Hurrah! This Saturday, DJ Shawn Ryan will be making his debut appearance at Kung Fu Necktie and is bringing the name with him. You may know him from Apothecary, The Barbary or Medusa so come check him out starting at 10pm and going til 2am with no cover to get into the Fishtown bar. He’ll be spinning “everything from the deepest crates to web 2.0” so get on down and dance all night.
P: When did you start to DJ? How long have you been Djing in Philly?
Shawn Ryan: I've been collecting records since I was 17, but I didn't start DJing until I was 22. DJ Image, my guest this Saturday, had been encouraging me to start for a while and my friend Harry's little brother happened
to have a cheap pair of turntables for sale, so here I am. I've been playing in Philadelphia since early 2006 & Hurrah has been going 2am strong since August 2006.
P: What are your top 5 songs to play to get a crowd moving?
SR: That depends on a variety of factors... What kind of crowd? Are the lights low? How drunk are they? To be concise, here are 5 new releases that I've gotten in the past month that make hipsters chipper:
Designer Drugs - Back Up In This (Nadastrom Remix)
Lykke Li - Dance Dance Dance (Buraka Som Sistema Remix)
RCMP - The Bird AKA Ignition
Telephones - Pop Champagne
Woolfy vs. Projections - Neeve (Permanent Vacation Tropical Heat Mix)
P: Equipment?
SR: Technic 1200 Turntables, a mixer, Serato, vinyl & fresh socks. I keep my Ecler Nuo2 jawn at home, but chase after Pioneer DJM-800s by night...
P: Who would attend your dream party? Where would it be?
SR: Maybe the club in Logan's Run? or The Sanctuary? Really, my dream party would take place somewhere warm with a scenic view - on a beach or mountain. Who would attend? Hopefully Lord Henry, David Bowie, my friends, family and a ton of girls.
P: Any pre-party rituals?
SR: This isn't intentional, but it's one of few times when I'm not talkative.
P: What’s the story behind the name Hurrah?
SR: I'm going to have to answer this question on behalf of Chris Rogy, Hurrah's founder, who is on a spiritual journey in South Korea this year. Chris initially started the night as a classic post punk dance party. He chose the name Hurrah to pay tribute to an early 80's New York club of the same name, which was a hub of the post punk scene.
P: In your opinion, what are the best rooms to play in the city?
SR: Obviously I'm going to have to say The Barbary & Medusa Lounge, because of all of the great experiences I've had in those clubs. Their crowds are always open minded about music & ready to dance. I'm sure after Saturday I'll be able to add Kung Fu Necktie to that list as well. My favorite soundsystem definitely goes to NikSound though - oh hell yes.
P: What is your biggest pet peeve?
SR:As a DJ, when the dancefloor is packed with people going bonkers and someone asks if I can play "something they can dance to." Sometimes it just doesn't register with people that not everyone likes to dance to stale Flo-Rida and Lady Gaga tracks. Aside from DJing, I loathe when people chew loudly.
