Dan Oh is a musician and a respected DJ who built his name and stature within the Hollywood DJ circuit. Currently he holds a weekly residency at Cinespace Dim Mak Tuesdays in Hollywood alongside the internationally renowned Steve Aoki, and Them Jeans, the tallest DJ in the world. He is committed to proper and creative mixing, finding his most satisfying dj moments to be with house music at the 128 bpm level. All types of house; minimal, electro, tech, fidget, big, tribal… but let’s not take it too deep.
Dan is currently focused on producing strong remixes as well as creating original material. He is definitely one DJ you need to keep an eye on in 2010. This week we had a chance to find out more about Dan, check out the interview below!
Where are you from? How long have you lived in LA?
I was born in Seoul, South Korea, family moved to Miami when I was 3, and eventually I made it over to Southern California when I was 5 or 6. Spent most of my child/teenhood growing up in a town called Irvine in the OC. After college Imoved to Silverlake and been here for about 5 years now.
When did you start DJing? Who or what inspired you? What were you doing before?
When I was in high school my buddy Chris Alfaro (now better known today as Free The Robots) took me to Guitar Center and helped me pick out 2 Technics and a Vestax 05 Pro. At the time I was only interested in scratching Dirtstyle Records and perfecting my crabs and bullshit. He let me borrow his DMC battle tapes (which I never returned) where I fell in love with dudes like A-trak, Craze, the Skratch Pickles, Rectangle, you know, the pioneers.
It wasn’t until around 2001/02 where I was introduced to dance/club music through the whole Electroclash thing. I found it difficult to beat match and create consistent sets with solely electroclash/indie records, so I started digging into techno and industrial-ish stuff and started really getting into the whole dance culture that I had no idea about. Mind you I didn’t go to raves in high school, mostly punk and hardcore shows. Also I was really into jungle and dnb but had no clue about that stuff either.
How did you come to be a part of Dim Mak?
I met Jason (Them Jeans) at the Echo one night at a party called Club82 where we were the few drinkers amongst a club full of straight edge crew kids or whatever. We started hangin out, and a few years later he let my buddy Brian play records in the back room between bands at Cinespace for free drinks. Brian wasn’t really a DJ so he brought me along to help him. He ended up leaving, I ended up staying and building a name for myself as a dj in LA. As the party grew and turned into a huge Dim Mak thing, promoters starting recognizing me as a Dim Mak DJ. Although I haven’t released any music on the label, I guess i’m more or less part of the family.
How much time do you spend in the studio?
To the point where I realized that it’s not new plug-ins or samples that I need, it’s a more comfortable chair to sit in. Last year i made like 20 something remixes whether they saw the light of day or not, and finished a 7 song EP that is now being split up into singles (coming soon on Fool’s Gold and Nitrus Records). I’m really focused on producing solid tracks and creating innovative sounds. You might be wondering why you haven’t heard any of this music when I’m spending all this time in the studio. Well if plans stay on track then hopefully that’ll change.
Do you have any other hobbies? Do you know martial arts? Iron Chef?
I’ve dedicated so much time into djing and producing that I don’t remember if I have any hobbies anymore. Drinking and eating amazing food? Maybe that’s why i’ve become so uninteresting to my girlfriend… I do love eating Jason’s weird ass vegan food, and my mom’s crazy nu-asian fusion dishes. Plus my sister’s a chef in NY. I’ve studied and worked in film and still have a passion for it so hopefully I can get into that again. As far as martial arts go, I got my blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu when I was 17 but kinda fell off after that. Actually did some Muay Thai recently haha. And yeah I watch a lot of MMA, and soccer… Manchester United is my team til death but I watch it all and follow up on all the news and drama around the world. I was playing on a men’s league team but they kicked me off cause I stopped showing up to the Sunday 8am games…
What’s a typical Dan OH day like when you’re not working (musically)?
I’m always working musically whether it’s for 30 mins or 15 hours. But in between those times I usually go to the gym and then eat at Whole Foods with Them Jeans.
How much fun did you have at the photoshoot with the black gloves and umbrella? Those were hilarious
Oh man those damn photos… our buddy Huy had some studio time so me and Jason went down there and took some quick pics. I was trying to do something interesting other than just having my boring ass face. But I think it ended up sending the wrong message, especially the ones with the scissors. Like “My crossfader skills are so ill when I cut it up” or something like that. I’m not really even the skratching type as a dj. I just thought those giant scissors were funny looking and wanted people to see them.
What props would you use in another shoot?
Maybe i’ll ask my girlfriend to wear a bikini and some furry boots like Tommie Sunshine did. Or a Maserati and Fred Perry as sponsors 
How many Rose Byrne movies do you own? I have 3
I do have Sunshine and 28 Weeks Later permanently recorded on my DVR… Saw her at a restaurant called Alcove by my house when I went to lunch with my mom once. I played it cool though
Have you ever been to Seattle before?
Probably when I was like 10 and i don’t remember anything. But I do have some friends living up there right now.
What kind of set should we expect? What artists are you feeling right now?
Somewhere in between DJ Zinc and Style of Eye is where I’m trying to get at, and never excluding techno and straight electro house. I like to keep things dark too. Also will definitely be playing some Whiskey Pete tracks since we’re heading up there together. Wolfgang Gartner is without a doubt a huge influence, Uppermost, Bass Kleph, everything on Potty Mouth, watch out for Them Jeans’ new shit, Nouveau Yorican. Also been playing a lot of this ho-down fidget stuff that’s out i.e. Hijack vs. Santiago & Bushido, Mickey Slim/Nom De Strip, Potato Heads “Trumpet Dance”… Also can’t wait for Felix Cartal’s album.
Dan Oh will be performing at our next installment of Trashed @ The Baltic Room alongside Whiskey Pete, Thrills, and the FileJerks on March 6th 2010. Click here for more info!
