Trout Fresh

Name, where are you from?

Trout Fresh. Hsinchu, Taiwan.

What do you do?

Singer, producer and director.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?

Before Sunny Chan would start singing a song during that concert, the projection behind her would show some videos. These videos were by no means fancy or heavily produced – they just had some written words with a pre-recorded narrator. These videos were very deep and thoughtful – it’s as if she was expressing my feelings on my behalf while on stage.

Which subcultures have influenced you?

Hip-hop. When I was about fourteen years old, I got into hip-hop, first listening to Taiwanese rappers like MC Hot Dog and Dwagie. Then I got into dancing and started writing song lyrics in my notebook. I started to learn more about the backgrounds and stories of musicians I liked to listen to, such as 2pac and Biggie. Later on, while in college, I slowly started producing music. Somehow, it has become my career!

Of all the venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?

23/01/2016 Y17 Youth Recreation Center. That was my first concert performance ever, and it was with my band SmashRegz. That day was the coldest day in Taiwan and I vaguely remember seeing something like a tiny snowflake outside. To this day, I’ve still never seen snow, but the weather that day in Taiwan was probably the closest it’s ever been to snowing in my lifetime, I think.

If you could be on the line up with any bands in history?

A-Mei, Vanness Wu and LINION.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?

I'd love to take Warren Buffet to a night market and eat street food.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?

20Syl (also known as Sylvain Richard). He is a very low-key artist who in my mind has made creative breakthroughs in whatever he does. He’s been greatly successful in various fields such as music, video and design. However, he never takes advantage of his celebrity to promote his work. Even now, I can still sense his intelligence and uniqueness in his work.