▼ 专访｜Ank.A : 我能留在上海也是因为上海的独特性 ▲

E: 介绍一下自己吧！你来自哪里？你喜欢吃什么？

A: 我叫Ankar Arken，大家叫我anka ，这就是我的真名，我来自新疆乌鲁木齐现居上海，我喜欢新疆菜，还有各种充满芝士的食物.

E: 你是怎么变成“坏朋友”的？

A: 已经没有个具体原因了，最早是因为一个派对组织的推送，他们觉得我很凶，但又很搞笑，每次跟我喝酒都刻骨铭心大家都开始叫我坏朋友了。

E: 你是如何开始接触音乐/舞蹈音乐的？是什么让你开始DJ？

A: 我最早期十多年前在高中玩乐队，我从小就受各种影响在听各类音乐，所以选择大学的时候也选了音乐相关专业进行了专业培训，最早是学录音技术的，后面也是在北京的读书期间接触到了 drum n bass ，jungle，这种又有人的味道，又有猛烈能量的音乐，然后就开始尝试制作这类音乐，后面也有了想去分享音乐的想法 ，就自然慢慢发展成了DJ。

E: 有没有一些你认为难忘的早期派对记忆/音乐场景呢？

A: 我一直无法忘记我要从北京东5环坐最后几班地铁到市区，吃好晚饭，然后和朋友在鼓楼喝最便宜的酒，等着dada DJ上台，真的，以前会club一开门就到现场，然后最后离开，坐第一班地铁跟僵尸一样回到学校，当时真的每一个派对都跟音乐紧密联系，我是非常喜欢 2011—2013期间的北京的，除了几个俱乐部外 还有些很多小角落也有很不错的音乐，例如北锣锅巷 si if 的地下室等，没有特别具体的，我认为每一次出来玩我都是完全享受的。

E: 除上海以外，你还以创作者或舞者身份参加了其他场景吗？是什么让它们与众不同？

A: 随着booking的增多，我也是去了很多国内的各个大小的俱乐部，我觉得每个地方都很不一样的特色，但我发现越是小场景，舞池的反应就越真诚。如果说投身参与进去的场景那就是乌鲁木齐，我们当时有个叫resume family的组织，我们策划了第一个在新疆的rave，在自治区人民大会堂大院里绿化部分有个 对外开放的音乐餐吧，我们举办了活动，来了好几百人，最后因为不可抗力叫停了，然后就基本故事结束。

然后我们找到sugar（现在哥谭俱乐部的前身，还有鲨鱼酒吧等）偶尔会组织一些活动，然后也慢慢出现别的DJ等，但是巨大交通成本让我们无法与外地艺人交流，这个场景就渐渐死了，resume family的伙计们都跟我一样出国去外地等，现在当地只剩下 DJ yashar，DJ recheal，DJ icedog ，nellee等朋友们还在坚持 。我觉得我们最大的区别就是，小地方是对音乐有一种饥渴的，这种感觉我是在上海没有遇见过。

E: 你认为是什么让上海的场景如此特别？

A: 我能留在上海也是因为上海的独特性，首先有最繁荣的国际场景交流，有更多的club，高消费能力，更主要的是 不管你玩什么风格的东西，你都会找到志同道合的人，这就是上海的魔力。

E: 本地的音乐场景中你最尊敬哪些人？谁是你目前最喜欢的中国音乐人？为什么？

A:上海场景我其实最尊重的是 max shen 还有 mau mau，我跟max私下里并不是很多交流，但我一来上海时候他给了很多booking，在 arkham，44kw等地方，我一直很感谢最初的机会，这对我后来做自己的派对当pr都有决定的性的因素，同时是他也是我非常喜欢DJ，以前4x4x4x4系列的国际booking每一个品味都很好。

然后就是maumau，他给我很多在elevator出现的机会，让我作自己的活动，我甚至成为了elevator驻场DJ之一，我觉得他从某些层面认识真正的ankar，所以我很感谢和尊重他，而且他也非常能干，把庞大的community凝聚在一起，还有我心中的mau mau不是house DJ！！！他喝掉几瓶白酒放了一晚音乐，当时我注意到他当时几张唱片是绝对的尖货，思路还有喝着酒也能很棒的mixing技巧确实让我惊讶，当天是他生日，我现在也忘不掉。

国内作为DJ来讲 我最喜欢的是knopha，我只跟他说过几次话，他这个人给很温柔的感觉，但是我想说他的DJ是最有文化的，我就觉得很有涵养有一定的跨度和律动性！

Mau Mau 生日派对的B2B

Introduce yourself pls!  Where are you from and what foods do you like?

My name is Ankar Arken, and everyone calls me anka. This is my real name. I come from Urumqi, Xinjiang and live in Shanghai. I like Xinjiang cuisine and all kinds of cheese-filled foods.

How did you become a Bad Friend?

There is no specific reason. At the beginning the name came from a post by a party organization. They thought I looked frightening but also very funny. Every time drinking with me is so memorable, so everyone started to call me a Bad Friend.

Can you tell us about how you started out with music / dance music?  What got you into DJing and producing?

I played on a high school band more than ten years ago. I have been influenced by various kinds of music since I was a child. So when I chose college, I also chose a music-related major for professional training. When I was studying in Beijing, I came across drum n bass and jungle, which genres with a “humanoid” and bursting energy. Then I started to try to make this kind of music, and later I also had the idea of sharing music, so I took my time turning into a DJ.

Any particular early memories of partying or music that stand out?

I have never forgotten that I take the last few subway from Beijing East 5th Ring to the downtown, have dinner, and drink the cheapest alcohol with my friends in the Drum Tower, waiting for Dada’s DJ to come on stage. Honestly, I used to arrived at clubs as soon as they opened, and left until they closed, took the first subway and went back to school like zombies. At that time, every party was really closely related to the music itself. I really enjoyed Beijing from 2011 to 2013. Besides a few clubs, there were some good music hidden in some small corners, such as the basement of BeiLuoGuoXiang si if, etc. There is no particular memory specificity. I think I enjoy it every time I hangout for music.

What other scenes than Shanghai have you participated in - as an artist, or as a dancer - and what made them special?

With more bookings I get, I have been to many domestic clubs of various scales. Each place has different characteristics, but I found that the smaller the scene, the more sincere reaction would be found from the dance floor. I have involved in the scene in Urumqi. At that time, we had an organization called resume family. We planned the first rave in Xinjiang. In the afforested area of the Great Hall of the People of the Autonomous Region, there is a music restaurant open to the public. We held an event, hundreds of people came, and finally stopped due to force majeure, and basically the story ended. Then we found sugar (now the predecessor of Gotham Club, as well as the Shark Bar, etc.) to organize some events occasionally. Also some other DJs gradually emerged. However, the huge transportation cost prevented us from communicating with the artists out of town, this scene gradually died. The friends from resume family mostly went to other cities like me. Now only DJ yashar, DJ Recheal, DJ icedog, nellee and other friends are still continuing at the local. I think the biggest difference between us is that the small place is hungry for music. I have never seen this feeling in Shanghai.

What makes Shanghai's scene special?

I can stay in Shanghai because of the uniqueness of Shanghai. First of all, there is the most prosperous international scene exchanges, more clubs, high consumption power, and most importantly, no matter what style you play, you will find like-minded people here. This is the magic of Shanghai.

Who do you respect or look up to in the local music community?  Who are your favourite artists right now in China, and why?  

The people I respect the most in the Shanghai scene is Max Shen and Mau Mau. I don’t communicate much with max in private, but when I first came to Shanghai, he gave me a lot of booking in arkham, 44kw and other places. I have always been very grateful for the  early opportunities, which was a decisive factor for me to hold my own parties or play the role as a PR. At the same time, he is also my favorite DJ. The previous 4x4x4x4 series of international bookings are good tastes. 

Mau Mau gave me a lot of opportunities in Elevator, allowed me to hold my own events. I even became one of the resident DJs of the elevator. I think he knows the real Ankar from some aspects, so I am very grateful and respect him. He is also very capable, gathering a huge community together, and the Mau Mau in my heart is not a house DJ! ! ! He drank a few bottles of baijiu and put on music for a whole night. At the time, I noticed that a few records of him at were absolutely cutting-edge. The idea and the great mixing skills even after drinking really impressed me. It was his birthday and the memory is still vivid now. 

Regarding DJ in China, my favorite is Knopha. I only talked to him a few times. He seems gentle, but I want to say that his DJ style is the most educated. I feel that it’s very cultivated and there is a certain span and rhythm in it.

What was your most memorable night in Shanghai behind the decks (or machines), and on the other side of the booth as a dancer? 

The unforgettable memory as a DJ is to warm up for my favorite producer Kangding Ray in the Modern Sky. I prepared my set seriously, for two weeks, carefully arranged each song. Because I was warming up so there wasn’t much people. I guess Lao Kang didn’t hear much as he was in the lounge. What I can still remember is my own hard work on preparation, which won a high praise from the people present. The most memorable night as an audience is Varg's live set at elevator. This person is like an atomic bomb. That set was too powerful, and there was grime in it!! I truly think his live set is incredible!

Has the scene in Shanghai / China shaped your music?  If so, how?

As a DJ, the domestic scene more or less affect my selection of tracks. Like everyone else, I have presented a lot of fierce techno in the past two years, which is also the needs of the audience. A good DJ should take care of everyone and express themselves.

If I would put my heart into the set, I hope my set time could be in the afternoon or from 4 to 7am. I prefer some powerful but not noisy music. As a producer, I don’t think there is any influence on my music in China, and I don’t usually produce dance music. I want to express and promote more of my own growing culture.

Your musical range goes from ambient with ancient instruments to modern techno to third-world disco groovers - are all these things related in your head?

Yes. I think they are intertwined.

E: 你于舞台上最难忘的夜晚是?于舞池中最难忘的夜晚又是? 

A: 作为DJ难忘的是在摩登天空给我最喜欢的制作人 kangding ray 暖场，我认认真真的准备了我的set，整整两周，仔细安排每首歌，然后我是暖场下面也没啥人，老康估计也没怎么听到，他在休息室，我难忘的是我自己的那份认准准备的努力，然后后来获得了当时在场的人极高评价，作为观众最难忘的是在elevator 听 varg的live set，这个人就是原子弹一样，那个set太厉害，里面还有grime！！我真的觉得他的现场是不可思等级的！

E: 上海/中国的场景有塑造你的音乐吗？有的话，是如何塑造的？

A: 作为DJ，国内场景多多少少会影响我放歌的选择，我跟大家一样这两年呈现了很多非常凶狠的techno，这也是观众的需要，好DJ应该照顾到大家也能表达自己。

如果我真的走心放音乐我希望是下午 或者 凌晨4am-7am的时间是最适合我的，我喜欢有力但不吵的音乐，作为制作人我觉得国内没有东西影响我的音乐，我平时也不做太多的舞曲，我更多想表达和宣传一些我自己成长文化的东西。

E: 你的音乐范围从包含古老乐器的环境音乐、到现代的techno、再到第三世界的迪斯科律动 - 所有这些都在你脑海中相联吗？

A: 是，我觉得是紧密联系的！

E: 这个混音代表了什么？

A: 我有传统音乐背景，大家也知道新疆人聚在一起跳舞party是不需要电的，音乐的本身的律动和内容是让大家跳舞的因素，不同的工具是呈现不同心情还有不一样的情绪，数字时代的电子音乐变的越来越浮躁，我承认这很过瘾，我自己也很喜欢，我觉得作为DJ我有责任分享一些这个之外的东西，毕竟主动聆听的人还是少数，很多人像孩子一样是需要喂的。

E: 在音乐中遇到的最大挑战是？

A: finishing a track, properly

E: 能选出3首曲目，帮助我们了解你这些年来的音乐品味吗? (从早期的涉猎或影响到如今的最爱?)

2010s: Incredible - mbeat, jungle, dnb, uk dubstep

2015s: Descending - Function, deep dark techno

2020s: Paranoid - Wata Igarashi, hypnotic techno

这些音乐并不是对应时期发行的，但是这个时期我喜欢这些音乐。

E: 如果有一个可以满足你所有演出前的要求的魔法愿望清单，你会往上填些什么?

A: some 白酒，结束后可以吃点温暖的新疆汤饭，再来一个可以把我捏碎的盲人推拿。

E: 如何在精神上准备你的演出？

A: 试着让自己放松下来，即使放了这么多年音乐，我还是会紧张的。

E: 如果你可以时间旅行，并给过去的刚开始自己提两个建议，你会提什么? 

A: 在音箱和耳机还有歌曲上多一点投资。

不要买太多便宜的合成器。

E: 你希望在5年后看到自己作为艺术家到达哪个位置？

A: 如果能有RA Podcast，可以在欧洲各地club演出，我真的在努力

E: 挑选三位你梦想中的阵容在电梯演出，你会挑选谁？时间表是什么样的？假设你拥有无限的预算和预订艺人的能力，包括时间旅行把过去的音乐人带到21世纪！

A: 1-Donato dozzy  9pm——1am

2-Surgeon  1am—-4am

3-Sven vath（in his 40s） 4am—-9am

E: 你在你的工作室做什么样的工作？你还教音乐制作——这是怎样运作的？

A: 我在工作室主要是从事影视还有短片的声音设计还有配乐等，我主要教一些声音设计类的课程，讲课和做音乐挺不一样，科目更像是教如何使用工具软件等，思路上一些引导，但音乐我是不教的，每个人脑子里的音乐都不一样。

E: 我们如何在数字世界中找到你？

A: 我没有在微博或者其他音乐平台上使太大劲推广自己，不过我会很经常的在Instagram，微信等分享我的生活，音乐等，我希望更多的被大家在现实世界记住，我很高兴在我没有很多发行的情况下能走到这步，我希望我的存在是跟当地社群是紧密联系的，比起吸引网上的人，我更想留住线下的人。想找到我搜ankar arken，就可以了，并不难。

What does this mix represent?

I have a background in traditional music. Everyone knows that people in Xinjiang don’t need electricity to get together for dancing and partying. The rhythm and content of the music are the factors that make everyone dance. Different tools are used to present different moods and emotions. Electronic music in the digital age has become more and more impetuous. I admit that it is very enjoyable and I like it myself. I feel that as a DJ, I have a responsibility to share something other than this. After all, there are still a few people who actively listen to it, and many of them are like children — they both need to be fed.

Could you pick 3 tracks that gives us a sense of your taste in music over the years? (from early discoveries or influences, to a current favorite?)

2010s: Incredible - mbeat, jungle, dnb, uk dubstep

2015s: Descending - Function, deep dark techno

2020s: Paranoid - Wata Igarashi, hypnotic techno

These music are not released corresponding to the period I wrote, but I like these music during this period.

What were the biggest challenges you've faced on your musical journey?

finishing a track, properly

How do you prepare for your gigs spiritually? 

Try to relax myself. Even after years playing music, I still would be nervous.

What would you put on your magic hospitality rider where every wish can be granted? 

some baijiu, some warm Xinjiang soup and rice after the gig, and a blind massage that can crush me

If you could time travel and give yourself two pieces of advice when you were just starting out, what would they be?

Invest a little more in speakers, headphones, and songs. Don't buy too many cheap synthesizers.

Where would you like to see yourself as an artist in 5 years?

If I can have a RA Podcast, perform in clubs all over Europe. I’m really working hard

Pick three artists for your dream line-up of a night at Elevator. What's the time table?  Assume you have unlimited budget and booking powers, including reincarnating past talents to take the decks again. 

1-Donato dozzy。9pm——1am

2-surgeon。1am—-4am

3-sven vath（in his 40s）-4am—-9am

What kind of work do you do in your studio?  You also teach music production - what is this like?

I am mainly engaged in sound design of film, television and short films, as well as soundtracks in my studio. I teach some sound design courses. Lecturing are quite different from making music. The subjects are more like teaching how to use tools and software, some guidance on the ideas, but I don’t teach music. Everyone’s music is different.

How do we find you in the digital world?

I haven’t promoted myself on Weibo or other music platforms too much, but I often share my life and music etc. on Instagram and WeChat etc. I hope to be remembered more in the real world by everyone. I I am very happy to get to this stage without a lot of distribution. I hope that my existence is closely connected with the local community. I want to keep offline people more than attracting people online. If you want to find me, search for ankar arken. That's it. It’s not difficult.