Why We Spin: Into the World of DJ-ing

For our documentary project, we decided to explore the world of DJ-ing through the stories of the DJs in our local DJ scene.

Initially, we faced difficulty securing DJ interviewees as the DJs we contacted had busy schedules and were unable to respond quickly to our interview request. Thankfully, Leroy (aka DJ Orfeus) who was a primary school friend of one of our crew members, agreed to our interview and with his help, we were also able to interview Wayne (aka DJ KoFlow), a 3 time DMC Champion who was Leroy’s mentor.

For our very first shoot, we went down to Attica to film b-rolls in which we had to first get permission from the club manager and get details on what we could film and what we could not in the club. Recording sounds in the club was also another big challenge, in which we also overcame with tips learnt from Prof Nick during our first cut presentation.

The week after, we headed down to film Leroy and Wayne at the E-tracX DJ skool and studio. For the shoot, we used the lapel mic, zoom H6, Canon 80D and Canon 550D. We also managed to record the sound directly from the DJ’s setup and made sure to use only tracks that were free for use.

After reviewing the footage that we filmed, we decided to feature more interviews of DJs who had varying levels of experience to make a more in-depth and multi-layered exploration of the DJ scene in Singapore. We managed to contact Darren (aka DJ Hedger) a DJ hobbyist through our mutual friends in NUS, who also taught in Sheares Hall’s DJ-ing club for club members.

After interviewing these DJs, we discovered that the male DJs all highlighted that the experience of a female DJ would be different from what they experience and we felt that it was important to capture the gendered aspect of the DJ scene.

Through Darren, we got in touch with Chai Yi (aka DJ Diamondback) who was able to share more with us with a female perspective and shed light on her experience being a female DJ in a largely male-dominated industry.

After about a month of filming, editing and consultations with Prof Nick, our short documentary is finally completed! Check it out in the link and share your thoughts below!

https://youtu.be/FvKRQLiFbss