a surprise birthday and asked if I was free to come perform. I said yes and I got to go and play music at the party. Since then I have had several meals with Roger, at Wimbledon and so on. I am a very big fan of talent and he is very talented.
The above answers were edited for clarity and length.
[Images via Pepper Club]
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