DJ Mag Malaysia #002

LOOKING INTO THE FUTURE WITH

RM 9.00

#002

PP 18496/052014 ( 033873)

asiaartistagency@gmail.com

ADVERTISING AGENT

DJ MAG MALAYSIA

PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Luqman

luqman@globalsoundmasters.com

Editor's Note EDITORIAL Writer

YASMEEN

yasmeen@djmag.my Music Writer

SHAHEILA AZMI

shaheila@djmagasean.com Graphic Designer

AMIR SHARIFUDDIN amir@djmag.my

Editorial Coordinator

Feera Zafira

feera@djmag.my

MANAGERIAL Chairman

ISKANDAR OTHMAN A s w e t a k e i t a n o t h e r n o t c h h i g h e r, o u r A p r i l i s s u e a i m s s t ra i g h t t o t h e l o c a l ’ s h e a r t s ! We’ ve search high and low for exciting news as we aim to balance out the local and international news in the magazine. With many local talents on the rise, be sure to take some time out and read w h a t w e’ ve g o t i n s t o r e d f o r yo u i n t h i s i s s u e .

We’ ve m a n a g e d t o c a t c h u p w i t h s o m e t a l e n t e d local DJs and it goes as far to the East-side of M a l ay s i a a s w e l l . T h e l o c a l D J s w e’ ve s e l e c t e d specialize in different genres, as we want to create a little bit of mix for you to explore.

N o t o n l y t h a t , w e’ ve a d d e d n e w s e c t i o n s s u c h as Emcee of The Month, Club of The Month, Mixtape Competition and Discussion Section in the magazine to expose more talents and news in Malaysia as well.

Happy Earth Day to all our readers. Just a gentle r e m i n d e r, b e s u r e t o k e e p o u r e n v i r o n m e n t c l e a n for our future generation to enjoy the beauty of nature. Anyways, it’s another exciting month f o r t h e i n d u s t r y, s o f e a s t y o u r e y e s o n w h a t t h e t e a m h a s t o o f f e r.

CEO DJ Mag Malaysia

NORAZILAWATI CEO DJ Mag Asean

NICHOLAS DANIEL RAJ

SALES & MARKETING LUQMAN (Peninsular)

luqman@globalsoundmasters.com

ALVEEN (Borneo) alveen@djmag.my

Published By

DJ MAG ASIA ( 002489032 - T ) C-5-33A, 10 BOULEVARD, LEBUHRAYA SPRINT, PJU 6A, 47400 PETALING JAYA, SELANGOR DARUL EHSAN, MALAYSIA.

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Distributed By SHAHEILA AZMI

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DJ Mag Malaysia

Fresh Quotes 6 Quicktake 10 Cover Story 16 Dance Safe 22 DJ of The Month 24 Emcee of The Month 32 Club of The Month 34 Bar of The Month 36

Best of Sandakan 38 Mixtape of The Month 42 What Went Down 44

Who’s in Town 48 Discussion 54 Event Listing 56 Party Picture 58

DJ Mag Asean

Speak Up 66 EDM Producer 68 Gig Life Asia 70 Industry Insider 74 Top 100 DJ 76 Macau International Clubbing Show

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Through The Lens 82 Tour Diary 84 Trip Project 86

Fresh Quotes

- Oliver Heldens , page 16

This way of producing basically let’s me make more underground stuff again, and that’s what I really like.

Music is important to me, but so are friends

and family and also home, life and things l i k e g o i n g f o r a w a l k . - Marlo , page 76

Since she came to life we started telling her story through our videos, how her life is and her daily journey of finding her partner and her place in - Galantis , page 78 this world.

We p u t a l o t o f w o r k i n m a k i n g s u r e all our sets, especially when we play m a i n s t a g e f e s t i v a l s . We w i l l a l w a y s try to do something different, so - Nervo, page 52 every set is different.

My favourite thing when I am performing is that moment when I play a track that some people have b e e n w a i t i n g f o r. I t ’ s a l s o b e c a u s e I c o u l d s e e t h e smile on their faces.

- Orjan Nilsen , page 50

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Fresh Quotes

The crowd in KL has always been energetic and fun, which makes me look forward to coming back to this city every time.

- Juicy M, page 48

Always have a good work ethic. Stay humble and grounded at all times. Keep your wits about you and be in control of - MC Noixe , page 32 your own actions The local dance music scene is certainly alive, both underground and the mainstream. It’s a c u l t u r e b r i m m i n g w i t h d i v e r s i t y, u n i q u e t o e v e r y i n d i v i d u a l . We m u s t e a c h r e s p e c t a n d e m b r a c e t h i s d i v e r s i t y.

- Boris Foong, page 30 - D ’ J a e g e r, p a g e 2 6

Malaysia has been on hiatus regarding outdoor music festival for this year and it looks like it’s slowly shifting towards a better crowd and environment.

- Tw o . O . S i x , p a g e 2 4

There will be a time for you to shine bright. Patience is a virtue and nothing comes easily overnight.

The environment is very crucial for me.

Borneo is very well known for it’s natural ‘ J u n g l e & Tr i b a l ’ s o u n d . S o m e o f t h e i n s p i r e d elements can come from simple creatures - Myvax, page 28 such as bird’s chirping.

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Quicktake

P u m a c r e a t e d a f e s t i v e p a c k f o r E a s t e r.

Each element represent inspired ways of decorating easter eggs. Puma Roma features colourful fun paint splatters on a beige colour scheme. Puma Suede comes clean with a turquoise base and green detailing, geometrical shapes forms a crackled pattern. Puma GV Special highlights an iridescent glossy finish. PUMA “Easter� pack will hatched March 4th, just in time for festival.

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Quicktake

Have your Monday juice with electronica musician D a r r e n A s h l e y, e v e r y M o n d a y b i - w e e k l y h e s u r p r i s e s us with his recurring segment of tropical electric beats and his appealing album cover with tropical fruits visuals by the designer goes by the name of Idomoji.

H i s l a t e s t t r a c k c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h a l o c a l s t a r, Ta l i t h a Ta n ’ s o r i g i n a l s o n g t i t l e d “ O k a y ”. Yo u m i g h t h a v e c o m e across a couple of acoustic performances of this single o n Yo u Tu b e o r o n F l y F M . T h e m u s i c a n d l y r i c s w a s d o n e b y Ta l i t h a , b a s s b y H e r m a n R a m a n a d o a n d t h e r e m i x p r o d u c e d b y D a r r e n A s h l e y h i m s e l f.

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Quicktake

T h e a m o r o u s d u e t , f e a t u r e s Yu n a ’ s a n g e l i c v o c a l s o v e r a s o f t a n d m e l l o w i n s t r u m e n t a l and both of them tugging on your heartstrings.“I met up with Usher about a year ago a n d w e d i d n o t t a l k a b o u t a n y c o l l a b o r a t i o n s ,” Yu n a t o l d H i t z F M i n O c t o b e r. “ W h e n I was recording my new album, I had this one song and I had an idea…We sent it over to him and we didn’t hear anything back for like two months…and then I got an e-mail f r o m h i m a n d i t w a s a r e c o r d e d s o n g o f h i m o n t h e s o n g a l r e a d y, a l l m i x e d , a l l d o n e .” “ C r u s h ” i s o f f Yu n a ’ s u p c o m i n g a l b u m C h a p t e r s , d u e M a y 2 0 . A n o t h e r a r t i s t e w h o a p p e a r s o n C h a p t e r s i s 2 7 - y e a r - o l d A m e r i c a n s i n g e r /s o n g w r i t e r J h e n e A i ko .

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Quicktake

To m o r r o w l a n d i s i n d i s p u t a b l y o n e o f t h e largest festival series in the world. Since magical beginnings in Belgium 2005, it has expanded to two more continents and continue to attract thousands of attendees from across the world.

To celebrate 10 historical years, To m o r r o w l a n d c a p t u r e d i t s m a g i c i n a f u l l l e n g t h m o t i o n p i c t u r e , T h i s W a s To m o r r o w .

The one hour movie features footage from all three events - Belgium, Atlanta, and Brazil. The movie painted an accurate portrait of the festival experience.

To m o r r o w l a n d i s a l e n g t h y v i s u a l p i e c e s o f gorgeous shots taken of the magical scene and attractive festival goers free spirited o v e r h e a d s h o t s . To n s o f s h o t s o f t h e festival itself with all of the big, thundering main stage moments with firework displays, lasers and massive production that you would expect to experience at To m o r r o w l a n d .

T h o u g h To m o r r o w l a n d m a i n e d i t i o n i s i n Boom, Belgium, the expansion to Brazil is a milestone where it is highlighted in the o p e n i n g o f t h e m o v i e . T h i s W a s To m o r r o w , allow viewers an insider look into the festival, along the way it follows the story of a few attendees on their journey to the f e s t i v a l s h a r i n g h o w To m o r r o w l a n d h a s changed their lives.

It features interviews with some of the festival’s biggest stars including TiÍsto, D i m i t r i Ve g a s & L i ke M i ke , D a v i d G u e t t a , P e t e To n g , A r m i n v a n B u u r e n , H a r d w e l l , Martin Garrix, Dave Clark, Ner Josh Wink and many more. The soundtrack has a few unreleased tracks from the likes Guetta and D i m i t r i Va n g e l i s & W y m a n .

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Quicktake

This edition brings a full-printed tee with Arte trade mark signature on front chest. Urban print meets casual wear by Arte incorporated strong c o m b i n a t i o n o f c o l o u r s . S u p p o r t y o u r l o c a l i n d e p e n d e n t s t r e e t w e a r.

Their special edition out is a floral gold print. Not to mention, they sell out fast! Head over to get yours.

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Quicktake

Supreme will drop its “Motion L o g o ” V a n s E r a a t i t s N e w Yo r k , L o s Angeles. For this collaboration, Supreme went back to basic and kept i t t r a d i t i o n a l w i t h i t s c a n v a s u p p e r, but also upgraded the silhouette w i t h i t s u s e o f l e a t h e r f o r s h o e’ s inner lining. The pack is composed of four different colorways; black, red, royal blue, and white, and e a c h o n e key f e a t u r e s S u p r e m e’ s G o o d f e l l a s i n s p i r e d “ M o t i o n Lo g o” graphic across the shoes midsole.

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Cover Story

Merely 21, this dance music force has been throwing it down in the scene and making his mark amongst the upper echelons of electronica ranks. Hailing from the Netherlands where dance music is said to be coursing through the veins of its citizens, it came as no surprise that this expressive and undeniably talented youngster has set for superstardom. In the four years since the start of his p r o f e s s i o n a l c a r e e r, O l i v e r H e l d e n s h a s t o p p e d c h a r t s , e a r n e d t o p rankings, headlined festivals and toured the world; it’s safe to say h e’ s o n a o n e w ay j o u r n ey t o w o r l d d o m i n a t i o n .

Oliver Heldens recently followed up his stream of previous successes with his brand new star-studded track “The Right Song” that tapped o n a n d N a t a l i e L a R o s e t i t l e d “ G h o s t .” T h e r e i s n o q u e s t i o n t h a t t h i s 21 year old high flyer is achieving success way beyond his years. But his story is definitely one for the books as his career launched to fame at 18 when he was signed under Spinnin’ Records. Following up on his signing, Heldens had a run of various successful singles with the Dutch powerhouse label. At 19, Oliver Heldens experienced the impossible, with his other worldly talent and a pinch of luck he made it big in a matter of 15 minutes. This Dutch DJ made a melody i n h i s c a r w h i l s t o n h i s w ay b a c k f r o m w h a t w e’ r e g u e s s i n g w a s a n inspiring vacation in France. He then decided to try his luck and sent the track to Tiësto that garnered him a reply within 15 minutes.

That experience then led him to ‘hang out’ with the superstar at the Amsterdam Dance Event which basically sealed his position in the i n d u s t r y.

T h e t ra c k “G e c ko” b e c a m e O l i ve r H e l d e n s b r e a k t h r o u g h t ra c k w h i c h g o t a n u d g e w i t h v o c a l s f r o m B e c k y H i l l s . P e t e To n g t o o k n o t i c e and his FFRR imprint carried the track to the UK No. 1 spot which went on to garner Platinum sales status. Heldens followed up Gecko with Koala (Last All Night) that became a chart topper on its own r i g h t w i t h S i l v e r s a l e s c e r t i f i c a t i o n . T h a t s a m e y e a r, t h e 1 9 y e a r old launched his Heldeep Mixtape on his official SoundCloud page that raked in notable press coverage and gave him well deserved recognition.

2014 seemed to be Oliver Heldens year as he made his debut on D J M a g ’ s To p 1 0 0 l i s t a t a s t a g g e r i n g n u m b e r 3 4 . T h e r e a r e n ’ t many 19 year olds who could have achieved such notable success but this Dutch DJ beat the odds and made his mark in the scene.

Heldens ended the year performing an Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1 t h a t r e a p e d p r a i s e s f r o m P e t e To n g w h o n a m e d h i m “ o n e o f t h e breakthrough producers of the year” which almost immediately sealed his status as a prolific DJ.

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Cover Story

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Cover Story

T h e f o l l o w i n g y e a r, O l i v e r H e l d e n s m a d e t w o m a j o r a n n o u n c e m e n t s that almost certainly took the industry by storm. He introduced t h e a l i a s H I - LO o n h i s l a b e l H e l d e e p R e c o r d s . M i d 2 0 1 5 , t h e t ra c k “Renegade Mastah” performed by HI-Lo was the first track to be r e l e a s e d o n h i s l a b e l . H i s p r o j e c t H I - LO p r o d u c e s m o r e b a s s d r i ve n beats that are darker that what is expected out of Oliver Heldens h i m s e l f. I n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h U K F, H e l d e n s e x p l a i n e d “ P e o p l e e x p e c t a c e r t a i n s o u n d w h e n t h ey l i s t e n t o a r t i s t s . B y c r e a t i n g H I - LO i t g ave me the freedom to work on a completely new sound. It gives me the opportunity to show another side of me without letting having to l e t g o o f t h e O l i v e r H e l d e n s s o u n d .” W i t h h i s n e w a l i a s a n d r e c o r d label, Oliver Heldens was on an unbeatable high that only launched f u r t h e r w i t h h i s c l i m b i n g 2 4 s p o t s t o n u m b e r 1 2 o f t h e D J M a g To p 100 poll in 2015.

F a s t f o r w a r d a y e a r l a t e r, O l i v e r H e l d e n s i s n o w l i v i n g t h e d r e a m a n d while most 21 year olds are attending festivals and having career c r i s e s , h e’ s b e c o m e a m a i n s t a g e m a i n s t ay a n d i s o n l y p r o p e l l i n g h i s way higher in the dance music scene. Although his early success s o m e t i m e s c o m e s w i t h d ra w b a c k w h e r e by H e l d e n s f e e l s l i ke h e’ s missing out on doing things a normal 21 year old would do, his schedule allows him to travel the world while doing what he loves a n d t h e r e’ s d e f i n i t e l y n o s i g n o f r e g r e t s t h e r e .

2016 has kicked off with a bang with his collaborative track with T h r o t t l e , ‘ Wa i t i n g ’ m a k i n g i t s w ay t o N o . 1 o n t h e B e a t p o r t ra n k s t h a t w a s r e l e a s e d o n H e l d e e p r e c o r d s . A l o n g s i d e ‘ W a i t i n g ’, t h e successful Shaun Frank and Delaney Jane collaboration ‘Shades of Grey’ and Tiesto and Natalie La Rose track, ‘Ghost’ are only mere e x a m p l e s o f w h a t t h i s y o u n g D J i s c a p a b l e o f. H e i s m e r e l y s e t t i n g the tone for his highly awaited debut album that is a surefire chart t o p p e r.

Regardless of his speed train to fame, Heldens has remained humble and is taking everything in with stride. He is ready to take on whatever comes his way and grapple the expectations and pressure that comes alongside this career choice. He is most definitely trailblazing his way into the industry’s hall of fame with his unique blend of sound, relentless energy and a genuine love for his music.

There is no doubt that Oliver Heldens is at the forefront of future house and is only just getting started.

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Cover Story

1 . H i t h e r e ! Ta l k t o u s a b o u t y o u r j o u r n e y i n t h e i n d u s t r y. H o w d i d i t a l l s t a r t o u t ?

Well it all started with my debut track was “ G e c k o ”, w h i c h I s e n t t o T i ë s t o b a c k i n t h e d a y.

He immediately responded to my email and told me he wanted to sign the track to Musical Freedom. From that moment on everything started going so fast. I eventually made a vo c a l e d i t c a l l e d “G e c ko O ve r d r i ve” w h i c h h i t n u m b e r o n e i n t h e B r i t i s h To p 4 0 p o p c h a r t s .

2. How would you describe your sound and what do you think sets your music apart?

The sound I create is really groovy and uplifting. It’s a mix between tech house, deep house and EDM. A lot of people call it deep house or future house, but I think it’s a bit different because I put a lot of powerful sounds in my tracks.

3. Has there been any artist or tracks that have had an influence on your sound and career?

There are a lot of factors that influenced me at the start of my career up till now, for example I used to listen to the radio all the t i m e t o g e t h e r w i t h m y f a t h e r. A n d m y d a d a l s o stuffed the house with records of all kinds like: techno, early electro, disco, classic and drum & bass. Later on I started listening to more UK House and Garage. I think listening to all those types of music really influenced me to create my own sound.

4 . Ta l k t o u s a b o u t H e l d e e p R e c o r d s a n d Heldeep Radio. What made you want to set these two up?

I started with Heldeep Radio, for me it felt like the logical next step to create a radio show. I receive a lot of demos and tracks from other artists and with Heldeep Radio, I have the opportunity to play them along with other tracks I really like. Last year I also launched Heldeep Records, for me it’s all about creating a platform on which I can help new talent and work with other artist that inspire me.

It´s great to have both outlets because they give me the possibility to do cool thing with inspiring artists!

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Cover Story

5 . H o w d i d t h e a l i a s H I - LO c a m e a b o u t ? W h a t made you want to create more music under a different name?

Well you might already know, but the alias H I - LO i s a c t u a l l y O L I H s p e l l e d b a c k w a r d s .

These initials stand for my full name Oliver Heldens, and I thought it would be cool to p r o d u c e t ra c k s u n d e r t h i s a l i a s . H I - LO i s really all about the groovy vibe, heavy bass lines and great build ups. This alias really lets me express my musicality because I get to produce more bass house / tech house inspired tracks. This way of producing basically lets me make more underground stuff again, and that’s what I really like.

6. How do you balance the radio show, your label, producing and all even while on tour?

What is your secret to making it work?

I have been very busy since the start of my c a r e e r, a n d e v e r y t h i n g i s s t i l l d e v e l o p i n g very fast. But I am getting more used to the f a c t t h a t I ’ m a l w a y s b u s y, a n d I h a v e a l s o found ways to split the work so I can be more efficient at times. Next to that I have a really good team that helps me get all the work done.

So I think my secret is dedication and my team, they are the best!

7 . Yo u ’ r e o n l y 2 1 a n d h a v e m a d e q u i t e t h e mark in the electronic music scene. Do you feel like there is a certain amount of pressure for you to become the future of the scene or curate the music of the future?

A s I m e n t i o n e d e a r l i e r, t h i n g s h a v e b e e n g o i n g very fast for me. So there has always been a certain amount of pressure to bring out the best of me. But I try not to worry about it, because I’m still doing what I love most.

8. Moving on to your music, there seems to be a pattern where you tracks are named after animals. Any reason for that?

A t f i r s t I n a m e d my t ra c k “G e c ko” b e c a u s e I thought it was a really crazy track. I came u p w i t h “G e c ko” b e c a u s e “c ra z y ” m e a n s “ g e k ” in Dutch. And after producing that track, I thought it would be fun to name another track after an animal. And I must say I kind of like the fact that so many fans show up at gigs dressed as animals!

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9 . Yo u ’ v e p r o d u c e d s o m e o f t h e i n d u s t r y ’ s biggest chart toppers, is there a secret to your production techniques?

There is no secret to the way I produce my tracks, and if there was I wouldn’t share it with you. Haha. In my opinion there are several things that make a DJ successful, but the most important thing is to have a unique sound.

That’s what I try to do with all my music, make it sound new and innovative.

1 0 . Yo u ’ v e r e c e n t l y r e l e a s e d y o u r t r a c k i n collaboration with Tiësto and Natalie La R o s e . Ta l k t o u s a b o u t t h e t r a c k a n d t h e inspiration behind it.

Tiësto and I worked together on “ Wombass” and we decided to do add some vocals to make it more of a radio track. That’s when the label suggested Nathalie La Rose. We sat down and discussed a possible collaboration on our n e w t r a c k “ W o m b a s s ”, w h i c h t u r n e d o u t t o b e great. I am really proud of the results! Tiësto has always been a big inspiration to me, so I couldn’t refuse to produce this track with him.

Cover Story

11. Bigger things seem to be in store for you, what more can we expect from Oliver Heldens in 2016?

Well, I’m currently touring through the US and Canada, and this bus tour has been a blast s o f a r. I ’ m s o e x c i t e d t o e n d t h i s t o u r w i t h a massive party in Miami! I’ll be hosting an Oliver Heldens & Friends party and a Heldeep P o o l P a r t y, s o c a n ’ t w a i t t o b e i n M i a m i . F o r t h e u p c o m i n g y e a r, I ’ m p l a n n i n g t o p r o d u c e a l o t m o r e t ra c k s u n d e r t h e H I - LO a l i a s , s o ke e p your eyes and ears open. And besides that, I’m looking forward to share all kinds of music with you guys!

d e s i g n s t u f f, s o I w a n t e d t o b e c o m e a d e s i g n e r o r a n a r c h i t e c t s o I ’d p r o b a b l y b e s t u d y i n g something like that. But to be honest I can’t really imagine what my life would look like if I didn’t become this big so fast.

15. If you form a boyband with 3 other DJ’s who would they be and what would you call yourselves?

12. What is your go to motivational track?

Well that would be a very busy stage during one of our sets. But if I could form a boyband with 3 other DJ’s, they would probably be: Tiësto and Chocolate Puma (or do they count as one?). The perfect combination of different DJ generations. Now all we need to come up with is a good cheesy name haha.

Hard one, I can’t really choose one track but Daftpunk always gets me going!

1 6 . A n d l a s t l y, w h a t w o u l d y o u l i k e t o s a y t o your fans in Asia?

1 3 . I f y o u w e r e n ’ t a D J a n d P r o d u c e r, w h a t would you be doing instead?

To a l l m y f a n s i n A s i a ; I h a d a b l a s t w i t h a l l o f you during my last Asia tour in 2015, and hope to be back soon to have a great time!

I would probably still be in school. When I was younger I always liked to create and

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Dance Safe

Yo u a r e a t r i s k o f hearing loss Hearing damage can take the form of temporary or permanent ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and loss of the ability to h e a r c l e a r l y.

Amplified music can cause noiseinduced hearing loss (NIHL). A study in Great Britain found that 62% of regular clubbers have symptoms of hearing loss.

The risk of hearing damage depends on: (1) how loud the music is; (2) how close you are to the speakers; (3) how long you are on the dance floor; and (4) previous hearing damage.

Yo u m a y b e a t r i s k i f y o u h a v e a f a m i l y history of hearing loss.

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Do you have hearing damage?

Yo u h a v e r i n g i n g i n y o u r e a r s .

Yo u ’ r e s e n s i t i v e t o l o u d n o i s e s .

Yo u h a v e d i f f i c u l t y h e a r i n g o t h e r s when there is background noise.

People sound like they’re mumbling or talking too quickly; you have to ask them to repeat themselves.

Yo u n e e d t o t u r n t h e v o l u m e o n t h e T V or radio higher than others.

Yo u h e a r t h e t e l e p h o n e b e t t e r t h r o u g h o n e e a r t h a n t h e o t h e r. I f y o u h a v e any of these symptoms, get your hearing checked by a hearing health p r o f e s s i o n a l . To p r e v e n t m o r e d a m a g e , wear earplugs!

Dance Safe

Be aware of your environment Sound levels in dance clubs can be as high as 115 decibels, which can cause damage within a few seconds Stay at least 10 feet away from the speakers – dancing in front of the s p e a k e r s i s v e r y r i s k y.

Use ear plugs – cotton and rolled up tissue paper provide NO protection.

Ask that sound levels be turned down if too loud.

How to use ear plugs 1. With clean hands, roll the earplug until it is as thin as possible.

2. Quickly insert the tapered end all t h e w a y i n t o y o u r e a r.

3. Hold it in place for at least 30 seconds until it fully expands.

4. Release the earplug then gently push it in one more time to ensure a complete fit. The end should be even with the opening of your ear canal.

Don’t talk on the dance floor – shouting into ears can damage hearing.

Alcohol and drugs lower your sense of pain and increase the risk of hearing damage. Being tired, dehydrated, or overheated also increase risk.

D r i n k p l e n t y o f w a t e r. Ta k e 1 0 - 3 0 minute breaks where sound levels are l o w e r.

If you dance a lot or work in a club, consider getting custom earplugs for music attenuation to protect your hearing without distorting sound.

23

DJ of The Month

EDM / Deep House / Future House

K n o w n f o r h i s d i v e r s e t a s t e i n r e m i x e s a n d b o o t l e g s , h e h a s m a d e h i s n a m e i n m a n y o f K L’ s events and had been featured as a guest DJ at Engine Room, Legian Bali, Indonesia. Rahul has flown all the way to Cambodia to perform for Hennessy Artistry Cambodia as well.

From EDM bangers, to trance and deep house, his taste of music keeps the crowd pumped a n d e n e r g i z e d t h e w h o l e n i g h t . D J M A G M a l a y s i a c a u g h t u p w i t h Tw o . 0 . S i x t o t a l k a b o u t his beginnings and future progress in the scene.

1. Hi Rahul, tell us about your journey towards becoming a DJ. I was never really into the whole electronic music scene until I attended my first rave b a c k i n 2 0 0 7 , S p e e d z o n e a t K L To w e r. T h e e x p e r i e n c e o f b e i n g a b l e t o l i s t e n t o D J ’ s s u c h a s M a r c o V, Yo j i B i o m e h a n i k a o p e n e d m e u p t o e l e c t r o n i c m u s i c t h u s m y j o u r n e y b e g a n . I t all started with messing about on Virtual DJ at house parties, slowly learning different s k i l l s t h r o u g h f r i e n d s & w a t c h i n g Yo u Tu b e . Ye s , I s a i d Yo u Tu b e a l r i g h t . M a i n l y i t w a s j u s t m e l e a r n i n g h o w t o D J t h r o u g h t r i a l s a n d e r r o r.

2 . H o w d i d y o u g e t y o u r s t a g e n a m e Tw o . 0 . S i x ?

Well, this is going to sound really ridiculous but my stage name actually came about from the apartment unit my friends and I were renting way back then, Unit 206. We used to throw some insane house parties there and I guess that 206 vibe stuck with me and grew i n t o Tw o . 0 . S i x .

3. How would you describe your ‘sound’ to someone who has never attended your gigs?

I w o u l d t e l l t h e m t o a t t e n d o n e o f m y g i g s a n d d i s c o v e r w h a t I h a v e t o o f f e r. H a h a h a , j u s t kidding, well I have my very own preference of tracks I love to drop. I love playing massive bangers or even deep house tracks that people don’t usually hear at your everyday club.

I like taking the time to select the best tracks possible to add to my expanding collection of music. Its always an amazing feeling when people go crazy when you drop something totally unexpected.

4 . Yo u ’ r e c o n s t a n t l y o n t h e m o v e a n d y o u ’ r e a l w a y s u p d a t i n g y o u r M i x C l o u d . Te l l u s more about your mixtapes.

Well each mixtape is directed to a different genre in electronic music. For example, Blissful Serenity had a very trancy feel to it. I try and cater to the different sub-genres in EDM. Electric Eargasm is a full on EDM mixtape series which I decided to give a premature ending to it to move onto my new EDM mixtape series Nocturnal Sessions. I explore and like to be diversified with my music because I would like to capture audiences who not only like EDM but also the different sub genres in EDM.

24

DJ of The Month

5. How did it feel like to be the warm up-set DJ for international acts such as Juicy M, Sidney Samson, Judge Jules and more?

It has been an honor for me to be able to share the decks with the biggest names in the scene. I still wake up everyday knowing that I have been blessed to be able to perform with such high profile acts in the electronic music scene. As for my sets, I have never really prepped to be frank. I have always been going with the flow. I c a n o n l y s a y, b e h u m b l e a s y o u c a n w h e n y o u r g i v e n t h e chance to perform with big DJ’s & play a proper warm up set if your given a warm up set. There will be a time for you to shine bright. Patience is a virtue & nothing comes easily overnight.

6. Which relatively new local DJ’s listening to or enjoying recently?

have

you

been

Gosh! Where do I start. Well personally I’ve been l i s t e n i n g t o l o c a l h e r o e s l i k e A N R K , A . S . R , X . A , D J E N .V Y and many more. They are not your typical EDM driven DJs but they pack a punch with their own diverse style of mixing and blending, not forgetting the amazing selection of music they have. f a c e b o o k . c o / 2 0 6 .Tw o . 0 . S i x 7. If you could perform with ANY musician in this world, regardless of generation and centuries gap, who would it be and why?

instagram.com/two.0.six soundcloud.com/two0six m i x c l o u d . c o m / Tw o 0 S i x

This has got to be the toughest question yet. Where do I even begin? Well at this very moment I would do anything to be able to perform with my idol Kaskade. I’ve been watching every step of his career and what he has been producing is just beyond explanation.

8 . Te l l u s w h a t a r e t h e 3 t h i n g s t h a t y o u c a n n o t l i v e without.

Pheeew, finally an easy one. I would say my music c o l l e c t i o n , m y b e l o v e d p e t s a n d t h e i n t e r n e t I s a y.

25

DJ of The Month

Pafko and Bradd Rauna, also known as D’Jaeger are two very driven and passionaite DJs/ Producers from the heart of Malaysia. Not only that, they are always so energtic during their performances because of their youth as well. They definitely show no signs of slowing down as they are constantly performing at local events and not only that, they are always busy producing new music too. With all that being said, read on to find out more about this dynamic duo and how they are carting up their career path.

1 . Te l l u s a b o u t y o u r j o u r n e y t o w a r d s b e c o m i n g a D J D u o , D ’ J a e g e r.

Well, we started our DJing career 3 years ago playing Commercial, Bounce and Big R o o m g e n r e s i m i l a r t o V i n a i ’ s s t y l e . A n d t h r o u g h o u t o u r j o u r n e y, w e f o u n d o u t a b o u t ‘ M e l t r a n c e ’. I t ’ s a c o m b i n a t i o n o f 2 g e n r e s , w h i c h a r e ‘ Tr a n c e ’ a n d ‘ M e l b o u r n e S t y l e ’ s o u n d . M e l t ra n c e’ s p a t t e r n i s ve r y s i m i l a r t o t ra n c e a n d t h e s o u n d o f i t f o l l o w s t h e Melbourne elements.

2. Which DJ/Producer inspired you both the most?

We would say David Gravell, because his style is very unique to us. We like his style because he make the track with a powerful energy in it and the melody part given us m u c h s o u l . E ve r y t ra c k i s d i f f e r e n t a n d h a s t h a t ‘d r i v i n g ’ s t y l e i n h i s m u s i c . T h e r e a r e varieties of percussion used in his tracks as well, which makes his sound very refreshing.

Fo r i n s t a n c e , D a v i d G a r v e l l ’ s t r a c k w i t h H u s m a n c a l l e d ‘ Va l o r ’ a n d a l s o D a v i d G r a v e l l ’ s latest track ‘I Follow’ are some of our favorite tracks fr om him.

3. What’s keeping you busy in 2016?

W e a r e r e s e r v e d m a i n l y f o r f e s t i v a l e v e n t s f o r t h i s y e a r, a s w e w i l l b e f o c u s i n g o n p r o d u c i n g m o r e i n y e a r. F u r t h e r m o r e , w e w o u l d l i k e t o c o l l a b o r a t e w i t h a n y t a l e n t e d l o c a l D J s u c h a s C h u k i e s s & W h a c k b o i , S i m o n L e e & A l v i n , H i r o s h i , AT O K a n d m a n y more for our next track. We are also in the means of getting signed under an agency next year as well since we are considering an offer for the time being. Fans can expect more o r i g i n a l t r a c k s f r o m u s t h i s y e a r.

4. Do you have any instrumental background? If yes, does that help you with producing music?

Guitar & Drums. It really helps on our producing because when we produce a track at least we know how to read chord major or minor and so on.

26

DJ of The Month

Meltrance

f a c e b o o k . c o /d j a e g e r 1 0 s o u n d c l o u d . c o m /d j a e g e r - 2

5. How long does it take for you both to produce a track?

It roughly takes us about minimum 2 or 3 weeks and we invest 1 months on our tracks to g i v e i t a t o p - n o t c h q u a l i t y. W e p u t 2 w e e k s o n p r o d u c i n g t h e m e l o d y i t s e l f b e c a u s e t h a t is the main element in our track . Applying the drops takes roughly about 2 week and the f i n a l w e e k i s m a s t e r i n g t h e e n t i r e t ra c k . O u r f i r s t t ra c k f o r M e l t ra n c e i s c a l l e d ‘ Ze p l e’ a n d i t i s a l r e a d y s i g n e d u n d e r a l a b e l c a l l e d ‘ L e a d i n g s R e c o r d ’.

6. How would you describe your ‘sound’?

Only one word, ‘UNIQUE’ or ‘DIFFERENT’ is the best way to describe our sound . It’s a c o m b i n a t i o n o f Tr a n c e a n d M e l b o u r n e s o u n d t h a t w e u s e t o m a k e o u r s o u n d d i f f e r e n t f r o m o t h e r s . W e t r y t o m a k e s o m e t h i n g c o o l t h a t w i l l m a k e o u r s e l f f e e l ‘ FA N TA S T I C ’ f a c t o r i n o u r m u s i c . A n d w e’ ve t a ke n D av i d G rave l l ’ s s t y l e by a d d i n g p e r c u s s i o n i n t h e middle of the drop as well.

7. What do you think about the EDM scene in Malaysia?

F r a n k l y s p e a k i n g , w e p e r s o n a l l y t h i n k i t i s g e t t i n g b e t t e r. M a l a y s i a h a s b e e n o n h i a t u s regarding outdoor music festival for this year and it looks like it’s slowly shifting towards a better crowd and environment.

8. If you were to lose your hearing tomorrow, what would be the last 3 tracks you would want to hear?

I t w i l l d e f i n i t e l y b e o u r o w n p r o d u c e d t r a c k s s u c h a s Z e p l e , T h e L i g h t a n d L a s t H o u r.

9 . T h r e e t h i n g s yo u c a n’ t l i ve w i t h o u t .

Bear Pafko

: M y f a m i l y, m y c a r a n d p h o n e . : M y f a m i l y, m y l a p t o p , a n d m y b r o t h e r, Z a s s Z u s s .

27

DJ of The Month

Using the natural sounds of Borneo and electronic elements, this Sarawakian-Iban DJ/Producer strives n o t h i n g b u t p e r f e c t i o n w h e n h e p r o d u c e s ! H e’ s b e e n in the industry for quite a while in the Borneo side a n d h a s m u c h m o r e t o o f f e r. G e t t h e i n s i d e s c o o p o f this up-rising Borneo artist and his plans for 2016.

1 . Te l l u s a b o u t y o u r j o u r n e y t o w a r d s b e c o m i n g a D J / P r o d u c e r.

Before I started DJing, I was a guitarist for a band.

I started playing a guitar since I was 9 years old and after tha,t I started picking up drums after a while.

My music career began when I had to perform in a church’s gospel group. Followed by that, I’ve formed a band that has been quite active around Kuching.

After a while, I’ve decided to quit the band and I moved on to electronic dance music from there.

I started producing when I was in the band and I used FL studio to create some music using the software. We couldn’t afford to produce music in a proper recording studio, so we decided to do a home recording studio instead. In 2009, I started using m u s i c t h e o r y, w h i c h I g a i n e d d u r i n g m y t i m e i n t h e band and used it to produce EDM tracks. I started DJing first and afterwards, I started producing my own tracks.

2. Which DJ/Producer inspired you the most?

It would have to be Deorro. His styles consist of a great drop followed by the snare roll on the drop, which compliments the whole track. I like the energy in his tracks, which is very refreshing from my point of view.

3. What’s keeping you busy in 2016?

f a c e b o o k . c o /my v a x my v a x s o u n d c l o u d . c o m /my v a x my v a x

2016 looks like a good year to do more producing.

I’m looking to be signed under a record label, hence I will be busy sending my demos to multiple record labels and hopefully I will get signed soon.

Some of the plans I have in mind consist of traveling around the world to spread my music and my artwork

28

DJ of The Month

Hardstyle

as well. Not only that, I am also looking forward on collaborating with many talented local producers such as Chukiess & Whackboi.

Other than producing, I will be busy with my club residency back in Sarawak. For the t i m e b e i n g , I h o l d a r e s i d e n c y a t ‘ T h e C o t t a g e ’.

4. What are the biggest influences in the tracks that you produced?

The environment is very crucial for me. Borneo is very well known for its natural ‘Jungle & Tr i b a l ’ s o u n d . S o m e o f m y e l e m e n t i n s p i r a t i o n c a n c o m e f r o m s i m p l e c r e a t u r e s s u c h as bird’s chirping. Because I am an Iban as well, our traditional instruments also gives inspiration on producing tracks. I like to mix around natural sound and electronic sound to give it a unique sound, which fans can immediately recognize my sound.

5. Are you working on any tracks for the time being?

Ye s , I a m w o r k i n g o n a n e w t r a c k , w h i c h i s s o m e w h a t l i k e a “ N e w E r a ” o f R e v e r s e B a s s Hardstyle music. Probably doing my own type of sound and style of reverse bass. In other words, I am still searching for my own identity and sound right now.

6. How would you describe your ‘sound’?

I like to blend everything up to create a track. What I mean by blending is, the track w i l l c o n s i s t o f m u l t i p l e s o u n d s , w h i c h i n c l u d e ‘ B o u n c e ’, ‘ H a r d s t y l e ’, ‘ B i g R o o m ’, a n d sometimes it includes tribal sounds. By adding variety in the track, it creates a unique track, which represents my sound. I use whichever sounds suitable and compatible for the whole track.

7. What do you think about the EDM scene in Malaysia, specifically Borneo side?

T h e E D M c o m m u n i t y i s g r o w i n g d a y b y d a y. I ’ m h a p p y t h a t m o r e p e o p l e a r e i n t o d a n c e music. I personally feel that the Borneo side, they need a little bit more exposure towards t h i s b o o m i n g i n d u s t r y. F o r t h e t i m e b e i n g , m o s t o f p e o p l e t h e r e a r e s t i l l l i s t e n i n g t o TO P 4 0 a n d b a s i c a l l y ra d i o c o m m e r c i a l s t u f f s . I w o u l d l i ke t o c h a n g e t h a t b e c a u s e I w a n t Borneo people to know and like the music that I love as well.

8. If you were to lose your hearing tomorrow, what would be the last track you would want to hear?

M y c h o i c e o f t r a c k w o u l d b e ‘ C o d e B l a c k – Tr i a n g l e ’ b e c a u s e i t i s v e r y m e a n i n g f u l t o m e .

9 . T h r e e t h i n g s yo u c a n’ t l i ve w i t h o u t .

I definitely can’t live without music, and also DJing. And the last one would be my family because of their support and understanding my passion for music.

29

DJ of The Month

Multifaceted artist Boris Foong makes it seems very effortless to balance between b e i n g a c l u b & r a d i o D J , s t a g e VJ p r o j e c t i o n i s t , T V C c o m p o s i t o r, g r a p h i c d e s i g n e r a n d c i n e m a t o g r a p h e r. S t a r t e d a t a v e r y y o u n g a g e , B o r i s d i s c o v e r e d h i s i n t e r e s t f o r d a n c e music when he was introduced to the technicality of DJing. As he strives to push his limit and break boundaries, he has become one of the most prominent figures in the Electric D a n c e M u s i c c o m m u n i t y. D J M A G M a l a y s i a c a u g h t u p w i t h t h i s D J w h o i s c l o c k i n g h u g e success in Malaysia to talk about his beginnings and future plans.

1. Hi Boris Foong, tell us about your journey towards becoming a DJ. From the moment I was born, I have been surrounded by music as my mom is a piano t e a c h e r. G r o w i n g u p , I w a s e x p o s e d t o a n e c l e c t i c r a n g e o f m u s i c f r o m c l a s s i c a l t o j a z z , pop to rock and gospel to R&B. This developed in me a wide taste in music. When it came to instruments, I started with piano, moved to guitar but found myself drawn to the percussions and drums. When I got to college, many of my friends were listening to dance music. My dad interestingly introduced me to the Hed Kandi World Series: Ibiza album and I was instantly hooked to all those house tunes in the album. That marked the beginning of my journey into the world of dance music.

I found myself dabbling in the world of DJ-ing, learning about the history of dance music but it wasn’t until I turned 21 that my parents allowed me to further develop my skills.

I am so blessed that I had the privilege of being mentored by renown local dance scene icons - Callen, Bryan Burger & Fono from Excessive Records.

I b e c a m e p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t e r e s t e d i n Tr a n c e m u s i c a s I w a s i n t r i g u e d b y t h e e u p h o r i c feeling it elicits in the listeners. The genre places great emphasis on melodies. Having had a couple of years experiencing the scene, I realized that having the passion to share music with people in itself wasn’t enough. I recognized that creativity must be coupled w i t h h a r d w o r k , d i s c i p l i n e a n d p e r s e v e r a n c e . To m e t h a t ’ s t h e k e y t o m o v i n g f o r w a r d i n the local dance music scene. I am continuously learning and I don’t want to merely just be known as a good DJ. I have a dream to help raise our local dance scene to atmospheric heights!

2. Which DJ/Producer Inspired you the most?

S e v e r a l i n t e r n a t i o n a l D J ’ s i n s p i r e s m e . Te c h n o l u m i n a r y D J / P r o d u c e r R i c h i e H a w t i n for example. His contributions to the electronic music scene are invaluable. With his innovative blending of technology and music created a whole new movement which has s i n c e b e e n e m u l a t e d w o r l d w i d e . M o r e o v e r, I h a v e g r e a t a d m i r a t i o n f o r h i s e x p e r i m e n t a l ENTER event series in Space Ibiza.

O t h e r D J s w h o’ s s o u n d a n d s t y l e i m p a c t e d m e i n c l u d e Fe r r y C o r s t e n , G u y J, S a s h a , J o h n Digweed, Tiësto, Andrew Bayer and Armin van Buuren. Local icons who move me are C a l l e n , Te r e n c e C , F o n o , B r y a n B u r g e r, G o l d f i s h & B l i n k . T h e s e g u y s c o n t i n u e s t o r o c k and shake the local dance music scene.

3 . W e f e e l t h a t t h i s i s o n l y t h e s t a r t o f s o m e t h i n g b i g g e r f o r y o u r c a r e e r, w h a t d o y o u have planned out for 2016?

2016 brings me new and exciting challenges. I’m excited about the opportunities I’ve been given to open and warm up for renown international artistes coming to spin in Malaysia.

I’m also working closely with Fono, Ramsey Westwood, MisterAriffin and Samuel Dan (TRIMIX) to host exclusive trance nights in KL . It’s a work-in-progress between DJs aimed at creating a unique dance experience through top quality music and visuals up a n d d o w n t h e c o u n t r y.

On music production, I’m excited to be working closely with Ramsey Westwood towards producing and debuting our own tracks. In fact we have one track that’s cooking in the oven. Look out for more coming your way soon!

30

DJ of The Month

Tr a n c e

www.borisfoongdj.com soundcloud.com/borisfoong

4. How would you describe your ‘sound’ to someone who has never attended your gigs?

My ‘sound’ is progressive trance, I like long hour sets so that I can build my sets gradually a n d t a k e t h e l i s t e n e r o n a j o u r n e y t h r o u g h a m o t i o n o f d i s t i n c t i v e m e l o d i c c r e a t i v i t y.

One that I hope transforms the listener from a mere recipient to a participant, liberating t h e m b o d y, s o u l a n d m i n d .

5. Besides being a Guest DJ residency at Zouk Club KL , what else do you do?

I ’ m c u r r e n t l y a f i l m v i s u a l e f f e c t s a r t i s t i n V H Q M e d i a K L a n d a f r e e l a n c e VJ f o r m a n y big events and artist.

My film credits include visual effect works for Hollywood blockbusters such as “Percy J a c k s o n 2 : S e a o f M o n s t e r s ”, “ S e v e n t h S o n ”, a n d m a n y m o r e t o c o m e . Yo u c a n f i n d m y name on IMDB! A s a VJ , I c o l l a b o r a t e w i t h C a l l e n ( A LT. I M G ) m a j o r i t y f o r F u t u r e S o u n d A s i a a n d O h r w u r m KL events. This allows me to express my visual creativity on the stage. I’ve had the p r i v i l e g e t o VJ f o r e v e n t s s u c h a s H e i n e k e n T h i r s t , Z o u k K L X B e a t S h i p w h i c h f e a t u r e s Paul van Dyk, Aly & Fila, Andrew Rayel, and many more.

6. What do you think about the local dance music scene right now?

The local dance music scene is certainly alive, both underground and the mainstream.

I t ’ s a c u l t u r e b r i m m i n g w i t h d i v e r s i t y, u n i q u e t o e v e r y i n d i v i d u a l . W e m u s t e a c h r e s p e c t a n d e m b r a c e t h i s d i v e r s i t y.

While enthusiasts and industry stakeholders are passionate in growing the local dance scene, we each have a responsibility to change any lingering negative perceptions associated with its culture. Let’s work together towards building a healthy culture – unity through diversity!

31

Emcee of The Month

Jan Gregory Hamilton formerly known as MC Quickload, truly understands what perseverance and patience means as he faced multiple hardship during his early days as an emcee. From emceeing at bars to top-notch clubs in KL . It doesn’t even stop there as he shared the stage with prominent local DJs such as Goldfish & Blink, ChukieSS & Whackboi, H3, Ramsey Westwood, and international DJs such as Steve Aoki, DJ Bl3nd, Wolfpack, DJ Chuckies, and more. Clearly MC NOIXE shows no signs of slowing down just yet!

We’ ve c a u g h t u p w i t h M C N O I X E t o t a l k about his passion for emceeing and his f u t u r e p l a n s i n t h i s i n d u s t r y.

1. Hi, tell us the story of you becoming an emcee. Did you stumble into the industry or was it a dream of yours?

Honestly it’s just passion that was my drive, passion for rap music and passion f o r h i p h o p i t s e l f. I t a l l s t a r t e d o u t w h e n I w a s s t i l l a t e e n a g e r. I h a d t h i s b u r n i n g passion in me, so I decided to make full use of it. I walk into the night clubs and started mingling around with the managers of the premise and asking them for an opportunity to emcee at their premises and I must say it was by LUCK that I got gigs after gigs because it was really tough back in the days. Those days, DJs were emcee as well so penetrating the market seemed impossible but with LUCK and my skills on the microphone, it got me to places, I earned respect from many and ever since then I’ve been keeping up a h o u s e h o l d n a m e f o r m y s e l f. I c a n a c t u a l l y say I’m living up to my passion a day at a time.

2. How would you NOIXE’ experience?

describe

the

‘MC

A very good question to be honest, all I have to say is “The NOIXE is speaking f o r i t s e l f ”, b u t o n a s e r i o u s n o t e t h e experience is overwhelming at times. I’m just blessed with this God given gift to me.

3. Who or what has been your inspirations and influences?

First it’s definitely my family that inspired me to be the entertainer that I a m t o d a y, I ’ v e h a d t h e i r s u p p o r t s i n c e d a y one because they’ve never been against what I wanted to do. It’s pretty common t h a t s o m e p e o p l e w o u l d s a y Tu p a c S h a k u r,

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B.I.G & etc. As for me I took up to local hip hop stars as my source of inspiration.

P o e t i c A m m o , To o - P h a t , Te h Ta r i k C r e w , R e b e l S c u m s , B a l a n K a s h m i r, C h a k r a Sonic, MC Syze, DJ Rage, DJ Double , DJ Alvin-J and also MC Vibe. These guys are the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing and love what I do. They inspire me to inspire myself day in day out without fail.

Balan Kashmir played the biggest role in my career as a emcee, He made sure that I did not put my talent to shame or waste.

4.

Te l l us about your plans expectations for the rest of 2016?

and

I just signed with a label called Asia A g e n c y t h i s ye a r s o w e’ r e c u r r e n t l y working really hard on getting me on tours and the plan is to just go around the world and hit gigs after gigs from club scenes to major music festivals. My first i n t e r n a t i o n a l g i g t h a t w e’ r e w o r k i n g o n right now is on the 26th of March 2016, it’s a music festival in Sri Lanka, my team and I are just looking forward to this at the moment. Apart from that you can actually follow me up on social media regarding my future gigs.

5 . Yo u ’ v e b e e n i n t h e r u n n i n g f o r “ B e s t E m c e e o f T h e Ye a r ” a w a r d b y C h o o n s Awards for several of years now. How does that make you feel?

PROUD! I’ve always been considered an underdog by many but its safe to say now that I’m running with the big boys in the i n d u s t r y.

6. Do you have any usual routines before a show? How do you prepare yourself before a big performance?

I’ve yet to overcome the fear of being on b i g s t a g e s , s o w h a t I u s u a l l y d o i s I p r a y, drink lots of coconut water and then get on stage. The biggest challenge is when I’m going to be performing at an event with DJs I’m not familiar with. So, I take a few days before the show to listen to their online mixtapes and get used to their sound and their style of playing.

7. Do you have any tips to share with young and upcoming emcees in Malaysia?

Always have a good work ethic. Don’t get drunk while working, drink lots of water and most importantly don’t be arrogant or stuck up with people because they

Emcee of The Month

may be a fan or a potential client in the future. Stay humble and grounded at all times. Keep your wits about you and be in control of your own actions. Don’t ever give in to smack talk instead use that as i n s p i r a t i o n t o i m p r o v e a s a n e n t e r t a i n e r.

8 . Yo u ’ v e a c c o m p l i s h e d s o m u c h . W h a t are your favorite milestones in your career and why?

M y O H m y, I m u s t s a y I h a v e 2 f a v o r i t e achievements, First was when I had a call f r o m F M FA a s k i n g m e t o j o i n t h e m o n a mini Pre-Party tour around Malaysia and the second favorite will be when I got o n s t a g e a t t h e PA I N T S G L O W F E S T I VA L 2015 in Sepang. I swear to God I still d r e a m a b o u t i t a t n i g h t t i l l t h i s v e r y d a y.

9. Which relatively new local emcee have you been eyeing on?

This is by far my favorite question. I’ve been eyeing on two emcee that have been working real hard and showing so much love for what they do. These 2 people are M.I.O and Mc Protégé. They’ve definitely stepped up to the plate and shown so much o f r e s p e c t f o r m u s i c a n d t h e i n d u s t r y. I personally know them and I want to say to them “Go for it and good luck brothers, I ’ ve b e e n yo u r f a n s i n c e d ay o n e” 10. If you could emcee at any music festival or event in this world, which one would you choose?

It’ll be a dream come true if I could emcee for Ultra Music Festival in the future.

f a c e b o o k . c o m /o f f i c i a l m c n o i xe i n s t a g ra m . c o m /m c n o i xe t w i t t e r. c o m / m c n o i x e

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Club of The Month

Kuala Lumpur The newly revamped and remodelled Rootz Club KL is set to redefine the art of party perfection at the heart o f K u a l a L u m p u r.

W E D N E S D AY S : EPIC Presents A-Rox and Musher hyped M.I.O Ladies night special that is dedicated to all the gorgeous ladies in town, forget about the café and put on some make up and flaunt your best dress. Spark conversations with your babes and let the good times roll, not forgetting free flow all night for the ladies at the Rootz KL ladies bar! Leave the bar tab to us as you bounce to the seductive beats from Musher & A-Rox, hyped by M.I.O. XOXO ladies T H U R S D AY S : “ I N F L U X ” b y M I S T E R A R I F F I N & N FJ Introducing our brand new Thursday night with Mister Ariffin and his pool of talents on board, “Influx” led by the man himself is here to provide you the best of electronic dance music ranging from house right up to trance all night long! A special beer buffet is also offered to keep those thirsty throats filled for the night. Look no further as your Thursdays will never be the same again.

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Club of The Month

F R I D AY S : “ Worst Behavior” featuring DJ J. DOUGIE, R AY R O X a n d D A N S H I V “Worst Behaviour” is back and it’s a whole new game in the making, introducing the night with our latest residents on board led by DJ J. Dougie, Rayrox and DAN SHIV supported by our in house resident DJ A-Rox known for their high energy on the turntables, guests can expect nothing but R&B and Hip-Hop chart toppers from the past to the present alongside a revamped night designed exclusively for you.

S AT U R D AY S : “ H y p e” by M I X I N G I N AC T I O N ( M . I . A ) T h i s d u o h a s b e e n l i v i n g u p K L’ s n i g h t l i f e scene with their nights with the latter of being Daft Punk mimics you can already imagine how a typical Mixing In Action set would be like. Playing all sorts of sounds such as French Electro, Ghetto House, Nu-Rave and Commercial sounds, they’re constantly try to engage with their audience to deliver a satisfying set. Offering fresh music to the clubbers is their key to success and with this, Rootz Club KL is proud to welcome this duo t o t h e l a t e s t a d d i t i o n f o r “ H y p e” S a t u r d ay s happening exclusively at Rootz Club KL .

Rooftop, Lot 10 Shopping Centre, Lot RT3, No.50 J a l a n S u l t a n I s m a i l , 5 0 2 5 0 K u a l a L u m p u r, M a l a y s i a .

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Bar of The Month

Located in Changkat Bukit Bintang, Elevate has always been the ladies’s top pick to chill and unwind their stress at. Known for their great services and fabulously done ladies cocktails, no wonder this place is always filled with variety of people from all walks of life.

20-2A, Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang, 5 0 2 0 0 K u a l a L u m p u r, M a l a y s i a

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Bar of The Month

Changkat, KL M O N D AY S : DJ Aisha Wilkinson & DJ Loco Chase away those Monday Blues with your friends and enjoy some classy Deep House and Progressive vibes during the late hours.

T U E S D AY S : HIT DEM UP WITH MUSIC I t ’ s a l l a b o u t g o o d H i p - H o p , R & B , A f r o b e a t a n d TO P 4 0 s b y D J Lo c o W E D N E S D AY S : # C A L L M E O N M YC E L L P H O N E L a d i e s N i g h t Join DJ Phinans & DJ Shaggy bringing the best Hip-Hop and commercial vibes and ladies get to enjoy complimentary cocktails all night long!

T H U R S D AY S : DJ Soya & DJ Loco Catch DJ Soya & DJ Loco as they bring you some Hip-Hop, R&B, Real Urban and commercial music.

F R I D AY S : “A B O V E T H E L A W ” Welcoming the weekend with DJ Melissa Jo on the decks supported

by DJ Loco. Friday is the turn up night, definitely not a night to be missed! Ladies gets a special complimentary cocktails until 11pm S AT U R D AY S : ELITE 20 Expect good vibes and a playlist filled with rich sounds and mixes.

Playlist selected by DJ Phinans, DJ Alvin J, DJ Mom and King Lhota.

S U N D AY S : Play For Passion Elevates continues on by ending the weekend with Play for Passion from 3PM to 3AM. Expect a chilled Sunday before starting the week again with some tasteful house music.

Events are promoted and planned out by Artam Events supported by T h e B i g Vo i c e G r o u p , A d e m D J A g e n c y a n d G e m i n i E v e n t s .

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Best of Sandakan

Ta s t e S t e a k B i s t r o & C a f é s t a r t e d w i t h a h u m b l e wooden food stall since 1999 situated next to a pub, in Bandar Indah, Sandakan. After over 10 years, it has won many hearts because to the good service and excellent food provided.

It has shifted to a shop lot located at Bandar Indah, Mile 4, Sandakan. Within a short period of time, less than 10 months, it has expanded t o t w o s h o p l o t s a t t h e s a m e l o c a t i o n . Ta s t e Steak Bistro & Café operated in two shop lots since October 2009.

Ta s t e S t e a k B i s t r o & C a f é o f f e r s g r e a t and delicious Western and Asian cuisines.

Grilled food is the main selection and patrons can choose from Sirloin Steak, Lamb Chop, Chicken Chop, Fish & Chip and Grilled Salmon. There are also pasta like Spaghetti Bolognaise, Cream Cheese Penne, and Spaghetti Carbonara. Chicken Cordon Bleu is definitely outstanding and all time favouriteof the customers. Besides Western, Nasi Lemak Rendang in their Asian selection i s s t u n n i n g . A s i a n G r i l l e d s t i n g r a y, s q u i d a n d pasung are their favourite beer muchies.

A glance on the menu shows almost 60 different drinks, from soft drinks to juices, b e e r s t o h a r d l i q u o r. T h e r e a r e 3 0 o v e r different beers selection.

Other than it is simple yummy and affordable f o o d . Ta s t e S t e a k B i s t r o & C a f é i s a n enthralling place to dine and chat, and is the ‘in’ place for the new trendy culture of to see and be seen. There are 5 electronic soft dart machines and a pool table equipped for c u s t o m e r t o e n j o y. T h e i n t e r i o r a r e d i v i d e d into two types of different environment close area with air conditioning and open-air c o n c e p t . Ta s t e S t e a k B i s t r o & C a f é i s t h e b e s t c h o i c e f o r a l l t y p e s o f c u s t o m e r, b e s t d i n i n g p l a c e f o r c u s t o m e r, b e s t d r i n k i n g p l a c e f o r beer lovers and best game centre for young generations.

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Best of Sandakan

Happy Castle is the largest nightlife spot in Sandakan. Located in Bandar Indah, Mile 4, Sandakan, Sabah.

Occupying four full lots which about 4,500 square feet in total, the dual concept interior features a stage for live bands and a huge space for games zone, it includes electronic darts and pool table as well. It is a perfect combination of two different environment and atmosphere in one club. It is a breakthrough for Sandakan to have such a clubs where you can enjoy various entertainments in one place.

Good traffic during nighttime and spacious parking space available along the area.

Huge and spacious environment gives good ventilation and comfortable vibe. The sound system, believe to be the best audio effectW o r l d To p S o u n d S y s t e m - T W A u d i o .

An added feature includes, house DJs and invited guest DJs from local and international artist. Ladies can get their complimentary d r i n k s e v e r y Tu e s d a y & W e d n e s d a y. H a p p y C a s t l e’ s h a p py h o u r i s f r o m 6 p m t o 1 0 p m daily and Happy Castle serves various types o f f r e s h d r a u g h t b e e r s a n d h a r d l i q u o r.

B e s i d e s b a r, c h o i c e s o f f o o d s a n d t i d b i t s a r e available.

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Best of Sandakan

TIKI is one of the most happening and largest karaoke joint in town. Located in new township, Bandar Prima, Sandakan, Sabah.

Occupying two lots which is about 2,200 square feet.

Equipped with attractive and colourful interior with neat arrangement of high table and chair seating with a bar along the s i d e w a y. T I K I i s w e l l k n o w n f o r t h e i r b e s t karaoke system with updated selection of songs. Private VIP room is available for p r i v a t e f u n c t i o n o r p a r t y. T I K I i s a l s o v e r y popular among the guests for their excellent services.

Va r i o u s s e l e c t i o n s o f b e e r a n d l i q u o r a r e also available as well. TIKI is also equipped with a pool table, which makes the karaoke atmosphere complete with drinks, songs, music and games.

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SALES & MARKETING REPRESENTIVE DJ MAG MALAYSIA

BORNEO

Alveen

alveen@djmag.my 017 - 6500585

Mixtape of The Month

GENRE : TRAP DJ MAG Malaysia strives to balance out the order by pushing new and exciting underground artists alongside to established more superstars in Malaysia. With t h e l a u n c h o f t h e D J C o m p e t i t i o n : M i x o f t h e M o n t h ( # M OT M ) , m o r e b e d r o o m warriors will be unearthed and to break them into superstardom!

T h e w i n n e r s w i l l b e s h o w c a s e d i n o n e o f t h e D J M A G M a l a y s i a ’ s C l u b To u r i n t h e f o l l o w i n g m o n t h . A t t h e e n d o f t h e y e a r, w e w i l l p i t t h e s e m o n t h l y w i n n e r s a n d g o h e a d t o h e a d t o w i n t h e D J M A G M a l a y s i a Ye a r M i x 2 0 1 6 A w a r d .

T h e ve r y f i r s t D J M AG M a l ay s i a’ s “ M i x t a p e o f T h e M o n t h” c o m p e t i t i o n s t a r t e d on 1st March 2016 and ended on 13th March 2016. Contestants were given 13 days to storm up an incredible and breathtaking TRAP inspired mixtape, which goes up to 30 minutes – 60 minutes. Within the 13 days as well, contestant had to garner 200 plays and at least 20 genuine comments for their mixtape to be qualified in the judging round. Winner was announced on 16th March and we would like to congratulate the winner again.

Winner : TRVP.US 2nd Place : DRPX 3rd Place : Tiger Ming

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Mixtape of The Month

A b o u t T R V P. U S T R V P. U S , a c o m p o s i t i o n o f t h r e e D J s w h o a r e d r i v e n b y t h e b a n g i n g s o u n d s o f Tr a p , H a r d s t y l e , J u n g l e Te r r o r, a n d D u b s t e p . E m e r g i n g o u t f r o m t h e f i n e s t D J a c a d e m y i n K L , t h e y ’ v e d e c i d e d t o j o i n f o r c e s a n d c r e a t e T R V P. U S a s t h e i r m a i n aim is to bring something fresh and diverse to Kuala Lumpur’s nightlife scene.

T R V P. U S s p e c i a l i z e s i n u p - t e m p o m u s i c a n d h e a d b a n g i n g s o u n d s . D J F l i p z e started out his career as a turntablist and has gained almost 7 years of DJing experiences. KontagiouZ, a young and passionate producer with sharp ears, strives nothing but perfection when it comes to producing top-notch and fresh tunes. DJ K3nji, fueled by his love for music seems to always have tricks up his sleeve as the crowds keep coming back for more of his expected movements during his live sets.

M e m b e r s : D J F L I P Z E , K O N TA G I O U Z , D J K 3 N J I .

C h e c k o u t t h e i r # M O T M - Tr a p M i x t a p e o n S o u n d c l o u d : D J M A G M A L AY S I A – M I X TA P E O F T H E M O N T H – M A R C H : T R A P – T R V P. U S

facebook.co/trvp.us instagram.com/trvp.us soundcloud.com/trvp.us mixcloud.com/trvp.us t w i t t e r. c o m / t r v p u s

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What Went Down

Play for Passion (P4P) is a Malaysian DJ community united for our passion in non-mainstream electronica, a n i m p o r t a n t c r i t e r i a i n o u r m u s i c p o l i c y. S t r i c t l y ‘EDM’ free, which was initiated by a small group of DJ/Producers, nurtured by P4P’s large pool of underground talents, our 12 hours Sunday events feature a fresh line-up of local and international guest DJs. P4P ultimately seeks to achieve long term promotion o f t h e v a r i o u s g e n r e s /s u b - g e n r e s o f n o n - m a i n s t r e a m e l e c t r o n i c m u s i c , p r i m a r i l y H o u s e , Te c h n o , Te c h H o u s e and Drum & Bass and also acts as another platform for fresh and established DJs to develop their respective artist profiles via exposure, through the groups promo channels, and opportunities gained from internetworking with fellow members.

“By DJs, for DJs” “Reinventing Music For The Future Masses” Event Date Time Ve n u e

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: : : :

Play For Passion Presents Dust & Grooves Every last Sunday of the month 3pm - 5pm Masterclass followed by a jam session untill 3am Elevate KL, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Malaysia

What Went Down

Play For Passion Presents: Dust & Grooves Dust & Grooves was conceptualized and introduced as a monthly event at our Sunday sessions known as Play For Passion in March 2015 As the many tags or sentences that was brought to life by our creative artist Jay Fong: “That time of the month, that our CDJ’s get tossed under the DJ booth” “The new digital age, but there is a certain breed of people who truly understand the true feel of turntable mixing” “ I n s u p p o r t o f t h e a r t & h i s t o r i c s i g n i f i c a n c e , w e’ ve c re a t e d a s p e c i a l ‘ V i ny l E d i t i o n’ f o r P l a y Fo r Passion’s turntable enthusiasts” “For that breed of turntable enthusiasts” T h e f a c t t h a t m o s t o f u s D J s w h o s t a r t e d s p i n n i n g v i n y l h a d a c o l l e c t i o n o f d a n c e /e l e c t r o n i c a t r a c k s i n o u r c r a t e s s t o r e d a w a y s o m e w h e r e c o l l e c t i n g “ d u s t ”, h a d a g o o d e n o u g h r e a s o n t o s e t t h e m o t i o n i n p l a y.

The more recent reason that contributed to the adventure was that many young, talented & upcoming DJs in the scene were already using the turntables as a medium for their sets, which made it possible for another venue to host a jam.

B a s i c a l l y, i t i s a n e f f o r t t h a t g a v e b i r t h i n M a r c h b r o u g h t t o g e t h e r a v a r i e d i n t e r e s t b u n c h o f aficionado DJs to strut their passion on the “ Wheels of Steel” which literally means, to spin music again for the die-hard fans of vinyl.

A s D u s t & G r o o v e s c e l e b r a t e d t h e i r 1 s t A n n i v e r s a r y, w e w o u l d l i k e t o t h a n k t h e a l l s t a r s r e g u l a r s who have performed for our previous vinyl jam sessions.

The Originators: Backslash Kesh, J-Sun, Bernie, Kumaraza The Groovers: R o h a n P h a t b o y, R e n u , R o m e l . K a s h , N o i s e m a k e r, M i c k e y M c L e a n , J a s o n M a r t i n E x p e r i e n c e , J a z z i e J a y, A l f r e d , K u m a , I n j o o W i e , D a y P o s t , L y n e s s , H u m , G r o o v e P l a t e , S l u t s k i , D J K , X e s X e s L o e v s e a t , Tr i p p y d j , B i l l y C & J i n g g o As we move forward past their first anniversary jam, we look to more “Vinyl Addicts” participating in the experience spreading the love for vinyl as passionate way of expressing themselves.

We also have a Masterclass session from 3:00 – 5:00 PM every Sunday for those who would like to explore and learn more using turntables, which is conducted by Kumaraza & Bernie.

Once a month on the last Sunday of the month, all DJs are invited to jam together physical original vinyl or vinyl timecodes. t w i t t e r. c o m / p l a y f o r p a s s i o n i n s t a g ra m . c o m /p f o r d j m i xc l o u d . c o m /p l ay f o r p a s s i o n

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What Went Down

DJ Rana

DJ Garenz

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What Went Down

s a i d f o r m e r 9 M u s e s K - p o p g i r l g r o u p m e m b e r, R a n a K i m – whom is now known as DJ Rana.

D J G a r e n z ( c o n s i s t o f m e m b e r s P. N u t z a n d D a y w a l k e r ) o n the other hand, had an affinity for the stylish and charming ways of being a DJ combined together with their love for m u s i c . P. N u t z s t a r t e d o u t a s a D i r e c t o r i n a w e l l - k n o w n club in Gangnam, Seoul and from there on, he slowly embarked on his passion in DJing. Daywalker who is also an experienced DJ on his own has played with big names l i k e D i p l o , F a t b o y S l i m a n d B i n g o P l a y e r.

“Seoul Seduction” took place at Play Club KL on 24th February and got the crowd jumping and dancing all night long with pumping EDM tracks spun by DJ Rana and DJ G a r e n z . P. N u t z w a s r e a l l y e x c i t e d t o p e r f o r m i n K L w i t h h i s p r o d i g y, D a y w a l k e r f o r t h e v e r y f i r s t t i m e a n d b o t h seemed to have already been mesmerized by the warm h o s p i t a l i t y a n d c h a r m s o f t h e c o u n t r y.

Female DJ Rana never disappointed the crowd with her 45 minutes set. She showed off her mixing skills and played a good mixture of music with throbbing vibes plus popular dance songs from famous K-pop groups. The crowd seemed to be enjoying her set and grooved along with the music.

Screams and cheers came on louder as Rana ended her set and Garenz were up to the stage.

Both the duo from DJ Garenz were jumping and raising their hands the whole night as they played hard trap tracks t h a t b r o u g h t t h e c r o w d h i g h e r. T h e y e v e n p e r f o r m e d a synchronized choreography for one of their tracks while s p i n n i n g o n t h e d e c k s . To w a r d s t h e e n d , P. N u t z s t o o d u p on the DJ console and jumped with the crowd. 90 minutes set by both the duo was indeed the best way to hype up a Wednesday night.

It was a good night for everyone - truly an experience into the best of Seoul’s nightlife without having to leave the country!

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P h o t o s : P r i m e To u c h L u x u r y

Who's in Town

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Who's in Town

P l a c e d a m o n g t h e To p 1 0 0 D J a n e M a g , a g l o b a l D J d a t a b a s e a n d h a i l i n g f r o m K i e v, U k r a i n e , J u i c y M s h o w c a s e d h e r r e n o w n e d s k i l l s o n f o u r C D J s w i t h o u t headphones as she played her big anthems and brought the house down for the crowd.

1. How are you and how has 2016 been treating you so far?

T h e s t a r t o f 2 0 1 6 h a s t r e a t e d m e v e r y g o o d , s i n c e t h e N e w Ye a r I d i d m a n y things, I was in the studio for weeks working on my album, trying to get everything done on the production aspect. I’m excited for more big plans this y e a r, o f c o u r s e I a m c u r r e n t l y b u s y o n t o u r w i t h g i g s .

2 . Te l l u s a b o u t y o u r n e w t r a c k w i t h J i m m y C l a s h f e a t u r i n g M i s s P a l m e r called Rowcraft. What’s the story behind this new track?

It was a very random idea, I met up with Jimmy during a festival we were both at. We started talking and came up with an idea for a new track we thought i t ’ s b e c o o l t o d o i t t o g e t h e r. W e t o o k o u t o u r l a p t o p s a n d m a k i n g u p a l l k i n d s o f f u n e l e m e n t s . T h e i d e a t h a t c a m e w a s a h u m m i n g t h a t g o e s l i ke “ We’ r e f o r e v e r y o u n g ”. W e w e r e i n s e a r c h f o r a g o o d v o c a l i s t t o d o t h e v o c a l s a n d w e f o u n d t h e r i g h t g i r l , M i s s P a l m e r. T h e t h r e e o f u s c o m m u n i c a t e d t h r o u g h S k y p e a n d g o t t h e p r o d u c t i o n s i d e d o n e . F i n a l l y, I a m e x c i t e d t o a n n o u n c e that the video will come out in 2 weeks! Be sure to keep a look out for it!

3. Is there any Asian DJs you’re looking to collab with in the future ?

I definitely want to collab with the female DJs, there are quite a number of talented female DJs in Asia that I’ve been eyeing. Who knows in the near future, I would be very keen to take take the opportunity if it ever lands.

4. What sets your fans from Asia apart from the rest of the world?

I performed in Zouk awhile back, twice actually and the crowd was always so hyped! I noticed my Asian fans are hardcore. I love engaging with them and I can feel the love through their pumped out reaction when I perform. I love coming back to Asia, I can’t wait to come back more often in the future.

5. How do you find balance between touring, producing, and personal time?

That’s the hardest part, I’ve been more than a year in this industry and t h a n k f u l l y I h a v e m y o w n p e r s o n a l t i m e w h e n I a m o n t o u r. W h e n I d o g e t the chance, I do normal things during my free time, I especially enjoy yoga, cycling & going to the movies.

6. What is a secret talent that your fans might not know about you?

Ye s I d o ! I c a n m a k e d o l p h i n s o u n d s ! C h e c k o u t J u i c y M ’ s i n t e r v i e w o n D J M A G Malaysia Facebook to hear her secret talent !

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Who's in Town

The 3 words which best describe Ørjan Nilsen; Hardworking, Dedicated and Energetic! This N o r w e g i a n D J / P r o d u c e r u p h o l d s h i s V i k i n g s p i r i t s a n d u s e s i t t o m a k e b e a u t i f u l Tr a n c e a n d H o u s e m u s i c . K n o w n f o r h i s e n e r g e t i c p e r s o n a l i t y, f a n s k e e p s c o m i n g b a c k f o r m o r e a s h e always have surprises up his sleeves when he is on decks. DJ MAG Malaysia caught up with Ørjan Nilsen to talk all things music.

1. We feel that this is only the start of s o m e t h i n g b i g g e r, w h a t d o y o u h a v e p l a n n e d for 2016?

I’ve got a few plans up my sleeve for this y e a r. R i g h t n o w I a m c e l e b r a t i n g t e n y e a r s anniversary with Armada. There will be a lot of remixes of my old tracks from different and new artist and I am also planning to make an album as well. Hopefully it will be done in 3 to 4 months.

2. What made you realized that this was the industry for you?

Well, I’ve watched a couple of videos back in t h e d a y s o f T i ë s t o a n d A r m i n d u r i n g I n t e r c i t y, Sensation and stuffs like that and I was hooked with the idea of standing in front of that many people playing music. I’ve always thought that I was going to be in the music industry because I’ve always been a musician.

When I was 14 years old I started producing, and when I was 16 years old I started DJing.

Somewhere when I was in school I figured that I really needed to work on it.

3 . Yo u ’ v e s a i d t h a t y o u s t a r t e d p r o d u c i n g when you were 14 years old. Is there any particular instrument that you can play?

I play the piano and I’ve played the clarinet, and drums. Well, I do sing a little bit and play the guitar here and there. Well, like I said, I knew I was doing to do something with music but I wasn’t quite sure at that time in life. So, when I figured out I could make music on my o w n , I s t a r t e d t o f o l l o w m y s o u n d w i t h Tr a n c e and House music.

4 . Te l l u s m o r e a b o u t y o u r r e c o r d l a b e l “ I n M y O p i n i o n” w h i c h i s u n d e r A r m a d a M u s i c .

B a s i c a l l y, w h e n I f i g u r e d o u t t h e n a m e o f m y f i r s t a l b u m , ‘ I n M y O p i n i o n ’, i t w a s w h a t I wanted music to be. Not only that, my p e r s o n a l o p i n i o n c h a n g e s c o n s t a n t l y. A l l t h e music signed under this label is in my opinion, my manager and I wanted to have an outlet for tracks, which we thought, was good to be s i g n e d . S o f a r, w e ’ v e b e e n r e c e i v i n g a l o t o f d e m o s , a n d w e’ ve b e e n g e t t i n g s o m a ny g o o d tracks from good producers.

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5. Since you are constantly on tour as well, how do you find time to produce?

I work fast. Sometimes I could make a track in a d a y. B u t i t i s a l s o i m p o r t a n t t o p l a n a h e a d and make time to produce in the studio. If I had 2 – 3 months on the road, I’ll make sure I have at least 2 – 3 weeks at home to produce and make time for my daughter as well. I try to combine it, and it usually works for me and thankfully I am a fast producer as well.

6. How would you describe your sound to somebody that has never seen you performance?

I am very energetic, sometimes maybe too energetic cause I’m jumping a lot. My music style is very much based on groove and also melodies. I really like melodies. I think people will have a nice experience going to one of my shows, because I never know what I am g o i n g t o p l a y, w h i c h a l s o m e a n s t h e y c a n n o t predict what I am going to play as well. I think they would always be surprised during my performance.

7. What is a secret talent, which you have that your fans might not know about?

Well, I could sing. But it’s one of those talents that I don’t want to show to the people quite yet. I would consider using my own vocals in my tracks, but we will see how that goes. I have to write the melody and some lyrics before I can start on this.

8 . W h a t w a s t h e w e i r d e s t /c r a z i e s t t h i n g you’ve seen with your own eyes during an event, which you performed at?

There was one guy who goes for these shows in North America. He basically shaves his c h e s t h a i r i n t o l o g o s l i k e ‘ A S t a t e O f Tr a n c e ’.

It’s kind of freaky but really funny as well.

9. What is you performing?

favourite

moments

when

My favourite thing when I am performing is that moment when I play a track that some p e o p l e h a v e b e e n w a i t i n g f o r. I t ’ s a l s o b e c a u s e I could see the smile on their faces.

Who's in Town

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Who's in Town

Miriam

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Olivia

Who's in Town N . kO. a at. hk e. a DtJhi en gDdJ ui nog wdhuoo aw r eh oa af o T hEeR VNOE RaV r er c e a tf o rbc e rt eo c bk eo nreedc kwoint eh da w s itthhe ya se m ob n aw t hbeayr ke m r ko rol d n d woom r lidn adt oi omni nwa itti h o ns hwoi w t hs sf hr o m w s I bf ri zoam t Iob iIznad itao, sI ne dl liian, gs e ol lui nt g tohueti rt h eviernvueensu ei sn i na a h e a r t b e a t .

R a n k e d a s n u m b e r 2 4 o n D J M A G ’ s To p 1 0 0 , their energy and eclectic sounds put them on a global platform, as they serve up worldclass sets. We caught up with them recently to talk about all things music and how two women are climbing the ranks to the upper e c h e l o n s o f d a n c e m u s i c s o c i e t y.

1. How did you guys first delve into the dance m u s i c s c e n e ? Wa s t h e r e a s p e c i f i c D J o r t r a c k that attracted you to the industry?

It took some time, we were making music ourself and we were raving on the weekends.

We went to the club and we started working more and more with more DJs instead of popstars, and we were more inspired by their beats and the whole method of releasing music. We learnt how to DJ ourselves and here we are now. It is definitely not an evolution. There were also some female DJs w e’ ve a l w ay s l o o ke d u p t o , l i ke D J Lo t t i e .

(Man, that girl is fierce!) Some tracks that made us realized this was the industry for us was from Fedde Le Grand as well.

2. With the entire stigma around female D J ’ s i n t h e i n d u s t r y, h a v e t h e r e b e e n a n y situations where you’ve found yourself being restricted by the stigma?

We feel like it’s always been there. If you Google ‘Female DJ’ you’re not going to get photos of Miss K8, or any other prominent f e m a l e D J s . Yo u ’ r e g o i n g t o g e t p h o t o s o f girls in bikini tops and that has been around s i n c e w e’ ve s t a r t e d . T h i s h a s n o t h e l p e d o u r cause. Major male DJs such as David Guetta, A r m i n Va n B u u r e n s e e u s a s c r e d i b l e a n d w e are equal as artist. Its not about our sexuality or our bikini tops. We think that this is what us girls will have to fight a little bit harder f o r, c r e d i b i l i t y.

3. NERVO has become a popular festival m a i n s t a g e m a i n s t a y, w h a t g o e s b e h i n d curating the ultimate festival set?

We put a lot of work in making sure all our sets, especially when we play main stage festivals. We will always try to do something different, so every set is different. This can be quite tough in the summer where we play two different festivals in a week. So to make it different and fresh, we make new introduction, new mash up as well. We give high energy during the beginning of our set and in the middle we will try and read the crowd and see what they need.

4 . Ta l k t o u s a b o u t t h e s t r u g g l e s b e i n g i n the dance music scene and how you have overcome them?

The biggest struggle for us is balance.

Balancing between touring with producing.

We used to be in the studio 5, 6 sometimes 7 days a week, but now because our touring is going so amazingly well. It gets hectic during s u m m e r a n d w e’ r e i t c h i n g t o g e t b a c k i n t h e s t u d i o b y e n d o f s u m m e r. M a k i n g m u s i c h a s b e c o m e m o r e d i f f i c u l t a s w e’ r e a l w ay s o n t h e road and also we get jetlags when it is time to be creative.

5 . Ta l k t o u s a b o u t y o u r s o n g w r i t i n g . D o a l l your songs have personal stories behind them?

We l l , a l l o f i t h a s s t o r i e s b e h i n d i t . We’ r e talking about lyrics here. Even if some songs a r e n’ t d i r e c t l y a b o u t u s , w e’ ve w r i t t e n s o n g s about what our friends have gone through.

But most of them have a real-life scenario; i t ’ s s o m e s o r t o f a d i a r y. I t ’ s v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g to see how our music has evolved with what w e’ ve f e e l i n g . I t ’ s n o t a b o u t f o l l o w i n g t h e trend of the time, but if you had to write the s a m e t y p e o f m u s i c e v e r y y e a r, w e ’ l l g e t r e a l l y b o r e d . N o w, w e’ r e exc i t e d c a u s e w e’ ve j u s t come off from 5 weeks of studio time. We feel l i ke w e’ ve c o m p l e t e l y c h a n g e d i n c l u d i n g o u r sound and different structures again.

6. What are your secret talents that many of yo u r f a n s d o n’ t k n o w ?

We’ r e ve r y g o o d c o o k s . O u r s p e c i a l t i e s d e p e n d o n w h a t s t a g e w e’ r e g o i n g t h r o u g h a n d a l s o w h a t s e a s o n w e’ r e i n . I f w e’ r e i n L A , w e c o o k q u i t e d i f f e r e n t l y w h e n w e’ r e i n Lo n d o n .

7. What are your top 3 favorite things about each other?

L i v : I l i k e M i m ’ s p o s i t i v i t y. I l i k e h e r inquisitiveness, as she likes to learn. Even if it’s regarding in music, it’s always about something else which she wants to learn more a n d a l s o h e r c r e a t i v i t y.

M i m : I l i ke L i v ’ s a p p e t i t e ; s h e’ s a g r e a t p a r t n e r t o e a t w i t h . S h e’ s g r e a t t o h ave f u n w i t h t o o . S h e’ s g r e a t t o c h i l l w i t h a s w e l l . S o i t ’ s F U N , E AT & C H I L L !

We’ r e a l w ay s s p e n d i n g a l o t o f t i m e t o g e t h e r ; w e ’ r e l i k e e v e r y n o r m a l s i s t e r.

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Discussion

Recap of March 2016 The month of March ending quicker than expected, let’s have a quick recap of the month and have a discussion. With unfortunate news of a particular event’s cancellation, the main questions lies on where is Malaysia’s dance music industry really headed?

As the dance music community keeps growing bigger and bolder in Malaysia, more local talents rise to follow their passion for arts and music. But, there are bound to have certain hiccups in this scene, as it is still fresh and upcoming. This industry has been under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons as it is said to be closely involved with illegal substances, alcohol affiliated and being an overly westernized culture.

Let’s move forward and find some insights towards the issue.

Here are some questions to discuss and share your thoughts with your friends and us as well: 1. The dance music scene has been highly associated as a negative and uneducated scene. What can the public do to create a better and livelier scene among each o t h e r ? A r e d a n c e m u s i c l o v e r s a w a r e o f t h e c o n c e p t o f P. L . U . R o r P. L . U . R . R ?

2. Event organizers play an important role of creating a platform for artist to p e r f o r m , g r o w a n d e s t a b l i s h t h e i r n a m e i n t h e i n d u s t r y. H o w d o y o u t h i n k e v e n t organizers can play a role of growing this industry for future local talents to shine?

3. The government acts as a crucial catalyst to either grow the industry or to s h u t d o w n t h e i n d u s t r y. W h a t d o y o u t h i n k a r e s o m e o f t h e p o s i t i v e o u t c o m e s o f t h e d a n c e m u s i c i n d u s t r y, w h i c h c o u l d c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e g o v e r n m e n t a n d a l s o towards the country?

4. As the dance music scene is mostly seen as negative in the public’s eye, it does reflect the attendees as well. As an individual, are you playing your part to keep the scene clean and healthy? How can you be the difference that the industry need?

(Quote Source: International Music Summit, Singapore 2015) Share with us your thoughts! Mention or use the hashtag to get the conversation going with your group of friends!

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9

Event Listing

1st April 2016

F u t u r e S o u n d A s i a 1 5 -Ye a r Anniversary Presents Go Hardwell Or Go Home

2nd April 2016

To w e r R o c k s P r e s e n t s M a l a y s i a ’ s Largest Local Music Festival (EDM Rockstar)

16th April 2016

22nd April 2016

Bingo Players Kuala Lumpur

Ohrwurm Presents Hunter/Game ( K o m p a k t / I n n e r v i s i o n s , I TA )

@

Zouk

15th April 2016 Ohrwurm Presents Moodyman (2020 Vision, UK)

30th April 2016

Forever Summer Beach Festival : Emma Hewitt

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Club

Event Listing

2 8 t h & 2 9 t h m ay 2 0 1 6

SKYDANCE Music & Arts Festival

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Party Picture

Date :24th February 2016 Location : Play Club, Kuala Lumpur

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Party Picture

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Party Picture

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Party Picture

Date : 26th February 2016 Location : Gravity Club, Kuala Lumpur

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Party Picture

Date : 4th March 2016 L o c a t i o n : Z o u k C l u b , K u a l a L u m p u r.

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Party Picture

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Party Picture

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Party Picture

Date : 18th March 2016 L o c a t i o n : F u z e C l u b , K u a l a L u m p u r.

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Speak Up

It probably all started with a constant feed of classical music from my parents while in my mother’s womb. In real-world years though, I began my musical journey with the violin at age 4 1/2, and piano at 5. Fastforwarding to university - I was meant to do medicine but ended up doing a 180 and enrolling in Computer Science. I discovered that it wasn’t the degree programme for me and I eventually got kicked out 2 years later not for doing anything illegal, but for failing repeatedly as I was spending every waking hour learning what I could about sequencing and Digital A u d i o Wo r k s t a t i o n s ( DAW ) .

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Speak Up

The decision to create Mile High Sounds literally happened over a period of 3 days while I was in Chicago for the Ableton Certification Event in 2009. The facility at which the event was held in (Music Industry Workshop, Chicago) was truly inspirational in that it was both a learning centre as well as featured a kick-ass studio. Furthermore, the people that formed the team and their service offerings seemed to work harmoniously as one.

Based on my research, apart from the nowclosed SAE in Malaysia and ICOM, there were not any other certified offerings for music production, and there were no short-term intensive learning options for students wishing to gain knowledge in core music production + sound engineering f u n d a m e n t a l s /p r i n c i p l e s q u i c k l y ( u n d e r 6 months) as opposed to taking 20-24 month certificate / diploma programs.

The Production Education at Mile High is awesome - mainly because of the types of students that we get, and of all ages. They come to MHS with the desire to genuinely learn how to make their own music the ground up, and we take pride in developing their skills to a point that they can even make their own sounds and don’t have to rely on presets.

Utilizing Ableton Live, this course caters to individuals wanting to understand the finer details of sculpting sounds to bring out the b e s t i n t h e i r m u s i c / m a t e r i a l . Te a c h i n g o f t h e f u n d a m e n t a l s o f ; f r e q u e n c y, d y n a m i c s , space, critical listening skills of instruments & music as well as recording techniques, plus practical application of these fundamentals to the students’ own music, leads them to creating more polished productions - not just in terms of quality musical ideas, but pristine sounding songs.

I see a shift for EDM production moving towards arrangements with more organic, b e i t w i t h m o r e a c o u s t i c /e l e c t r o - a c o u s t i c or even analog elements. Also, I see more punters getting hungry for hybrid live-shows involving setups and interaction beyond the t ra d i t i o n a l 2 - d e c k s a n d m i xe r f o r m a t . T h e r e’ s so much that can be done with DJ setups today and it’s just a logical shift that worlds t h a t w e r e o n c e s e p a r a t e ( D J s e t s v s L i v e PA ) m e r g e t o g e t h e r.

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EDM Producer

M o t i v a t e d b y t h e f r e s h s o u n d o f p s y c h e d e l i c a n d m e l o d i c t r a n c e , B a n g l a d e s h b o r n , To r o n t o r e s i d e n t S a a d Ay u b h a s c r e a t e d a n e u p h o r i c b l e n d o f m u s i c t o s t i m u l a t e t h e b o d y a n d m i n d .

S i n c e h i s m o v e t o To r o n t o m o s t o f h i s w o r k h a s b e e n r e c o g n i z e d a n d s u p p o r t e d b y A r m i n V a n B u u r e n , S e a n Ty a s , J o h n O ’ C a l l a g h a n , G i u s e p p e O t t a v i a n i a n d m a n y m o r e . W e h a d t h e c h a n c e to catch up with this upcoming new talent in the trance scene, read on for the full interview.

1. Hi Saad, tell us how you started your career back in 2008.

3. What makes your sound compared to other producers?

Hello! So, it all started with Ministry of Sound and House music. At that time, Bangladesh needed to experience the beauty of house music, and luckily I was able to be the front runner to promote the world tours of Ministry of Sound in Dhaka. While promoting the brand, I fell in love with the art of Djing and self tought myself to be a DJ, leading to become the supporting DJ for the Ministry Of Sound brand in Dhaka. I would like to also mention, the electronic dance music has been part of my life since I was 8 years old. I used to listen to the cassette tapes of Enigma, T i ë s t o , P a u l Va n D y k a n d m a n y o t h e r a r t i s t s .

G o o d q u e s t i o n ! To b e h o n e s t w i t h y o u , w h e n I produce a track, I try go in the opposite direction of what’s popular right now, but at the same time something to be proud of and stand out from others. For example my track “Move On” is basically a rebel trance (hahaha), it’s very melodic and uplifting, completely opposite to current popular sound which h a p p e n s t o b e P s y Tr a n c e . I t r y t o c a p t u r e the emotion and tell a story with each track I produce, it’s about my life stories. Since last year from “Forgive & Forget” to “ Where Do We Begin” and every single bootleg or rework in between most tracks were produced by m y s e l f, a n d I w a s a b l e t o t e l l y o u a s t o r y o f w h a t ’ s h a p p e n i n g i n m y l i f e . G l a d l y, a l o t o f the track resonated with my audience as well.

I think that’s how these tracks or sound stood out compared to other producers.

2. What kind of sounds do you associate yourself with the most when you produce/ remix a track?

I started as a DJ first, then I learned how to p r o d u c e . I a m a c t u a l l y a v e r y n e w p r o d u c e r, o n l y t h r e e y e a r s d o w n o f w h a t I a m t o d a y. I started to produce with vocal trance. That’s m y s p e c i a l t y, b u t a s I a m g r o w i n g a s a Tr a n c e p r o d u c e r, I d o i n c o r p o r a t e a l o t o f c l a s s i c a l e l e m e n t s o f Tr a n c e a s w e l l a s s o m e n e w e r stuff like psychedelic elements. That’s when I produce original tracks. When it comes to remixing a track, I try to recreate the track giving my own signature sound while keeping the groove of the original track intact so that it doesn’t compete with the original track. For example, if you look at my remix of “ Where Do We Begin” with Sunset, you can notice what I have tried to accomplish.

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stand

out

4. What do you think are the most vital things when it comes to producing a track?

D o n ’ t c o p y b e a t p o r t To p 1 0 , d o n ’ t c o p y E D M , don’t copy Bangers. People are tired of that, people will forget your track in matter of days. I have given this advice to some of my collaegues as well. Please try to be unique, take inspiration from tracks, but don’t go around copying it. Labels receive tons of tracks that have potential, but they will turn it down because it sounds like XYZ track.

Yo u h a v e t o t r y a n d c r e a t e s o m e t h i n g u n i q u e , whether it’s an out of the box triplets drop i n s t e a d o f a g e n e r i c p i t c h b e n d /s i d e c h a i n e d

EDM Producer drop or unique chord progression that will make the audience engaged from the start to finish of your track. A great track is about g r e a t c o m p o s i t i o n . Yo u c a n h i r e t h e b i g g e s t ghost producer or you can be the great audio engineer on the planet, but if you are not unique and create your own sound, you will not stand out.

5 . H o w i s t h e Tr a n c e s c e n e i n To r o n t o ?

It’s great, it has just finished its four year m u s i c c y c l e . S o , I w o u l d l i k e t o s a y t h e Tr a n c e s c e n e i n To r o n t o i s b a c k i n t h e r e d e v e l o p m e n t phase again, and it’s a good sign! I remember w h e n I f i r s t m o v e d t o To r o n t o , t h e To r o n t o scene was so big, even people from Australia would travel to experience the big room G u v e r n m e n t Tr a n c e n i g h t s . B u t , l o o k a t w h e r e Australia is right now. I think music goes i n a c y c l e , a n d To r o n t o i s d u e t o m a k e t h a t r e t u r n o f t h e g l o r i o u s d a y s o f Tr a n c e . T h a t a l s o d o e s n ’ t m e a n Tr a n c e i s d e a d h e r e i n To r o n t o , i t ’ s w e l l a l i v e . P r o m o t i o n s c o m p a n y like Ozmozis is keeping it well alive, but more underground!

6. What did it feel like when you found out y o u r A S t a t e o f Tr a n c e d e b u t m a d e i t t o f u t u r e favourite and got released on Armada?

Good question! It was so unexpected, I made “ W h e r e D o W e B e g i n ,” a s a B o o t l e g r e m i x w i t h my studio partner and mentor Sunset. Getting i t t o b e p l ay e d o n A S OT w a s n e v e r t h e p l a n i n the first place. I just always loved the vocal of the track and wanted to make a rework for my live sets. Once we finished it, I sent it to Armin van Buuren to see if he would like it or n o t . T h e n e x t w e e k h e p l a y e d i t o n A S O T, a n d the feeling and the rush of seeing the track blow up in real time was surreal. Then, the week after it became future favourite and then Armada approached me to get an official release, it was like a dream come true! It was a great teamwork with Sunset, and I think without him it would not have been possible.

7. What do you think has been your greatest achievement as a dance music producer?

Getting interviewed by Armin van Buuren in front of millions of people, getting my first vocal track crowned as the tune of the week

www.saadayub.com f a c e b o o k . c o /s a a d a y u b o f f i c i a l i n s t a g r a m . c o m /s a a d a y u b o f f i c i a l t w i t t e r. c o m / s a a d a y u b p r o . b e a t p o r t . c o m /a r t i s t /s a a d - a y u b / 3 5 3 2 5 3

by him and getting it as the debut release on Armada! I would like to think, I am musically spoiled because I achieved way too many m i l e s t o n e s w i t h o n e t r a c k . I t ’ s s c a r y, b u t amazing feeling!

8. How was it like working with Jennifer R e n e f o r ‘ M ove O n’ ?

I made a psy mashup of her track with Solid S t o n e “ N o t E n o u g h ” l a s t y e a r, w h i c h w a s supported by Giuseppe Ottaviani on his radio show. Jen really loved that mashup and shared it with her fans. After that, I stayed in t o u c h w i t h h e r. W h e n I h a v e d e c i d e d t o m a k e my first vocal track, naturally my first choice was Jen. I sent her the instrumental and she l o v e d i t a n d t h e r e s t w a s h i s t o r y. S h e i s a n amazing human being and is a great person to work with.

9. Are you satisfied with the outcome?

Absolutely! People have been talking about this track since Armin dropped it as an ID o n A S OT Fe s t i v a l M ex i c o l a s t y e a r a n d a f t e r the release. Look at the success of this track: M a s s i v e s u p p o r t f r o m A r m i n Va n B u u r e n ( c a n’ t thank him enough), unconditional support from all the big DJs, 4 consecutive weeks on B e a t p o r t t o p 2 0 , # 3 o n Tr a c k i t d o w n , # 3 3 o n Spotify Viral Chart in Canada (that’s a really h a r d c h a r t t o c r a c k f o r U p l i f t i n g Tr a n c e ) , # 9 o n i Tu n e s D a n c e c h a r t i n C h i l e , h u n d r e d s o f thousands of plays on Streaming sites and Yo u Tu b e a n d h u g e s u p p o r t o n F M s t a t i o n s a l l across the globe. I was not expecting to get this much of traction. All my hard work paid o f f, a n d I a m r e a l l y h a p p y w i t h t h e o u t c o m e .

10. Who influences you most and who would you like to work with this year?

My biggest influence is my mentor and studio p a r t n e r S u n s e t , A c t i v a , G r e g D o w n e y, S e a n Ty a s , a n d A l y & F i l a . I ’ m d e f i n i t e l y l o o k i n g forward to working with a few vocalists this year (I can’t tell you yet), and I also would love to work with Emma Hewitt & the vocalist of London Grammar and sometime down the r o a d w i t h Z a r a Ta y l o r ( I l o v e h e r v o i c e ) .

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Gig Life Asia

This month we go island hopping, showcasing two very different, but equally charming Pacific Island Nations.

Starting in the South Pacific the beautiful bustle of Manila just hosted a one day festival of indie rock favorites and cutting edge DJs. Start planning your trip now to the Northeast island’s prefecture of Shizuoko that will be hosting a 3-day camping festival site surrounded by nature, just over 2 hours south of To k y o .

JUST MISSED: GOODVYBES MANILA, PHILIPPINES -FEB 20, 2016 Featured Artists: C H V R C H E S , M i k h a i l , E r i k , B u s y P, D a r i u s Eat: Classic Filipino dishes done the best I’ve had is Café Juanita. Feast on tart Adobo, tangy Sinigag and crispy Lumpia in an eccentric and colorful dining room reminiscent of an old Aunty’s. The antiques and quirky décor will entertain you until the feast laid before you steals your focus.

Drink/Do: Irie Sunday @ B-Side is a Sunday must in Manila.

The friendliest people gather in the open-air venue, drawn by the most music performed by talented Reggae, Rasta, Dancehall DJs and bands.

Artists set up stalls to sell their crafts and grilled skewers on sale satiate any late night snack needs.

Tr a v e l T i p : Uber is a cheap and reliable way to get around Manila. Allow yourself about twice the time to get somewhere than Google Maps suggests if you are traveling in the city between 8am and 8pm.

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P h o t o s : G o o d V y b e s , I r i e S u n d a y, C a f ĂŠ J u a n i t a

Gig Life Asia

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Gig Life Asia

DON’T MISS: RAINBOW DISCO CLUB, S H I Z U O K O , J A PA N A P R I L 2 9 - M AY 1 , 2 0 1 6 Featured Artists: Andrew Te r a d a

Weatherall,

Gilles

Peterson,

Soichi

Eat: A m i m o t o C u i s i n e To k u z o m a r e G y o a n i s A m i m o t o Cuisine at it’s finest and most picturesque.

Indulge in the freshest sushi, sashimi and grilled seafood with a view of the tranquil ocean through the ceiling to floor window.

Stay: One of Atagawakan’s many amazing amenities includes access to a bathhouse with natural hot spring water and traditional wooden tubs.

Modern, yet classic, the rooms seem to be d e s i g n e d a r o u n d t h e o p e n b a l c o n y, f u r n i s h e d w i t h lounge chairs to watch the waves crashing on the beach. Conveniently located walking distance from the Izu-Atagawa Station.

Tr a v e l T i p : Yo u c a n t a k e t h e O d o r i k o E x p r e s s t r a i n f r o m S h i n j u k u s t a t i o n i n To k y o d i r e c t i n 2 h 3 0 m i n o r t h e R e g u l a r Tr a i n w / t r a n s f e r s t h a t i s 3 h 30min.

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P h o t o s : R D C , To k u z o m a r e , A t a g a w a k a n

Gig Life Asia

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Industry Insider

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Industry Insider

1. Hi Iqbal, as one of the founding members of Arts, Live Festivals & Events Association (ALIFE) of Malaysia, what are your main responsibilities in this role?

I am the secretary of ALIFE that means I constantly minute and engage our ALIFE council members and relevant stakeholders in t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l e v e n t s s e c t o r. S t a k e h o l d e r s range from the government to big corporate entities and other event organisers.

6 . Yo u h a v e b e e n a p a r t o f m a n y m a j o r e v e n t s here, what has been the most challenging and why?

W i t h o u t a d o u b t , F M FA . T h e t h i r d d a y b e i n g cancelled in Malaysia and being unable to do F M FA i n S i n g a p o r e t h e f o l l o w i n g y e a r k i l l e d us. But with that, it tested the true strength of the Livescape family as a unit. Without that, ALIFE would not have be born and Livescape would not have its latest music platform, IT’S T H E S H I P.

2. What else keeps you busy these days?

As the Group CEO of The Livescape Group, my main role is focusing on potential partnerships t h a t a s s i s t s a l l a s s e t s o f t h e c o m p a n y. T h a t includes expansion opportunities throughout both of our offices in Malaysia and Singapore.

We have some really cool concepts coming up over the next few years that I am sure will excite everyone.

3 . Te l l u s m o r e a b o u t A L I F E , h o w d o e s i t contribute to the music industry?

7. What do you think can be done to allow a much safer party experience?

There is no issue with a party being safe or not. The Livescape Group takes security and medical measure of international standards and we have been doing this since day one. It is the people that need to help us make our events safe. If you see someone falling down, you pick them up. If you see something that is not right, report it.

8. What does ALIFE have planned for 2016?

ALIFE intends to be the main lobbying arm between the private sector and the government sector in ensuring that quality live international events are able to be held i n M a l a y s i a 4 . Yo u h a v e o r g a n i z e d m a n y s u c c e s s f u l e v e n t s since 2009, what’s your secret to success?

To b e h o n e s t , t h e r e i s n o s e c r e t . I t i s h a r d work and determination in realising your vision. In this particular case, our vision at Livescape is to deliver the best experience through events. And I am humbled to have a great team that believes in that vision as well.

Hard work. Determination. Vision. A great team.

5. How do you think the local dance music scene can be improved?

I think that we have a fantastic pool of talent in Malaysia. We have an ample amount of venues that can support these talents but what we don’t have is media channels that support the local talents. For instance, radio should have a 60:40 policy where 40% of the music played should be local with the other 6 0 % , i n t e r n a t i o n a l . T h a t w a y, M a l a y s i a n s w i l l be exposed to local music a lot more.

(1) We plan to represent the industry with a united voice, with an intended signup of 80% market share. (2) ALIFE website to go live

by March 2016 (www.alife.my). (3) Setting standards within the industry through a Code of Practive that will be available for download on ALIFE website. (4) ALIFE to be officially i n v o l v e d i n P U S PA L C o m m i t t e e , w h i l e ( 5 ) lobbying and advocating for better regulation a n d g o v e r n a n c e i n L i v e E v e n t i n d u s t r y. F i n a l l y we plan to (6) establish #myalife Symposium as a main platform to connect industry members with relevant stakeholders locally a n d g l o b a l l y, n e t w o r k a n d c o l l a b o r a t i o n a s a w a y t o b u i l d t h e i n d u s t r y t o g e t h e r.

9. What are the highlights of being in the dance music industry?

Discovering new music, new talent and most importantly bringing people together to experience and appreciate the content that we bring to them and have a good time all the w a y.

10. What’s on your rave bucket list right now?

To a t t e n d I T ’ S T H E S H I P 2 0 1 6 . I h e a r d t h a t i t had two massive successful editions and that the 3rd edition would be even more fantastic!

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MaRLo is definitely one of the most sought after dance music DJs in the scene.

2015 was nothing short of a busy year for this trance-setter who has been touring the world and setting dance floors ablaze. His uplifting tracks have made a mark in the electronic music scene and not forgetting his fairytale-esque relationship with h i s w i f e , t h e s i n g e r /s o n g w r i t e r J a n o , h a v e d e f i n i t e l y p u t t h i s D J o n t h e m a p . W e s a t down with this DJ Mag’s #91 to talk about what 2016 has in store and the key to maintaining his relationship with his busy schedule.

1 . H i t h e r e ! F i r s t o f f, w e ’ d l i k e t o congratulate you on your muchd e s e r v e d s p o t o n t h e r a n k i n g s . Te l l u s about the moment you found out you were ranked.

I was really excited about it to be honest. I’ve been DJ-ing a long time, producing music and touring all over the w o r l d b u t I ’ v e n e v e r b e e n o n D J M a g To p 1 0 0 b e f o r e . To g e t r a n k e d f o r f i r s t t i m e is a huge honour and to get that support is great.

2. We feel this is only the start of s o m e t h i n g b i g g e r, w h a t d o y o u h a v e planned for 2016?

I’ve got big plans for 2016! I took a few weeks off at the start of the year and to focus more on studio time to finish off a lot of projects which I’m working on. I am also considering doing albums towards the end of the year and also possibly starting my own shows. I’m looking at creating big shows, like concerts.

3 . Ta l k t o u s a b o u t h o w y o u s t a r t e d i n t h e i n d u s t r y. W h o w e r e y o u r b i g g e s t influences starting up?

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Well, I didn’t start out as a DJ but I s t a r t e d o u t a s a m u s i c p r o d u c e r. F r o m the very beginning during my high school days, I always liked drawing and I started picking up computer animation.

Things like Pixar animation and Pixar movies really fascinate me and I really wanted to do something along that line.

So, I’ve been experimenting making animations and making background music for my animations and that’s how I started making music. And I just fell in love with making music more than animation. At the same time, I was going out to clubs every weekend, so it became my passion. I started following my passion for music more and more.

That’s how it sort of started out for me, and after a while, I felt the need to perform my music to an audience, so I started playing live on keyboards with a friend of mine and eventually I learned how to DJ as well and toured as a DJ that way .

It didn’t start out trying to become something. It didn’t start out as trying to be famous or become a DJ. I just loved making music and I realized at very early stage that’s this is what

I w a n t e d t o d o w i t h m y l i f e . To s h a r e my music with others and I still love doing so. I feel that people can spot a fake easily and it is easier for people to connect with those who really love the music. I feel that people like to feel that the person is in it for all the right reasons as well.

4. How would you describe the MaRLo sound and experience?

Well, when I started out, I liked to go for hard trance events and more techtrance and uplifting trance. But my main influence is more on the tougher a n d t e c h - i e r s i d e . Yo u c o u l d s a y m y sound is more towards the techinfluence beats with a lot of hands in the air moments. During my sets, I adjust towards the crowds in front of me. For me, the crowd is as much part of the journey of that night as I am. So, if I see them responding to certain style of music, I’ll join them on that music path rather than me always taking the lead and playing something even if it’s not working for the crowd.

5. What is the producing process like for you? Do you produce while on tour or take time off and working the studio?

I u s e d t o t r y t o d o i t o n t o u r, o n a l a p t o p but looking on a small screen and the l a p t o p’ s l i t t l e key b o a r d w h e t h e r i t i s o n the plane or in the hotel room, it’s just not a creative environment for me. It has to come organically from the right e n e r g y, s o I f e e l m u c h m o r e c r e a t i v e when I’m sitting in my studio with my speakers and my other equipment around me. Nowadays, I don’t try to force myself to produce but if I get a

ready idea, I will record the melody down and wait until I’m in a studio. By changing the way I work, I will have more ideas when I am in the studio and filled with passion to make music. Like right now, being away from the studio for two weeks, I am really excited to be back in the studio and I think that’s a way better energy to produce rather than forcing the idea which may sound n o t r i g h t a n d w i t h t h e w r o n g e n e r g y.

But with that said, I still do the mash up and edits and other things like that on the road.

6. We often hear people attempting to keep their personal and professional l i ve s s e p a ra t e , b u t w e’ r e c u r i o u s , how is it like working so closely with your wife Jano? It looks like the arrangement is working well for you.

Our personal and business lives are completely intertwined, but it has worked out pretty well. We understand each other’s job so well and we actually w o r k w e l l w i t h e a c h o t h e r. I t h a s n ’ t been a problem or an obstacle but I can imagine if you try to mix business and personal without understanding each other’s business, that could become quite complicated.

The key to our relationship is balance.

7 . W h a t i s i t l i ke b e i n g A u s t ra l i a’ s # 1 DJ? Do you think the title comes with bigger expectations from fans?

Well, I am not the overall #1 trance DJ, but to be honest, I am not worried about positioning and things like that whether it is in the mix or DJ Mag award. It is a great honour to get voted by the fans and it’s always nice to be recognized for your hard work.

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The grammy nominated duo, galantis have been a significant part of the dance music scene in the past decade. Apart from being renowned djs, this Swedish duo IS also known for their production skills and their unique song writing abilities. with years of experience under their belts, there is no doubt that the duo are the perfect p a i r i n g f o r t h e i n d u s t r y, q u i t e l i k e p e a n u t b u t t e r a n d j e l l y.

1 . H i t h e r e ! To s t a r t t h i n g s o f f, w h a t d o you think makes your Galantis project different from all your other projects?

Well we think all our other projects and a l l t h e o t h e r t h i n g s w e’ ve d o n e h ave l e d up to this. It brought us here.

2. What is going on for the two of you in 2016?

We’ r e t o u r i n g a l o t i n 2 0 1 6 , a n d t h e ye a r i s g o i n g t o b e a l o t a b o u t t h a t . B u t w e’ r e also going to release a lot of new music t h a t w e’ ve b e e n w o r k i n g o n .

We’ r e definitely ready with new material.

3. What is it like working as a DJ duo?

Do you two butt heads often?

I think it depends on who you work with.

In this case it’s the most perfect set up. We work very well together and it’s very easy to do. And I think it’s one of the main reasons why this is going well.

Otherwise, you just eat each other up almost. We do a bit of everything; we tag team on each other with different tasks.

We feel whatever is best for Galantis is going to win, and of course there are always situations whether we should do something or not. And if we both don’t k n o w, t h e r e’ s a l w ay s t h e m a n a g e m e n t who helps us.

4. Let’s talk about music. What’s the inspiration behind your famed track “Runaway”?

Well that song is kind of special in the sense that for a long time, it was almost

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like three songs and we tried to fuse it into one. It took us a long time to try and make it one. And there were a few moments where we almost gave up on it, because there are all the verses and the drop from three different songs.

We’ r e h a p py w e d i d n’ t g i ve u p .

5 . Ta l k u s t h r o u g h h o w y o u c o n s t r u c t a song from the ground up? What is the process Galantis has for creating hits?

I think the process for any Galantis song is pretty much the same. We don’t l o o k a t e a c h s o n g d i f f e r e n t l y. W e t h i n k music is music and I think the process that we do is different from acts and artist in this genre because first of all we start with the songwriting, mostly g u i t a r a n d p i a n o o n l y. B a s i c a l l y a l l o u r songs are ballads in the beginning and stay a ballad for a long time. So when we release the track it feels fresh.

P r o d u c t i o n i s s o m e t h i n g t h a t w e’ ve done for so long so we rely on our tools to do that so we focus on songwriting a lot. And I think you can hear that in our music.

6. Speaking about songwriting, are all your songs based on personal experiences or your travels? Do they come from a personal place?

More or less, it depends, sometimes you work with another songwriter and they have an idea and you build from that. But it’s kind of like, more or less poetry; you use words and melody to sculpt it. It’s like molding something s l o w l y.

7 . Yo u g u y s h a v e b e e n i n t h e i n d u s t r y for quite a while now, how do you think things have evolved?

We’ ve b e e n i n i t f o r a l o n g t i m e a n d then the internet happened. It a big change because I think the power now is with the listener or the fans. The power used to belong to the record labels and the radio channels but t h e r e’ s s o m a ny d i f f e r e n t w ay s n o w t o g o a b o u t i t . Yo u c a n m a k e a s o n g a n d put it up on the internet and it’s up to the people whether or not they like it. So as much as it’s harder now and t h e r e’ s w ay m o r e m u s i c , i t s a c t u a l l y e a s i e r t o r e a c h y o u r l i s t e n e r. I t n e v e r used to be like that. It used to be like you have to fight for your right to be on the window of the record store and if you aren’t they don’t know that you exist.

8. How did Seafox come about?

As important as the music is, branding is as well. We basically needed a face, and we worked a lot on that. And we f i r s t k n e w t h a t w e w a n t e d f u r, a n d t h e n

it became some sort of a jellyfish. In the end it became a hybrid of the fox and the jellyfish and it became Seafox.

We didn’t call it that in the beginning, it was just an animal. It was a jellyfish, a fox and the jellyfish and we removed the rest and decided to keep the face and it somehow became the Seafox.

A n d t h e n a c t u a l l y, t h e g u y w h o c r e a t e d the Daft Punk masks, we hired him, he created the real life version of it. Since she came to life we started telling her story through our videos, how her life is and her daily journey of finding her partner and her place in this world.

9. What are your guilty pleasures?

Christian: I have a few but right now it’s the Swedish tobacco Linus: I don’t think you should ever feel guilty about pleasure! But I don’t feel much guilt, hahaha.

10. What is Galantis’ ideal weekend?

Every day is a weekend for us!

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Macau International Clubbing Show

The Asian Club & Bar Awards has now become a yearly show that is organized by the Asian Club & Bar Association and co-hosted by MICS Macau and Entertaining Asia Limited. The awards are the first and most important industry recognition of its kind in Asia and are aimed at recognizing outstanding clubs and bars in Asia with unparalleled experience. Acting as the industry’s premier awards program, the Asian Club & Bar Awards seeks to applaud excellence in clubs and bars concept development, operations, promotion and innovation.

The awards are focused on celebrating and distinguishing excellence in key achievements and winning strategies adopted by outstanding clubs and bars in their business operations in Asia. Winners will be commended and benefited from the ongoing media and PR opportunities throughout the year for everyone involved. They will be featured in Award Booklet, enewsletters and major media in the N i g h t l i f e i n d u s t r y. B y d o i n g s o , t h e s e A s i a n e s t a b l i s h m e n t s w i l l b e elevated onto an international platforms as they can further be recognized outside the region.

Winners of the first Asian Club & Bar Awards will be unveiled and honoured at the Macau International Clubbing Show in May at the Ve n e t i a n M a c a o . T h e A w a r d s i n c l u d e c a t e g o r i e s s u c h a s A s i a’ s 3 0 Best Clubs and Bars, the Best Overall Experience, Best Club and B a r i n a p a r t i c u l a r c o u n t r y/c i t y a n d t h e M o s t P o p u l a r C l u b / B a r Award. The winners will come together at the Award Ceremony to celebrate excellence in club and bar concept development, as well as in operations, promotion and innovation.

The Award Ceremony will be held during MICS Macau which will b e h e l d f r o m 1 8 - 2 0 M a y 2 0 1 6 a t t h e Ve n e t i a n M a c a o . E s t a b l i s h e d

by Reed Exhibitions China and the Monaco International Clubbing Show, MICS Macau is the first trade show in Asia with a dedicated focus on the nightlife and entertainment industry with more than 3,000 industry professionals expected to congregate. It’s the Asian Nightlife and Entertainment Industry Networking that you cannot miss.

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MAY 18-20, 2016 THE VENETIAN MACAO

Trade Show

ORGANIZED BY

Hosted Buyers

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suppORtED BY

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DJ Festival

Through The Lens

Remy Klien is an international photographer that has delved into the wild and eclectic world of dance m u s i c . A s a p h o t o g r a p h e r, K l i e n h a s h i s o w n u n i q u e perspective of the world. He has quoted to say that “(He) see colors and magic in everything and I spend my life discovering new ways to take all that I experience and turn it into something beautiful.

Creativity pulsates through my veins and bleeds i n t o e v e r y t h i n g I d o . I t a l w a y s h a s .”

His love for photography has led him to completely immerse himself in his craft for over eight years now. With close to a decade of experience, Klien has definitely accumulated a diverse and unique portfolio. He has shot a plethora of events, from dance music to business events with clients ranging from Foot Locker to Pacha, Uber and many more.

T h i s p h o t o g r a p h e r s u l t i m a t e d r e a m , h o w e v e r, i s to travel the globe and capture the most amazing moments through the lens of his camera, but for now he is the proud owner of his own graphic design a g e n c y w h i l e f o c u s i n g o n d e s i g n , p h o t o g r a p h y, and a continuous desire to learn and grow as an entrepreneur and overall creative mind.

Remy Klien likes to think of myself as resilient, determined, eager to learn, and a bit eccentric in m a n y w a y s . R e a l l y, m o r e t h a n a n y t h i n g , h e l o v e s to think outside of the box and develop artistic visions that capture beauty in unique ways. The beauty of life. Of design. Of business. And, well, all of those things combined into one lasting unique work of art. There isn’t quite anyone out there with a n eye l i ke R e my K l i e n a n d h e’ s o n l y a s c e n d i n g t o the upper echelons of the photography industry from here.

remydeklein.com f a c e b o o k . c o /r e myd e k i n s t a g ra m . c o m /r e myd e k l e i n

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Through The Lens

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Tour Diary

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Tour Diary

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Trip Project

Harm reduction is a way of thinking about and practicing healthy ways of being that build on the risk reduction strategies we all use to keep ourselves as safe and healthy as possible.

Harm reduction is gaining worldwide acceptance and popularity as a public health philosophy and strategy because it has p r ove n m o r e e f f e c t i ve i n m e e t i n g p e o p l e’ s diverse health needs than the traditional public health models. People are starting to realize that medical models of health are very exclusive and benefit only a small group of p e o p l e ( t h o s e c o n s i d e r e d c u l t u r a l l y, m e n t a l l y and physically ‘normal’).

Harm Reduction is about working with immediate goals and issues people have, enabling choice and opportunity without imposing change. It values life, choice, respect and compassion over judgement, stigma, discrimination or punishment.

Some popular examples of Harm Reduction in practice: 1. Free condoms - making condoms available for people who are sexually active to reduce the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections rather than simply telling people not to have sex at all.

2. Designated Driver Programs - an official government message on alcohol doesn’t tell y o u t o a b s t a i n f r o m d r i n k i n g a l t o g e t h e r, b u t rather if you choose to drink, don’t drive a c a r.

3. Needle Distribution Programs - offering new needles to IV drug users (anonymously) to reduce the risk of bloodborne infections like HIV and Hepatitis that are transmitted by sharing injection supplies.

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Which came first, the philosophy or the practice?

Keeping ourselves as safe and healthy as possible is a part of human nature. We don’t set out into the world to intentionally harm o u r s e l ve s , ra t h e r w e d o w h a t w e’ r e a b l e to based on what is available to us in the c i r c u m s t a n c e s o f o u r l i v e s . R e m e m b e r, j u s t because an option exists theoretically for all of us, doesn’t mean it’s accessible to or realistic for all of us.

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At the Trip! Project We are dedicated to reducing harm by providing non-judgmental info and supplies around safer drug use and safer sex through means that are practical, realistic and attainable for the person. This philosophy and practice is not in opposition to abstinence ( i e : t h e i n f a m o u s ‘ J u s t S ay N o’ a p p r o a c h ) b u t r e c o g n i z e s t h a t s i m p l y ‘ s ay i n g n o’ i s n o t a realistic, desirable or attainable goal for many of us. Instead, harm reduction offers a broader range of options for anyone looking for ways to sustain their health and wellbeing.

In order to know how to reduce harm, first we need to know what the risks are. For example, with alcohol and other drugs there are generally three categories of harm that can be associated with use. Risk of harm will depend on many variables of the use. They are: 1. Quality and Quantity - how much and how often of what substance, taking into consideration the potency and purity of the drug (which is highly variable among illicit substances).

2 S e t a n d S e t t i n g - t h e ‘ w h e r e ’, ‘ w h e n ’, a n d ‘with whom’ of doing drugs: both physical environment, including who you are s u r r o u n d e d b y, a n d y o u r o w n h e a d s p a c e a t the time.

3. Route of Administration - the method of consumption: the different ways to get drugs into the person (snorting, shooting, eating, smoking, hooping, etc.) come with different risks.

The focus becomes the ways in which people use rather than whether or not they use. It is based on a reality that people always have and always will use drugs. The above factors of drug use can help us begin to think about the ways that we use so that we can make informed choices.

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Trip Project By u s e r s , f o r u s e r s Tr i p ! P r o j e c t d r u g i n f o i s w r i t t e n b y a n d f o r drug users in the party scene and although this is a rare type of info production (most drug info is written by doctors, scientists, s o c i a l w o r k e r s , t e a c h e r s , c l e r g y, n o n - d r u g users and anti-drug warriors), we are not the first to do it. The Harm Reduction movement was started by users who wanted their voices heard and their needs met. They were tired of being excluded from health care and ignored or discriminated against because of their drug use.

Some Words on RISK Risk is a big word these days and reducing or minimizing risk is a hot topic especially when adults talk about young people and our ‘ r i s k - t a k i n g b e h a v i o u r s ’. R i s k i s t h e e l e m e n t of the unknown, the potential for harm that can be as exciting as it can be scary (think of bungee jumping or skydiving). We learn a lot through taking risks: think about some of the most important lessons you’ve learned: was it from someone telling you something? Or was it through something that you experienced first hand? Risk is a part of life and through taking chances we figure out so much about ourselves and the world around us. We can’t always know where borders are until we cross them. That being said, some risks we choose to take and others we may not have known were risky to begin with. That’s where informing yourself comes into play so you aren’t walking blindly into things, unaware of the possible outcomes. Of course nothing is 100% guaranteed, but when we share our knowledge and experience as youth, as drug users, as party people, we find that we are our o w n b e s t l i b r a r y, s c h o o l a n d t e a c h e r s .

For example, knowing what happens in the body when someone does too much of a drug, or a mix of drugs, can help us figure out both how to prevent overdose and what to do if someone is overdosing. The knowledge we share with each other helps us make more informed decisions around how we live our lives.

This being a community project, we welcome f e e d b a c k , c r i t i c i s m a n d a n y u s e r, y o u t h o r party people experiences that you think would add to the richness of our collectively generated information.

In conclusion: k n o w l e d g e i s p o w e r. J u s t s a y K N O W !

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ADVERTISE WITH US

Alveen ( Borneo ) alveen@djmag.my

Luqman ( Peninsular Malaysia ) luqman@globalsoundmasters.com