San Francisco-based Richard Oh is not only one of the most talented DJs on the West Coast, he is also the co-founder of one of today’s hottest music blogs, BigStereo.net.
Though his early taste in music was questionable—he shares that one of his first musical memories was, “singing ‘Let’s Talk About Sex’ by Salt-N-Pepa with my sister while it was playing in the car”—he has grown so much musically over the years that his blog has become one of the first places DJs go to find new tracks.
He explains that he started the blog along with his friend Travis Hayden back in 2005 as a vehicle for sharing music with each other and their friends. “We started writing about some [then] unknown people like M.I.A. and Justice, and eventually they became larger than life. When you would type certain bands or artists in search engines, we’d be in the top listings, so people started reading it more and more.”
Oh got into DJing when his friends needed a last minute replacement for a night they were doing at a local venue, and he enjoys being a DJ because he gets to travel with all expenses paid and “also meet great people who love to dance.”
He has had the opportunity to play along with some big-named acts like Van She, Diplo, Riot in Belgium, and, though he is getting more attention, he still remains humble and appreciative of his peers, saying, “Almost everyone impresses me [and] everyone seems to really appreciate and read BigStereo. It’s always a nice surprise when they say they know who I am.”
Lately, Oh is into MGMT, Walter Meego, PNAU and Sebastien Tellier, and some of his favorite artists of all time include Add N To (X), Pulp, Velvet Underground and Kraftwerk.
Coming up, we can expect him to “throw more parties, discover more artists,” and currently a South America tour is in the works.
Oh will be showcasing some of his stellar music taste and skills as a DJ here in Chicago, and he says what we can expect from his show “depends how much I drink the night before.” (Hilary Rawk)
Richard Oh joins headliner Acid Girls and Sleazemore for Smash & Crunch at Liar’s Club, 1655 West Fullerton, (773)665-1110, on March 21, 9pm-2am. $5.
