Interview with VALY MO

1. What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

1. My first interaction with music production was learning guitar and playing in a rock band in high school. I started using a few softwares to record myself and edit the music. In 2008, I discovered live electronic music at a Justice show. This led me to try my first DAW, FL studio and since that day I never stopped producing.

2. What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

• Most of my time is spent traveling and discovering new places around me. I am currently living in Asia, and being able to discover different cultures is amazing! It is also a big part of my creativity since I hear different sounds that you cannot find anywhere else.

3. How long have you been making music?

• Almost 15 years! But I feel that my music project started to become more serious when I received support for the first time from legends like Crystal Castles and Skrillex.

4. Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

• I am from France, but I am now based in Asia. Not only have the different instruments influenced my music, but also the different styles that are listened to - each country has a proper identity. For example, in Vietnam, they have Vina-House and V-bass which is good for bass and rhythm, in Thailand they have the energetic Thai beat, and Indonesia is crazy about Indo-breakbeats! All these styles are something very singular like you have never heard before!

5. Tell me about your most memorable shows, if you haven’t played live what is your vision for a live show?

• My most memorable show was probably my performance at Summer Sonic Japan - in front of 30,000 people. I performed with legends like Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Boys Noize, Pharell, and Ariana Grande. Also, I consider one of my best shows to be Ravolution Festival on the main stage - in front of the whole city. It was impressive and since that show, I’ve come back to every edition to perform.
  

6. What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

• I love performing at festivals because of the intensity of the show and being able to meet my favorite artists there. I also love performing at clubs because it is a different and more intimate vibe. Most of the time, what I love is being able to meet the passionate people involved in these events - the crowd or the people organizing!

7. If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

• I would make it a priority to put the people who first believed in my music project - Skrillex, Tchami and Tiësto. I’ve already had the chance to perform with Skrillsx and Tchami in different music festivals.

8. What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

• Take your time and avoid getting in the Rat Race, find your rhythm and what inspires you.

9. Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

• My song ‘Laser House’ is the most important to me. This one symbolizes the emancipation I found in my life and the step to music dedication.

10. Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

• I love playing house music to my audience, usually songs that have happy vibes and a catchy vocal.

11. What is your creative process, and what inspires you to write your music?

• Most of the time, it comes from the music I listen to. I suddenly find some ideas and then I apply them to my production afterwards. When I get writer’s block, I usually listen to mixtapes from my favorite artists because this is where you can really hear upcoming new sounds through IDs.

12. Do you have messages that you like to get across in your music? if so please tell me about them.

• The message is usually to let go and remember that life is short. Since it is dance music, I am advising people to forget their problems and enjoy the present!

13. Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?

• I recently released a very nice EP on the label Do Not Duplicate Recordings (DND Recs) - founded by BIJOI. This EP is composed of 2 songs “Jugar” & “Perreo”. Both songs are perfect for dancefloors and will bring you warm vibes during this cold winter!

14. What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

• I started performing on stage again after a 2 year hiatus - I am very excited to be able to play again across Asia. I am also excited to be able to announce a few festivals soon!

15. How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

• I’m most active on Instagram (@valy_mo) I am also teaching music career development through a successful MasterClass available online where you can connect with me more personally for advice!