Interview with One of Japan's Rising Stars: Pharien

8/12/2018

Pharien is a 19 year-old DJ and Producer from Japan who has had releases on Revealed Recordings, Melodic Tunes, Ensis Records, Overture Recordings, and Pink Shrimp Records to name a few. He has been supported by Hardwell, Ummet Ozcan, R3HAB, and so many more.

Let’s start off by what inspired you to start producing in the first place.
Before EDM, I played guitar for around three years. When I first heard a song by Martin Garrix, it sounded completely different to me and I just had to know how he made his tracks. When I found out that he used FL Studio, I immediately went to Image Line and downloaded the demo version. His songs were so inspirational and important to me when I was starting on my journey.

Walk us through how you create your tracks.
For me, good melodies and ideas just don’t seem to come to me and I don’t know why! So usually, I’ll get a get a reference track that’s really fresh that would sound good on the label that I’m aiming for. So I’ll start there and work to make it my own. Sometimes, I’ll get really depressed that I can’t come up with a good idea and all of a sudden, something will hit me! If there is a goddess of EDM, she’s certainly a cruel mistress!

How long did it take you to get tracks that are ready for release?
My friends always tell that I’m really fast when it comes to production and I tend to believe them! Lately, I’ve been putting a lot of emphasis on the quality of my tracks so it’s been taking much longer to get them ready for release. I end up spending most of my time on the mixdown and mastering because it’s truly the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. For instance, I’ll hear that the bass is too loud so I’ll lower the volume but then all of a sudden, the whole track loses its energy! It’s such a frustrating cycle but whenever you finally get it right in the end, then it all becomes work it. The fact that it’s difficult is the reason I love making music.

Good to see you! @cartaofficial

A post shared by Pharien (@pharienmusic) on May 12, 2018 at 10:36pm PDT

How did you go about getting your first track signed?
It was actually pretty standard fare. Like I sent them a demo and they accepted, then it was released. I remember being really nervous and anxious when my first track got accepted. It wasn’t a big label but I was still totally excited about having a track on Melodic Tunes. I’ll always remember that day for being my first released track.

What more can you tell us about the EDM scene in Japan?
The Japanese music scene is all about ''seniority'' which makes it difficult for young producers and DJs to grow. There’s a lot of competition to be a DJ but not many of those guys and girls are producers which makes it an excellent skill to have. Japanese clubs think that they don’t have to pay us as much since there’s so many to choose from which is the biggest reason why Japan’s scene isn’t growing as fast as Thailand or China where they pay their DJs a decent amount of money.

What was your first gig like?
My first gig was playing as support for the KIIDA Japan tour. Before this show, I had never even touched a DJ controller but fortunately, my friend gave me his so that I could practice in my bedroom. I remember being nervous all day leading up to the show that night and my hands were shaking when I got onto stage. I was determined that I was going to perform like Hardwell so I powered through and went back to back with my friend. It was great that he was there so that he could help me out when I made a mistake. A lot of my friends and fans in Japan came out for that show which was great to have that support on my first time out. Meeting up with KIIDA was also amazing!

Thank you for amazing night! @manse * he's real kind and i handed over my USB to him!

A post shared by Pharien (@pharienmusic) on Jun 29, 2018 at 12:02pm PDT

Do you have any memorable moments from your other performances?
I was fortunate enough to go back to back with another friend at Womb which is one of the biggest clubs in Japan. He was super drunk and so fucked up that he stopped the music twice while we were onstage. Whenever that happened, he made ME take a shot! I asked him why I was getting punished but there was just no reasoning with him in this state so I just took the hit and kept the music going! The crowd would whine at us in a playful but still noticeably upset, but we played it off like San Holo did at Tomorrowland!

What sort of tips would you give to guys starting out on their journey to become a good producer?
First, you have to believe in yourself and your work. I saw some of my friends quit because they weren’t happy with the songs they were making. You’ve got to be really patient and put in the effort to learn how to get better. It’s really useful to make some friends with other producers and try to get to the point where you can collaborate with other artists. When you work with other people, you can learn some of their tricks and hopefully teach them some of yours. After you’ve made some solid tracks, always send them to DJs big and small. Sending them promos all the times means that they’ll get to know your name even if they’re not responding to your track at first. So when you finally get a good release, they’ll recognize your name and say, “Oh that guy sends me promos all the time!” I’ve been able to get some amazing collaborations this way because they listened to my music and wanted to work with me to make it better. I don’t see a lot of people talking about this, but sending promos is extremely important to working your way up in this industry.

What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m very excited to have two tracks slated for release: one is on the Quartzo ADE Sampler and the other is a beautiful progressive track that will be released on this upcoming Japanese label later this month. The Quartzo release has two unique drops and the second one is absolute fire! The progressive track is in the style of stuff released in 2015 or 2016 but with a modern twist so it’s really special. I also have some collabs coming up with three amazing artists that I can’t wait to share with everyone. Looking long term, I’ve been thinking that it’s not a good idea to stick to one genre within EDM so I’m working on producing some hybrid trap stuff as well as groove house music like Kryder.

Lastly, tell us about your proudest moment.
It's definitely when I was released ''Nightfade'' on Revealed Recordings and got supported by Hardwell, Cash Cash, Ummet Ozcan and many more. I really worked hard on that one and I never thought it could get released until I got the acceptance from Revealed. After that was released, I became friends with a lot of awesome producers like Gustaf Bjornberg who I just released a collaboration with on Ensis Records. There are some other collaborations that came because of “Nightfade” but I can’t tell you about them just yet, so be sure to follow me on social media!