DJs Demonslayer and Mish are partners in life and in work, having built creative careers rooted in music, community and a deep connection to their cultural heritage. So while Service95 was in Los Angeles, we made sure to stop by their Downtown studio for the latest edition of our video series, The Way I Work.
Let’s start with Demonslayer: the alias of Vietnamese-American Dan Nguyen, a true multi-hyphenate: artist, producer, curator and, of course, DJ. One of his greatest passions is collecting and preserving Vietnamese New Wave music – an obsession that began after a family member gifted him a collection of CDs, cassettes and records.
Vietnamese New Wave emerged within the Vietnamese diaspora in Southern California in the mid-1980s, creating a unique cultural movement that blended Western pop sounds with Vietnamese identity. Today, Dan spends much of his time hunting down rare recordings wherever he can find them.
“I scour flea markets and thrift stores,” he says. “I’ve found tapes in old nail salons, or in music stores where they have a box in the back that they’re about to throw away.”
Finding the tapes is only half the story. Once they’re in his hands, Dan meticulously restores the audio, cleaning each recording while ensuring its original character remains intact. Then comes the fun part: bringing these forgotten tracks back to life in DJ sets he plays around the world.
For Dan, though, one of the most rewarding parts of the job has been sharing this music with Vietnamese audiences. Because Vietnam didn’t fully open up to Western influence until the mid-1990s, many younger listeners are discovering these sounds for the very first time through his sets.
Mish’s story is also one of cultural pride. Originally from Taiwan and now based in Los Angeles, she remembers arriving in the city feeling pressure to fit in – trying to understand what the LA crowd wanted and how she could shape herself around it.
That’s until she met Dan. Seeing his passion for digging into his own heritage encouraged her to do the same.
The result was Golden Melody Night, a travelling party dedicated to celebrating Taiwanese music and culture. More than just a club night, it’s become a gathering place for the Taiwanese diaspora – a space where people can reconnect with a shared sense of identity.
“You literally feel like you could be in Taipei,” Mish says. “You step into the room and everyone is speaking Mandarin.”
Together, the pair push one another creatively. Dan encourages Mish to be more experimental in her mixes, while Mish knows exactly when to rein him in if things start getting a little too wild. It's a dynamic that works because their strengths complement one another.
“Its a really good balance between our personalities and our working styles,” says Dan.
To hear more about their creative processes, daily routines and what it’s like building a life and career together, watch the full episode below.
